Display control device, display control method, and recording medium

Abstract

This display control device comprises: an acquisition means for acquiring an image or sensor information around a product shelf; a detection means for detecting a situation of a person around the product shelf on the basis of the image or the sensor information; and a display control means for switching the display of a transparent display provided on the product shelf to a display state or a non-display state according to the situation of the person.

Description

Display control device, display control method, and recording medium

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a display control device, a display control method, and a recording medium.

[0002] In a display case having a transparent panel or door inside which products are displayed and through which products can be viewed from the outside, there is a technology for displaying advertisements or the like using a transparent display.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a showcase with a display function that performs an advertisement display near a product for which an advertisement is desired to be made, using a transparent display that is movable along a transparent panel of a display case.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-125904

[0005] However, when the transparent display is in a display state, the transparency of the transparent display decreases, making it highly likely that it will be difficult to view the products displayed behind the transparent display from the outside. Also, in response to this problem, if products are not displayed behind the transparent display, the number of products that can be displayed will decrease.

[0006] An example of the object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that enables both showing the displayed products and usefully utilizing the display of the transparent display in the display control technology of the transparent display provided in a display case.

[0007] A display control device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires an image or sensor information around a display case, a detection unit that detects the situation of a person around the display case based on the image or sensor information, and a display control unit that switches the display of a transparent display provided in the display case between a display state and a non-display state according to the situation of the person.

[0008] A display control method according to an aspect of the present disclosure acquires an image or sensor information around a display case, detects the situation of a person around the display case based on the image or sensor information, and switches the display of a transparent display provided in the display case between a display state and a non-display state according to the situation of the person.

[0009] A program in one aspect of this disclosure acquires images or sensor information of the surroundings of a product shelf, detects the presence of people around the product shelf based on the images or sensor information, and causes a computer to perform a process of switching the display of a transparent display provided on the product shelf between a displayed state and a hidden state, depending on the presence of people.

[0010] Each program may be stored on a non-temporary storage medium that is readable by the computer.

[0011] One example of the effects of this disclosure is that, in display control technology for transparent displays installed on product shelves, it is possible to simultaneously display the displayed products and make effective use of the display on the transparent display.

[0012] This figure shows the configuration of a system including a display control device. This block diagram shows an example of the functional configuration of a display control device. This figure shows an example of the arrangement of transparent displays on a product shelf. This flowchart shows an example of the operation of a display control device. This flowchart shows another example of the operation of a display control device. This flowchart shows another example of the operation of a display control device. This flowchart shows another example of the operation of a display control device. This block diagram shows another example of the functional configuration of a display control device. This flowchart shows another example of the operation of a display control device. This flowchart shows another example of the operation of a display control device. This figure shows a hardware configuration for implementing the display control device in this disclosure using a computer and its peripheral devices.

[0013] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0014] [Embodiment] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system including the display control device 100 of the present disclosure.

[0015] The display control device 100 is a device that controls the display of a transparent display installed on a product shelf. The functional configuration of the display control device 100 will be described later. The display control device 100 is implemented by an information processing device such as a server, but is not limited to this example.

[0016] In Figure 1, the display control device 100 is communicatively connected to a camera or sensor and a transparent display provided on the product shelf.

[0017] A product shelf is a shelf used to display goods sold in a store. For example, a product shelf is a shelf that displays goods so that people can directly pick them up. Alternatively, a product shelf may also be a display medium that shows people the types of goods available for sale, using sample products or images of products.

[0018] A transparent display is a display in which the display area is transparent. A person can see through the transparent display depending on the display state.

[0019] For example, with a transparent display, the transparency of part or all of the display area decreases when it is on. Therefore, when the transparent display is on, a person cannot see behind it, or it is difficult for a person to see behind it. On the other hand, the transparency of a transparent display increases when it is off. Therefore, when the transparent display is off, a person can see behind it, or it becomes easier for a person to see behind it.

[0020] Transparent displays are installed on product shelves. For example, a transparent display is installed on at least a portion of the product-viewable surface of the product shelf. The product-viewable surface of the product shelf is, for example, the door of the product shelf used when taking out products from inside the shelf. One or more transparent displays may be installed on a single product shelf.

[0021] Cameras or sensors are used to detect the presence of people around the product shelves. Cameras photograph the area around the product shelves. Cameras may be RGB (Red Green Blue) cameras, infrared cameras, etc. Sensors detect the area around the product shelves. For example, a sensor is a motion sensor that detects when a person is within its detection range. For example, motion sensors may be infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, sound sensors, etc.

[0022] The camera or sensor used to detect the presence of people around the product shelves may be either a camera or a sensor, or both. Furthermore, the camera or sensor used to detect the presence of people around the product shelves may be a single device or multiple devices, as long as they provide the necessary information to detect the presence of people around the product shelves.

[0023] Next, the configuration of the display control device 100 in the embodiment will be described.

[0024] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the display control device 100. Referring to Figure 2, the display control device 100 comprises an acquisition unit 101, a detection unit 102, and a display control unit 103.

[0025] Next, the configuration of the display control device 100 in the first embodiment will be described in detail.

[0026] The acquisition unit 101 is an example of an acquisition means for acquiring images or sensor information around the product shelf. The acquisition unit 101 acquires images or sensor information from a camera or sensor. Here, the images or sensor information around the product shelf is information used to detect the situation of people around the product shelf.

[0027] The detection unit 102 is an example of a detection means that detects the status of people around a product shelf based on images or sensor information.

[0028] The situation of people around product shelves, for example, indicates their purchase consideration status. This information shows which stage of the product purchase process a person is in within the store.

[0029] For example, a person's purchase consideration situation is a situation where the person is hesitant about purchasing a product.

[0030] A situation in which a person is hesitating about purchasing a product may be detected, for example, by the time a person spends around a product shelf exceeding a predetermined period of time. In this case, the detection unit 102 may use known technology to detect, based on image or sensor information, that the time a person spends around a product shelf exceeds a predetermined period of time. Here, the area around the product shelf may be within a predetermined distance from the product shelf, or it may be within the image capture range, and can be set as appropriate.

[0031] Furthermore, for example, a situation in which a person is hesitating about purchasing a product can be detected by observing the movement of the person's gaze over the product shelf. The movement of a person's gaze over the product shelf can also be described as the position of the person's gaze over the product shelf being unstable. In this case, the detection unit 102 may use known techniques to detect, based on the image, that the person's gaze over the product shelf around the shelf has been moving for a predetermined period of time or longer.

[0032] Furthermore, for example, the situation of a person considering a purchase is the situation in which the person has decided to purchase the product.

[0033] The situation in which a person has decided to purchase a product may be detected, for example, by the person taking an action to take a product from the shelf. Actions taken by a person to take a product from the shelf include, but are not limited to, actions such as taking an action to open the shelf door, taking an action to approach the shelf to open it, or taking an action to pick up a product displayed on the shelf. In this case, the detection unit 102 may use known technology to detect the action of a person taking a product from the shelf in the vicinity of the shelf based on image or sensor information.

[0034] Furthermore, for example, the situation in which a person has decided to purchase a product may be detected, for example, by the person's gaze being directed towards the product shelf within a certain range for a predetermined period of time. In this case, the detection unit 102 may use known technology to detect, based on the image, that the person's gaze is directed towards the product shelf within a certain range for a predetermined period of time around the product shelf.

[0035] Furthermore, the situation of people around the product shelves may include, for example, the distance between the person and the product shelves. The detection unit 102 may use known techniques to detect the distance between the person and the product shelves based on image or sensor information. The distance between the person and the product shelves can be assumed to be information related to the person's purchase consideration status or how the product shelves appear to the person.

[0036] Furthermore, the situation of people around the product shelves may also be represented by their facial expressions. The detection unit 102 may use known techniques to detect people's facial expressions based on images. It can be assumed that people's facial expressions are information related to their purchase consideration status or their reaction to the display on the transparent display. For example, the detection unit 102 may use a trained model that has learned the relationship between images showing people's facial expressions and people's purchase consideration status or their reaction to the display on the transparent display to detect people's facial expressions.

[0037] Furthermore, the detection unit 102 may also detect the attributes of the person. For example, the detection unit 102 may detect the attributes of the person based on the image.

[0038] The attributes of a person are information used to determine whether or not they are the target of display information to be shown on a transparent display or a product on a product shelf equipped with a transparent display.

[0039] Person attributes may include, for example, age. Alternatively, for example, a person's attribute may be whether or not they are of an age to purchase the products on the shelf. In these cases, the detection unit 102 may use known techniques to estimate the age of people around the shelf from the image. For example, the detection unit 102 may estimate a person's age using a trained model that has learned images of people and the ages of those people.

[0040] Furthermore, the detection unit 102 may detect a person's age based on information for age verification, in addition to images. In this case, for example, a reader around the product shelf reads a medium containing age verification information, the acquisition unit 101 acquires the read information from the reader, and the detection unit 102 uses the read information to detect the person's age. The information for age verification may be the age itself, the date of birth, or identification information of a person associated with information indicating age or date of birth. The medium may be a card, a smartphone used by a person, a facial image, etc. Also, the reading method of the reader is not particularly limited and may be code scanning, image recognition, character recognition, or reading an IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, etc.

[0041] The display control unit 103 is an example of a display control means that switches the display on a transparent display installed on a product shelf to either a displayed state or a hidden state depending on the person's situation.

[0042] Furthermore, the transparent display may be shown under normal circumstances and switched to a hidden state depending on the person's situation, or it may be hidden under normal circumstances and switched to a visible state depending on the person's situation.

[0043] Also, when the display control unit 103 switches the display of the transparent display to the display state, the display information to be displayed on the transparent display by the display control unit 103 may be pre-set display information, or may be appropriately determined according to the situation and attributes of the people around the merchandise shelf. The display information is, for example, information about the store to be notified to people such as customers and store clerks. For example, the display information is sales promotion information for promoting the sale of products in the store, etc., but is not limited to this example. Also, the display information may include information indicating the category and type of products in the merchandise shelf that are difficult to see due to the transparent display being in the display state. Note that when there is pre-set display information in the store, for example, the display information may be set for each time zone, for each store, or for each merchandise shelf. The determination of the display information according to the situation and attributes of the people around the merchandise shelf will be described in the second embodiment described later.

[0044] Hereinafter, an example of the display control performed by the display control unit 103 will be described. For example, the display control unit 103 performs display control of the transparent display according to the situation of a person's consideration of purchase.

[0045] In this case, for example, when it is detected that the situation of a person's consideration of purchase is a situation of being undecided about product purchase, the display control unit 103 switches the display of the transparent display to the display state. Also, in this case, it is assumed that the display information displayed on the transparent display is sales promotion information such as information recommending any one of a plurality of products displayed on the merchandise shelf or information advertising a sales promotion plan in the store where the merchandise shelf is installed. Thereby, there is a possibility of assisting the consideration of product purchase by a person who is in a situation of being undecided about product purchase.

[0046] Also, in this case, for example, when it is detected that the situation of a person's consideration of purchase is a situation of having decided on product purchase, the display control unit 103 switches the display of the transparent display to the non-display state. Thereby, since the person can easily see the products in the merchandise shelf, it is possible to prevent the operation of taking out products from the merchandise shelf by a person who is in a situation of having decided on product purchase.

[0047] In addition, when there are multiple people around the product shelf, the display control unit 103 may keep the display on the transparent display in a non-display state. This is because when there are multiple people around the product shelf, it is assumed that there is a high possibility that a person who has decided to purchase a product is around the product shelf. In this case, changing the display on the transparent display to the display state may interfere with the person who has decided to purchase a product from taking out the product. Also, when there are multiple people around the product shelf, the display control unit 103 may switch the display on the transparent display to the display state when all of the multiple people are in a situation of being undecided about purchasing a product.

[0048] Also, for example, the display control unit 103 may perform display control of the transparent display according to the distance between a person and the product shelf.

[0049] In this case, for example, when the distance between a person and the product shelf is such that the person can visually recognize the product shelf, the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display to the display state. The distance at which a person can visually recognize the product shelf may be appropriately set according to the arrangement of the product shelves in the store, etc. Also, in this case, for example, when the distance between a person and the product shelf is such that the person can visually recognize the products in the product shelf, the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display to the non-display state. Here, it is assumed that the distance at which a person can visually recognize the product shelf is greater than the distance at which the person can visually recognize the products in the product shelf. That is, when a person moves towards the product shelf, it is assumed that the person moves from a position where the person can visually recognize the product shelf but cannot visually recognize the types of products on the product shelf to a position closer to the product shelf where the person can visually recognize the types of products on the product shelf. Therefore, when the distance between a person and the product shelf is such that the person can visually recognize the product shelf, the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display to the display state because the person can visually recognize the display information such as an advertisement displayed on the door of the product shelf. Also, when the distance between a person and the product shelf further becomes such that the person can visually recognize the products in the product shelf, the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display to the display state because it is considered that the person wants to see the products in the product shelf.

[0050] Furthermore, for example, the display control unit 103 may control the display of the transparent display according to the facial expression of the person.

[0051] In this case, for example, the display control unit 103 may switch the display on the transparent display to the displayed state if the person's facial expression indicates that they are hesitant about purchasing the product. Alternatively, for example, the display control unit 103 may switch the display on the transparent display to the hidden state if the person's facial expression indicates that they have decided to purchase the product.

[0052] In this case, for example, the display control unit 103 may switch the display of the transparent display to a hidden state depending on the facial expression of the person at the time the display of the transparent display is switched to the displayed state. For example, if the facial expression of the person at the time the display of the transparent display is switched to the displayed state is one of displeasure or confusion, the display control unit 103 may switch the display of the transparent display to a hidden state.

[0053] Furthermore, the display control of the transparent display according to these situations may be combined as appropriate. For example, the display control unit 103 may control the display of the transparent display according to the situation, such as the distance of the person to the product shelf and the person's purchase consideration status.

[0054] An example of switching the display on the transparent display in this case will be explained. The display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display from the hidden state to the displayed state when there is a person within a visible distance of the product shelf. Next, the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display from the displayed state to the hidden state when the person gets closer to the product shelf and is within a visible distance of the products inside the shelf. Next, the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display from the hidden state to the displayed state when the person is hesitating about purchasing the product around the product shelf. Finally, the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display from the displayed state to the hidden state when the person has decided to purchase the product.

[0055] Note that this example is not the only example of combinations of display control for the transparent display depending on the situation.

[0056] Furthermore, the display control unit 103 may switch the display of the transparent display between a displayed state and a hidden state depending on the attributes of the person.

[0057] For example, a person's attribute is their age. In this case, the display control unit 103 controls the display on the transparent display according to the person's age.

[0058] Here, the transparency of the transparent display decreases when it is displayed and increases when it is not displayed. In other words, the display control unit 103 can prevent a person from seeing the products on the shelves by displaying the transparent display. An example of controlling the display of a transparent display using these characteristics will be described.

[0059] For example, the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display to the display state if the person is not of an age to purchase the products on the shelf. This prevents the person who is not of an age to purchase the products on the shelf from looking at the products and thus prevents them from purchasing the products.

[0060] Furthermore, for example, the display control unit 103 may switch the display of the transparent display to a hidden state if the person is of an age to purchase the products on the shelf. In this case, the display of the transparent display before switching to the hidden state may be the normal display state until it is detected that the person around the shelf is of an age to purchase the products on the shelf, or it may be a display state corresponding to the detection that the person around the shelf is not of an age to purchase the products on the shelf.

[0061] This age-based display control of transparent displays can be applied, for example, to product shelves selling alcohol or tobacco where the age of the buyer is restricted.

[0062] Furthermore, the display control of the transparent display according to the attributes of the person may be appropriately combined with at least one of the display controls of the transparent display according to the situation of the person described above.

[0063] The above describes examples of display control of the transparent display according to the situation of a person and examples of display control of the transparent display according to the attributes of a person. However, the situations and attributes for which the display control unit 103 performs display control are not particularly limited to these examples.

[0064] Next, we will describe the transparent display controlled by the display control unit 103.

[0065] The display control unit 103 may control the display of the transparent display among the multiple transparent displays that is installed at a position corresponding to the person's situation. The position corresponding to the person's situation may be, for example, the person's position or the position of the person's line of sight. The position of the person or the position of the person's line of sight may be detected by the detection unit 102 based on image or sensor information.

[0066] For example, the display control unit 103 may control the display of the transparent display closest to the person's position or the transparent display positioned at the person's line of sight among a plurality of transparent displays. This controls the display at the position where the person is expected to see most easily, thus increasing the effectiveness of displaying information when the display is shown, and making it easier for the person to see the products on the shelves when the display is not shown.

[0067] Furthermore, for example, the display control unit 103 may control the display of transparent displays near the transparent display closest to the person's position or the transparent display located at the person's line of sight, among the multiple transparent displays. This allows for control of the display of transparent displays at positions where the person is likely to look, rather than positions where the person is likely to look, thus avoiding interference with the person's viewing of product shelves or displayed information.

[0068] Here, "multiple transparent displays" may refer to transparent displays provided one per product shelf, as shown in Figure 1. Alternatively, "multiple transparent displays" may refer to multiple transparent displays provided on a single product shelf.

[0069] Figure 3 shows an example of a single product shelf equipped with multiple transparent displays. In the example in Figure 3, a total of eight transparent displays are installed on the door of a vertically oriented rectangular product shelf, arranged in two horizontal rows and four vertical rows. Transparent displays may not have any areas that are hidden when they are displayed. In other words, when a transparent display is displayed, it may be almost impossible to see the products behind it. In contrast, as shown in Figure 3, by equipping a single product shelf with multiple transparent displays, it is sometimes easier to achieve both the visibility of products on the shelf and the display of useful information on the transparent displays.

[0070] For example, in the example shown in Figure 3, of the eight transparent displays installed on a single product shelf, only the upper left transparent display is controlled to be in a display state. When the display control unit 103 switches the display of the upper left transparent display, which is where the person was looking, to the display state, the person is more likely to see the display information shown on the transparent display. Also, for example, when the display control unit 103 switches the display of the upper left transparent display, which is installed next to the upper right transparent display that the person was looking at, to the display state, the person can continue to look at the product at the location of the upper right transparent display, and also has the possibility of seeing the display information shown on the upper left transparent display.

[0071] As described above, when the display control unit 103 controls the display of multiple transparent displays, it may control the display of the transparent displays at positions corresponding to the position of a person or the position of the person's line of sight. However, the examples of transparent displays that the display control unit 103 controls are not limited to these examples.

[0072] An example of the operation of the display control device 100 configured as described above will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 4.

[0073] First, the acquisition unit 101 acquires images or sensor information of the area around the product shelf (step S101).

[0074] Next, the detection unit 102 detects the presence of people around the product shelf based on the image or sensor information acquired in step S101 (step S102).

[0075] Next, the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display provided on the product shelf to either a displayed state or a hidden state, depending on the status of the person detected in step S102 (step S103).

[0076] With this, the display control device 100 completes its series of operations. This series of operations may be repeated as appropriate.

[0077] Next, with reference to Figures 5 to 7, we will describe a more detailed example of the operation of the display control device 100.

[0078] First, another example of the operation of the display control device 100 will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 5. Figure 5 is an example of a flowchart in which the display control device 100 controls the display on the transparent display according to the purchase consideration status of people around the product shelf.

[0079] First, the acquisition unit 101 acquires images or sensor information of the area around the product shelf (step S201).

[0080] Next, the detection unit 102 detects, based on the image or sensor information acquired in step S201, whether the person around the product shelf is hesitating about purchasing the product (step S202). If the detection unit 102 does not detect in step S202 that the person around the product shelf is hesitating about purchasing the product (step S202: No), the operation of the display control device 100 proceeds to step S204. The case in which the detection unit 102 does not detect that the person around the product shelf is hesitating about purchasing the product is, for example, when there is no person around the product shelf, or when there is a person around the product shelf but that person has decided to purchase the product.

[0081] In step S202, if the detection unit 102 detects that a person around the product shelf is hesitating about purchasing the product (step S202: Yes), the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display provided on the product shelf from the hidden state to the displayed state (step S203). The hidden state before switching to the displayed state in step S203 may be the normal hidden state, or it may be a hidden state switched according to the distance of the person from the product shelf to a distance at which the products inside the product shelf can be seen, and is not particularly limited.

[0082] Next, the detection unit 102 detects, based on the image or sensor information acquired in step S201, whether the person around the product shelf is in a state of deciding to purchase the product (step S204). If the detection unit 102 does not detect in step S204 that the person around the product shelf is in a state of deciding to purchase the product (step S204: No), the operation of the display control device 100 returns to step S201. In step S204, if the detection unit 102 does not detect that the person around the product shelf is in a state of deciding to purchase the product, for example, if there is no person around the product shelf.

[0083] In step S204, if the detection unit 102 detects that a person around the product shelf has decided to purchase the product (step S204: Yes), the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display provided on the product shelf from the displayed state to the hidden state (step S205). The display state before switching to the hidden state in step S205 may be the normal display state, or it may be the display state switched in accordance with the situation in step S203 where the person is undecided about purchasing the product, and is not particularly limited.

[0084] With this, the display control device 100, which controls the display on the transparent display according to the purchase consideration status of people around the product shelf, completes its series of operations. This series of operations may be repeated as appropriate, or may be combined with other display controls according to other situations or attributes as appropriate.

[0085] Furthermore, other examples of the operation of the display control device 100 will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 6. Figure 6 is an example of a flowchart in which the display control device 100 controls the display on the transparent display according to the distance of a person from the product shelf.

[0086] First, the acquisition unit 101 acquires images or sensor information of the area around the product shelf (step S301).

[0087] Next, the detection unit 102 detects, based on the image or sensor information acquired in step S301, whether the distance between a person and the product shelf is within a visible distance (step S302). If the detection unit 102 does not detect in step S302 that the distance between a person and the product shelf is within a visible distance (step S302: No), the operation of the display control device 100 proceeds to step S304. Here, in step S302, the distance between a person and the product shelf being within a visible distance is assumed to be less than or equal to the visible distance, and greater than the visible distance of the products inside the product shelf. Therefore, in step S302, if the detection unit 102 does not detect that the distance between a person and the product shelf is within a visible distance, for example, it is when there is no person around the product shelf.

[0088] In step S302, if the detection unit 102 detects that the distance between a person near the product shelf and the product shelf is such that the product shelf is visible (step S302: Yes), the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display provided on the product shelf from the hidden state to the displayed state (step S303). The hidden state before switching to the displayed state in step S303 may be the normal hidden state, or it may be the hidden state switched according to the situation in which a person has decided to purchase a product, and is not particularly limited.

[0089] Next, the detection unit 102 detects, based on the image or sensor information acquired in step S301, whether the distance between a person and the product shelf is within a range where the products inside the shelf can be seen (step S304). If, in step S304, the detection unit 102 does not detect that the distance between a person and the product shelf is within a range where the products inside the shelf can be seen (step S304: No), the operation of the display control device 100 returns to step S301. In step S304, the case in which the detection unit 102 does not detect that the distance between a person and the product shelf is within a range where the products inside the shelf can be seen is, for example, when there are no people around the product shelf.

[0090] In step S304, if the detection unit 102 detects that the distance between a person near the product shelf and the product shelf is such that the products inside the shelf are visible (step S304: Yes), the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display provided on the product shelf from the displayed state to the hidden state (step S305). The display state before switching to the hidden state in step S305 may be the normal display state, or it may be the display state switched according to whether the distance of the person in step S303 is such that the product shelf is visible, and is not particularly limited.

[0091] With this, the display control device 100, which controls the display on the transparent display according to the purchase consideration status of people around the product shelf, completes its series of operations. This series of operations may be repeated as appropriate, or may be combined with other display controls according to other situations or attributes as appropriate.

[0092] Furthermore, other examples of the operation of the display control device 100 will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 7. Figure 7 is an example of a flowchart in which the display control device 100 controls the display on the transparent display according to the attributes of the person.

[0093] First, the acquisition unit 101 acquires images of the area around the product shelf (step S401).

[0094] Next, the detection unit 102 detects whether the age of any person around the product shelf is within the age range for purchasing the products on the shelf (step S402). If, in step S402, the detection unit 102 does not detect that the age of any person around the product shelf is within the age range for purchasing the products on the shelf (step S402: No), the operation of the display control device 100 proceeds to step S404. The case in which the detection unit 102 does not detect that the age of any person around the product shelf is within the age range for purchasing the products on the shelf includes cases where there are no people around the product shelf, or where the age of any person around the product shelf is detected to be within the age range for purchasing the products on the shelf.

[0095] In step S402, if the detection unit 102 detects that the age of a person near the product shelf is not within the age range to purchase the products on the shelf (step S402: Yes), the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display provided on the product shelf from a hidden state to a displayed state (step S403). The hidden state before switching to the displayed state in step S403 may be the normal hidden state, or it may be a hidden state switched according to the distance of the person from the product shelf to a distance at which the products on the shelf can be seen, and is not particularly limited.

[0096] Next, the detection unit 102 detects, based on the image acquired in step S401, whether the age of the person around the product shelf is within the age range to purchase the products on the shelf (step S404). If, in step S404, the detection unit 102 does not detect that the age of the person around the product shelf is within the age range to purchase the products on the shelf (step S404: No), the operation of the display control device 100 returns to step S401. In step S404, if the detection unit 102 does not detect that the age of the person around the product shelf is within the age range to purchase the products on the shelf, for example, if there is no person around the product shelf.

[0097] In step S404, if the detection unit 102 detects that the age of a person around the product shelf is within the age range to purchase the products on the shelf (step S404: Yes), the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display provided on the product shelf from the displayed state to the hidden state (step S405). In step S404, the detection unit 102 detecting that the age of a person around the product shelf is within the age range to purchase the products on the shelf includes, for example, cases where there is no person around the product shelf, or cases where, after detecting that the age of a person around the product shelf is not within the age range to purchase the products on the shelf, the age of that person is later detected to be within the age range to purchase the products on the shelf. Furthermore, the display state before switching to the hidden state in step S405 may be the normal display state, or it may be the display state switched in response to the person's age not being within the age range to purchase the products on the shelf in step S403, and is not particularly limited.

[0098] With this, the display control device 100, which controls the display on the transparent display according to the purchase consideration status of people around the product shelf, completes its series of operations. This series of operations may be repeated as appropriate, or may be combined with other display controls according to other situations or attributes as appropriate.

[0099] The display control device 100 in the above-described embodiment comprises an acquisition unit 101, a detection unit 102, and a display control unit 103. The acquisition unit 101 acquires images or sensor information of the surrounding area of ​​the product shelf. The detection unit 102 detects the status of people around the product shelf based on the images or sensor information. The display control unit 103 switches the display of the transparent display provided on the product shelf between a displayed state and a hidden state according to the status of the people.

[0100] In this embodiment, the display control device 100 switches the display state of the transparent display installed on the product shelf to either the displayed or hidden state according to the situation of people around the product shelf. As a result, the display control device 100 in this embodiment can achieve both displaying the displayed products and making effective use of the display on the transparent display installed on the product shelf.

[0101] [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. To the extent that the description of this embodiment does not become unclear, explanations that overlap with the above description will be omitted.

[0102] Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the display control device. In Figure 8, the display control device 100A includes a determination unit 104 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0103] The determination unit 104 is an example of a determination means for determining the display information to be displayed on the transparent display. The determination unit 104 may determine the display information based, for example, on at least one of the circumstances and attributes of people around the product shelf.

[0104] For example, the decision unit 104 determines the display information based on the situation of people around the product shelf.

[0105] An example of determining display information based on a person's situation is described below. For example, the position of a person's gaze may be used as the person's situation around a product shelf. The position of the gaze may be detected by the detection unit 102 based on the image. For example, the determination unit 104 determines, as display information, sales promotion information that advertises the product displayed at the position of the person's gaze. Alternatively, for example, the determination unit 104 determines, as display information, sales promotion information that advertises products related to the product displayed at the position of the person's gaze. Products related to the product displayed at the position of the person's gaze may be, for example, products that have the same attributes as the product displayed at the position of the person's gaze, or products that belong to the same category as the product displayed at the position of the person's gaze.

[0106] Other examples of determining display information based on a person's condition are described below. For example, the person's temperature, such as body temperature or surface temperature, may be used as the person's condition around the product shelf. The person's temperature may be detected, for example, by the detection unit 102 based on sensor information from an infrared sensor or images from an infrared camera. For example, the determination unit 104 determines sales promotion information advertising products corresponding to the person's temperature as the display information. Here, the person's temperature may be the person's surface temperature or the person's body temperature. In this case, the determination unit 104 may determine the display information based on information that associates the person's temperature with products corresponding to the temperature or sales promotion information advertising products corresponding to the temperature. For example, if the person's temperature is in the high temperature range, the determination unit 104 may determine sales promotion information advertising products that provide a strong cooling sensation or products that contain ingredients that help prevent heatstroke as the display information. Also, for example, if the person's temperature is in the low temperature range, the determination unit 104 may determine sales promotion information advertising warm products or products that contain ingredients that warm the body as the display information. Furthermore, information linking a person's temperature with products corresponding to that temperature or sales promotion information advertising products corresponding to that temperature may be stored in advance in a storage unit that is communicably connected to the inside or outside of the display control device 100A.

[0107] Furthermore, for example, the determination unit 104 determines the display information based on the attributes of people around the product shelf.

[0108] An example of determining display information based on a person's attributes is described below. For example, a person's age may be used as a person's attribute. For example, the determination unit 104 may identify sales promotion information advertising products appropriate to the person's age as the display information. Products appropriate to the person's age may be, for example, popular products or recommended products for each age group.

[0109] Furthermore, for example, the determination unit 104 may determine that promotional information advertising products on the shelves should be displayed if the person's age is within the age limit for purchasing the products on the shelves. In this case, the determination unit 104 may also determine that information other than promotional information advertising products on the shelves should be displayed if the person's age is not within the age limit for purchasing the products on the shelves. Information other than promotional information advertising products on the shelves may include information notifying that there is an age restriction on purchasing the products on the shelves, or promotional information advertising products that can be purchased without an age restriction.

[0110] The methods used by the determination unit 104 to determine the display information are not limited to these examples; appropriate display information can be determined for a person's situation and attributes based on other circumstances and attributes. The determination unit 104 may also determine the display information based on other information.

[0111] For example, the decision unit 104 may determine the display information based on the preferences of people around the product shelf. A person's preferences are, for example, information associated with the identification information of a person, which is identified using a technology such as facial recognition from an image of the person. A person's preferences may also be identified based on the person's purchase history or survey responses, which are associated with the person's identification information. In this case, the decision unit 104 may determine, for example, sales promotion information advertising products that match the person's preferences as the display information.

[0112] Furthermore, for example, the determination unit 104 may determine the display information based on images of people around the product shelves. For example, the determination unit 104 may determine the display information to be sales promotion information advertising products that a person is likely to purchase, which is identified by inputting images of people into a trained model that associates images of people with the products that people purchase.

[0113] The above describes an example of how the determination unit 104 determines the display information, but the display information and the method for determining the display information may be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, if there are multiple people around the product shelf, the determination unit 104 may determine the display information according to the situation and attributes of the most numerous person. Alternatively, if there are multiple people around the product shelf, the determination unit 104 may, for example, determine pre-set display information to be displayed on the transparent display without determining the display information according to the situation and attributes of the people.

[0114] The operation of the display control device 100A, configured as described above, will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 9.

[0115] First, the acquisition unit 101 acquires images or sensor information of the area around the product shelf (step S501).

[0116] Next, the detection unit 102 detects the status of people around the product shelf based on the image or sensor information acquired in step S501 (step S502). In step S502, the detection unit 102 may further detect the attributes of people around the product shelf.

[0117] Next, when the determination unit 104 switches the display state of the transparent display according to the person's situation, it determines the display information based on the person's situation detected in step S502 (step 503). In addition, the determination unit 104 may determine the display information based on the person's attributes if the detection unit 102 detects the person's attributes.

[0118] Next, the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display to a display state that shows the display information determined in step S503, according to the status of the person detected in step S502 (step S504).

[0119] With this, the display control device 100A completes its series of operations. These operations may be repeated as appropriate.

[0120] The display control device 100A in the above-described embodiment comprises an acquisition unit 101, a detection unit 102, a display control unit 103, and a determination unit 104. The acquisition unit 101 acquires images or sensor information of the surrounding area of ​​the product shelf. The detection unit 102 detects the status of people around the product shelf based on the images or sensor information. The display control unit 103 switches the display of the transparent display provided on the product shelf between a displayed state and a hidden state according to the status of the people. The determination unit 104 determines the display information to be displayed on the transparent display.

[0121] In this embodiment, the display control device 100A switches the display state of the transparent display installed on the product shelf to either the displayed or hidden state according to the situation of people around the product shelf. As a result, the display control device 100A in this embodiment can achieve both the display of displayed products and the effective use of the display of the transparent display installed on the product shelf.

[0122] Furthermore, in the display control device 100A of this embodiment, the determination unit 104 determines display information appropriate to the person to be displayed on the transparent display, based on the situation, attributes, preferences, images, etc., of the person surrounding the product shelf. As a result, the display control device 100A of this embodiment can display more useful display information to the person surrounding the product shelf.

[0123] [Modifications] Next, modifications of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. To the extent that the description of these modifications does not become unclear, explanations that overlap with the above description will be omitted.

[0124] In this modified example, the display control device 100 or the display control device 100A may output business support information to the store employees. This modified example is applicable to the first and second embodiments, respectively.

[0125] The acquisition unit 101 may acquire further business support information. For example, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire business support information from systems and terminal devices of the headquarters that manage the stores, or from terminal devices such as store computers used in the stores. However, the sources of business support information are not limited to these examples.

[0126] Business support information is information used to support employees' work. For example, business support information related to product shelves may include instructions for stocking shelves, instructions for rearranging products on shelves, and instructions for ordering products on shelves. However, business support information is not limited to these examples.

[0127] The detection unit 102 detects the attributes of people around the merchandise shelves. Here, the attributes of a person are whether or not the person is an employee of the store. In other words, the attributes of a person can be said to be whether or not they are an employee of the store or a customer. In this case, the detection unit 102 may, for example, detect whether a person is an employee by comparing the face of a person in an image with pre-registered facial information of store employees based on an image of the area around the merchandise shelves. Alternatively, for example, the detection unit 102 may detect whether a person is an employee by comparing the clothing and belongings of a person in an image with images of clothing and belongings specific to store employees based on an image of the area around the merchandise shelves. Clothing and belongings specific to store employees may be, for example, employee uniforms or employee identification cards.

[0128] Furthermore, whether a person is an employee of the store may also mean that the person is an employee of the store who is currently on duty. In this case, the detection unit 102 may detect whether a person is an employee by, for example, comparing the face of a person in an image with the face information of an employee of the store who is currently on duty, based on an image of the area around the product shelves. Whether an employee is on duty may be determined based on the employee's attendance information or shift information.

[0129] The detection unit 102 may also use other known technologies to detect whether or not a person is an employee.

[0130] The display control unit 103 may switch the display on the transparent display to a display state that shows the business support information if business support information has been acquired and the person around the product shelf is an employee. In other words, the display control unit 103 does not switch to a display state that shows the business support information if business support information has not been acquired. Also, the display control unit 103 does not switch to a display state that shows the business support information if business support information has been acquired and the person around the product shelf is not an employee.

[0131] Furthermore, the display control unit 103 may switch the display on the transparent display to a state that shows business support information if the only people around the product shelf are employees. In other words, the display control unit 103 may switch the display on the transparent display to a state that shows business support information if there are no customers around the product shelf.

[0132] The operation of the display control device 100 or the display control device 100A in this modified example will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 10.

[0133] First, the acquisition unit 101 acquires business support information (step S601). In this modified example, if business support information is acquired in step S601 (step S601: Yes), the display control device 100 or display control device 100A proceeds to step S602 or later.

[0134] In step S601, if business support information is acquired (step S601: Yes), the acquisition unit 101 acquires images of the area around the product shelf (step S602).

[0135] Next, the detection unit 102 detects whether the person around the product shelf is an employee based on the image acquired in step S602 (step S603). If, in step S603, the person around the product shelf is not detected as an employee (step S603: No), the display control device 100 or display control device 100A in this modified example returns to step S602. Cases in which the person around the product shelf is not detected as an employee include, for example, cases where there are no people around the product shelf, or cases where the people around the product shelf are all non-employees (i.e., cases where the people around the product shelf are all customers). Cases in which the person around the product shelf is not detected as an employee may also include cases where the people around the product shelf are both employees and non-employees.

[0136] In step S603, if it is detected that a person near the product shelf is an employee (step S603: Yes), the display control unit 103 switches the display on the transparent display provided on the product shelf to a display state that shows business support information (step S604).

[0137] With this, the display control device 100 or display control device 100A in this modified example completes its series of operations. These operations may be repeated as appropriate.

[0138] In this modified example, the display control device 100 or display control device 100A can appropriately display business support information to employees using the transparent display on the product shelf, depending on the status of acquisition of business support information and the attributes of people around the product shelf. As a result, the display control device 100 or display control device 100A in this modified example can achieve both the display of displayed products and the effective use of the display on the transparent display provided on the product shelf in the display control technology of the transparent display.

[0139] [Hardware Configuration] Some or all of the components of each device or system in each embodiment of the present disclosure described above are realized by any combination of an information processing device 1000 and a program, for example, as shown in Figure 11. The information processing device 1000 includes, as an example, the following configuration.

[0140] - CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1001 - ROM (Read Only Memory) 1002 - RAM (Random Access Memory) 1003 - Program 1004 loaded into RAM 1003 - Storage device 1005 that stores the program 1004 - Drive device 1007 that reads and writes to the recording medium 1006 - Communication I / F 1008 that connects to the communication network 1009 - Input / Output I / F 1010 that performs data input and output - Bus 1011 that connects each component Note that I / F is an abbreviation for Interface.

[0141] Each component of each device or system in each embodiment is realized by the CPU 1001 acquiring and executing a program that realizes its function. The program that realizes the function of each component of each device is, for example, stored in advance in the storage device 1005 or RAM 1003 and read by the CPU 1001 as needed. The program 1004 may be supplied to the CPU 1001 via a communication network, or it may be stored in advance in the recording medium 1006 and read by the drive device 1007 and supplied to the CPU 1001.

[0142] There are various variations in how each device is implemented. For example, each device or system may be implemented by any combination of a separate information processing device 1000 and a program for each component. Alternatively, the multiple components of each device may be implemented by any combination of a single information processing device 1000 and a program.

[0143] Furthermore, some or all of the components of each device or system are realized by general-purpose or dedicated circuits, including processors, or combinations thereof. Examples of circuits include CPUs, GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), and AI (Artificial Intelligence) processing LSIs (Large Scale Integration). These may consist of a single chip or multiple chips connected via a bus. Some or all of the components of each device may be realized by a combination of the aforementioned circuits and programs.

[0144] When some or all of the components of each device or system are implemented by multiple information processing devices or circuits, these multiple information processing devices or circuits may be centrally located or distributed. For example, the information processing devices or circuits may be implemented in a form in which each is connected via a communication network, such as a client-server system or a cloud computing system.

[0145] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments described, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above. Various modifications to the structure and details of the present disclosure can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0146] Furthermore, although multiple operations are described sequentially in flowchart format, the order in which they are described does not limit the order in which the operations must be performed. Therefore, when implementing each embodiment, the order of the operations may be changed to the extent that it does not impair the content.

[0147] Some or all of the above embodiments may also be described as follows, but are not limited to the following:

[0148] [Note 1] A display control device comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring images or sensor information of the surrounding area of ​​a product shelf; a detection means for detecting the status of a person around the product shelf based on the images or sensor information; and a display control means for switching the display of a transparent display provided on the product shelf to a displayed state or a hidden state according to the status of the person.

[0149] [Note 2] The above situation refers to the situation concerning the purchase consideration of the person, as described in Note 1.

[0150] [Note 3] The display control device according to Note 2, wherein the display control means detects that the situation is one in which the person is hesitant to purchase the product, and switches the display on the transparent display to the display state.

[0151] [Note 4] The display control device according to Note 2 or 3, wherein the display control means detects that the situation is one in which the customer has decided to purchase the product, and switches the display of the transparent display to the hidden state.

[0152] [Note 5] The aforementioned situation is the distance of the person from the product shelf, as described in Note 1.

[0153] [Note 6] The display control device according to Note 5, wherein the display control means switches the display of the transparent display to the display state when the distance between the person and the product shelf is such that the person can see the product shelf.

[0154] [Note 7] The display control device according to Note 5 or 6, wherein the display control means switches the display of the transparent display to the off state when the distance between the person and the product shelf is such that the person can see the products inside the product shelf.

[0155] [Note 8] The display control device according to any one of Notes 1 to 7, wherein the detection means further detects the attributes of the person based on the image, and the display control means switches the display of the transparent display to the displayed state or the hidden state according to the attributes.

[0156] [Note 9] The attribute is whether or not the person is of an age to purchase the products in the product shelf, as described in any of the notes in Note 8.

[0157] [Note 10] The display control device according to Note 9, wherein the display control means switches the display of the transparent display to the display state if the person is not of an age to purchase the products in the product shelf.

[0158] [Note 11] The display control device according to Note 9 or 10, wherein the display control means switches the display of the transparent display to the hidden state when the person is of an age to purchase the products in the product shelf.

[0159] [Note 12] The attribute is whether or not the person is a store employee, as described in any of Notes 8 to 11.

[0160] [Note 13] The display control device according to Note 12, wherein the acquisition means further acquires business support information, and the display control means switches the display of the transparent display to a display state that displays the business support information when the business support information has been acquired and the attribute of the person is that of a store employee.

[0161] [Appendix 14] The display control device according to any one of Appendix 1 to 13, further comprising a determination means for determining display information to be displayed on the transparent display.

[0162] [Note 15] The display control device according to Note 14, wherein the situation is the position of the person or the position of the person's line of sight, and the determination means determines the display information according to the position of the person or the position of the person's line of sight.

[0163] [Note 16] The display control device according to Note 14 or 15, wherein the determination means determines the display information according to the attributes of the person.

[0164] [Note 17] The display control device according to any one of Notes 1 to 16, wherein the situation is the position of the person or the position of the person's line of sight, and the display control means switches the display of the transparent display at a position corresponding to the position of the person or the position of the person's line of sight between the displayed state and the hidden state.

[0165] [Note 18] The situation is the facial expression of the person detected based on the image, and the display control means switches the display of the transparent display to the non-display state according to the facial expression of the person at the timing when the display of the transparent display is switched to the display state, as described in any one of Notes 1 to 17.

[0166] [Note 19] A display control method that acquires images or sensor information of the surrounding area of ​​a product shelf, detects the status of a person around the product shelf based on the images or sensor information, and switches the display of a transparent display provided on the product shelf to either a displayed state or a hidden state according to the status of the person.

[0167] [Note 20] A non-temporary recording medium that records a program that causes a computer to perform the following processing: acquiring images or sensor information of the area around a product shelf, detecting the status of a person around the product shelf based on the images or sensor information, and switching the display of a transparent display provided on the product shelf between a displayed state and a hidden state according to the status of the person.

[0168] Furthermore, some or all of the configurations described in Appendices 2 to 18, which are subordinate to Appendice 1 (display control device) as described above, may also be subordinate to Appendice 19 (display control method) and Appendice 20 (recording medium) in the same way as Appendices 2 to 18. Moreover, not limited to Appendices 1, 19, and 20, some or all of the configurations described as appendices may also be subordinate to various hardware, software, various recording means for recording software, or systems, without departing from the embodiments described above.

[0169] 100 Display control device 101 Acquisition unit 102 Detection unit 103 Display control unit 100A Display control device 104 Determination unit 1000 Information processing device 1001 CPU 1002 ROM 1003 RAM 1004 Program 1005 Storage device 1006 Recording medium 1007 Drive device 1008 Communication interface 1009 Communication network 1010 Input / output interface 1011 Bus

Claims

1. A display control device comprising: acquisition means for acquiring images or sensor information of the surrounding area of ​​a product shelf; detection means for detecting the status of a person in the surrounding area of ​​the product shelf based on the images or sensor information; and display control means for switching the display of a transparent display provided on the product shelf between a displayed state and a hidden state according to the status of the person.

2. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the situation is a situation relating to the person's consideration of purchasing the device.

3. The display control device according to claim 2, wherein the display control means detects that the situation is one in which the customer is hesitant to purchase the product, and switches the display on the transparent display to the display state.

4. The display control device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the display control means detects that the situation is one in which the customer has decided to purchase the product, and switches the display of the transparent display to the hidden state.

5. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the situation is the distance of the person to the product shelf.

6. The display control device according to claim 5, wherein the display control means switches the display of the transparent display to the display state when the distance between the person and the product shelf is such that the person can see the product shelf.

7. The display control device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the display control means switches the display of the transparent display to the off state when the distance between the person and the product shelf is such that the person can see the products inside the product shelf.

8. The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the detection means further detects the attributes of the person based on the image, and the display control means switches the display of the transparent display to the displayed state or the hidden state according to the attributes.

9. The display control device according to any one of claims 8, wherein the attribute is whether or not the person is of an age to purchase the products in the product shelf.

10. The display control device according to claim 9, wherein the display control means switches the display of the transparent display to the display state if the person is not of an age to purchase the products in the product shelf.

11. The display control device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the display control means switches the display of the transparent display to the off state when the person is of an age to purchase the products in the product shelf.

12. The display control device according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the attribute is whether or not the person is a store employee.

13. The display control device according to claim 12, wherein the acquisition means further acquires business support information, and the display control means, when the business support information has been acquired and the attribute of the person is that of a store employee, switches the display of the transparent display to a display state that displays the business support information.

14. The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising a determination means for determining display information to be displayed on the transparent display.

15. The display control device according to claim 14, wherein the situation is the position of the person or the position of the person's line of sight, and the determination means determines the display information according to the position of the person or the position of the person's line of sight.

16. The display control device according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the determination means determines the display information according to the attributes of the person.

17. The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the situation is the position of the person or the position of the person's line of sight, and the display control means switches the display of the transparent display at a position corresponding to the position of the person or the position of the person's line of sight between the displayed state and the hidden state.

18. The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the situation is the facial expression of the person detected based on the image, and the display control means switches the display of the transparent display to the non-display state according to the facial expression of the person at the timing when the display of the transparent display is switched to the display state.

19. A display control method comprising: acquiring images or sensor information of the surrounding area of ​​a product shelf; detecting the status of a person in the surrounding area of ​​the product shelf based on the images or sensor information; and switching the display of a transparent display provided on the product shelf to either a displayed state or a hidden state according to the status of the person.

20. A non-temporary recording medium that records a program causing a computer to perform the following actions: acquire images or sensor information of the area around a product shelf; detect the status of a person around the product shelf based on the images or sensor information; and switch the display of a transparent display provided on the product shelf between a displayed state and a hidden state according to the status of the person.

Images