Device for determining distribution of headcount and method for determining distribution of headcount

Abstract

This device for determining distribution of headcount comprises: a first determination unit that, on the basis of wireless signals transmitted from one or more user terminals located in a first area divided into a plurality of individual areas, determines in which individual area of the plurality of individual areas each of the one or more user terminals is located; and a second determination unit that determines the number of people located in each of the plurality of individual areas by allocating the number of people located in the first area in accordance with the number of user terminals for each individual area.

Description

Device and method for determining the distribution of the number of people

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for determining the distribution of the number of people and a method for determining the distribution of the number of people.

[0002] It has been known for some time that the distribution of people in an area can be estimated using wireless signals transmitted by wireless terminals such as smartphones and wireless tags. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for calculating the distribution of people by performing wireless communication between multiple tags and multiple tag readers whose respective detection areas are spaced apart.

[0003] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-245286

[0004] However, the method for calculating the distribution of people described in Patent Document 1 only estimates the number of wireless tags using multiple tag readers, and does not take into account people who do not possess wireless tags. Therefore, there was a problem in that it was difficult to accurately estimate the distribution of people.

[0005] This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to accurately estimate the distribution of people within an area.

[0006] A person distribution determination device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises: a first determination unit that determines which of the plurality of individual areas each of the plurality of individual areas is located in, based on wireless signals transmitted from each of the one or more user terminals located in a first area which is divided into a plurality of individual areas; and a second determination unit that determines the number of people located in each of the plurality of individual areas by distributing the number of people located in the first area according to the number of user terminals in each individual area.

[0007] A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a method for determining the distribution of the number of people, which involves determining which of the multiple individual areas each of the multiple individual areas is located in, based on wireless signals transmitted from each of the one or more user terminals located in a first area divided into multiple individual areas, and then allocating the number of people located in the first area according to the number of user terminals in each individual area to determine the number of people located in each of the multiple individual areas.

[0008] According to the population distribution determination device and population distribution determination method of the present invention, the distribution of the number of people in an area can be estimated with high accuracy.

[0009] This figure shows the overall configuration of a people distribution determination system including a people distribution determination device according to the first embodiment. This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal device in Figure 1. This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the wireless signal detection device in Figure 1. This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the people detection device in Figure 1. This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the people distribution determination device in Figure 1. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a specific area when test terminal devices are placed in one individual area as a preliminary preparation. This figure shows an example of the first signal strength database according to the first embodiment. This figure shows an example of the number of terminal devices and aggregated values ​​for each individual area. This figure shows an example of the display of the number of users for each individual area. This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the processing device in Figure 5. This figure shows the overall configuration of a people distribution determination system including a people distribution determination device according to the second embodiment. This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal device in Figure 11. This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the first wireless signal detection device in Figure 11. This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the second wireless signal detection device in Figure 11. This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the people distribution determination device in Figure 11. This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the processing device in Figure 15. This figure shows an example of the repetition pattern of screen on and screen off and the timing of sending probe request signals during the first period for three terminal devices classified as type 1. Figure 17 shows the superimposed timing of the probe request signals sent by the three terminal devices. This is a schematic diagram for explaining three-point positioning. This is a schematic diagram for explaining two-point positioning.

[0010] 1. The configuration of the person distribution determination device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 10.

[0011] 1.1. Configuration of the First Embodiment 1.1.1. Configuration of the Person Distribution Determination System Figure 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the person distribution determination system 1, including the person distribution determination device 40 according to the first embodiment. The person distribution determination system 1 includes a wireless signal detection device 20, a person detection device 30, a person distribution determination device 40, and a communication network NET. Figure 1 shows three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3] and two person detection devices 30[1] and 30[2].

[0012] The population distribution determination system 1 determines the number of people present in each individual area based on the number of people present in a specific area and the number of terminal devices 10 located in multiple individual areas within that specific area, and notifies the administrator of the determined number of people present in each individual area. The specific area includes public spaces such as commercial facilities, concert halls, and conference rooms, as well as private spaces such as offices and classrooms. The specific area is an example of the first area.

[0013] Terminal device 10 includes n terminal devices 10[1], 10[2], ..., 10[k], ..., 10[n], where n is any natural number and k is any natural number smaller than n. In this embodiment, the configurations of terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n] are identical to each other. Note that terminal device 10 may include terminal devices with different configurations. Terminal device 10 is located within or outside a specific area.

[0014] A user using terminal device 10[1] is user U[1], a user using terminal device 10[2] is user U[2], a user using terminal device 10[k] is user U[k], and a user using terminal device 10[n] is user U[n]. When referring to an unspecified number of users or all users, user is also written as user U.

[0015] In Figure 1, there is a one-to-one correspondence between n terminal devices 10 and n users U, but a single user may possess multiple terminal devices. Also, in Figure 1, it is assumed that all terminal devices 10 are active, i.e., powered on, but each terminal device 10[k] may be inactive, i.e., powered off. Users U can move between a specific area and an area outside that specific area.

[0016] The terminal device 10 includes personal computers, tablet devices, smartphones, smartwatches, etc.

[0017] A communication network (NET) is a telecommunications line, such as a mobile communication network, managed by a telecommunications carrier providing communication services. A communication network (NET) includes either or both wired and wireless communication networks. For example, a communication network (NET) may be connected via the Internet to other networks (not shown) managed by other telecommunications carriers.

[0018] In the population distribution determination system 1, the wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], 20[3], the human detection devices 30[1], 30[2], and the population distribution determination device 40 are connected to each other via a communication network NET. Alternatively, the wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], 20[3], and the human detection devices 30[1] and 30[2] may be directly connected to the population distribution determination device 40 without using the communication network NET.

[0019] The wireless signal detection device 20 is a device that detects a probe request signal sent from the terminal device 10[k]. The configurations of the three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3] are identical to each other. In this embodiment, the three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3] are arranged in different positions from each other.

[0020] In this embodiment, three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3] are illustrated, but this number is merely an example. The number distribution determination system 1 can include any number of two or more wireless signal detection devices 20. When there is only one wireless signal detection device 20, it is difficult to determine the position of the terminal device 10. The wireless signal detection device 20 may include detection devices with different configurations from each other.

[0021] 1.1.2. Configuration of Terminal Device FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the terminal device 10[k] in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 10[k] includes a processing device 11, a storage device 12, a communication device 13, a display device 14, and an input device 15. Each element included in the terminal device 10[1] is interconnected by one or more buses for communicating information. The terminal device 10[k] is an example of a user terminal.

[0022] The processing device 11 is a processor that controls the entire terminal device 10[k] and is configured using, for example, one or more chips. The processing device 11 is configured using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU: Central Processing Unit) that includes an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, registers, etc. Note that some or all of the functions of the processing device 11 may be realized by hardware such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The processing device 11 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0023] The storage device 12 is a recording medium that can be read from and written to by the processing device 11. The storage device 12 includes, for example, a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory. The non-volatile memory is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). The volatile memory is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0024] The storage device 12 stores a plurality of programs including a control program PR1 for the processing device 11 to execute. Also, the storage device 12 functions as a work area for the processing device 11. The control program PR1 is a program that controls the entire processing device 11.

[0025] The communication device 13 is hardware as a transmission and reception device for communicating with other devices. The communication device 13 is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc. The communication device 13 may include a connector for a wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. Also, the communication device 13 may include a wireless communication interface. Examples of the connector for a wired connection and the interface circuit include products compliant with wired LAN, IEEE1394, and USB. Also, examples of the wireless communication interface include products compliant with Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0026] The display device 14 is a device that displays images and character information. The display device 14 displays various images based on the control by the processing device 11. For example, various display panels such as a liquid crystal panel and an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel are suitably used as the display device 14.

[0027] The input device 15 accepts operations from user U[1]. For example, the input device 15 is configured to include a pointing device such as a keyboard, touchpad, touch panel, or mouse. If the input device 15 is configured to include a touch panel, it may also function as the display device 14.

[0028] The processing unit 11 functions as a receiving unit 111, a transmitting unit 112, an acquisition unit 113, and a display control unit 114, for example, by reading and executing the control program PR1 from the storage device 12.

[0029] The reception unit 111 receives user U[k] operations on the input device 15. User U[k] operations include, for example, tapping on the touch panel which is the input device 15.

[0030] The transmitting unit 112 transmits a probe request signal to an access point (not shown) via the communication device 13 at a predetermined timing.

[0031] A probe request signal is a signal transmitted from the terminal device 10[k] to search for access points in its vicinity before the terminal device 10[k] connects to a Wi-Fi® access point. When a nearby access point receives a probe request signal from the terminal device 10[k], it sends a probe response to the terminal device 10[k]. The terminal device 10[k] sends probe request signals at predetermined intervals until a Wi-Fi® connection is established with an access point.

[0032] The acquisition unit 113 acquires probe responses from the access point via the communication device 13. A probe response is the access point's response to a probe request signal. If the ESSID (Extended Service Set Identifier) ​​included in the probe request signal matches its own ESSID, the access point transmits the probe response to the terminal device 10[k].

[0033] The display control unit 114 displays various information on the display device 14 based on the various information acquired by the acquisition unit 113. When the screen is off, if the reception unit 111 receives a tap operation on the input device 15 from user U[k], the display control unit 114 changes the state of the display device 14 from the screen off state to the screen on state. The screen off state means that the display device 14 of the terminal device 10[k] is turned off. The screen on state means that the display device 14 of the terminal device 10[k] is lit up. When the screen is on, if the reception unit 111 does not receive a tap operation on the input device 15 from user U[k] for a certain period of time, the display control unit 114 changes the state of the display device 14 from the screen on state to the screen off state.

[0034] 1.1.3. Configuration of the Wireless Signal Detection Device Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the wireless signal detection device 20 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 3, the wireless signal detection device 20 comprises a processing unit 21, a storage device 22, a communication device 23, and a receiving device 24. Each element of the wireless signal detection device 20 is interconnected by one or more buses for communicating information.

[0035] The processing unit 21 is a processor that controls the entire wireless signal detection device 20, and is configured, for example, using one or more chips. The processing unit 21 is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) that includes an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, and registers. Some or all of the functions of the processing unit 21 may be implemented by hardware such as a DSP, ASIC, PLD, FPGA, etc. The processing unit 21 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0036] The storage device 22 is a recording medium that can be read from and written to by the processing device 21. The storage device 22 includes, for example, non-volatile memory and volatile memory. The non-volatile memory is, for example, ROM, EPROM, and EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, RAM.

[0037] The storage device 22 stores multiple programs, including the control program PR2, which is executed by the processing device 21. The storage device 22 also functions as a work area for the processing device 21.

[0038] The communication device 23 is hardware that acts as a transmitting and receiving device for communicating with other devices. The communication device 23 is also called, for example, a network device, network controller, network card, communication module, etc. The communication device 23 may be equipped with a connector for wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. The communication device 23 may also be equipped with a wireless communication interface. Examples of connectors and interface circuits for wired connection include products compliant with wired LAN, IEEE 1394, and USB. Examples of wireless communication interfaces include products compliant with Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth®.

[0039] The receiving device 24 receives a modulated wave containing a probe request signal. The modulated wave can also be called a radio signal. The receiving device 24 demodulates the received modulated wave into an analog signal, then converts it into a digital signal and outputs it to the processing device 21 as probe request information. The receiving device 24 measures the received intensity of the received modulated wave and outputs the measured value to the processing device 21.

[0040] The processing unit 21 functions as an acquisition unit 211, a hashing unit 212, and a transmission unit 213 by, for example, reading and executing the control program PR2 from the storage device 22.

[0041] The acquisition unit 211 acquires probe request information from the receiving device 24. The probe request information includes the MAC (Media Access Control) address of the terminal device 10[k] that sends the probe request signal, among one or more terminal devices 10.

[0042] The hashing unit 212 generates a hash value from the MAC address included in the probe request information acquired by the acquisition unit 211 according to a certain calculation procedure. The hashing unit 212 replaces the MAC address with the generated hash value. Therefore, the probe request information does not include the MAC address of terminal device 10[k], but includes information in which the MAC address of terminal device 10[k] has been hashed.

[0043] The transmitting unit 213 transmits probe request information, in which the MAC address has been replaced with a hash value, to the person distribution determination device 40, along with RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) information including the measured value of the received signal strength. Note that the privacy of user U is protected by hashing the MAC address.

[0044] 1.1.4. Human Detection Device Configuration Diagram 4 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the human detection device 30 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 4, the human detection device 30 comprises a processing unit 31, a storage device 32, a communication device 33, a light-emitting device 34, and a light-receiving device 35. Each element of the human detection device 30 is interconnected by one or more buses for communicating information.

[0045] The processing unit 31 is a processor that controls the entire human detection device 30, and is configured, for example, using one or more chips. The processing unit 31 is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) that includes an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, and registers. Some or all of the functions of the processing unit 31 may be implemented by hardware such as a DSP, ASIC, PLD, FPGA, etc. The processing unit 31 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0046] The storage device 32 is a recording medium that can be read from and written to by the processing device 31. The storage device 32 includes, for example, non-volatile memory and volatile memory. The non-volatile memory is, for example, ROM, EPROM, and EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, RAM.

[0047] The storage device 32 stores multiple programs, including the control program PR3 for execution by the processing unit 31. The storage device 32 also functions as a work area for the processing unit 31. The control program PR3 is a program that controls the entire processing unit 31.

[0048] The communication device 33 is hardware that acts as a transmitting and receiving device for communicating with other devices. The communication device 33 is also called, for example, a network device, network controller, network card, communication module, etc. The communication device 33 may be equipped with a connector for wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. The communication device 33 may also be equipped with a wireless communication interface. Examples of connectors and interface circuits for wired connection include products compliant with wired LAN, IEEE 1394, and USB. Examples of wireless communication interfaces include products compliant with Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth®.

[0049] The light-emitting device 34 includes a light-emitting device that irradiates infrared light of a specific wavelength to the outside of the device and a drive circuit that drives the light-emitting device. An infrared LED (Light Emitting Diode) or a laser diode is used as the light-emitting device in the light-emitting device 34.

[0050] The light-receiving device 35 includes a light-receiving device that detects infrared light reflected by an object and a receiving circuit that demodulates the received signal. A photodiode, phototransistor, or the like can be used as the light-receiving device in the light-receiving device 35. The light-receiving device 35 converts the infrared light into an electrical signal using the light-receiving device, and the receiving circuit demodulates the received signal for output.

[0051] The processing unit 31 functions as a device that performs the following processes, for example, by reading and executing the control program PR3 from the storage device 32.

[0052] The processing unit 31 generates a drive signal for the light-emitting device and sends it to the light-emitting device 34. The processing unit 31 acquires the demodulated received signal from the light-receiving device 35. The processing unit 31 transmits the acquired received signal as passage information to the person distribution determination device 40 via the communication device 33. The passage information is information that changes over time in response to the passage of user U.

[0053] In this embodiment, the case described is one in which a detection device is applied in which the reflected infrared light emitted by the light-emitting device 34 is detected by the light-receiving device 35. However, the human detection device 30 may be a device that detects infrared radiation emitted by a person. In the case of a device that detects infrared radiation emitted by a person, a light-emitting device is not required for the human detection device.

[0054] 1.1.5. Configuration of the Person Distribution Determination Device Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the person distribution determination device 40 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 5, the person distribution determination device 40 comprises a processing device 41, a storage device 42, a communication device 43, and a display device 44. Each element of the person distribution determination device 40 is interconnected by one or more buses for communicating information.

[0055] The processing unit 41 is a processor that controls the entire population distribution determination device 40, and is configured, for example, using one or more chips. The processing unit 41 is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) that includes interfaces with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, and registers. Some or all of the functions of the processing unit 41 may be implemented by hardware such as a DSP, ASIC, PLD, FPGA, etc. The processing unit 41 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0056] The storage device 42 is a recording medium that can be read from and written to by the processing device 41. The storage device 42 includes, for example, non-volatile memory and volatile memory. The non-volatile memory is, for example, ROM, EPROM, and EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, RAM.

[0057] The storage device 42 stores multiple programs, including the control program PR4 for execution by the processing device 41, and the first signal strength database DB1. The storage device 42 also functions as a work area for the processing device 41.

[0058] The communication device 43 is hardware that acts as a transmitting and receiving device for communicating with other devices. The communication device 43 is also called, for example, a network device, network controller, network card, or communication module. The communication device 33 may be equipped with a connector for wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. The communication device 43 may also be equipped with a wireless communication interface. Examples of connectors and interface circuits for wired connection include products compliant with wired LAN, IEEE 1394, and USB. Examples of wireless communication interfaces include products compliant with Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth®.

[0059] The display device 44 is a device that displays images and text information. The display device 44 displays various images based on control by the processing device 11. For example, various display panels such as liquid crystal panels and organic EL panels are preferably used as the display device 44.

[0060] The processing unit 41 functions as an acquisition unit 411, an analysis unit 412, a first decision unit 413, an aggregation unit 414, a second decision unit 415, and a display control unit 416, for example, by reading and executing the control program PR4 from the storage device 42.

[0061] The acquisition unit 411 acquires probe request information and signal strength information from the wireless signal detection device 20 via the communication device 43. The probe request information is information about probe request signals sent from each of the one or more terminal devices 10 located in a specific area. As mentioned above, the MAC addresses included in the probe request information are hashed.

[0062] The acquisition unit 411 identifies the terminal device 10[k] that sent the acquired probe request information based on the MAC address hashed by the wireless signal detection device 20. Therefore, even if the probe request signal is repeatedly sent from the same terminal device 10[k], the acquisition unit 411 can recognize that it was sent from the same terminal device 10[k]. The acquisition unit 411 also acquires passage information from the person detection device 30.

[0063] The first determination unit 413 determines which of the multiple individual area IA each terminal device 10 is located in, based on probe request signals sent from each of the one or more terminal devices 10 located in a specific area divided into multiple individual area IA. The method for determining which of the multiple individual area IA each terminal device 10 is located in will be described below with reference to Figure 6.

[0064] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a specific area SA when a test terminal device TT is placed in one individual area IA as a preliminary preparation. The test terminal device TT is a device that sends probe request signals. As shown in Figure 6, the specific area SA is divided into three vertically and three horizontally, i.e., into nine individual areas. For convenience, the nine individual areas are referred to as the first individual area IA1 to the ninth individual area IA9.

[0065] Within the designated area SA, three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3] are arranged at different locations. Preferably, the three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3] are arranged on the ceiling of a building, for example. In the example shown in Figure 6, the three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3] are arranged within the designated area SA, but they may also be arranged outside the designated area SA, as long as they are within range of being able to receive probe request signals from terminal devices 10 located at any location within the designated area SA.

[0066] A user Uin moving from the outside to a specific area SA and a user Uout moving from the specific area SA to the outside pass through gate GA. Human detection devices 30[1] and 30[2] are arranged at gate GA. Since the human detection devices 30[1] and 30[2] are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other in the horizontal direction, when a user passes in front of the human detection devices 30[1] and 30[2], a time difference occurs between the time t1 when human detection device 30[1] detects user U and the time t2 when human detection device 30[2] detects user U. If time t1 is later than time t2, the detected person is user Uin moving from the outside to a specific area SA, and if time t1 is earlier than time t2, the detected person is user Uout moving from the specific area SA to the outside.

[0067] First, the tester places the test terminal device TT in the center of the first individual area IA1, and the first measurement is performed. In the first measurement, the probe request signal sent from the test terminal device TT placed in the center of the first individual area IA1 is received by three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3], respectively.

[0068] The received signal strength obtained by receiving the probe request signal with the wireless signal detection device 20[1], the received signal strength obtained by receiving the probe request signal with the wireless signal detection device 20[2], and the received signal strength obtained by receiving the probe request signal with the wireless signal detection device 20[3] are associated with the first individual area IA1 and stored in the storage device 42 as the first signal strength database DB1.

[0069] Next, the tester places the test terminal device TT in the center of the second individual area IA2, and the second measurement is performed. In the second measurement, the probe request signal sent from the test terminal device TT placed in the center of the second individual area IA2 is received by three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3], respectively.

[0070] The received signal strength obtained by receiving the probe request signal with the wireless signal detection device 20[1], the received signal strength obtained by receiving the probe request signal with the wireless signal detection device 20[2], and the received signal strength obtained by receiving the probe request signal with the wireless signal detection device 20[3] are associated with the second individual area IA2 and stored in the storage device 42 as the first signal strength database DB1.

[0071] Similarly, the third measurement, performed with the test terminal device TT positioned in the third individual area IA3, is followed by the ninth measurement, performed with the test terminal device TT positioned in the ninth individual area IA9. The three received signal strengths obtained in the m measurement are associated with the m individual area IAm and stored in the memory device 42. Here, m is an integer from 3 to 9. The received signal strength obtained by receiving the probe request signal transmitted from the test terminal device TT with the wireless signal detection device 20 is hereafter also referred to as the "reference signal strength".

[0072] Figure 7 shows an example of a first signal strength database DB1 according to the first embodiment. The first signal strength database DB1 stores the measurement results of the reference signal strength in association with individual areas IA. The reference signal strength includes a first reference signal strength obtained by receiving the radio signal transmitted from the test terminal device TT with the radio signal detection device 20[1], a second reference signal strength obtained by receiving it with the radio signal detection device 20[2], and a third reference signal strength obtained by receiving it with the radio signal detection device 20[3].

[0073] In this example, measurements were performed with the test terminal device TT positioned in the center of each individual area IA. However, the test terminal device TT does not necessarily have to be positioned in the center of each individual area. Also, in this example, measurements were performed at one location in each individual area. However, measurements may be performed at multiple locations within each individual area.

[0074] The first determination unit 413 determines which of the multiple individual area IA each of the one or more terminal devices 10 is located in, based on the information stored in the first signal strength database DB1 and the RSSI information included in the probe request information acquired by the acquisition unit 411. That is, the first determination unit 413 determines which of the multiple individual area IA each of the one or more terminal devices 10 is located in, based on the information showing the relationship between the reference signal strength and the individual area IA where the test terminal device TT is located, and the measured signal strength. The measured signal strength is the three received signal strengths obtained by receiving the radio signals transmitted from each of the one or more terminal devices 10 with three radio signal detection devices 20.

[0075] Let the first reference signal strength, second reference signal strength, and third reference signal strength obtained by placing the test terminal device TT in the first individual area IA1 be Pref_a1, Pref_b1, and Pref_c1, respectively. Let the first measured signal strength, second measured signal strength, and third measured signal strength of the terminal device 10[k] be Pma, Pmb, and Pmc, respectively. Let Q1 be the sum of the squares of the difference between the first reference signal strength Pref_a1 and the first measured signal strength Pma, the squares of the difference between the second reference signal strength Pref_b1 and the second measured signal strength Pmb, and the squares of the difference between the third reference signal strength Pref_c1 and the third measured signal strength Pmc. That is, the sum of the squares of the differences Q1 is expressed by the following equation (1).

[0076] Q1 = (Pref_a1 - Pma) 2 +(Pref_b1-Pmb) 2 +(Pref_c1 - Pmc) 2 ... (1)

[0077] Let the first reference signal strength, the second reference signal strength, and the third reference signal strength obtained by arranging the test terminal device TT in the second individual area IA2 be Pref_a2, Pref_b2, and Pref_c2, respectively. Let Q2 be the sum of the square of the difference between the first reference signal strength Pref_a2 and the first measured signal strength Pma, the square of the difference between the second reference signal strength Pref_b2 and the second measured signal strength Pmb, and the square of the difference between the third reference signal strength Pref_c2 and the third measured signal strength Pmc. That is, the sum of squared differences Q2 is expressed by the following equation (2).

[0078] Q2 = (Pref_a2 - Pma) 2 +(Pref_b2 - Pmb) 2 +(Pref_c2 - Pmc) 2 ... (2)

[0079] Similarly, for the third individual area IA3 to the ninth individual area IA9, the sums of squared differences Q3 to Q9 are calculated. That is, the sums of squared differences Q3 and Q9 are expressed by the following equations (3) and (4), respectively.

[0080] Q3 = (Pref_a3 - Pma) 2 +(Pref_b3 - Pmb) 2 +(Pref_c3 - Pmc) 2 ... (3) ... Q9 = (Pref_a9 - Pma) 2 +(Pref_b9 - Pmb) 2 +(Pref_c9 - Pmc) 2 ... (4)

[0081] The first determination unit 413 calculates the sums of squared differences Q1 to Q9, and determines that the terminal device 10[k] is located in the individual area IAx corresponding to the sum of squared differences Qx that is the minimum among the sums of squared differences Q1 to Q9.

[0082] Referring again to Figure 5, the aggregation unit 414 determines an aggregate value by aggregating the number of terminal devices 10 in each individual area IA based on the determination of which individual area IA each of the one or more terminal devices 10 is located in. The aggregation unit 414 determines the aggregate value at predetermined intervals. The predetermined interval is, for example, 10 seconds. However, the predetermined interval is not limited to 10 seconds. The predetermined interval may be shorter or longer than 10 seconds.

[0083] The second determination unit 415 determines the number of people located in each of the multiple individual area IAs by allocating the number of people located in a specific area SA according to the number of terminal devices 10 in each individual area IA. More specifically, the second determination unit 415 determines the ratio of the number of terminal devices 10 in each individual area IA to the aggregate value. The second determination unit 415 determines the number of people located in each of the multiple individual area IAs by multiplying the number of people located in a specific area SA by the ratio of the number of terminal devices 10 in each individual area IA to the aggregate value.

[0084] The number of people located in a specific area SA is determined based on passage information output from a person detection device 30 installed at the entrance and exit of the specific area SA, which detects people passing through the entrance and exit. In this example, if the specific area SA is on a single floor, the entrance and exit include the elevator hall, stairs, escalator entrance, and escalator exit. The entrance and exit are examples of gates.

[0085] The human detection device 30 distinguishes and detects people moving from the outside to a specific area SA and people moving from the specific area SA to the outside. Non-contact human detection devices 30 can include, for example, infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, radar sensors, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), video cameras, and acoustic sensors. Contact-type human detection devices 30 can include, for example, pressure sensors and turnstile gates.

[0086] Infrared sensors can detect the direction of movement of a passing person by arranging at least two sensors horizontally at appropriate intervals. Video cameras can detect the direction of movement of a person by tracking their movements using video analysis software. Video analysis can utilize technologies such as facial recognition and motion detection algorithms. Acoustic sensors can detect the direction of movement of a person, for example, by using echolocation technology. Pressure sensors can detect a person's walking and movement direction by being embedded in the floor.

[0087] In this embodiment, the case in which multiple infrared sensors are used as the human detection device 30 will be described as an example. Note that the human detection device 30 is not limited to the example sensors. Furthermore, several types of sensors may be combined. Combining several types of sensors improves the accuracy of human detection.

[0088] The analysis unit 412 determines the number of users U located in a specific area SA based on the acquired passage information. The human detection devices 30[1] and 30[2] are arranged at an appropriate distance from each other in the horizontal direction. When a user U passes in front of the human detection devices 30[1] and 30[2], a time difference occurs between the change in passage information acquired from human detection device 30[1] and the change in passage information acquired from human detection device 30[2]. Therefore, the analysis unit 412 can determine the direction in which the user U is moving from the acquired passage information.

[0089] The analysis unit 412 determines the number of people entering a specific service area (SA) at a predetermined time and the number of people leaving the specific service area (SA) at a predetermined time. If the specific service area (SA) is one floor of a commercial facility, the analysis unit 412 can determine the number of people located in the specific service area at a predetermined time by setting the initial value of the number of people in the specific service area (SA) at opening time in the morning to zero and increasing or decreasing the number of people entering and leaving at predetermined time intervals.

[0090] Figure 8 shows an example of the number of terminal devices 10 and the aggregated value for each individual area IA. Figure 8 shows, for example, that the number of terminal devices 10 in the first individual area IA1 is determined to be 2. The number of terminal devices 10 in the other individual areas IA2, IA3, IA4, IA5, IA6, IA7, IA8, and IA9 are 3, 2, 1, 4, 2, 0, 5, and 1, respectively. Therefore, the aggregated value of the number of terminal devices 10 for each individual area IA is 20. The ratio of the number of terminal devices 10 for each individual area IA to the aggregated value is "0.1", "0.15", "0.1", "0.05", "0.2", "0.1", "0.0", "0.25", and "0.05" for individual areas IA1 to IA9, respectively.

[0091] If 10 people enter a specific service area (SA) during a specified time period, and 5 people leave the SA during the same time period, then the number of people in the SA during that time period will have increased by 5. If the number of users U located in the SA during the previous period was 25, then the number of users U located in the SA during the current period will be determined to be 30.

[0092] Therefore, for example, the number of people located in the first individual area IA1 is determined to be "3" by multiplying the number of people located in the specific area SA, "30," by the ratio of the number of terminal devices 10 for each individual area IA to the aggregate value, "0.1." Similarly, the number of people located in the other individual areas IA2 to IA9 is determined to be "4.5," "3," "1.5," "6," "3," "0," "7.5," and "1.5," respectively.

[0093] The display control unit 416 displays the number of users U for each individual area IA determined by the second determination unit 415 on the display device 44. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the display of the number of users U for each individual area IA. As shown in Figure 9, the number of users U for each individual area IA is displayed at the corresponding location on the map showing the entire specific area SA. "7F Floor" is the name of the specific area SA. In Figure 9, in addition to the number of users U for each individual area IA, the number of people located in the specific area SA: "Total number of people on the floor", the number of people flowing into the specific area SA: "Inflow number", and the number of people leaving the specific area SA: "Outflow number" are displayed.

[0094] The map in Figure 9 may display the number of users U for each individual area IA, along with the number of terminal devices 10 for each individual area IA, or it may display the total number of users in a specific area SA. The number of users U for each individual area IA does not have to be displayed on the map. For example, the "area name" of each individual area IA and the "number" indicating the number of users may be displayed in a list format.

[0095] 1.2. Operation of the Person Distribution Determination Device According to the First Embodiment 1.2.1. Operation of the Processing Unit 41 Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the processing unit 41 in Figure 5. The operation of the processing unit 41 will be described below with reference to Figure 10. The routine in Figure 10 is started, for example, when the processing unit 41 is activated, and is executed at regular intervals.

[0096] In step S11, the processing unit 41 functions as an acquisition unit 411 to acquire probe request information and signal strength information from the wireless signal detection device 20.

[0097] In step S12, the processing unit 41 functions as an acquisition unit 411 and identifies the terminal device 10[k] that sent the acquired probe request information based on the hashed MAC address included in the probe request information.

[0098] In step S13, the processing unit 41 functions as an acquisition unit 411 to acquire passage information from the person detection device 30.

[0099] In step S14, the processing unit 41 functions as an analysis unit 412 and, based on the acquired passage information, determines the number of people entering the specific area SA at a predetermined time and the number of people leaving the specific area SA at a predetermined time, and determines the number of users U currently located in the specific area SA.

[0100] In step S15, the processing unit 41, functioning as a first determination unit 413, determines, based on the probe request information, which of the multiple individual area IA each of the one or more terminal devices 10 is located in. More specifically, the processing unit 41 determines the individual area IA in which the sum of the squares of the differences between each of the three reference signal intensities for each individual area IA in the first signal intensity database DB1 shown in Figure 7 and each of the three measured signal intensities is minimized.

[0101] In step S16, the processing unit 41 functions as an aggregation unit 414 and determines an aggregate value by aggregating the number of terminal devices 10 in each individual area IA based on the determination of which individual area IA each of the one or more terminal devices 10 is located in.

[0102] In step S17, the processing unit 41 functions as a second determination unit 415 to determine the ratio of the number of terminal devices 10 for each individual area IA to the aggregated value, and determines the number of users U located in each of the multiple individual areas IA by multiplying the number of users U located in a specific area SA by this ratio.

[0103] In step S18, the processing unit 41 functions as a display control unit 416 and displays the number of users U for each individual area IA determined in step S17 on the display device 44, and then terminates this routine.

[0104] 1.3. Effects of the First Embodiment As described above, the person distribution determination device 40 according to the first embodiment comprises a first determination unit 413 and a second determination unit 415. The first determination unit 413 determines which of the multiple individual areas each of the multiple individual areas is located in, based on the wireless signals transmitted from each of the one or more terminal devices 10[k] located in a specific area SA which is divided into a plurality of individual areas IA. The second determination unit 415 determines the number of users U located in each of the multiple individual areas IA by distributing the number of users U located in the specific area SA according to the number of terminal devices 10 in each individual area IA.

[0105] According to this embodiment, assuming that the total number of users U within a specific area SA is known in advance, the number of terminal devices 10 for each individual area IA is estimated, and the number of users is allocated according to the estimated number of terminal devices. Therefore, the distribution of people within an area can be estimated with high accuracy.

[0106] Furthermore, the person distribution determination device 40 according to the first embodiment further includes an aggregation unit 414. The aggregation unit 414 determines an aggregate value by aggregating the number of terminal devices 10[k] for each individual area IA based on the determination of which individual area IA each of the one or more terminal devices 10[k] is located in. The second determination unit 415 determines the ratio of the number of terminal devices 10 for each individual area IA to the aggregate value, and determines the number of users U located in each of the multiple individual area IA by multiplying the number of users U located in a specific area SA by this ratio.

[0107] According to this embodiment, the number of users U for each individual area IA can be easily estimated.

[0108] Furthermore, the number of users U located in a specific area SA is determined based on passage information. This passage information is output from one or more people detection devices 30. The one or more people detection devices 30 are installed at gate GA in the specific area SA. The one or more people detection devices 30 detect people passing through gate GA.

[0109] The passage information is information that can identify the direction in which user U passes through gate GA. In other words, the passage information makes it possible to distinguish between user U's movement from outside to a specific area SA and user U's movement from a specific area SA to the outside. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the number of people entering a specific area SA and the number of people leaving a specific area can be grasped, and thus the number of users U present in a specific area SA can be accurately determined.

[0110] Furthermore, wireless signals (probe request signals) from one or more terminal devices 10[k] located in a specific area SA are detected by a plurality of wireless signal detection devices 20 arranged at different locations.

[0111] According to this embodiment, the multiple wireless signal detection devices 20 are distributed at different locations, and each wireless signal detection device 20 receives a probe request signal from the terminal device 10[k], so in principle, the location of the terminal device 10[k] can be determined.

[0112] The first determination unit 413 determines which of the multiple individual area IA each of the one or more terminal devices 10 is located in, based on three received signal strengths obtained by receiving probe request signals transmitted from the test terminal device TT with three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3], information indicating the relationship between the individual area IA where the test terminal device TT is located and the individual area IA where the test terminal device TT is located, and three received signal strengths obtained by receiving probe request signals transmitted from each of the one or more terminal devices 10 with three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3].

[0113] According to this embodiment, by using the test terminal device TT to acquire in advance the relationship between the received signal strength and the individual area IA for each individual area IA, it is possible to easily determine which individual area IA the terminal device 10 is located in.

[0114] Furthermore, the method for determining the distribution of the number of people according to the first embodiment determines which of the multiple individual area IA each terminal device 10 is located in based on wireless signals (probe request signals) transmitted from each of the one or more terminal devices 10 located in a specific area SA which is divided into multiple individual area IA, and then determines the number of users U located in each of the multiple individual area IA by allocating the number of users U located in the specific area SA according to the number of terminal devices 10 in each individual area IA.

[0115] According to this embodiment, assuming that the total number of users U within a specific area SA is known in advance, the number of terminal devices 10 for each individual area IA is estimated, and the number of users is allocated according to the estimated number of terminal devices. Therefore, the distribution of people within an area can be estimated with high accuracy.

[0116] 2. The configuration of the person distribution determination device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 11 to 16.

[0117] 2.1. Configuration of the Second Embodiment 2.1.1. Configuration of the Person Distribution Determination System Figure 11 shows the overall configuration of the person distribution determination system 1A, including the person distribution determination device 40A according to the second embodiment. The person distribution determination system 1A includes a first wireless signal detection device 20a, a second wireless signal detection device 20b, a person detection device 30, a person distribution determination device 40A, and a communication network NET. Figure 11 shows three first wireless signal detection devices 20a[1], 20a[2], and 20a[3] and three second wireless signal detection devices 20b[1], 20b[2], and 20b[3].

[0118] The population distribution determination system 1A is a system that, similar to the first embodiment, notifies administrators, etc., of the number of users U located in each of the multiple individual areas IA within a specific area SA.

[0119] The terminal device 10 includes n terminal devices 10[1], 10[2], ..., 10[k], ..., 10[n], where n is an arbitrary natural number and k is an arbitrary natural number smaller than n. The configuration of the terminal device 10 according to this embodiment is the same as the configuration of the terminal device 10 according to the first embodiment.

[0120] In the population distribution determination system 1A, the first wireless signal detection devices 20a[1], 20a[2], 20a[3], the second wireless signal detection devices 20b[1], 20b[2], and 20b[3], the human detection devices 30[1], 30[2], and the population distribution determination device 40A are connected to each other via a communication network NET. However, the first wireless signal detection devices 20a[1], 20a[2], 20a[3], the second wireless signal detection devices 20b[1], 20b[2], 20b[3], and the human detection devices 30[1] and 30[2] may be directly connected to the population distribution determination device 40A without going through the communication network NET.

[0121] The first wireless signal detection device 20a is a device that detects a probe request signal sent from the terminal device 10. The configurations of the three first wireless signal detection devices 20a[1], 20a[2], and 20a[3] are identical to each other. The three first wireless signal detection devices 20a[1], 20a[2], and 20a[3] are arranged in different positions from each other. The first wireless signal detection device 20a is equivalent to the wireless signal detection device 20 according to the first embodiment.

[0122] The second radio signal detection device 20b is a device that detects the advertisement signal transmitted from the terminal device 10. The configurations of the three second radio signal detection devices 20b[1], 20b[2], and 20b[3] are identical to each other. The three second radio signal detection devices 20b[1], 20b[2], and 20b[3] are arranged in different positions from each other.

[0123] In this embodiment, three first wireless signal detection devices 20a[1], 20a[2], and 20a[3] are exemplified, but this number is merely an example, and the person distribution determination system 1A can be equipped with any number of first wireless signal detection devices 20a, two or more. Three second wireless signal detection devices 20b[1], 20b[2], and 20b[3] are exemplified, but this number is merely an example, and the person distribution determination system 1A can be equipped with any number of person detection devices 30, two or more. The first wireless signal detection devices 20a may include detection devices with configurations that are not identical to each other, and the second wireless signal detection devices 20b may include detection devices with configurations that are not identical to each other.

[0124] 2.1.2. Terminal device configuration diagram 12 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of terminal device 10[k] in Figure 11. As shown in Figure 2, terminal device 10[k] comprises a processing unit 11, a storage device 12, a communication device 13, a display device 14, and an input device 15. Each element of terminal device 10[1] is interconnected by one or more buses for communicating information. Terminal device 10[k] is an example of a user terminal.

[0125] The processing unit 11 is a processor that controls the entire terminal device 10[k], and is configured, for example, using one or more chips. The processing unit 11 is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) that includes interfaces with peripheral devices, arithmetic units, registers, etc. Some or all of the functions of the processing unit 11 may be implemented by hardware such as a DSP, ASIC, PLD, FPGA, etc. The processing unit 11 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0126] The storage device 12 is a recording medium that can be read from and written to by the processing device 11. The storage device 12 includes, for example, non-volatile memory and volatile memory. The non-volatile memory is, for example, ROM, EPROM, and EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, RAM.

[0127] The storage device 12 stores multiple programs, including the control program PR1, which is executed by the processing device 11. The storage device 12 also functions as a work area for the processing device 11. The control program PR1 is a program that controls the entire processing device 11.

[0128] The communication device 13 is hardware that acts as a transmitting and receiving device for communicating with other devices. The communication device 13 is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc. The communication device 13 may be equipped with a connector for wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. The communication device 13 may also be equipped with a wireless communication interface. Examples of connectors and interface circuits for wired connection include products compliant with wired LAN, IEEE 1394, and USB. Examples of wireless communication interfaces include products compliant with Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth®.

[0129] The display device 14 is a device that displays images and text information. The display device 14 displays various images based on control by the processing device 11. For example, various display panels such as liquid crystal panels and organic EL panels are preferably used as the display device 14.

[0130] The input device 15 accepts operations from user U[1]. For example, the input device 15 is configured to include a pointing device such as a keyboard, touchpad, touch panel, or mouse. If the input device 15 is configured to include a touch panel, it may also function as the display device 14.

[0131] The processing unit 11 functions as a receiving unit 111, a transmitting unit 112A, an acquisition unit 113, and a display control unit 114, for example, by reading and executing the control program PR1 from the storage device 12.

[0132] The configurations of the reception unit 111, acquisition unit 113, and display control unit 114 according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the reception unit 111, acquisition unit 113, and display control unit 114 according to the first embodiment, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0133] The transmitting unit 112A transmits a probe request signal to an access point (not shown) via the communication device 13 at a predetermined timing. The transmitting unit 112A transmits an advertisement signal to a BLE gateway (not shown) via the communication device 13 at a predetermined timing. The transmitting unit 112A transmits either a probe request signal or an advertisement signal as needed. In this embodiment, the transmitting unit 112A is configured not to transmit the probe request signal and the advertisement signal simultaneously.

[0134] The probe request signal is a signal transmitted from the terminal device 10A[k] to search for access points in its vicinity. An access point is a device compliant with the Wi-Fi® communication standard. The transmitter 112A prioritizes transmitting the probe request signal. If the probe request signal is not received by an access point, i.e., if there are no active access points around the terminal device 10A[k], the transmitter 112A transmits an advertisement signal.

[0135] The advertised signal is a signal transmitted from terminal device 10A[k] to search for BLE gateways in its vicinity before terminal device 10A[k] connects to a BLE gateway. A BLE gateway is a device compliant with the Bluetooth® communication standard. When a nearby BLE gateway receives the advertised signal from terminal device 10A[k], it sends a connection request to terminal device 10[k]. Terminal device 10[k] sends advertised signals at predetermined intervals until a connection with a BLE gateway is established.

[0136] The standard communication speed of the advertisement signal is lower than the standard communication speed of the probe request signal. For example, the communication speed of the advertisement signal is about 10 kbps, while the communication speed of the probe request signal is 1 Mbps or 6 Mbps. The probe request signal is an example of a first radio signal, and the advertisement signal is an example of a second radio signal.

[0137] The terminal device 10A includes a first terminal device and a second terminal device. The first terminal device transmits a probe request signal detected by a first radio signal detection device 20a. The second terminal device transmits an advertise signal detected by a second radio signal detection device 20b. In other words, the operating modes of the terminal device 10A include a first mode in which it operates as a first terminal device and a second mode in which it operates as a second terminal device.

[0138] Furthermore, the second terminal device includes a third terminal device that satisfies the first condition. The first condition is that the second terminal device sends a signal indicating that it is operating as a master device. The signal indicating that it is operating as a master device is a scan request signal (SCAN_REQ). In other words, when terminal device 10A is operating as a master device, it sends a scan request signal along with an advertisement signal. On the other hand, when terminal device 10A is operating as a slave device, it does not send a scan request signal. A master device is an example of a parent device.

[0139] Furthermore, computer peripherals such as mice and keyboards, and audio equipment such as earphones and speakers, which are not included in terminal device 10A, always operate as slave devices. Therefore, computer peripherals and audio equipment do not send scan request signals. Consequently, computer peripherals and audio equipment do not satisfy the first condition.

[0140] 2.1.3. Diagram 13 of the configuration of the first wireless signal detection device is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the first wireless signal detection device 20a in Figure 11. As shown in Figure 13, the first wireless signal detection device 20a comprises a processing unit 21, a storage device 22, a communication device 23, and a receiving device 24. Each element of the first wireless signal detection device 20a is interconnected by one or more buses for communicating information.

[0141] The configuration of the first wireless signal detection device 20a is the same as that of the wireless signal detection device 20 according to the first embodiment, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0142] 2.1.4. Diagram 14 of the configuration of the second radio signal detection device is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the second radio signal detection device 20b in Figure 11. As shown in Figure 14, the second radio signal detection device 20b comprises a processing unit 21b, a storage device 22b, a communication device 23b, and a receiving device 24b. Each element of the second radio signal detection device 20b is interconnected by one or more buses for communicating information.

[0143] The processing unit 21b is a processor that controls the entire second wireless signal detection device 20b, and is configured, for example, using one or more chips. The processing unit 21b is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) that includes an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, and registers. Some or all of the functions of the processing unit 21b may be implemented by hardware such as a DSP, ASIC, PLD, FPGA, etc. The processing unit 21b executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0144] The storage device 22b is a recording medium that can be read from and written to by the processing device 21b. The storage device 22b includes, for example, non-volatile memory and volatile memory. The non-volatile memory is, for example, ROM, EPROM, and EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, RAM.

[0145] The storage device 22b stores multiple programs, including the control program PR1b, which is executed by the processing unit 21b. The storage device 22b also functions as a work area for the processing unit 21b.

[0146] The communication device 23b is hardware that acts as a transmitting and receiving device for communicating with other devices. The communication device 23b is also called, for example, a network device, network controller, network card, communication module, etc. The communication device 23b may be equipped with a connector for wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. The communication device 23b may also be equipped with a wireless communication interface. Examples of connectors and interface circuits for wired connection include products compliant with wired LAN, IEEE 1394, and USB. Examples of wireless communication interfaces include products compliant with Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth®.

[0147] The receiving device 24b receives a modulated wave containing a probe request signal. The receiving device 24b demodulates the received modulated wave into an analog signal, converts it into a digital signal, and outputs it to the processing device 21b as probe request information. The receiving device 24b measures the received intensity of the received modulated wave and outputs the measured value to the processing device 21b.

[0148] The processing unit 21b functions as an acquisition unit 211b, a hashing unit 212b, and a transmission unit 213b by, for example, reading and executing the control program PR2b from the storage device 22b.

[0149] The acquisition unit 211b acquires advertisement information from the receiving device 24b. The advertisement information includes the physical address of the terminal device 10A[k] that sends the advertisement signal, among one or more terminal devices 10A. Specifically, the physical address is the BD address (Bluetooth Device Address).

[0150] The hashing unit 212b generates a hash value from the physical address included in the advertisement information obtained by the acquisition unit 211b, following a specific calculation procedure. The hashing unit 212b replaces the physical address with the generated hash value. Therefore, the advertisement information does not include the physical address of terminal device 10b[k], but includes information in which the physical address of terminal device 10A[k] has been hashed.

[0151] The transmitting unit 213b transmits advertisement information in which the physical address has been replaced with a hash value, along with RSSI information including the measured value of the received signal strength, to the person distribution determination device 40A. Note that the privacy of user U is protected by hashing the physical address.

[0152] 2.1.5. Diagram 15 of the population distribution determination device configuration is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the population distribution determination device 40A in Figure 11. As shown in Figure 15, the population distribution determination device 40A comprises a processing unit 41A, a storage device 42A, a communication device 43, and a display device 44. Each element of the population distribution determination device 40A is interconnected by one or more buses for communicating information.

[0153] The processing unit 41A is a processor that controls the entire population distribution determination device 40A, and is configured, for example, using one or more chips. The processing unit 41A is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) that includes an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, and registers. Some or all of the functions of the processing unit 41A may be implemented by hardware such as a DSP, ASIC, PLD, FPGA, etc. The processing unit 41A executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0154] The storage device 42A is a recording medium that can be read from and written to by the processing device 41A. The storage device 42A includes, for example, non-volatile memory and volatile memory. The non-volatile memory is, for example, ROM, EPROM, and EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, RAM.

[0155] The storage device 42A stores a plurality of programs, including the control program PR4A for execution by the processing device 41A, a first signal strength database DB1, and a second signal strength database DB2. The storage device 42A also functions as a work area for the processing device 41A. In this embodiment, the first signal strength database DB1 is the same as the first signal strength database DB1 in the first embodiment.

[0156] The second signal strength database DB2 stores the received signal strength obtained by receiving the advertised signal with the second wireless signal detection device 20b using a test terminal device TTa that transmits an advertised signal, in a storage device 42A, associated with the individual area where the test terminal device TTa is located. The second signal strength database DB2 is created in the same manner as the first signal strength database DB1, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0157] Since the configurations of the communication device 43 and the display device 44 are the same as those of the communication device 43 and the display device 44 according to the first embodiment, a description of the communication device 43 and the display device 44 will be omitted.

[0158] The processing unit 41A functions as an acquisition unit 411A, an analysis unit 412, a first determination unit 413, an aggregation unit 414, a second determination unit 415, a display control unit 416, a first determination unit 417, and a second determination unit 418, for example, by reading and executing the control program PR4A from the storage device 42A.

[0159] The acquisition unit 411A acquires probe request information and signal strength information from the first wireless signal detection device 20a via the communication device 43. The acquisition unit 411A also acquires advertisement information, signal strength information, and scan request information from the second wireless signal detection device 20b via the communication device 43. The scan request information is information related to the scan request signal.

[0160] The first determination unit 417 determines whether or not the information acquired by the acquisition unit 411A includes probe request information.

[0161] If the acquisition unit 411A determines that the acquired information includes probe request information, the first determination unit 413A determines which of the multiple individual area IAs the terminal device 10[k] that transmitted the probe request signal corresponding to the information is located in.

[0162] If the acquisition unit 411A determines that the information acquired does not include probe request information, the second determination unit 418 determines whether or not the information acquired by the acquisition unit 411A includes scan request information. If the acquired information is determined not to include probe request information, it is assumed that the acquired information includes advertisement information, so there is no need to determine whether or not advertisement information exists.

[0163] If the acquisition unit 411A determines that the acquired information includes scan request information, the terminal device 10[k] that sent the advertisement signal and scan request signal corresponding to the acquired information is operating as a master device. That is, the first condition is satisfied. Therefore, in this case, the first determination unit 413A determines which of the multiple individual area IAs the terminal device 10[k] that sent the advertisement signal and scan request signal corresponding to the information is located in.

[0164] 2.2. Operation of the Person Distribution Determination Device According to the Second Embodiment 2.2.1. Operation of the Processing Unit 41A Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the processing unit 41A shown in Figure 15. The operation of the processing unit 41A will be described below with reference to Figure 16. The routine in Figure 16 is started, for example, when the processing unit 41A is activated, and is executed at regular intervals.

[0165] In step S21, the processing unit 41A, by functioning as an acquisition unit 411A, acquires probe request information and signal strength information from the first wireless signal detection device 20a, and at least one piece of advertisement information, scan request information, and signal strength information from the second wireless signal detection device 20b.

[0166] In step S22, the processing unit 41A functions as a first determination unit 417 to determine whether or not the information acquired in step S21 includes probe request information.

[0167] If it is determined that the information acquired in step S21 includes probe request information, that is, if the determination result in step S22 is affirmative, the processing unit 41A, in step S23, functions as an acquisition unit 411A to identify the terminal device 10[k] that sent the acquired probe request information based on the hashed MAC address included in the probe request information.

[0168] On the other hand, if it is determined that the information acquired in step S21 does not contain probe request information, that is, if the determination result in step S22 is negative, the processing unit 41A, in step S24, functions as a second determination unit 418 to determine whether or not the information acquired in step S21 contains scan request information. If the determination result in step S22 is negative, the acquired information contains advertisement information.

[0169] If the information acquired in step S21 includes scan request information, that is, if the determination result in step S24 is affirmative, the processing unit 41A, in step S23, functions as an acquisition unit 411A to identify the terminal device 10[k] that sent the acquired advertisement information based on the hashed physical address included in the advertisement information.

[0170] On the other hand, if the information acquired in step S21 does not include scan request information, that is, if the determination result in step S24 is negative, the processing unit 41A terminates this routine. In other words, in this case, the sending terminal device 10[k] is not operating as a master device, and therefore the terminal device 10[k] is excluded from the count of the number of terminal devices 10.

[0171] In step S13, the processing unit 41A functions as an acquisition unit 411A to acquire passage information from the person detection device 30.

[0172] In step S14, the processing unit 41A, functioning as an analysis unit 412, determines the number of people entering a specific area SA during a predetermined time and the number of people leaving a specific area SA during a predetermined time, based on the acquired passage information, and determines the number of users U currently located in the specific area SA.

[0173] In step S25, the processing unit 41A functions as a first determination unit 413A and determines, based on probe request information or advertisement information, which of the multiple individual area IA each of the terminal devices 10 is located in.

[0174] More specifically, for the terminal device 10[k] that sent the probe request signal, the processing unit 41A determines the individual area IA that minimizes the sum of the squares of the differences between each of the three reference signal intensities for each individual area IA in the first signal intensity database DB1 and each of the three measured signal intensities. Furthermore, for the terminal device 10[k] that sent the advertisement signal, the processing unit 41A determines the individual area IA that minimizes the sum of the squares of the differences between each of the three reference signal intensities for each individual area IA in the second signal intensity database DB2 and each of the three measured signal intensities.

[0175] In step S16, the processing unit 41A functions as an aggregation unit 414 and determines an aggregate value by aggregating the number of terminal devices 10 in each individual area IA based on the determination of which individual area IA each of the one or more terminal devices 10 is located in.

[0176] In step S17, the processing unit 41A functions as a second determination unit 415 to determine the ratio of the number of terminal devices 10 for each individual area IA to the aggregated value, and determines the number of users U located in each of the multiple individual areas IA by multiplying the number of users U located in a specific area SA by this ratio.

[0177] In step S18, the processing unit 41 functions as a display control unit 416 and displays the number of users U for each individual area IA determined in step S17 on the display device 44, and then terminates this routine.

[0178] 2.3. Effects of the Second Embodiment The plurality of wireless signal detection devices 20 include three first wireless signal detection devices 20a and three second wireless signal detection devices 20b. One or more terminal devices 10A include one or more first terminal devices and one or more second terminal devices. One or more first terminal devices send out probe request signals. The probe request signals are detected by the three first wireless signal detection devices 20a. One or more second terminal devices send out advertisement signals. The advertisement signals are detected by the three second wireless signal detection devices 20b. The standard communication speed of the advertisement signals is lower than the standard communication speed of the probe request signals. One or more second terminal devices include one or more third terminal devices that satisfy the first condition. The first determination unit 413A determines which of the plurality of individual areas IA each of the one or more first terminal devices and each of the one or more third terminal devices is located in.

[0179] According to this embodiment, the number of terminal devices 10 located in each individual area IA can be determined using two types of communication standards, making it possible to construct a more flexible population distribution determination system.

[0180] The communication standard for the probe request signal is Wi-Fi®. The communication standard for the advertisement signal is Bluetooth®. The first condition is that the second terminal device sends a scan request signal indicating that it will operate as a master unit. The first determination unit 413A determines whether one or more second terminal devices satisfy the first condition based on the physical address information contained in the advertisement signal.

[0181] According to this embodiment, the number of terminal devices 10 located in each individual area IA can be determined using two types of communication standards, Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth®, making it possible to construct a more flexible population distribution determination system. Furthermore, since the number of devices operating as slave devices among the devices communicating via Bluetooth® can be excluded from the number of terminal devices 10, the number of terminal devices 10 can be determined more accurately.

[0182] 3. Modifications This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments illustrated above. Specific examples of modifications are given below. Two or more embodiments may be arbitrarily selected from the following examples and combined. Furthermore, the embodiments of the above embodiments and the modifications below can be combined arbitrarily as long as they do not contradict each other.

[0183] 3.1. Modification Example 1 In the first embodiment described above, an example was shown in which the number of terminal devices 10 for each individual area IA is determined based on the MAC address included in the probe request information. However, the method for determining the number of terminal devices 10 for each individual area IA is not limited to this. For example, if the MAC address is randomized from the standpoint of protecting the privacy of user U, it is not possible to determine the number of terminal devices 10 based on the MAC address.

[0184] In this case, it is conceivable to estimate the number of terminal devices 10 without relying on the MAC address. According to the inventor's findings, the probe request transmission interval, which is the time interval at which a probe request signal is sent from terminal device 10[k], differs depending on the model of terminal device 10[k]. The model can also be referred to as the type. The trend of the probe request transmission interval can be broadly classified according to the manufacturer of terminal device 10[k] and the type of OS (Operating System) incorporated into terminal device 10[k]. According to the inventor's research, commercially available smartphones can be broadly classified into several types based on the trend of the probe request transmission interval. The probe request transmission interval will also be referred to as the probe interval below.

[0185] Furthermore, the probe interval differs depending on whether the smartphone screen is on or off. Specifically, the probe interval is shorter when the screen is on than when the screen is off.

[0186] When a probe request signal is received by the wireless signal detection device 20, with a different number of smartphones of the same type, i.e., terminal devices, the transmission pattern of the received probe request signal changes according to the number of terminal devices. Figure 17 shows an example of the repetition pattern of screen on and screen off and the timing of the transmission of the probe request signal during the first period T1 for three terminal devices classified as Type 1. In Figure 17, the three terminal devices are indicated as "Terminal Device #1", "Terminal Device #2", and "Terminal Device #3".

[0187] Figure 18 is a diagram showing the superimposed timing of the probe request signals sent by the three terminal devices in Figure 17. The timing of the probe request signals sent during the first period T1 shown in Figure 18 is thought to exhibit a pattern specific to the three terminal devices classified as Type 1. For example, if the number of terminal devices classified as Type 1 ranges from 1 to 100, 100 different patterns are prepared as training data, and a learning model is trained using machine learning. When the measured timing of the probe request signals is input to the trained model, the number of Type 1 terminal devices is output from the learning model.

[0188] Furthermore, smartphones can be classified into three types, for example, Type 1 to Type 3. Smartphone types can be classified based on the signal length of the probe request signal and several pieces of information contained in the probe request signal. Methods for classifying into one of the three types include classifying based on the signal length of the probe request signal, and using a pre-trained model with a multi-class classification method to examine the relationship between the probe request signal and the smartphone type.

[0189] 3.2. Modification 2 In the first embodiment, it was explained that the location of the terminal device 10[k] in each individual area is determined based on the information stored in the first signal strength database DB1 and the measured received signal strength. However, the location of the terminal device 10[k] in each individual area may also be determined using a learning model.

[0190] The input data constituting the training data for machine learning is a combination of measured values ​​of received signal strength when three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3] receive a probe request signal from a test terminal device TT located at an arbitrary location. The output data is information indicating the individual area IA where the test terminal device TT is located.

[0191] In the person distribution determination device 40 according to the modified example 2, the first determination unit 413 determines which of the multiple individual area IA each of the one or more terminal devices 10 is located in by inputting three received signal strengths obtained by receiving a probe request signal sent from one test terminal device TT with three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3], and the relationship between the three received signal strengths obtained by receiving wireless signals sent from one or more terminal devices 10 with three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3], and the relationship between the individual area IA where the test terminal device TT is located, into a learning model that has been trained using learning data acquired multiple times by changing the position of one test terminal device TT at least for each individual area, the three received signal strengths obtained by receiving wireless signals sent from one or more terminal devices 10 with three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3], and determining which of the multiple individual area IA each of the one or more terminal devices 10 is located in.

[0192] According to this embodiment, it is possible to easily determine which of the multiple individual area IAs each of the one or more terminal devices 10 is located in.

[0193] 3.3. Modification 3 In each of the above embodiments, it has been explained that the location of the terminal device 10[k] in each individual area is determined by "mapping". However, the location of the terminal device 10[k] in each individual area may also be determined by tripoint positioning.

[0194] Tripoint positioning is a method for determining the position of terminal device 10[k] based on the received signal strength (RSSI) when a radio signal transmitted from terminal device 10[k] is received by three radio signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3]. In this modified example, terminal device 10[k] is an example of a fourth user terminal.

[0195] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating tripoint positioning. As shown in Figure 19, in tripoint positioning, the distance r1 between the wireless signal detection device 20[1] and the terminal device 10[k], the distance r2 between the wireless signal detection device 20[2] and the terminal device 10[k], and the distance r3 between the wireless signal detection device 20[3] and the terminal device 10[k] are measured.

[0196] More specifically, the three distances r1, r2, and r3 are the received signal strengths received by the three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3],

[0197] The position of terminal device 10[k] can be determined by finding the internal or external division point of a triangle whose vertices are the positions of the three wireless signal detection devices 20. If the ratio of the distance r1 between wireless signal detection device 20[1] and terminal device 10[k], the distance r2 between wireless signal detection device 20[2] and terminal device 10[k], and the distance r3 between wireless signal detection device 20[3] and terminal device 10[k] is a:b:c, then a, b, and c are each expressed by the following equation (5).

[0198] a=10(RSSI1 / -10n) b=10(RSSI2 / -10n) ...(5) c=10(RSSI3 / -10n)

[0199] However, n is the propagation index. In this example, we assume n = 2. Let the position of the wireless signal detection device 20[1] be point A, and let the coordinates of point A be (x Ａ , y Ａ Let the position of the wireless signal detection device 20[2] be point B, and the coordinates of point B be (x Ｂ , y Ｂ Let the position of the wireless signal detection device 20[3] be point C, and the coordinates of point C be (x Ｃ , y Ｃ )

[0200] If point P is the location of terminal device 10[k], then when point P is located inside triangle ABC and is at a distance from points A, B, and C in the ratio of a, b, and c respectively, its coordinates (x Ｐ , y Ｐ ) is expressed by equations (6) and (7) below.

[0201] xＰ = (a・x) Ａ + b * x Ｂ + c・x ｃ ) / (a+b+c)...(6) y Ｐ = (a・y Ａ +by Ｂ +c・y ｃ ) / (a+b+c)...(7)

[0202] Furthermore, when point P is outside triangle ABC and is located at distances from points A, B, and C in the ratios a, b, and c respectively, its coordinates (x Ｐ , y Ｐ ) is expressed by equations (8) and (9) below.

[0203] x Ｐ = (-a * x) Ａ + b * x Ｂ + c・x ｃ ) / (-a+b+c)...(8) y Ｐ = (-a・y Ａ +by Ｂ +c・y ｃ ) / (-a+b+c)...(9)

[0204] Based on equations (6) to (9) above, point P(x Ｐ , y Ｐ ) can be found. Therefore, point P(x Ｐ , y Ｐ This determines which individual area each item is located in.

[0205] In the person distribution determination device 40 according to Modification 3, the first determination unit 413 determines the distance between each of the three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3] and the terminal device 10[k] based on the received signal strength detected by the three wireless signal detection devices 20[1], 20[2], and 20[3] in response to the probe request signal sent from the terminal device 10[k]. Based on these distances, the first determination unit 413 determines which of the multiple individual area IA the terminal device 10[k] is located in.

[0206] According to this embodiment, since it is not necessary to measure the received signal strength in advance using the test terminal device TT, the effort required to introduce the person distribution determination system 1 can be reduced.

[0207] Note that the probe request signal does not contain information about the transmitted signal strength, but the advertised signal does contain information about the transmitted signal strength TxPower. Therefore, in Bluetooth® communication, the distance between the second wireless signal detection device 20b and the terminal device 10[k] can be determined with greater accuracy using the received signal strength and the transmitted signal strength.

[0208] 3.4. Modification 4 In Modification 3, it was explained that the location of the terminal device 10[k] in each individual area may be determined by triplicate positioning. However, the location of the terminal device 10[k] in each individual area may also be determined by duodenal positioning.

[0209] Two-point positioning is a method of determining the position of a terminal device 10[k] based on the direction of arrival of radio signals transmitted from the terminal device 10[k], which are measured by two radio signal detection devices 20[1] and 20[2], respectively.

[0210] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram illustrating two-point positioning. As shown in Figure 20, in two-point positioning, the azimuth angles φ1 and φ2 of the terminal device 10[k] are measured by the wireless signal detection device 20[1] and the wireless signal detection device 20[2]. The intersection of the two azimuth lines AL1 and AL2 is the position of the terminal device 10[k], i.e., point P(x Ｐ , y Ｐ It is estimated that point P(xＰ , y Ｐ This determines which individual area each item is located in.

[0211] In order to measure the azimuth angles φ1 and φ2, it is necessary to have multiple antennas on a single wireless signal detection device 20, and to detect the phase difference of signals received by the multiple antennas.

[0212] 4. Other (1) In the embodiments described above, the storage devices 12, 22, 32, 42, and 42A are exemplified by ROM and RAM, but they can also be flexible disks, magneto-optical disks (e.g., compact disks, digital multipurpose disks, Blu-ray® disks), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., cards, sticks, key drives), CD-ROMs (Compact Disc-ROMs), registers, removable disks, hard disks, floppy® disks, magnetic strips, databases, servers, and other suitable storage media. The program may also be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line. The program may also be transmitted from a communication network NET via a telecommunications line.

[0213] (2) In the embodiments described above, the information, signals, etc. may be represented using any of the various different techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0214] (3) In the embodiments described above, the input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or managed using a management table. The input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or appended to. The output information may be deleted. The input information may be transmitted to other devices.

[0215] (4) In the embodiments described above, the determination may be made by a value represented using one bit (0 or 1), by a boolean value (true or false), or by a numerical comparison (for example, a comparison with a predetermined value).

[0216] (5) The processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc., exemplified in the embodiments described above may be rearranged in order, as long as there is no contradiction. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present various step elements using an exemplary order and are not limited to the specific order presented.

[0217] (6) Each function illustrated in Figures 1 to 20 is realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method of realizing each function block is not particularly limited. That is, each function block may be realized using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or it may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wired, wireless, etc.). A function block may also be realized by combining the above one device or the above multiple devices with software.

[0218] (7) The programs illustrated in the embodiments described above should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, etc., whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages ​​or by other names.

[0219] Furthermore, software, instructions, information, etc., may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technology (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) and wireless technology (such as infrared or microwave), then at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included in the definition of a transmission medium.

[0220] (8) In each of the above-mentioned forms, the terms “system” and “network” shall be used interchangeably.

[0221] (9) The information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a given value, or other corresponding information.

[0222] (10) In the embodiments described above, the terminal devices 10, 10A may be Mobile Stations (MS). 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 several other appropriate terms. In this disclosure, terms such as "mobile station," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," and "terminal" may be used interchangeably.

[0223] (11) In the embodiments described above, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” or any variation thereof, mean 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” with each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be a physical coupling or connection, a logical coupling or connection, or a combination thereof. For example, “connection” may be reinterpreted as “access.” As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be “connected” or “coupled” with each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables and printed electrical connections, and, in some non-limiting and non-exclusive examples, electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency domain, microwave domain and optical (both visible and invisible) domain.

[0224] (12) In the embodiments described above, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based solely on" unless otherwise specified. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based solely on" and "based at least on".

[0225] (13) The terms “determining” and “determining” as used in this disclosure may encompass a wide variety of actions. “Determining” may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, or inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), or ascertaining. “Determining” may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), inputting, outputting, or accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory). Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after some action. Also, "judgment (decision)" can be reinterpreted as "assuming," "expecting," or "considering."

[0226] (14) In the embodiments described above, where “include,” “including,” and variations thereof are used, these terms are intended to be inclusive, as is the term “comprising.” Furthermore, the term “or” as used in this disclosure is not intended to be exclusive OR.

[0227] (15) In the present disclosure, if articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the present disclosure may include the fact that the noun following these articles is plural.

[0228] (16) In this 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 “combine” may be interpreted in the same way as “different.”

[0229] (17) Each aspect / embodiment described herein may be used individually, in combination, or switched between as needed during implementation. Furthermore, notification of the specified information (e.g., notification that "it is X") is not limited to explicit notification, but may also be implicit (e.g., by not providing such notification).

[0230] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it will be 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 intent and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Accordingly, the descriptions in the present disclosure are illustrative and not restrictive in any way.

[0231] 10, 10[1], 10[2], 10, [k], 10[n]... Terminal device, 20... Wireless signal detection device, 20a... First wireless signal detection device, 20b... Second wireless signal detection device, 30... Person detection device, 40... Person distribution determination device, 413, 413A... First determination unit, 414... Aggregation unit, 415... Second determination unit, IA... Individual area, GA... Gate, SA... Specific area, U... User.

Claims

1. A person distribution determination device comprising: a first determination unit that determines which of the multiple individual areas each of the multiple individual areas is located in, based on wireless signals transmitted from each of the one or more user terminals located in a first area divided into multiple individual areas; and a second determination unit that determines the number of people located in each of the multiple individual areas by allocating the number of people located in the first area according to the number of user terminals in each individual area.

2. The person distribution determination device according to claim 1, further comprising an aggregation unit that determines an aggregate value of the number of user terminals in each individual area based on the determination of which individual area each of the one or more user terminals is located in, the second determination unit determines the ratio of the number of user terminals in each individual area to the aggregate value, and determines the number of people located in each of the plurality of individual areas by multiplying the number of people located in the first area by the ratio.

3. The person distribution determination device according to claim 1, wherein the number of people located in the first area is determined based on passage information output from one or more person detection devices provided at the gate of the first area and for detecting people passing through the gate.

4. The person distribution determination device according to claim 1, wherein wireless signals from one or more user terminals located in the first area are detected by a plurality of wireless signal detection devices arranged at different locations from each other.

5. Wireless signals from one or more user terminals located in the first area are detected by a plurality of wireless signal detection devices arranged at different locations from each other, the plurality of wireless signal detection devices include one or more first detection devices and one or more second detection devices, the one or more user terminals include one or more first user terminals that transmit a first wireless signal detected by the one or more first detection devices and one or more second user terminals that transmit a second wireless signal detected by the one or more second detection devices, the standard communication speed of the second wireless signal is lower than the standard communication speed of the first wireless signal, the one or more second user terminals include one or more third user terminals that satisfy the first condition, and the first determination unit determines which of the plurality of individual areas each of the one or more first user terminals and each of the one or more third user terminals is located in, the person distribution determination device according to claim 1.

6. The person distribution determination device according to claim 5, wherein the communication standard of the first wireless signal is Wi-Fi, the communication standard of the second wireless signal is Bluetooth, the first condition is that the second user terminal sends a signal indicating that it is operating as a master unit, and the first determination unit determines whether the one or more second user terminals satisfy the first condition based on the physical address information contained in the second wireless signal.

7. A person distribution determination device according to claim 1, wherein wireless signals from one or more user terminals located in the first area are detected by at least three wireless signal detection devices arranged at different locations from each other, and the first determination unit determines which of the plurality of individual areas each of the one or more user terminals is located in, based on at least three received signal strengths obtained by receiving a wireless signal transmitted from one test terminal with the at least three wireless signal detection devices, information indicating the relationship between the individual area where the test terminal is located and at least three received signal strengths obtained by receiving wireless signals transmitted from each of the one or more user terminals with the at least three wireless signal detection devices.

8. The person distribution determination device according to claim 1, wherein each of the one or more user terminals located in the first area is detected by at least three wireless signal detection devices arranged at different locations from each other, and the first determination unit determines which of the plurality of individual areas each of the one or more user terminals is located in by inputting at least three received signal strengths obtained by receiving wireless signals from each of the one or more user terminals by the at least three wireless signal detection devices, which are obtained by receiving wireless signals from one test terminal with the at least three wireless signal detection devices, and the relationship between 9. The person distribution determination device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more user terminals include a fourth user terminal, wireless signals from the one or more user terminals located in the first area are detected by at least three wireless signal detection devices arranged at different locations from each other, and the first determination unit determines the distance between each of the at least three wireless signal detection devices and the fourth user terminal based on the received signal strength detected by the at least three wireless signal detection devices for the wireless signal transmitted from the fourth user terminal, and determines which of the plurality of individual areas the fourth user terminal is located in based on the distances.

10. A method for determining the number of people in each of the multiple individual areas, which involves determining which of the multiple individual areas each of the multiple individual areas is located in, based on wireless signals transmitted from one or more user terminals located in a first area divided into multiple individual areas, and allocating the number of people located in the first area according to the number of user terminals in each individual area.

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