Facility Use Measuring Device Group Configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for determining the group configuration of users in facilities, such as restaurants and coffee shops, face challenges in accurately assessing groupings when seats are arranged at predetermined distances and in congested situations, as they rely on distance measurements which are not effective in these contexts.
Innovation Solution
A facility use measuring device and system that utilize image processing to set staying areas and generate stay information based on image changes, comparing similarity between areas to determine group configurations, allowing for accurate identification of single, paired, or grouped users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If distance measurement methods are used to determine group configuration, then the method is simple to implement, but the measurement precision deteriorates in congested situations and when seats are arranged at predetermined distances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical distance measurement approach with image processing analysis. Instead of measuring physical distances between persons, the system analyzes image data to determine stay information and group configurations, achieving higher precision in congested environments where distance measurements fail
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer between image capture and group configuration determination. The stay information generation unit acts as an intermediary that processes raw image data into meaningful stay patterns, which are then used to accurately determine group configurations without relying on direct distance measurements
2Device complexity
If conventional distance-based methods are used, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability of group configuration determination deteriorates in facilities with predetermined seat arrangements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the facility into multiple staying areas with defined boundaries. By dividing the space into discrete zones and tracking which zones are occupied, the system reliably determines group configurations even when seats are arranged at predetermined distances, overcoming the limitations of conventional distance-based methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from one-dimensional distance measurements to two-dimensional spatial analysis by defining staying areas with boundaries. This dimensional change allows the system to accurately determine group configurations in congested situations and facilities with fixed seat arrangements where linear distance measurements are insufficient
Data Source
AI summary
A facility use measuring device includes a processor and a memory storing instructions. The processor is configured to set a plurality of staying areas for determining the presence or absence of stay of users on images, to generate stay information relating to the presence or absence of stay of the users for each of the staying areas based on a change situation, to compare pieces of stay information for every at least two staying areas and determine a group configuration regarding the users who respectively stay in the staying areas based on similarity of the pieces of stay information, to generate use information relating a use situation of a facility according to the group configuration, based on the pieces of stay information for each of the staying areas and a determination result of the group configuration, and to generate display information displaying the use information and output the display information.