Virtual Person Icon Display for Queue Visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users find it difficult to visualize the number of people waiting for a service, as numerical values do not effectively convey the sense of a queue, making it hard to feel as if they are actually looking at people lined up.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus that acquires and displays virtual person icons based on waiting information, using a smartphone to recognize the service-associated location and superimpose icons representing waiting individuals on the screen, enhancing the visual representation of the queue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If numerical values are used to notify waiting information, then information transmission is efficient and clear, but users cannot visualize the queue and feel disconnected from the actual waiting situation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual person icons that copy the visual appearance of real queue members. These icons are generated based on captured images of actual people waiting and are displayed on users' smartphones to replicate the visual experience of standing in line, thereby solving the problem of visualizing queue information while maintaining efficient data transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms one-dimensional numerical waiting information into two-dimensional visual representations through virtual person icons. By converting abstract numbers into concrete visual images that users can see on their smartphone screens, the system enables users to visually perceive queue length and position without requiring physical presence in the queue.
2Ease of manufacture
If virtual person icons are displayed to enhance visualization, then users can better understand the queue, but system complexity increases due to image processing and recognition requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary that handles the complex image processing and virtual icon generation tasks. Instead of requiring each smartphone to perform complex image recognition and processing, the server receives captured images, generates appropriate virtual person icons, and delivers them to users, thereby reducing the computational burden on individual devices while maintaining high visualization quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical image processing operations with automated server-side processing. The server automatically captures images, processes them to create virtual person icons, and manages their distribution, eliminating the need for complex local processing on user devices and simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Measurement precision
If real-time queue information is provided through numerical data, then information accuracy is maintained, but users lack emotional connection and situational awareness of the waiting environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates visual copies of actual queue members through virtual person icons that preserve the essential visual characteristics of real people waiting. These icons maintain accurate representation of queue composition and dynamics while adding visual context that helps users understand the actual waiting environment, thereby preserving both accuracy and situational awareness.
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires information on waiting for receiving a specific service; and a display control unit that displays an image of a virtual person, based on the information on waiting, in a case where a real place or apparatus managed in association with the specific service is recognized.