JP2010033195A - People counter and equipment control system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A number counting device and device control system capable of counting the number of people staying in a count target area based on image data of a small number of cameras.
A number counting device includes an image data acquiring unit that acquires image data near an entrance / exit of a counting target region, and the number of people staying in the counting target region based on the image data acquired by the image data acquiring unit. And a calculating unit 12 to be obtained. The arithmetic unit 12 passes through the virtual gate by comparing the virtual gate setting means 12a for setting a virtual gate that divides the image data into a plurality of pieces in the moving direction of the person near the entrance and the image data acquired at different time points. The number of passing people detecting means 12b for obtaining the number of people, the number of staying people detecting means 12c for obtaining the number of people staying in the counting target area by counting the number of passing people, and the image data obtained at different time points are compared in the vicinity of the virtual gate. And a stop number detecting means 12d for counting the number of stops.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a people counting device and a device control system using the same.

  In recent years, energy conservation measures have been promoted in various fields for the purpose of protecting the global environment and reducing costs. In commercial facilities such as supermarkets, the proportion of power consumed by lighting equipment is large in the total power consumed. There was a demand to reduce the power consumption of lighting equipment. In commercial facilities, it is preferable to make the lighting as bright as possible. However, depending on the time of day and the number of customers, the lighting may be dimmed, and there has been a demand to control the operation of the lighting equipment according to the number of customers.

Conventionally, a lighting system as disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been proposed as a system for controlling lighting fixtures according to the number of customers. In this lighting system, a plurality of cameras are installed in a store of merchandise in a store, and each camera images an area corresponding to the store as an imaging area. Here, by obtaining the difference between two images taken at different times by each camera, the flow of the customer in the store is obtained, and the inside of the store is divided into a plurality based on the flow data of the customer. The distribution of the number of people in each divided area was obtained. And the lighting control means controls the light output of the luminaires installed in each area according to the distribution of the number of people in the store. For example, the presence distribution of customers in a certain area is smaller than the predetermined distribution Has controlled the light output of the luminaires installed in this area to be darker than normal lighting conditions.
JP 2004-178129 A

  In the control system configured as described above, in order to obtain the number of customers in the store and their distribution, a camera is installed for each area divided into a plurality of locations in the store, so multiple cameras are required. There is also a problem that a circuit for processing image data of the camera is required.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a person counting device and device control capable of counting the number of people staying in a counting target area based on image data of a small number of cameras. To provide a system.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data near an entrance / exit of a count target area that is a count target of the number of visitors, and image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit. A calculation unit that obtains the number of people staying in the counting target area, and the calculation unit is different from a virtual gate setting unit that sets a virtual gate that divides image data into a plurality in the movement direction of the person near the entrance / exit Passing number detecting means for determining the number of persons passing through the virtual gate by comparing the image data acquired at the time, and staying number detecting means for determining the number of persons staying in the counting target area based on the detection result of the passing number detecting means It is characterized by providing.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stopping number detecting means for counting the number of persons stopping near the virtual gate by comparing image data acquired at different time points. And

  The invention according to claim 3 is based on the number counting device according to claim 1, the environment control device for controlling the environment of the control space including the counting target area, and the number distribution obtained by the number counting device. And a control device for controlling the operation of the environmental control device.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the image data acquisition unit acquires the image data near the entrance / exit of the count target area, the passing number detection means detects the number of persons passing through the virtual gate set in the image data, Based on the detection result, the staying number detecting means obtains the number of people in the counting target area, so it is sufficient to install the camera only at a position where the vicinity of the entrance / exit of the counting target area can be imaged, and image the counting target area. Therefore, since there is no need to install a plurality of cameras, it is possible to realize a number counting device that can count the number of people in the counting target area with a small number of cameras.

  According to the invention of claim 2, since the number of people stopping near the virtual gate is counted, for example, if a virtual gate is set in a place where a customer collecting event is performed in a store or the like, the virtual gate is stopped near the virtual gate. The effect of attracting customers can be grasped from the number of people.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the number counting device can count the number of people in the counting target area with a small number of cameras, the control is performed by causing the environment control device to perform an operation according to the counting result. The environment of the space can be controlled according to the number of people in the counting target area.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following form, the number of people in a store such as a supermarket, which is the counting target area, is counted by the number counting device, and the operation of lighting equipment (environment control device) installed in the store is controlled according to the counting result. A device control system to be performed will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of the present embodiment, and this system mainly includes a person counting device 1, a basic control device 2, a lighting control device 3, a general lighting device 4, and a priority lighting device 5. As prepared. FIG. 2A is a plan view of a store 100 to which the present system is applied. The interior of the store 100 is largely divided into a sales floor 101 and a cash register zone 102. The store 100 is surrounded by walls 103 on all sides, and entrances 104 and 105 for entering and exiting the store 100 are provided at two locations on the wall 103 on the registration zone 102 side.

  In the store 100, a general lighting device 4 and a priority lighting device 5 are installed as environment control devices for controlling the lighting environment of the control space (the space in the store) including the count target area.

  The general lighting fixture 4 includes, for example, a fluorescent lighting fixture 4a using a fluorescent lamp as a light source, and an HID lighting fixture 4b using a HID lamp as a light source. The general lighting device 4 is installed in a passage in a store, a fixture display section, a cash register zone, and the like, and provides basic brightness necessary for moving through the store and selecting a product. The priority lighting fixture 5 includes, for example, a fluorescent wall lighting fixture 5a using a fluorescent lamp as a light source, a halogen spotlight 5b using a halogen lamp as a light source, a compact fluorescent lamp spotlight 5c using a compact fluorescent lamp as a light source, HID spotlight 5d using a HID lamp as a light source. The important lighting fixtures 5 such as the spotlights 5b to 5d are installed in the vicinity of, for example, fixtures and sales floors that customers want to pay attention to, and give priority to the customer's eyes by illuminating the fixtures and sales floors. It plays the role of expressing the characteristics of the product. The priority lighting fixture 5 such as the fluorescent lamp wall lighting fixture 5a produces a sense of brightness in the space by illuminating walls and pillars. In addition to the general lighting fixture 4 and the priority lighting fixture 5, an environmental lighting device may include a decorative lighting fixture used for the purpose of producing a bustling space or a role of a store.

  The number counting device 1 includes an image data acquisition unit 11, a calculation unit 12, a storage unit 13, and a display unit 14.

  The image data acquisition unit 11 acquires image data from an imaging unit that captures the vicinity of the entrance / exit of the count target region, and outputs the acquired image data to the calculation unit 12. Here, since the store 100 is provided with two entrances 104 and 105, two cameras 11a and 11b each having an inner area of the entrances 104 and 105 as imaging areas are provided, and an image data acquisition unit is provided. 11, image data is acquired from the two cameras 11 a and 11 b and output to the calculation unit 12. In FIG. 2A, A1 and A2 indicate the imaging areas of the cameras 11a and 11b, respectively.

  The imaging direction of each camera 11a, 11b is set to a direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction (flow line) of the person passing through the entrances 104, 105, and the wall surface direction is set from the inside so that a person in the store is not photographed. It is preferable to shoot. The image data acquisition unit 11 can determine the human body by thinning out the pixels of the image data captured by the cameras 11a and 11b. However, the image data acquisition unit 11 compresses and reduces the pixel level to such an extent that an individual cannot be identified. In this state, the data is output to the calculation unit 12. Further, it is preferable to display that the camera is operating near the installation location of the cameras 11a and 11b.

  The calculation unit 12 includes a virtual gate setting unit 12a, a passing number detection unit 12b, a staying number detection unit 12c, and a staying number detection unit 12d, and the image data acquisition unit 11 (consisting of cameras 11a and 11b) at a predetermined shooting interval. Based on the acquired image data, the number of people staying in the counting target area (the sales floor 101 and the register zone 102) in the store 100 and the number of people stopping near the entrance / exit are obtained, and a determination screen is displayed on the display unit 14.

  The virtual gate setting means 12a sets a virtual gate in the image data acquired by each camera 11a, 11b. Here, FIG. 2B is a view of the imaging areas A1 and A2 of the cameras 11a and 11b as viewed from the installation positions of the cameras 11a and 11b. The virtual gate setting unit 12a The virtual gate G is set so that the imaging areas A1 and A2 are divided into a plurality of regions in the traveling direction D (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

  The passing number detecting means 12b detects the number of persons moving rightward or leftward beyond the virtual gate G by comparing two pieces of image data taken at different times for the cameras 11a and 11b. That is, the passing number detection means 12b can detect the number of people entering the store (number of visitors) and the number of people leaving the store (number of people leaving).

  The staying number detecting means 12c calculates the number of persons staying in the store 100 by counting the number of passing persons (number of visitors and leaving) of the entrances 104 and 105 obtained by the passing number detection means 12b. The detection result is stored in the storage unit 13 and transmitted to the basic control device 2.

  The number-of-stops detecting means 12d obtains the number of stops in the vicinity of the virtual gate G by comparing two pieces of image data taken at different times for the cameras 11a and 11b, and stores the detection result in the storage unit 13. Let

  On the other hand, the basic control device 2 includes a number information receiving unit 21, a lighting mode selection unit 22, and a lighting mode management unit 23, and the control mode of the general lighting apparatus 4 based on the number of people in the store counted by the number counting device 1. Is selected from preset control modes (busy season mode, quiet season mode). Here, the off-season mode is a control mode in the case where the number of customers in the store is less than a predetermined threshold, and the light output of the general lighting device 4 is relatively increased as compared with the busy mode, so that the inside of the store 100 To make it easier for customers to enter the store from outside. On the other hand, the busy season mode is a control mode in the case where the number of customers in the store 100 is equal to or greater than the threshold, and the light output of the general lighting device 4 is relatively lowered as compared with the low season mode, so The ratio between the illuminance and the illuminance by the general lighting apparatus 4 is increased to improve the effect of the priority lighting apparatus 5 (such as an effect that attracts the eyes of the customer) and to reduce the amount of power used.

  The number information receiving unit 21 receives the counting result transmitted from the calculation unit 12 of the number counting device 1 at a predetermined measurement interval, and outputs the received number of people to the lighting mode selection unit 22.

  The lighting mode selection unit 22 determines whether it is a busy period or a quiet period by comparing the count result of the number of persons received by the number information receiving unit 21 with a predetermined threshold, and the determination result is sent to the lighting control device 3. Output. In addition, the threshold value used when determining whether it is a busy period or a quiet period may be set manually for each store 100 using an input means (not shown) provided in the basic control device 2, or a plurality of stores 100 may be set. The threshold may be set in the basic control device 2 of each store 100 from the management device of the headquarters by communicating between the management device (not shown) of the headquarters that controls the basic control device 2.

  The lighting mode management unit 23 manages the lighting control mode of the general lighting fixture 4 and the priority lighting fixture 5 and the data of the power usage at that time based on the state monitoring signal input from the lighting control device 3.

  Further, the lighting control device 3 has a general lighting control unit 31 for controlling the general lighting fixture 4, a priority lighting control unit 32 for controlling the priority lighting fixture 5, and a preset start time or end time. Then, a timer 33 for outputting a schedule control start signal or an end signal to each of the control units 31 and 32 is provided.

  Here, at the 24-hour store 100, for example, the control state of the lighting fixtures 4 and 5 is switched between early morning and late night and other time zones (daytime, nighttime, etc.). The start time and end time are set in the timer 33. Further, in the store 100 that is open for 17 hours, the control state of the lighting fixtures 4 and 5 is switched between the business hours and the time periods for preparation or rearrangement, and the start time and end time of the business hours are set as timers. 33 is set.

  The general lighting control unit 31 is preset with control information for three setting scenes A, B, and C as setting scenes for lighting a plurality of general lighting fixtures 4 in a preset pattern. Here, the setting scene A is scene information for lighting the general lighting apparatus 4 with a minimum brightness in the early morning and late night time zones. The setting scene B is scene information for turning on the general lighting device 4 in a busy period in times other than early morning and late at night, and the general lighting is set so that the horizontal illuminance is relatively darker than that in the quiet period. This is scene information for lighting the appliance 4. Furthermore, the setting scene C is scene information for turning on the general lighting apparatus 4 in a quiet period in a time zone other than early morning and late at night, and the general lighting is set so that the horizontal illuminance becomes relatively brighter than that in the busy period. This is scene information for lighting the appliance 4.

  When the general lighting control unit 31 selects one of the setting scenes A, B, and C based on the start signal and end signal from the timer 33 and the selection signal from the lighting mode selection unit 22, the general lighting control unit 31 selects the setting scene. The lighting state of the plurality of general lighting fixtures 4 according to the selected setting scene is adjusted by dimming the general lighting fixtures 4 to be controlled or by dimming or turning off the general lighting fixtures 4 in unnecessary places. Turn on with.

  In addition, the priority lighting control unit 32 also lights the priority lighting fixtures 5 with a minimum brightness in the early morning and late evening hours as a setting scene for lighting the plurality of priority lighting fixtures 5 in a preset pattern. Scene information for lighting the priority lighting fixture 5 with a predetermined brightness in a time zone other than early morning and late night is set in advance. And in the important lighting control part 32, a setting scene is determined based on the start signal and end signal which are input from the timer 33, and the important lighting fixture 5 to be controlled is dimmed based on the determined setting scene, By turning off the important lighting fixtures 5 in unnecessary places, the plurality of important lighting fixtures 5 are turned on in a lighting state corresponding to a predetermined setting scene.

  In the case of a lighting fixture using a halogen bulb, continuous light control is easy, but in the case of a lighting fixture using a HID lamp or a compact fluorescent lamp, continuous light control may be difficult. Therefore, in the case of a lighting fixture using a compact fluorescent lamp as a light source, it is only necessary to equip a plurality of light sources and change the light output by increasing or decreasing the number of light sources to be lit. In the case of an HID lighting fixture that uses an HID lamp as a light source, the number of HID lighting fixtures to be lit may be adjusted by dividing a plurality of HID lighting fixtures into a plurality of circuits and selecting a circuit to be lit. When dividing a plurality of HID lighting fixtures into circuits, some HID lighting fixtures may be extinguished by selecting a circuit to be lit and wired in a plurality of branch circuits in a distribution board. The operation may be switched on the HID lighting fixture side by transmitting a lighting signal or a lighting off signal to the HID lighting fixture wirelessly or by wire.

  The device control system of this embodiment has the above-described configuration, and the operation of this system will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

  The calculation unit 12 of the number counting device 1 acquires the image data of the cameras 11a and 11b from the image data acquisition unit 11 every time a predetermined shooting interval elapses, and the virtual gate setting unit 12a of the calculation unit 12 acquires the acquired image. A virtual gate G that divides the data E into a plurality of pieces in the moving direction D (left and right direction in FIG. 3) is set and stored in the storage unit 13 (see FIG. 3). The computing unit 12 extracts an image of the human body from the image data E, and the passing number detecting means 12b of the computing unit 12 determines the positions of the persons B1 to B4 existing in the current image data E from the image data E at the time of the previous photographing. If the person moves beyond the virtual gate G, the movement direction of the person is determined. If the person is stopped near the virtual gate G, the person is It is determined that the vehicle is stationary.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the determination screen displayed on the display unit 14. The display unit 14 displays the image data E of the camera 11a or 11b acquired at a certain time, and a plurality of virtual gates G are set in the image data E. In the determination screen of FIG. 3, four persons B1 to B4 are extracted, and as a result of comparison with the image data at the time of the previous shooting, the left and right persons B1 and B4 are moving rightward, and the second person from the left It is determined that the person B2 is moving in the left direction, and the third person B3 from the left is stopped near the virtual gate G. Note that marks M1 to M3 indicating the determination results of the persons B1 to B4 are displayed on the upper side of the screen of the display unit 14 above the persons B1 to B4. For example, green is displayed during movement, and red is displayed during stoppage, so that it is possible to easily read which person is moving in which direction or stoppage from the determination screen.

  When the passing number detection means 12b detects the number of visitors and exits at the entrances 104 and 105 and the number of parked persons from the image data of the cameras 11a and 11b, the staying number detection means 12c , 105, the number of visitors and the number of exits are counted. Then, the staying number detecting means 12c adds the number of visitors to the number of staying people at the time of the previous measurement and subtracts the number of leaving persons to obtain the number of staying in the store, and stores the current time information together with the storage unit 13 Remember me. Also, the stoppage number detecting means 12d calculates the total number of stoppages by adding up the number of stoppages at the respective entrances 104 and 105, and stores it in the storage unit 13 together with the current time information.

  In this way, when the number counting device 1 counts the number of visitors in the store, the counting result is transmitted to the basic control device 2, and the lighting mode selection unit 22 of the basic control device 2 receives the number information receiving unit 21. By comparing the number of visitors with a preset threshold value, it is determined whether it is a busy period or a quiet period, and the determination result is output to the lighting control device 3.

  The general lighting control unit 31 of the lighting control device 3 determines the setting scene based on the start signal and the end signal input from the timer 33 and the determination result of the person counting device 2, and the time zone of early morning / midnight If so, the setting scene A is determined. In the time zone other than early morning / midnight, the general lighting control unit 31 determines the setting scene B if the determination result of the number counting device 2 is busy, and determines the setting scene C if the determination result is a quiet period. FIG. 4 shows the transition of the power usage of the entire lighting fixture. In FIG. 4, A is the power usage in the case of this embodiment, and B in the drawing is the light of the general lighting fixture 4 in the busy season compared to the quiet season. It shows the power consumption when the output is reduced. As shown in the drawing, in the present embodiment, the general lighting device 4 and the priority lighting device 5 are lit at the minimum brightness during the early morning / night time period (6 o'clock to 9 o'clock, 21 o'clock to 23 o'clock). Usage is lowest. On the other hand, in the time zone from 9:00 to 21:00, the general lighting control unit 31 and the priority lighting control unit 32 make the brightness of the general lighting fixture 4 and the priority lighting fixture 4 brighter than the time zone of early morning and night, In the busy season (9:00 to 13:00 and from 16:00 to 21:00), the light output of the general lighting device 4 is relatively lowered compared to the off-season (13:00 to 16:00). The ratio between the illuminance and the illuminance by the priority luminaire 5 can be increased to enhance the illumination effect by the priority luminaire 5 and to reduce the amount of power used. If the light output of the luminaires 4 and 5 is increased during the busy season compared to the quiet season, the light output of the luminaires 4 and 5 is reduced during the quiet season. However, in this embodiment, since the lighting in the store is brightened in the off-season, it is possible to give the customer an impression that it is easy to enter the store. In addition, when the busy period is long, the power consumption can be reduced as a whole.

  As described above, in the number counting device 1 used in the present embodiment, the vicinity of the entrance / exit is imaged by the cameras 11a and 11b installed in the store 100, and the image data acquisition unit 11 captures the image data of the cameras 11a and 11b. When acquired, the virtual gate setting unit 12a of the calculation unit 12 sets a virtual gate G that divides the image data into a plurality of pieces in the movement direction of the person, and the passing number detection unit 12b compares the image data acquired at different time points. As a result, the number of people passing through the virtual gate G in the entrance direction or the exit direction is obtained, and the staying number detecting means 12c obtains the number of staying persons by counting the detection results of the passing number detecting means 12b. It is only necessary to install cameras at possible positions, and multiple cameras in the counting target area as in the system described in the background art. No need to install, it is possible to realize a countable number counter the number of count target area in a small number camera. The time interval at which the image data acquisition unit 11 acquires image data is set to a time that allows a person walking near the entrance to pass between the adjacent virtual gates G.

  Further, in the control device composed of the basic control device 2 and the lighting control device 3, the operation of the environmental control devices (the general lighting device 4 and the priority lighting device 5) is controlled based on the counting result of the people counting device 1, so the store By causing the environment control device to perform an operation according to the counting result of the number of people staying inside, the environment of the control space can be controlled according to the number of people in the counting target area.

  Further, in a store 100 such as a supermarket, notifications for appealing management policies and social contribution activities to customers may be installed near the entrances 104 and 105. For example, the contents of the notification include a display that informs the store's efforts to protect the environment and its results. For example, a display that calls the customer to bring a shopping bag, and a collection corner for recycled items such as food trays and milk cartons. In some cases, the collection result is displayed. In addition, when equipment for reducing power consumption (for example, photovoltaic power generation equipment, cogeneration equipment, etc.) is introduced, the energy saving effect of the equipment (for example, the amount of power generation or power reduction or the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent) ) May be displayed to appeal to customers. It is also possible to display an answer to a complaint from a customer.

  For the manager of the store 100, there is a need to understand how much the customer is interested in the content of the notification when the above-mentioned notification is made, but the sales and the number of visitors are interested in the content of the notification. It is difficult to determine how many customers have a customer. In the number counting device 1 of the present embodiment, the number-of-stops detecting unit 12d compares the number of pieces of image data taken at different points in time for each of the cameras 11a and 11b, thereby determining the number of people that stop near the virtual gate G. Therefore, when a message to a customer is posted near the entrance, it is possible to estimate how many customers are interested in the message from the number of stops detected by the stop number detecting means 12d. . Further, when a customer attracting event is performed in the vicinity of the entrance / exit, it is possible to grasp the effect of attracting customers by the customer attracting event from the number of stops detected by the stop number detecting means 12d. In this embodiment, the vicinity of the entrance / exit is photographed by the cameras 11a and 11b in order to count the number of people staying in the store. However, when it is desired to count the number of people staying at a certain place, it is desired to count the number of people staying The place may be imaged with a camera, and the number of stops may be obtained by the calculation unit 12 from the image data.

1 is a schematic system configuration diagram of an embodiment. (A) is a top view of the store which uses the same as the above, (b) is an explanatory view explaining the imaging range of the camera. It is explanatory drawing explaining the counting operation | movement of a people counting apparatus same as the above. It is explanatory drawing explaining control operation | movement of the general lighting fixture by the same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

1 Number counting device 2 Basic control device (control device)
3 Lighting control device (control device)
4 General lighting equipment (environmental control equipment)
5 priority lighting equipment (environmental control equipment)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Image data acquisition part 12 Operation part 12a Virtual gate setting means 12b Passing number detection means 12c Staying number detection means 12d Stopping number detection means

Claims (3)

  An image data acquisition unit that acquires image data near the entrance / exit of the counting target area, which is a counting target of the number of staying persons, and a calculation unit that calculates the number of staying persons in the counting target area based on the image data acquired by the image data acquiring unit; And the calculation unit compares the image data acquired at different time points with virtual gate setting means for setting a virtual gate that divides the image data into a plurality in the direction of movement of the person near the entrance and exit. Passage number detecting means for determining the number of persons passing through the virtual gate; and a staying number detecting means for determining the number of staying persons in the counting target area based on the detection result of the passing number of persons detecting means. .   2. The number counting device according to claim 1, further comprising: a stop number detecting means for counting the number of persons stopping near the virtual gate by comparing image data acquired at different time points.   The operation of the environment control device based on the number distribution device determined by the number counting device according to claim 1, the environment control device for controlling the environment of the control space including the counting target area, and the number counting device. And a control device for controlling the apparatus.