JP2010181920A - Area management system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide, in a system which manages inside of an area by an image, a management system which can obtain an effective analysis result by giving objective information to subjective information obtained from the image. <P>SOLUTION: In a store 1, a camera 12 and a count device 13 are installed and an image in the store and information on the numbers of persons who entered in and left from the store can be obtained. In a store status display screen 53 displayed on a user terminal 25, a histogram of the number of the persons entered in the store is displayed on a histogram display section 62. When a user clicks a graph of an arbitrary time zone of the histogram with a mouse, the image of a predetermined time zone is displayed on an upper side of the histogram image display device 611. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a system for managing a situation in an area such as a store based on an image captured by a camera installed in the area such as a store.

  Surveillance cameras are installed in stores such as convenience stores, supermarkets, and drug stores. The in-store image captured by the monitoring camera is stored in a hard disk device or the like installed in the store, and can be reproduced and viewed later. In a franchise store or the like, an in-store image captured by the surveillance camera is transferred to the server of the head office management center via the network and stored. A browsing terminal is installed in the headquarters management center, and images of each store can be browsed on the browsing terminal. The manager of the headquarters management center can compare and analyze the situation of each store by browsing the images of each store.

  Recently, a counting device is attached to the entrance of a store such as a department store. The counting device counts the number of visitors to the store. Information counted by the counting device is accumulated in the server, and statistical information on the number of visitors to the store can be obtained.

  Patent Document 1 below discloses an invention related to an object image identification method. In this object image identification method, an object is detected from the pattern of the normal vector of the object image in the digital image. According to this object image identification method, the number of object images existing in the image can be counted. Using this technology, it is possible to count the number of visitors to the store based on the image captured by the camera.

Japanese Patent No. 3406587

  As described above, an image captured by a camera installed in a store is stored in a hard disk device in the store or a server of the head office management center. For example, the administrator browses images in the store in order to grasp the sales situation for each store or to perform marketing analysis.

  However, analyzing all the images that are always taken during business hours is a daunting task. If it is a 24-hour store such as a convenience store, checking all images within the business hours requires a lot of labor.

  In addition, the analysis result obtained from the visual information in the store by browsing the image in the store has many subjective elements, and is insufficient as information for obtaining some objective analysis result. Although a method of using POS information is also conceivable, since the POS information is information on customers who have passed through the cash register, it is not possible to analyze the entire visitor.

  Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention provides a management system capable of giving objective information to subjective information obtained from an image and obtaining an effective analysis result in a system for managing the inside of the area by an image. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 is an area management system that manages the situation in an area by an image, and counts the number of visitors to the area and an imaging device that images the area. A display device that displays the status of the area, and the display device displays a histogram of the number of visitors to the area by time zone based on information counted by the count device. A histogram display unit; and an image display unit that displays an image captured by the imaging device corresponding to the selected time zone in response to selection of a graph of an arbitrary time zone of the histogram. It is characterized by.

  The invention described in claim 2 is an area management system that manages the situation in a plurality of areas by images, and includes first to Nth imaging devices that capture first to Nth areas, and first to first. A first to N-th counting device that counts the number of visitors to the N area, and a display device that displays the status of the first to N-th areas, wherein the display device includes the first to N-th counting devices. A parallel display unit that displays in parallel the first to Nth area-specific status display units corresponding to each area, and each area-specific status display unit is based on information counted by one count device. A histogram display unit that displays a histogram of the number of visitors to each area in one area where the counting device is installed, and responds to selection of a graph of an arbitrary time period in the histogram relating to the one area To correspond to the selected time zone. Characterized in that it comprises a, an image display unit the one of the imaging apparatus which is installed on one of the area for displaying the image captured.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the area management system according to the first or second aspect, the counting device is configured to count the number of people leaving the area that counts the number of people leaving the area,
And the histogram display unit displays a histogram of the number of stayers by time period in the area based on the number of visitors information and the number of exits information counted by the counting device, It is characterized by including.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the area management system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the image display unit responds to an operation in which a graph in an arbitrary time zone of the histogram is selected by a pointing device. Then, an image corresponding to the selected time zone is displayed.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the area management system according to the fourth aspect, the histogram display unit selects a time selected in response to an operation in which a graph of an arbitrary time zone of the histogram is selected by a pointing device. The band graph is displayed differently from the other time period graphs, and the time zone of the image displayed on the image display unit is clearly indicated.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the area management system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the image display unit is selected in a state where a graph in an arbitrary time zone of a histogram is selected. A still image corresponding to a certain time zone is displayed.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the area management system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the image display unit is selected in a state where a graph in an arbitrary time zone of the histogram is selected. A moving image corresponding to a certain time zone is displayed.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the area management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a detection unit that detects a predetermined state in the area and acquires alarm information, The histogram display unit is characterized in that the graph of the time zone in which the detection unit detects the predetermined state is displayed in a different manner from the graphs of other time zones.

  The area management system of the present invention displays an image obtained by imaging the area and a histogram of the number of visitors to the area in a linked manner. Thereby, objective information based on the transition of the number of visitors to the area can be added to the visual situation analysis based on the images in the area, and the situation of the area can be analyzed from various viewpoints.

1 is an overall system configuration diagram of a store management system. It is a figure which shows the processing form of the user terminal and application server at the time of the application operation | movement of a shop management system. It is a figure which shows the accumulation | storage form of the image imaged with the camera. It is a figure which shows the accumulation | storage form of the count data which the count apparatus acquired. It is a figure which shows the various databases which a user terminal accesses at the time of the application operation | movement of a shop management system. It is a figure which shows a shop camera list screen. It is a figure which shows a my folder screen. It is a figure which shows the store status display screen of the state which is displaying the status of a single store. It is a figure which shows the store condition display screen of the state which displayed the detailed information by the pop-up display. It is a figure which shows the store status display screen of the state which is displaying the status of two stores in parallel. It is a figure which shows the shop status display screen of the state which highlighted the time slot | zone where the warning flag is recorded.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall view of a store management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The store management system includes in-store systems 10A, 10B, and 10C installed in stores 1A, 1B, and 1C, a center system 30 installed in the headquarters management center 3, and the like. The in-store systems 10A, 10B, 10C and the center system 30 are connected by the network 2. As the network 2, a dedicated line or the Internet can be used.

  The stores 1A, 1B, and 1C are, for example, convenience stores and drug stores, and the stores 1A, 1B, and 1C are members of the same franchise. The headquarters management center 3 is a headquarters that supervises all member stores of the franchise. The regional headquarters 4 is a center that supervises a specific region among the franchise member stores.

  A LAN 15A is installed in the store 1A. A store PC (personal computer) 11A, a camera 12A, and a counting device 13A are connected to the LAN 15A. The LAN 15A, the store PC 11A, the camera 12A, and the counting device 13A constitute an in-store system 10A.

  The store PC 11 </ b> A is a terminal that manages the in-store system 10 </ b> A, and has a function of storing an image captured by the camera 12 </ b> A, a function of transferring the stored image to the head office management center 3, and the like. The camera 12A can capture an image in the store 1A. By using a wide-angle camera as the camera 12A, it is possible to fit the entire store in the imaging range.

  The counting device 13A is installed near the entrance of the store 1A, and can detect the number of customers who enter the store 1A and the number of customers who leave the store 1A. The counting device 13A can calculate the number of staying customers in the current store 1A by counting the number of visitors and the number of exits. The counting device 13A can calculate the number of customers passing through the entrance by acquiring an image having an imaging range near the entrance and performing image analysis.

  The configurations of the in-store systems 10B and 10C installed in the stores 1B and 1C are the same as the in-store system 10A. LANs 15B and 15C are installed in the stores 1B and 1C, respectively, and store PCs 11B and 11C are connected to the LANs 15B and 15C, respectively. Further, cameras 12B and 12C are connected to the LANs 15B and 15C, and images in the stores 1B and 1C are taken, respectively. Further, near the entrances of the stores 1B and 1C, counting devices 13B and 13C are connected to count the number of entrances and exits to the stores 1B and 1C.

  In the following description, the stores 1A to 1C will be collectively referred to as a store 1 as appropriate. The store PCs 11A to 11C are collectively referred to as the store PC 11, the cameras 12A to 12C are collectively referred to as the camera 12, and the count devices 13A to 13C are collectively referred to as the count device 13. For example, the camera 12 in FIG. 3 is referred to as a description common to the cameras 12A to 12C. Further, the counting device 13 in FIG. 4 is referred to as a description common to the counting devices 13A to 13C.

  In addition, in FIG. 1, the case where one camera is connected to each of the stores 1A to 1C is illustrated, but a plurality of cameras may be connected to the stores 1A to 1C.

  A center system 30 is installed in the head office management center 3. The center system 30 includes a LAN 35, an application server 31 connected to the LAN 35, a management server 32, an image database 33, a store visitor number database 34, a user terminal 25, and the like.

  The application server 31 is a server that provides various services to users who use the store management system. The users who use the store management system are, for example, managers of the franchise headquarters who conduct business in the headquarters management center 3, store managers of the stores 1A to 1C, and the like. Or it is the area manager etc. in the regional headquarters 4 which supervises the area with stores 1A-1C. These users can access the application server 31 using the user terminal 25 and receive the service of the store management system.

  As shown in the figure, a user terminal 25 used by a manager of the franchise headquarters is connected to the headquarter management center 3 to a LAN 35. Further, the regional management center 4 is provided with a user terminal 25 used by the regional manager. Further, in the store 1C, a user terminal 25 used by the store manager of the store 1C is connected to the LAN 10C. The store PC 11 may have a function as the user terminal 25.

  In this Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the application server 31 provides the service of a shop management system to the user terminal 25 using WEB. A WWW server 311 is installed in the application server 31, and a WEB browser 251 installed in the user terminal 25 accesses the WWW server 311. Then, the store management system content 312 stored in the application server 31 is downloaded to the user terminal 25 using HTTP, and a user interface of the store management system is provided to the user terminal 25. Details of the user interface will be described later.

  The management server 32 is a server for performing maintenance of the store management system. The management server 32 can perform various settings for the application server 31 and maintain the image database 33 and the store visitor number database 34.

  The image database 33 is a database that accumulates images captured by the cameras 12A to 12C of the stores 1A to 1C. As shown in FIG. 3, the image captured by the camera 12 is accumulated in the store PC 11. For example, in the present embodiment, the camera 12 acquires an image at 1 fps (frame per second), and stores the captured image in the hard disk 111 of the store PC 11 at the same frame rate.

  The image stored in the hard disk 111 of the store PC 11 is further transferred to the head office management center 3 via the network 2 and accumulated in the image database 33. The image database 33 stores an image with a reduced frame rate as a snapshot image. In the present embodiment, the image database 33 stores images at a frame rate of 1 frame per minute.

  The store visitor number database 34 is a database that accumulates count data counted by the counting devices 13A to 13C of the stores 1A to 1C. As shown in FIG. 4, the counting device 13 includes a memory 131. The counting device 13 counts the number of visitors and the number of exits at the entrance of the store 11, and stores the number of visitors and the number of exits in the memory 131. Further, the counting device 13 calculates the number of staying customers of the current store from the number-of-entry-number data and the number-of-leaving-number data, and stores the staying-number data.

  The counting device 13 stores count data for five days in the memory 131. The count data is data including visitor number data, exit number data, and staying person number data. Further, the count device 13 transfers the count data stored in the memory 131 to the head office management center 3 for five days at a frequency of once every 30 minutes and registers it in the store visitor database 34. As a result, the count data for the past five days transferred from the stores 1A to 1C is additionally updated in the store entry database 34 of the head office management center 3.

  Thus, in the store management system of the present embodiment, images captured at stores 1A to 1C are accumulated in store PCs 11A to 11C installed in stores 1A to 1C. As described above, this image is an image having a large number of frames, such as 1 fps, and is data useful for grasping the situation in the store in detail later.

  In addition, images captured at the stores 1A to 1C are also stored in the image database 33 of the head office management center 3. However, this image is an image with a small number of frames, for example, one frame per minute. This image is data useful for grasping the approximate situation in the store.

  Furthermore, the store data database 34 of the headquarters management center 3 stores count data acquired at the stores 1A to 1C. This data is used later for the purpose of analyzing the number of visitors and the number of stayers in the stores 1A to 1C.

  Next, functions of the user terminal 25 will be described. As described above, the user terminal 25 is installed in the headquarters management center 3, the stores 1A to 1C, the regional control center 4, and the like, and is used by an administrator, a store manager, and the like to view the situation in the store.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data access path when an application of the store management system is activated on the user terminal 25. As described above, in the present embodiment, since the store management system uses WEB, first, the user starts the WEB browser 251 on the user terminal 25 and accesses the WWW server 311 of the application server 31. To do. Thereby, the store management system content 312 is downloaded from the application server 31, and the WEB application of the store management system is activated. Then, the WEB application accesses the store visitor number database 34 via the application server 31 and acquires count data. Further, the WEB application accesses the store PC 11 and acquires image data stored in the hard disk 111. Alternatively, the WEB application accesses the image database 33 via the application server 31 and acquires image data. Then, the WEB application displays a user interface screen, which will be described later, on the monitor using the acquired image data and count data.

  FIG. 6 shows a store camera list screen 51 displayed on the monitor of the user terminal 25. First, on the store camera list screen 51, the user selects the camera 12 installed in the store to be browsed.

  Here, the list of cameras 12 displayed on the store camera list screen 51 is different for each user. Although illustration is omitted, before the screen transitions to the store camera list screen 51, a login screen is displayed on the monitor. The user inputs a user ID and a password on the login screen. The store camera list screen 51 determines a list of cameras 12 to be displayed based on the user ID.

  For example, an administrator of the franchise headquarters has the authority to refer to all cameras, and therefore can refer to all cameras at all stores affiliated with the franchise. On the other hand, for example, if it is a store manager of the store 1C, it has the authority to browse only the camera 12C installed in the store 1C. If it is an administrator of the regional management center 4, it is possible to give the authority to browse the cameras of all stores in the regional management.

  The user selects the camera 12 installed in the store to be browsed on the store camera list screen 51. For example, the number of stores affiliated with the franchise and the number of cameras may be enormous. In such a case, the operation of selecting the camera 12 becomes complicated. Therefore, a my folder screen 52 as shown in FIG. 7 can be used.

  On the my folder screen 52, a list of cameras 12 installed in a store that the user often browses on a daily basis is displayed. Each user can add a list of cameras 12 he / she has authority to view to the My Folder screen 52. By using the My Folder screen 52, the user can easily select the camera 12 installed in the store to be browsed.

  When the user selects a store camera to be viewed from the store camera list screen 51 or the my folder screen 52, a store status display screen 53 shown in FIG. 8 is displayed. Here, an example will be described in which the user selects the first camera of the Otoki store on the store camera list screen 51 shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, a case where one camera 12 is installed in each of the stores 1A to 1C is illustrated. However, as shown in FIG. Is installed, and the user selects the first camera.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the store status display screen 53 includes an upper image operation unit 61 and a lower histogram display unit 62. When the store status display screen 53 is displayed, the user specifies the date on which the store status is to be viewed in the date specification field 531 at the top of the screen. The figure shows a state in which the user has designated December 24, 2008 (Wednesday). In the weather information column 532, the weather (date is a clear mark) designated in the date designation column 531 and information on the highest temperature and the lowest temperature are displayed. Information to be displayed in the weather information column 532 is obtained from, for example, a database installed in the management center 3 or a database on the Internet.

  An image captured by the camera 12 is displayed on the image display unit 611 of the image operation unit 61. In the example shown in the figure, an image taken by the first camera of the Okoto store on December 24, 2008 (Wednesday) designated in the date designation field 531 is displayed. The image displayed on the image display unit 611 is an image captured by the camera 12 and stored in the hard disk 111 of the store PC 11. Alternatively, when the time is designated in the time designation column 533, an image at the time designated in the time designation column 533 on the date designated in the date designation column 531 is displayed.

  The histogram display section 62 displays a histogram of the number of shoppers corresponding to the date designated in the date designation field 531. The histogram display unit 62 displays a histogram based on the count data stored in the store visitor number database 34. The histogram graphs the number of visitors from 0:00 to 24:00 in increments of 2 hours. In the figure, a histogram is displayed based on the store visitor number data included in the count data. Therefore, the histogram of the figure shows the transition of the number of visitors to the store. Further, the display setting can be changed so that the histogram is displayed based on the staying person number data included in the count data. In this case, the transition of the number of customers staying in the store by time zone can be shown. As a method for displaying the number of stayers, for example, the average number of stayers in a specified time zone may be graphed.

  First, the user can grasp the transition of the number of customers entering the store on the day designated in the date designation field 531 by referring to the histogram. Then, if there is a time zone to be worried about among the number of visitors, the graph of that time zone is selected and operated. When the user operates the mouse and clicks the graph for a specific time period, the image for the selected time period is displayed on the image display unit 611 in response to the operation. Note that the initial image displayed when a graph in a certain time zone is selected may be the first image in the selected time zone, or an image at the center of the selected time zone. There may be. During the reproduction of the image, the time designation field 533 displays the time of the image being reproduced.

  FIG. 8 shows a state in which the user selects a graph from 12:00 to 14:00, focusing on the fact that the number of shoppers from 12:00 to 14:00 is large. By selecting the graph from 12:00 to 14:00, it can be seen that the color of the graph in the selected time zone changes and is highlighted. Thereby, the user can immediately grasp which time zone the image displayed on the image display unit 611 is.

  The user selects a graph of an arbitrary time zone in the histogram, displays an image of the corresponding time zone, and then clicks the playback button 612 with the mouse to display the image displayed on the image display unit 611. It can be played back as a moving image. Specifically, a 1 fps moving image stored in the hard disk 111 is transferred from the store PC 11, and the moving image is displayed on the image display unit 61.

  In addition, the user selects a graph of an arbitrary time zone in the histogram, displays an image of the corresponding time zone, and then selects a forward button 613, whereby an image displayed on the image display unit 611 is displayed. Can advance time. For example, every time the forward button 613 is clicked with the mouse, an image after one second is displayed. On the contrary, when the return button 614 is clicked with the mouse, the image one second before is displayed. In addition, when the fast-forward button 615 is clicked with a mouse, an image after one minute is displayed. On the contrary, when the rewind button 616 is clicked with the mouse, the image one minute before is displayed.

  Further, as an additional function, detailed information pops up as shown in FIG. 9 when the user performs an operation of aligning the mouse pointer with a graph in an arbitrary time zone of the histogram. The pop-up screen displays the number of visitors, the number of people leaving, and the number of people staying in the time zone when the mouse is overlaid. As the number of staying persons, for example, as described above, the average number of staying persons in a specified time zone is displayed.

  As described above, in the store management system according to the present embodiment, the histogram of the number of customers is displayed, and an image corresponding to the time zone selected in the histogram is displayed together with the histogram. Thereby, the user can browse the image corresponding to each time slot | zone immediately, browsing distribution of the number of shoppers by a histogram and analyzing transition of the number of shoppers.

  For example, the store manager can compare the state of a store with a large number of visitors and a store with a small number of visitors in his / her store by browsing a time zone corresponding to the histogram. By observing the state of shop assistants during times when the number of shoppers is small, it can be used for customer service guidance. Or you can analyze the customer base in the time zone with a large number of stores and use it for marketing. In addition, by referring to the weather information column 532, it is possible to analyze the state of the store according to the time zone in consideration of the weather situation.

  In the example shown in FIG. 8, a single histogram and an image of the camera 12 are displayed on the store status display screen 53. On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 10, images of cameras at two stores are displayed on the store status display screen 53.

  As shown in FIG. 10, on the left side of the store status display screen 53, as in FIG. 8, the image display unit 611 displays the image of the first camera of the Okoto store, and the histogram display portion 62 corresponds to the Okoto store. A histogram of the number of visitors is displayed. On the right side of the store status display screen 53, an image of the first camera of the Arakawa store is displayed on the image display unit 611, and a histogram of the number of visitors corresponding to the Arakawa store is displayed on the histogram display unit 62. Yes. Thus, in the store management system of the present embodiment, camera images of a plurality of stores can be compared and displayed. Alternatively, a plurality of camera images installed in one store can be compared and displayed.

  In the figure, December 24, 2008 (Wednesday) is designated in both the left and right date designation fields 531. Therefore, the images of the same day at two stores can be compared. Further, the graphs from 12:00 to 14:00 are selected in both the left and right histograms. Therefore, the images in the store from 12:00 to 14:00 are displayed on both the left and right image display portions 611. Thereby, the image of the same time slot | zone of two stores can be compared.

  In the figure, the images and histograms of two stores are compared and displayed in parallel, but the status of three or more stores may be displayed in parallel. For example, if the camera images and histograms of four stores in the region are displayed in parallel, the administrator of the regional headquarters 4 can compare and analyze the images of the four stores in the region according to time zones.

  In this way, the manager of the franchise headquarters or the regional headquarters 4 compares the histograms of a plurality of stores, analyzes the distribution of the number of visitors at each store, and further displays images of each store at each time zone. By browsing, the situation of each store can be analyzed. For example, in the case of a convenience store in an office district, the difference in the ability to attract customers can be analyzed by comparing images in the time zone from 12:00 to 14:00 when the number of visitors is the largest. Based on the in-store situation of excellent points, it is also possible to provide educational guidance to store staff at other stores. Further, by referring to the histogram of each store and displaying an image of a time zone with a large number of visitors at each store, it is possible to analyze a common condition that increases the number of visitors. Furthermore, by referring to the weather information column 532, it is possible to compare the situation between stores in consideration of the weather situation.

  FIG. 11 is an application example of the store management system of the present embodiment. This application example is an example in the case where a store is equipped with an alarm device. For example, a detection sensor that detects an intruder is attached to a warehouse in a store.

  The histogram displayed on the histogram display unit 62 shown in FIG. 11 is highlighted to indicate that an alarm flag is recorded from 22:00 to 24:00. As described above, when a graph of any time zone is selected with the mouse, the selected graph is highlighted, but the highlighting of the time zone in which the alarm flag is recorded is displayed in a different manner. Just do it. For example, a time zone graph in which an alarm flag is recorded may be cautioned by displaying it in red or blinking.

  In FIG. 11, the image displayed on the image display unit 611 is an in-store image in the time zone from 12:00 to 14:00, but the user highlights the time zone from 22:00 to 24:00. After confirming this, click the graph of this time zone with the mouse. Thereby, the state in the store of the time slot | zone when the warning flag was recorded by the detection sensor in a warehouse can be browsed. If there is a suspicious person in the store during this time period, it becomes an important image for identifying the suspicious person.

  In the above-described embodiment, the image display unit 611 displays an image stored in the hard disk 111 of the store PC 11. Thus, by selecting the playback button 612, a moving image in the designated time zone can be played back. In the above example, a moving image can be displayed at 1 fps. For example, if image data for one week is stored in the hard disk 111 of the store PC 11, images having a large number of frames can be browsed for images up to one week ago.

  In addition to this, in this store management system, snapshot images stored in the image database 33 of the head office management center 3 can be used. In the image database 33, images with a small number of frames such as one frame per minute are accumulated over a long period of time. For example, images for one month are accumulated. Therefore, when a date such as two weeks ago is designated in the date designation column 531, the application server 31 acquires image data in the designated time zone from the image database 33 and transmits it to the user terminal 25. As a result, the image acquired from the image database 33 is displayed on the image display unit 611. If the specification is to display an image from one month ago, the store count database 34 may store count data for one month.

  As described above, when a relatively recent time zone is designated, the user terminal 25 acquires an image with a large number of frames from the store PC 11, and when a time zone such as two weeks ago is designated, An image with a small number of frames is acquired from the image database 33. As a result, it is possible to view a more detailed image of the latest in-store situation, and an approximate situation can be grasped even after a certain amount of time has passed.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the histogram and the image of the past day designated in the date designation column 531 are displayed has been described. In addition to this, the store management system can also display live images in the current store. As described above, in the store PC 11, images taken by the camera 12 are stored in real time at 1 fps. In the user terminal 25, the captured image is acquired in real time and displayed on the image display unit 611. Then, for example, a histogram from 0:00 on the current day to the current time may be displayed on the histogram display unit 62. Alternatively, a histogram from one day before the current time may be displayed. Thereby, the user can grasp | ascertain the distribution of the most recent store visitor at the present time, and the mode in the present store.

  When the user terminal 25 accesses the store PC 11 and acquires a moving image, a large band of the network 2 is used. Further, the store PC 11 may receive access from a plurality of user terminals 25, and a certain amount of processing load is applied. Therefore, it is preferable to perform a time-out process and disconnect from the store PC 11 when a user operation is not performed for a predetermined time during moving image reproduction on the user terminal 25.

1A to 1C Store 3 Headquarters management center 4 Regional headquarters 11 (11A to 11C) Store PC
12 (12A to 12C) Camera 13 (13A to 13C) Count device 25 User terminal 31 Application server 32 Management server 33 Image database 34 Number of visitors

Claims (8)

An area management system that manages the situation in an area using images,
An imaging device for imaging the area;
A counting device for counting the number of visitors to the area;
A display device for displaying the status of the area;
With
The display device
Based on the information counted by the counting device, a histogram display unit that displays a histogram of the number of visitors to the area by time zone,
In response to selection of a graph of an arbitrary time zone of the histogram, an image display unit that displays an image captured by the imaging device corresponding to the selected time zone;
An area management system comprising: An area management system that manages the situation in a plurality of areas based on images,
First to Nth imaging devices that image the first to Nth areas;
First to Nth counting devices for counting the number of visitors to the first to Nth areas;
A display device for displaying the status of the first to Nth areas;
With
The display device
A parallel display unit that displays in parallel the first to Nth area-specific status display units corresponding to the first to Nth areas;
Have
The status display section for each area
Based on the information counted by one counting device, a histogram display unit that displays a histogram of the number of visitors by time zone to one area where the one counting device is installed,
In response to selection of a graph of an arbitrary time zone of the histogram relating to the one area, an image taken by one imaging device installed in the one area corresponding to the selected time zone is displayed. An image display unit;
An area management system comprising: In the area management system according to claim 1 or 2,
The counting device is
Exit count section for counting the number of exits from the area,
Have
The histogram display section
A staying person histogram display unit that displays a histogram of the number of staying persons by time period in the area based on the number of visitors information and the number of leaving persons counted by the counting device,
An area management system comprising: In the area management system in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
The image display unit displays an image corresponding to a selected time zone in response to an operation in which a graph of an arbitrary time zone of the histogram is selected by a pointing device. In the area management system according to claim 4,
The histogram display unit displays the graph of the selected time zone in a different manner from the graphs of other time zones in response to an operation in which the graph of an arbitrary time zone of the histogram is selected by the pointing device. An area management system characterized by clearly indicating a time zone of an image displayed on the image display unit. In the area management system in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5,
The area management system, wherein the image display unit displays a still image corresponding to a selected time zone in a state where a graph of an arbitrary time zone of a histogram is selected. In the area management system in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5,
The image display unit displays a moving image corresponding to a selected time zone in a state where a graph of an arbitrary time zone of a histogram is selected. The area management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:
A detection unit for detecting a predetermined state in the area and acquiring alarm information;
With
The area management system, wherein the histogram display unit displays a graph of a time zone when the detection unit detects the predetermined state in a different manner from a graph of another time zone.

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