JP7675379B2 - Information provision system and information provision method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information provision system and an information provision method.

Patent document 1 discloses a positioning device that has a simple configuration and can accurately measure the position of a moving object.

JP 2014-053884 A

The present invention provides an information provision system and an information provision method that can output information about the location of a person in a space.

An information provision system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the location of a first communication device carried by a person located in a space within a facility, the location information being measured based on the state of wireless communication between the first communication device carried by the person located in the space and a plurality of second communication devices installed in the space, a second acquisition unit that acquires area setting information indicating the definition of one or more areas included in the space, and an output unit that outputs location information regarding the location of the person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired location information and the acquired area setting information.

An information provision method according to one aspect of the present invention is an information provision method executed by a computer, and includes a first acquisition step of acquiring location information indicating the location of a first communication device carried by a person located in a space within a facility, the location information being measured based on the state of wireless communication between the first communication device and a plurality of second communication devices installed in the space, a second acquisition step of acquiring area setting information indicating the definition of one or more areas included in the space, and an output step of outputting location information regarding the location of the person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired location information and the acquired area setting information.

A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program for causing the computer to execute the information provision method.

The information provision system and information provision method of the present invention can output information about the location of a person in a space.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an information providing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a space to which the information provision system according to the embodiment is applied. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of changing the definition of an area. FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the location information output operation. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of location information. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the monitoring operation. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an information providing system according to a modified example. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an indoor space to which an information provision system according to a modified example is applied.

The following describes the embodiments with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection forms, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in an independent claim are described as optional components.

Note that each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily a precise illustration. In addition, in each figure, the same reference numerals are used for substantially the same configurations, and duplicate explanations may be omitted or simplified.

(Embodiment)
[composition]
First, a configuration of an information providing system according to an embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the information providing system according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a space to which the information providing system according to an embodiment is applied.

The information providing system 10 is a system that can measure the position of a person carrying a first communication device 20 (e.g., person A or person B in FIG. 2) in a space 60 and provide location information related to the measured position of the person to another system. The position of the person carrying the first communication device 20 is measured based on the communication state between the first communication device 20 and each of multiple second communication devices 30 installed in the space 60. The space 60 is, for example, an office space, but may also be a space in a commercial facility or an indoor space in other facilities such as a residential space. The first communication device 20 may also be attached to an object (non-living object). The object is, for example, a forklift.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the information providing system 10 includes a plurality of first communication devices 20, a plurality of second communication devices 30, a server system 40, and an information terminal 50. Note that it is sufficient that the information providing system 10 includes at least one first communication device 20. FIG. 1 also illustrates other systems other than the information providing system 10, such as a lighting system 51, an air conditioning system 52, a power supply system 53, a security system 54, a communication system 55, and a safety management system 56. The information providing system 10 may further include other systems.

The first communication device 20 is a beacon receiver (scanner) that receives beacon signals transmitted by each of the multiple second communication devices 30 via radio communication. The frequency band of the beacon signal is, for example, 2.4 GHz, but is not particularly limited.

The first communication device 20 measures the received signal strength (RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indicator) of the received beacon signal, and measures the position of the first communication device 20 in the space 60 based on the measured received signal strength. The first communication device 20 measures the position of the first communication device 20 at a predetermined time interval, for example, from several seconds to about an hour, and transmits position information indicating the measured position to the server system 40. The position information includes the measured position (coordinates) and first identification information for distinguishing the first communication device 20 from other first communication devices 20.

Specifically, the first communication device 20 can measure the position of the first communication device 20 in the space 60 by converting the received signal strength of each of the multiple beacon signals into the distance to the multiple second communication devices 30. The first communication device 20 stores placement information indicating the placement (installation positions) of the multiple second communication devices 30 in the space 60, and this placement information is used to measure the position. Any existing algorithm may be used as a method for measuring the position. The algorithm is, for example, three-point positioning.

The first communication device 20 is, for example, a portable information terminal (such as a smartphone) capable of operating as a beacon receiver, but may also be a dedicated beacon receiver. As shown in FIG. 2, the first communication device 20 is carried by a person located in the space 60.

The first communication device 20 may measure the position of the first communication device 20 using the angle of arrival (AoA) of the beacon signal in addition to the received signal strength. The first communication device 20 may measure the position of the first communication device 20 by combining the positioning method using the beacon signal with a positioning method called PDR (Pedestrian Dead Reckoning) that uses an acceleration sensor or the like (a sensor that detects changes in the position of the first communication device 20) provided in the first communication device 20. The first communication device 20 may also measure the position of the first communication device 20 based on UWB (Ultra Wide Band) communication.

In addition, the communication standard for radio wave communication between the first communication device 20 and the second communication device 30 to measure the position of the first communication device 20 is assumed to be BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy), but Wi-Fi (registered trademark) may also be used as the communication standard.

The second communication device 30 is a beacon transmitter that transmits a beacon signal by radio wave communication. The beacon signal includes second identification information of the second communication device 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the second communication device 30 is detachably connected to a power supply terminal of a lighting device 31 installed on the ceiling of the space 60, for example, and operates by receiving power from the lighting device 31. The power supply terminal is, for example, a USB terminal.

The second communication device 30 may be built into the lighting device 31, rather than being externally attached to the lighting device 31. The second communication device 30 may be provided in a device other than the lighting device 31, or may be fixed directly to the ceiling of the space 60 without an intervening device. The second communication device 30 may also be fixed to a wall or the like. As shown in FIG. 2, the multiple second communication devices 30 are two-dimensionally distributed when viewed from above. The arrangement (installation positions) of the multiple second communication devices 30 is stored in advance as arrangement information in a memory unit (not shown) of the first communication device 20.

The server system 40 acquires location information of the first communication device 20 from each of the multiple first communication devices 20, and stores the acquired location information in the memory unit 43. In other words, the server system 40 manages the location information of the multiple first communication devices 20. The server system 40 is realized by one or more server devices, and the components of the server system 40 described below may be allocated in any manner to the one or more server devices. Each of the one or more server devices may be, for example, a cloud computer provided outside the facility (building) that constitutes the space 60, but may also be an edge computer provided within the facility. The server system 40 includes a communication unit 41, an information processing unit 42, and a memory unit 43.

The communication unit 41 is a communication module (communication circuit) that enables the server system 40 to communicate with a plurality of first communication devices 20. The communication unit 41 receives, for example, location information of the first communication device 20 from each of the plurality of first communication devices 20. The communication performed by the communication unit 41 may be wireless communication or wired communication. There is also no particular limitation on the communication standard used for the communication.

The information processing unit 42 stores the location information of the multiple first communication devices 20 in the storage unit 43. The location information of each of the multiple first communication devices 20 is stored (updated) at a predetermined time interval of, for example, several seconds to about one hour.

The information processing unit 42 is specifically realized by a processor or a microcomputer. The information processing unit 42 includes, as functional components, a first acquisition unit 44, a second acquisition unit 45, an output unit 46, and a setting unit 47. The functions of the first acquisition unit 44, the second acquisition unit 45, the output unit 46, and the setting unit 47 are realized by a processor or a microcomputer (hardware) constituting the information processing unit 42 executing a computer program (software) stored in the storage unit 43. The functions of the first acquisition unit 44, the second acquisition unit 45, the output unit 46, and the setting unit 47 will be described in detail later.

The memory unit 43 is a storage device that stores the location information received by the communication unit 41, the computer program executed by the information processing unit 42, and the like. The memory unit 43 also stores the location information of each of the multiple first communication devices 20 measured by the information processing unit 42. Specifically, the memory unit 43 is realized by a semiconductor memory or a hard disk drive (HDD), etc.

The information terminal 50 is an information terminal operated by a configurator to configure various settings for the server system 40. The information terminal 50 is, for example, a portable information terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, but may also be a stationary information terminal such as a personal computer. In the following embodiments, the configurator may be described as the manager of the facility that constitutes the space 60 (hereinafter simply referred to as the facility), or as an employee of a business that uses other systems, an employee of a business that provides (manages) the server system 40, or an employee of a business that provides (manages) other systems.

The other systems, which are at least one of the lighting system 51, the air conditioning system 52, the power supply system 53, the security system 54, the communication system 55, the safety management system 56, and the advertising distribution system 57, are systems that perform the control of devices in the space 60. The other systems are realized, for example, by at least one of a control device provided within the facility and a server device (cloud server) provided outside the facility. The other systems may be present on the same server as the server system 40 that manages the location information.

The lighting system 51 is a system that controls the light emission of multiple lighting devices 31 installed in the space 60. The light emission control here includes on/off control, dimming control, and color adjustment control.

The air conditioning system 52 is a system that controls multiple air conditioners (not shown) installed in the space 60.

The power supply system 53 is a system that controls the power supply in the space 60. For example, the power supply system 53 communicates with a switch device connected to an outlet provided in the space 60, and controls the on/off of the switch device, thereby controlling the on/off of the power supply from the outlet to the device connected to the switch device. The power supply system 53 may communicate with a wall switch provided in the space 60, and control the on/off of the power supply to the wall switch. The power supply system 53 may also communicate with a switchboard that controls the electrical equipment in the space 60, and control the on/off of the power supply.

Security system 54 is a system provided by a security service provider. When security system 54 determines that there is an intruder (a person who should not be in space 60) in space 60, it notifies the security service provider (more specifically, an operator belonging to said provider) and the facility manager, etc. When security system 54 determines that there is an intruder, it may sound an alarm in space 60 by controlling an alarm device installed in space 60, or it may lock a door installed in space 60.

The communication system 55 is a system that mediates the control of the equipment installed in the facility, in other words, a system that relays information for controlling the equipment. The communication system 55 is, for example, a voice recognition system that converts the voice of a person in the space 60 into a control command for the equipment and provides it to the equipment control system (such as the lighting system 51 or the air conditioning system 52).

The safety management system 56 is a system provided by a business that provides safety management services. When the safety management system 56 determines that there is an unsafe person in the space 60 (a person in a dangerous area of the space 60), it notifies the business that provides the safety management services (more specifically, an operator belonging to that business, etc.) and the facility manager, etc. When the safety management system 56 determines that there is an unsafe person, it may sound an alarm in the space 60 by controlling an alarm device installed in the space 60, or it may stop equipment or moving objects installed in the space 60.

The advertisement distribution system 57 is a system provided by a business operator that provides marketing services. The advertisement distribution system 57 is a system that distributes advertisements to shoppers (people in a specific commercial area of the space 60) when it is determined that there is a shopper in the space 60. When it is determined that there is a shopper, the advertisement distribution system 57 may distribute an advertisement to a portable information terminal (such as a smartphone) carried by the shopper, or may display an advertisement on a display device such as a digital signage device installed in the space 60.

[Location information output operation]
The information providing system 10 can generate location information regarding the location of a person in each of one or more areas included in the space 60, and output (provide) the generated location information to another system. The output operation of the location information by the information providing system 10 will be described below.

First, the one or more areas included in the space 60 will be described. Area setting information indicating the definition of the one or more areas is stored in the memory unit 43 of the server system 40. The area setting information is information indicating the number of one or more areas included in the space 60, as well as the position, size, and shape of each area.

The definition of one or more areas (how the space 60 is divided into one or more areas) can be changed as desired by the facility manager, etc. When the manager, etc. performs a setting change operation on the information terminal 50, a change request is transmitted from the information terminal 50 to the server system 40. The setting unit 47 of the server system 40 changes the definition of one or more areas indicated by the area setting information based on the change request received by the communication unit 41. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of changing an area definition.

As shown in FIG. 3, the administrator can freely change whether the space 60 is divided into three areas, namely, area A1, area A2, and area A3, or into two areas, namely, area A1 and area A4. The administrator can also set a circular or elliptical area (an area defined by a curve). The administrator can also set one or more areas in only a part of the space 60 (i.e., the space 60 can include a place where no area is set). Assuming that the definitions of the areas in the space 60 are set in this way, the information providing system 10 generates location information and outputs the generated location information according to the flowchart in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the location information output operation.

As described above, the information processing unit 42 of the server system 40 stores, in the memory unit 43, position information indicating the position of each of the multiple first communication devices 20 in the space 60. The first acquisition unit 44 acquires the position information of each of the multiple first communication devices 20 from the memory unit 43 (S11). Furthermore, the second acquisition unit 45 acquires the area setting information from the memory unit 43 (S12). The position information acquired in step S11 and the area setting information acquired in step S12 are the latest (most recent) information.

The output unit 46 generates location information based on the acquired location information and the acquired area setting information (S13). The output unit 46 regards the location of the first communication device 20 indicated by the location information as the location of the person carrying the first communication device 20, and compiles information on what kind of person is located in each area indicated by the area setting information, and in what state. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of location information.

As shown in FIG. 5, the location information includes information indicating the number of people in each of one or more areas. The information indicating the number of people is also information indicating the presence or absence of people in each of one or more areas. The information indicating the number of people may indicate the actual number of people that have been counted, or it may indicate an approximate number of people (the number obtained by rounding up or down the counted number; the same applies below), such as 1 person for 0-1 person, 5 people for 2-5 people, and 10 people for 6-10 people.

The location information also includes attribute information of people located in each of the one or more areas. As described above, the multiple first communication devices 20 are distinguished by the first identification information of each of the multiple first communication devices 20. Here, if registration information in which the first identification information and the attribute information of the first communication device 20 are associated is stored in the memory unit 43 during user registration (initial setting) of the information providing system 10, the output unit 46 can identify the attribute information of the person carrying the first communication device 20 by comparing the first identification information with the registration information, and include the identified attribute information of the person in the location information.

The attribute information specifically includes age and gender, but may include other information. For example, if the attribute information includes a declared value of thermal sensation or a preferred set temperature, the air conditioning system 52 can use the declared value of thermal sensation or the preferred set temperature to determine the set temperature of the air conditioner. The declared value of thermal sensation means a value indicating the degree to which a person is sensitive to heat or cold. The age included in the attribute information does not need to be an exact age, and may indicate an approximate age, such as in one's 40s.

The location information includes information indicating the movement speed of a person located in each of one or more areas. The output unit 46 can refer to the history of the location information, identify the movement speed of the person (first communication device 20) based on the time displacement of the position indicated by the location information, and include the identified movement speed of the person in the location information. The information indicating the movement speed of the person may indicate the identified movement speed itself, or may indicate an approximate movement speed.

In addition, the output unit 46 may include information indicating the acceleration of the person in the location information instead of or in addition to the moving speed. The output unit 46 can identify the acceleration of the person (first communication device 20) based on the change in the moving speed over time, and include the identified acceleration of the person in the location information. If the server system 40 can acquire from the first communication device 20 the acceleration measured by an acceleration sensor provided in the first communication device 20, the location information may include information indicating the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor. The information indicating the acceleration may indicate the identified acceleration itself, or may indicate an approximate acceleration.

The location information includes information indicating the number of stays of a person located in each of one or more areas. The number of stays here refers to the number of stays on the day the location information is generated, but may also be the number of stays in a specified period of time such as one week or one month. The output unit 46 can manage the number of stays of a person in an area by, for example, referring to the history of location information and counting up the number of stays (+1) when a person (first communication device 20) moves from outside the area to inside the area. The information indicating the number of stays may indicate the actual counted number of stays, or may indicate an approximate number of stays.

The location information includes information indicating the stay time. The stay time here is, for example, the stay time of the most recent stay, but may be the cumulative stay time on the day the location information is generated, or the cumulative stay time for a specified period such as one week or one month. The output unit 46 can calculate the stay time by referring to the history of the location information. The information indicating the stay time may indicate the calculated stay time itself, or may indicate an approximate stay time.

Note that the location information in FIG. 5 is an example, and the location information may include at least one of the multiple pieces of information shown in FIG. 5. The content of the location information may differ depending on the output destination of the location information (e.g., whether the output destination is the lighting system 51 or the air conditioning system 52). For example, the content of the location information may be configured to be arbitrarily set by an operator who uses another system that acquires the location information.

The content of the location information may also differ depending on the time of year when the location information is output. For example, the content of the location information may differ depending on the time of day, for example, between daytime and nighttime. The content of the location information may also differ depending on the day of the week or the season. In this case, too, the content of the location information depending on the time of year may be arbitrarily set by an operator using another system that acquires the location information.

Next, the output unit 46 outputs the generated location information (S14). The output unit 46 uses the communication unit 41 to output the location information to at least one of the lighting system 51, the air conditioning system 52, the power supply system 53, the security system 54, and the communication system 55.

As a result, at least one of the lighting system 51, the air conditioning system 52, the power supply system 53, the security system 54, and the communication system 55 (other systems) can receive the location information and control the equipment based on the received location information. In other words, the location information is used as trigger information for the control executed by the other systems.

For example, the lighting system 51 can perform control based on the location information, such as lighting up areas with more people more brightly (and turning off the lights in areas with no people). Similarly, the air conditioning system 52 can perform control based on the location information, such as setting the cooling or heating temperature lower in areas with more people.

The power supply system 53 can also perform control such as turning off the power supply to areas of the space 60 where no one is present. The security system 54 can determine the presence or absence of an intruder based on the location information, and perform control according to the presence or absence of an intruder (at least one of sending a notification, issuing an alarm, and locking a door, etc.).

The communication system 55 (voice recognition system) can prevent malfunction of the equipment by controlling the system so that it does not output a control command even if something resembling a voice is picked up in an unoccupied area of the space 60.

Note that location information is different from command information in that it is not information that instructs other systems to control devices, and the other systems decide what control to perform using the location information. However, location information may also be information that instructs other systems to control devices, like command information.

When the location information is information that commands another system to control a device, the content of the control is determined by various pieces of information that can be included in the location information (such as information indicating the number of people). For example, if the number of people counted is 0-1, location information that commands the device to be turned on is output; if the number of people counted is 2-5, location information that commands the device to be turned off is output; if the number of people counted is 6-10, location information that commands the device to remain in its current state is output; and so on. The content of the control is determined according to the number of people.

As described above, the information provision system 10 includes a first acquisition unit 44 that acquires location information indicating the location of the first communication device 20 measured based on the state of wireless communication between a first communication device 20 carried by a person located in a space 60 within the facility and a plurality of second communication devices 30 installed in the space 60, a second acquisition unit 45 that acquires area setting information indicating the definition of one or more areas included in the space 60, and an output unit 46 that outputs location information regarding the location of the person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired location information and the acquired area setting information.

Such an information provision system 10 can detect the position of a person with higher accuracy than a system in which multiple motion sensors (for example, sensors that detect infrared light emitted from the human body) are installed in the space 60. Furthermore, in a system using such motion sensors, when it is desired to know the location of people in each area, it is necessary to review the installation position of the motion sensor in conjunction with any changes to the area definition (floor plan). In contrast, the information provision system 10 has the advantage that it is (in principle) not necessary to change the installation position of the second communication device 30 once the area definition is changed using the area setting information.

[Timing of location information output]
Next, the output timing of the location information will be described. The server system 40 (output unit 46) outputs the location information periodically (at a predetermined time interval), for example, once an hour. The output unit 46 may also output the location information in response to a request from another system, and may output the location information to the other system when the communication unit 41 receives a request for location information from the other system.

The output unit 46 may also determine whether or not a predetermined requirement regarding the presence or absence of people in the space 60 is met, and output location information when the predetermined requirement is met. The predetermined requirement is a requirement related to at least one of the number of people, attribute information of the people, the movement speed of the people, the acceleration of the people, the number of times the people stay, and the stay time of the people (i.e., a requirement related to the presence or absence of people in the space 60).

Specific examples of the specified requirement are that an area with no people (no one) has occurred in one or more areas, or that an area with a specified number of people or more has occurred in one or more areas (i.e., a crowded area has occurred). The specified requirement may also be that a person with specific attribute information has entered a specific area among one or more areas.

The specified requirements may be the same regardless of the time of year, or may differ depending on the time of year. For example, the specified requirements may differ depending on the time of day, for example, between daytime and nighttime. The specified requirements may also differ depending on the day of the week or the season.

The specified requirements may be the same regardless of the output destination of the location information, or may be different depending on the output destination of the location information.

Such predetermined requirements are, for example, determined in advance by the designer of the information provision system 10, but may also be arbitrarily set by businesses using other systems through the information terminal 50. Specifically, it is conceivable to change the predetermined requirements depending on the output destination of the location information, such that location information is output to the lighting system 51 when requirement A is satisfied, and location information is output to the air conditioning system 52 when requirement B different from requirement A is satisfied.

In this way, when the output unit 46 outputs location information in response to a specified requirement being met, the location information does not need to include specific details (FIG. 5) regarding the presence or absence of people in the space 60. For example, if the specified requirement is that people are no longer present in area A among one or more areas, the location information does not need to specify the number of people present in area A, and the location information may simply be information indicating that the specified requirement has been met (information that does not include any substantive content).

[Monitoring action]
When the space 60 is a space within a house and the first communication device 20 is held by a person to be watched over (such as an elderly person or a child), the information providing system 10 can perform a watching operation. Fig. 6 is a flowchart of the watching operation.

The information processing unit 42 of the server system 40 stores location information indicating the location of the first communication device 20 in the space 60 in the memory unit 43 at a predetermined time interval. The first acquisition unit 44 acquires the latest location information of the first communication device 20 from the memory unit 43 (S21). In addition, the second acquisition unit 45 acquires area setting information from the memory unit 43 (S22).

The output unit 46 judges whether or not there is an abnormality in the location of the person in the space 60 based on the latest acquired location information and the history of location information stored in the memory unit 43 (more specifically, the judgment criteria determined by the history of location information) (S23). For example, the output unit 46 judges that there is an abnormality in the location of the person when the number of visits in the most recent day in a specific area in the space 60 (for example, an area specified in the area setting information) is clearly greater than the average number of visits per day up to that point. The output unit 46 can judge that there is an abnormality, for example, when the number of visits in the most recent day is equal to or greater than the average number of visits plus a predetermined number, or is equal to or greater than a predetermined multiple of the average number of visits.

The output unit 46 may determine that there is something abnormal about a person's whereabouts when the number of visits in a specific area of the space 60 (e.g., an area specified in the area setting information) in the most recent day is clearly less than the average number of visits per day up to that point.

When the output unit 46 determines that there is an abnormality in the location of the person in the space 60 (Yes in S23), it outputs abnormality notification information (information for notifying of the abnormality) (S24). The output abnormality notification information is transmitted by the communication unit 41 to a notification destination registered in advance (such as a mobile device of the family of the person being watched). Furthermore, if the security system 54 is a system used by a business that provides a watching service, the abnormality notification information may be transmitted to the security system 54. On the other hand, when the output unit 46 determines that there is no abnormality in the location of the person in the space 60 (No in S23), it does not output abnormality notification information.

It is not essential that the presence or absence of an abnormality is determined based on the number of visits. For example, the presence or absence of an abnormality may be determined based on the order of movement, which indicates how the person moved through multiple areas included in the space 60. If the most recent order of movement differs from the standard order of movement determined by the history of location information, the output unit 46 can determine that there is an abnormality in the person's location in the space 60.

The presence or absence of an abnormality may also be determined based on the position of the person (the position of the first communication device 20) not moving (or barely moving) for a long period of time. In other words, the output unit 46 may determine that there is an abnormality when the position of the person 20 does not move (or barely moves) for a long period of time.

As described above, the information providing system 10 can perform monitoring operations.

[Health management actions]
Furthermore, the information providing system 10 can perform health management operations. The output unit 46 of the server system 40 can measure the distance traveled by a person based on a change over time in the position indicated by the position information acquired by the first acquisition unit 44, and store the measured distance in the storage unit 43. In other words, the information providing system 10 can manage the distance traveled by a person.

The output unit 46 can also identify the time a person stays in a specific area based on the location information acquired by the first acquisition unit 44. The output unit 46 can regard the time a person stays in a bedroom (an example of a specific area) as the person's sleeping time and store the sleeping time in the memory unit 43. In other words, the information provision system 10 can manage a person's sleeping time.

[Use of information provision system]
Incidentally, it is assumed that the first business entity that uses (operates) the information providing system 10 and the second business entity that uses (operates) another system are different business entities. Here, the first business entity provides the second business entity with an information acquisition means (means for the second business entity to receive information provided from the first business entity). The information acquisition means is, for example, an API (Application Programming Interface) or a Webhook. In addition, the first business entity provides the second business entity with an SDK, so that the other system can easily build a system that receives and processes location information from the information providing system 10. In other words, the first business entity can make the information providing system 10 a relatively open system.

The first operator may also provide the second operator with an SDK for developing a setting program for setting area settings, the contents of the location information, and the output timing of the location information. The second operator may use such an SDK to create a setting program and install it in the information terminal 50, which enables the information terminal 50 to send setting requests in a specified format (defined by the SDK) to the information providing system 10. In other words, by providing the SDK, the second operator can easily change settings related to the location information.

[Modification of system configuration]
The information providing system 10 (first communication device 20) measures the position of the first communication device 20 based on the received signal strength at the first communication device 20 of the beacon signal transmitted by each of the multiple second communication devices 30. However, the information providing system 10 may measure the position of the first communication device based on the received signal strength at each of the multiple second communication devices 30 of the beacon signal transmitted by the first communication device 20. The functional configuration of the information providing system 10 according to such a modified example will be described below. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information providing system according to the modified example. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a space 60 to which the information providing system according to the modified example is applied.

As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the information providing system 10a includes a plurality of first communication devices 20a, a plurality of second communication devices 30a, a server system 40a, and an information terminal 50. Note that the information providing system 10a only needs to include at least one first communication device 20a. FIG. 7 also illustrates other systems other than the information providing system 10a, such as a lighting system 51, an air conditioning system 52, a power supply system 53, a security system 54, and a communication system 55. The information providing system 10a may further include other systems.

The first communication device 20a is a beacon transmitter that transmits a beacon signal. The first communication device 20a is, for example, a portable information terminal (such as a smartphone) that can operate as a beacon transmitter, but may also be a dedicated beacon transmitter such as a beacon tag. As shown in FIG. 8, the first communication device 20a is held by a person located in the space 60. The beacon signal includes first identification information of the first communication device 20a.

The second communication device 30a is a beacon receiver (scanner) that receives the beacon signal transmitted by the first communication device 20a. The second communication device 30a also measures the received signal strength (RSSI) of the received beacon signal, and transmits to the server system 40a signal strength information that associates the measured received signal strength with the first identification information contained in the beacon signal and the second identification information of the second communication device 30a itself.

As shown in FIG. 8, the second communication device 30a is detachably connected to a power supply terminal of a lighting device 31 installed on the ceiling of the space 60, for example, and operates by receiving power from the lighting device 31. The power supply terminal is, for example, a USB terminal. The second communication device 30a may be provided in a device other than the lighting device 31, or may be fixed directly to the ceiling of the space 60 without using a device. The second communication device 30a may also be fixed to a wall or the like. Note that, as shown in FIG. 8, the multiple second communication devices 30a are two-dimensionally distributed when viewed from above. The arrangement (installation positions) of the multiple second communication devices 30a is stored in advance in the memory unit 43a as arrangement information.

The server system 40a acquires multiple pieces of signal strength information corresponding to multiple second communication devices 30a from the multiple second communication devices 30a, and measures the position of the first communication device 20a located in the space 60 based on the acquired multiple pieces of signal strength information. The server system 40a is realized by one or more server devices, and the components of the server system 40a described below may be allocated in any manner to the one or more server devices. Each of the one or more server devices may be, for example, a cloud computer installed outside the facility, but may also be an edge computer installed within the facility. The server system 40a includes a communication unit 41a, an information processing unit 42a, and a storage unit 43a.

The communication unit 41a is a communication module (communication circuit) that allows the server system 40a to communicate with the multiple second communication devices 30a. The communication unit 41a receives, for example, multiple pieces of signal strength information corresponding to the multiple second communication devices 30a from each of the multiple second communication devices 30a. The communication performed by the communication unit 41a may be wireless communication or wired communication. There is also no particular limitation on the communication standard used for the communication.

The information processing unit 42a measures the position of each of the multiple first communication devices 20a in the space 60 and stores the measured position in the storage unit 43a. For example, the information processing unit 42a measures the position of the first communication device 20a based on multiple pieces of signal strength information corresponding to the multiple second communication devices 30a transmitted by the multiple second communication devices 30a and placement information indicating the placement (installation position) of the multiple second communication devices 30a in the space 60, and stores position information in which the measured position is associated with the first identification information of the first communication device 20a in the storage unit 43a. The position information of each of the multiple first communication devices 20a is measured and stored at a predetermined time interval of, for example, several seconds to one hour. Note that any existing algorithm may be used as a method of measuring the position based on multiple pieces of signal strength information and placement information. The algorithm is, for example, three-point positioning.

The information processing unit 42a is specifically realized by a processor or a microcomputer. The information processing unit 42a has, as functional components, a first acquisition unit 44, a second acquisition unit 45, an output unit 46, and a setting unit 47. The functions of the first acquisition unit 44, the second acquisition unit 45, the output unit 46, and the setting unit 47 are realized by a processor or a microcomputer (hardware) constituting the information processing unit 42a executing a computer program (software) stored in the storage unit 43a. The details of the functions of the first acquisition unit 44, the second acquisition unit 45, the output unit 46, and the setting unit 47 are as described above.

The memory unit 43a is a storage device that stores the signal strength information received by the communication unit 41a, placement information indicating the placement of the multiple second communication devices 30a, and the computer program executed by the information processing unit 42a. The memory unit 43a also stores the position information of each of the multiple first communication devices 20a measured by the information processing unit 42a. Specifically, the memory unit 43a is realized by a semiconductor memory or a HDD.

In this way, the information providing system 10a can measure the position of the first communication device 20a based on the received signal strength at the first communication device 20a of the beacon signal transmitted by each of the multiple second communication devices 30a. The information providing system 10 in the above embodiment may be appropriately read as the information providing system 10a.

[Effects, etc.]
Hereinafter, examples of inventions that can be obtained from the disclosure of this specification will be given, and the effects and the like that can be obtained from the inventions will be described.

The invention 1 is an information providing system 10 including a first acquisition unit 44 that acquires location information indicating the location of a first communication device 20 carried by a person located in a space 60 within a facility, the location information being measured based on the state of wireless communication between a first communication device 20 carried by the person located in the space 60 and a plurality of second communication devices 30 installed in the space 60, a second acquisition unit 45 that acquires area setting information indicating the definition of one or more areas included in the space 60, and an output unit 46 that outputs location information regarding the location of the person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired location information and the acquired area setting information.

Such an information providing system 10 can output information regarding the location of people in the space 60.

Invention 2 is the information providing system 10 of Invention 1, in which each of the multiple second communication devices 30 is provided in a lighting device 31 installed in the space 60.

Such an information providing system 10 can obtain location information indicating the location of the first communication device 20 measured using the lighting device 31.

The invention 3 is an information providing system 10 according to the invention 1 or 2, in which the position of the first communication device 20 is measured based on the reception state at the first communication device 20 of signals wirelessly transmitted by each of the multiple second communication devices 30.

Such an information providing system 10 can acquire location information indicating the location of the first communication device 20 measured based on the reception state at the first communication device 20 of signals wirelessly transmitted by each of the multiple second communication devices 30.

Invention 4 is the information providing system 10 of invention 1 or 2, in which the position of the first communication device 20 is measured based on the reception state of a signal wirelessly transmitted by the first communication device 20 at each of a plurality of second communication devices 30. In other words, invention 4 is a system equivalent to the information providing system 10a.

Such an information providing system 10 can obtain location information indicating the location of the first communication device 20 measured based on the reception state at each of multiple second communication devices 30 of a signal wirelessly transmitted by the first communication device 20.

Invention 5 is an information providing system 10 according to any one of inventions 1 to 4, further comprising a setting unit 47 that changes the definition of one or more areas indicated by the area setting information.

Such an information providing system 10 can change the definition of one or more areas contained in the space 60.

Invention 6 is an information provision system 10 according to any one of Inventions 1 to 5, in which the location information includes information indicating the number of people in each of one or more areas.

Such an information providing system 10 can output information indicating the number of people in the space 60.

Invention 7 is an information provision system 10 according to any one of Inventions 1 to 6, in which the location information includes attribute information of people located in each of one or more areas.

Such an information providing system 10 can output attribute information of people located in the space 60.

Invention 8 is an information provision system 10 according to any one of Inventions 1 to 7, in which the location information includes information indicating the movement speed or acceleration of people located in each of one or more areas.

Such an information providing system 10 can output information indicating the movement speed or acceleration of a person in the space 60.

Invention 9 is an information providing system 10 according to any one of Inventions 1 to 8, in which the location information includes information indicating the number of visits or duration of stays of people located in each of one or more areas.

Such an information providing system 10 can output information indicating the number of visits or duration of stays of people located in each of one or more areas included in the space 60.

Invention 10 is an information providing system 10 according to any one of inventions 1 to 9, in which the output unit 46 outputs location information when a predetermined requirement is met.

Such an information providing system 10 can output information about the location of people in the space 60 according to specified requirements.

Invention 11 is an information provision system 10 of invention 10, in which the specified requirements vary depending on the time.

Such an information providing system 10 can output information about the location of people in the space 60 according to different requirements depending on the time of year.

Invention 12 is an information providing system 10 according to any one of Inventions 1 to 11, in which the output unit 46 outputs abnormality notification information when it determines that there is an abnormality in the location of a person in the space 60 based on the acquired current location information and the location information history.

Such an information providing system 10 can notify that there is something abnormal about the location of a person in the space 60.

Invention 13 is an information providing system 10 according to any one of inventions 1 to 12, in which the output unit 46 outputs location information to at least one of a lighting system 51, an air conditioning system 52, a power supply system 53, a security system 54, a communication system 55, a safety management system 56, and an advertising distribution system 57.

Such an information providing system 10 can output information regarding the location of people in the space 60 to at least one of the lighting system 51, the air conditioning system 52, the power supply system 53, the security system 54, the communication system 55, the safety management system 56, and the advertising distribution system 57.

Invention 14 is an information provision method executed by a computer such as the information provision system 10. The information provision method includes a first acquisition step of acquiring location information indicating the location of the first communication device 20 measured based on the state of wireless communication between a first communication device 20 carried by a person located in a space 60 within a facility and a plurality of second communication devices 30 installed in the space 60, a second acquisition step of acquiring area setting information indicating the definition of one or more areas included in the space 60, and an output step of outputting location information regarding the location of the person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired location information and the acquired area setting information.

This type of information provision method can output information about the location of people in space 60.

Other Embodiments
Although the information providing system and the information providing method according to the embodiment have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the information provision system is realized by multiple devices. In this case, each component of the information provision system may be allocated in any way to the multiple devices. For example, the function of measuring the position of a person and the function of providing location information may be provided in different server devices.

The information providing system may also be realized as a single device. For example, the information providing system may be realized as a single device that corresponds to a server device included in a server system.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the processing performed by a specific processing unit may be executed by another processing unit. Also, the order of multiple processes may be changed, or multiple processes may be executed in parallel.

In addition, in the above embodiment, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

Furthermore, each component may be realized by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or an integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Furthermore, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit, or a dedicated circuit.

The general or specific aspects of the present invention may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM. The present invention may also be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

For example, the present invention may be realized as an information provision method executed by a computer such as an information provision system. The present invention may also be realized as a program for causing a computer to execute the information provision method, or as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is stored.

In addition, the present invention also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art may conceive, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10, 10a Information providing system 20, 20a First communication device 30, 30a Second communication device 31 Lighting device 44 First acquisition unit 45 Second acquisition unit 46 Output unit 47 Setting unit 51 Lighting system 52 Air conditioning system 53 Power supply system 54 Security system 55 Communication system 56 Safety management system 57 Advertisement distribution system 60 Space

Claims (17)

a first acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a location of a first communication device carried by a person located in a space within a facility, the location information being measured based on a communication state of wireless communication between the first communication device carried by the person located in the space and a plurality of second communication devices installed in the space;
A second acquisition unit that acquires area setting information indicating a division of one or more areas included in the space;
an output unit that outputs location information regarding a location of a person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired position information and the acquired area setting information;
a setting unit that changes a classification of the one or more areas indicated by the area setting information based on an operation of a user related to the facility after the user starts using the facility. a first acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a location of a first communication device carried by a person located in a space within a facility, the location information being measured based on a communication state of wireless communication between the first communication device carried by the person located in the space and a plurality of second communication devices installed in the space;
A second acquisition unit that acquires area setting information indicating a division of one or more areas included in the space;
an output unit that outputs location information regarding a location of a person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired position information and the acquired area setting information;
a setting unit that changes a classification of the one or more areas indicated by the area setting information based on a user operation,
The setting unit is capable of providing a location in the space where the one or more areas are not set. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein each of the plurality of second communication devices is provided in a lighting device installed in the space. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the position of the first communication device is measured based on a reception state at the first communication device of a signal wirelessly transmitted from each of the plurality of second communication devices. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the position of the first communication device is measured based on a reception state of a signal wirelessly transmitted from the first communication device at each of the plurality of second communication devices. The information providing system according to claim 1 , wherein the location information includes information indicating the number of people in each of the one or more areas. The information providing system according to claim 1 , wherein the location information includes attribute information of people located in each of the one or more areas. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the location information includes information indicating a moving speed or an acceleration of a person located in each of the one or more areas. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the location information includes information indicating the number of times or duration of stay of people located in each of the one or more areas. The output unit outputs the location information when a predetermined requirement is satisfied.
3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2. The information providing system according to claim 10 , wherein the predetermined requirement varies depending on a time period. The information providing system according to claim 10 , wherein the predetermined requirement differs for each output destination of the location information. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the output unit outputs abnormality notification information when it determines that there is an abnormality in the location of a person in the space based on the acquired current location information and the history of the location information. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the output unit outputs the location information to at least one of a lighting system, an air conditioning system, a power supply system, a security system, a communication system, a safety management system, and an advertisement distribution system. 1. A computer-implemented method for providing information, comprising:
a first acquisition step of acquiring location information indicating a location of a first communication device carried by a person located in a space within a facility, the location information being measured based on a communication state of wireless communication between the first communication device carried by the person located in the space and a plurality of second communication devices installed in the space;
A second acquisition step of acquiring area setting information indicating a division of one or more areas included in the space;
an output step of outputting location information regarding a location of a person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired position information and the acquired area setting information;
and changing the classification of the one or more areas indicated by the area setting information based on an operation of a user related to the facility after the user starts using the facility. 1. A computer-implemented method for providing information, comprising:
a first acquisition step of acquiring location information indicating a location of a first communication device carried by a person located in a space within a facility, the location information being measured based on a communication state of wireless communication between the first communication device carried by the person located in the space and a plurality of second communication devices installed in the space;
A second acquisition step of acquiring area setting information indicating a division of one or more areas included in the space;
an output step of outputting location information regarding a location of a person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired position information and the acquired area setting information;
and a setting step of changing a classification of the one or more areas indicated by the area setting information based on a user operation,
In the setting step, a location can be provided in the space where the one or more areas are not set. 17. A program for causing a computer to execute the information providing method according to claim 15 or 16 .

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