JP2011012930A - Method and device for generating space use information - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to reduce a user's labor and time spent for creating layout information.
A space usage information generating apparatus is configured by a position information detecting unit, a data storage processing unit, and a region determining unit. The position information detection unit 2 detects position information of a moving body in a target area (for example, an office). The data accumulation processing unit 3 acquires the location information of the moving body from the location information detection unit 2 and generates and accumulates space use data. The region determination unit 4 uses the space usage data generated by the data accumulation processing unit 3 to determine a plurality of regions and the features of the regions in the target area, and stores information that associates the regions with the features. It is generated as usage information and stored in the information storage unit 5.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention defines a predetermined area as a target area, determines a plurality of areas characterized by the actual usage in the target area, and generates information associating the determined area and characteristics as space usage information The present invention relates to a usage information generation apparatus and method.

  Conventionally, as an application that uses layout information in a building (hereinafter referred to as a layout use application), techniques as shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 have been proposed.

  For example, Patent Document 1 shows a shopping cart used for shopping at a large retail store such as a supermarket or a department store, and this shopping cart guides a route to a place where a product to be purchased is sold. A navigator is provided. In this navigator, the layout information indicating the arrangement and passage of each sales floor corner in the store is stored in the memory. When the customer inputs the information of the product to be purchased, the store layout information is displayed on the display. The route to the place where the product is sold is displayed with an arrow. In this case, the position of the shopping cart is detected by a GPS or a sensor provided in the store.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a hospital person position detection system that detects the positions of persons such as patients and nurses in a hospital. In this system, a map of the hospital is displayed as layout information on the screen of a personal computer (personal computer) installed in a nurse center, etc., and together with this layout information, people in the hospital such as patients and nurses. The position of is displayed. As a result, it is possible to guide a person while watching the screen of the personal computer or to monitor a person entering the area where entry is prohibited. In this case, the position of a person such as a patient or a nurse in the hospital is detected based on the radio wave transmitted from the IC tag possessed by the person. In addition, the person possessing the IC tag can be specified from the ID number transmitted from the IC tag.

  The layout information in the building can be used in various ways such as grasping the location of people in the office and the frequently used area.

JP 2006-264461 A JP 2005-278791 A JP-A-11-304221 JP 2007-107871 A

  However, the conventional layout information used in the above-described layout use application is relatively strict information indicating the layout of the actual building and the arrangement of fixtures in the building, and it takes time and effort to create it. It was. Moreover, since the layout in the building may be changed irregularly after the operation of the building is started, it is necessary to update at the time of the change. In this case, for example, the layout information must be recreated according to the change by measuring the size and position of the fixture, which requires labor and time.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a space utilization information generation apparatus and method that can reduce the user's labor and time spent for creating layout information. It is to provide.

  In order to achieve such an object, the present invention sets a predetermined area as a target area, detects position information of a moving object existing in the target area, and detects by the position information detection means. Space usage information generation that determines a plurality of areas characterized by the actual usage in the target area based on the position information of the mobile body to be generated, and generates information associating the determined area with the characteristics as space usage information Means.

  According to the present invention, the position information of the moving object existing in the target area is detected, and a plurality of regions characterized by the actual usage are determined in the target area based on the detected position information of the moving object. Then, information associating the determined area with the feature is generated as space use information. For example, a plurality of regions characterized by actual usage are determined corresponding to a mesh determined by dividing the target area in advance, or the target area is geometrically based on position information detected by the position information detecting means. It is determined according to the shape.

  In the present invention, for example, when the target area is an office and the moving body is a person, the position information of the person in the office is detected, and the office is characterized by the actual usage in the office based on the detected position information of the person. A plurality of areas to be attached are determined, and information associating the determined areas with features is generated as space use information. For example, it is possible to determine in the office a plurality of areas characterized by actual usage based on the presence / absence of an arbitrary area, staying time, movement pattern, etc., using detected person position information. . In a simple example, an area where a person has entered is set as an entry area, and an arbitrary area is determined as a stay area or a traffic area according to a person's stay time.

  In order to determine such an area, not only the detected position information (x, y) but also an ID number, a detection time, and the like may be used. In addition, it is possible to subdivide the area by evaluating the elements reflecting the actual usage such as the number of times of entry and staying time by using the statistics, evaluating them in combination, or using analysis methods such as clustering. It is. For example, it is possible to generate space use information in which the area where people enter is further classified into areas such as a traffic area / seat area / book shelf / locker area / conference table area.

  The space use information generated by the present invention can be used as an alternative to the layout information used in the layout use application. For example, in the store, if the area where people mainly pass is known by the space usage information generated from the actual usage, the rough traffic area can be determined even if there is no layout information indicating a relatively strict passage boundary. It can be used as a passage for shoppers. As described above, in layout utilization applications that do not require strict boundary lines and position information such as furniture and passages, space utilization information can often be used as an alternative to layout information.

  There is also known a layout use application for lighting control in which a staying time is estimated based on the intended use at the time of layout design, and the lighting lighting time is determined in accordance with this. In this control, even if the intended use intended at the time of design is different, such as “magazine browsing area” and “locker area”, if the stay time of each area estimated from those uses is close, the same lighting lighting time Is set. As described above, in layout use applications in equipment control such as air conditioning and lighting, control operations are often determined by elements (such as presence / absence and stay time) characterized according to the movement of a moving object in a target area. . In many cases, based on the location information of the moving body, the space usage information that determines the area that is characterized according to the usage status can be used, and it reflects the usage status rather than the estimation at the time of layout design. In that respect, the use of space usage information is a practical case. Since the space use information can be automatically generated using a personal computer or the like based on the position information of the moving body, it is possible to reduce the user's time and labor conventionally spent for generating layout information such as measurement and drawing creation.

  As described above, by generating space utilization information from the position information of the moving body and replacing the layout information, a lot of layouts can be achieved while reducing the time and labor that the user has conventionally spent generating layout information. Use applications can be operated at a practical level.

  In addition, it is considered that the space use information generated by the present invention is particularly effective when the target area is the office. In offices that are becoming increasingly large, areas are divided according to applications, such as office work, meetings, and corridors, using furniture and simple partitions. In the office space, the types of applications used are limited compared to hotels and houses, and the actual usage is limited accordingly. For example, the office area is mainly used for office stay and may be regarded as not used for other purposes such as eating and drinking and sleeping. At the same time, there is a loose division of the office space due to the arrangement of furniture. For example, many layouts have a passage around the office desk without a partition, and the boundary between the passage and the work area is ambiguous. In such a case, space utilization information estimated from person's position information, stay time, etc. is more effective than layout information itself.

  The present invention is also applicable to the following. There is a technology that divides a space into a plurality of control unit spaces and controls equipment such as an air conditioner and a lighting device for each control unit space, and performs energy-saving control on a control unit space where there is no person (Patent Literature) 3) A method for realizing comfortable control that suits individual preferences (Patent Document 4) has been proposed. When space utilization information is used for such facility control, facility control according to the actual use of people in the area becomes possible. For example, in space usage information, people who are in the traffic area are assumed to be passers and those who are in the work area are assumed to be stayers, and even if there are people in the control unit space, unnecessary equipment control is suppressed for the passers. This makes it possible to reduce energy consumption. In this case, it is possible to know whether a person is in the traffic area or the work area by using the position detection means used for generating space usage information, and equipment control is performed by estimating the number of visitors and passers-by. Therefore, it is not necessary to add a new position detecting means. In other words, space use information can be generated using the position detection means used for facility control by estimating the number of visitors and passers-by, so a position detection means for generating space use information is added. There is no need and layout information can be easily replaced with space utilization information.

  According to the present invention, a predetermined area is set as a target area, position information of a moving body existing in the target area is detected, and the position information of the moving body is detected based on the detected position information of the moving body. By determining multiple areas that are characterized by actual usage, and generating information associating the determined areas and features as space usage information, this space usage information can be used as an alternative to layout information. Thus, it is possible to reduce the user's labor and time spent for creating layout information.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of one Embodiment (Embodiment 1) of the space utilization information generation apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the object area image figure and position information detection means of one Embodiment (Embodiment 1) of the space utilization information generation apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the mesh information used with the space utilization information generation apparatus of Embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a space usage information generation processing operation in the space usage information generation device of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating space use data accumulated in the space use information generation device according to the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing a process in step S706 in the flowchart shown in FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the determination result in step S301 in the flowchart shown in FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the determination result (space utilization information) in step S302 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is an image diagram of space usage information generated by the space usage information generation device of Embodiment 1. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing operation for determining a space utilization information area according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is an image diagram illustrating a part of the space usage information generated by the space usage information generation device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a layout diagram of an office in which an excerpt of the image diagram of the space usage information shown in FIG. 11 is surrounded by a dotted line. 10 is a flowchart in the case where a person manually instructs the start and end of a data storage operation (Embodiment 3). 14 is a flowchart illustrating a space usage information generation processing operation in the space usage information generation device according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating space utilization data stored in the space utilization information generating device according to the fourth embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process in step S404 in the flowchart shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the object area image figure and mesh information of Embodiment 4. FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the determination result in step S501 in the flowchart shown in FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the calculation result in step S502 in the flowchart shown in FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the determination result (space utilization information) obtained by the process of step S503-S506 in the flowchart shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is an image diagram of space usage information generated by the space usage information generation device according to the fourth embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a region determination processing operation in the space usage information generation device according to the fifth embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates the calculation result in step S602 in the flowchart shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the time series information of the utilization mesh number for every ID number. It is a figure which shows an example of the information which showed ID total which entered for every mesh number in time series. FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing a space usage information generation processing operation in the space usage information generation device of the eighth embodiment.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[Embodiment 1: Guideline for determining area: Determination of intrusion area / non-intrusion area by using mesh, space use data: location information, space use data storage condition: storage period designation]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a space usage information generating apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The position information detection unit 2, the data accumulation processing unit 3, the region determination unit 4, and the information storage unit 5 are included.
The position information detection unit 2 is configured by a combination of an IC tag and an IC tag reader, and detects position information of a moving body in the target area. The position information is detected by repeatedly detecting the position information of the moving body according to the position information detection condition determined by the user. It is assumed that the position information detection condition is to be detected simultaneously at a constant sampling period. However, the position information detection condition is not limited to this, and for example, the position information detection condition may be continuously detected in the order of the IDs of the moving objects.

  The data accumulation processing unit 3 acquires the location information of the moving body detected by the location information detection unit 2 to generate and accumulate space use data. Here, the space use data is a data set including position information necessary for determining the area in the space use information, and the data type constituting the data set is determined in advance by the user together with the area determination guideline described later. It is done. Then, the space usage data is stored based on the space usage data storage conditions predetermined by the user. The space use data storage conditions include a storage period limit and a number of data to be stored.

  The area determination unit 4 uses the space usage data accumulated by the data accumulation processing unit 2 to determine a plurality of areas and features of the areas in the target area, and to associate information associated with the areas and features. Generate as space usage information. And the information storage part 5 memorize | stores the space utilization information which the area | region determination part 4 produced | generated. Here, the position information detection unit 2 constitutes a position information detection unit, and the data accumulation processing unit 3 and the region determination unit 4 constitute a space use information generation unit.

  FIG. 2 illustrates the target area 6 in which the space usage information is generated and the position information detecting means in the embodiment of the space usage information generating device according to the present invention. Here, it is assumed that the target area 6 is an office and the moving body is a person in the office. In this example, the person entering the office carries the IC tag TG. The IC tag reader 7 receives a radio wave transmitted from the IC tag TG, obtains position information (x, y) in the office where the IC tag TG is located, and stores the position information (x, y) as data. Send to processing unit 3. In this example, the position information (x, y) in the office represents the corner O of the office as the origin (0, 0), the horizontal direction as the x axis, and the vertical direction as the y axis.

  In FIG. 2, as an example, two persons H1 and H2 are shown as persons carrying the IC tag TG. In this case, the tag TG carried by H1 is TG1, and the ID number written in the tag TG1 is ID1. Further, the tag TG carried by H2 is TG2, and the ID number written in the tag TG2 is ID2.

  In FIG. 2, for simplicity of explanation, one IC tag reader 7 is used and the entire area of the office is set as the detection range of the IC tag reader 7. However, any position of a person in the office may be detected. Thus, for example, a plurality of IC tag readers 7 may be arranged in the office in consideration of the detection range, detection accuracy, and the like.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the space usage information generating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. Here, the position information detection condition is a sampling period of 2 minutes, the space use data storage condition is a space use data storage period, and a data storage operation start time ts and a data storage operation end time te are set. In addition, position information is specified as data constituting the space use data.

  In the present embodiment, the position information detection unit 2 transmits to the data accumulation processing unit 3 the detection time of the position information used for the determination of the space utilization data accumulation condition in addition to the detected position information. Further, in this example, a space use information generation processing flag Fa is provided. Fa = 0 indicates that the space usage information has not been generated, and Fa = 1 indicates that the space usage information has been generated. Fa = 0 is set as an initialization process at the start of the operation.

  When the position information detection unit 2 detects the position information of the person (step S701), the position information detection time corresponding to the position information is the data storage operation start time ts (in this example, April 1, 2009/12: 00). The space use data accumulation state determination A for checking whether or not it has reached () is executed (step S702). If the position information detection time does not reach the data storage operation start time ts (NO in step S702), the next position information detection is executed (step S701), and the position information detection is repeatedly executed while step S702 is NO. Will be.

  If the position information detection time has reached the data storage operation start time ts (YES in step S702), the position information detection time is the data storage operation end time te (in this example, April 8, 2009/12: 00). The space use data accumulation state determination B for checking whether or not the value exceeds is executed (step S703). If the data accumulation operation end time te has not been exceeded (YES in step S703), the position information is accumulated as space utilization data by the data accumulation processing unit 3 (step S704), and then the process returns to step S701 to repeat the position information detection. It is. That is, if the position information detection time is within the space utilization data accumulation period, the operation of detecting the position information and accumulating it as space utilization data is repeated.

  For example, there are two persons H1 and H2 in the office, the position information (x1, y1) of H1 and the position information (x2, y2) of H2 are detected, and the position information detection time is within the storage period of the space usage data. If there is, the position information is accumulated as space utilization data by the data accumulation processing unit 3.

  In the space utilization data accumulation state determination B, when the position information detection time exceeds the data accumulation operation end time te (NO in step S703), the generation process flag Fa is checked (step S705). If Fa = 0, that is, if space usage information has not been generated (YES in step S705), the region and its characteristics are determined using the stored space usage data, and space usage information is generated. It is set (step S706). The generated space use information is stored in the information storage unit 5 (step S707), and the operation of the space use information generating device 1 is completed.

  The operation for determining a region in step S706 of FIG. 4 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining this operation. This is an operation of determining the area of the space use information using the accumulated space use data, and is executed in the area determining unit 4. In the area determination unit 4, an area determination guideline is set in advance to determine an area. This area determination guideline mainly includes a unit classification determination rule that determines the minimum unit of the area and a feature determination rule that determines how the area characteristics are determined from the space use data.

  In this example, a rule that “all regions of the target area are divided into meshes and each mesh is used as a unit division of the region” is used as the unit division determination rule. FIG. 3 shows mesh information used in the present embodiment. Here, the entire area of the office in plan view is divided into 7 × 8 = 56 meshes M1 to M56, and mesh numbers # 1 to # 56 are assigned to the meshes M1 to M56. In addition, as a feature determination rule, a rule that “a mesh that has entered is defined as an entry area and the other mesh is defined as a non-entry area” is used.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the space use data accumulated by the data accumulation processing unit 3 at the start of the area determination operation. In this embodiment, the space utilization data is only position information (data numbers are shown for simplicity of explanation).

  When the determination of the area is instructed (step S706), the area determination unit 4 refers to the mesh information (FIG. 3) for each of the position information (x, y) (FIG. 5) accumulated as the space use data. Then, the mesh number corresponding to the position information (x, y) is determined (step S301). FIG. 7 illustrates the determination result in this case.

  Then, based on the determination result and the region determination guideline, the mesh that has entered (the position information is detected) is determined as the entry region, and the other mesh is determined as the non-entry region (step S302). FIG. 8 illustrates this result. As described above, the region determination unit 4 generates space usage information in which the mesh is associated with the feature based on the actual usage of the mesh, and sets the generation processing flag Fa = 1 (completion processing in step S706). Thereafter, the generated space use information is stored in the information storage unit 5 (step S707).

  FIG. 9 shows an image diagram of the space use information generated by the present embodiment. In the same figure, meshes indicated by diagonal lines indicate non-entrance areas, and other meshes indicate entry areas. And, for example, only when a person enters the access area, the lighting equipment corresponding to that area is turned on, and in the non-access area, the lighting equipment is always turned off, and when necessary, the person turns on the switch at hand. It is possible to realize a lighting control application using a layout aiming at energy saving.

[Embodiment 2: Guideline for determining area: Determination of access area / non-access area using geometric shape]
In the first embodiment described above, the mode in which the mesh is used as the unit classification decision rule for the intrusion area / non-intrusion area has been described. However, in this embodiment, the geometric shape based on the position information (x, y) is used. Use unit classification. The operation of the other space usage information generating apparatus is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the operation for determining the region in step S706 of FIG. 4 which is a difference from the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the operation for determining the space usage information area using the stored space usage data. This is an operation executed in the area determination unit 4 and replaces the flowchart of FIG. 6 in the first embodiment.

  In this example, the unit classification decision rule of the area decision guideline is “x is (x−30) cm or more and (x + 30) cm or less and y is (y−30) cm for position information (x, y)”. The rule that “(y + 30) cm or less is used as a unit unit of region” is used. Further, as the feature determination rule, a rule that “a region that has entered is defined as an entry region and the other region is defined as a non-entry region” is used.

  In accordance with this area determination guideline, the area determination unit 4 determines that x is (x−30 cm) or more and (x + 30) cm or less and y is ( (y-30 cm) or more and (y + 30) cm or less is defined as the entry region, and other regions are determined as the non-entrance region.

  FIG. 11 shows an image diagram of the space use information generated by this area determination guideline. This image diagram is an excerpt of a portion of the office layout (the portion surrounded by a dotted line in FIG. 12). As shown in this image diagram, for each piece of position information (x, y) accumulated as space utilization data, a 60 cm square area centered on the position information (x, y) is defined as an entry area. Thus, the access area / non-access area in the office is determined.

  The space use information generated by this embodiment can also be applied to a layout use application such as lighting control as in the first embodiment. In addition, there is a method of combining overlapping portions of unit sections in order to save memory and improve area determination efficiency in a layout application.

[Embodiment 3: Space utilization data storage condition: Manual instruction to start and stop data storage]
In the first and second embodiments described above, the data storage period is set by setting the data storage operation start time ts and the data storage operation end time te as the space use data storage conditions for determining the region. The user may manually instruct the start and end of the data storage operation.

  FIG. 13 shows a flowchart when the user manually instructs the start and end of the data storage operation. This flowchart is different from FIG. 4 in the first embodiment, and is the same as that in the first embodiment except for the operation related to the space use data accumulation condition.

  In this embodiment, the start and end of the space utilization data storage operation are instructed by the user at an arbitrary timing. This user instruction is reflected in the value of the space use data accumulation instruction flag Fm. Fm = 1 indicates accumulation operation ON, Fm = 0 indicates accumulation operation OFF, Fm = 1 is set when the user instructs the start of space use data storage, and Fm = 0 is set when the user instructs the end of space use data storage. Is done.

  The operation of changing the value of Fm is not described in the flowchart of FIG. 13 because it is in accordance with a user instruction that occurs at an arbitrary timing. Further, in this example, when the value of the space use data accumulation instruction flag Fm is changed, the value of Fm before the change is held as the space use data accumulation instruction flag Fm ′ before the change. Both the space utilization data accumulation instruction flag Fm and the pre-change space utilization data accumulation instruction flag Fm ′ are initialized to 0 when the operation of the space utilization information generation apparatus starts.

  When position information is detected by the position information detector 2 (step S701 '), a space use data storage state determination A' for checking the value of the space use data storage instruction flag Fm is executed (step S702 '). If Fm is 1, that is, if the user has instructed the storage start of space usage data (YES in step S702 ′), the location information is stored as space usage data by the data storage processing unit 3 (step S704 ′). Then, the process returns to step S701 ′ and the position information detection is repeated.

  If Fm is 0 in step S702 ′, that is, if the user has not instructed the start of storage of space usage data, or if the end of storage of space usage data has been instructed (in step S702 ′) NO), the space use data storage state determination B ′ for checking the value of the pre-change space use data storage instruction flag Fm ′ is executed (step S703 ′). Here, if Fm ′ is 0 (NO in step S703 ′), since the space use data accumulation instruction flag and the pre-change space use data accumulation instruction flag are both 0, the space use data accumulation start instruction by the user is once. It will not be done. In this case, the process returns to step S701 'and the position information detection is repeated.

  If Fm ′ is 1 in step S703 ′ (YES in step S703 ′), that is, if the user instructs the end after instructing the start of storage of space use data, and the storage of space use data is completed. For example, the space usage information generation processing flag Fa is checked (step S705 ′). Here, if Fa = 0, that is, if the space usage information has not been generated (YES in step S705 ′), the area and its characteristics are determined using the accumulated space usage data, and space usage information is generated. Fa = 1 is set (step S706 ′). Then, the generated space use information is stored in the information storage unit 5 (step S707 '), and the operation of the space use information generating device 1 is completed.

  If you start the data storage start / end instruction manually, it will be stored if the user decides whether or not to complete the storage operation based on the data storage amount, etc. In addition to forcibly terminating the operation, the user can actively teach a region at an arbitrary timing. For example, a traffic area teacher who teaches a traffic area is determined, the ID number of the traffic area teacher is registered, and only the position information (x, y) of the registered ID number is accumulated as space utilization data. To do. Then, after starting the data accumulation operation manually, the traffic area teacher passes through the area to be set as the traffic area in the office. Then, after passing through the area to be set as the traffic area in the office, the end of the data accumulation operation is instructed manually. By doing so, it is possible to efficiently accumulate only the position information indicating the traffic area, and it is possible to generate the space use information in which the traffic area is determined based on this.

[Embodiment 4: Area determination guideline: determination of stay area / traffic area / non-entrance area using mesh using average stay time, space use data: position information, position information detection time, position information detection target ID, Space usage data storage conditions: Specify number of data storage)
In the first embodiment, the space use data is only the position information (x, y), but in the fourth embodiment, the configuration data of the space use data is the position information (x, y) and the detection time corresponding thereto. , And IDs to be detected. In this form, the area to be determined can be subdivided.

  In this embodiment, the data accumulation number Nmax is determined as a space utilization data accumulation condition, and Nmax = 1000. Further, the target area is an office, the moving body is a person, and the position information detection condition is a sampling period Ts = 5 minutes. FIG. 14 shows a flowchart of the operation of the space usage information generating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment.

  When the position information detection unit 2 detects position information (x, y) of a person existing in the office in accordance with the position information detection condition (step S401), the data storage processing unit 3 detects the detected position information and the detected position information. The space use data in which the detection time and ID number corresponding to is paired is accumulated (step S402).

  For example, when the moving bodies H1 and H2 exist in the target area and the position information (x1, y1) of H1 and the position information (x2, y2) of H2 are detected at time t1, the position information (x1, y1) And the detection time t1 and the ID number ID1 of the detection target H1, and the position information (x2, y2), the detection time t1 and the ID number ID2 of the detection target H2 are respectively It is accumulated by the data accumulation processing unit 3 as space utilization data.

  The data accumulation processing unit 3 repeats position information detection and accumulation of space utilization data until the number of accumulations of space utilization data reaches Nmax (repetition of NO in step S401, step S402, and step S403). As a result, as shown in FIG. 15, pairs of position information (x, y) and corresponding detection times and ID numbers are accumulated as space utilization data.

  When the number of space utilization data accumulated by the data accumulation processing unit 3 reaches Nmax (Nmax = 1000) (YES in step S403), the region determination unit 4 determines the region and the region from the accumulated Nmax space utilization data. Space use information associated with the feature is generated (step S404). Then, the space usage information is stored in the information storage unit 5 (step S405), and the operation of the space usage information generation device 1 is completed.

  FIG. 16 shows a flowchart of the region determining operation in step S404. The unit division determination rule in the region determination guideline may be any, but as a simple example, the mesh is used as in the first embodiment, and the target area used in the present embodiment is shown in FIG. And mesh information.

  The area determination unit 4 extracts position information (x, y) for each ID number in time series from the space use data accumulated by the data accumulation processing unit 3, and refers to each position while referring to the mesh information (FIG. 17). A mesh number corresponding to the information (x, y) is determined (step S501). FIG. 18 illustrates this determination result. Note that the mesh number determined here corresponds to the mesh that the person entered.

  Then, using this determination result, the stay time in which a person stays in each mesh is obtained for the mesh that has entered. Here, the stay time is obtained every time the target mesh enters. For example, in FIG. 18, mesh number # 35 is entered twice for ID1 (9: 35-9: 55, 10: 50-11: 10) and once for ID2 (10: 45-11: 00). 3 times. Here, if the stay time when a person enters an arbitrary mesh from time T1 to time T2 is (T2-T1), the stay time corresponding to the number of times of entering three times is (9: 55-9), respectively. : 35) = 20 minutes, (11: 10-10: 50) = 20 minutes, (11: 00-10: 45) = 15 minutes.

  Then, the average stay time of each mesh is calculated using the stay time for the number of times of entry for each mesh thus obtained (step S502). For example, when the average stay time is calculated for the mesh number # 35 from the stay times corresponding to the above-mentioned three times of entry, (20 minutes + 20 minutes + 15 minutes) / 3≈18 minutes. FIG. 19 illustrates a calculation result using the determination result of FIG.

  Then, from this calculation result, the average stay time is checked for each mesh that has entered (step S503), a mesh having an average stay time of 5 minutes or more is set as a stay region (step S504), and the average stay time is 5 minutes. The mesh of less than is set as a passing area (step S505). Further, all meshes for which the average stay time has not been calculated, that is, meshes that have not been entered, are set as non-entry regions (step S506). FIG. 20 illustrates this result. In this way, the area determination unit 4 determines the mesh number and the characteristics of the actual use (non-entrance area / stay area / traffic area) in association with each other.

  FIG. 21 shows an image diagram of the space usage information generated by the present embodiment. In the figure, meshes indicated by diagonal lines indicate non-entrance areas, meshes indicated by mesh lines indicate stay areas, and other meshes indicate traffic areas.

[Embodiment 5: Area determination guideline: Determination of non-entrance area / traffic area / seat area / book shelf / locker area / conference table area by using mesh using average stay time and total number of IDs entered, space utilization data: position Information, detection time, ID]
In Embodiment 4, the mesh having an average stay time of 5 minutes or more among the meshes that have entered is used as the stay region, and the other meshes are used as the travel region. In addition to the evaluation of this average stay time, the mesh is entered. By evaluating the total number of IDs, it is possible to subdivide the characteristics of the area determined by the space usage information.

  The flowchart of FIG. 22 shows the region determining operation of the region determining unit 4 in the fifth embodiment. This flowchart is a substitute for the flowchart of FIG. 16 in the fourth embodiment, and the other operations are the same as those in the fourth embodiment. In the operation of generating space use information according to the fifth embodiment, position information (x, y) is taken out in time series for each ID number from the accumulated space use data, and each mesh information (FIG. 17) is referred to. A mesh number corresponding to the position information (x, y) is determined (step S601).

  Based on the determination result, the average staying time is obtained for the mesh that has entered, as in the fourth embodiment, and the total number of IDs that have entered each mesh is calculated (step S602). FIG. 23 illustrates the calculation result in this case.

  From this calculation result, according to the processing of steps S603 to S609, a mesh having an average stay time of 10 minutes or more and a total use ID of 10 or more is set as a conference table area (step S604), and the average stay time is 5 minutes or more. A mesh is defined as a stay area (step S607), a mesh whose average stay time is 1 minute or more is defined as a bookshelf / locker area (step S608), and a mesh whose average stay time is less than 1 minute is defined as a passing area (step S609). ). Further, all meshes for which the average stay time has not been calculated, that is, meshes that have not been entered, are all set as non-entry regions (step S610).

[Sixth Embodiment: Area Determination Guideline: Determination of Seat Area by Using Mesh Using Stay Time, Space Usage Data: Position Information, Detection Time, ID]
In the fourth embodiment, the stay area and the traffic area are determined by the average stay time, but the mesh that has been staying the longest for each ID number is obtained from the time-series information of the mesh number located for each ID number. It is also possible to determine the mesh with the seat of the person assigned with each ID number.

  FIG. 24 shows an example in which the mesh numbers located for each ID number are shown in time series. In this case, since the mesh number with the longest stay time is ID42 for ID1, the mesh position of # 42 is assumed to be the position where the seat of the person assigned ID1 is located. For ID2, the mesh number with the longest stay time is # 33, and therefore the mesh position of # 33 is assumed to be the position where the seat of the person assigned ID2 is located.

  Thus, by determining the mesh with the seat of the person to whom the ID number is assigned for each ID number, the printer power supply that is normally used at the timing when the person enters the mesh with the own seat. The layout use application such as turning ON the can be realized by using the space use information.

[Embodiment 7: Area determination guideline: Determination of traffic area / conference table area by using mesh using total number of IDs entered and time-series change pattern, space use data: position information, detection time, ID]
In the fourth embodiment, the stay area / traffic area / non-entrance area is determined using the time series information of the mesh number located for each ID number. However, the time series of the total number of IDs entered for each mesh number is determined. By using the information, it is also possible to determine the traffic area / conference table area. In the following description, the target area is an office and the moving body is a person as in the fourth embodiment, but the layout of the target area and the mesh information are different.

  FIG. 25 shows an example of information indicating the total number of IDs entered for each mesh number in chronological order every 10 minutes. In this case, the pass area / conference table area can be determined by evaluating the total number of IDs entered for each mesh number and the temporal change pattern. For example, with respect to mesh number # 1, since a plurality of people have entered and exited in the same time zone, it can be estimated that it is a conference table area. For mesh number # 2, the total number of IDs changes irregularly and is large at the start of the break time (10:00 and 12:00 in this form), so it can be estimated that it is a traffic area. As described above, a region can be determined by reflecting a time series change such as a statistic using space utilization data in the feature determination rule in the region determination guideline.

[Embodiment 8: Learning operation of space use information]
In the first to seventh embodiments described above, as the space use data storage condition, the space use data is stored by setting the storage period and the number of data storage, and after the storage of the space use data is completed, the stored space use data is stored. Space usage information is generated from Therefore, an application using this is used by the user arbitrarily creating space usage information for temporary operation until the space usage information is generated.

  At this time, if the period until the completion of storage of space usage data is long, even if the space usage information prepared for temporary operation does not match the actual usage, it must be used for a long period of time. Disappear. However, if the space usage data storage conditions are set so that the period until the storage is completed is short, the number of data may be small or the storage data may be concentrated in a short time. There may be a large gap in the actual usage. If the space usage information that does not reflect the actual usage is used, it is difficult to obtain the effect (for example, the energy saving effect) intended for the layout use application.

  In such a case, the space use data storage condition is limited to a relatively small number of data or a short period of time, and space use information generated by this is used to generate space use information (hereinafter referred to as this generation). It is useful to repeat the update of the space usage information by using the limited space usage information. This is a learning approach in which the space usage information is updated and the actual usage is reflected, and this space usage information can be used for operation in parallel with learning. In this case, the layout use application is more practical than the case of using the temporary use space use information for a long period of time because it becomes easier to obtain the intended effect by updating the space use information.

  FIG. 26 shows a flowchart of the space usage information generation operation of the present embodiment. The limited space use information in the present embodiment is the space use information generated by limiting the space use data storage condition to a relatively narrow range in the above-described first to seventh embodiments, and the basic operation until the generation is as follows. This is the same as in the first to seventh embodiments.

  In this example, steps S401 'to S405' in FIG. 26 replace S401 to S405 in FIG. 14 described in the fourth embodiment. Then, the space use information is generated by adding the space use information update operation (step S406) and the learning completion condition determination operation (step S407) to the operations related to the generation of the limited space use information. This is a feature of the present embodiment. Here, the learning completion condition indicates a condition for completing the update of the space use information by the limited space use information.

  The region determination guideline in this embodiment is to determine the on / off region using a mesh in the same manner as in the first embodiment (FIG. 6), and the learning completion condition is “for all meshes in the target area. “The number of times of entry W (n) is either 0 or 50 times or more.” Here, n indicates an arbitrary mesh number (1 ≦ n ≦ K, K is the maximum value of the mesh number) in the target area, and W (n) is the number of times the mesh number n enters.

  In this example, the space use data storage condition is “space use data storage number Nmax = 1”. However, when performing statistical processing of space usage data in the area determination guidelines (using average values, etc.), it is necessary to adopt space usage data storage conditions that allow an appropriate number of space usage data to be stored. It goes without saying that there is.

  When the space usage information generation operation is started, the space usage information generation apparatus sets all meshes as non-entry regions as initialization processing, and W (n) = 0 (1 ≦ n ≦ K), Set the mesh entry count to zero. When the position information of the moving object is detected (step S401 ′) and this position information is accumulated as space utilization data (step S402 ′), the accumulated number of space utilization data becomes 1 (YES in step S403 ′). ), The limited space usage information is generated in step S404 ′.

  That is, in this embodiment, when one piece of position information is accumulated, the limited space utilization information is generated using this one piece of position information. In step S404 ', limited space use information is generated with the mesh number corresponding to the position information where the moving object is detected as the entry area. In step S406, the limited space usage information is reflected in the space usage information, and the corresponding mesh number W (n) is updated.

  For example, if an arbitrary mesh number # q1 is set as the entry area in the limited space use information, the mesh number # q1 of the space use information is set as the entry area, and 1 is added to the corresponding entry count W (q1). Thereafter, when the space use information is updated with the limited space use information having the same mesh number # q1 as the entry region, there is no change that the mesh number # q1 is the entry region, but the entry number W (q1) is 1. It is added to indicate the total number of times of entry.

  Then, after storing the updated space usage information (step S405 ′), in step S407, “W (n) = 0 or W (n) for all mesh numbers n (1 ≦ n ≦ K)”. ) It is checked whether or not either of ≧ 50 is satisfied. In other words, when this condition is satisfied, all meshes in the target area are either non-entry areas (number of times of entry 0) or entry areas where a moving object has entered more than 50 times. . If this condition is not satisfied (NO in step S407), the process returns to step S401 'again to generate limited space usage information and update space usage information.

  With the operation shown in FIG. 26, the space usage information is sequentially set from the non-entry area, which is the initial value, to the entered area from the entered area. Such space use information can also be used for air conditioning control such as changing the temperature setting values of an entrance area and a non-entrance area (or an air conditioning zone with many entrance areas and an air conditioning zone with many non-entrance areas). it can. As the learning progresses, the space usage information reflects the actual usage and approaches the space usage information for the purpose of the user.

  The space usage information generation device 1 described in the first to eighth embodiments can be realized by a computer including a CPU, a storage device, and an interface, and a program that controls these hardware resources. The CPU executes the processing described in the first to eighth embodiments in accordance with a program stored in the storage device.

  In the embodiment described above, the office is mainly the target area, but it goes without saying that the target area is not limited to the office. In the present invention, the moving body is not limited to a person as long as it is a movable object. For example, a portable device such as a notebook computer or a mobile phone, or a cart, a vehicle, or a robot may be used.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, as position detection means for detecting position information of a person existing in the target area, in addition to a combination of an IC tag and an IC tag reader, an RFID reader for RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) A configuration in which the current position of a person existing in the control target space is detected by image processing of a camera or the like can be considered.

  The space usage information generating apparatus and method of the present invention are information in which a predetermined area is set as a target area, a plurality of areas characterized by the actual usage are determined in the target area, and the determined area and characteristics are associated with each other. As a space utilization information generating apparatus and method for generating a space utilization information, it can be used for various layout utilization applications such as guidance of a moving body and facility control.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Space utilization information generation apparatus, 2 ... Location information detection part, 3 ... Data storage process part, 4 ... Area | region determination part, 5 ... Information storage part, 6 ... Target area, 7 ... IC tag reader, H1, H2 ... Person, TG (TG1, TG2) ... IC tag, ID1, ID2 ... ID number, M1-M56 ... mesh, # 1- # 56 ... mesh number.

Claims (16)

Position information detection means for setting a predetermined area as a target area and detecting position information of a moving object existing in the target area;
Based on the position information of the moving body detected by the position information detection means, a plurality of areas characterized by the actual usage are determined in the target area, and information relating the determined areas and features is used in space. A space use information generating device comprising: space use information generating means for generating information. In the space usage information generation device according to claim 1,
The space usage information generation unit is configured to determine a plurality of regions characterized by the actual usage in association with meshes determined by dividing the target area in advance. In the space usage information generation device according to claim 1,
The space usage information generation means determines a plurality of regions characterized by the actual usage in association with the geometric shape based on the position information detected by the position information detection means. A space usage information generating device. In the space utilization information generation apparatus described in any one of Claims 1-3,
Position information storage means for storing the position information of the moving body detected by the position information detection means,
The space usage information generating means includes
The space use information generating apparatus, wherein the space use information is generated by processing the position information of the moving body accumulated by the position information accumulating means by a statistical method. In the space utilization information generation apparatus described in any one of Claims 1-4,
The space usage information generating means includes
A region where a person enters and other regions are determined as regions characterized by the actual usage in the target area, and information associating the determined region with the features is generated as space usage information. Space usage information generator. In the space utilization information generation apparatus described in any one of Claims 1-5,
The space usage information generating means includes
A human traffic area and other areas are determined as areas characterized by the actual usage in the target area, and information associating the determined area with the characteristics is generated as space usage information. Space usage information generator. In the space utilization information generation apparatus described in any one of Claims 1-6,
The space use information generating device, wherein the space use information generated by the space use information generating means is used for controlling equipment provided for the target area. In the space utilization information generation apparatus described in any one of Claims 1-7,
The space usage information generating apparatus, wherein the target area is an office. A position information detection step for detecting a position information of a moving object existing in the target area as a target area,
Based on the position information of the moving body detected by the position information detection step, a plurality of areas characterized by the actual usage are determined in the target area, and information relating the determined areas and features is used in space. A space usage information generation method comprising: a space usage information generation step for generating information. In the space utilization information generation method described in Claim 9,
The space usage information generation method, wherein the space usage information generation step determines a plurality of regions characterized by the actual usage in association with meshes determined by dividing the target area in advance. In the space utilization information generation method described in Claim 9,
In the space usage information generation step, a plurality of regions characterized by the actual usage are determined by making the target area correspond to a geometric shape based on the location information detected by the location information detection step. A space usage information generation method. In the space utilization information generation method described in any one of Claims 9-11,
A position information accumulating step for accumulating position information of the moving body detected by the position information detecting step;
The space usage information generation step includes:
The space usage information generating method, wherein the space usage information is generated by processing the position information of the moving body accumulated in the position information accumulation step by a statistical method. In the space utilization information generation method described in any one of Claims 9-12,
The space usage information generation step includes:
A region where a person enters and other regions are determined as regions characterized by the actual usage in the target area, and information associating the determined region with the features is generated as space usage information. Space usage information generation method. In the space utilization information generation method described in any one of Claims 9-13,
The space usage information generation step includes:
A human traffic area and other areas are determined as areas characterized by the actual usage in the target area, and information associating the determined area with the characteristics is generated as space usage information. Space usage information generation method. In the space utilization information generation method described in any one of Claims 9-14,
The space usage information generation method, wherein the space usage information generated by the space usage information generation step is used for controlling equipment provided for the target area. In the space utilization information generation method described in any one of Claims 9-15,
The method of generating space use information, wherein the target area is an office.

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