JP2007047883A - Theme park management apparatus, theme park management method, theme park management program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a user efficiently use a theme park attraction. <P>SOLUTION: A receiving section 101 receives information for an attraction designated by the user (designated attraction) of a plurality of attractions provided in a theme park. A creation section 102 creates, upon receipt of information for the designated attraction by the receiving section 101, reservation information to which a reservation time of the designated attraction is assigned. A transmission section 103 transmits the created reservation information to a communication terminal 120 of the user. A reservation time period acquisition part 104 acquires a reservation time period of the designated attraction. A waiting time acquisition section 105 acquires waiting times of other attractions except the designated attraction. A retrieval section 106 retrieves, based on the acquired reservation time and the waiting times, attractions usable in an empty time period other than the reservation time period of the other attractions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a theme park management apparatus, a theme park management method, a theme park management program, and a recording medium for managing a theme park. However, use of the present invention is not limited to the above-described theme park management device, theme park management method, theme park management program, and recording medium.

  Conventionally, theme parks such as amusement parks provide various events and vehicles (hereinafter referred to as attractions) to users. By the way, when using an attraction, a long waiting time occurs during congestion such as consecutive holidays and summer holidays, and the satisfaction of the user is lowered, and the operating rate of restaurants, souvenir shops, etc. is lowered. In order to alleviate such a situation, a technique for making a priority reservation for use of an attraction is known.

  In addition, according to the consumption situation of the user of the attraction facility, it is possible to give a privilege at the time of the reservation of the attraction, and the user can use a lot in the facility such as a store or a restaurant in the facility. There has been proposed an attraction priority reservation system that associates the consumption status with a reservation system when shopping or eating and drinking at a restaurant or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). ).

JP 2004-287879 A

  However, according to the above-described conventional technology, in order to obtain a preferential reservation, a problem that a large amount of consumption is required is given as an example. Generally, vacations often involve a lot of consumption, but if a lot of consumption is required for priority reservations, the financial burden on the user increases, which may lead to a decrease in the number of times the theme park itself is used. is there.

  Another example is the problem that it is difficult for users who are unfamiliar with the use of theme parks to master priority reservations. For example, even if a priority reservation is made, it is difficult to determine whether or not to line up with other attractions before the reservation time, that is, whether or not the attractions lined up until the reservation time have been used. For this reason, there is a problem that the priority reservation may be an obstacle to return and enjoy various attractions.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the theme park management apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 is an attraction (hereinafter referred to as a designation) specified by a user among a plurality of attractions provided in the theme park. A receiving means for receiving information on the attraction), a generating means for generating reservation information to which a reservation time of the designated attraction is assigned when the information on the designated attraction is received by the receiving means, and generated by the generating means Transmission means for transmitting the reserved information to the communication terminal of the user.

  The theme park management method according to the invention of claim 7 includes a receiving step of receiving information related to an attraction (hereinafter referred to as “designated attraction”) designated by a user among a plurality of attractions provided in the theme park. When receiving information related to the designated attraction in the reception step, a generation step for generating reservation information assigned with a reservation time of the designated attraction, and the reservation information generated in the generation step to the communication terminal of the user And a transmission step of transmitting.

  A theme park management program according to claim 8 causes a computer to execute the theme park management method according to claim 7.

  A recording medium according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is readable by a computer that records the theme park management program according to the eighth aspect.

(Embodiment)
Exemplary embodiments of a theme park management device, a theme park management method, a theme park management program, and a recording medium according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the functional configuration of the theme park management system according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a theme park management system according to an embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, the theme park management system 100 includes a theme park management device 110 and a communication terminal 120. The theme park management apparatus 110 manages the congestion status of each attraction in the theme park. Here, the theme park is an amusement facility having a plurality of attractions on the site.

  An attraction is, for example, an amusement park, a zoo, a restaurant, a movie theater, or any other facility that has the ability to attract customers according to some theme. In the amusement park, there are roller coasters and ferris wheels. In addition, the attraction may be an attraction in a form that the user appreciates, or an attraction that accompanies some user action such as getting on a vehicle. The user is a person who enters the theme park, and more specifically, a person who carries the communication terminal 120. The user may be a single group or a group of a plurality of users.

  The communication terminal 120 is a portable computer terminal that can be carried by a user. The communication terminal 120 can communicate with the theme park management device 110 directly or indirectly through the gate device of each attraction. The communication terminal 120 may be lent from the theme park when the user enters the park, or may be a mobile phone owned by the user. Further, each communication terminal 120 may be provided by each user, or one communication terminal 120 may be provided in a group.

  The theme park management apparatus 110 includes a reception unit 101, a generation unit 102, a transmission unit 103, a reserved time zone acquisition unit 104, a waiting time acquisition unit 105, a search unit 106, and a search unit 107.

  The receiving unit 101 receives information related to an attraction (hereinafter referred to as “designated attraction”) designated by the user among a plurality of attractions provided in the theme park. Specifically, the information related to the designated attraction is, for example, an attraction name, attraction position information, and the like. The receiving unit 101 receives, for example, information related to a specified attraction transmitted from the user's communication terminal 120. Moreover, the receiving part 101 is good also as receiving the information regarding the time when a user leaves a theme park other than the information regarding a designated attraction. Further, when there are a plurality of designated attractions, the reservation priority order of the designated attractions designated by the user may be received.

  When the receiving unit 101 receives information related to the specified attraction, the generating unit 102 generates reservation information assigned with the reservation time of the specified attraction. For example, the reservation information is generated by checking whether there is a vacancy in the reservation table for each attraction. Secure reservations. Then, the information for identifying the user written in the reservation table and the reservation information assigned the write destination (reservation time) of the reservation table are generated.

  Moreover, the production | generation part 102 is good also as producing | generating reservation information based on the information regarding the received time, when the time when a user leaves a theme park is received by the receiving part 101. FIG. Specifically, for example, a reservation is secured so that use of all the specified attractions is completed by the received time, and reservation information is generated.

  Further, the generation unit 102 may generate reservation information based on the received reservation priority when the reception unit 101 receives the reservation priority of the specified attraction. Specifically, for example, when the time zones that can be reserved by a plurality of designated attractions overlap, the designated attractions having a higher reservation priority are preferentially reserved.

  In addition, when the maximum number of attractions that can be reserved at the same time is determined, the generation unit 102 may perform reservations in order from the received attractions having the highest reservation priority according to the maximum number. The number of attractions that can be reserved at the same time may be held by the theme park management apparatus 110 or may be acquired from the communication terminal 120 or the like.

  Furthermore, when the maximum number of attractions that can be reserved is determined in this way, the generating unit 102 uses one reservation, and when there is a vacancy in the number of attractions that can be reserved, It is good also as adding a reservation in order with a high reservation priority from the inside. In this case, it is possible to adjust the attractions used in the free time zone in accordance with the added reservation and generate the reservation information again.

  The transmission unit 103 transmits the reservation information generated by the generation unit 102 to the communication terminal 120 of the user. In addition, a search result searched by the search unit 106 described later or a search result searched by the search unit 107 may be transmitted to the communication terminal 120 of the user.

  The reservation time zone acquisition unit 104 acquires a reservation time zone of the designated attraction. Here, the reserved time zone is a time zone from the start of use of the reserved designated attraction to the end of use, and is a time zone from passing through the entrance gate to using the attraction and passing through the exit gate. Also, for example, when it is necessary to gather at the reservation gate before a predetermined time before the reservation time, the set time becomes the use start time.

  Further, the reserved time zone may be a time zone in which the use of the attraction can be started with priority over other users. For example, if it passes through the entrance gate at any time in the reserved time zone, it may be a time zone in which the attraction can be used with priority over other users. In this case, it is a part of the reserved time zone that uses the specified attraction reserved by the user, and other attractions can be used in other time zones of the reserved time zone. For this reason, it is also possible to consider in which time zone the designated attraction is used in the reserved time zone, whether there are other attractions available using a portion of the reserved time zone.

  The waiting time acquisition unit 105 acquires the waiting time of attractions other than the designated attraction. The waiting time acquisition unit 105 acquires, for example, the waiting time of another attraction when the receiving unit 101 receives the search request signal. Specifically, for example, it is calculated by dividing the waiting number of other attractions at the time when the receiving unit 101 receives the search request signal by the available number of people per operation and multiplying the required time. Moreover, when the past waiting time data of each attraction, estimated waiting time data, etc. are accumulate | stored, it is good also as acquiring the data.

  Based on the reserved time period acquired by the reserved time period acquiring unit 104 and the waiting time of other attractions other than the designated attraction acquired by the waiting time acquiring unit 105, the search unit 106 makes a reservation among other attractions. Search for attractions available in free time other than the time zone. Specifically, for example, an attraction in which all of the travel time to the attraction, the waiting time, the use time, and the travel time to the next reserved attraction is within the free time zone is searched. When the search unit 106 searches for an available attraction, the transmission unit 103 transmits the search result searched by the search unit 106 to the communication terminal 120 of the user.

  The search unit 107 searches for a route to the designated attraction. The search unit 107 searches for a route from the current position to the specified attraction using a route search algorithm such as the Dijkstra method. When the search unit 107 searches for a route, the transmission unit 103 transmits information on the route searched for by the search unit 107 to the user communication terminal 120 together with the search result of the search unit 106.

  Next, processing of the theme park management apparatus 110 will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the theme park management apparatus. First, the theme park management apparatus 110 waits until the receiving unit 101 receives an attraction designation from the user (step S201: No loop). When the designation of the attraction is received (step S201: Yes), reservation information is generated by the generation unit 102 (step S202), and the generated reservation information is transmitted to the communication terminal 120 of the user (step S203).

  Next, it is determined whether a search request signal is received from the communication terminal 120 of the user who transmitted the reservation information (step S204). When the search request signal is received (step S204: Yes), the reservation time zone acquisition unit 104 acquires the reservation time zone of the designated attraction reserved by the user (step S205). In addition, the waiting time acquisition unit 105 acquires a waiting time of an attraction other than the designated attraction (step S206).

  Then, the search unit 106 searches for an attraction that can be used in a free time zone other than the reserved time zone (step S207), the transmission unit 103 transmits the search result (step S208), and the processing according to this flowchart ends. In step S204, when the search request signal is not received (step S204: No), the processing according to this flowchart is ended as it is.

  As described above, according to the theme park management system 100 according to the embodiment, the theme park management apparatus 110 reserves the use of the designated attractions designated by the user, and transmits the reservation to the communication terminal 120 of the user. As a result, the user can make a reservation only by specifying an attraction to be used without making a reservation for use individually. Further, by considering the time to leave the theme park at the time of reservation, it is possible to obtain a use reservation in a more appropriate time zone.

  Furthermore, the theme park management apparatus 110 searches for attractions that can be used in a free time zone other than the reserved time zone. As a result, the user can effectively utilize the free time zone. In particular, by considering the reservation time zone of the designated attraction, it is possible to use other attractions without passing through the reservation time and effectively use the time zone in which the theme park stays. At this time, by taking into consideration the real-time waiting time at the time of the search request, it is possible to search for other attractions more realistically.

  In addition, when there are a plurality of designated attractions, it is possible to generate reservation information more in line with the user's wishes by receiving designation of the reservation priority. Furthermore, by searching for a route to the specified attraction and transmitting the route to the user's communication terminal 120, the user can move more smoothly within the theme park.

(Overall configuration of theme park management system)
Next, an example of the theme park management apparatus 110 according to the above-described embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating an example of a theme park according to the embodiment. The theme park shown in FIG. 3 is provided with a plurality of attractions A to E. A plaza 301 is provided in the center of the theme park site, and a plurality of passages 302a to 302e extending from the plaza 301 to the attractions A to E extend. Entrance gates 303 connected to the attractions A to E are provided at the ends of the passages 302a to 302e from the square 301. Each entrance gate 303 is provided at a position where a user passes when using each of the attractions A to E.

  In the entrance gate 303, a communication device 304 is provided. Each communication device 304 receives identification information for identifying the communication terminal from the communication terminal (see FIG. 4) of the user who is waiting for entry at the corresponding attractions A to E. In this embodiment, a user ID is used as identification information. As the user ID, for example, the user's name, contact information, gender, age, payment card number, etc. may be used.

  Here, in a present Example, it demonstrates supposing the case where one communication terminal is carried in the group comprised by multiple persons. Note that the communication terminal is not limited to the case of carrying one unit in a group composed of a plurality of people, and each user may carry the communication terminal.

  Each communication device 304 is assigned specific information for identifying which attraction each corresponds to. Further, each communication device 304 may be assigned position information indicating the position of the attraction to which each communication device 304 corresponds. In this case, the management device described later can identify each communication terminal (that is, individual user or group) and its current position in the theme park by identifying the communication device 304 that has received the identification information from the communication terminal. it can.

  In addition, various shops 305 such as souvenir shops and restaurants are provided in the theme park. An entrance gate device 307 and an exit gate device 308 are provided at the entrance / exit to the theme park indicated by reference numeral 306 in FIG.

  The entrance gate device 307 and the exit gate device 308 are respectively provided with breakers 307a and 308a. The entrance gate device 307 detects a user who enters (is going to enter) the theme park, and drives and controls the circuit breaker 307a according to the detection result. Further, the exit gate device 308 detects a user who leaves the theme park (will leave the park), and drives and controls the circuit breaker 308a according to the detection result.

  In addition, when the entrance gate device 307 detects a user who intends to enter the theme park, the entrance gate device 307 determines whether or not the user has a passport or a ticket related to the entrance to the theme park, and according to the determination result. The drive of the circuit breaker 307a is controlled. Whether or not the user has an entrance ticket is determined by, for example, providing a storage medium such as an IC chip or a magnetic tape in the entrance ticket, and reading data stored in the storage medium using a dedicated reader. It can be judged by. Note that it may be determined whether a theme park employee or the like has an admission ticket, and the circuit breaker 307a may be manually opened and closed.

  In addition, every time the circuit breaker 307a is driven, the entrance gate device 307 outputs information on the user who enters the theme park to a theme park management device (see FIG. 5) described later. Similarly, the park gate device 308 outputs information on the user who leaves the theme park to the theme park management device every time the gate device 308a is driven and controlled. The information regarding the user who enters or leaves the theme park may be the user ID received from the user's communication terminal, or the user who simply enters or leaves the theme park. It may be information indicating the presence or absence.

  Next, the facilities in each attraction in the theme park described above will be described. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing facilities at an attraction in the theme park. In FIG. 4, only the equipment in one attraction is illustrated and described, but the same equipment is provided in all the attractions in the theme park. The attraction 401 is provided with a general entrance gate 402 and a reservation person entrance gate 403 for entering the attraction 401.

  The user enters the attraction 401 via either the general entrance gate 402 or the reservation person entrance gate 403 depending on whether there is a reservation for the corresponding attraction. Although not shown in particular, the general entrance gate 402 is connected to an entrance waiting passage through which a user waiting to enter the attraction passes. The entrance waiting passages are assumed to have various shapes, such as hills and stairs, and passages that bend like a maze. The distance of the entrance waiting path is not a planar distance but a three-dimensional distance that actually moves. In the present embodiment, the case of a straight entrance waiting passage will be described.

  It should be noted that the general entrance gate 402 may be provided at a position separated from the entrance by a predetermined distance, instead of the entrance for actually using the attraction by getting on or the like. In this case, the entrance waiting path is from the general entrance gate 402 to the entrance. In this case, the distance of the entrance waiting path is not a planar distance but a three-dimensional distance including undulations such as slopes and stairs.

  The general entrance gate 402 and the reservation entrance gate 403 determine whether or not the attraction 401 can be used, and are driven so as to allow or restrict the entrance to the attraction 401 according to the determination result. There are provided a general gate device and a reservation person gate device (both of which are shown in FIG. 5), which are equipped with controlled breakers 402a and 403a. Whether or not the attraction 401 can be used is determined based on, for example, a communication result with the communication terminal 404 carried by the user. In this case, each communication terminal 404 includes information indicating whether or not the attraction 401 can be used in association with the user ID.

  When the payment card number can be received as the identification information regarding the user, whether or not the attraction 401 can be used may be determined based on whether or not the payment card number is received. Whether or not the attraction 401 can be used may be determined by a theme park employee or the like based on whether or not he / she has a passport or a ticket related to the use of the attraction 401.

  The reservation gate 403 further determines whether or not a reservation for use of the corresponding attraction 401 is made, and sets the blocker 403a to allow or restrict the entrance to the attraction 401 according to the determination result. Drive control. When the user passes through the general entrance gate 402 or the reservation user entrance gate 403, the general gate device and the reservation gate device output to the theme park management device that the user has entered the attraction 401.

  In addition, the attraction 401 is provided with an exit gate 406 including an exit gate device 405 that detects a user who exits after the use of the attraction 401 is finished. The exit gate device 405 identifies the user who used the attraction 401 by communicating with the communication terminal 404 carried by the user, and information indicating that the user used the attraction 401. Is output to the theme park management device.

(System configuration of theme park management system)
Next, the system configuration of the theme park management system will be described. FIG. 5 is a system configuration diagram of the theme park management system. 5, the theme park management system 500 includes a management device 501, an entrance gate device 307, a shut-off device 307a, an exit gate device 308, a shut-off device 308a, a communication device 304, and the like shown in FIG. The exit gate device 405, the general gate device 502, and the reservation person gate device 503 shown in FIG. 4 are connected via a network 505.

  The management device 501 is connected to the entrance gate device 307, the exit gate device 308, the communication device 304, the exit gate device 405, the general gate device 502, and the reservation gate device 503 via the network 505. It is a server that communicates with. Communication between the devices in the theme park management system is performed wirelessly or via a communication cable.

  In addition, the management apparatus 501 accepts a reservation request for an attraction 401 and a request for adjusting a free time in a reservation time zone from the communication terminal 404 of the user. In the theme park, it is possible to make a reservation for the use of the attraction 401 in order to prevent the waiting time of the attraction 401 from increasing due to congestion and increasing the dissatisfaction of the user. The user designates the attraction 401 desired to be reserved from the setting screen of the communication terminal 404 and makes a reservation request. The management apparatus 501 performs a reservation process for the designated attraction 401 and transmits a reservation result to the communication terminal 404.

  The user can further request the management apparatus 501 to adjust the free time until the use time zone (reservation time zone) of the reserved attraction 401. When the attraction 401 is reserved, it becomes a problem how to spend the free time until the reservation time. If the waiting time is misaligned when queued at another attraction 401, the attraction 401 cannot be used even when the reserved attraction time of the reserved attraction 401 is reached, and it must leave the queue of queues. Or you may have to give up the reservation.

  In order to prevent this, the management apparatus 501 searches for the attraction 401 that can be used in the free time up to the reserved time in consideration of the waiting time of each attraction 401, the current location of the user, and the like. Furthermore, when the retrieved attraction 401 can be reserved, reservation processing may be performed. The reservation of the attraction 401 is not limited to a form in which a reservation request is transmitted to the management apparatus 501, but for example, the user goes to the entrance gate (the general entrance gate 402 or the entrance gate 403 for the reservation person) of the attraction 401 that the user wants to reserve Alternatively, a method such as obtaining a reservation ticket may be used.

  In addition, the management apparatus 501 acquires current position information of the communication terminal 404 of the user. The management apparatus 501 accepts input of identification information of the communication terminal 404 received from the communication terminal 404 by the plurality of communication devices 304 installed in the theme park. Here, the identification information is, for example, an ID number that the communication terminal 404 has. Even in the same communication terminal 404, since the transmission time of the identification information differs depending on the current position during movement, the transmission time information may be transmitted when transmitting the identification information. Specifically, the transmission time information is, for example, the transmission time itself. Accordingly, the plurality of communication devices 304 that receive the identification information can grasp whether the identification information is transmitted from the communication terminal 404 at that time, and can improve the accuracy of the current position detection.

  Similarly, a code indicating the transmission time may be added to the end of the ID number as identification information as the transmission time information. With this code at the end, the plurality of communication devices 304 that receive the identification information can grasp whether the identification information is transmitted from the communication terminal 404 at that time, and improve the accuracy of current position detection. Can do. Similarly, when transmitting the identification information, it may be transmitted including the transmission time information.

  Furthermore, the management apparatus 501 detects the reception time of each identification information in each communication device 304. The reception time at each communication device 304 is a time at which the identification information is transmitted from the communication terminal 404 to the reception at each communication device 304 in addition to the time at which the identification information is received at each communication device 304. If it is. Then, the management apparatus 501 calculates the current position information of the communication terminal 404 in the area based on the position information of each communication device 304 and the reception time detection result.

  In addition, when the communication terminal 404 has the structure which acquires the present position information of an own apparatus, for example using GPS information etc., even if it acquires current position information by receiving current position information from the communication terminal 404, Good. In addition, the current position of the user can be obtained by, for example, performing identification between the communication device 304 and the communication terminal 404 when the user passes the entrance gate 303 in each attraction. Can be acquired. In this case, the position of the attracted attraction is the current position of the user, and information including information indicating the current position and identification information is the current position information.

  Further, in this case, it is possible to determine which user is in the admission queue and what number is in the admission queue from the timing (time, order, etc.) of acquiring the identification information. In this case, communication is also performed between the exit gate device 405 and the communication terminal 404, and the user who has exited from the attraction 401 is identified using the identification information acquired. Specifically, the users in the attraction 401 and their admission order are specified from the identification information acquired in the entrance and exit gate devices. Then, it is determined that the subsequent users are waiting for entry from the users who have subtracted the number of seats from the users with the early entrance order.

  Here, the waiting number is the number of users (hereinafter referred to as “general people”) who form a queue waiting to enter in each attraction, but in addition to this, the use for which the use of the attraction 401 is reserved. The number of persons (hereinafter referred to as “reservers”) may be included. The number of general persons can be calculated from the current position of the user, for example. Specifically, for example, the number of users located between the entrance gate of the awaiting attraction and the current position of the user to be calculated is calculated as the number of general users.

  In addition, the general person can also determine from the identification information acquired in the entrance and exit gate devices and the timing (time, order, etc.) of acquiring the identification information. Specifically, among users who are determined to be waiting for entry, a user specified by identification information acquired at a timing earlier than the identification information of the user to be calculated is a general user.

  For example, the number of reservation persons is provided with a table (reservation number file for each attraction: see FIG. 13) for storing the number of reservation persons for each attraction, and this table is referred to when detecting the number of waiting persons. Can be obtained by In this case, the table is periodically updated, for example, every 10 minutes. In the case of an operation mode in which one communication terminal 404 is provided in a group, the number of general persons and reservation persons is counted in consideration of the number of persons constituting each group.

  The waiting time can be calculated based on, for example, the number of waiting people who are waiting for admission before the user whose waiting time is to be calculated. When calculating the waiting time using the number of waiting people, specifically, for example, it is calculated by multiplying the value obtained by dividing the waiting number by the available number of people per operation by the time required when the attraction 401 is used. can do.

  When calculating the waiting time using the number of waiting people, the waiting time is calculated by, for example, multiplying the integer part of the value obtained by dividing the waiting number by the available number of people by the required time. Here, the integer part of the value obtained by dividing the waiting number by the available number indicates the number of times that the attraction 401 operates until the admission becomes possible. The waiting time may include a time until an event in the currently operating attraction 401 ends.

  The waiting time can be calculated based on, for example, the distance from the entrance gate 303 of the attraction 401 waiting for entry to the current location of the user (hereinafter referred to as a queue distance). In this case, the position of the entrance gate 303 is known, but the current position of the user is calculated as appropriate. Specifically, the queue distance is, for example, the straight distance from the entrance gate of the entrance waiting attraction to the current position of the user when the entrance waiting passage is in a straight line shape, and the entrance waiting passage is a meandering shape. In this case, the distance takes into account the meandering. Regardless of the shape of the waiting queue path, a file that stores the shape and length of the waiting waiting path is provided, and the current position of the user is located in the waiting waiting path. Can be calculated.

  When calculating the waiting time using the queue distance, for example, it is calculated by multiplying the waiting time per unit distance by the queue distance. Here, the waiting time per unit distance is the time required for the user waiting for entry to travel the unit distance. The waiting time per unit distance is a value set in advance by the theme park administrator. The waiting time per unit distance is set according to the number of people who can use the attraction 401 per operation, the required time, the shape of the entrance waiting passage, and the like.

  The waiting time per unit distance is set to a shorter time for, for example, the attraction 401 with a larger number of people available per operation. The waiting time per unit distance is set to a longer time as the required time is longer, for example. In addition, the waiting time per unit distance is set to a longer time as the shape of the waiting passage is more complicated compared to a flat straight passage, such as steps such as staircases or windings. Is done. As a specific example of calculating the waiting time using the queue distance, for example, when the waiting time per unit distance is 2 minutes / m and the queue distance is 10 m, 2 × 10 = 20 minutes is calculated as the entrance waiting time. To do.

(Hardware configuration of management device)
Next, the hardware configuration of the management apparatus 501 will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the theme park management apparatus. In FIG. 6, the management apparatus 501 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 601, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 602, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 603, a magnetic disk drive 604, a magnetic disk 605, and an optical disk drive 606. An optical disk 607, an audio I / F (interface) 608, a microphone 609, a speaker 610, an input device 611, a video I / F 612, a display 613, and a communication I / F (interface) 614. I have. The constituent units 601 to 614 are connected by a bus 600.

  Here, the CPU 601 governs overall control of the management apparatus 501. The ROM 602 stores programs such as a boot program. The RAM 603 is used as a work area for the CPU 601.

  The magnetic disk drive 604 controls the reading / writing of the data with respect to the magnetic disk 605 according to control of CPU601. The magnetic disk 605 stores data written under the control of the magnetic disk drive 604. As the magnetic disk 605, for example, an HD (Hard Disk) or an FD (Flexible Disk) can be used.

  The optical disk drive 606 controls the reading / writing of the data with respect to the optical disk 607 according to control of CPU601. The optical disc 607 is a recording medium that is detachable from the optical disc drive 606 from which data is read according to the control of the optical disc drive 606. As the optical disk 607, a writable recording medium can be used. As a recording medium detachable from the optical disk drive 606, an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a memory card, or the like may be used in addition to the optical disk 607.

  When an MO, a memory card, or the like is used as a detachable recording medium, a drive device that can read data from each recording medium is provided instead of or in addition to the optical disk drive 606. A theme park management program is recorded on the optical disc 607 according to the present embodiment. The theme park management program is not limited to the one recorded on the optical disc 607.

  The audio I / F 608 is connected to a microphone 609 for audio input and a speaker 610 for audio output. The sound received by the microphone 609 is A / D converted in the sound I / F 608. In addition, sound is output from the speaker 610. Examples of the input device 611 include a remote controller having a plurality of keys for inputting characters, numerical values, and various instructions, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, and the like.

  A display 613 is connected to the video I / F 612. Specifically, the video I / F 612 includes, for example, a graphic controller that controls the entire display 613, a buffer memory such as a VRAM (Video RAM) that temporarily stores image information that can be displayed immediately, and a graphic controller. Based on the output image data, the display 613 is configured by a control IC or the like.

  The display 613 displays icons, cursors, menus, windows, or various data such as characters and images. As the display 613, for example, a CRT, a TFT liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or the like can be adopted.

  The communication I / F 614 is used for communication between the entrance gate device 307, the exit gate device 308, the communication device 304, the exit gate device 405, the general gate device 502, and the reservation person gate device 503. It functions as an interface between each of these devices and the CPU 601. For communication between each device and the CPU 601 via the communication I / F 614, a dedicated network or a general-purpose network may be used. In this case, the network includes a LAN, a WAN, a public line network, a mobile phone network, and the like. The communication I / F 614 is connected to the communication terminal via the entrance gate device 307, the exit gate device 308, the communication device 304, the exit gate device 405, the general gate device 502, and the reservation person gate device 503. Communication is performed with 404.

(Hardware configuration of communication terminal)
Next, the hardware configuration of the communication terminal 404 will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the communication terminal. 7, the communication terminal 404 includes a terminal control unit 701, a user operation unit 702, a display unit 703, a position acquisition unit 704, a recording medium 705, a recording medium decoding unit 706, and an audio output unit 707. The communication unit 708, the route search unit 709, the route guidance unit 710, the voice generation unit 711, and the speaker 712.

  The terminal control unit 701 controls the entire communication terminal 404. The terminal control unit 701 can be realized by, for example, a microcomputer configured by a CPU that executes predetermined arithmetic processing, a ROM that stores various control programs, a RAM that functions as a work area of the CPU, and the like. Identification information for identifying each communication terminal 404 is recorded in the ROM or RAM. In addition, the terminal control unit 701 inputs / outputs information to / from the management apparatus 501 via the communication unit 708 during route guidance, and outputs information obtained as a result to the display unit 703 and the audio output unit 707.

  The user operation unit 702 outputs information input by the user carrying the communication terminal 404 such as characters, numerical values, and various instructions to the terminal control unit 701. As the configuration of the user operation unit 702, various known forms such as a push button switch that detects physical pressing / non-pressing, a touch panel, a keyboard, and a joystick can be employed. The user operation unit 702 may be configured to perform an input operation by sound using a microphone that inputs sound from the outside.

  The form of the user operation unit 702 may be configured in any one of the various forms described above, or may be configured in a plurality of forms such as a touch panel and a push button switch. Good. The user inputs information by appropriately performing an input operation according to the form of the user operation unit 702. Examples of information input by the operation of the user operation unit 702 include a response to transmission information transmitted from the management apparatus 501 and information on the attraction 401 that the user wants to use.

  The information regarding the attraction 401 to be used is input by, for example, displaying a list of attractions 401 in the theme park on the display unit 703 and allowing the user to specify the corresponding attraction 401 from the displayed list. Further, the attraction 401 to be used may be input by specifying the genre or keyword of the attraction 401 to be used and searching for the corresponding attraction 401 based on the genre or keyword. Further, an attraction 401 to be used may be input by displaying a map of the theme park on the display unit 703 on which the touch panel is stacked and designating one point on the displayed map.

  When the information regarding the attraction 401 to be used is input, the terminal control unit 701 described above specifies the position based on the latitude / longitude of the point where the corresponding attraction 401 is located. More specifically, information such as the latitude and longitude of the point where the corresponding attraction 401 is located is specified as one point on the map based on the background type data included in the map information recorded on the recording medium 705. In addition, referring to an attraction list (see FIG. 8) to be described later, information such as the latitude and longitude of the point where the corresponding attraction 401 is located may be directly acquired from the attraction list.

  The display unit 703 includes, for example, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), a TFT liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, a plasma display, and the like. Specifically, the display unit 703 can be configured by a video display device connected to the video I / F or the video I / F, for example.

  Specifically, the video I / F includes, for example, a graphic controller that controls the entire display device, a buffer memory such as a VRAM (Video RAM) that temporarily stores image information that can be displayed immediately, and a graphic controller. Based on the output image information, the display device is configured by a control IC or the like. The display unit 703 displays icons, cursors, menus, windows, or various information such as characters and images. The display unit 703 displays map information recorded on the recording medium 705 and information on route guidance.

  The position acquisition unit 704 is configured by, for example, a GPS receiver, and acquires information regarding the current position of each communication terminal 404. The GPS receiver receives radio waves from a GPS satellite and obtains a geometric position with respect to the GPS satellite. GPS is an abbreviation for Global Positioning System, and is a system for accurately obtaining a position on the ground by receiving radio waves from four or more satellites. The GPS receiver includes an antenna for receiving radio waves from a GPS satellite, a tuner for demodulating the received radio waves, an arithmetic circuit for calculating the current position based on the demodulated information, and the like. Although details will be described later, even if the position acquisition unit 704 is not provided, the position of the communication terminal 404 is specified by information transmitted from the communication device 304 provided in the theme park. Can do.

  The recording medium 705 records various control programs and various information in a state that can be read by a computer. The recording medium 705 accepts writing of information by the recording medium decoding unit 706 and records the written information in a nonvolatile manner. The recording medium 705 can be realized by HD, for example.

  The recording medium 705 is not limited to the HD, and can be attached to and detached from the recording medium decoding unit 706 such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) or a CD (Compact Disk) instead of or in addition to the HD. A medium having portability may be used as the recording medium 705. The recording medium 705 is not limited to a DVD and a CD, but can be attached to and detached from a recording medium decoding unit 706 such as a CD-ROM (CD-R, CD-RW), MO, or memory card, and is portable. Media can also be used.

  The map information recorded in the recording medium 705 has background data representing features (features) such as buildings and the ground surface in the theme park, and road shape data representing the shape of the road (passage). Drawing is performed two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally on the display screen of the display unit 703. When the communication terminal 404 is guiding a route, the map information recorded on the recording medium 705 and the current position of the communication terminal 404 acquired by the position acquisition unit 704 are superimposed on the display screen of the display unit 703. The

  In this embodiment, the map information is recorded on the recording medium 705. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The map information is not recorded only on the one provided integrally with the hardware of the communication terminal 404, and may be provided outside the communication terminal 404. In that case, the communication terminal 404 acquires map information via a predetermined network through the communication unit 708, for example, and records the acquired map information in a RAM or the like. In addition, the user ID described above may be recorded on the recording medium 705. This user ID may be recorded in ROM or RAM in the terminal control unit 701.

  The recording medium decoding unit 706 controls reading / writing of information with respect to the recording medium 705. For example, when HD is used as the recording medium 705, the recording medium decoding unit 706 is an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Similarly, when a DVD or CD (including CD-R and CD-RW) is used as the recording medium 705, the recording medium decoding unit 706 is a DVD drive or a CD drive. When a CD-ROM (CD-R, CD-RW), MO, memory card, or the like is used as the writable and detachable recording medium 705, information is written to and recorded on various recording media. A dedicated drive device capable of reading the recorded information is appropriately used as the recording medium decoding unit 706.

  The audio output unit 707 reproduces the guidance sound by controlling the output to the connected speaker 712. There may be one speaker 712 or a plurality of speakers. Specifically, the audio output unit 707 can be realized by an audio I / F connected to an audio output speaker 712. More specifically, the audio I / F includes, for example, a D / A converter that performs D / A conversion of audio digital information, an amplifier that amplifies an audio analog signal output from the D / A converter, and audio analog information. And an A / D converter that performs A / D conversion.

  The communication unit 708 communicates with communication devices such as the above-described entrance gate device 307, exit gate device 308, communication device 304, exit gate device 405, general gate device 502, and reservation gate device 503. To receive information from the management apparatus 501 or transmit identification information of the communication terminal 404 itself to the management apparatus 501.

  The route search unit 709 searches for an optimal route from the departure point to the destination point using map information recorded in the recording medium 705 and the like. Here, the optimum route is the shortest (or fastest) route to the destination point or the route that best meets the conditions specified by the user. For example, when moving from a crowded attraction to a vacant attraction, the position of the crowded attraction is set as the departure point, and the position of the vacant attraction is set as the destination point.

  The search for the destination point may be performed by the management device 501. That is, the management device 501 may acquire the current position information of the communication terminal 404, search for a route to the destination point, and transmit the route information of the searched route to the communication terminal 404. This is particularly effective when the management apparatus 501 determines the destination point of the communication terminal 404. In this case, the route guidance unit 710 described later performs route guidance based on the route information transmitted from the management device 501.

  The route guidance unit 710 is obtained from the guidance route information searched by the route search unit 709, the position information of the communication terminal 404 itself acquired by the position acquisition unit 704, and the recording medium 705 via the recording medium decoding unit 706. Based on the map information, real-time route guidance information is generated. The route guidance information generated by the route guidance unit 710 is output to the display unit 703 and the voice output unit 707 via the terminal control unit 701.

  When the management device 501 performs a route search for the communication terminal 404, the route guidance unit 710 acquires route guidance information from the management device 501 via the communication unit 708. Then, the acquired route guidance information is output to the display unit 703 and the voice output unit 707 via the terminal control unit 701.

  The sound generation unit 711 generates tone and sound information corresponding to the pattern. That is, based on the route guidance information generated by the route guidance unit 710, the virtual sound source corresponding to the guidance point is set and the voice guidance information is generated and output to the voice output unit 707 via the terminal control unit 701.

(Data managed by theme park management device)
Next, data managed by the management apparatus 501 will be described. The management device 501 manages theme parks using data as listed below. First, an attraction list according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an attraction list. The attraction list 800 includes a name area 801, a genre area 802, a congestion status (past) area 803, and a customer layer area 804.

  The name area 801 stores the name of each attraction 401, and the genre area 802 stores the genre of the attraction 401. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the attractions A to E shown in FIG. 3 are respectively A = ferris wheel, B = roller coaster, C = haunted house, D = merry-go-round, and E = maze. explain.

  The congestion status (past) area 803 stores information related to the past congestion status. The past congestion situation can be acquired based on the past average waiting time in each attraction 401, for example. More specifically, the past congestion situation is determined to be congested or vacant depending on whether the past average waiting time is longer or shorter than the predetermined waiting time. For example, if the predetermined waiting time in an attraction 401 is set to 60 minutes, it is determined that the calculated average waiting time is 30 minutes, and the calculated past waiting time is 70. If it is minutes, it is said to be crowded. The predetermined waiting time is set for each attraction 401 by the theme park side according to, for example, the ability to attract customers (popularity) of the attraction 401.

  The past average waiting time in each attraction 401 may be calculated for each day of the week, may be calculated for the same day of the same month, or may be calculated for the same month and day. Good. Here, by day of the week, specifically, for example, an average value of waiting time within a predetermined period such as “Sunday” within a predetermined period in the past or since the opening of the park. Further, the same day by month in the same month is specifically the average value of waiting times in the past “Saturday of the first week of May”, for example. Furthermore, the same month and day specifically refers to, for example, the average value of waiting times in the past “May 5”.

  The past average waiting time in each attraction 401 may be calculated in units of time zones instead of or in addition to units of one day. In this case, the past congestion state in the attraction list 800 is set for each time zone or for a specific day. In this way, by setting the past congestion status for each time zone, for example, a predicted waiting time with higher accuracy can be obtained when calculating a predicted waiting time to be described later.

  The customer segment area 804 stores information related to the customer segment of each attraction 401 acquired based on the user ID. In addition, in the attraction list 800, information such as the latitude and longitude of the point where the attraction 401 is located may be stored.

  Next, the attraction management file will be described. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an attraction management file. The attraction management file 900 includes a name area 901, a required time area 902, a usable number of people / 1 operation area 903, a waiting number area 904, a predicted waiting time area 905, and a congestion status (current) area 906. The name area 901 stores the same information as the name area 801 in the attraction list 800 shown in FIG.

  The required use time area 902 stores a required time (use required time) when using each attraction 401. The available number of people / one operation area 903 stores the number of available people at the time of one operation of each attraction 401. The time required for use and the number of people that can be used are predetermined values set in advance by the theme park.

  The waiting number area 904 stores the number of users currently waiting for use in each attraction 401 (hereinafter referred to as the current waiting number). The current waiting number can be acquired based on the communication result between each communication device 304 and the communication terminal 404 carried by the user. For example, when the same identification information is continuously received within a predetermined range such as the periphery of the attraction 401 for a certain time or longer, the user (or group including the user) identified by the identification information is displayed in the attraction 401. Count to the current waiting number. Instead of the waiting area 904, a distance storage area (not shown) for storing the distance from the general entrance gate 402 of each attraction 401 to the tail of the current waiting queue can be provided.

  The predicted waiting time area 905 stores a waiting time predicted at the time when the predicted waiting time is calculated (hereinafter referred to as a predicted waiting time). The predicted waiting time is the time that is expected to be required until the user who is queued at the end of the queue waiting to use each attraction 401 at the time of calculating the predicted waiting time can use the attraction 401. For example, it can be calculated based on the time required for use, the available number of people, and the current waiting number.

  The predicted waiting time according to the present embodiment is calculated in consideration of the number of users who have reserved each attraction (hereinafter referred to as “reserving person”) as the waiting number. The number of reservation persons can be acquired by separately providing a table for storing the number of reservation persons for each attraction 401 and referring to this table when calculating the predicted waiting time (see FIG. 13). When a distance storage area is provided instead of the waiting area 904, the prediction waiting time area 905 is predicted from the distance from the general entrance gate 402 of each attraction 401 to the end of the current queue. The waiting time is stored.

  The predicted waiting time may be calculated in consideration of the past average waiting time in each attraction 401 used when setting the past congestion state in the attraction list 800 described above. Specifically, for example, when the past average waiting time related to the calculation time of the predicted waiting time tends to be long, it is based on the current waiting time including the required time, the number of people available, and the number of people reserved. An operation such as multiplying the calculated value by a coefficient larger than 1.0 is performed.

  Related to the calculation time of the predicted waiting time is, for example, when the calculation time of the predicted waiting time is “Saturday of the first week of May”, the past “Saturday of the first week of May” Is used as the relevant information. The predicted waiting time may be calculated for each day, or may be calculated for each time zone on a specific day.

  Furthermore, the estimated waiting time is calculated by calculating the average value of “waiting time per unit visitors” obtained by dividing the above-mentioned waiting time results for each day used in calculating the average waiting time in the past by the total number of visitors, By multiplying the average value of this "waiting time per unit visitors" by the cumulative number of visitors up to the time at the time of calculation on the day of calculating the predicted waiting time, the predicted waiting time at that time of the day is calculated. It may be calculated. In this case as well, it may be calculated by day or by time zone, as described above. By calculating by time zone, it is possible to calculate a predicted waiting time with higher accuracy.

  The congestion status (current) area 906 stores information related to the current congestion status. The current congestion situation is determined based on the predicted waiting time. More specifically, the current congestion state is determined to be congested or free depending on, for example, whether the calculated predicted waiting time is longer or shorter than a predetermined waiting time. For example, if the predetermined waiting time is set to 30 minutes, it is determined that the calculated waiting time is 20 minutes, and it is determined that it is free, and if the calculated waiting time is 45 minutes, it is congested. It is determined.

  The current congestion status may be determined in stages, such as “slightly crowded”, “very crowded”, “slightly empty”, “empty”, etc., depending on how long or short the waiting time is. . In this case, the current congestion status is not the time itself that is longer (or shorter) than the predetermined waiting time, but the ratio to the predetermined waiting time is calculated, and what percentage (or more) is added to the predetermined waiting time (or It may be determined step by step depending on how many).

  Next, the movement information file will be described. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a movement information file. The movement information file 1000 includes a movement source area 1001, a movement destination area 1002, and a movement required time area 1003. The movement source area 1001 and the movement destination area 1002 store, for example, the attractions 401 (names) of the movement source and the movement destination when moving from a crowded attraction 401 to an empty attraction 401. The required travel time area 1003 stores the required travel time required for moving between the two attractions 401 as the source and destination. The travel time is a travel time for one way required to move from one attraction 401 to the other attraction 401.

  Next, the attraction use history file will be described. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an attraction use history file. The attraction use history file 1100 includes a user ID area 1101, a use attraction area 1102, a use start time area 1103, and a use end time area 1104.

  The user ID area 1101 stores a user ID used as identification information for identifying the communication terminal 404. The used attraction area 1102 stores the attraction 401 (name) used by the user. The use start time area 1103 stores the time when the user starts using the attraction. Specifically, a user having a user ID shown in the user ID area 1101 is allowed to enter a general entrance gate 402 or a reservation user entrance gate 403 (at the attraction 401 shown in the use attraction area 1102. The time when it passed (see FIG. 4) is stored.

  The use end time area 1104 stores a time when the user ends the use of the attraction 401. Specifically, the time when the user having the user ID shown in the user ID area 1101 passes the exit gate 406 (see FIG. 4) provided in the attraction 401 shown in the use attraction area 1102 is shown. Remember.

  Next, the user-specific reservation number file will be described. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a user-specific reservation number file. The management apparatus 501 receives a reservation request for the attraction 401 from the user. The user can shorten the waiting time by reserving the attraction 401 in advance, and can effectively use the staying time at the theme park. The user-specific reservation number file 1200 includes a user ID area 1201 and reservation number areas 1202 (1202a to 1202c). The user ID area 1201 stores a user ID used as identification information for identifying the communication terminal 404.

  The reservation number area 1202 stores the reservation number of the attraction 401 for each user. In the illustrated example, the reservation number area 1202 can store three reservation numbers for each user ID. This is because the number of attractions that can be reserved at a time is limited from the viewpoint of fairness among users. For example, the user with the user ID 001 has reserved three attractions 401 and cannot make further reservations. On the other hand, the user with the user ID 002, 003 can make a reservation in the remaining reservation frame. Note that the reservation number in the reservation number area 1202 is deleted when the start time of the reservation elapses (or when a certain time elapses from the start time). As a result, an empty frame is created in the reservation number area 1202, and the user can make the next attraction reservation.

  Next, a reservation number file for each attraction will be described. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a reservation number file for each attraction. In the illustrated example, a reservation number file for attraction B is shown. The attraction reservation number file 1300 includes a start time area 1301 and a reservation number area 1302.

  The start time area 1301 stores the start time of operation of the attraction 401. The reservation number area 1302 stores the reservation number of the user reserved at each operation start time. In the example shown in the figure, there are 30 reservation frames in the reservation number area 1302, each storing a reservation number. When the start time is 10:35, all 30 reservation slots are filled, but at 10:50 and later, the reservation slot is not filled and reservations are possible. In addition, reservations may be allocated in order from the earliest start time, or the start time may be designated according to the user's request.

  When the start time stored in the start time area 1301 elapses (or when a predetermined time elapses from the start time), the reservation number stored in the reservation number area 1302 is deleted. At the same time, a reservation number having the same number as the reservation number deleted from the attraction reservation number file 1300 is searched from the user-specific reservation number file 1200 and deleted. In the present embodiment, the use reservation is made at each start time of the attraction 401. However, the use reservation may be made in a time zone having a certain width. For example, a reservation method in which the attraction 401 can be used preferentially by going to the reservation person entrance gate 403 between 11:30 and 12:30 may be used.

  In addition, although not particularly illustrated, the theme park management device stores the user ID and the number of groups to which the user who carries the communication terminal 404 with the user ID belongs in association with each other. A user management file is provided. In this user management file, the group configuration (gender, age, relationship (family, friends, etc.)) may be stored in association with each other. Note that the user management file is necessary when a single communication terminal 404 is carried in a group composed of a plurality of people as in this embodiment, and each user has one communication terminal 404. It is not always necessary to carry a mobile phone.

(Current position acquisition method of communication terminal 404)
Next, a method for calculating the current position of the user will be described. In the present embodiment, the current position of the user can be acquired using the GPS or the communication device 304. When GPS is used, the latitude / longitude of the communication terminal 404 is obtained using the GPS information received by the position acquisition unit 704 (see FIG. 7). The latitude / longitude information obtained by the communication terminal 404 is transmitted to the management apparatus 501.

  When the communication device 304 is used, the current position information of the communication terminal 404 is obtained using the GPS alternative information transmitted from the communication device 304. In this case, the current position information may be calculated by the management apparatus 501 or the communication terminal 404. In either case, the position of the communication terminal 404 can be known by transmitting the calculated information to each other.

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a method for calculating the current position from the GPS alternative information. The position acquisition unit 704 calculates the current position of the user by triangulation using the GPS alternative information transmitted from the plurality of communication devices 304. The GPS alternative information is a signal that can be substituted for a signal transmitted from a GPS satellite when calculating the current position of the user. In this embodiment, coordinate information indicating the installation position of each communication device 304 in three dimensions. And

In FIG. 14, the position P of the user to which the symbol P is attached is indicated by coordinates (x ₀ , y ₀ , 0). The positions of the three communication devices 304 are indicated by coordinates (x ₁ , y ₁ , h), (x ₂ , y ₂ , h), and (x ₃ , y ₃ , h), respectively. Here, h is the height from the ground of the theme park to the installation position of the communication device 304, and is the same at the location where each communication device 304 is installed. Also, x _{1 to} x ₃ are known from position information included in the GPS alternative information. Thereby, the distances W _{1 to} W ₃ between p and each communication device 304 can be obtained.

The distances T _{1 to} T ₃ from each communication device 304 to the user can be obtained by the time from when the GPS alternative information is transmitted from each communication device 304 until it is received by the position acquisition unit 704. The distances T _{1 to} T ₃ do not need to be determined as long as the distances T _{1 to} T ₃ can be obtained. Here, reference sign p in FIG. 14 indicates a position when the communication device 304 projects the position P of the user onto the same virtual plane as the installation height, and is indicated by coordinates (x ₀ , y ₀ , h). .

Further, when the angles formed by the virtual lines connecting the respective communication devices 304 and the current position of the user and the vertical lines passing through the respective communication devices 304 are θ ₁ , θ ₂ , and θ ₃ , respectively, The height h from the installation position of the communication device 304 is h = T ₁ × cos θ ₁ = T ₂ × cos θ ₂ = T ₃ × cos θ ₃ . From these relationships, the positions of x ₀ and y ₀ can be obtained using trigonometric functions, and the current position of the user can be calculated.

  Note that the identification information output from the communication terminal 404 includes timing information for specifying the output timing of the identification information, and the above-described calculation of the current position of the user includes the same timing information. Identification information is used. Accordingly, even when the communication terminal 404 (having the user) moves with time, the current position of the user can be accurately calculated at each timing.

  Although illustration is omitted, when a passage in the theme park is provided in a matrix and a communication device 304 is provided at the intersection of each passage, the movement of the user is If the position is fixed on a straight line (one-dimensional), the current position of the user can be calculated by receiving GPS alternative information from the two communication devices 304. In such a case, it is possible to perform map matching more appropriately using the coordinates in the theme park than using the same latitude and longitude as the GPS.

  Furthermore, it is good also as obtaining a user's positional information from the positional information on the attraction 401 in a theme park, and a user's waiting order. Usually, the queue of attractions 401 in the theme park is formed at a fixed position around the attractions 401. For this reason, the position of the user can also be specified from the position information such as the latitude and longitude of the attraction 401 and the order of the users in the queue.

(Theme park management processing by the management device 501)
Next, details of theme park management processing by the management apparatus 501 will be described. As described above, the management apparatus 501 accepts a reservation request for an attraction 401 and a free time adjustment request for a reservation time zone from a user. The management apparatus 501 performs the requested process using the managed data (see FIGS. 8 to 13) and the like.

  First, the procedure of the reservation process for the reservation request will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a procedure of reservation processing for a reservation request. The management apparatus 501 waits until the reservation request information of the attraction 401 is received from the communication terminal 404 (step S1501: No loop). Here, the reservation request information includes a user ID for specifying the transmission source user and information for specifying the attraction 401 that the user desires to reserve (for example, the name and position information of the attraction 401). . In addition, the scheduled time for the user to leave the theme park is included.

  When the reservation request information is received (step S1501: Yes), the management device 501 performs a reservation process based on the reservation request information (step S1502). Specifically, it is determined whether there is an empty frame in the user-specific reservation number file 1200 shown in FIG. If there is a vacant frame, the reservation number file 1300 for each attraction shown in FIG. 13 is referred to, and whether there is a vacant reserved frame at the time when the user ends use by the scheduled time when the user leaves the theme park. to decide. The time period in which the use ends before the scheduled time for the user to leave the theme park is calculated by referring to the required time of use of the attraction 401 (see the required use time area 902 in FIG. 9) and the location information of the attraction 401. . If the communication terminal 404 is shared by a plurality of users, it is determined whether there is an empty reservation frame for all the users using the communication terminal 404.

  If there is an empty reservation frame, the reservation number corresponding to the user is written in the reservation number file 1300. In addition, the same number is written in the empty frame of the user-specific reservation number file 1200. At this time, when the reservation priority is designated for the designated attraction 401, the reservation processing is performed in order from the attraction 401 having the highest reservation priority. When all the attractions 401 included in the reservation request information have been reserved (step S1503: Yes), the reservation completion information is transmitted to the user communication terminal 404 (step S1504), and the processing according to this flowchart ends. . The reservation completion information includes information indicating that the reservation for the designated attraction 401 has been completed and a reservation number assigned to the user. The reservation number is stored in the communication terminal 404 and is used for inquiring that the user is a reservation person when using the attraction 401.

  On the other hand, if it is not possible to reserve all the attractions 401 (step S1503: No), the reservation incomplete information is transmitted to the communication terminal 404 of the user (step S1505), and the processing according to this flowchart ends. The case where reservation is not possible means that the user has designated at least the number of attractions 401 that can be reserved at one time, or the time when the user ends use by the scheduled time when the user leaves the theme park. This is a case where there is no reservation frame. The reservation incompletion information includes the reason why all reservations could not be made, the reservation numbers of the reservations that were made, and the like.

  Next, a search process for a free time adjustment request in the reserved time zone will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a procedure of search processing for a reservation time zone free time adjustment request. The management apparatus 501 waits until it receives the free time adjustment request information of the attraction 401 from the user's communication terminal 404 (step S1601: No loop). Here, the idle time adjustment request information includes a user ID that identifies the user of the transmission source. When the free time adjustment request information is received (step S1601: Yes), the management apparatus 501 acquires reservation information corresponding to the user ID (step S1602). The reservation information here is information related to the reservation time zone of the attraction 401 reserved by the user. The reserved time zone is a time zone restrained in using the reserved attraction 401 including the use time of the attraction 401 and the travel time in the attraction 401.

  Also, the management apparatus 501 acquires waiting time information of each attraction 401 (step S1603). The waiting time information may be a real-time waiting time predicted from the current number of waiting persons (see the predicted waiting time area 905 in FIG. 9) or a past congestion situation (see the congestion situation (past) area 803 in FIG. 8). ) And the like may be used to predict the waiting time. At this time, referring to the attraction use history file 1100 (see FIG. 11) and the user-specific reservation number file 1200 (see FIG. 12), the waiting time of the already-used attraction 401 and the reserved attraction 401 is acquired. Exclude from the target.

  Then, the management apparatus 501 searches for an attraction 401 that can be used by the user in the free time zone (step S1604). When a plurality of attractions 401 are reserved, the available attractions 401 are searched in the free time zone between the reservations. At this time, the search is performed in consideration of the travel time to the attraction 401 based on the current position information of the user and the position information of the attraction 401.

  Then, the search result information is transmitted to the communication terminal 404 of the user (step S1605), and the process according to this flowchart is terminated. The search result information includes the attraction 401 that can be used in the free time zone and the available time zone. Further, the route to the searched attraction 401 may be searched at the same time as the search or according to the request of the user who has received the search result transmission, and the guidance information may be transmitted to the communication terminal 404.

  Next, a processing request from a user that triggers the processing described above will be described. First, FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the display unit of the communication terminal when making a reservation request (see step S1501 in FIG. 15). A reservation request screen 1701 is displayed on the display unit 703. The reservation request screen 1701 displays a message 1711 for requesting selection of an attraction 401 for which reservation is desired. Note that operations performed by the user during the following description are performed via the user operation unit 702.

  The user selects a desired attraction 401 from the pull-down menu 1712 (1712a to 1712c). In this embodiment, since up to three attractions 401 can be reserved at a time, only three pull-down menus 1712 are displayed. Further, when setting the reservation priority for the attraction 401 selected by the user, the pull-down menu 1712 is selected in order from the attraction 401 having the highest priority, and the check box 1713 is checked.

  In addition, when designating the leaving time, the time at which the person wants to leave is entered in the time input field 1714. Then, the send button 1721 is pressed. When no reservation request is made, a cancel button 1723 is pressed. As a result, the reservation request information is transmitted from the communication terminal 404 to the management apparatus 501.

  In addition to the reservation request screen 1701, a current time display unit 1731, a map display button 1732, a reservation information button 1733, and an information button 1734 are displayed on the display unit 703. The current time display unit 1731 displays the current time. When a map display button 1732 is pressed, a map in the theme park is displayed. Further, when the position of the user (communication terminal 404) can be specified, it may be displayed on the map.

  When the reservation information button 1733 is pressed, reservation information of the attraction 401 reserved by the user is displayed on the display unit 703. The reservation information is information such as the name, reservation time, and reservation number of the reserved attraction 401. When the user confirms the contents of the reservation or uses the reserved attraction 401, the user presses the reservation information button 1733 to display the reservation information on the display unit 703. When a notification button 1734 is pressed, a notification from the theme park is displayed.

  FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing the display unit of the communication terminal that has received the transmission of reservation completion information (step S1504 in FIG. 15). A reservation completion screen 1801 is displayed on the display unit 703. On the reservation completion screen 1801, a message 1811 indicating that the reservation has been completed is displayed. Also, the reservation information 1812 including the attraction 401 for which the reservation has been completed and the reservation time is displayed.

  The user presses a “Yes” button 1813 if he / she wants to search for the attraction 401 that can be used during the free time of these reservation times. If there is no need for search, a “No” button 1814 is pressed. By pressing a “Yes” button 1813, free time adjustment request information (see step S1601 in FIG. 16) is transmitted from the communication terminal 404 to the management apparatus 501. In response to this, the management apparatus 501 performs a search process for the attraction 401.

  FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing the display unit of the communication terminal that has received the transmission of the search result of the attraction (step S1605 in FIG. 16). A search completion screen 1901 is displayed on the display unit 703. On the search completion screen 1901, a message 1911 indicating that the search is completed is displayed. Also, search result information 1912 including the searched attraction 401 and available time is displayed.

  If the user does not like the search result, the user presses a “search for other” button 1913 and transmits the free time adjustment request information to the management apparatus 501 again. Further, when the attraction 401 is used using the search result, the “guidance information” button 1914 can be pressed to obtain the guidance information up to the searched attraction 401.

  As described above, according to the theme park management system of the present embodiment, the management apparatus 501 reserves the use of the attraction 401 designated by the user. Thus, the user can reserve the attraction 401 that he / she wants to use without individually making a reservation for use. Further, by considering the time to leave the theme park at the time of reservation, it is possible to obtain a use reservation in a more appropriate time zone.

  Further, the management apparatus 501 searches for attractions 401 that can be used in a free time zone other than the reserved time zone. As a result, the user can effectively utilize the free time zone. In particular, by taking into account the reservation time of the designated attraction 401, it is possible to use other attractions 401 without passing through the reservation time and to effectively use the time zone in which the theme park stays. At this time, by considering the real-time waiting time at the time of the search request, it is possible to search for another attraction 401 in accordance with the reality.

  Further, when a plurality of attractions 401 are designated, it is possible to generate reservation information more in line with the user's wishes by receiving designation of the reservation priority order. Furthermore, by searching for a route to the designated attraction 401 and transmitting it to the user's communication terminal 404, the user can move more smoothly within the theme park.

  The theme park management method described in this embodiment can be realized by executing a program prepared in advance on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. This program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD, and is executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer. The program may be a transmission medium that can be distributed via a network such as the Internet.

It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the theme park management system concerning embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of a theme park management apparatus. It is a top view which shows an example of the theme park concerning an Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the installation in the attraction in a theme park. It is a system configuration figure of a theme park management system. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of a theme park management apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of a communication terminal. It is explanatory drawing which shows an attraction list. It is explanatory drawing which shows an attraction management file. It is explanatory drawing which shows a movement information file. It is explanatory drawing which shows an attraction use history file. It is explanatory drawing which shows the reservation number file classified by user. It is explanatory drawing which shows the reservation number file according to attraction. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the method of calculating a present position from GPS alternative information. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the reservation process with respect to a reservation request. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the search process with respect to the free time adjustment request | requirement of a reservation time slot | zone. It is explanatory drawing which shows the display part of the communication terminal at the time of making a reservation request. It is explanatory drawing which shows the display part of the communication terminal which received transmission of reservation completion information. It is explanatory drawing which shows the display part of the communication terminal which received transmission of the search result of an attraction.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Theme park management system 101 Reception part 102 Generation part 103 Transmission part 104 Reservation time zone acquisition part 105 Wait time acquisition part 106 Search part 107 Search part 110 Theme park management apparatus 120 Communication terminal

Claims (9)

A receiving means for receiving information related to an attraction designated by the user (hereinafter referred to as a designated attraction) among a plurality of attractions provided in the theme park;
When receiving information related to the designated attraction by the receiving means, generating means for generating reservation information assigned with a reservation time of the designated attraction;
Transmitting means for transmitting the reservation information generated by the generating means to the communication terminal of the user;
A theme park management apparatus comprising: The receiving means includes
Receiving information about the time when the user leaves the theme park;
The generating means includes
The theme park management device according to claim 1, wherein the reservation information is generated based on information about the time received by the receiving unit. Obtaining means for obtaining a reserved time zone of the designated attraction;
Based on the reserved time zone acquired by the acquiring means and the waiting time of attractions other than the designated attraction, searches for attractions available in free time zones other than the reserved time zone among the other attractions are searched. And a search means for
The transmission means includes
The theme park management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the search result searched by the search means is transmitted to the communication terminal of the user. The receiving means includes
Receiving a search request signal of the other attractions from the communication terminal of the user;
The search means includes
Based on the reservation time and the waiting time of the other attractions at the time when the search request signal is received by the receiving means, the available attractions in the free time zone are searched among the other attractions. The theme park management apparatus of Claim 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The receiving means includes
Receiving reservation priorities of a plurality of the designated attractions designated by the user;
The generating means includes
The theme park management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the reservation information is generated based on a reservation priority received by the receiving unit. Search means for searching for a route to the designated attraction,
The transmission means includes
The theme park management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein information related to the route searched by the search unit is transmitted to the communication terminal of the user together with the search result. A receiving step of receiving information on an attraction designated by the user (hereinafter referred to as a designated attraction) among a plurality of attractions provided in the theme park;
When receiving information on the designated attraction in the receiving step, a generating step for generating reservation information assigned with a reservation time of the designated attraction,
A transmission step of transmitting the reservation information generated in the generation step to the communication terminal of the user;
A theme park management method comprising:   A theme park management program for causing a computer to execute the theme park management method according to claim 7. A computer-readable recording medium on which the theme park management program according to claim 8 is recorded.

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