JP2010117747A - Automatic transaction management system and automatic transaction management method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To operate automatic teller machines proper in terms of power consumption without deteriorating convenience of a customer. <P>SOLUTION: A camera captures an image including users who are waiting for transactions in the automatic teller machines. A queue detection part in an operation state switching apparatus detects queues of the users by analyzing the captured image. An operation state switching part switches operation states of the automatic teller machines based on states of the detected queues. The operation state switching part changes the operation states of the automatic teller machines based on the number of waiting persons or waiting times of the detected queues. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an automatic transaction management system and an automatic transaction management method for controlling power consumption of an automatic transaction apparatus for depositing and withdrawing money, and in particular, an automatic operation of an appropriate number of units in terms of power consumption without impairing customer convenience. The present invention relates to an automatic transaction management system and an automatic transaction management method capable of operating a transaction apparatus.

  In recent years, power consumption in factories and the like has been regulated in the manufacturing industry due to growing interest in environmental issues. Also, in industries other than the manufacturing industry, there is a high possibility that such regulations will be established in the future. Voluntary actions such as turning off office lighting frequently and replacing with office equipment with low power consumption. Efforts are also being made.

  Under these circumstances, financial institutions such as banks that have many automatic teller machines (hereinafter referred to as “automated transaction machines”) generally called ATMs (Automated Teller Machines) have few customers. Efforts are being made to reduce the number of automatic transaction devices in operation.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, sensors are provided at the entrance and exit of a financial institution where a plurality of automatic transaction apparatuses are installed in a store to calculate the number of customers existing in the store, and automatic transaction is performed based on the calculated number of customers. A technique for determining the number of operating devices is disclosed.

JP-A-8-83312

  However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that an appropriate number of automatic transaction apparatuses cannot be operated because the number of automatic transaction apparatuses to be operated is determined based on the number of customers in the store. The reason for this is that customers in the store do not always conduct transactions with automatic transaction apparatuses, but often wait for deposits and withdrawals at a counter or consultations.

  Therefore, even if sensors are provided at the entrance and exit of the store to calculate the number of customers existing in the store, the calculated number is larger than the number of waiting customers waiting for transactions in the automatic transaction apparatus. This results in operating more than the required number of automatic transaction apparatuses.

  In addition, if the automatic transaction apparatus to be suspended is turned off, the power consumption of the automatic transaction apparatus can be suppressed to the maximum, while the automatic transaction apparatus once turned off can be turned on to perform transactions. In order to achieve this, a time of about several minutes (for example, about 5 minutes) is required. Therefore, if the automatic transaction apparatus is turned off unnecessarily, the rapid increase in the number of waiting persons cannot be dealt with, causing inconvenience to the customer.

  From these facts, by managing the operational status of automatic transaction equipment, it is possible to operate an automatic transaction management system or automatic system that can operate an appropriate number of automatic transaction equipment in terms of power consumption without losing customer convenience. How to realize a transaction management method is a big issue.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems caused by the prior art, and is capable of operating an automatic transaction apparatus with an appropriate number of units in terms of power consumption without impairing customer convenience. An object is to provide a transaction management system and an automatic transaction management method.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides an automatic transaction management system for controlling power consumption of an automatic transaction apparatus for depositing and withdrawing money, and a user waiting for a transaction in the automatic transaction apparatus. An imaging unit that captures an included image; a queue detection unit that detects the queue of the user by analyzing the image captured by the imaging unit; and the queue detected by the queue detection unit And switching means for switching the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus based on the state of the queue.

  Further, the present invention is the above invention, wherein the automatic transaction apparatus transitions between a power ON state in which a transaction can be normally performed and a power OFF state in which a transaction cannot be performed, and the switching means Is configured to switch the operation state of the automatic transaction apparatus to either the power-on state or the power-off state based on the queue state detected by the queue detection means.

  Further, the present invention is the above invention, wherein the automatic transaction apparatus further shifts to a sleep state, which is a power saving state that can be easily restored to the power ON state, and the switching means includes the waiting state. Based on the state of the queue detected by the queue detecting means, the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus is switched from the power ON state to the sleep state, and when the sleep state continues for a predetermined time, the sleep state is changed from the sleep state to the sleep state. It is characterized by switching to a power OFF state.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the switching means switches the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus based on the number of waiting persons detected in the queue detected by the queue detecting means.

  Moreover, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the switching means switches the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus based on a waiting time of the queue detected by the queue detecting means.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the switching means switches the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus based on a change rate of the state of the queue detected by the queue detecting means. .

  Further, according to the present invention, in the above invention, a storage unit that stores the status of the queue detected by the queue detection unit for each business day, and the queue for each business day stored by the storage unit. Extraction means for extracting the state of the queue to be used on a predetermined day from among the states, and the switching means is based on the state of the queue extracted by the extraction means. The operation state of the automatic transaction apparatus is switched.

  Further, the present invention is an automatic transaction management method for controlling power consumption of an automatic transaction apparatus for depositing and withdrawing money, and an imaging step for capturing an image including a user waiting for a transaction in the automatic transaction apparatus; A queue detecting step for detecting the queue of the user by analyzing the image picked up by the image pickup means; and the automatic transaction apparatus based on the state of the queue detected by the queue detecting step. And a switching step of switching the operating state of the system.

  According to the present invention, an image including a user waiting for a transaction in an automatic transaction apparatus is captured, and the user's queue is detected by analyzing the captured image, and the detected queue state is obtained. Based on the status of the user's queue waiting for transactions in the automatic transaction device, the operational state of the automatic transaction device is switched based on the user's convenience. There is an effect that an appropriate number of automatic transaction apparatuses can be operated in terms of power consumption without loss.

  Further, according to the present invention, the automatic transaction apparatus makes a transition between a power-on state in which transactions can be normally performed and a power-off state in which transactions cannot be performed, and is automatically performed based on the detected queue state. Since the operating state of the transaction device is switched to either the power ON state or the power OFF state, it is appropriate in terms of power consumption by turning off the automatic transaction device that does not need to be operated in view of the queue state. There is an effect that a number of automatic transaction apparatuses can be operated.

  Further, according to the present invention, the automatic transaction apparatus further shifts to the sleep state, which is a power saving state that can be easily restored to the power-on state, and the automatic transaction apparatus operates based on the detected queue state. Is switched from the power ON state to the sleep state, and when the sleep state continues for a predetermined time, it is decided to switch from the sleep state to the power OFF state, so even if the number of queued users increases rapidly, By making the transition from the sleep state to the power ON state, it is possible to prevent the user from waiting excessively.

  Further, according to the present invention, since the operation state of the automatic transaction apparatus is switched based on the detected number of waiting persons in the queue, it is possible to operate an appropriate number of automatic transaction apparatuses in view of the number of waiting persons. There is an effect. Therefore, there is an effect that the power consumption of all automatic transaction apparatuses as a whole can be reduced.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since the operation state of the automatic transaction apparatus is switched based on the detected waiting time of the queue, it is possible to operate an appropriate number of automatic transaction apparatuses in view of the wait time. There is an effect. Therefore, there is an effect that the power consumption of all automatic transaction apparatuses as a whole can be reduced.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus is switched based on the detected change rate of the queue state, so even if there is a sudden change in the queue, There is an effect that a large number of automatic transaction apparatuses can be operated. Therefore, there is an effect that the power consumption of all automatic transaction apparatuses as a whole can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, the detected queue status is accumulated every business day, and the queue status to be used on a predetermined day is extracted from the accumulated queue status for each business day. Since the operation state of the automatic transaction apparatus on the predetermined day is switched based on the extracted queue state, the number of the automatic transaction apparatus operating on the predetermined business day is determined based on the past operation results. Thus, there is an effect that an appropriate number of automatic transaction apparatuses can be operated according to the type of business day such as the day with 5, the day with 10, the day of the week, the day of the week, the beginning of the month, and the end of the month.

  Exemplary embodiments of an automatic transaction management system and an automatic transaction management method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, below, the case where the state of a queue is acquired using the camera which images the queue waiting for transaction with an automatic transaction apparatus from upper direction is demonstrated.

  In the following, after describing the outline of the automatic transaction management method according to the present invention with reference to FIG. 1, examples of the automatic transaction management system to which the automatic transaction management method according to the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. This will be described using.

  First, the outline | summary of the automatic transaction management method concerning this invention is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of an automatic transaction management method according to the present invention. The figure shows a case where queue detection is performed at an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) corner provided in a financial institution such as a bank.

  As shown in the figure, a plurality of automatic transaction apparatuses 100 are installed in the ATM corner. In the automatic transaction management method according to the present invention, the operation state of the automatic transaction apparatus 100 is controlled based on the state of the queue obtained by imaging the queue in front of the ATM corner and analyzing the captured image. There are features.

  Specifically, the queue is picked up by a camera provided on the ceiling of an ATM corner (see (1) in the figure), and the number of waits or waiting time is obtained by image analysis of the picked-up image (same as above). (Refer to (2) in the figure). And the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus 100 is determined based on the acquired waiting number of persons or waiting time (refer (3) of the figure).

  As described above, in the automatic transaction management method according to the present invention, since the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus 100 is determined based on the state of the queue at the ATM corner, the automatic transaction management method is automatically performed based on the number of customers existing in the store. Compared to the conventional method for determining the operating state of the transaction apparatus 100, it is possible to acquire a more accurate waiting number or waiting time.

  Therefore, it is possible to operate an appropriate number of automatic transaction apparatuses 100 according to the number of customers waiting for transactions in the automatic transaction apparatus 100 or the waiting time. Thereby, the power consumption as all the automatic transaction apparatuses 100 whole in an ATM corner can be reduced.

  The automatic transaction management method according to the present invention accumulates the captured queue state as log information, and the log information described above is generated in an operation schedule generation process indicating the number of operating automatic transaction apparatuses 100 on a predetermined business day. This point will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In addition, the automatic transaction apparatus 100 that is subject to power consumption control by the automatic transaction management method according to the present invention is a power-on state that indicates a normal state in which transactions are possible, and a sleep state that is a power-saving state that can be easily restored to the power-on state. It is assumed that transition is made between each state of the power OFF state where the state and the transaction cannot be performed, and this point will also be described later with reference to FIG.

  Below, the Example of the automatic transaction management system to which the automatic transaction management method demonstrated using FIG. 1 is applied is described.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the automatic transaction management system according to the present embodiment. In addition, in the same figure, although the operation state switching apparatus 10 connected to the camera 200 and the automatic transaction apparatus 100 showed the case where automatic transaction management was performed, it is assumed that the operation state switching apparatus 10 is comprised from several apparatus. Also good.

  For example, a queue detection device or a queue detection system including the camera 200 analyzes a captured image by the camera 200 to detect the number of waiting persons in the queue, and information related to the queue such as the detected waiting number. The operation state switching device 10 may be notified. In this case, the operating state switching device 10 determines the operating state of the automatic transaction device 100 based on the received information relating to the queue.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the operating state switching device 10 is connected to a camera 200 such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Devices) camera that images a queue and a plurality of automatic transaction devices 100. The operating state switching device 10 includes a control unit 11 and a storage unit 12, and the control unit 11 includes a queue detection unit 11a, a waiting number acquisition unit 11b, an operating state switching unit 11c, and an operating state. And a state acquisition unit 11d. The storage unit 12 stores threshold information 12a and operation information 12b.

  The control unit 11 receives an image captured by the camera 200, acquires a queue state from the received captured image, and each automatic transaction device based on the acquired queue state and the current operating state of the automatic transaction device 100. 100 is a processing unit that performs processing to switch the operating state of 100.

  The queue detection unit 11a is a processing unit that performs a process of detecting a user configuring the queue by performing image analysis on a captured image captured by the camera 200. The waiting number acquisition unit 11b is a processing unit that performs processing for acquiring the number of users detected by the queue detection unit 11a as the waiting number.

  Here, an outline of processing performed by the queue detection unit 11a and the waiting number acquisition unit 11b will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an overview of the queue detection process and the waiting number acquisition process.

  The “pixel feature” shown in the figure refers to a pixel in which a change in luminance change that satisfies a predetermined condition is observed. The reason why the pixel feature is used in this way is to reflect the transition of the luminance change caused by the slight movement of the body even in the case of a stationary person in the person detection.

  The “edge feature” shown in the figure refers to a pixel obtained by removing, from the detected edge, an edge that is stationary for a predetermined time and an edge that is continuous for a certain number of pixels in the same direction. The reason for using the edge feature in this way is to remove the edge in the background image. The edge refers to a portion where the luminance change in the image is abrupt, and can be detected by using, for example, a Laplacian filter.

  In addition, a reference numeral 31 in the figure is a captured image captured by the camera 200. 32 shows the “definition frame” (see 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, and 1e in the figure) that can be redefined for the captured image shown in 31 of FIG. Is an analysis image including “person candidate blocks” (A, B, and C in the figure) extracted as.

  Here, the redefinable “definition frame” is set in advance as a size corresponding to one person (a person size including the position from the foot position to the head position) in the area to be counted, for example, The floor surface of the passage divided by the pole and the rope is provided so as to be separated at intervals of 60 cm to 70 cm.

  In addition, the shape of the definition frame differs depending on the distance from the imaging viewpoint (camera position) for imaging the area to be counted, and furthermore, the definition frames at positions away from the imaging viewpoint overlap each other. . This is because the images are captured so that the persons overlap as they move away from the imaging viewpoint.

  On the other hand, the “person candidate block” is represented as a set of blocks having a size of 8 pixels × 8 pixels, for example, and all the blocks constituting the person candidate block have an edge feature and a pixel feature. It is a block.

  Specifically, if there is at least one pixel detected as having a pixel feature in the block, this block is regarded as a block having a pixel feature. In addition, if the number of pixels detected as having an edge feature is greater than or equal to a predetermined number (for example, 3) in the block, this block is a block having an edge feature.

  By the way, in FIG. 31, four persons are included. In FIG. 32, the persons captured in an overlapping manner (two persons on the right side in 31 in FIG. 31) are grouped as one lump. It is detected (see C in the figure). The waiting number acquisition unit 11b performs processing so that the persons imaged in such a manner are not counted repeatedly between the definition frames.

  Specifically, for each person candidate block, the presence / absence of a person is determined in order from the definition frame close to the imaging viewpoint. In the case shown in the figure, the presence / absence of a person in each definition frame is determined in the order of the definition frame 1a, the definition frame 1b, the definition frame 1c, the definition frame 1d, and the definition frame 1e. Here, in the person presence / absence determination in each definition frame, the person presence / absence determination region in the focused definition frame is determined based on the person presence / absence in the previous definition frame.

  For example, when the definition frame 1d in the figure is determined to be a frame with a person, and subsequently the presence / absence of a person in the definition frame 1e is determined, an area obtained by subtracting the overlapping portion with the definition frame 1d from the definition frame 1e By setting the area, it is possible to prevent a person already counted in the definition frame 1d from being counted repeatedly in the definition frame 1e.

  If it is determined that there is no person in the immediately preceding definition frame, this time, an area obtained by subtracting an overlapping portion with the immediately following definition frame from the target definition frame is set as a person presence / absence determination area. In this way, the reason why the overlapping area with the immediately following definition frame is subtracted is to prevent a person existing in the immediately following definition frame from being counted repeatedly even in the target definition frame.

  In this way, the waiting number acquisition unit 11b acquires the waiting number in the queue. Although FIG. 3 shows the case where overlapping definition frames are used, it is also possible to acquire the waiting number of queues using definition frames that do not overlap.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 2, the operating state switching unit 11c will be described. The operating state switching unit 11c is a processing unit that performs a process of switching the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus 100 based on the waiting number received from the waiting number acquisition unit 11b, the threshold information 12a and the operation information 12b in the storage unit 12.

  Here, an example of the threshold information 12a, an operation state transition, and an example of the operation information 12b will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the threshold information 12a. As shown in the drawing, the threshold information 12a includes a “waiting number” item indicating the range of waiting numbers, and an “operating number” item indicating the ideal number of operating automatic transaction apparatuses 100 corresponding to each waiting number range. It contains information.

  For example, in the case shown in the figure, the number of operating units is defined as 2 in the range of the waiting number of 0 to 5 people, and the number of operating units is 3 in the range of the waiting number of 6 to 10 people. It is defined as In the present embodiment, the case where the number of operating units is associated with each range of the waiting number has been described. However, the number of operating units that should be increased every time the predetermined number of waiting numbers is exceeded may be defined. Moreover, it is good also as defining the operation number which should be decreased whenever it falls below a predetermined waiting number.

  For example, if the initial number is set to two, if the waiting number is 5, the number of operating units is added, and if the waiting number is 10, the number of operating units is further added. The threshold information 12a may be defined. Alternatively, the threshold information 12a may be defined so that the initial number is set to 2 and the number of operating units is decreased by 1 if the waiting number is less than 3.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating operation state transition and operation information 12b. In addition, (A) of the figure shows an operation state transition diagram of the automatic transaction apparatus 100, and (B) of the figure shows an example of the operation information 12b.

  As shown in (A) of FIG. 5, the automatic transaction apparatus 100 performs transactions in a power-on state indicating a normal state in which transactions can be performed, a sleep state that is a power saving state that can be easily restored to the power-on state, and transactions. It is possible to make a transition to the power-off state that cannot be performed.

  For example, the automatic transaction apparatus 100 can transition from the power-on state to the power-off state (see (A-1) in the figure), but the operating state switching unit 11c changes from the power-on state to the sleep state. When the sleep state continues for a predetermined time (see (A-3) in the figure), the sleep state is changed to the power OFF state (see (A-4) in the figure).

  In this way, by making a transition from the power-on state to the power-off state through the sleep state, it is possible to immediately transition the automatic transaction apparatus 100 in the sleep state to the power-on state when the number of waiting persons suddenly increases. Become. Thereby, even when there is a sudden increase in the number of waiting persons, the waiting time of the customer can be reduced.

  In addition, although the operating state switching part 11c shall transition the automatic transaction apparatus 100 from a power-OFF state to a power-ON state (refer (A-2) of the figure), it goes through a sleep state from a power-OFF state. It is good also as making it change to a power ON state.

  The operation information 12b shown in (B) of FIG. 5 is information indicating in which operation state each automatic transaction apparatus 100 is in the operation state shown in (A) of FIG. As shown in the figure, the operation information 12b includes an “apparatus number” item indicating an identifier for identifying the automatic transaction apparatus 100, a “priority order” item indicating a priority order when transitioning to a power-on state, 5 (A), the information includes an “operation state” item indicating each operation state.

  For example, the automatic transaction apparatus 100 with the priority “1” has a device number “2” and the current operating state is “power ON”. In addition, the device number of the automatic transaction apparatus 100 having the priority “2” is “3”, and the current operating state is “sleep”. The current operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus 100 having the priority orders “6” and “7” is “power OFF”.

  In this state, when any one of the automatic transaction apparatuses 100 having the device numbers “1” and “4” shown in the figure is turned on and the number of operating units is increased, the automatic transaction apparatus 100 having the device number “1” is increased. Since this has a higher priority, the operating state switching unit 11c controls the automatic transaction apparatus 100 having the apparatus number “1” to be in the power ON state.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 2, the description of the operating state switching unit 11c is continued. The operating state switching unit 11c determines whether the waiting number received from the waiting number acquisition unit 11b is included in the waiting number range in the threshold value information 12a, thereby indicating “the required number of operations necessary for the waiting number”. The number of units is determined. Then, the operating state switching unit 11c compares the determined required operating number with the current operating number indicating the current operating number acquired from the operating information 12b, and executes the operating state switching process.

  For example, when the required number of operating units is four and the number of currently operating units is two, two of the automatic transaction apparatuses 100 in the power-off state are in an operating state so that the power is turned off. Switch. Also, if the required number of operating units is 2 and the current number of operating units is 4, change the operating status so that 2 of the automatic transaction devices in the power ON state are switched from the power ON state to the power OFF state. Switch.

  The operating state switching unit 11c transitions the automatic transaction apparatus 100 from the sleep state to the power OFF state when the automatic transaction apparatus 100 transitions to the sleep state and a predetermined time has elapsed. The automatic transaction apparatus 100 itself may automatically transition from the sleep state to the power-off state.

  The operating state acquisition unit 11d is a processing unit that acquires the current operating state from each automatic transaction apparatus 100 and performs processing for updating the operating information 12b with the acquired operating state. In the present embodiment, the case where the operating state acquisition unit 11d acquires the operating state from the automatic transaction apparatus 100 has been described, but the operating state may not be acquired from the automatic transaction apparatus 100.

  In this case, every time the operating state switching unit 11c gives an instruction to change the operating state of each automatic transaction apparatus 100, the operating state 12b is updated with the operating state that is the transition destination, and the waiting state fluctuates to change the operating state. When it becomes necessary to switch, a new operating number is determined based on the operating information 12b updated previously.

  The storage unit 12 is a storage unit configured by a storage device such as a nonvolatile memory or a hard disk drive, and stores threshold information 12a and operation information 12b. Since the threshold information 12a has been described with reference to FIG. 4 and the operation information 12b has been described with reference to FIG. 5, description thereof is omitted here.

  Next, the process procedure which an automatic transaction management system performs is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure executed by the automatic transaction management system. As shown in the figure, when the camera 200 images the queue (step S101), the waiting number acquisition unit 11b detects the waiting number (step S102).

  Further, the operating state switching unit 11c obtains the required number of operating units by comparing the threshold information 12a with the waiting number detected in step S102 (step S103). Then, it is determined whether or not the required operating number acquired in step S103 is larger than the current operating number acquired from the operation information 12b (step S104).

  If the required operating number is larger than the current operating number (step S104, Yes), the operating number is increased (step S105), and the processes after step S101 are repeated. The number of operating units to be increased in step S105 is the number obtained by subtracting the current operating number from the required number of operating units, but it is also possible to increase the operating number by one.

  On the other hand, when the determination condition of step S104 is not satisfied (step S104, No), it is determined whether or not the required operation number is equal to the current operation number (step S106). If the required operating number is equal to the current operating number (step S106, Yes), the number of operating units is maintained (step S107), and the processes after step S101 are repeated.

  On the other hand, when the determination condition of step S106 is not satisfied, that is, when the required number of operating units is smaller than the current number of operating units (step S106, No), control is performed to decrease the number of operating units after a predetermined time has elapsed (step S108). ), And the process after step S101 is repeated. Note that the number of operating units to be decreased in step S108 is the number obtained by subtracting the required number of operating units from the current operating unit, but it is also possible to decrease the operating unit by one.

  By the way, until now, the case where the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus 100 is controlled based on the required operating number calculated from the waiting number and the current operating number has been described. The operating state on a predetermined business day may be determined based on the accumulated log information. Therefore, hereinafter, the operating state switching device 10a having the schedule generation function will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a first modification of the automatic transaction management system. In the operating state switching device 10a shown in the figure, the same components as those in the operating state switching device 10 shown in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The explanation of is omitted or only a brief explanation.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the operating state switching device 10a according to the first modification, the control unit 11 further includes an accumulation unit 11e, a selection unit 11f, and a schedule generation unit 11g, and the storage unit 12 includes: This is different from the operation state switching device 10 shown in FIG. 2 in that queue log information 12c and schedule information 12d are further stored.

  The accumulating unit 11e receives information indicating the queue status such as the waiting number from the waiting number acquiring unit 11b, and stores the received information as queue log information 12c in association with time information such as date and time. Part. In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which the accumulating unit 11e accumulates the maximum waiting number for a predetermined time (for example, 1 hour) from the opening time of each business day.

  The selection unit 11f is a processing unit that performs processing for selecting log information corresponding to a predetermined business day from the queue log information 12c. For example, the selection unit 11f selects, from the queue log information 12c, log information that satisfies the conditions such as the business day with 5 at the end, the business day with 10, the day of the week, the first business day of the month, the business day at the end of the month, etc. To do.

  The selection unit 11f may perform the above-described selection process based on an instruction via an input unit (not shown), or may automatically perform the above-described selection process based on a business day related to schedule generation. Good.

  The schedule generation unit 11g is a processing unit that performs processing for generating schedule information 12d indicating a schedule (schedule) of the number of operating units during the opening hours based on the log information selected from the queue log information 12c by the selection unit 11f. is there.

  For example, when generating a schedule with a date of 5 and receiving log information with a date of 5 from the queue log information 12c via the selection unit 11f, the average of the maximum number of people waiting in the received log information Calculate the value. Then, by comparing the calculated average value with the threshold information 12a shown in FIG. 4, the initial number of operating units on the corresponding business day is acquired.

  Note that the schedule information 12d may be distinguished by, for example, color-coding the scheduled number of operations on each business day by associating it with calendar information as information indicating the schedule (schedule) of the number of operations for one month. .

  For example, when there are three normal operating units, the color is coded such as black when the planned operating number can be the normal operating unit, and red when the planned operating unit should be increased from the normal operating unit. To do. In this way, when the schedule information 12d is displayed on a display device (not shown) or printed by a printing device, the increase / decrease in the number of planned operations can be easily understood by a user (for example, a bank employee). It can be presented.

  The operating state switching unit 11c determines the initial operating number by referring to the schedule information 12d of the day at the start of business, and automatically starts up the automatic transaction apparatus 100 for the initial operating number. Thereafter, as in the case shown in FIG. 2, the operating number is adjusted according to the latest waiting number.

  Next, a processing procedure of queue log accumulation processing performed by the accumulation unit 11e will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the queue log accumulation processing. Note that “MAX” shown in the figure is a numerical value indicating the maximum waiting number, and is temporarily stored in the storage unit 12 or the like. Further, the flowchart shown in FIG. 8 is assumed to be started simultaneously with the start of business.

  As shown in the figure, when the camera 200 images the queue (step S201), the waiting number acquisition unit 11b detects the waiting number (step S202). Then, the storage unit 11e determines whether or not the waiting number received from the waiting number acquisition unit 11b is larger than MAX (step S203).

  If the waiting number is larger than MAX (step S203, Yes), the MAX is updated with the waiting number (step S204). In addition, when the determination condition of step S203 is not satisfied (step S203, No), the processing after step S201 is repeated.

  Following step S204, the storage unit 11e determines whether or not the current time is a completion time (for example, one hour after the business start time) (step S205), and if it is the completion time (step S205). , Yes), MAX is associated with the date (step S206), and the process ends. In addition, when the determination condition of step S205 is not satisfied (step S205, No), the processing after step S201 is repeated.

  Note that the imaging process shown in step S201 may be performed as needed, or may be performed at predetermined intervals (for example, every 5 minutes). Further, FIG. 8 shows the case where the maximum waiting number from the business start time to the completion time is stored in association with the date, but the waiting number obtained from the captured image is stored as needed in association with the captured image acquisition time. It is good to do.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure of schedule generation processing performed by the schedule generation unit 11g. If a day of the week or date is input by an input unit (not shown) (step S301), the selection unit 11f extracts log information that matches the input extraction condition from the queue log information 12c (step S302).

  Subsequently, the schedule generation unit 11g calculates the average waiting number by taking the average waiting number of the extracted log information (step S303). Then, the operating number corresponding to the calculated average waiting number is determined (step S304), and schedule information 12d for the corresponding business day is generated (step S305).

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the processing for all schedules for which a schedule is to be generated has been completed (step S306). If all schedules have been completed (Yes in step S306), the processing is terminated. On the other hand, when the determination condition of step S306 is not satisfied (step S306, No), the processing after step S301 is repeated.

  7 to 9, a case has been described in which the waiting number from the business start time to a predetermined time later is accumulated as log information, and the initial operation number at the business start time in the future or the current day is determined. The number of people waiting for each hour may be accumulated as log information. By doing in this way, the operation plan for every hour in each business day can be made.

  By the way, until now, the case where the operation state of the automatic transaction apparatus 100 is controlled based on the number of waiting persons in the queue has been described, but the waiting time in the queue is calculated, and the automatic transaction apparatus is calculated based on the calculated waiting time. 100 operating states may be controlled. Therefore, in the following, the case where the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus 100 is controlled based on the waiting time will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a second modification of the automatic transaction management system. In the operating state switching device 10b shown in the figure, the same components as those in the operating state switching device 10 shown in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The explanation of is omitted or only a brief explanation.

  As illustrated in FIG. 10, the operating state switching device 10b according to the second modification is different from the operating state switching device 10 illustrated in FIG. 2 in that the control unit 11 includes a waiting time calculating unit 11h. The waiting time calculation unit 11h is a processing unit that performs a process of calculating the waiting time in the queue based on the waiting number received from the waiting number acquisition unit 11b and the current operating number received from the operation information 12b.

  For example, the waiting time calculation unit 11h sets the waiting time “Tw” when the waiting number is “W”, the average usage time of the automatic transaction apparatus 100 is “T”, and the number of operating automatic transaction apparatuses 100 is “n”. Is calculated by “Tw = W × T / n model”. Note that the waiting time “Tw” may be calculated using a so-called “M / M / n model” generally used in queuing theory.

  Here, the threshold information 12a is obtained by replacing the “waiting number of people” item shown in FIG. 4 with a “waiting time” item. For example, if the waiting time is in the range of 0 to 5 minutes, the number of operating units can be two, and if the waiting time is in the range of 6 to 10 minutes, the number of operating units can be three. In the present embodiment, the case where the number of operating units is associated with each waiting time range has been described. However, the number of operating units to be increased every time a predetermined waiting time is exceeded may be defined. Moreover, it is good also as defining the operation number which should be decreased whenever it falls below predetermined waiting time.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure executed by the automatic transaction management system according to the second modification. As shown in the figure, when the camera 200 images the queue (step S401), the waiting number acquisition unit 11b detects the waiting number (step S402).

  In addition, the waiting time calculating unit 11h calculates the waiting time using the waiting number detected in step 402 and the average usage time and the number of operating units obtained based on the operation information 12b (step S403). Then, the operating state switching unit 11c acquires the required operating number by comparing the threshold information 12a with the waiting time calculated in step S403 (step S404), and the required operating number acquired in step S404 is It is determined whether or not the number is larger than the current operating number acquired from the information 12b (step S405).

  If the required operating number is larger than the current operating number (step S405, Yes), the operating number is increased (step S406), and the processes after step S401 are repeated. Note that the number of operating units to be increased in step S406 is the number obtained by subtracting the current operating number from the required number of operating units, but the operating number may be increased by one.

  On the other hand, when the determination condition of step S405 is not satisfied (step S405, No), it is determined whether the required number of operations and the current number of operations are equal (step S407). If the required operating number is equal to the current operating number (step S407, Yes), the number of operating units is maintained (step S408), and the processes after step S401 are repeated.

  On the other hand, when the determination condition of step S407 is not satisfied, that is, when the required number of operating units is smaller than the current number of operating units (step S407, No), control is performed to decrease the number of operating units after a predetermined time has elapsed (step S409). ), And the process after step S401 is repeated. Note that the number of operating units to be reduced in step S409 is the number of operating units minus the required number of operating units, but the number of operating units may be reduced by one.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the camera captures an image including a user who waits for a transaction in the automatic transaction apparatus, and the queue detection unit analyzes the captured image to analyze the user's image. Since the queue is detected and the operating state switching unit is configured to switch the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus based on the detected queue state, the transaction at the automatic transaction apparatus is configured. By switching the operation state of the automatic transaction device based on the state of the queue of the user who waits, it is possible to operate an appropriate number of automatic transaction devices in terms of power consumption without impairing the convenience of the user it can.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus is switched based on the number of waiting persons or waiting time in the queue has been described. However, automatic transaction based on the rate of change in waiting number or the rate of change in waiting time is described. The operating state of the device may be switched. For example, when the rate of increase in the number of waiting people per unit time exceeds a predetermined threshold, the number of operating units is increased, and when the rate of decrease in the number of waiting units per unit time falls below a predetermined threshold, the number of operating units is decreased. Can do.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the required operating number calculated based on the number of waiting persons is compared with the current operating number indicating the number of currently operating automatic transaction apparatuses, and the operation state of the automatic transaction apparatus is switched. Explained. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the required operating number may be compared with the sum of the current operating number and the waiting number to switch the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus.

  For example, if the total number is 20 and the required number of operations is 17, and if the current number of operations is 15 and the number of people waiting is 3, then “required number of operations <current operation number + number of people waiting” Therefore, it is possible not to switch the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus. By doing so, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the automatic transaction apparatus is newly operated in spite of a sufficiently large number of currently operating units.

  As described above, according to the automatic transaction management system and the automatic transaction management method according to the present invention, when it is desired to operate an automatic transaction apparatus of an appropriate number in terms of power consumption without impairing user convenience. Useful.

It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the automatic transaction management method which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the automatic transaction management system which concerns on a present Example. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of a queue detection process and waiting number of persons acquisition process. It is a figure which shows an example of threshold value information. It is a figure which shows operation state transition and operation information. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence which an automatic transaction management system performs. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the modification 1 of an automatic transaction management system. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of a queue log accumulation | storage process. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of a schedule production | generation process. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the modification 2 of an automatic transaction management system. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence which the automatic transaction management system which concerns on the modification 2 performs.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Operation state switching apparatus 11 Control part 11a Queue detection part 11b Waiting number acquisition part 11c Operation state switching part 11d Operation state acquisition part 11e Accumulation part 11f Selection part 11g Schedule generation part 11h Wait time calculation part 12 Storage part 12a Threshold information 12b Operation information 12c Queue log information 12d Schedule information 100 Automatic transaction device 200 Automatic transaction device

Claims (8)

An automatic transaction management system for controlling power consumption of an automatic transaction apparatus for depositing and withdrawing money,
Imaging means for capturing an image including a user waiting for a transaction in the automatic transaction apparatus;
A queue detection means for detecting the queue of the user by analyzing the image captured by the imaging means;
An automatic transaction management system comprising: switching means for switching an operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus based on the state of the queue detected by the queue detection means. The automatic transaction apparatus is
A transition between a power-on state in which a transaction can be normally performed and a power-off state in which a transaction cannot be performed,
The switching means is
The operation state of the automatic transaction apparatus is switched to either the power-on state or the power-off state based on the state of the queue detected by the queue detection unit. Automatic transaction management system. The automatic transaction apparatus is
Further transition to a sleep state, which is a power saving state that can be easily restored to the power ON state,
The switching means is
Based on the state of the queue detected by the queue detection means, the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus is switched from the power ON state to the sleep state, and when the sleep state continues for a predetermined time, the sleep state The automatic transaction management system according to claim 2, wherein the automatic power management system is switched to the power-off state. The switching means is
4. The automatic transaction management system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus is switched based on the number of persons waiting in the queue detected by the queue detection means. The switching means is
4. The automatic transaction management system according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein an operation state of the automatic transaction apparatus is switched based on a waiting time of the queue detected by the queue detection means. The switching means is
4. The automatic transaction management system according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the operation state of the automatic transaction apparatus is switched based on a change rate of the state of the queue detected by the queue detection means. Storage means for storing the status of the queue detected by the queue detection means every business day;
An extraction means for extracting the status of the queue to be used on a predetermined day from the status of the queue for each business day accumulated by the accumulation means; and
The switching means is
The automatic transaction management according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an operation state of the automatic transaction apparatus on the predetermined day is switched based on a state of the queue extracted by the extraction unit. system. An automatic transaction management method for controlling power consumption of an automatic transaction apparatus for depositing and withdrawing money,
An imaging step of capturing an image including a user waiting for a transaction in the automatic transaction apparatus;
A queue detection step of detecting the queue of the user by analyzing the image captured by the imaging means;
A switching step of switching an operating state of the automatic transaction apparatus based on the state of the queue detected by the queue detection step.

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