JP2020077021A - Advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit, computer program product and method thereof for estimating the number of viewers of out-of-home (ooh) advertisement passing through specific position in predetermined period - Google Patents

Abstract

To estimate the number of viewers for an OOH advertisement.SOLUTION: An advertisement viewership measurement operation receives a target probe request frame transmitted by another wireless communication device, records an arrival time, and examines a frame field structure. It is confirmed that a target probe request frame is assigned to a corresponding data group according to an arrival time, a frame field structure, and a sequence control value in a header, and all probe request frames in the same data group have the same frame field structure, a time difference in arrival times between two latest probe request frames in the same data group is smaller than a first setting value, a difference of the sequence control value between two latest probe request frames in the same data group is smaller than a second set value, and an estimated number of viewers of an OOH advertisement passing through a specific position in a predetermined period is calculated based on a total number of obtained data groups.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present disclosure relates generally to advertisement viewer measurement devices, and more particularly to advertisement viewer dynamics for estimating the number of viewers of out-of-home (ООH) advertisements that pass a particular location in a given time period. The present invention relates to a measurement circuit, a computer program product related to the measurement circuit, and a method thereof.

  As commercial activity has increased, various out-of-home (Oh) advertisements have become more common. As an example, many OOH advertisements are in the form of neon lamps, electronic panels, light boxes, balloons, large inflatable models, flat posters, or various streets, parks, airports, public transport vehicles. , Airships, or on the walls of the corridors of various buildings, exist in another easily found form.

  For advertisers and advertising agents, the number of viewers of an advertisement is one of the most important factors in evaluating the effectiveness of an advertisement. However, the estimation of the number of viewers of an advertisement is very complicated. The most typical way to estimate the number of viewers of an OOH advertisement is to have a researcher stand by the OOH advertisement to observe, count, and record the number of people watching the OOH advertisement. .. However, this typical method results in a huge labor cost, and further, when the advertisement is placed in many different places, the application of the above method is not realistic.

MATHY VANHOEF, et.al., Why MAC address Randomization is not Enough An Analysis of Wi-Fi Network Discovery Mechanisms, 2016

  One of the recently developed methods for estimating the number of viewers of an OOH advertisement is to install a camera and a computer at the place of the OOH advertisement to utilize the image recognition technology and to make the face and appearance of the viewer of the advertisement. This is a method of measuring the physical characteristics in real time, counting the number of people watching the OOH advertisement, and recording it. However, this method requires the use of cameras, computers, and complex image recognition algorithms, and further limits the detection range (or detection angle) of the camera. Therefore, this method not only requires a considerable hardware cost, but also lowers the measurement accuracy. Moreover, such a method is not suitable when the advertisement is placed in many different locations.

  Disclosed is an exemplary embodiment of an advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit for estimating the number of viewers of OOH (out of home) advertisements that pass through a particular location in a given time period. The advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit is connected to the wireless reception circuit and the storage device for storing the computer program product in an arithmetically operable manner, and is capable of executing the computer program product for performing the operation. And a processing circuit. The operation includes, by a wireless reception circuit, receiving a target probe request frame transmitted by another wireless communication device, recording an arrival time of the target probe request frame, and examining a frame field structure of the target probe request frame. According to the step, the arrival time and frame field structure of the target probe request frame, and the sequence control value in the header of the target probe request frame, the target probe request frame is assigned to the corresponding data group, and all the data in the same data group are allocated. The probe request frames have the same frame field structure, the difference in arrival time between the two latest probe request frames in the same data group is smaller than the first set value, and the same data Confirming that the difference in the sequence control values between the two latest probe request frames in the group is smaller than the second set value, and based on the total number of the obtained data groups, a specific position in a predetermined period. Calculating an estimated number of viewers of the OOH advertisement passing through.

  An embodiment of a computer program product stored in a storage device of an advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit is disclosed. The computer program product enables the ad viewer dynamic measurement circuit to perform viewership measurement operations for OOH ads. The operation of measuring the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement includes receiving a target probe request frame transmitted by another wireless communication device by a wireless reception circuit, recording an arrival time of the target probe request frame, and the target probe. Determining the frame field structure of the request frame, assigning the target probe request frame to the corresponding data group according to the arrival time and frame field structure of the target probe request frame, and the sequence control value in the header of the target probe request frame. , All probe request frames in the same data group have the same frame field structure, and the difference in arrival time between the two latest probe request frames in the same data group is the first set value. Based on the total number of obtained data groups, and the step of confirming that the difference between the sequence control values between the two latest probe request frames in the same data group is less than the second set value. And calculating an estimated number of viewers of the OOH advertisement passing through a specific position in a predetermined period.

  An embodiment of a method for measuring the number of viewers of an OOH advertisement is disclosed. The method includes, by a wireless receiving circuit, receiving a target probe request frame transmitted by another wireless communication device, recording an arrival time of the target probe request frame, and examining a frame field structure of the target probe request frame. According to the step, the arrival time and frame field structure of the target probe request frame, and the sequence control value in the header of the target probe request frame, the target probe request frame is assigned to the corresponding data group, and all the data in the same data group are allocated. The probe request frames have the same frame field structure, the difference in arrival time between the two latest probe request frames in the same data group is smaller than the first set value, and the same data Confirming that the difference between the sequence control values between the two latest probe request frames in the group is smaller than the second set value, and based on the total number of the obtained data groups, a specific position is determined in a predetermined period. Calculating an estimated number of viewers of the OOH advertisement passing through.

  The above summary of the invention and the following detailed description of the invention are intended for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention described in the claims.

It is a functional block diagram which simplified the OOH advertising system concerning one embodiment of this indication. FIG. 2 is a simplified functional module diagram of a computer program product in the advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 9 is a simplified flowchart of a method of measuring the number of viewers of an OOH advertisement according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 4 is a simplified flowchart of a method of grouping probe request frames in FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

  Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar parts, configurations, or operations.

  FIG. 1 is a simplified functional block diagram of an OOH (out-of-home) advertising system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The out-of-home advertising system 100 includes an advertising display device 110, an ad viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120, a plurality of wireless communication devices (eg, the exemplary wireless communication devices 130a-130k shown in FIG. 1), a remote data statistics server 150. , And one or more client devices (eg, the exemplary client device 160 shown in FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 1, the advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 of this embodiment includes a wireless reception circuit 121, a storage device 122, a communication circuit 123, a transmission interface 124, and a processing circuit 125. , A program 126 for measuring the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement is stored.

  Throughout this specification and the drawings, the letters ak can be used in the reference numbers of some devices for ease of reference to each device. The use of letters ak does not limit the number of associated devices to any particular value.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the advertising display device 110 can be implemented with various electronic devices capable of displaying OOH advertising content. As an example, the advertisement display device 110 can be realized by a neon lamp, an electronic display, a light box, an audio player, or the like. The advertisement viewer dynamic measuring circuit 120 is connected to the advertisement display device 110, and is arranged so as to estimate the number of viewers of an OOH advertisement passing through a specific position in a predetermined period. That is, the ad display device 110 and the ad viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 are co-located or in close proximity to each other.

  In the advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120, the wireless reception circuit 121 is arranged so as to be able to receive probe request frames transmitted from a plurality of wireless communication devices near the wireless reception circuit 121. The communication circuit 123 is arranged to communicate various data or commands with the remote data statistics server 150 via the network 140 or another data transmission path. The transmission interface 124 communicates various data or instructions with the ad display device 110 and / or receives power from the ad display device 110 required for the operation of the ad viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120. It can be connected to an appropriate interface of the advertising display device 110. The processing circuit 125 is connected to the wireless reception circuit 121, the storage device 122, the communication circuit 123, and the transmission interface 124. The processing circuit 125 is arranged to be able to execute the program 126 for measuring the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement stored in the storage device 122 to perform the operation of measuring the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement.

  Actually, the wireless reception circuit 121 can be realized by various signal reception circuits that comply with the 802.11 series wireless communication protocol. The communication circuit 123 can be realized as various appropriate circuits conforming to a related network communication protocol, wireless communication protocol, or mobile communication protocol, such as a network interface card (NIC), a Wi-Fi circuit, or a mobile communication circuit. .. The transmission interface 124 can be realized as various signal interface circuits conforming to an associated network communication protocol, wired communication protocol, or wireless communication protocol. For example, according to the communication method adopted for communication with the advertisement display device 110, the transmission interface 124 includes a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface, a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter) interface, a SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) interface, It may include a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) interface, a PCI-E (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) interface, a NIC (Network Interface Card) interface, a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) interface, or an NFC (Near Field Communication) interface, or It may include a combination of the interfaces described above.

  The program 126 for measuring the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement in the advertisement viewer dynamic measuring circuit 120 described above can be realized by a computer program product formed by one or more functional modules. For example, FIG. 2 is a simplified functional module diagram of the program 126 for measuring the number of viewers of an OOH advertisement in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the embodiment in FIG. 2, the program 126 for measuring the number of viewers of an OOH advertisement comprises a reception module 210, a determination module 220, a calculation module 230, a grouping module 240, and a report module 250.

  As wireless communication devices become more commonplace, most modern people carry a smartphone, tablet computer, laptop, or another wireless communication device capable of performing wireless network communication when they go out. is doing. Therefore, if the content of the wireless network packet sent by the wireless communication device around the place where the advertisement is placed (advertising location) can be used to identify the source device of the packet of the wireless network, it will appear at the advertising location. The number of viewers of the OOH advertisement can be estimated based on the total number of source devices of the identified wireless network packet.

  In the early stages, wireless communication devices from various vendors typically adopted the real MAC address mechanism. That is, the source MAC address in the wireless network packet generated by the wireless communication device is the address of the actual hardware of the wireless communication device and has not changed over time.

  However, as is known, an increasing number of vendors are adopting a random MAC address mechanism instead of a real MAC address mechanism in order to improve the information security of wireless communication devices. That is, the wireless communication device is designed to intentionally change the source MAC address in the generated wireless network packet after a while. This makes it more difficult for malicious programs or hackers to steal user's personal information by sniffing network packets.

  For this reason, it is not possible to obtain the actual number of wireless communication devices in the vicinity of the advertising location by simply sniffing the wireless network packets around the advertising location. As such, the ad viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 described above employs a specially designed measurement method that accurately calculates the actual number of wireless communication devices in the vicinity of the ad location. This allows the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement to be estimated based on the actual number of wireless communication devices.

  The operation of the advertising audience dynamic measurement circuit 120 will be further disclosed below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a simplified flowchart of a method of measuring the number of viewers of an OOH advertisement according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 shows a simplified flowchart of a method for grouping probe request frames in FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

  In operation, the processing circuit 125 of the advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 determines the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement stored in the storage device 122 to execute the method of measuring the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement of FIG. The measurement program 126 is executed. In this case, operating in promiscuous mode or monitor mode to receive a plurality of probe request frames PRF_A to PRF_Q transmitted from another wireless communication device 130a to 130k near the advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120. By configuring the wireless reception circuit 121 so that the reception module 210 can control the processing circuit 125. Throughout the specification and drawings, the letters a to k in the reference numbers of some probe request frames are used to simplify the reference of each probe request frame. The number is not limited to a specific number.

  The determination module 220 of the program 126 for measuring the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement can flexibly set the start time and the end time of each predetermined period in the operation of measuring the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement. In practice, all predetermined time periods can be set to the same length of time. In another aspect, the morning predetermined period may be set to a different length of time from the afternoon predetermined period. Similarly, the predetermined period during the day may be set to a different length of time from the predetermined period during the night.

  The advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 can repeat the operations 302 to 308 in FIG. 3 at each predetermined period set by the determination module 220.

  In operation 302, the receiving module 210 uses the wireless reception circuit 121 to transmit a probe request frame (hereinafter, referred to as a probe request frame transmitted from one of the other wireless communication devices 130a to 130k near the advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120). The processing circuit 125 may be controlled to receive a target probe request frame).

  At operation 304, the receiving module 210 may control the processing circuit 125 to record the arrival time of the target probe request frame. As used throughout the specification and claims, the term "arrival time" refers to the actual time the target probe request frame was received by the wireless receiver circuit 121, not the time value recorded in the time stamp field of the target probe request frame. Indicates the time.

  At operation 306, the decision module 220 may control the processing circuit 125 to examine the frame field structure of the target probe request frame.

  As used throughout the specification and claims, the term "frame field structure" refers to the total number of fields in one or more predetermined tagged parameter fields in the frame body of each probe request frame, 1 or more. Structurally, such as the placement of a given tagged parameter field, the sum of the field lengths of one or more given tagged parameter fields, and / or the field length of each of one or more given tagged parameter fields. Refers to the characteristics of. However, the term "frame field structure" does not relate to the content recorded in the tagged parameter field described above. The placement of tagged parameter fields refers to the position and / or order of the tagged parameter fields in the frame body.

  In connection with general wireless communication protocol specifications, the frame body of each probe request frame is usually composed of an SSID (Service Set ID) field, a Supported Rates field, an Extended Supported Rates field, an FH (Frequency Hopping) Parameter Set field, DS (Direct Sequence) Parameter Set field, CF (Contention Free) Parameter Set field, TIM (Traffic Indication Map) field, IBSS Parameter Set field, HT Capabilities field, Extended HT Capabilities field, and one or more non-essential Ven field Sc. including.

  Due to the collection and analysis of the large amount of data, the frame field structure of certain tagged parameter fields in the probe request frame generated by the wireless communication device (eg, total number of fields, placement, total field length, and (Or each field length) typically matches another wireless communication device from the same vendor. Conversely, the frame field structure of a probe request frame generated by a wireless communication device is typically different than that of another wireless communication device from a different vendor.

  Various wireless communication devices have different penetration rates in different countries or regions. As such, some or all of the tagged parameter fields that may be present in the probe request frame are examined by the processing circuitry 125 in operation 306, depending on the country or region to which the out-of-home advertising system 100 will be applied. Can be selected as the predetermined tagged parameter field.

  In certain embodiments, the predetermined tagged parameter field refers to one or more Vendor Specific fields.

  In another embodiment, the predetermined tagging parameter field is at least one of one or more Vendor Specific fields in the probe request frame and at least one of the Supported Rates field, the Extended Supported Rates field, and the FH Parameter Set field in the probe request frame. Refers to a combination.

  It should be noted that the decision module 220 need only look at the frame field structure of the target probe request frame in operation 306 above and need not read the contents of the predetermined tagged parameter field.

  In operation 308, the grouping module 240 and the calculation module 230 assign the corresponding data group according to the arrival time of the target probe request frame, the frame field structure of the target probe request frame, and the sequence control value in the header of the target probe request frame, The processing circuit 125 is controlled to allocate the target probe request frame. When allocating the target probe request frame to the corresponding data group, the processing circuit 125 determines that all the probe request frames in the same data group have the same frame field structure and that the two latest probe request frames in the same data group are the same. The time difference between arrival times between the two is smaller than the first set value, and the difference in sequence control value between the two latest probe request frames in the same data group is smaller than the second predetermined value. Check. In this embodiment, each data group is a virtual group corresponding to a specific frame field structure.

  In operation, the reception module 210, the determination module 220, the calculation module 230, and the grouping module 240 allocate a plurality of probe request frames received by the wireless reception circuit 121 to a corresponding data group, thereby obtaining a plurality of data. The above operations 302 to 308 are repeated in each of the other probe request frames received by the radio receiving circuit 121 to establish the swath sequentially.

  Upon expiration of the predetermined period of time set by the decision module 220, the ad viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 may perform operation 310 in FIG.

  At operation 310, the processing module 125 causes the calculation module 230 to generate an estimated number of wireless communication devices passing through the advertising location during the above-described predetermined period based on the total number of data groups resulting from performing the operation 308. Control. In the present embodiment, the calculation module 230 determines that the probe request frames assigned to the same data group are generated by the same wireless communication device, and further, each of the two probe request frames assigned to different data groups is different. Determined to have been generated by a different wireless communication device. The calculation module 230 may simply use the sum of the established data groups as the estimated number of wireless communication devices that pass through the advertising location during the above-mentioned predetermined period. Next, the determination module 220 determines an estimated value of the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement passing through the above-mentioned specific position (for example, advertisement location) during the above-described predetermined period based on the generated estimated value of the wireless communication device. The processing circuit 125 is controlled to calculate.

  As an example, the determination module 220 may control the processing circuit 125 to directly use the generated estimate of the wireless communication device as an estimate of the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement. As another example, the determination module 220 controls the processing circuit 125 to perform a weighting operation on the wireless communication device estimate to generate an estimate corresponding to the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement.

  In operation 312, the calculation module 230 estimates the length of dwell time during which the wireless communication device corresponding to the target data group stays in a specific position (that is, a wireless signal reception range of the wireless reception circuit 121). , And controls the processing circuit 125 to calculate the time difference between the arrival time of the latest probe request frame and the arrival time of the first probe request frame in the target data group. As an example, the calculation module 230 may cause the processing circuit 125 to simply use the difference in arrival times as an estimate of the length of dwell time that the wireless communication device corresponding to the target data group is staying at a particular location. You may control. As another example, the calculation module 230 performs a weighting operation on the arrival time to generate an estimate of the length of dwell time that the wireless communication device corresponding to the target data group is staying at a particular location. The processing circuit 125 may be controlled to do so.

  Execution of operation 312, described above, enables computing module 230 to control processing circuitry 125 to estimate the length of dwell time at a particular location for each wireless communication device.

  In operation 314, the report module 250 uses the communication circuit 123 to estimate the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement passing through the specific position within the above-described predetermined period and the dwell time of each wireless communication device at the specific position. And the processing circuit 125 is controlled to send the estimate of the length of the data to the remote data statistics server 150 via the network.

  Based on the data sent from the advertising audience dynamic measurement circuit 120, the remote data statistics server 150 performs profit analysis of OOH advertisement, demographic analysis of population at a specific location, and / or offline customer preference analysis. Then, the analysis result is transmitted to the client device 160 via the network or another appropriate data transmission method. Thereby, the advertiser and the advertising agency can acquire the related analysis result.

  The method of grouping probe request frames in operation 308 described above is further disclosed below with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 performs the operation 308 for the target probe request frame, the operation 402 is first performed. In operation 402, the grouping module 240 controls the processing circuit 125 to determine whether the frame field structure of the target probe request frame corresponds to any existing data group.

  If the processing circuit 125 determines that there is no existing data group corresponding to the frame field structure of the target probe request frame, the advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 will perform the operation 404. As an example, if the frame field structure of all existing data groups established by the grouping module 240 is different from the frame field structure of the target probe request frame, or the grouping module 240 can establish any data group. If not, the ad viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 will perform operation 404.

  At operation 404, the grouping module 240 establishes a new set of data, assigns a target probe request frame to the new set of data, and the new set of data corresponding to the same frame field structure as the target probe request frame. To control the processing circuit 125. The grouping module 240 then performs operation 406 and waits for the next probe request frame to which operation 308 of FIG. 3 should be applied.

  Conversely, if the processing circuit 125 determines that the frame field structure of the current probe request frame is the same as the frame field structure corresponding to the one or more existing data groups established by the grouping module 240, the advertisement. Viewer dynamics measurement circuit 120 will perform operation 408.

  As an example, it is assumed that the target probe request frame described above is the probe request frame PRF_A, and the probe request frame PRF_A is the first probe request frame received by the wireless reception circuit 121 in the current predetermined period. In other words, before the grouping module 240 controls the processing circuit 125 to perform the operation 308 for the probe request frame PRF_A, there is no existing data group.

  In this case, when the grouping module 240 controls the processing circuit 125 to perform operation 402 on the probe request frame PRF_A, the processing circuit 125 may correspond to the same frame field structure as the probe request frame PRF_A. It is determined that there is no data group of No., and the operation proceeds to operation 404.

  In operation 404, the grouping module 240 establishes a new set of data (the first set of data established in the current predetermined period), assigns the probe request frame PRF_A to the first set of data, and sets the frame of the probe request frame PRF_A. The processing circuit 125 is controlled so as to construct the initial data group corresponding to the same frame field structure as the field structure. For purposes of illustration, the first group of data will be referred to hereafter as the first group of data. As an example, the grouping module 240 may assign the first configuration identification code to the frame field structure of the probe request frame PRF_A and associate the first data group with the first configuration identification code.

  The grouping module 240 then performs operation 406 and waits for the next probe request frame to which operation 308 of FIG. 3 should be applied.

  As another example, it is assumed that the target probe request frame described above is the probe request frame PRF_C, and the probe request frame PRF_C is not the first probe request frame received by the wireless reception circuit 121 in the current predetermined period. In other words, there must be one or more data groups established before the grouping module 240 controls the processing circuit 125 to perform the operation 308 for the probe request frame PRF_C.

  In this case, when the grouping module 240 controls the processing circuit 125 to perform the operation 402 for the probe request frame PRF_C, the frame field structure of the probe request frame PRF_C is one or more frame field structures of existing data groups. If so, the advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 will perform operation 408 on the probe request frame PRF_C. Conversely, if the frame field structure corresponding to all the existing data groups established by the grouping module 240 is different from the frame field structure of the probe request frame PRF_C, the grouping module 240 will perform operation 404. ..

  In operation 408, the calculation module 230 calculates the difference between the arrival time and the sequence control value between the probe request frame PRF_C and the latest probe request frame in the target data group corresponding to the same frame field structure as the probe request frame PRF_C. The processing circuit 125 is controlled to calculate. Further, the grouping module 240 executes related condition determination processing based on the calculation result of the calculation module 230.

  If the probe request frame PRF_C satisfies the first condition and the second condition, the grouping module 240 will perform operation 410 on the probe request frame PRF_C. The first condition indicates that the difference in arrival time between the probe request frame PRF_C and the latest probe request frame in the target data group is smaller than the first set value. The second condition indicates that the difference between the sequence control values of the probe request frame PRF_C and the latest probe request frame in the target data group is smaller than the second set value.

  In operation 410, the grouping module 240 controls the processing circuit 125 to assign the probe request frame PRF_C to the current target data set.

  As an example, if the target data group is the above-described first data group (that is, the data group corresponding to the above-described probe request frame PRF_A), and the probe request frame PRF_C satisfies the first condition and the second condition, The processing circuit 125 will allocate the probe request frame PRF_C to the first data group.

  If the probe request frame PRF_C does not satisfy at least one of the first condition and the second condition and there is no other data group corresponding to the same frame field structure, the grouping module 240 determines that the probe request frame PRF_C has On the other hand, the operation 404 will be executed.

  In operation 404, the grouping module 240 controls the processing circuit 125 to establish a new data group and assign the probe request frame PRF_C to the new data group. As an example, the grouping module 240 generates a second data group different from the above-described first data group, assigns the probe request frame PRF_C to the second data group, and has the same frame field structure as the probe request frame PRF_C. The processing circuit 125 may be controlled to build a frame field structure corresponding to the second group of data that becomes a field structure. As an example, the grouping module 240 may assign the second configuration identification code to the frame field structure of the probe request frame PRF_C and associate the second data group with the second configuration identification code.

  It should be understood from the above description that the frame field structure corresponding to the second data group may be the same as the frame field structure corresponding to the first data group or may be different. Let's see

  When the probe request frame PRF_C does not satisfy at least one of the first condition and the second condition, but there is another data group corresponding to the same frame field structure as the probe request frame PRF_C, the advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120. Performs operation 412 on probe request frame PRF_C.

  In operation 412, the calculation module 230 may calculate an arrival time difference and a sequence control value difference between the probe request frame PRF_C and the latest probe request frame in the next data group corresponding to the same frame field structure. It controls the processing circuit 125.

  Then, the grouping module 240 compares the difference in arrival time with the first set value described above, and compares the difference in sequence control value with the second set value described above. Thereby, it is determined whether or not the probe request frame PRF_C is assigned to the next data group corresponding to the same frame field structure.

  In the following description, for the sake of convenience, it is assumed that the next data group corresponding to the frame field structure in operation 412 is the third data group different from the first data group and the second data group. Similar to the determination described above, when the probe request frame PRF_C satisfies the first condition and the second condition, the grouping module 240 controls the processing circuit 125 to allocate the probe request frame PRF_C to the third data group. It will be. If the probe request frame PRF_C does not satisfy at least one of the first condition and the second condition, the grouping module 240 will check whether there is another data group corresponding to the same frame field structure. .. If there is no other data group corresponding to the same frame field structure, the grouping module 240 will establish an additional new data group. When there is a fourth data group corresponding to the same frame field structure, the grouping module 240 includes the probe request frame PRF_C and the next data group corresponding to the same frame field structure (for example, the fourth data group). In this case, the difference in the arrival time and the difference in the sequence control value with the latest probe request frame in will be calculated.

  As can be understood from the above description, after the grouping module 240 controls the processing circuit 125 to perform the grouping operation 308 on each of the plurality of probe request frames PRF_A to PRF_Q received by the wireless reception circuit 121. The grouping module 240 generates a plurality of data groups corresponding to different frame field structures, and that all probe request frames in the same data group have the same frame field structure. The arrival time difference between the two latest probe request frames is smaller than the first setting value described above, and the difference in sequence control value between the two latest probe request frames of the same data group is It is confirmed that it is smaller than the second set value described above.

  Further, it will be understood from the above description that two different data groups may correspond to different frame field structures, or both may correspond to the same frame field structure.

  The advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 cannot directly determine whether the source devices of different probe request frames are the same wireless communication device based on the content of the probe request frame. 120 performs the operation 308 described above for grouping probe request frames based on their arrival time, frame field structure, and sequence control values to determine the true source device of all probe request frames. It can be determined more effectively. As a result, the advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 effectively prevents the same source device from being mistakenly determined as a different source device.

  Therefore, the disclosed method for inferring the number of viewers of an OOH advertisement passing through a specific position in a predetermined time period based on the total number of source devices of a probe request frame, obtains an estimate very close to the actual number. Is possible.

  As described above, the decision module 220 only needs to check the frame field structure of the target probe request frame in operation 306 described above, and reads the content recorded in the predetermined tagged parameter field. Is not necessary. Therefore, the calculation required for the determination module 220 can be minimized. Thus, the disclosed ad viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 can operate normally even in an environment with a significant number of wireless communication devices.

  Further, since the wireless reception circuit 121 used in the advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 is hardware that is extremely cheaper than a normal camera and has a wider detection range than the camera, various types of detection are possible. Placing a large number of advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuits 120 in an OOH advertisement application is more affordable than conventional approaches.

  Furthermore, since the start time and the end time in each predetermined period in the operation of measuring the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement can be flexibly set by the advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120, the advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit The 120 sets an estimated value of the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement passing through the OOH advertisement location in a short period (for example, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, or 1 minute) by simply setting the length of the predetermined period shorter. It becomes possible to acquire. As a result, the advertisement viewer dynamic measuring circuit 120 can acquire more detailed and accurate estimation results, which cannot be realized by the conventional technique for estimating the number of viewers of advertisements. Therefore, the advertisement viewer dynamic measuring circuit 120 is very useful for profit analysis generated by OOH advertisement, demographic analysis for a specific location, and offline customer preference analysis.

  In another aspect, the previously described method for estimating the number of viewers of an OOH advertisement does not read or rely on personal information stored in each wireless communication device. Therefore, the privacy of the user is not violated, and there is no concern about leakage of personal information of the user.

  It should be noted that the order in which the operations of FIGS. 3 and 4 are performed is merely an example embodiment and does not limit a practical implementation. For example, the operations 304 and 306 of FIG. 3 may be performed in a reversed order, or these operations may be performed simultaneously. Moreover, the order of performing operations 310 and 312 of FIG. 3 may be reversed, and these operations may be performed concurrently.

  In some embodiments, operation 312 may be omitted.

  In some embodiments, the ad viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 and the remote data statistics server 150 may be integrated. In this case, the communication circuit 123 may be omitted.

  In some embodiments, in place of the advertisement display device 110, data communication with the ad viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 is not possible, or power transfer to the ad viewer dynamic measurement circuit 120 is not possible. Electronic devices may be used. The advertising display device 110 may be a balloon, a large inflatable model, a flat poster, or other object showing static advertising content. In this case, the transmission interface 124 may be omitted.

  Certain terms are used throughout the specification and claims to refer to individual components. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that components can be referred to by different names. This disclosure is not intended to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the specification and claims, "comprise" is to be understood as meaning "including but not limited to" as it is used in an open-ended fashion. "Coupled" is meant to encompass any indirect or direct connection. Thus, when reference is made in this disclosure to a first device coupled to a second device, the first device may be in electrical connection, wireless communication, optical communication, or another relay device with the second device or It means that it is possible to connect directly or indirectly through a signal connection with or without a relay connection means.

  “And / or” can include any combination of one or more in the list of related items. Further, singular forms in this disclosure are meant to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Given the specification and examples of the invention disclosed herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may have other embodiments. The specification and examples are intended to be considered exemplary only, with respect to the true scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Claims (12)

An advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit (120) for estimating the number of viewers of an OOH (out-of-home) advertisement passing through a specific position in a predetermined period,
A radio receiving circuit (121),
A storage device (122) for storing a computer program product (126) in an arithmetically operable manner;
A processing circuit (125) coupled to the wireless receiver circuit (121) and the storage device (122) and capable of executing the computer program product (126) for performing an operation;
The operation is
The wireless reception circuit (121) receives a target probe request frame transmitted by another wireless communication device (130a to 130k),
Recording the arrival time of the target probe request frame;
Examining the frame field structure of the target probe request frame,
According to the arrival time and the frame field structure of the target probe request frame, and the sequence control value in the header of the target probe request frame, the target probe request frame is assigned to the corresponding data group, and the same data group is assigned. All probe request frames have the same frame field structure, the difference in arrival times between the two latest probe request frames in the same data group is smaller than the first set value, and , Verifying that the difference in sequence control values between the two latest probe request frames in the same data group is less than the second set value,
Calculating an estimated number of viewers of the OOH advertisement passing through a specific position in a predetermined period based on the total number of obtained data groups; 120). The operation performed by the processing circuit (125) for assigning the target probe request frame to a corresponding data group comprises:
Calculating a difference in arrival time and a difference in sequence control value between the target probe request frame and the latest probe request frame in the target data group corresponding to the same frame field structure as the target probe request frame. When,
A first condition specifying that the target probe request frame has a difference in arrival time between the target probe request frame and the latest probe request frame in the target data group that is smaller than the first set value; The target is satisfied when a difference between the sequence control values of the target probe request frame and the latest probe request frame in the target data group is smaller than the second set value. Assigning a probe request frame to the target data group,
If the target probe request frame does not satisfy one of the first condition and the second condition, and there is no other data group corresponding to the same frame field structure as the target probe request frame, a new data group And allocating the target probe request frame to the new data group,
When the target probe request frame does not satisfy one of the first condition and the second condition, and there is another data group corresponding to the same frame field structure as the target probe request frame, the target probe A difference in arrival time between the request frame and the latest probe request frame in the next data group corresponding to the same frame field structure as the target probe request frame is calculated, and the difference in arrival time and the first set value And a difference in sequence control value between the target probe request frame and the latest probe request frame in the next data group is calculated, and the difference in sequence control value and the second set value are calculated. Comparing, and determining whether or not to allocate the target probe request frame to the next data group based on the comparison result, the advertisement viewer according to claim 1. Dynamic measurement circuit (120). The frame field structure of the target probe request frame includes one or more predetermined tagged parameter fields in the target probe request frame,
The total number of fields for one or more tagged parameter fields,
Arrangement of one or more tagged parameter fields,
The total field length of one or more tagged parameter fields, and
Each field length of one or more tagged parameter fields,
The advertising audience dynamic measurement circuit (120) of claim 1, wherein the advertisement viewer dynamic measurement circuit (120) is selected from the group consisting of: It is stored in the storage device (122) of the advertisement viewer dynamic measuring circuit (120), and the advertisement viewer dynamic measuring circuit (120) can perform an operation of measuring the number of viewers of OOH (out of home) advertisement. A computer program product (126) for
The measurement operation is
A wireless reception circuit (121) receiving a target probe request frame transmitted by another wireless communication device (130a to 130k);
Recording the arrival time of the target probe request frame;
Examining the frame field structure of the target probe request frame,
According to the arrival time and the frame field structure of the target probe request frame, and the sequence control value in the header of the target probe request frame, the target probe request frame is assigned to the corresponding data group, and all in the same data group. Probe request frames have the same frame field structure, the difference in arrival time between the two latest probe request frames in the same data group is smaller than the first set value, and the same data group Verifying that the difference in the sequence control values between the two latest probe request frames in is less than the second set value;
Calculating an estimated number of viewers of the OOH advertisement passing through a specific position in a predetermined period based on the total number of the obtained data groups, the computer program product (126). The operation of assigning the target probe request frame to the corresponding data group comprises:
Calculating a difference in arrival time and a difference in sequence control value between the target probe request frame and the latest probe request frame in the target data group corresponding to the same frame field structure as the target probe request frame. When,
A first condition specifying that the target probe request frame has a difference in arrival time between the target probe request frame and the latest probe request frame in the target data group that is smaller than the first set value; The target is satisfied when a difference between the sequence control values of the target probe request frame and the latest probe request frame in the target data group is smaller than the second set value. Assigning a probe request frame to the data group,
If the target probe request frame does not satisfy one of the first condition and the second condition and there is no other target data group corresponding to the same frame field structure as the target probe request frame, new data Establishing a group and assigning the target probe request frame to the new data group;
When the target probe request frame does not satisfy one of the first condition and the second condition, and there is another data group corresponding to the same frame field structure as the target probe request frame, the target probe A difference in arrival time between the request frame and the latest probe request frame in the next data group corresponding to the same frame field structure as the target probe request frame is calculated, and the difference in arrival time and the first set value And a difference in sequence control value between the target probe request frame and the latest probe request frame in the next data group is calculated, and the difference in sequence control value and the second set value are calculated. Computer program product according to claim 4, comprising: comparing and determining whether to allocate the target probe request frame to the next data group based on these comparison results. (126). The operation of measuring the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement is
Based on the difference between the latest probe request frame in the target data group and the arrival time of the first probe request frame, a dwell time of a target source device corresponding to the target data group is a dwell time at the specific position. Computer program product (126) according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises the step of calculating an estimate of length. The operation of measuring the number of viewers of the OOH advertisement is
7. The communication circuit (123) comprising the step of transmitting an estimated number of viewers of the OOH advertisement and an estimated value of the length of the dwell time to a remote data statistics server (150). A computer program product (126) according to claim 1.   The computer program product according to claim 5, wherein the length of the predetermined period is less than 1 minute, and the specific position is within a radio signal reception range of the radio reception circuit (121). (126). The frame field structure of the target probe request frame includes one or more predetermined tagged parameter fields in the target probe request frame,
The total number of fields for one or more tagged parameter fields,
Arrangement of one or more tagged parameter fields,
The total field length of one or more tagged parameter fields, and
Each field length of one or more tagged parameter fields,
Computer program product (126) according to claim 5, characterized in that it is selected from the group consisting of:   The computer program product (126) of claim 9, wherein the one or more tagged parameter fields include one or more Vendor Specific fields in the target probe request frame.   The one or more tagged parameter fields are among the Supported Rates field, the Extended Supported Rates field, the FH (frequency hopping) Parameter Set field, and the HT (high throughout) Capabilities field in the target probe request frame. Computer program product (126) according to claim 10, characterized in that it further comprises at least one. A method for measuring the number of viewers of an OOH (out of home) advertisement,
A wireless receiving circuit (121) receiving a target probe request frame transmitted from another wireless communication device (130a to 130k);
Recording the arrival time of the target probe request frame;
Examining the frame field structure of the target probe request frame,
According to the arrival time and the frame field structure of the target probe request frame, and the sequence control value in the header of the target probe request frame, the target probe request frame is assigned to the corresponding data group, and in the same data group. All probe request frames have the same frame field structure, the difference in arrival times between the two latest probe request frames in the same data group is smaller than the first set value, and the same data group Verifying that the difference in the sequence control values between the two latest probe request frames in is less than the second set value;
Calculating an estimated number of viewers of the OOH advertisement passing through a specific position in a predetermined period based on the total number of obtained data groups.

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