JP2024050036A - Proposal program, proposal device, proposal method, and proposal system - Google Patents

Abstract

To allow for proposing service content suitable for a user when providing various services using captured images.SOLUTION: A proposal program disclosed herein causes a computer to perform an acquisition step of acquiring a captured image captured by a camera, provision step of providing various functions related to the use of the captured image, a selection step of selecting a service to be proposed to a user from among services available on a cloud system side according to usage modes of the functions, and proposal step of proposing a service selected in the selection step to the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a proposal program, a proposal device, a proposal method, and a proposal system.

Conventionally, services using images captured by cameras and the like have been provided. For example, a technology has been proposed in which images are captured by a camera or the like attached to a lighting device, and the captured images are used to provide various notifications (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2022-056286 A

However, there is room for improvement in the above conventional technology. For example, when various notifications are made using captured images, it is possible to provide not only simple notifications such as notifications based on brightness, but also various services using image analysis technology, such as notifications based on whether or not a person is present in a certain area. However, service users do not always know all of the services that are available to them.

In addition, the services available to a user generally vary depending on the status of the contract with the user. In such cases, it is conceivable that a user may not use a useful service that would be available to the user by entering into a new contract because the user is unaware of the service.

The present invention aims to propose service content tailored to the user when providing various services using captured images.

The proposal program of this embodiment causes a computer to execute an acquisition step for acquiring an image captured by a camera; a provision step for providing various functions related to the use of the captured image; a selection step for selecting a service to be proposed to the user from among services realized on the cloud system side according to the usage mode of the function; and a proposal step for proposing the service selected by the selection step to the user.

According to the present invention, when providing various services using captured images, it is possible to propose service content tailored to the user.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a proposal system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a lighting device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a first diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed by a terminal device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a second diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed by the terminal device according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a lighting device according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server device according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a terminal device according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a service provided by an application according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a providing process executed by a terminal device.

The terminal device 400 according to the embodiment described below acquires images captured by the camera 20 (20a, 20b), provides various functions related to the use of the captured images, selects a service to be proposed to the user from among the services realized on the cloud system side according to the usage mode of the function, and proposes the selected service to the user.

The terminal device 400 also selects from among the services those services for which the user has not signed a contract for use.

The terminal device 400 also proposes services related to the screen that provides the function via the screen.

The terminal device 400 also provides information about all proposed services via an initial screen for selecting functions.

In addition, the terminal device 400 selects services to suggest to the user based on the viewing time or number of views of each screen that provides the function.

In addition, the terminal device 400 provides services suggested to the user depending on the transition status of the screen that provides the function.

In addition, the terminal device 400 selects a service to be proposed to the user depending on the viewing time or number of views of the image captured by the camera 20.

In addition, the terminal device 400 selects a service to propose to the user depending on the storage format of the image captured by the camera 20.

In addition, the terminal device 400 selects a service to be proposed to the user depending on the type of camera 20 that captured the image that the user is viewing.

The proposed system 1 according to the embodiment described below includes lighting devices 100 (100a, 100b), cameras 20 (20a, 20b) that capture images of the area illuminated by the lighting devices 100, and a terminal device 400 that can confirm the images captured by the cameras 20. The terminal device 400 acquires the images captured by the cameras 20, provides various functions related to the use of the captured images, and selects a service to be proposed to the user from among the services realized on the cloud system side according to the usage mode of the functions, and proposes the selected service to the user.

In addition, the terminal device 400 according to the embodiment described below acquires images captured by the camera 20 (20a, 20b), provides various functions related to the use of the captured images, and selects a service to be proposed to the user from among the image analysis services realized on the cloud system side according to the characteristics of the captured image, and proposes the selected service to the user.

The terminal device 400 also selects from among the services those services for which the user has not signed a contract for use.

In addition, the terminal device 400 selects the service to be proposed to the user depending on the size of the captured image.

In addition, if the size of the captured image exceeds a predetermined threshold, the terminal device 400 selects a service related to analyzing the motion of the captured subject as a service to be proposed to the user.

In addition, the terminal device 400 selects the service to be proposed to the user depending on the number of cameras 20 capturing the images.

In addition, the terminal device 400 selects the service to be proposed to the user depending on the installation position of the camera 20 that captures the captured image.

In addition, the terminal device 400 selects the service to be proposed to the user depending on the type of camera used to capture the image.

The proposal system 1 according to the embodiment described below includes lighting devices 100 (100a, 100b), cameras 20 (20a, 20b) that capture images of the area illuminated by the lighting devices 100, and a terminal device 400 that can confirm the images captured by the cameras 20. The terminal device 400 acquires the images captured by the cameras 20, provides various functions related to the use of the captured images, selects a service to be proposed to the user from among the services realized on the cloud system side according to the characteristics of the captured images, and proposes the selected service to the user.

[Embodiment]
[Configuration of the proposed system]
The device configuration and functions of each device of the proposal system 1 according to the embodiment will be described below. First, the device configuration of the proposal system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the proposal system according to the embodiment.

The proposed system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes multiple lighting devices 100a, 100b (collectively referred to as "lighting devices 100"), a repeater 200, a server device 300, and a terminal device 400. Note that the proposed system 1 may include three or more lighting devices 100, or may include only one lighting device 100. The proposed system 1 may also include multiple repeaters 200, multiple server devices 300, and multiple terminal devices 400.

The lighting device 100 is connected to the repeater 200 via a LAN (Local Area Network) or the like so as to be able to communicate with each other by wire or wirelessly. The repeater 200 is also connected to the server device 300 and the terminal device 400 via a LAN or the like so as to be able to communicate with each other by wire or wirelessly.

The server device 300 is connected to the repeater 200 and the terminal device 400 via a predetermined communication network such as the Internet, either wired or wirelessly. Note that the server device 300 may be connected to the repeater 200 and the terminal device 400 in any manner as long as information can be sent and received; it may be connected to the repeater 200 and the terminal device 400 via a wired or wireless connection. For example, the server device 300 may communicate with the terminal device 400 via any device (such as a gateway device).

The lighting device 100 is a lighting device with a camera. For example, the lighting device 100 is a device in which a camera configuration is integrated into a lighting fixture. The lighting device 100 is an edge device equipped with a lighting unit 30 and a camera 20. For example, the lighting device 100 is an information processing device (computer) that executes processing related to the protection of personal information.

For example, the lighting device 100 is installed on the ceiling of a structure such as a building, and illuminates the floor surface when turned on. Here, the lighting device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a lighting device according to an embodiment. The lighting device 100 according to the embodiment is a ceiling-mounted lighting device, which is a so-called base light. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the lighting device 100 has a camera 20 and a lighting unit 30. Note that the lighting device 100 is not limited to a base light, and may be a ceiling light, a downlight, a spotlight, or the like.

The camera 20 is a photographing device that photographs a predetermined area around the lighting device 100. In FIG. 1, the camera 20 photographs an area AR that corresponds to the angle of view. For example, the area AR indicates the photographing range of the camera 20. For example, when a person TG is located within the area AR, the camera 20 photographs an image (video) including the person TG. The lighting unit 30 is a lighting device that illuminates at least a part of the photographing area of the camera 20 by turning on a light source. In other words, the photographing area of the camera 20 and the area illuminated by the lighting unit 30 may or may not coincide with each other. In addition, the camera 20 does not have to be disposed integrally with the lighting unit 30, and may be disposed with a space between the camera 20 and the lighting unit 30.

The repeater 200 is a device that has a function of performing relay processing. For example, the repeater 200 is a so-called gateway that connects a network within a facility in which the lighting device 100 is installed to an external network such as the Internet.

The server device 300 is a device used as a server in a client-server system. For example, the server device 300 is an information processing device (computer) that functions as a so-called cloud server.

The terminal device 400 is a device that has a function of displaying information. For example, the terminal device 400 is an information processing device (computer) used by a user. For example, the terminal device 400 is a terminal device that can communicate with the repeater 200 and any server device 300 via a specified network. FIG. 1 shows a case where the terminal device 400 is a notebook PC (Personal Computer). Note that the terminal device 400 may not only be a notebook PC, but also a smart device such as a smartphone or tablet, or a computer such as a desktop PC.

The terminal device 400 has a function of acquiring and displaying images (various images such as moving images and still images) captured by each lighting device 100 via the repeater 200. In addition, for example, when an image captured by the lighting device 100 is uploaded to the server device 300, the terminal device 400 displays information provided by the server device 300. For example, the terminal device 400 transmits information requesting information (request information) to the server device 300 and displays the information received from the server device 300.

[Functions of the server device 300]
Next, a description will be given of an example of a service provided by the server device 300 to a user who uses the proposal system 1. Note that the following description is merely an example, and the server device 300 may provide any information processing service.

For example, when the server device 300 acquires image data of images captured by each lighting device 100, it realizes a so-called cloud storage service that stores the acquired image data. When providing such a cloud storage service, the server device 300 may realize a service in which each image is linked to a user and managed, and only provided to users who have been authenticated. In addition, the server device 300 may manage the date and time when each image was captured, the identification number of the camera that captured each image, the installation location of the camera, etc., linked to each image, and extract images in response to a user's request (for example, images captured at a specified date and time, or images captured by a camera placed at a specified installation location), etc., and provide them to the terminal device 400.

The server device 300 may also provide services related to various types of image analysis. For example, the server device 300 may provide services based on the results of detecting people and analyzing their surroundings in images acquired from the lighting device 100. To give more specific examples, the server device 300 may provide a people flow analysis service that analyzes how people move, a people count analysis service that analyzes how many people were present within the shooting range, a person identification service that identifies people, a filtering processing service to protect personal information, and the like.

The server device 300 may also provide a tagging service that tags images according to user registration or the results of image analysis. The server device 300 may also provide a multi-viewer service that displays images captured by multiple cameras side-by-side on the same screen on the terminal device 400. The lighting device 100 may also be equipped with a fisheye lens and have the function of capturing images 360 degrees around the lighting device 100. In such a case, the server device 300 may provide a dewarping service that converts images captured with the fisheye lens into normal images.

The server device 300 may also provide a service to change the resolution, color, etc. of an image. The server device 300 may also provide a service to detect people within a specified range registered by a user, or a service to detect parts of a person (e.g., whether or not a person's hands are in the specified range) by skeletal detection, etc. The server device 300 may also provide a service to detect a person who is running based on the user's moving speed, etc.

In addition to the above-mentioned services, the server device 300 may provide any information processing service using images captured by the lighting device 100. For example, the server device 300 may provide services such as counting the number of users in a specified area, counting the number of users who have passed through a specified area, estimating the movement path of a specified person, measuring the work efficiency of users working in a factory, determining whether a moving object such as a forklift is included in a specified area, and determining whether to output an alert to prevent a collision depending on the positional relationship and speed between the user and other moving objects in the captured area. Such services may be user-specific services provided at the request of the user, in addition to those set in advance as services that can be provided.

[About the application]
Here, when checking the captured images, the user installs a specific application in the terminal device 400 and checks the captured images via the application. Such an application has a function of acquiring live images captured by each lighting device 100 and displaying the acquired live images, for example.

The application also has a function to acquire images captured by each lighting device 100 and recorded in the device's own storage device (e.g., an SD card, etc.) and display the acquired images. The application also has a function to access the server device 300 and display images stored in the server device 300 and results of various image processing performed on the server device 300 side.

For example, FIG. 3 is a first diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the terminal device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a second diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the terminal device according to the embodiment. For example, when a user logs in, the terminal device 400 displays a TOP screen C1 as an initial screen as shown in FIG. 3. On the TOP screen C1, for example, a content C10 for selecting an image taken by the lighting device 100 arranged at the installation location A, a content C11 for selecting an image taken by the lighting device 100 arranged at the installation location B, a content C12 for selecting an image taken by the lighting device 100 arranged at the installation location C, a content C13 for selecting an image taken by the lighting device 100 arranged at the installation location D, and the like are arranged and displayed. In addition to the display shown in FIG. 3, the terminal device 400 may arrange and display on the TOP screen C1 content for selecting various functions that can be provided by the application. For example, the terminal device 400 may display content for selecting various services to be executed by the server device 300 and for displaying the execution results of the services.

Here, for example, when a user selects content C10, the terminal device 400 displays a screen for displaying an image captured by the lighting device 100 corresponding to the selected content C10, i.e., the selected camera captured image C2, as shown in FIG. 4. For example, a live image C20 currently being captured by the lighting device 100 installed at installation location A is arranged and displayed in the selected camera captured image C2. Furthermore, content C21 for referencing past images is arranged in the selected camera captured image C2. The user can set the date and time of capture via content C21 to display the image captured on that date and time.

[About the contract]
Here, the application executed by the terminal device 400 has a function of limiting, adding, or canceling the functions provided according to a contract between the business providing the proposed system 1 and the user. For example, when the user has concluded a contract with the business to receive the provision of basic services, the application provides only a function of viewing live images captured by the lighting device 100 and a function of viewing data recorded in the storage device of the lighting device 100. Then, when the user has concluded a contract with the business for the provision of a new service, the application allows the user to use the newly contracted service. For example, when the user has concluded a contract for a service related to people flow analysis, the application provides a function of causing the server device 300 to execute information processing related to people flow analysis, and acquiring and displaying the execution results.

However, when such services are provided to users, there are cases where the users are unable to use the services appropriately. For example, if a user does not know what services a business operator offers, there is a risk that the user will not use a service that would be useful to the user, even if such a service is offered. In addition, the services provided by a business operator may include services that are not useful to the user.

[Provision processing according to application usage mode]
Therefore, the application causes the terminal device 400 to execute the following provision process. For example, the application acquires an image captured by the camera 20, provides various functions related to the use of the captured image, and causes the application to select a service to be proposed to the user from among services related to image analysis realized on the cloud system side (i.e., the server device 300 side) according to the usage mode of the function. Also, the application selects a service to be proposed to the user from among services related to image analysis realized on the cloud system side according to the characteristics of the captured image. Then, the application causes the terminal device 400 to execute a process of proposing the selected service to the user.

For example, the terminal device 400 that executes the application (hereinafter, simply referred to as "terminal device 400") displays a TOP screen C1 as an initial screen after login for selecting the lighting device 100 that captured the image to be viewed, selecting the image to be viewed, and selecting the function to be used. If the viewing time of such an initial screen is long, it is considered that the user is likely to be searching for a desired image. Therefore, when the viewing time of the initial screen exceeds a predetermined threshold or the number of times the initial screen is viewed exceeds a predetermined threshold (or both), the terminal device 400 may select a service that tags images as a proposed target and display information about the selected proposed target. For example, the terminal device 400 may display service information about the proposed service, such as the existence of a tagging service that automatically tags images according to the user's specification or the results of image analysis, the content and functions of the tagging service, and the cost of using the tagging service.

In addition, if a user frequently refers to images captured by a specific lighting device 100, it is considered that the user is artificially analyzing the images captured by that lighting device 100. Therefore, when the number of times or the duration of viewing an image captured by a specific lighting device 100 meets a specific condition (for example, when it exceeds a specific threshold), the terminal device 400 may select various image analysis services using AI as suggested targets, such as people flow analysis or whether a person has entered a specific area, and provide service information of the selected image analysis service.

In addition, if the number of times the initial screen is returned to after viewing an image captured by a certain lighting device 100 is high, it is considered that the user wishes to view images captured by various lighting devices 100. Therefore, if the transition status of the screen viewed by the user satisfies a predetermined condition, the terminal device 400 may select a multi-viewer service that simultaneously displays images captured by multiple cameras as a proposed target. For example, the terminal device 400 may select a multi-viewer service as a proposed target if the number of times the initial screen is returned to after viewing an image captured by a certain lighting device 100 is high, or if a screen displaying images captured by a selected lighting device 100 is displayed many times.

In addition, when the lighting device 100 frequently selected by the user is a lighting device equipped with a fisheye lens, the terminal device 400 may select the dewarping service as a suggested service. In addition, depending on the type (i.e., function) of the lighting device 100 frequently selected by the user, the terminal device 400 may select an image conversion service or the like corresponding to that function as a suggested service.

Here, various storage modes of the images captured by the lighting device 100 are possible. For example, the lighting device 100 may store the captured images in a storage device for a predetermined period of time. Also, the terminal device 400 may store the images captured by the lighting device 100 or stored images in local storage. When such image storage is performed frequently, the user would like the lighting device 100 to have more storage capacity. Therefore, when the number or frequency of images captured by the lighting device 100 being stored in the terminal device 400 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the terminal device 400 may select a recording service with a larger storage capacity than the current situation as a proposed target, such as a data storage service on the cloud.

[Provision processing according to image characteristics]
In the above example, the terminal device 400 selected a service to be proposed to the user according to the usage mode of the application. However, the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, when many people are captured in the captured image, it is considered that the user is likely to desire a service such as people flow analysis. In addition, in an image saved in a format based on the image difference between frames, the image data tends to become larger as the image movement becomes larger, such as when many people are included in the captured image.

The terminal device 400 may select a service to suggest to the user depending on the characteristics of the captured image. For example, when a certain condition is met, such as when the size of the captured image exceeds a certain threshold or when both images captured by each lighting device 100 tend to exceed a certain threshold, the terminal device 400 may suggest a service that analyzes the behavior of the captured subject, such as a people flow analysis, or may suggest a recording service with a larger storage capacity than the current situation, such as a data storage service on the cloud.

In addition, when there are a large number of lighting devices 100, the amount of images that the user must check increases, which may make the user's checking task difficult. Therefore, when the number of cameras capturing images exceeds a predetermined threshold, the terminal device 400 may suggest tagging services, various image analysis services using AI, and the like.

The terminal device 400 may also select a service to be proposed to the user depending on the installation location of the lighting device 100 that captured the image. For example, when the locations associated with each lighting device 100 are scattered, when there is low redundancy in the images captured by each lighting device 100, or when there are multiple locations where each lighting device 100 is installed, the terminal device 400 may select a tracking service that identifies a person and estimates and provides the movement of the identified person within a building.

If the lighting device 100 is a lighting device equipped with a fisheye lens, the terminal device 400 may select the dewarping service as a proposed service. The terminal device 400 may select a proposed service depending on whether the camera has a function to save captured images, whether it is a 360-degree camera, whether it has a person tracking function, and the like. The terminal device 400 may select a proposed service depending on the image resolution, frame rate, and the like. In addition, the terminal device 400 may select a proposed service depending on the characteristics of the captured image itself, the characteristics of the lighting device 100 that captured the image, and other characteristics related to the image.

[About the form of provision]
The user may be reminded of the service by providing information on the service for which the user has already subscribed. However, it is generally considered that the user would like to be proposed services that he or she does not know. Therefore, it is preferable that the terminal device 400 selects the proposed service from among services for which the user has not subscribed. The terminal device 400 may select the proposed service from among services for which the user has subscribed, but whose frequency of use is below a predetermined threshold.

The terminal device 400 may also propose services related to the screen provided to the user within that screen. For example, the terminal device 400 may arrange and display all service information related to the selected service on the TOP screen C1, which is the initial screen. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the terminal device 400 arranges and displays function proposal content S1 on the TOP screen C1. Such function proposal content S1 arranges and displays content S10 for displaying service information of a service related to storing image data in the cloud, content S11 for displaying a service description of a service related to people flow analysis using AI, content S12 for displaying a service description of a tagging service using AI, content S13 for displaying a service description of a multi-viewer, and content S14 for displaying a service description of dewarping.

In addition, the terminal device 400 arranges and displays service information related to various image analysis services using AI on the screen on which the user displays an image captured by one of the lighting devices 100. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the terminal device 400 arranges and displays function proposal content S2 within the selected camera captured image C2. In the function proposal content S2, only function proposals corresponding to the camera captured by the lighting device 100 placed at the installation location A are made among the contents S10 to S14 shown in FIG. 3. More specifically, the terminal device 400 arranges and displays content S11 for displaying a service description of a service related to people flow analysis using AI, and content S14 for displaying a service description of dewarping.

In addition, the terminal device 400 may display a service description of the service corresponding to a certain screen when no operation is performed for a predetermined period of time after the screen is displayed.

In this way, the terminal device 400 can suggest the use of cloud services that are estimated to be useful to the user, depending on the user's application usage patterns and image tendencies. As a result, the terminal device 400 can improve the convenience of the user and realize upselling that encourages the user to use cloud services.

[Provision processing according to future trends]
Furthermore, the terminal device 400 may estimate services that the user will desire in the future based on the usage behavior of the application by the user and the tendency of images, and may suggest the estimated services. That is, even if the current usage behavior or tendency of images does not satisfy the conditions for suggesting each service, the terminal device 400 may suggest the corresponding service if the usage behavior or tendency of images changes over time to satisfy the conditions (for example, if the size of the moving image gradually increases and approaches a threshold value, or if the number of times the TOP screen C1 is displayed increases day by day, etc.).

[Example of functional configuration of each device]
An example of the functional configuration of the lighting device 100, the server device 300, and the terminal device 400 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Example of the configuration of the lighting device]
First, the configuration of the lighting device 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the lighting device according to the embodiment. For example, the lighting device 100 is an information processing device (computer) that functions as a lighting device with a camera. As shown in Fig. 5, the lighting device 100 has a communication unit 10, a camera 20, a lighting unit 30, a control unit 40, and a storage unit 50.

The communication unit 10 transmits and receives information to and from other devices such as the repeater 200. The communication unit 10 is realized, for example, by a predetermined communication circuit or a NIC (Network Interface Card). The communication method used by the communication unit 10 may be, for example, wireless communication such as a local area network (LAN). Note that the communication method used by the communication unit 10 may be any communication method, such as wired communication, infrared communication, etc.

The camera 20 has a photographing device 21, a camera control unit 22, and a storage unit 23. The photographing device 21 is equipped with an imaging element that electronically acquires images, such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and photographs a specific angle of view to generate image data (also called an "image"). The photographing device 21 is placed at a specific position and photographs a specific space. The image data may be video data or still image data.

The camera control unit 22 controls the photographing by the photographing device 21. The camera control unit 22 also outputs image data generated by the photographing by the photographing device 21 to the control unit 40.

The storage unit 23 stores programs and data for implementing various controls of the camera 20. The storage unit 23 may store images captured by the image capture device 21, or image data generated by image capture by the image capture device 21. The storage unit 23 is implemented, for example, by a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk.

The lighting unit 30 has a light source 31, a lighting control unit 32, and a memory unit 33. The light source 31 has a semiconductor light-emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The light source 31 turns on or off in a manner corresponding to a control signal output from the lighting control unit 32.

The lighting control unit 32 controls the turning on and off of the light source 31. The lighting control unit 32 turns on the light source 31 that is to be turned off, or turns off the light source 31 that is to be turned on. In the case of a lighting unit 30 in which the light source 31 can be dimmed, the lighting control unit 32 may control the dimming degree of the light source 31.

The storage unit 33 stores programs and data for implementing various controls of the lighting unit 30. The storage unit 33 is implemented, for example, by a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 33 may be provided in the storage unit 50 described later.

The storage unit 50 stores various information related to information processing. The storage unit 50 stores programs for implementing various controls of the control unit 40. The storage unit 50 is implemented, for example, by a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 50 stores various information used to execute processing related to privacy protection. The storage unit 50 stores information generated by privacy protection. For example, the storage unit 50 stores information used for masking processing. For example, the storage unit 50 stores information used for skeletal detection. Note that the information held by the storage unit 50 is not limited to the above, and the storage unit 50 may store various information according to the purpose. For example, the storage unit 50 may store information stored in the storage unit 23 or information stored in the storage unit 33.

The control unit 40 is realized, for example, by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit) executing various programs stored in the internal memory using the RAM as a working area. The control unit 40 can also be realized, for example, by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The control unit 40 has an acquisition unit 41, a processing unit 42, and a transmission unit 43, and realizes or executes the functions and actions of information processing described below. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 40 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, and may be other configurations as long as they perform the information processing described below.

The acquisition unit 41 acquires various information. The acquisition unit 41 acquires various information from the camera 20. The acquisition unit 41 acquires images captured by the camera 20 from the camera 20. The acquisition unit 41 acquires various information from the lighting unit 30. The acquisition unit 41 acquires various information from the memory unit 50. The acquisition unit 41 acquires various information from an external information processing device. The acquisition unit 41 receives various information from an external information processing device via the communication unit 10. The acquisition unit 41 receives information from the repeater 200.

The processing unit 42 processes the images captured by the camera 20 and executes a predetermined process. The processing unit 42 performs image processing. The processing unit 42 stores various information in the storage unit 50. Here, the processing unit 42 stores the images captured by the camera 20 in a manner according to the settings from the terminal device 400. For example, the processing unit 42 may store only one week's worth of images in the storage unit 50 and erase images that are more than one week old after capture. Furthermore, when a setting is made to upload images to the cloud, the processing unit 42 may upload the captured images to the server device 300 without registering them in the storage unit 50.

The transmitting unit 43 transmits various information to an external device via the communication unit 10. The transmitting unit 43 transmits images to the server device 300 and the terminal device 400 via the repeater 200.

[Example of the configuration of a server device]
Next, the configuration of the server device 300 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server device according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 6, the server device 300 has a communication unit 310, a storage unit 320, and a control unit 330.

The communication unit 310 is realized, for example, by a specified communication circuit or NIC. For example, the communication unit 310 can communicate with external devices such as the repeater 200 and the terminal device 400. The communication unit 310 may also be capable of communicating with any external device, such as a terminal device used by the administrator of the proposed system 1.

The storage unit 320 is realized, for example, by a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 320 stores various information related to information processing. The storage unit 320 stores various information received from the repeater 200. Note that the information held by the storage unit 320 is not limited to the above, and the storage unit 320 may store various information depending on the purpose.

The control unit 330 is realized, for example, by a CPU or MPU, which executes various programs stored in the internal memory using the RAM as a working area. The control unit 330 can also be realized, for example, by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. The control unit 330 has an acquisition unit 331, a processing unit 332, and a transmission unit 333, and realizes or executes the functions and actions of the information processing described below. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 330 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 6, and may be other configurations as long as they perform the information processing described below.

The acquisition unit 331 acquires various information. The acquisition unit 331 acquires various information from the storage unit 320. The acquisition unit 331 receives various information from an external device via the communication unit 310. The acquisition unit 331 receives information from the repeater 200. For example, the acquisition unit 331 acquires an image captured by the lighting device 100 via the repeater 200, and registers the acquired image in the storage unit 320.

The processing unit 332 performs various processes using the images. More specifically, the processing unit 332 performs image processing related to the various services described above in response to requests from the terminal device 400 and the status of a contract between the user and the business operator. For example, the processing unit 332 performs various information processes, such as detecting people and people flow, from the captured images using AI or the like.

The transmitting unit 333 transmits various information to an external device via the communication unit 310. The transmitting unit 333 transmits various information to the terminal device 400 or the repeater 200. For example, the transmitting unit 333 transmits the processing results for providing various services to the terminal device 400 and causes the terminal device 400 to display them.

[Example of terminal device configuration]
Next, the configuration of the terminal device 400 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal device according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 7, the terminal device 400 has a communication unit 410, a control unit 420, a storage unit 430, and an output unit 440.

The communication unit 410 is realized, for example, by a predetermined communication circuit or a NIC. For example, the communication unit 410 can communicate with external devices such as the repeater 200 and the server device 300. The storage unit 430 is realized, for example, by a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The output unit 440 is, for example, a screen that outputs various information.

The control unit 420 is realized, for example, by a CPU, an MPU, or the like executing various programs stored in internal memory using the RAM as a working area. The control unit 420 can also be realized, for example, by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA. The control unit 420 operates, for example, as an acquisition unit 421, a provision unit 422, a selection unit 423, and a proposal unit 424 by executing an application related to the use of images captured by the lighting device 100.

The acquisition unit 421 acquires images captured by the camera 20 of the lighting device 100. For example, the acquisition unit 421 acquires, via the repeater 200, images being captured by each lighting device 100 and images that the lighting device 100 has registered in its own storage device.

The providing unit 422 provides various services related to the use of images captured by the lighting device 100. For example, the providing unit 422 displays a TOP screen C1, a selected camera captured image C2, and the like. The providing unit 422 also acquires and displays images captured at a date and time selected by the user from the lighting device 100 and the server device 300. Note that, for example, if the user does not subscribe to a cloud storage service and the image captured at the specified date and time has also been deleted from the storage device of the lighting device 100, the providing unit 422 displays a message that the image has not been saved.

In addition, the providing unit 422 may provide the results of various services realized by the server device 300. For example, the providing unit 422 may provide content for displaying the results of people flow analysis, images to which image editing has been applied, etc.

The selection unit 423 selects a service to be proposed to the user from among the services related to image analysis realized on the cloud system side according to the usage mode of the function provided by the application. For example, the selection unit 423 may select a service to be proposed to the user according to the viewing time or number of views of a screen provided by the application, such as the TOP screen C1 or the selected camera captured image C2, that is, a screen providing various functions. The selection unit 423 may also select a service to be proposed to the user according to the transition status of each screen. The selection unit 423 may also select a service according to the viewing time or number of views of an image captured by any of the lighting devices 100. The selection unit 423 may also select a service (e.g., a cloud storage service or updating of the maximum storable capacity, etc.) according to the storage mode of the captured image (e.g., whether it is stored in the lighting device 100, the terminal device 400, or the server device 300, the frequency of storage, the storable capacity, etc.). The selection unit 423 may also select a service depending on the type of camera, such as whether the camera of the lighting device 100 that captured the image to be viewed by the user is a camera equipped with a fisheye lens.

The selection unit 423 may select a service to be proposed to the user according to the characteristics of the image captured by the lighting device 100. For example, the selection unit 423 may select a service to be proposed to the user according to the capacity of the image. More specifically, for example, when the average value of the image capacity exceeds a predetermined threshold, the selection unit 423 selects a service related to the analysis of the behavior of the captured subject (for example, a service providing people flow analysis or person tracking). The selection unit 423 may select a service to be proposed to the user according to the number of lighting devices 100 that capture the captured image, or may select a service to be proposed to the user according to the installation position of the lighting device 100 that captures the captured image. Note that the installation position of each lighting device 100 is, for example, registered by the user in advance, and the selection unit 423 may select a different service depending on whether such installation positions are scattered or not. The selection unit 423 may select a service to be proposed to the user according to the type of camera that captures the captured image.

The selection unit 423 may select a service depending on both the usage mode of each function provided by the application and the characteristics of the image captured by the lighting device 100. For example, the selection unit 423 may store conditions for determining that the service is to be provided in association with each service. The selection unit 423 may select a service to be proposed depending on whether the usage mode of each function and the characteristics of the image satisfy each condition. The selection unit 423 may select a service from among services for which the user has not subscribed, or may select a service for which the user has subscribed but is used infrequently as a proposed service.

The suggestion unit 424 proposes the selected service to the user. For example, the suggestion unit 424
Through a screen that provides various functions, the suggestion unit 424 proposes services related to this screen. For example, the suggestion unit 424 may provide information on all services to be proposed through an initial screen for selecting a function. Furthermore, the suggestion unit 424 may display, on an image for displaying an image captured by any one of the lighting devices 100, information on a service that is related to the characteristics of the image captured by that lighting device 100.

[Flowchart of services provided by the application]
Next, an example of the flow of a service provided by an application will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the flow of a service provided by an application according to an embodiment. For example, the terminal device 400 that executes the application displays a login screen (step S101) and accepts the user's login. Then, if the login is successful (step S102: Yes), the terminal device 400 displays a camera list home screen, i.e., a TOP screen C1 (step S103). Next, if the user presses each function button arranged on the TOP screen C1 (step S104; Yes), the terminal device 400 displays each function screen (step S105).

If the user presses the home button to display the camera list home screen (step S106: Yes), the terminal device 400 executes step S103. On the other hand, if the user does not log in or fails to log in (step S102: No), does not press a function button (step S104: No), or does not press the home button (step S106: No), the terminal device 400 determines whether or not the end button to end the application has been pressed (step S107). If the user presses the end button (step S107: Yes), the terminal device 400 ends the application, and if the user does not press the button (step S107: No), it executes step S107 again.

[Flowchart of provision process]
Next, an example of the flow of the provision process executed by the terminal device 400 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of the provision process executed by the terminal device. First, the terminal device 400 acquires an image captured by the lighting device 100 (step S201), and then, based on at least one of the usage mode of the application and the characteristics of the captured image, the terminal device 400 selects a service to be proposed from among services for which the user has not subscribed (step S202).

Then, the terminal device 400 determines whether or not to display a screen corresponding to the proposed service (step S203), and if not (step S203: No), waits until it is displayed. Then, if the terminal device 400 displays the corresponding screen (step S203: Yes), it proposes a service corresponding to the screen (step S204) and ends the process.

[Other system configuration examples]
Note that the configuration of the proposed system 1 described above is merely an example, and any device configuration that is capable of performing desired processing may be adopted for the proposed system 1. For example, the proposed system 1 may be configured without including the repeater 200.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as well as the scope and gist of the invention. Furthermore, these embodiments and their variations can be combined as appropriate as long as they do not cause contradictions in the processing content.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Proposal system 100 Lighting device 10 Communication unit 20 Camera 30 Lighting unit 40 Control unit 41 Acquisition unit 42 Processing unit 43 Transmission unit 50 Memory unit 200 Repeater 300 Server device 310 Communication unit 320 Memory unit 330 Control unit 331 Acquisition unit 332 Processing unit 333 Transmission unit 400 Terminal device 410 Communication unit 420 Control unit 421 Acquisition unit 422 Provision unit 423 Selection unit 424 Proposal unit 430 Memory unit 440 Output unit

Claims (12)

An acquisition step of acquiring a captured image taken by a camera;
A provision procedure for providing various functions related to the use of the captured image;
a selection step of selecting a service to be proposed to the user from among services realized on the cloud system side according to a usage state of the function;
a proposal step of proposing the service selected by the selection step to the user;
A proposed program for causing a computer to execute the above. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the selection step selects, from among the services, a service for which the user has not made a contract for use. 3. The program according to claim 1, wherein the suggestion step proposes, via a screen that provides the function, a service related to the screen. 3. The proposal program according to claim 1, wherein the proposal step provides information on all services to be proposed via an initial screen for selecting the function. 3. The program according to claim 1, wherein the selection step selects a service to be proposed to the user depending on a viewing time or a viewing count of each screen that provides the function. 3. The program according to claim 1, wherein the selection step provides the service to be proposed to the user depending on a transition state of a screen that provides the function. 3. The program according to claim 1, wherein the selection step selects a service to be proposed to the user depending on a viewing time or a viewing count of an image captured by each camera. 3. The program according to claim 1, wherein the selection step includes selecting a service to be proposed to the user depending on a storage state of an image captured by the camera. 3. The program according to claim 1, wherein the selection step comprises selecting a service to be proposed to the user depending on a type of camera that captured an image to be viewed by the user. An acquisition unit that acquires an image captured by a camera;
a provision unit that provides various functions related to the use of the captured image;
a selection unit that selects a service to be proposed to the user from among services realized on the cloud system side according to a usage state of the function;
a suggestion unit that suggests the service selected by the selection unit to the user;
The proposed device is characterized by having: A proposal method executed by a proposal device,
An acquisition step of acquiring a photographed image captured by a camera;
a providing step of providing various functions related to the use of the captured image;
a selection step of selecting a service to be proposed to the user from among services realized on the cloud system side according to a usage state of the function;
a proposing step of proposing the service selected by the selection step to the user;
The proposed method comprises: A lighting device;
a camera for photographing an area illuminated by the lighting device;
a terminal device capable of confirming images captured by the camera;
having
The terminal device
an acquisition unit that acquires an image captured by the camera;
a provision unit that provides various functions related to the use of the captured image;
a selection unit that selects a service to be proposed to the user from among services realized on the cloud system side according to a usage state of the function;
a suggestion unit that suggests the service selected by the selection unit to the user;
A proposal system comprising:

Images