JP2024060139A - Arrival time estimation system, arrival time estimation method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] It is desirable to provide a technology that estimates the arrival time of a user for each area in a space that contains multiple areas. [Solution] An arrival time estimation system is provided that includes an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a reference area, which is an area in which a user exists among multiple areas that exist in a space, and acquires the time when the user exists in the reference area as a reference time, and travel time estimation data that holds an estimated travel time required for the user to travel from one of the two areas to the other for each of two areas included in the multiple areas, and an estimation unit that estimates the time when the user will arrive in each of one or more areas other than the reference area among the multiple areas as one or more arrival times based on the information indicating the reference area and the reference time. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an arrival time estimation system, an arrival time estimation method, and a program.

In recent years, technology has become known that provides information to people based on their location. Such information-providing technology often uses beacons. A beacon is a device that transmits a signal.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which, when a signal transmitted from a beacon fixed in a store is detected by an information terminal carried by a user, the information terminal displays information corresponding to the area in which the signal was detected. Patent Document 2 discloses a technology in which, when a signal transmitted from a beacon installed in a vehicle is detected by an information terminal carried by a user, the information terminal is notified that a vehicle is nearby.

The technology disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is a technology that forms a physical area, and when a user's presence in that area is detected, presents information corresponding to that area to the user.

In such technology, a certain amount of time is required from when the area in which the user is present is detected until information corresponding to the area is presented to the user. For this reason, even if the user moves within the space (e.g., by walking), the area corresponding to one beacon needs to be designed to be large so that the time when information corresponding to the area is presented to the user is not later than the time when the user is present in the area.

Patent No. 6836254 JP 2019-100712 A

However, there may be cases where different information is presented for each small area, such as individual sales floors in a retail store. In such cases, due to the user's movement, the time when information corresponding to the area is presented to the user may be later than the time when the user is present in the area, which is a problem.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a technology that estimates the arrival time of a user for each area in a space where multiple areas exist. As an example, by presenting information according to the estimated arrival time in this way, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the time at which information corresponding to an area is presented to the user will be later than the time at which the user is present in the area.

In order to solve the above problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an arrival time estimation system including: an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a reference area, which is an area in which a user exists among a plurality of areas existing in a space, and acquires the time when the user exists in the reference area as a reference time; travel time estimation data that holds an estimated travel time required for the user to travel from one of the two areas to the other for each of the two areas included in the plurality of areas; and an estimation unit that estimates, based on the information indicating the reference area and the reference time, one or more arrival times that are the time when the user will arrive at each of one or more areas other than the reference area among the plurality of areas.

The arrival time estimation system may include a generation unit that generates the travel time estimation data based on time-series travel data including the time when the user was present in each of the multiple areas.

The generation unit may calculate a representative value of the travel time corresponding to the two areas as an estimated travel time value corresponding to the two areas based on the time-series travel data.

When there is an even number of travel times corresponding to the two areas, the generation unit may calculate the minimum of the two medians of the travel times as the representative value corresponding to the two areas.

When there is an odd number of travel times corresponding to the two areas, the generation unit may calculate the median of the multiple travel times as the representative value corresponding to the two areas.

The arrival time estimation system may include a selection unit that selects the travel time estimation data from a plurality of candidate data prepared in advance, based on time-series travel data including the time when the user was present in each of the plurality of areas.

The selection unit may generate travel time data based on the time-series travel data, and select candidate data that has the highest degree of match with the travel time data as the travel time estimation data.

The selection unit may calculate the sum of the Euclidean distances between the travel time data and each of the plurality of candidate data for each of the two areas as the degree of similarity.

The arrival time estimation system may include a presentation control unit that controls presentation information corresponding to an area among the plurality of areas where the relationship between the arrival time and the current time satisfies a predetermined relationship so that the presentation information is presented to the user.

The estimation unit may estimate the one or more arrival times based on the travel time estimation data, information indicating the reference area, the reference time, and the user's travel time for a specified section.

When the travel time for the specified section is shorter than a specified time, the estimation unit may estimate the one or more arrival times based on the travel time estimation data after it has been changed so that the travel time estimate value is smaller, information indicating the reference area, and the reference time.

The estimation unit may estimate the one or more arrival times based on the travel time estimation data, information indicating the reference area, the reference time, and the congestion degree of the space.

When the congestion level is greater than a predetermined level, the estimation unit may estimate the one or more arrival times based on the travel time estimation data after the travel time estimation value has been changed to be greater, information indicating the reference area, and the reference time.

In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above problem, there is provided an arrival time estimation method executed by a computer, which includes acquiring information indicating a reference area, which is an area in which a user exists among multiple areas existing in a space, acquiring the time when the user exists in the reference area as a reference time, and estimating, based on travel time estimation data holding an estimated travel time required for the user to travel from one of the two areas to the other of the multiple areas, the information indicating the reference area, and the reference time, one or more arrival times that are the time when the user will arrive at each of one or more areas other than the reference area among the multiple areas.

In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above problem, a program is provided that causes a computer to function as an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a reference area, which is an area in which a user exists among multiple areas existing in a space, and acquires the time when the user exists in the reference area as a reference time, and an estimation unit that estimates, based on the information indicating the reference area and the reference time, one or more arrival times that the user will reach each of one or more areas other than the reference area among the multiple areas.

As described above, the present invention is expected to provide a technology that can estimate a user's arrival time for each area in a space where multiple areas exist.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an arrival time estimation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the arrival time estimation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a user's movement within a store. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of time-series movement data. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of travel time estimation data. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of travel time estimates from a reference area to another area. 11 is a diagram for explaining estimation of arrival time taking into consideration travel time of a user within a specified section. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining estimation of arrival time taking into consideration the degree of congestion in a store 50. FIG. 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining modified examples of a space and a plurality of areas included in the space according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an information processing device as an example of an arrival time estimation device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that in this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are designated by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant description.

In addition, in this specification and drawings, multiple components having substantially the same functional configuration may be distinguished by adding different numbers after the same reference symbol. However, if there is no particular need to distinguish between multiple components having substantially the same functional configuration, only the same reference symbol will be used.

1. Details of the embodiment
Next, the details of the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[1-1. Description of the configuration]
An example of the configuration of an arrival time estimation system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an arrival time estimation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the arrival time estimation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises an arrival time estimation device 10, an information terminal 20, and beacon terminals 30-1 to 30-N (N is an integer equal to or greater than 2). The arrival time estimation device 10 and the information terminal 20 are connected to a network, and the arrival time estimation device 10 and the information terminal 20 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via the network.

(Beacon terminal 30)
The beacon terminal 30 corresponds to a wireless station that transmits a signal, and is also referred to as a "beacon". For example, the signal transmitted by the beacon terminal 30 may be a signal based on the BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) standard, but the type of signal transmitted by the beacon terminal 30 is not particularly limited. Also, for example, the beacon terminal 30 may transmit a signal once every few seconds within a radius of several meters to several tens of meters from the beacon terminal 30, but the period at which the beacon terminal 30 transmits a signal and the range the signal reaches are not limited to such an example.

The beacon terminal 30 is installed at a position corresponding to each of the multiple areas that exist within the space. In the following explanation, we mainly assume an example in which a store with multiple retail sales floors is the "space" and the area where customers visit the retail sales floors is the "area" that exists within the space. However, as will be explained later, the "space" and the multiple "areas" that exist within the space are not limited to this example. As shown in FIG. 1, the beacon terminal 30 transmits a signal that includes information for identifying the beacon terminal 30 (hereinafter also referred to as a "beacon ID").

(Information terminal 20)
The information terminal 20 may be realized by a computer. The information terminal 20 is carried by a user who moves around the store. For example, the user moves around the store by walking to shop at retail sales areas in the store. In the following description, an example in which the information terminal 20 is a smartphone is mainly assumed. However, the information terminal 20 is not limited to a smartphone. For example, the information terminal 20 may be a tablet terminal, a mobile phone, or another terminal.

When the information terminal 20 receives a signal transmitted from the beacon terminal 30, it acquires a beacon ID from the received signal. The information terminal 20 also measures the strength of the signal received from the beacon terminal 30 to obtain the signal strength. The information terminal 20 transmits a set of the beacon ID, signal strength, and reception time of the signal transmitted from the beacon terminal 30, as well as information for identifying the information terminal 20 (hereinafter also referred to as "information terminal ID"), to the arrival time estimation device 10 via the network.

Furthermore, when the information terminal 20 receives the presentation information transmitted from the arrival time estimation device 10, it presents the presentation information to the user according to the presentation timing obtained by the arrival time estimation device 10. In the following description, an example is mainly assumed in which the information terminal 20 has a display and presents the presentation information to the user by displaying the presentation information on the display. However, the presentation information may be presented to the user by other methods. As an example, the information terminal 20 has a speaker and may present the presentation information to the user by outputting the presentation information as audio from the speaker.

Note that FIG. 1 shows one information terminal 20. However, if multiple users are present in the store and each of the multiple users carries an information terminal 20, multiple information terminals 20 may be present.

(Arrival time estimation device 10)
The arrival time estimation device 10 may be realized by a computer. The arrival time estimation device 10 may function as a server for the information terminal 20. The arrival time estimation device 10 includes a control unit (not shown), a storage unit (not shown), and a communication unit (not shown). The communication unit (not shown) communicates with the information terminal 20 via a network. The control unit (not shown) includes a position determination unit 110, a travel time estimation unit 120, and a presentation timing control unit 130.

The control unit (not shown) is realized by a processor executing a program. Such a program may be recorded on a recording medium and read from the recording medium and executed by the processor. Alternatively, these blocks may be configured by dedicated hardware.

The storage unit (not shown) may be configured with a memory. For example, the memory may be a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk drive, or a flash memory.

(Position Determination Unit 110)
The position determination unit 110 identifies a beacon ID corresponding to a signal strength greater than a threshold based on the beacon ID and signal strength received from the information terminal 20 by a communication unit (not shown). A correspondence table in which the beacon ID and information indicating an area are associated is stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown). At this time, the position determination unit 110 determines the area in which the user carrying the information terminal 20 was present by obtaining information indicating the area corresponding to the identified beacon ID from the correspondence table.

The position determination unit 110 also acquires the time when the user was in the area. For example, the position determination unit 110 acquires the reception time received from the information terminal 20 together with the beacon ID as the time when the user was in the area. The position determination unit 110 adds a pair of information indicating the area in which the user was present (hereinafter also referred to as "presence area information") and the time when the user was in the area (hereinafter also referred to as "area presence time") to the time-series movement data.

For example, each time the position determination unit 110 adds a new pair of presence area information and area presence time to the time-series movement data linked to the information terminal ID, it outputs the time-series movement data linked to the information terminal ID to the movement time estimation unit 120. Note that the position determination unit 110 may output the entire time-series movement data linked to the information terminal ID to the movement time estimation unit 120, or may output only the time-series movement data linked to the information terminal ID that has not yet been output to the movement time estimation unit 120 to the movement time estimation unit 120.

(Travel time estimation unit 120)
The travel time estimation unit 120 functions as an example of a generating unit that generates travel time estimation data linked to an information terminal ID, based on the time-series travel data linked to the information terminal ID output from the position determination unit 110. The travel time estimation data has an estimated travel time required for a user to travel from one of the two areas (hereinafter also referred to as a "start point") to the other (hereinafter also referred to as an "end point") between two areas included in the plurality of areas.

For example, it is also assumed that time-series movement data previously output from the position determination unit 110 is stored in a storage unit (not shown). In this case, the travel time estimation unit 120 may generate travel time estimation data linked to the information terminal ID based on both the time-series movement data previously output from the position determination unit 110 and the time-series movement data newly output from the position determination unit 110. The travel time estimation unit 120 stores the time-series movement data newly output from the position determination unit 110 in a storage unit (not shown).

When travel time estimation data linked to the information terminal ID has already been registered in a storage unit (not shown), the travel time estimation unit 120 updates the travel time estimation data already registered in the storage unit (not shown) with the generated travel time estimation data. On the other hand, when travel time estimation data linked to the information terminal ID has not been registered in a storage unit (not shown), the travel time estimation unit 120 registers the generated travel time estimation data in a storage unit (not shown).

Note that, here, it is mainly assumed that travel time estimation data is generated each time time series movement data is output from the position determination unit 110. However, travel time estimation data does not have to be generated each time time series movement data is output from the position determination unit 110. For example, travel time estimation data may be generated at predetermined intervals, as will be explained later.

The travel time estimation unit 120 also obtains information indicating the area (hereinafter also referred to as the "reference area") corresponding to the latest area presence time from the time-series travel data linked to the information terminal ID as information indicating the area in which the user is currently located. Note that the reference area can also be said to be the user's "current location."

Furthermore, the travel time estimation unit 120 obtains the latest area presence time from the time-series travel data linked to the information terminal ID as the time when the user is present in the reference area (hereinafter also referred to as the "reference time"). Note that the reference time can also be referred to as the "current time."

The travel time estimation unit 120 outputs the reference time, information indicating the reference area, and travel time estimation data linked to the information terminal ID to the presentation timing control unit 130. Note that the travel time estimation unit 120 may output the reference time, information indicating the reference area, and travel time estimation data linked to the information terminal ID to the presentation timing control unit 130 every time time-series travel data is output from the position determination unit 110.

(Presentation Timing Control Unit 130)
The presentation timing control unit 130 functions as an example of an acquisition unit that acquires the reference time, the information indicating the reference area, and the travel time estimation data linked to the information terminal ID, which are output from the travel time estimation unit 120 .

Furthermore, the presentation timing control unit 130 functions as an example of an estimation unit that estimates the time at which the user will arrive at one or more areas other than the reference area among the multiple areas as one or more arrival times based on the reference time, information indicating the reference area, and travel time estimation data linked to the information terminal ID. With this configuration, the arrival time of the user for each area can be estimated.

The presentation timing control unit 130 functions as an example of a presentation control unit that controls the information terminal 20 corresponding to the information terminal ID linked to the travel time estimation data so that presentation information corresponding to an area among multiple areas where the relationship between the arrival time and the current time satisfies a predetermined relationship is presented to the user. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the time at which information corresponding to an area is presented to the user will be later than the time at which the user is present in the area.

In the embodiment of the present invention, an example is mainly assumed in which the position determination unit 110, travel time estimation unit 120, and presentation timing control unit 130 are configured by a single server connected to the information terminal 20. However, as will be explained later, these functions do not have to be configured by a single server.

The above describes an example configuration of the arrival time estimation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[1-2. Description of operation]
Next, an operation example of the arrival time estimation system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of arrival time estimation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the operation of arrival time estimation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is divided into the following steps: (S1) beacon detection at the information terminal, (S2) position determination of the information terminal, (S3) generation of travel time estimation data, (S4) determination of presentation timing and presentation information, (S5) timing adjustment, (S6) output of presentation information to the information terminal, and (S7) confirmation of an end instruction.

Below, we'll explain each of these steps in turn.

(S1) Beacon detection by information terminal The beacon terminal 30 is installed at a position corresponding to each of a plurality of areas existing in the space, and periodically transmits a signal including a beacon ID. When a user walks through the store and arrives at an area corresponding to a sales floor of the retail store, the information terminal 20 receives the signal transmitted from the beacon terminal 30 corresponding to the area.

When the information terminal 20 receives a signal transmitted from the beacon terminal 30, it acquires a beacon ID from the received signal. The information terminal 20 also obtains the signal strength by measuring the strength of the signal received from the beacon terminal 30. The information terminal 20 transmits a set of the beacon ID, signal strength, and reception time of the signal transmitted from the beacon terminal 30, as well as the information terminal ID corresponding to the information terminal 20, to the arrival time estimation device 10 via the network.

After beacon detection (S1) is performed on the information terminal, the operation of the arrival time estimation system 1 transitions to determining the position of the information terminal (S2).

(S2) Position determination of information terminal The position determination unit 110 acquires a set of a beacon ID, a signal strength, and a reception time of a signal transmitted from the beacon terminal 30, which are received from the information terminal 20 by a communication unit (not shown), and an information terminal ID corresponding to the information terminal 20. Then, the position determination unit 110 compares the signal strength with a threshold value, and identifies a beacon ID corresponding to a signal strength greater than the threshold value. Note that, if there is no signal strength greater than the threshold value, the operation of the arrival time estimation system 1 may be shifted to beacon detection (S1) in the information terminal.

A correspondence table in which beacon IDs are associated with information indicating areas is stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown). At this time, the position determination unit 110 obtains information indicating the area corresponding to the identified beacon ID from the correspondence table, thereby determining the area in which the user carrying the information terminal 20 was present.

The position determination unit 110 also acquires the time when the user was in the area. For example, the position determination unit 110 acquires the reception time received from the information terminal 20 together with the beacon ID as the time when the user was in the area. The position determination unit 110 adds a pair of presence area information indicating the area in which the user was present and the area presence time, which is the time when the user was in the area, to the time-series movement data.

For example, each time the position determination unit 110 adds a new pair of presence area information and area presence time to the time-series movement data linked to the information terminal ID, it outputs the time-series movement data linked to the information terminal ID to the movement time estimation unit 120. Note that the position determination unit 110 may output the entire time-series movement data linked to the information terminal ID to the movement time estimation unit 120, or may output only the time-series movement data linked to the information terminal ID that has not yet been output to the movement time estimation unit 120 to the movement time estimation unit 120.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a user's movement within a store. Referring to Figure 3, there is a store 50. Within store 50 there are an "entrance" through which users enter and exit store 50, a "cash register" where users complete their payments, and various sales areas of the retail store. As an example, store 50 includes a "delicatessen section." Note that, for ease of viewing, the word "sales area" has been omitted from the names of each sales area shown in the figure.

Beacon terminals 30-1 to 30-8 are also installed within store 50. For example, beacon terminal 30-1 is placed corresponding to the "entrance/exit." More specifically, beacon terminal 30-1 is placed so that a user passing through the "entrance/exit" is within area 70-1, which is the range of the signal emitted by beacon terminal 30-1. Thus, area 70-1 corresponds to beacon terminal 30-1, and area 70-1 and beacon terminal 30-1 each correspond to the "entrance/exit."

Beacon terminal 30-2 is also positioned to correspond to the "prepared food section." More specifically, beacon terminal 30-1 is positioned so that customers who visit the "prepared food section" are within area 70-2, which is the range of the signal emitted by beacon terminal 30-2. Therefore, area 70-2 corresponds to beacon terminal 30-2, and area 70-2 and beacon terminal 30-2 each correspond to the "prepared food section."

Similarly, beacon terminal 30-3 is located corresponding to the "meat counter," area 70-3 corresponds to beacon terminal 30-3, and area 70-3 and beacon terminal 30-3 each correspond to the "meat counter."

Beacon terminal 30-4 is placed in correspondence with the "fish counter," area 70-4 corresponds to beacon terminal 30-4, and area 70-4 and beacon terminal 30-4 each correspond to the "fish counter."

Beacon terminal 30-5 is placed in correspondence with the "vegetable section," area 70-5 corresponds to beacon terminal 30-5, and area 70-5 and beacon terminal 30-5 each correspond to the "vegetable section."

Beacon terminal 30-6 is placed in correspondence with the "daily sundries section," area 70-6 corresponds to beacon terminal 30-6, and area 70-6 and beacon terminal 30-6 each correspond to the "daily sundries section."

Beacon terminal 30-7 is placed in correspondence with the "health food section," area 70-7 corresponds to beacon terminal 30-7, and area 70-7 and beacon terminal 30-7 each correspond to the "health food section."

Beacon terminal 30-8 is positioned to correspond to the "cash register." More specifically, beacon terminal 30-8 is positioned so that a user who reaches the "cash register" to complete a transaction is within area 70-8, which is the range of the signal emitted by beacon terminal 30-8. Thus, area 70-8 corresponds to beacon terminal 30-8, and area 70-8 and beacon terminal 30-8 each correspond to the "cash register."

The dashed arrows in FIG. 3 represent the trajectory of a user's movement through the store 50 in a day. FIG. 3 shows an example in which a user enters the store 50 through the "entrance/exit" in a day, moves through the "prepared food section," "meat section," "fish section," "vegetable section," "daily necessities section," "health food section," and "cash register," and then exits the store 50 through the "entrance/exit." Note that in the example shown in FIG. 3, one beacon terminal 30 is placed in correspondence with each sales section, but there may be more than one beacon terminal 30 placed in correspondence with each sales section.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of time-series movement data. Referring to Figure 4, time-series movement data 41 is shown. Time-series movement data 41 is configured by associating "area presence time", which is the time when a user was in an area, with "presence area information", which is information indicating the area in which the user was present. For example, area presence time "11:00:00" represents 11:00 minutes and 00 seconds. The value in parentheses next to the "area presence time" is the value obtained by re-expressing each area presence time as the elapsed time (seconds) from "11:00:00", when the user was present in the area "entrance/exit" at the beginning of the day.

The time-series movement data 41 is time-series movement data output from the position determination unit 110 when the user moves as indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. 3. Specifically, the time-series movement data 41 includes a pair of "area presence time" and "presence area information" obtained by the position determination unit 110 from when the user enters the store 50 from the "entrance/exit" at "11:00:00" to when the user exits the store 50 from the "entrance/exit" at "11:17:00".

After the information terminal's position determination (S2) is performed, the operation of the arrival time estimation system 1 transitions to generating travel time estimation data (S3).

(S3) Generation of travel time estimation data The travel time estimation unit 120 generates travel time estimation data linked to the information terminal ID based on the time-series travel data linked to the information terminal ID output from the position determination unit 110. The travel time estimation data has an estimated travel time required for a user to travel from a "start point" that is one of the two areas to an "end point" that is the other of the two areas for each of two areas included in the multiple areas. In other words, the "start point" is any area among the multiple areas, and the "end point" is any other area. The user may travel from the "start point" to the "end point" without passing through other areas, or may travel through other areas.

For example, it is also assumed that time-series movement data previously output from the position determination unit 110 is stored in a storage unit (not shown). In this case, the travel time estimation unit 120 may generate travel time estimation data linked to the information terminal ID based on both the time-series movement data previously output from the position determination unit 110 and the time-series movement data newly output from the position determination unit 110. The travel time estimation unit 120 stores the time-series movement data newly output from the position determination unit 110 in a storage unit (not shown).

The travel time estimation unit 120 calculates one or more required travel times corresponding to a pair of a start point and an end point (i.e., between two areas) by subtracting the area presence time corresponding to the start point from the area presence time corresponding to the end point. The travel time estimation unit 120 then calculates a travel time estimate based on the calculated one or more required travel times.

As a simple example, a case may be assumed in which only one travel time exists for one pair of a start point and an end point. In such a case, the travel time estimation unit 120 may calculate one travel time corresponding to the pair of a start point and an end point as a travel time estimate corresponding to that pair based on the time-series travel data.

On the other hand, there may be cases where multiple travel times exist for one pair of start point and end point. In such a case, it may be possible to imagine a case where time-series travel data for a predetermined period going back from the present to the past (e.g., one month) is used to generate travel time estimation data. In such an example, the travel time estimation unit 120 may calculate a representative value of the travel time for each pair of start point and end point based on the time-series travel data as the travel time estimation value corresponding to that pair.

As an example, a case may be considered in which there is an odd number of travel times corresponding to a pair of start points and end points. In such a case, the travel time estimation unit 120 may calculate the median of the multiple travel times corresponding to the pair of start points and end points as a representative value corresponding to the pair of start points and end points. By calculating the median of the multiple travel times as a representative value in this way, the representative value that is not affected by outliers can be used as the travel time estimate.

As another example, it may be assumed that there is an even number of travel times corresponding to a pair of start points and end points. In such a case, the travel time estimation unit 120 may calculate the minimum of the two medians of the multiple travel times corresponding to the pair of start points and end points as the representative value corresponding to the pair of start points and end points. By calculating the minimum of the two medians of the multiple travel times as the representative value in this way, a representative value that is not influenced by outliers and can reduce the possibility of delays in presenting information to the user can be used as the travel time estimate.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of travel time estimation data. Referring to Figure 5, travel time estimation data 42 is shown. Travel time estimation data 42 is an example of travel time estimation data generated based on the time-series travel data 41 shown in Figure 4.

As shown in FIG. 5, the travel time estimation data 42 has an estimated travel time required for a user to travel between two areas included in the plurality of areas from a "starting point" that is one of the two areas to an "ending point" that is the other of the two areas. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the travel time estimation data 42 has an estimated travel time (seconds) corresponding to a pair of a starting point and an ending point. A blank space in the travel time estimation data 42 indicates that the user did not travel from the starting point to the ending point.

In FIG. 5, in order to simplify the explanation of the operation, it is assumed that data from the day when the user first entered the store 50 is used as the travel time estimation data 42. However, travel time estimation data for a predetermined period going back in time from the present (e.g., one month) may also be used, and when such travel time estimation data is used, it is expected that the amount of travel time estimation data will be even larger.

For example, in the time-series movement data 41 shown in FIG. 4, the user moves from the starting point "fish counter" to the ending point "meat counter" twice, and the time required for the user to move from the starting point "fish counter" to the ending point "meat counter" is "430" seconds and "20" seconds. Therefore, the movement time estimation data 42 shown in FIG. 5 has "20" seconds, which is the minimum of "430" seconds and "20" seconds, as the movement time estimation value corresponding to the pair of the starting point "fish counter" and the ending point "meat counter".

When travel time estimation data linked to the information terminal ID has already been registered in a storage unit (not shown), the travel time estimation unit 120 updates the travel time estimation data already registered in the storage unit (not shown) with the generated travel time estimation data. On the other hand, when travel time estimation data linked to the information terminal ID has not been registered in a storage unit (not shown), the travel time estimation unit 120 registers the generated travel time estimation data in a storage unit (not shown).

Note that, here, it is mainly assumed that travel time estimation data is generated each time time series movement data is output from the position determination unit 110. However, travel time estimation data does not have to be generated each time time series movement data is output from the position determination unit 110. For example, travel time estimation data may be generated every predetermined period (e.g., one day, one week, or one month).

The travel time estimation unit 120 also obtains information indicating a reference area, which is an area corresponding to the latest area presence time, from the time-series movement data linked to the information terminal ID, as information indicating the area in which the user is currently located. Furthermore, the travel time estimation unit 120 obtains the latest area presence time from the time-series movement data linked to the information terminal ID as a reference time, which is the time when the user is located in the reference area.

The travel time estimation unit 120 outputs the reference time, information indicating the reference area, and travel time estimation data linked to the information terminal ID to the presentation timing control unit 130. Note that the travel time estimation unit 120 may output the reference time, information indicating the reference area, and travel time estimation data linked to the information terminal ID to the presentation timing control unit 130 every time time-series travel data is output from the position determination unit 110.

After the generation of travel time estimation data (S3) is executed, the operation of the arrival time estimation system 1 transitions to determining the presentation timing and presentation information (S4).

(S4) Determination of Presentation Timing and Presentation Information The presentation timing control unit 130 acquires the reference time, the information indicating the reference area, and the travel time estimation data linked to the information terminal ID, which are output from the travel time estimation unit 120.

Furthermore, the presentation timing control unit 130 estimates the time at which the user will arrive at one or more areas other than the reference area among the multiple areas as one or more arrival times based on the reference time, information indicating the reference area, and travel time estimation data linked to the information terminal ID. With this configuration, the arrival time of the user for each area can be estimated.

For example, consider the reference area being the "delicatessen section" and the destination area being the "meat section," and estimate the time of arrival of the user at the destination area "meat section." In this case, the presentation timing control unit 130 can estimate the time of arrival of the user at the destination area "meat section" by adding the travel time estimate value "210" seconds corresponding to the start point "delicatessen section" and the end point "meat section" from the travel time estimation data 42 to the reference time.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of an estimated travel time from a reference area to another area. In the example shown in Figure 6, the area "delicatessen counter" is the reference area, and examples of estimated travel time from the area "delicatessen counter" to other areas are shown as specific numerical values. As an example, "210 s" is shown as the estimated travel time from the reference area "delicatessen counter" to the "meat counter" as an example of another area. Here, s indicates the unit of seconds.

Furthermore, the presentation timing control unit 130 determines for each area whether or not to present the presentation information to the user, and for the area in which the presentation information is to be presented to the user, determines the presentation information to be presented to the user and determines the scheduled time for presenting the presentation information to the user.

For example, the presentation information may be stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown) in association with the area. In this case, if there is no presentation information associated with the area, the presentation timing control unit 130 may decide not to present the presentation information corresponding to that area to the user. On the other hand, if there is presentation information associated with the area, the presentation timing control unit 130 may decide to present the presentation information corresponding to that area to the user, and may determine that presentation information as the presentation information to be presented to the user.

The presentation timing control unit 130 determines the time that satisfies a predetermined relationship with the estimated result of the user's arrival time in the area as the scheduled time for presenting the presentation information corresponding to the area to the user. Here, the time that satisfies the predetermined relationship may be a time that matches the estimated result of the arrival time. Alternatively, the time that satisfies the predetermined relationship may be a time that is a predetermined time before the estimated result of the arrival time. This makes it possible for the user to be presented with the presentation information corresponding to the area before arriving in the area.

The content of the presentation information corresponding to an area is not particularly limited. As an example, the presentation information corresponding to an area may be information about special sales in that area.

After the presentation timing and presentation information have been determined (S4), the operation of the arrival time estimation system 1 transitions to timing adjustment (S5).

(S5) Timing Adjustment The presentation timing control unit 130 controls the information terminal 20 corresponding to the information terminal ID linked to the travel time estimation data so that presentation information corresponding to an area is presented to the user when the current time becomes the scheduled time corresponding to the area. With this configuration, the possibility that the time when information is presented to the user is delayed with respect to the time when the user is in the area can be reduced.

For example, the presentation timing control unit 130 registers the area and the scheduled time corresponding to the area in a storage unit (not shown) provided in the arrival time estimation device 10.

When registering an area and a scheduled time corresponding to the area in a storage unit (not shown), the presentation timing control unit 130 may delete a previously registered scheduled time if that previously registered scheduled time remains. This allows a scheduled time that matches the user's actual movement to be used as the timing for presenting information, and prevents a scheduled time that does not match the user's actual movement from being used as the timing for presenting information.

After the timing adjustment (S5) is performed, the operation of the arrival time estimation system 1 transitions to outputting the presentation information to the information terminal (S6).

(S6) Output of presentation information to information terminal When the current time becomes the scheduled time corresponding to an area, the presentation timing control unit 130 outputs the presentation information corresponding to the area to the information terminal 20 corresponding to the information terminal ID linked to the travel time estimation data. This allows the information terminal 20 to present the presentation information corresponding to the area to the user.

In the timing adjustment (S5), an example has been described in which the presentation timing control unit 130 registers the area and the scheduled time corresponding to the area in a storage unit (not shown) included in the arrival time estimation device 10. However, the presentation timing control unit 130 may output the area and the scheduled time corresponding to the area to the information terminal 20 and register them in a storage unit (not shown) of the information terminal 20. In this case, the information terminal 20 may present the presentation information corresponding to the area to the user when the current time becomes the scheduled time corresponding to the area.

After the presentation information is output to the information terminal (S6), the operation of the arrival time estimation system 1 transitions to confirmation of an end instruction (S7).

(S7) Confirmation of end instruction The arrival time estimation device 10 confirms whether or not an end instruction has been given from outside to the arrival time estimation system 1. If an end instruction has not been given from outside to the arrival time estimation system 1, the arrival time estimation device 10 shifts the operation to S1. On the other hand, if an end instruction has been given from outside to the arrival time estimation system 1, the arrival time estimation device 10 ends the operation.

The above describes an example of the operation of the arrival time estimation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[1-3. Description of Effects]
As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide an arrival time estimation system 1 including the presentation timing control unit 130. The presentation timing control unit 130 acquires information indicating a reference area which is an area in which a user is present among a plurality of areas present in a space, and acquires the time at which the user is present in the reference area as a reference time.

Furthermore, the presentation timing control unit 130 estimates the time at which the user will arrive at one or more areas other than the reference area among the multiple areas as one or more arrival times based on travel time estimation data that holds an estimated travel time required for the user to travel from one of the two areas to the other for each of the two areas included in the multiple areas, information indicating the reference area, and the reference time.

With this configuration, the arrival time of a user for each area can be estimated in a space where multiple areas exist. As an example, by presenting information according to the estimated arrival time in this way, the possibility that the time at which information corresponding to an area is presented to the user will be later than the time at which the user is present in the area can be reduced.

The above describes the details of an embodiment of the present invention.

2. Modified Examples
Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such an example. It is clear that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can conceive of various modified or altered examples within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[2-1. Modifications regarding travel time estimation data]
For example, in the above description, the travel time estimation unit 120 functions as an example of a generating unit that generates travel time estimation data based on time-series travel data. However, multiple candidate data, each of which is a candidate for travel time estimation data, may be prepared in advance. In this case, the travel time estimation unit 120 may function as an example of a selecting unit that selects travel time estimation data from the multiple candidate data based on the time-series travel data.

As an example, the travel time estimation unit 120 may generate travel time data based on the time-series travel data. The travel time data may be data similar to the travel time estimation data 42 (FIG. 5). The travel time estimation unit 120 may then select the candidate data that has the highest degree of match with the generated travel time data as the travel time estimation data. With this configuration, if a candidate table common to all users is prepared, it is possible to enjoy the effect that it is no longer necessary to store different travel time estimation data for each user.

Here, the degree of agreement between the travel time data and the candidate data may be calculated in any manner. As an example, the travel time estimation unit 120 may calculate the degree of agreement as the total value of the Euclidean distance between each of two areas between the travel time data and each of the multiple candidate data. Alternatively, when many users have similar travel habits due to the spatial arrangement of sales floors in the store 50, the characteristics of the users, etc., a single fixed piece of travel time estimation data may be prepared in advance.

[2-2. Modifications regarding Estimation of Arrival Time]
In the above, an example has been described in which the arrival time of the user to the area is estimated based on the travel time estimation data. However, the user's travel speed may also be taken into consideration when estimating the arrival time of the user to the area. That is, the presentation timing control unit 130 may estimate one or more arrival times based on the travel time estimation data, information indicating the reference area, the reference time, and the user's travel time in a specified section. Estimation of the arrival time taking into consideration the user's travel time in a specified section will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

Figure 7 is a diagram for explaining the estimation of arrival time taking into account the travel time of the user for a specified section. Referring to Figure 7, it is shown that the user is in a hurry and traveled from the area "Entrance/Exit" to the area "Deli counter" in 5 seconds. When the user is in a hurry, as in this example, the user's travel time is likely to be shorter.

The presentation timing control unit 130 may therefore reduce the travel time estimate contained in the travel time estimation data when the travel time of the user for a specified section is shorter than a specified time. The presentation timing control unit 130 may then estimate one or more arrival times based on the travel time estimation data after it has been changed to be smaller, the information indicating the reference area, and the reference time. This may enable estimation of the arrival time according to the user's actual travel.

As an example, when the travel time of the user in a specified section is shorter than a specified time, the presentation timing control unit 130 may reduce the travel time estimated value (FIG. 6) generated based on the time-series travel data 41 by a specified coefficient (where the coefficient satisfies 0<coefficient<1). In the example shown in FIG. 7, the coefficient is 1/2. The travel time of the user in a specified section can be calculated by the difference between the area presence times between two areas.

On the other hand, the presentation timing control unit 130 may increase the travel time estimate value contained in the travel time estimation data when the travel time of the user for a specified section is longer than a specified time. Then, the presentation timing control unit 130 may estimate one or more arrival times based on the travel time estimation data after it has been changed to be larger, the information indicating the reference area, and the reference time. This may realize an estimation of the arrival time according to the user's actual travel.

As an example, when the travel time of a user for a specified section is longer than a specified time, the presentation timing control unit 130 may increase the travel time estimate value (Figure 6) generated based on the time-series travel data 41 by a specified coefficient (where the coefficient satisfies 1<coefficient).

Alternatively, the congestion level of the store 50 may be taken into consideration when estimating the arrival time of the user to the area. That is, the presentation timing control unit 130 may estimate one or more arrival times based on the travel time estimation data, information indicating the reference area, the reference time, and the congestion level of the store 50. Estimation of the arrival time taking into consideration the congestion level of the store 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 8.

Figure 8 is a diagram for explaining the estimation of arrival time taking into account the degree of congestion in store 50. Referring to Figure 8, crowds of customers 81, 82, a customer 83 pulling a cart, and a customer 84 with a shopping basket are shown inside store 50, making store 50 crowded. When store 50 is crowded as in this example, it is likely that users will take a long time to travel.

The presentation timing control unit 130 may increase the travel time estimate value contained in the travel time estimation data when the degree of congestion in the store 50 is greater than a predetermined degree. The presentation timing control unit 130 may then estimate one or more arrival times based on the travel time estimation data after it has been changed to be greater, the information indicating the reference area, and the reference time. This may allow for estimation of the arrival time according to the user's actual movement.

As an example, when the degree of congestion in the store 50 is greater than a predetermined level, the presentation timing control unit 130 may increase the travel time estimate value ( FIG. 6 ) generated based on the time-series movement data 41 by a predetermined coefficient (where the coefficient satisfies 1<coefficient). In the example shown in FIG. 8 , the coefficient is 3.

On the other hand, the presentation timing control unit 130 may reduce the travel time estimate value contained in the travel time estimation data when the degree of congestion in the store 50 is less than a predetermined degree. The presentation timing control unit 130 may then estimate one or more arrival times based on the travel time estimation data after it has been changed to be smaller, the information indicating the reference area, and the reference time. This may allow for estimation of the arrival time according to the user's actual movement.

As an example, when the degree of congestion in the store 50 is lower than a predetermined level, the presentation timing control unit 130 may reduce the travel time estimated value ( FIG. 6 ) generated based on the time-series movement data 41 by multiplying the travel time estimated value ( FIG. 6 ) by a predetermined coefficient (where the coefficient satisfies 0<coefficient<1). Note that the degree of congestion in the store 50 may be acquired in any manner. As an example, it may be the current level of congestion in the store 50, or the current number of customers visiting the store 50. The degree of congestion in the store 50 may be acquired from a web page (such as the store's homepage).

[2-3. Variations regarding space and area]
In the above, an example has been described in which a store where multiple sales floors of a retail store are gathered is a "space" and an area where customers visit the sales floors of the retail store are an "area" existing within the space. However, the space and the multiple areas included in the space according to the embodiment of the present invention are not limited to such an example. With reference to FIG. 9, a modified example of the space and the multiple areas included in the space according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Figure 9 is a diagram for explaining a modified example of a space and multiple areas contained in the space according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 9, the space according to the modified example includes a store 62. The layout of each sales floor in store 62 is similar to the layout of each sales floor in store 50 (Figure 3) described above. However, store 62 has multiple "entrances and exits."

Beacon terminals 30-11 to 30-26 are also installed. In the store 50 (FIG. 3) described above, one beacon terminal 30 was provided corresponding to each sales floor, but as shown in FIG. 9, there may be multiple beacon terminals 30 provided corresponding to one sales floor or cash register. Furthermore, referring to FIG. 9, unlike the store 50 (FIG. 3) described above, the store 62 according to the modified example is provided with a parking lot 61. The beacon terminal 30-11 is provided corresponding to the "parking lot entrance."

When the above embodiment is applied to the space related to the modified example shown in FIG. 9, it is possible to accurately estimate the arrival time for each small area of the sales floor, even if the user drives a vehicle to the store or enters through various entrances. This also makes it possible to present information related to a specific sales floor in a timely manner before the user passes by that sales floor.

Furthermore, the space according to the embodiment of the present invention may be a space in which a user moves by walking, and may be not only a retail store but also an office building, a factory, a station, a promenade, a park, a city, and the like. That is, the embodiment of the present invention may also be applied to applications that provide timely support for health behavior or environmentally conscious behavior in these spaces. Furthermore, the user may be moving by vehicle or the like. In this case, the area may be a tourist spot or the like. Furthermore, in cases where the user is the driver of a vehicle, information may be presented to the user by audio presentation or the like.

[2-4. Modifications regarding determination of area where user exists]
In the above, an example has been described in which an area in which a user carrying the information terminal 20 exists is determined using a signal transmitted from the beacon terminal 30. However, the determination of the area in which a user carrying the information terminal 20 exists is not limited to this example. As an example, when an AR (Augmented Reality) marker is placed in a space, an area in which a user carrying the information terminal 20 exists may be determined based on the position and orientation of the AR marker recognized from an image captured by the information terminal 20.

[2-5. Modifications regarding presented information]
In the above, an example was described in which an area in a retail store where customers visit sales floors is an "area" existing within a space. In such an example, if the store has a large number of sales floors, a large amount of presented information may be presented to the user at the same time. Therefore, the presented information presented to the user may be appropriately thinned out. As an example, the user may be allowed to specify a category of information that he or she wishes to be presented with (e.g., daily necessities), and only information that fits that category may be presented to the user.

On the other hand, if there are multiple pieces of information belonging to the same category, the user may request to receive them simultaneously. For example, if there is information about a sale in the same category, "daily necessities," the user may want to receive the information simultaneously to determine which sales area is the best place to purchase the "daily necessities." Therefore, if there are multiple pieces of presented information corresponding to areas belonging to the same category, the multiple pieces of presented information may be presented to the user simultaneously in accordance with the earliest presentation timing of the multiple pieces of presented information.

The above describes a modified embodiment of the present invention.

3. Hardware configuration example
Next, a hardware configuration example of an information processing device as an example of the arrival time estimation device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of an information processing device as an example of the arrival time estimation device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Note that the hardware configuration of the information terminal 20 may also be realized in the same manner as the hardware configuration of the information processing device 900 shown in Fig. 10.

As shown in FIG. 10, the information processing device 900 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 902, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 903, a host bus 904, a bridge 905, an external bus 906, an interface 907, an input device 908, an output device 909, a storage device 910, and a communication device 911.

The CPU 901 functions as an arithmetic processing device and control device, and controls the overall operation of the information processing device 900 in accordance with various programs. The CPU 901 may also be a microprocessor. The ROM 902 stores programs and arithmetic parameters used by the CPU 901. The RAM 903 temporarily stores programs used in the execution of the CPU 901 and parameters that change appropriately during the execution. These are interconnected by a host bus 904 consisting of a CPU bus, etc.

The host bus 904 is connected to an external bus 906, such as a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect/Interface) bus, via a bridge 905. Note that the host bus 904, bridge 905, and external bus 906 do not necessarily need to be configured separately, and these functions may be implemented on a single bus.

The input device 908 is composed of input means for the user to input information, such as a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, button, microphone, switch, and lever, and an input control circuit that generates an input signal based on the user's input and outputs it to the CPU 901. A user who operates the information processing device 900 can input various data to the information processing device 900 and instruct processing operations by operating this input device 908.

The output device 909 includes, for example, display devices such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display device, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) device, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) device, and a lamp, as well as audio output devices such as a speaker.

The storage device 910 is a device for storing data. The storage device 910 may include a storage medium, a recording device for recording data on the storage medium, a reading device for reading data from the storage medium, and a deleting device for deleting data recorded on the storage medium. The storage device 910 is configured, for example, with a HDD (Hard Disk Drive). This storage device 910 drives the hard disk and stores the programs executed by the CPU 901 and various data.

The communication device 911 is, for example, a communication interface configured with a communication device for connecting to a network. The communication device 911 may support either wireless communication or wired communication.

The above describes an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 900 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Arrival time estimation system 10 Arrival time estimation device 110 Position determination unit 120 Travel time estimation unit 130 Presentation timing control unit 20 Information terminal 30 Beacon terminal 41 Time series travel data 42 Travel time estimation data

Claims (15)

an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a reference area, which is an area in which a user exists among a plurality of areas existing within a space, and acquires a time when the user exists in the reference area as a reference time;
an estimation unit that estimates, based on travel time estimation data that holds an estimated value of a travel time required for the user to travel from one of the two areas to the other of the two areas included in the plurality of areas, information indicating the reference area, and the reference time, one or more arrival times that are times when the user will arrive at each of one or more areas other than the reference area among the plurality of areas;
An arrival time estimation system comprising: the arrival time estimation system includes a generation unit that generates the travel time estimation data based on time-series movement data including a time when the user was present in each of the plurality of areas,
The arrival time estimation system according to claim 1 . The generation unit calculates a representative value of travel times corresponding to the two areas as a travel time estimate corresponding to the two areas based on the time-series travel data.
The arrival time estimation system according to claim 2 . When there is an even number of multiple travel times corresponding to the two areas, the generation unit calculates a minimum value of two medians of the multiple travel times as the representative value corresponding to the two areas.
The arrival time estimation system according to claim 3 . When there is an odd number of travel times corresponding to the two areas, the generation unit calculates a median of the plurality of travel times as the representative value corresponding to the two areas.
The arrival time estimation system according to claim 3 . the arrival time estimation system includes a selection unit that selects the travel time estimation data from a plurality of candidate data prepared in advance, based on time-series movement data including times when the user was present in each of the plurality of areas;
The arrival time estimation system according to claim 1 . The selection unit generates travel time data based on the time-series travel data, and selects candidate data having a highest degree of match with the travel time data as the travel time estimation data.
The arrival time estimation system according to claim 6. the selection unit calculates, as the degree of coincidence, a total value of Euclidean distances between the travel time data and each of the plurality of candidate data for each of the two areas;
The arrival time estimation system according to claim 7. the arrival time estimation system includes a presentation control unit that controls presentation information corresponding to an area among the plurality of areas, where a relationship between the arrival time and a current time satisfies a predetermined relationship, so that the presentation information is presented to the user;
The arrival time estimation system according to claim 1 . the estimation unit estimates the one or more arrival times based on the travel time estimation data, the information indicating the reference area, the reference time, and a travel time of the user for a predetermined section;
The arrival time estimation system according to claim 1 . when the travel time of the predetermined section is shorter than a predetermined time, the estimation unit estimates the one or more arrival times based on the travel time estimation data after the travel time estimation value has been changed so as to be shorter, information indicating the reference area, and the reference time;
The arrival time estimation system according to claim 10. The estimation unit estimates the one or more arrival times based on the travel time estimation data, information indicating the reference area, the reference time, and a congestion degree of the space.
The arrival time estimation system according to claim 1 . the estimation unit estimates the one or more arrival times based on the travel time estimation data after the travel time estimation value has been changed to be larger, information indicating the reference area, and the reference time when the congestion degree is greater than a predetermined degree;
The arrival time estimation system according to claim 12. acquiring information indicating a reference area, which is an area in which a user is present among a plurality of areas present in a space, and acquiring a time when the user is present in the reference area as a reference time;
estimating, based on travel time estimation data that holds an estimated travel time required for the user to travel from one of the two areas to the other of the two areas included in the plurality of areas, information indicating the reference area, and the reference time, one or more arrival times that are times when the user will arrive at each of one or more areas other than the reference area among the plurality of areas;
4. A computer-implemented method for estimating a time of arrival, comprising: Computer,
an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a reference area, which is an area in which a user exists among a plurality of areas existing within a space, and acquires a time when the user exists in the reference area as a reference time;
an estimation unit that estimates, based on travel time estimation data that holds an estimated value of a travel time required for the user to travel from one of the two areas to the other of the two areas included in the plurality of areas, information indicating the reference area, and the reference time, one or more arrival times that are times when the user will arrive at each of one or more areas other than the reference area among the plurality of areas;
A program that functions as a

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