JP4160107B1 - Position specifying device and position specifying program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a position specifying device and a position specifying program capable of specifying a moving route and staying time of a customer with low cost and high accuracy.
A position specifying device includes: estimation information for estimating that a wireless tag is located within an estimated range; and the wireless tag is located within a specific range that is smaller than the estimated range. Within the estimation range based on the receiving unit 101 that receives the identification information, the access point ID included in the estimation information, and the signal strength when the estimation information is received by the wireless tag 12 And whether the wireless tag 12 is included in the specific range based on the estimation processing unit 130a that estimates the position of the wireless tag 12 and the specific information received by the receiving unit 101. The specific processing unit 13 that specifies the position of the wireless tag 12 based on the position of the wireless tag 12 estimated by the estimation processing unit 130a and the tag writer ID included in the specific information. It includes a b, a.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a position specifying device and a position specifying program for specifying a moving route, a staying time, and the like of a customer in a store.

  Traditionally, it has been important to understand customer purchasing behavior in stores to optimize product layout and display methods in retail stores, as well as product lineups, etc. according to customer needs and improve product sales. Sex is recognized. In particular, since it is considered that increasing the contact time between the customer and the product is one of the factors that increase sales, it is necessary to grasp the contact time between the customer and each product. By objectively determining how much improvement measures such as changing display methods, adding display aids, and adding POP advertisements contribute to increasing sales by grasping the contact time between customers and each product It becomes possible.

  For this reason, conventionally, an observation method in which an investigator directly observes customer behavior, a method of recording the customer collection status of each sales floor with a video camera installed in each sales floor in the store, or a predetermined sensor on the sales floor The customer's purchasing behavior was grasped by the method of measuring the number of people passing through the doorway.

  Further, a customer information collection system using a wireless tag has been proposed as a means for grasping customer behavior without using the sampling survey method as described above. In this customer information collection system, the customer identification information stored in the wireless tag held by the customer is read by the reading means installed at the entrance / exit of the store and each sales floor, so that the customer in the store It is possible to obtain the travel route and the staying time at the sales floor where the customer visited. Furthermore, based on the information about the sales floor where the customer visited and the staying time at the sales floor, it is possible to estimate a product that each customer is interested in (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Further, as a method for specifying the position of a position specifying object in a predetermined area, a radio signal output from a predetermined fixed base station is received by the position specifying object, and the signal strength of the received signal is A method of estimating the position of the position specifying object based on (RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indication) is also used. In recent years, wireless signals conforming to IEEE 802.11b are generally used in public wireless LANs (Local Area Networks), businesses, and homes. Proposed. Specifically, the position of the position identification target is estimated probabilistically by associating the RSSI transmitted from the position identification target for a plurality of base stations with the RSSI sample data measured in advance at a predetermined point. Has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2006-185293 A Japanese Patent No. 3899356

  However, the method of conducting a sampling survey using an investigator, a video camera, or a predetermined sensor is not a method that can grasp the behavior of all customers, and thus the reliability of information obtained is limited. In addition, it is difficult to obtain detailed information for more effective improvement measures because it will greatly increase the labor and cost of surveying to understand trends on different days and times. It was.

  Further, the conventional customer information collection system described above estimates that the customer holding the wireless tag is in the vicinity of the reading means when the reading means reads the customer identification information of the wireless tag. . Therefore, in order to grasp the position of the customer in the store with high accuracy, it is necessary to arrange a large number of reading means over the entire area in the store, resulting in an increase in installation cost.

  In addition, in the position specifying system using a radio signal used in the wireless LAN, an error of about 1 to 5 m may occur with respect to the estimated position of the object. For this reason, the accuracy was insufficient to identify the flow line of the customer in the store, such as in which of the different adjacent passages the customer is located.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a position specifying device and a position specifying program capable of specifying a customer's movement route and residence time with low cost and high accuracy. .

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the position specifying device according to claim 1 is a position specifying device for specifying the position of an object in a target region, and the position specifying device is within an estimated range. Information for estimating that the object is located, estimated information including first identification information for specifying estimated information transmitting means for transmitting the information, and within a specific range smaller than the estimated range a receiving means for the object receives the identification information including the second identification information on the arrangement position of the specific information transmission means for transmitting the information is information for identifying that it is located in the A signal that stores signal intensity measurement information for specifying the signal intensity of the estimation information measured in advance in the target area and measurement position information for specifying the measurement position of the signal intensity in association with each other. Degree measurement information storage means, arrangement position information for specifying the arrangement position of the specific information transmitting means, and correction range information for specifying a correction range including the arrangement position of the specific information transmitting means, Arrangement position information storage means for storing the two identification information in association with each other, the first identification information included in the estimation information received by the reception means, and the estimation information received by the object Signal strength information for specifying the signal strength received from the object by the receiving means, the signal strength actual measurement information stored in the signal strength actual measurement information storage means, and the signal strength information. Based on the measurement position information, the estimation means for estimating the position of the object within the estimation range, and based on the specific information received by the reception means, the object is identified. Whether the object is included in the specific range, on the condition that the object is included in the specific range, together with the signal strength information and the first identification information used in the estimation by the estimation unit The arrangement position information stored in association with the received second identification information is acquired from the arrangement position information storage means, and stored in the arrangement position information storage means in association with the acquired arrangement position information. If the position of the object estimated by the estimating means is included in the correction range specified by the correction range information, the position of the object is specified based on the acquired arrangement position information. If the position of the object estimated by the estimating means is not included in the correction range, the position of the object is determined based on the position of the object estimated by the estimating means. And a specifying means for specifying .

Also, the position determining device according to claim 2, in position determining device according to claim 1, wherein the position information storage means, a correction target among the plurality of coordinates indicating the position of the specific information transmitting means Correction type information for specifying a correction type for selecting a coordinate to be stored is stored in association with the arrangement position information and the second identification information, and the specifying means associates with the second identification information. The arrangement position information and the correction type information stored in the above are acquired from the arrangement position information storage means, and the specific information transmission specified by the acquired arrangement position information according to the acquired correction type information A coordinate to be corrected is selected from a plurality of coordinates indicating the arrangement position of the means, and the position of the object is identified based on the selected coordinates and the position of the object estimated by the estimation means. Characterized in that it.

The position specifying device according to claim 3 is the position specifying device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the name of the product shelf arranged in the target area and the arrangement of the product shelf are arranged. Product shelf information storage means for storing product shelf arrangement information for specifying a range in association with each other and the arrangement range including the position of the object specified by the specifying means are stored in association with each other. An analysis unit that acquires the name of the product shelf from the product shelf information storage unit, and outputs the acquired name of the product shelf and the position of the object as analysis information associated with each other. Features .

The position specifying program according to claim 4 is a position specifying program for causing a computer to execute a position specifying method for specifying the position of an object in a target area , wherein the computer is within an estimated range. Signal strength of estimated information including information for estimating that the target is located and including first identification information for specifying estimated information transmitting means for transmitting the information, Signal intensity measurement information storage means for storing signal intensity measurement information for specifying signal intensity measured in advance in the region and measurement position information for specifying the measurement position of the signal intensity in association with each other; Specifying an arrangement position of specific information transmitting means for transmitting specific information for specifying that the object is located within a specific range smaller than the estimated range Storage position information for correction and correction range information for specifying a correction range including the arrangement position of the specific information transmitting means are stored in association with the second identification information relating to the arrangement position of the specific information transmitting means. An arrangement position information storage means for receiving the estimation information and the specific information including the second identification information in the computer, and the estimation information received in the reception step. The first identification information, signal intensity information when the estimation information is received by the object, signal intensity information for specifying the signal intensity received from the object in the reception step, and the Based on the measured signal strength information and the measured position information stored in the measured signal strength information storage means, an estimation path for estimating the position of the object in the estimated range is obtained. And based on the specific information received in the receiving step, it is determined whether or not the object is included in the specific range, on condition that the target object is included in the specific range, The arrangement position information storing the arrangement position information stored in association with the second identification information received in the reception step together with the signal strength information and the first identification information used for the estimation in the estimation step. Of the object estimated by the estimation means within the correction range specified by the correction range information stored in the arrangement position information storage means in association with the acquired arrangement position information. If the position is included, the position of the object is specified based on the acquired arrangement position information, and the position of the object estimated in the estimation step is If not included in the correction range, a specifying step of specifying the position of the target object based on the position of the target object estimated in the estimation step is executed.

According to the present invention as set forth in claim 1 or 4 , based on the first identification information transmitted from the estimated information transmitting means and the signal strength of the estimated information received by the object, the object is schematically shown. Can be estimated. In addition, when the object is located within the specific range, the estimated position of the object is corrected based on the second identification information about the specific information transmitting means corresponding to the specific range, and a more accurate position is obtained. Can be identified. Therefore, by disposing the specific information transmitting means only in the area where the position needs to be specified in detail, the position of the object located within the specific range corresponding to the specific information transmitting means can be accurately specified. . In addition, for the region that only needs to be able to roughly grasp the position, the position of the object can be estimated without arranging the specific information transmitting means, so it is compared with the case where the position of the object is specified in detail uniformly. Thus, the necessary cost can be reduced.

Further , since the estimation means estimates the position of the object based on the signal intensity of the estimation information received by the object and the signal intensity measured in advance in the object area , the estimation means can accurately detect the position of the object. The position of the object can be estimated well.

Further , since the specifying unit corrects the estimated position of the object using the arrangement position information of the specific information transmitting unit, the target is located in the vicinity of the specific information transmitting unit, and the specific range corresponding to the specific information transmitting unit If it is located inside, the position of the object can be specified more accurately.

In addition , since the specifying unit specifies the position of the target object using the arrangement position information of the specific information transmitting unit only when the estimated position of the target object is included in the correction range, the accuracy of the estimation process and the specification The estimation process can be prioritized over the specific process according to the arrangement of the information transmission means.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the specifying unit selects the coordinates used for specifying the position of the object from the coordinates indicating the arrangement position of the specific information transmitting unit according to the correction type. The estimated position of the object can be corrected according to the arrangement of the specific information transmitting means and the size of the specific range.

Further, according to the present invention described in claim 3 , the analysis means outputs analysis information in which the position of the object and the product shelf are associated with each other, so what percentage of customers is based on the analysis information. It is possible to perform an analysis such as summing up a drop-in rate indicating whether or not the product has stopped at each product shelf.

  Embodiments of a position specifying device and a position specifying program according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, [I] the basic concept of the embodiment will be described, then [II] the specific contents of the embodiment will be sequentially described, and finally [III] a modification to the embodiment will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

[I] Basic Concept of Embodiment First, the basic concept of the embodiment will be described. The position specifying device and the position specifying program according to the embodiment are intended to specify the position of an object in a target area.

  The application target of the position specifying device and the position specifying program according to the embodiment is arbitrary. For example, the position of a customer in a retail store such as a supermarket, the position of an employee in an office building, the position of a predetermined product in a factory, etc. It is possible to apply for Hereinafter, a case where the position specifying device and the position specifying program are applied to a retail store such as a supermarket will be described as an example.

  One of the features of the position specifying device and the position specifying program according to the embodiment is that the object is estimated to be located within an estimated range that is a certain range in the target area. It is determined whether or not the object is located within a specific range that is narrower than the range, and on the condition that the target object is included within the specific range, the object is determined based on the estimated position and the specific range. The point is to specify the position. As a result, it is possible to estimate the approximate position of the object, and it is possible to selectively specify the position of the object when it is necessary to specify a detailed position. Therefore, compared with the case where the position of a target object is specified in detail uniformly, a required cost can be reduced. Moreover, since the specific range in which the position of the object can be specified is narrower than the estimation range in which the position of the object can be estimated, the position of the object can be specified with high accuracy.

[II] Specific Contents of Embodiment Next, specific contents of the embodiment according to the present invention will be described.

(Configuration of positioning system)
First, a configuration of a position specifying system including a position specifying device according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a position specifying system when applied to a retail store 2, and FIG. 2 is a system block diagram functionally conceptually showing the electrical configuration of the position specifying system. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the position specifying system 1 includes a wireless tag 12, an access point 10, a tag writer 11, and a position specifying device 13.

(Location system configuration-wireless tag)
The wireless tag 12 is used by being attached to an object whose position is to be specified, such as a shopping cart or cart, and is used to transmit and receive estimated information and specific information to be described later to and from the access point 10 and the tag writer 11. belongs to. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the wireless tag 12 includes a receiving unit 120, a signal strength measuring unit 121, a transmitting unit 122, a storage unit 123, and a control unit 124. The receiving unit 120 receives estimation information from the access point 10 and receives specific information from the tag writer 11. The signal strength measuring unit 121 measures the signal strength of the estimation information received by the receiving unit 120. The transmission unit 122 is for transmitting the estimation information and specific information received by the reception unit 120 or the information stored in the storage unit 123 to the access point 10. The storage unit 123 stores the wireless tag ID for identifying the wireless tag 12, the estimated information and specific information received by the receiving unit 120, and the signal strength of the estimated information measured by the signal strength measuring unit 121. It is for memorization. The control unit 124 is for controlling operations of the reception unit 120, the signal strength measurement unit 121, and the transmission unit 122.

The specific configuration of the wireless tag 12 is arbitrary, and for example, a WiFi (registered trademark) (Wireless Fidelity) tag or a passive or active RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag can be used. The specific configuration of the control unit 124 is also arbitrary. For example, a control program such as an OS (Operating System), an embedded program that defines various processing procedures, an internal memory for storing required data, and A CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes these programs is configured (the same applies to a control unit described later).

(Location system configuration-access point)
The access point 10 transmits estimated information for specifying the position of the wireless tag 12 to the wireless tag 12 and receives estimated information, specific information, and signal strength of the estimated information transmitted from the wireless tag 12. It corresponds to the estimated information transmitting means in the claims and also corresponds to the receiving means.

  The access point 10 includes a transmission unit 100, a reception unit 101, and a storage unit 102, and is connected to the position specifying device 13 so as to communicate with each other. The transmission unit 100 is for transmitting the estimation information to the wireless tag 12. The receiving unit 101 receives the estimation information, the specific information, and the signal strength of the estimation information transmitted from the wireless tag 12 and outputs them to the position specifying device 13. The storage unit 102 is for storing estimated information to be transmitted by the transmission unit 100. Although the specific content of the estimation information is arbitrary, at least the access point ID is included. The access point ID is an ID number assigned to each access point 10 in order to specify the access point 10. This access point ID is included in the estimated information received from the access point 10 by the wireless tag 12, and corresponds to the first identification information in the claims.

  In the present embodiment, the receiving unit 101 is a part of the access point 10. However, the receiving unit 101 may be independent from the access point 10 or may be a part of the position specifying device 13. Good.

(Location system configuration-Tag writer)
The tag writer 11 is for transmitting specific information for specifying that the wireless tag 12 is located within a specific range, and corresponds to the specific information transmitting means in the claims. The tag writer 11 includes a transmission unit 110, a storage unit 112, and a control unit 111.

  The transmission unit 110 transmits the specific information within a specific range including the tag writer 11. The specific range is a range in which the specific information can be reached according to the output of the transmission unit 110, and can be set to be smaller than an estimated range in which the position of the wireless tag 12 can be estimated in an estimation process described later. Although the specific setting method of a specific range is arbitrary, a desired specific range can be set by restrict | limiting the output of the transmission part 110, for example. Since the specific information transmitted from the transmission unit 110 can be received only within the specific range, the specific information is received by the wireless tag 12 only when the wireless tag 12 exists within the specific range. .

  The storage unit 112 stores specific information to be transmitted by the transmission unit 110. The control unit 111 is for controlling the operation of the transmission unit 110.

  The specific content of the specific information is arbitrary, but includes at least a tag writer ID assigned to each tag writer 11 in order to uniquely specify the tag writer 11. This tag writer ID is included in the specific information received from the tag writer 11 by the wireless tag 12, and corresponds to the second identification information in the claims.

(Configuration of positioning system-positioning device)
The position specifying device 13 is for specifying the position of the wireless tag 12 based on the estimated information transmitted from the access point 10 or the specified information transmitted from the tag writer 11, and the position specifying means in the claims. It corresponds to. The position specifying device 13 is configured by connecting the control unit 130 and the storage unit 131 so that they can communicate with each other via a bus.

(Positioning device configuration-control unit)
The control unit 130 includes an estimation processing unit 130a, a specific processing unit 130b, a communication processing unit 130c, and an analysis processing unit 130d.

  The estimation processing unit 130a executes an estimation process for estimating the position of the wireless tag 12 based on the estimated information transmitted from the access point 10 and the signal strength when the estimated information is received by the wireless tag 12. It is a processing means and corresponds to the estimation means in the claims.

  The identification processing unit 130b is a processing unit that executes identification processing for identifying the position of the wireless tag 12 based on the identification information received by the reception unit 101 of the access point 10, and includes the identification unit in the claims. It corresponds.

  The communication processing unit 130c controls communication with an external device such as the access point 10, and is configured as a network board, for example.

  The analysis processing unit 130d determines the position of the wireless tag 12 and the name of the product shelf based on the position of the wireless tag 12 specified by the specification processing unit 130b and information stored in the product shelf table 131e described later. Is a processing means for executing analysis processing for outputting analysis information associated with, and corresponds to the analysis means in the claims.

  In addition, the specific content of the above-mentioned estimation process, specific process, and analysis process is mentioned later.

(Configuration of positioning device-storage unit)
The storage unit 131 is a storage unit for storing data necessary for executing each process in the position specifying device 13. The storage unit 131 stores a signal strength database 131a (hereinafter, “signal strength DB 131a”), a signal strength actual measurement DB 131b, a tag writer arrangement table 131c, a position specifying result table 131d, and a product shelf table 131e. Although the specific configuration of the storage unit 131 is arbitrary, the storage unit 131 is configured by a nonvolatile storage device such as an HD (Hard Disk), for example.

(Data structure stored in the storage unit)
Next, the structure of data stored in the storage unit 131 will be described. However, these data are merely examples, information other than the information shown below can be included, or a part of the information shown below can be excluded.

(Signal strength DB)
FIG. 3 is a table showing a data structure stored in the signal strength DB 131a. The signal strength DB 131a is for storing information on the signal strength when the wireless tag 12 receives the estimation information from the access point 10. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the data items include “tag ID”, “access point ID”, “signal strength”, “time stamp”, and “tag writer ID”. Yes. Data corresponding to these items is received from the wireless tag 12 by the receiving unit 101 of the access point 10 in a receiving process to be described later, and stored in the signal strength DB 131a from the receiving unit 101 via the communication processing unit 130c. .

  As data corresponding to the data item “tag ID”, an ID number (“001” in FIG. 3) assigned to each wireless tag 12 is stored.

  As data corresponding to the data item “access point ID”, an access point ID (“AP1”, “AP2”, “AP3”, etc. in FIG. 3) is stored.

  The data corresponding to the data item “signal strength” includes signal strength information (“−40 dbm”, “−50 dbm”, etc. in FIG. 3) that specifies the signal strength of the estimated information measured by the wireless tag 12. Stored.

  The data corresponding to the data item “time stamp” includes the date and time when the receiving unit 101 of the access point 10 received the information transmitted from the wireless tag 12 (in FIG. 3, “2007-10-20 10:21:05”). Etc.) are stored.

  As data corresponding to the data item “tag writer ID”, tag writer IDs (“10”, “11”, “12”, “23”, etc. in FIG. 3) are stored.

(Signal intensity measurement DB)
FIG. 4 is a table showing a data structure stored in the signal strength actual measurement DB 131b. The signal strength actual measurement DB 131b is for storing the signal strength measured in advance in the target region, and corresponds to the signal strength actual measurement information storage means in the claims. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, “actually measured position”, “access point ID”, and “signal strength” are included as data items. Data corresponding to these items is stored and updated in the signal intensity measurement DB 131b via an input means such as a keyboard or a network.

  The data corresponding to the data item “actually measured position” includes measurement position information (in FIG. 4, “(0, 0)”, “(10 , 0) ", etc.) are stored.

  As data corresponding to the data item “signal strength”, signal strength actual measurement information for specifying the signal strength measured at each actual measurement position described above is stored.

  As the data corresponding to the data item “access point ID”, the ID number of the access point 10 that is the transmission source of the signal whose signal strength is measured at each measured position is stored.

(Tagwriter placement table)
FIG. 5 is a table showing a data structure stored in the tag writer arrangement table 131c. The tag writer arrangement table 131c stores the arrangement position of the tag writer 11 and information related to the arrangement position, and corresponds to the arrangement position information storage means in the claims. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the tag writer arrangement table 131c includes “tag writer ID”, “correction type”, “installation coordinates”, and “correction range” as items. Data corresponding to these items is stored and updated in the tag writer arrangement table 131c via an input means such as a keyboard or a network.

  As data corresponding to the item “tag writer ID”, all tag writer IDs used in the position specifying system 1 are stored.

  As data corresponding to the item “correction type”, a correction type for selecting a coordinate to be referred to when specifying the position of the wireless tag 12 among a plurality of coordinates indicating the arrangement position of the tag writer 11 is specified. Correction type information is stored.

  As data corresponding to the item “installation coordinates”, the arrangement position information for specifying the arrangement position of the tag writer 11 includes coordinates in the target area (in FIG. 5, “(8, 2)”, “(8, 5) "etc.).

  The data corresponding to the item “correction range” includes correction range information for specifying a correction range that is a criterion for determining whether or not to specify the position of the wireless tag 12 based on the arrangement position of the tag writer 11 in the specifying process. Is stored. The size of the correction range is arbitrary, but can be set to be smaller than the specific range described above, for example. The method for defining the correction range is arbitrary. For example, the coordinates of the end of the correction range (“(7, 1)”, “(9, 3)”, etc. in FIG. 5) are used. You may prescribe.

(Position result table)
FIG. 6 is a table showing a data structure stored in the position specifying result table 131d. The position specifying result table 131d is for storing information related to the position of the wireless tag 12 estimated or specified by the estimation process or the specifying process. Specifically, the position specification result table 131d includes “tag ID”, “time stamp”, “coordinates”, and “corrected coordinates” as items, as shown in FIG.

  As data corresponding to the item “tag ID”, the ID number of the wireless tag 12 whose position is estimated or specified is stored.

  As data corresponding to the item “time stamp”, the date and time when the reception unit 101 of the access point 10 receives the estimation information and the specific information used when specifying the position of the wireless tag 12 is stored.

  As data corresponding to the item “coordinates”, estimated position information for specifying the position of the wireless tag 12 estimated in the estimation process is stored as coordinates in the target region.

  As data corresponding to the item “Coordinates after correction”, specific position information for specifying the position of the wireless tag 12 specified in the specifying process is stored as coordinates in the target area.

(Product shelf table)
FIG. 7 is a table showing a data structure stored in the product shelf table 131e, and FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an example of product shelf arrangement in a retail store such as a supermarket. The product shelf table 131e is for storing information related to the placement of product shelves arranged in the target area, and corresponds to the product shelf information storage means in the claims. Specifically, the product shelf table 131e includes “shelf symbol”, “shelf name”, and “installation range” as items as shown in FIG. The specific arrangement of the product shelves and the products displayed on the product shelves are arbitrary, but in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, there are a plurality of product shelves for displaying vegetables, fresh fish, and the like. The case where it is arranged in the target area will be described as an example.

  As data corresponding to the item “shelf symbol”, symbols (“A”, “B”, etc. in FIG. 7) for specifying the product shelves arranged in the target area are stored.

  As the data corresponding to the item “shelf name”, specific names (“vegetable 1”, “fresh fish”, etc. in FIG. 7) corresponding to the merchandise displayed on the merchandise shelf are stored.

  As data corresponding to the item “installation range”, product shelf arrangement information for specifying the range in which the product shelves are arranged is stored. The method for defining the installation range of the product shelf is arbitrary. For example, the coordinates of the end of the installation range (in the case of the shelf specified by the shelf symbol “A” in FIG. 7, “(0, 0) ”And“ (3, 12) ”).

(Processing operation of positioning device)
Next, the processing operation of the position specifying device 13 will be described.

(Processing operation of positioning device-overall flow)
First, an overall flow of processing executed by the position specifying device 13 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an overall flow of processing executed by the position specifying device 13. As a premise when the position specifying device 13 executes processing, it is necessary that the estimation information, the identification information, and the signal strength of the estimation information are transmitted from the wireless tag 12.

  Specifically, when a customer enters a retail store, the customer first has a shopping cart with the wireless tag 12 attached, and proceeds to the store where the product shelf is arranged. Estimated information is transmitted from the access point 10 throughout the store, and the estimated information is received by the wireless tag 12 of the shopping cart held by the customer. When the wireless tag 12 receives the estimated information from the access point 10, the wireless tag 12 stores the content of the received estimated information in the storage unit 123. In addition, the signal strength measuring unit 121 measures the signal strength of the received estimated information, and stores the signal strength information for specifying the measured signal strength in the storage unit 123.

  Further, when the customer approaches the product shelf on which the tag writer 11 is installed and the customer enters the specific range corresponding to the tag writer 11, the wireless tag 12 receives the specific information from the tag writer 11, and the received specific information. Is stored in the storage unit 123. These pieces of information stored in the storage unit 123 include predetermined timing (for example, timing when the movement of the wireless tag 12 is detected by a motion sensor mounted on the wireless tag 12, timing measured by a timer, and the like). , Is transmitted from the transmission unit 122 of the wireless tag 12 and is received and processed by the position specifying device 13.

  The communication processing unit 130 c of the position specifying device 13 receives the tag ID, the estimated information, the specific information, and the signal strength information received from the wireless tag 12 by the receiving unit 101 of the access point 10 from the receiving unit 101. Then, the input tag ID, estimation information, specific information, and signal strength information are stored in the signal strength DB 131a together with a time stamp indicating the time when the receiving unit 101 received the information (step SA-1). ).

  When an instruction to execute position specifying processing is given via an input unit such as a keyboard or a network, the estimation processing unit 130a refers to the signal strength DB 131a and the measured signal strength DB 131b, and stores information stored in the signal strength DB 131a and the like. Based on the above, an estimation process for estimating the position of the wireless tag 12 is executed (step SA-2). Subsequently, the identification processing unit 130b executes identification processing for identifying the position of the wireless tag 12 based on the position of the wireless tag 12 estimated by the estimation processing unit 130a and the identification information stored in the signal strength DB 131a. (Step SA-3). When the position of the wireless tag 12 is specified, the analysis processing unit 130d executes an analysis process based on the position of the specified wireless tag 12 and information stored in the product shelf table 131e, and the wireless tag 12 The analysis information in which the position and the product shelf are associated with each other is output (step SA-4). Based on the analysis information output here, it becomes possible to analyze the behavior of the customer in the target area.

(Processing operation of position identification device-estimation process)
Next, the flow of the above estimation process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of estimation processing executed by the position specifying device 13. The estimation processing unit 130a acquires the tag ID, signal strength information, access point ID, and time stamp stored in association with each other from the signal strength DB 131a (step SB-1).

  Subsequently, each radio identified by the tag ID based on the acquired signal strength information and access point ID, and measurement position information, access point ID, and signal strength actual measurement information stored in the signal strength actual measurement DB 131b. The position for each time stamp of the tag 12 is estimated (step SB-2). Here, a known method can be used as a method of estimating the position of the wireless tag 12. For example, the signal strength information acquired from the signal strength DB 131a may be compared with the measured position information and the measured signal strength information stored in the signal strength measured DB 131b, and the position of the wireless tag 12 may be estimated probabilistically.

  Subsequently, the estimation processing unit 130a outputs estimated position information for specifying the estimated position to the identification processing unit 130b together with a tag ID and a time stamp corresponding to the estimated position (Step SB-3).

(Processing operation of position specifying device-specific processing)
Next, the flow of the above specific process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the specifying process executed by the position specifying device 13. When the estimated position information of the wireless tag 12, the tag ID corresponding to the estimated position, and the time stamp are input from the estimation processing unit 130a in step SB-3, the specific processing unit 130b receives these information. Are associated with each other and stored in the position specifying result table 131d (step SC-1).

  Next, the specific processing unit 130b refers to the signal strength DB 131a and determines whether or not a tag writer ID is stored in association with the tag ID and time stamp input in step SB-3 (step SC-2). ). When the tag writer ID is not stored (step SC-2, No), the position of the wireless tag 12 cannot be specified in more detail, so the contents of the position specification result table 131d are maintained.

  For example, in the signal strength DB 131a shown in FIG. 3, the data (tag ID “001”, time stamp “2007-10-20 10:21:05”) stored in the first line from the top has a tag writer ID. Not stored. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, only the coordinates (8, 0) indicating the position of the wireless tag 12 estimated by the estimation processing unit 130a based on the data are associated with the tag ID and the time stamp, and the position specifying result. It is stored in the table 131d.

  On the other hand, returning to FIG. 11, when the tag writer ID is stored (step SC-2, Yes), the specific processing unit 130b stores the correction type information, the arrangement position information, and the information stored in association with the tag writer ID. Correction range information is acquired from the tag writer arrangement table 131c (step SC-3). Then, the estimated position specified by the estimated position information of the wireless tag 12 input from the estimation processing unit 130a in step SB-3 is included in the correction range specified by the correction range information acquired in step SC-3. It is determined whether or not (step SC-4).

  When the estimated position of the wireless tag 12 is not included in the correction range (step SC-4, No), the identification processing unit 130b determines that the estimated position of the wireless tag 12 should be given priority as the position of the wireless tag 12. In the above-described step SC-1, the state of the position specifying result table 131d in which the estimated position information is stored is maintained.

  For example, in the signal strength DB 131a shown in FIG. 3, the data (tag ID “001”, time stamp “2007-10-20 10:21:20”) stored in the third row from the top is used as the tag writer ID. “10” is stored. According to the tag writer arrangement table 131c shown in FIG. 5, the correction range corresponding to the tag writer ID “10” is (7, 1) to (9, 3). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, since the position of the wireless tag 12 estimated by the estimation processing unit 130a based on the data is (8, 4), there is no correction range corresponding to the tag writer ID “10”. Not included. Accordingly, only the position (8, 4) estimated by the estimation processing unit 130a is stored in the position specifying result table 131d.

  On the other hand, when the estimated position of the wireless tag 12 is included in the correction range (step SC-4, Yes), the specifying processing unit 130b sets the correction type specified by the correction type information acquired in step SC-3. Corresponding coordinates are selected from the arrangement position information acquired in step SC-3, and the selected position is substituted for the coordinates in the estimated position information of the wireless tag 12 to calculate the specific position information (step SC-5). Subsequently, the calculated specific position information is stored in the position specification result table 131d as corrected coordinates (step SC-6). As described above, when the wireless tag 12 is located within a specific range of the arbitrary tag writer 11 and the estimated position of the wireless tag 12 is included in the correction range, the wireless tag 12 is wirelessly transmitted using the arrangement position information of the tag writer 11. The estimated position of the tag 12 is corrected. Therefore, when the wireless tag 12 is located in the vicinity of the tag writer 11, the position of the wireless tag 12 can be specified more accurately.

  For example, in the signal strength DB 131a shown in FIG. 3, the data (tag ID “001”, time stamp “2007-10-20 10:21:22”) stored in the fourth line from the top is used as the tag writer ID. “11” is stored. According to the tag writer arrangement table 131c shown in FIG. 5, the correction type corresponding to the tag writer ID “11” is “Y coordinate”, the installation coordinate is “(8, 5)”, and the correction range is (7, 4) to (9 6). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, since the position of the wireless tag 12 estimated by the estimation processing unit 130a based on the data is (7, 6), it is included in the correction range corresponding to the tag writer ID “10”. It is. Therefore, based on the correction type “Y coordinate”, coordinates (7, 5) obtained by substituting “5”, which is the Y coordinate in the installation coordinates (8, 5), into the Y coordinate of the estimated position (7, 6) of the wireless tag 12. Are stored as data corresponding to the corrected coordinates of the position specifying result table 131d shown in FIG.

(Positioning device processing operation-analysis processing)
Next, the flow of analysis processing will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a flow of analysis processing executed by the position specifying device 13. The analysis processing unit 130d acquires the estimated position information or specific position information of the wireless tag 12 specified by the above-described specifying process, the tag ID corresponding to the position, and the time stamp from the position specifying result table 131d (step S1). SD-1). Subsequently, product shelf arrangement information indicating the arrangement range of the product shelf including the position of the wireless tag 12 specified from the acquired estimated position information or specific position information is acquired from the product shelf table 131e, and the acquired product shelf arrangement is acquired. Similarly, the shelf symbol stored in association with the information is acquired from the product shelf table 131e (step SD-2). Then, the shelf symbol of the acquired product shelf is output as analysis information in association with the tag ID and time stamp acquired in step SD-1 (step SD-3).

  FIG. 13 is a table showing an example of analysis information output from the analysis processing unit 130d. For example, in the position specification result table 131d shown in FIG. 6, the contents of the data stored in the first line from the top are the tag ID “001”, the time stamp “2007-10-20 10:21:05”, The coordinates are “(8, 0)”. On the other hand, according to the commodity shelf table 131e shown in FIG. 7, the shelf of “daily necessities 1” specified by the shelf symbol “I” is arranged from the coordinates (6, 0) to (9, 12). The position (8, 0) of the specified wireless tag 12 is included. Therefore, as in the first line from the top of the analysis information shown in FIG. 13, the shelf symbol “I” is output in association with the tag ID and the time stamp.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13, the “dwell time” may be output in association with the tag ID and the time stamp. As data corresponding to this item “dwell time”, the time between successive time stamps is stored. Based on this staying time, it is possible to grasp the time during which the wireless tag 12 stays at the corresponding product shelf position.

  Various analyzes can be performed based on the analysis information output by the above processing. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of an analysis result performed based on the analysis information. As shown in FIG. 14, a drop-in rate indicating how many of the customers who entered the retail store have stopped at each product shelf, a stop-by time indicating the time when the customer visited the product shelf, It can be counted for each product shelf. Thereby, it becomes easy to improve the display method in the product shelf with a low drop-in rate or to consider the replacement of the product in the product shelf with a short drop-in time.

(Effect of embodiment)
As described above, according to the embodiment, the approximate position of the wireless tag 12 is estimated based on the access point ID transmitted from the access point 10 and the signal strength of the estimation information received by the wireless tag 12. can do. When the wireless tag 12 is located within the specific range, the estimated position of the wireless tag 12 is corrected based on the tag writer ID for the tag writer 11 corresponding to the specific range, and a more accurate position is specified. be able to. Therefore, by arranging the tag writer 11 only in an area where the position needs to be specified in detail, the position of the wireless tag 12 positioned within the specific range corresponding to the tag writer 11 can be specified accurately. In addition, in the region where the position only needs to be roughly grasped, the position of the wireless tag 12 can be estimated without arranging the tag writer 11, so that the position of the object is specified in detail uniformly. Thus, the necessary cost can be reduced.

  In addition, the estimation processing unit 130a estimates the position of the wireless tag 12 based on the signal strength of the estimation information received by the wireless tag 12 and the signal strength measured in advance in the target region. Accordingly, the position of the wireless tag 12 can be estimated with high accuracy.

  Moreover, since the specific processing unit 130b corrects the estimated position of the wireless tag 12 using the arrangement position information of the tag writer 11, the wireless tag 12 is located in the vicinity of the tag writer 11 and within a specific range corresponding to the tag writer 11. If it is located, the position of the wireless tag 12 can be specified more accurately.

  In addition, the identification processing unit 130b identifies the position of the wireless tag 12 using the arrangement position information of the tag writer 11 only when the estimated position of the wireless tag 12 is included in the correction range. The estimation process can be prioritized over the specific process according to the arrangement of the tag writer 11 or the like.

  In addition, since the specific processing unit 130b selects coordinates used for specifying the wireless tag 12 from coordinates indicating the arrangement position of the tag writer 11 according to the correction type, depending on the arrangement of the tag writer 11 and the size of the specific range. Thus, the estimated position of the wireless tag 12 can be corrected.

  In addition, the analysis processing unit 130d outputs analysis information in which the position of the wireless tag 12 and the product shelf are associated with each other, and thus indicates how much of the customer has stopped at each product shelf based on the analysis information. It is possible to perform analysis such as counting the drop-in rate.

[III] Modifications to Embodiments While the embodiments according to the present invention have been described above, the specific configuration and means of the present invention are within the scope of the technical idea of each invention described in the claims. Can be arbitrarily modified and improved. Hereinafter, such a modification will be described.

(About problems to be solved and effects of the invention)
First, the problems to be solved by the invention and the effects of the invention are not limited to the above-described contents, and the present invention solves the problems not described above or has the effects not described above. There are also cases where only some of the described problems are solved or only some of the described effects are achieved.

(About wireless tags and tag writers)
In the above-described embodiment, it is described that the specific information is transmitted from the tag writer 11 when the wireless tag 12 exists in the specific range. However, the wireless tag 12 exists in the specific range. In this case, specific information may be transmitted from the wireless tag 12 to the tag writer 11. For example, when a tag ID is received from a wireless tag 12 that has entered a specific range by a tag writer 11 having a receiving function, the tag writer 11 is caused to input the received tag ID from the tag writer 11 to the position specifying device 13. It can be specified that the wireless tag 12 specified by the ID is located within the specific range.

(About estimation processing)
In the above-described embodiment, the estimation processing unit 130a compares the signal strength measured by the wireless tag 12 with the signal strength actually measured in advance and its measurement position, and estimates the position of the wireless tag 12 probabilistically. However, the position of the wireless tag 12 may be estimated using other methods. For example, the distance between the wireless tag 12 and each access point 10 is estimated based on the difference in time when the estimated information transmitted from the plurality of access points 10 is received by the wireless tag 12, and a triangle is calculated from the estimated distance. The position of the wireless tag 12 may be estimated by a law or the like.

It is a conceptual diagram of the position identification system at the time of applying to a retail store. It is the system block diagram which showed the electrical structure of the position specification system functionally conceptually. It is a table | surface which shows the data structure stored in signal strength DB. It is a table | surface which shows the data structure stored in signal strength measurement DB. It is a table | surface which shows the data structure stored in the tag writer arrangement | positioning table. It is a table | surface which shows the data structure stored in the position specific result table. It is a table | surface which shows the data structure stored in the goods shelf table. It is the top view which showed the example of arrangement | positioning of the merchandise shelf in retail stores, such as a supermarket. It is a flowchart which shows the whole flow of the process which a position specific apparatus performs. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the estimation process which a position specific apparatus performs. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the specific process which a position specific apparatus performs. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the analysis process which a position specific apparatus performs. It is the table | surface which showed the example of the analysis information output from an analysis process part. It is the figure which showed the example of the analysis result performed based on the analysis information.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Location identification system 2 Retail store 10 Access point 11 Tag writer 12 Wireless tag 13 Location identification apparatus 100,110,122 Transmission part 101,120 Reception part 102,112,123,131 Storage part 111,124,130 Control part 121 Signal strength Measurement unit 130a Estimation processing unit 130b Specific processing unit 130c Communication processing unit 130d Analysis processing unit 131a Signal strength DB
131b Signal strength measurement DB
131c Tag writer arrangement table 131d Position specifying result table 131e Product shelf table

Claims (4)

A position specifying device for specifying a position of an object in a target area,
From information for estimating that the object is located within the estimated range and including first identification information for identifying estimated information transmitting means for transmitting the information, and from the estimated range Specific information including second identification information relating to an arrangement position of the specific information transmitting means for transmitting the information, which is information for specifying that the object is located within a small specific range. Receiving means;
A signal that stores signal intensity measurement information for specifying the signal intensity of the estimation information measured in advance in the target region and measurement position information for specifying the measurement position of the signal intensity in association with each other. Intensity measurement information storage means;
Correspondence between the second identification information and the arrangement position information for specifying the arrangement position of the specific information transmitting means and the correction range information for specifying the correction range including the arrangement position of the specific information transmitting means An arrangement position information storage means for storing the information;
The first identification information included in the estimation information received by the receiving means, the signal strength when the estimation information is received by the object, and received from the object by the receiving means Based on the signal strength information for specifying the signal strength, and the measured signal strength information and the measured position information stored in the measured signal strength information storage means, the position of the object within the estimated range is estimated. An estimation means to
Based on the specific information received by the receiving means, it is determined whether or not the object is included in the specific range, and on the condition that the target object is included in the specific range, the estimation means The arrangement position information stored in association with the second identification information received by the reception means together with the signal strength information and the first identification information used for estimation is acquired from the arrangement position information storage means. The position of the object estimated by the estimating means is included in the correction range specified by the correction range information stored in the arrangement position information storage means in association with the acquired arrangement position information. The position of the object is specified based on the acquired arrangement position information, and the position of the object estimated by the estimating means is included in the correction range. If no, specifying means for specifying a position of the object based on the position of the estimated object by the estimating means,
A position specifying device comprising: The arrangement position information storage means includes:
Correction type information for specifying a correction type for selecting a coordinate to be corrected among a plurality of coordinates indicating the arrangement position of the specific information transmitting means is mutually connected with the arrangement position information and the second identification information. Store them in correspondence,
The specifying means is:
Obtaining the arrangement position information and the correction type information stored in association with the second identification information from the arrangement position information storage means;
According to the acquired correction type information, select a coordinate to be corrected among a plurality of coordinates indicating the arrangement position of the specific information transmitting means specified by the acquired arrangement position information, and the selected coordinates, Identifying the position of the object based on the position of the object estimated by the estimating means;
The position specifying device according to claim 1. Product shelf information storage means for storing the name of the product shelf arranged in the target area and the product shelf arrangement information for specifying the arrangement range in which the product shelf is arranged in association with each other;
The name of the product shelf stored in association with the arrangement range including the position of the object specified by the specifying unit is acquired from the product shelf information storage unit, and the name of the acquired product shelf and the target An analysis means for outputting the position of the object as analysis information associated with each other;
The position specifying device according to claim 1, further comprising: A position specifying program for causing a computer to execute a position specifying method for specifying the position of an object in a target area,
The computer
Information for estimating that the object is located within an estimation range, and signal strength of estimation information including first identification information for specifying estimation information transmitting means for transmitting the information, Measured signal strength information for storing signal strength measured information for specifying signal strength measured in advance in the target area and measured position information for specifying a measurement position of the signal strength in association with each other Storage means;
Arrangement position information for specifying an arrangement position of specific information transmitting means for transmitting specific information for specifying that the object is located within a specific range smaller than the estimated range, and the specific information transmission Arrangement position information storage means for storing correction range information for specifying a correction range including the arrangement position of the means in association with second identification information relating to the arrangement position of the specific information transmitting means,
In the computer,
A receiving step for receiving the estimation information and the specific information including the second identification information;
The first identification information included in the estimation information received in the reception step, the signal strength when the estimation information is received by the object, and received from the object in the reception step Based on the signal strength information for specifying the signal strength, and the measured signal strength information and the measured position information stored in the measured signal strength information storage means, the position of the object within the estimated range is estimated. An estimation step to
Based on the specific information received in the receiving step, it is determined whether or not the object is included in the specific range, and on the condition that the target object is included in the specific range, The arrangement position information stored in association with the second identification information received in the reception step together with the signal strength information and the first identification information used for estimation is acquired from the arrangement position information storage means. The position of the object estimated by the estimating means is included in the correction range specified by the correction range information stored in the arrangement position information storage means in association with the acquired arrangement position information. The position of the target object is specified based on the acquired arrangement position information, and the position of the target object estimated in the estimation step is corrected. If not included in 囲内, a specifying step of specifying a position of the object based on the position of the estimated object at the estimation step,
Positioning program to execute.

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