JP5244710B2 - Information distribution method, information distribution apparatus, and information distribution program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for distributing detection information from a sensor such as a microphone or a camera to a user.

  In recent years, with the development of portable information terminals, sensor technology, and wireless technology, technologies for distributing information obtained by sensing real-world things with sensors have been proposed in various fields.

  For example, in the singular event detection method described in Patent Literature 1, a typical event that may occur next is predicted from a past event occurrence history recorded by a camera or the like, and an atypical event is detected as a singular event. doing.

  In the traffic condition providing method described in Patent Document 2, the vehicle position is mapped based on the signal from the position transmitter attached to the vehicle, and the current traffic condition is grasped and the future situation is predicted by analyzing the time-series image. ing.

  In addition, in connection with these techniques, a technique for distributing information according to a user's terminal status and communication status has also been proposed.

  For example, the information distribution apparatus described in Patent Document 3 determines whether or not to transmit information based on the status of the user and the receiving terminal detected by the sensor, and enables the user to efficiently receive distribution data. Yes.

  In addition, the seamless information providing system described in Patent Document 4 provides uninterrupted information provision to a user whose communication environment changes frequently, such as a user on board a vehicle, while switching to an optimal communication medium at any time. Is going.

  However, even if information for determining an action is distributed to the user using these methods, unnecessary information may be distributed to a part of the user depending on the position and situation of the user.

  Therefore, Patent Document 5 proposes a method for collecting and accumulating individual behavior histories. Here, by collecting / accumulating a user's action history and referring to the action history, it is possible to determine whether the information distributed to the user is necessary or unnecessary.

JP 2007-200108 A Japanese Patent No. 3609265 JP 2004-62636 A JP 2001-144814 A JP 2005-63372 A

  However, even if information is distributed only to users who are determined to need information distribution using the personal action record storage method of Patent Document 5, if many of the users who receive this distribution information take the same action, As the entire environment to which the group belongs, there is a risk that people will become more biased and confused.

  For example, the user concentrates on a specific sensing target, and not only the use efficiency of the entire facility to which the user belongs but also the user satisfaction may be reduced.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to effectively suppress the bias of people in the environment to which the user who receives the distribution information belongs.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention ranks users using a score based on a distance to a sensing target and an experience interval of an event occurring on the sensing target as an index for limiting users who deliver information. ing.

One aspect of the present invention is a method for distributing information about an event of a sensing target detected by a sensor attached to a sensing target to a user, wherein a candidate user selection unit is configured to store the information from a user profile stored in a database. The first step of selecting delivery candidate users and the candidate user ranking means refer to the position information stored in the database and the history of event information of user experience, and the distance to the sensing object and the sensing object A second step of ranking the candidate users according to a score based on an event experience interval indicating how long the event has been experienced, and the number-of-people determining means according to the expected increase in the number of users when the information is distributed The third step of determining the number of persons to whom information is distributed and the selected user specifying means Based on the number of persons determined by rank and the third step that has been granted in the second step, having, a fourth step of identifying a user for delivering the information from the candidate user.

Another aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for distributing information about an event of a sensing target detected by a sensor attached to a sensing target to a user, and selecting a distribution candidate user of the information from a user profile stored in a database Event indicating the distance to the sensing target and how long ago the sensing target event was experienced with reference to the candidate user selection means to be performed, the location information stored in the database and the history of user experience event information Candidate user ranking means for ranking the candidate users according to a score based on the experience interval; Number determination means for determining the number of persons who distribute the information according to the expected increase in the number of users when the information is distributed; In the rank given by the candidate user ranking means and the number of people determination means Based on the constant number of people, and a selection user identifying means for identifying the user to deliver the information from the candidate user.

  In addition, you may provide this invention as an aspect of the program which makes a computer function as said information delivery apparatus.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the bias | inclination of the person in the environment to which the user who received delivery information belongs can be suppressed effectively, the utilization efficiency of the whole facility improves, and a user's satisfaction improves.

The block diagram of a sensor information delivery system. The block diagram of the information delivery apparatus 1 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Processing flow of the same information distribution process. The block diagram of the user selection means 11. FIG. The process flow of the same user selection process.

  In the sensor information distribution system shown in FIG. 1, a sensor 3 is attached to a sensing object 2 that is a real-world thing. Sensor information from the sensor 3 is collected by the information distribution apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The information distribution apparatus 1 detects a characteristic event from the collected sensor information, determines a user who distributes information related to the event and a communication channel 6 as a means for the event, and determines the determined user's information. Distribute information to contacts (e-mail address, phone number, etc.). The user receives distribution information via the user terminal 4.

  This system is managed by the administrator 5 via the monitor of the information distribution apparatus 1 or the like. The manager 5 plans a campaign that encourages visitors to the facilities and equipment in which the sensing object 2 is accommodated as necessary, and provides information related to the campaign to the user via the user terminal 4. .

  The user terminal 4 includes a mobile phone or a personal computer (PC). The user can receive various services via the user terminal 4 using the sensing object 2 and the facilities and equipment in which the sensing object 2 is accommodated.

  Here, the information collected / stored / managed from the sensing object 2 includes the individual information of the sensing object 2 itself and the state information of the sensing object 2 acquired from the sensor 3, and the surrounding environment to which the sensing object 2 belongs. Information (illuminance, temperature, humidity, etc.) and identification information of a user in contact with the sensing object 2 (for example, a unique ID of an IC tag possessed by the user) according to the state of the sensing object 2 from time to time.

  Examples of the sensor 3 attached to the sensing object 2 include a microphone, a camera, a position sensor, an acceleration sensor, a vibration sensor, a temperature sensor, and a pulse sensor.

  The communication channel 6 is a means for distributing information related to the event and information related to the campaign to the user terminal 4, and there are two methods of “synchronous communication” and “asynchronous communication”.

  In “synchronous communication”, information is distributed by voice to the user terminal 4 such as a mobile phone, a fixed phone, and an IP (Internet Protocol) phone via a telephone network or the Internet. Note that audio may be accompanied by video.

  “Asynchronous communication” is further classified into “shared type” and “non-shared type”. In the “shared type”, information is distributed to a blog site or an SNS (Social Network Service) site via the Internet. The distribution information is composed of text, video, audio, and the like, and the range in which the distribution information is shared is variable among individuals, acquaintances, and unspecified people.

  In the “non-shared type”, information is distributed to the user's mail address via the Internet. The distribution information is composed of text, video, audio and the like.

<Configuration Example of Information Distribution Device 1>
The information distribution device 1 is composed of a computer capable of receiving sensor information transmitted from the sensor 3, and includes hardware resources of a normal computer, that is, a CPU (Central Processor Unit), a memory (RAM), a hard disk drive device, It has a communication interface.

  As a result of the cooperation between the hardware resource and the software, as shown in FIG. 2, the information distribution apparatus 1 has a sensor information collection means 7, an event detection means 8, a sensing target database (DB) 9, a user database (DB). 10) The user selection means 11, the distribution channel selection means 12, the distribution information personification means 13, and the personification information distribution means 14 are mounted.

  That is, the sensor information collecting unit 7 collects sensor information from the sensor 3 provided in the sensing object 2. The sensor information collecting means 7 is realized by a receiver or the like that can receive sensor information from the sensor 3 wirelessly.

  The event detection unit 8 detects an event such as a state change of the sensing object 2 based on the sensor information collected by the sensor information collection unit 7.

  Information regarding the detected event (hereinafter referred to as event information) and information regarding the user who is in contact with the sensing target where the event has occurred are stored in the sensing target DB 9 and the user DB 10. Here, it is assumed that both DB 9.10 are constructed on the hard disk drive device.

  The user selection unit 11 analyzes stored information in the sensing target DB 9 and the user DB 10 and selects a user who distributes event information generated in the sensing target.

  The delivery channel selection means 12 selects the communication channel 6 according to a preset selection rule according to the profile of the user selected by the user selection means 11 and the nature of the event information to be delivered.

  The distribution information personification means 13 personifies the event information according to a preset personification rule according to the communication channel 6 selected by the distribution channel selection means 12 and the nature of the event information. In this anthropomorphism, a sensing object is regarded as a person, and an event that has occurred in the sensing object is expressed in a first person.

  The anthropomorphic information distribution means 14 distributes the event information personified by the distribution information anthropomorphic means 13 to the contact information of the user selected by the user selection means 11 using the communication channel 6.

<Overall processing process>
Hereinafter, the overall processing process of the information distribution apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, an example will be described in which the sensor information distribution system is applied to an information management system of “zoo”, the sensing target is “kangaroo”, and the event that has occurred is “exercise started”.

  That is, it is assumed that the sensor 3 is attached to a kangaroo that is the sensing object 2 and the information distribution device 1 that collects sensor information from the sensor 3 is disposed in a management room where an administrator 5 stands by. .

  In addition, IC tags are distributed to zoo visitors (users) at the time of admission, and the information on the IC tags is read by sensors installed throughout the park, so that each user's current location and entry in the park can be read. It is assumed that the exit history is managed.

  Step 01: First, the sensor information collecting unit 7 collects sensor information from the sensor 3 attached to the sensing object 2.

  The sensor information collected here includes state information of the sensing target 2, surrounding environment information to which the sensing target 2 belongs, and identification information of a user in contact with the sensing target 2. Examples of this identification information include the unique ID of the IC tag possessed by the user.

  The sensor information collected here is transferred to the event detection means 8. Note that the sensor information collection process may be repeatedly performed at intervals that are scheduled in advance.

  Step 02: When the sensor information is transferred from the sensor information collection unit 7, the event detection unit 8 detects a change in the state of the sensing target 2 and a change in the state of the surrounding environment from the sensor information, and uses the detected information as an event. The information is stored in the sensing target DB 9 as information.

  Here, the date and time when the event occurred, the sensing target ID, the contents of the event, and the user list (a list of users in contact with the sensing target) are stored in the sensing target DB 9. Here, “the kangaroo has started exercise” is detected as an event.

  The detected event information is also stored in the user DB 10 by the event detection means 8. That is, the user DB 10 stores user profiles (name, address, contact information, contact priority, date of birth, family structure, etc.), user ID, and event list.

  The event list is a history of event information experienced by each user, and records the occurrence date and time of each event, the sensing target ID, and the contents of the event. Event information experienced by the user is sequentially accumulated in this event list.

  Step 03: When an event is detected by the event detection unit 8, the user selection unit 11 refers to the sensing target DB 9 and the user DB 10 and selects a user who distributes the event information.

  Step 04: Apart from the event detected in Step 02, when campaign information such as preferential discount is set as a campaign plan from the administrator 5, the campaign information is similarly referred to the DB 9.10. Select users to distribute.

  As a result of Step 03 and Step 04, a selected user list to be distributed as event information or campaign information is generated, and the list is transferred to the communication channel selecting means 12. The selected user list includes the selected user ID, sensing target ID, and event information or campaign information. A detailed description of this user selection process will be described later.

  Step 05: When the selected user list is transferred from the user selection unit 11, the communication channel selection unit 12 selects a communication channel at the time of information distribution according to a communication channel selection rule registered in the information distribution apparatus 1 in advance. To do.

  That is, the communication channel selection unit 12 refers to the user profile of the user DB 10 with the user ID of the selected user list, and selects any communication channel according to the user profile and event information or campaign information to be distributed. To do.

  The communication channel selection rule referred to at the time of selection includes a condition relating to the content of an event that has occurred to a user or a sensing target, and a communication channel selected according to the condition.

  For example, Table 1 shows a rule for selecting “telephone” as a communication channel when distributing event information “the sensing target changes from an inactive state to an active state (kangaroo starts exercise, etc.)”. . In this example, the user and the sensing target are not specified.

  Table 2 shows an example in which “mail” is selected as the communication channel when distributing event information related to “planned event of the day (sheep shearing experience etc.)”.

  Further, Table 3 shows that “e-mail” is set as the communication channel when the priority contact address designated by the user is “e-mail” and the event information to be distributed is “a planned event (summer festival or the like) ahead of several days”. An example of selection is shown.

  The communication channel thus selected is added to the selected user list, and the list is transferred to the distribution information personification means 13.

  Step 06: When the selected user list is transferred, the distribution information anthropomorphic means 13 distributes distribution information according to the distribution information anthropomorphization rule registered in advance in the information distribution apparatus 1 according to the contents of the list. Anthropomorphize. Here, “personification” is an expression means that makes a sensing object look like a person and informs a user of an event that has occurred in the sensing object.

  For example, if the sensing target is “Kangaroo” and an event “Kangaroo has started exercising” is detected, instead of distributing information to the user with the expression “Kangaroo ○ X has started exercising”, It means that the sensing object speaks to the user in the first person, like “Kangaroo's ○ ×. I'm going to exercise now! 1, 2, 3, 4, 2, 2, 3, 4” . By speaking to the user in the first person in this way, it is possible to enhance the user's sense of familiarity with the sensing target.

  That is, the distribution information personification rule is a rule regarding personification of such distribution information, according to the user profile, the sensing target, the content of the event that occurred in the sensing target, and the condition regarding the communication channel, and the condition It consists of anthropomorphized distribution information. An example of the distribution information personification rule in this case is shown in Table 4.

  The personified distribution information is added to the selected user list, and the list is transferred to the personified information distribution means 14.

  Step 07: When the selected user list is transferred, the anthropomorphic information distribution means 14 is an anthropomorphic information using the communication channel 6 designated for the contact of the user to be distributed according to the list. To deliver.

<User selection process>
Next, the user selection process in Step 03.04 corresponding to the main process of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the user selection unit 11 includes a non-selection determination unit 15, a candidate user selection unit 16, a candidate user ranking unit 17, a selection number calculation unit 18, and a selection user identification unit 19.

  Each of the means 15 to 19 performs processing for selecting a user to whom information is to be distributed and generating a selected user list based on the sensing target ID in which the event has occurred and the event information or campaign information.

  That is, the non-selection target determining unit 15 refers to the sensing target DB 9 and determines a user (non-selection target user) who does not distribute the event information or the campaign information.

  The candidate user selection unit 16 refers to the sensing target DB 9 and the user DB 10 and collects candidate users to be distributed, excluding non-selection target users determined by the selection target determination unit 15.

  The candidate user ranking unit 17 refers to the user DB 10 for the candidate users collected by the candidate user selection unit 16, and sets the distance between each candidate user and the sensing target 2 and the interval from the previous experience of the event. Give a score based on and rank each candidate user.

  The selected number calculating means 18 refers to the sensing target DB 9 and estimates the increased number of users when the event information or the campaign information is distributed, and determines the selected number of persons to distribute the information.

  The selected user specifying means 19 specifies users from the top of the ranking of the candidate users up to the selected number of users as users to be distributed, and generates a selected user list. Hereinafter, the processing contents of the respective means 15 to 19 will be described in detail based on the processing flow of FIG.

  Step 11: First, the non-selection target determination means 15 refers to the sensing target DB 9 and determines non-selection target users who do not distribute the event information or the campaign information.

  For example, when distributing event information related to a sensing target, a user located outside the facility is excluded from the selection target. Furthermore, even a user located in a facility is excluded from selection if it is in contact with another active sensing target.

  However, when many other users are in contact with this active sensing target, these users are considered to be in a crowded situation and are not excluded from selection. The determination as to whether or not the user is in a crowded state may be made by setting a threshold value for the number of users in advance in the program.

  On the other hand, when distributing campaign information such as preferential discounts, users located in the facility are excluded from selection. Further, when the campaign information is distributed when the user leaves the facility or arrives at the home, the user in a different situation is excluded from selection. Here, the list of user IDs excluded from the selection target is transferred to the candidate user selection means 16.

  In addition, as a specific example for identifying the user's situation, the exit from the facility is identified by reading the information of the IC tag distributed in advance to the user, or the GPS (Global Positioning System) by a mobile phone possessed by the user. It may be possible to identify arrival at home by transmitting the position information to the information distribution apparatus 1.

  Step 12: When the list of non-selection target users is transferred, the candidate user selection unit 16 refers to the sensing target DB 9 and the user DB 10 and selects a user who is not a selection target, that is, a candidate user. This list of candidate users is transferred to the candidate user ranking means 17.

  Step 13: The candidate user ranking unit 17 ranks the candidate users transferred from the candidate user selection unit 16 with a score. This score is calculated based on how far each candidate user is located from the sensing target where the event occurred and how long ago the event was experienced.

  That is, the candidate user ranking unit 17 obtains the distance between each candidate user and the sensing target, and obtains an interval (event interval) from the previous experience of the event by referring to the event list of the user DB 10.

  From this distance and the event interval, the score S of each candidate user is calculated. Here, as an example of score calculation, a higher score is assigned to a user who has a smaller distance L to the sensing target and a larger event interval T.

  The score S may be calculated by multiplying the event interval T by using a reciprocal of the absolute value of the distance L or a monotonically decreasing function of the distance L such as an exponential function EXP (-L). This function only needs to be set in the program in advance, and which of the distance L and the event interval T is weighted can be appropriately changed according to the specification.

  The distance L between each candidate user and the sensing target is calculated from the difference between the current position of each candidate user and the current position of the sensing target where the event has occurred. It suffices if the current positions of the two are stored in either the sensing object DB 9 or the user DB 10.

  In addition, since the event interval T cannot be calculated when distributing campaign information, a person may give a score S to each candidate user in consideration of the event experience history in the user list. The ranking based on the score S may be stored in the memory, or may be stored in the user DB 10.

  Step 14: The selected number calculating means 18 expects an increased number of users when the event information or the campaign information is distributed, and determines the selected number of persons to distribute the information.

  For example, when event information related to a sensing target is distributed, the number of users in contact with the sensing target in which the event has occurred is acquired from the sensing target DB 9, and the increased number of users when the event information is distributed is calculated. Estimate and decide the number of people to distribute information. The number of selected persons is automatically determined by the program so that the number of users in contact with the sensing target is distributed evenly after the event information is distributed.

  On the other hand, when the campaign information is distributed, the sensing target DB 9 is looked at in the surrounding environment information such as the weather and the period of year, month, week, etc., and the off-season is estimated, and the user when the campaign information is distributed The number of people selected will be determined based on the expected visit.

  In the case where the campaign information is distributed when the user leaves the facility or arrives at his / her home, the number of selected persons is not particularly required here. The selected number of persons determined in this way may be stored in the memory or stored in the hard disk drive device or the like.

  Step 15: The selected user specifying means 19 specifies a user who distributes information from the ranking based on the score given in Step 13 and the number of selected persons determined in Step 14.

  In other words, the selected user specifying means 19 specifies users up to the selected number of people determined in Step 14 from the top of the ranking of the candidate users based on the score given in Step 13, and specifies the specified users. List, that is, a selected user list.

  The selected user list generated here is transferred to the communication channel selection means 12. At this time, the selected user list may be stored in the memory or stored in the hard disk drive device or the like.

  As described above, according to the information distribution apparatus 1, after ranking candidate users to distribute information, the users to be distributed can be effectively limited by narrowing down the users to be distributed according to the number of selected persons. it can.

  Therefore, information is distributed only to users who are expected to need information, and the concentration of users on specific sensing objects is suppressed, thereby improving the use efficiency of the entire facility.

  In addition, the user can receive only event information in the vicinity that has not been experienced for a long time or has not been experienced, and in this respect, improvement in satisfaction can be expected.

  In addition, although the present Example demonstrated the example which applied the sensor information delivery system to the information management system of a zoo, this invention is not limited to this, It applies to other facilities and equipment in the applicable range. be able to.

  The present invention can also be configured as a program that causes a computer to function as part or all of the means 7 to 14 of the information distribution apparatus 1. In this case, the computer executes all or part of the processing steps (Step 01 to Step 07) of the embodiment.

  This program can be provided through a network such as a website or e-mail. The program is stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, MO, HDD, Blu-ray Disk (registered trademark). It is also possible to save and distribute. This recording medium is read using a recording medium driving device (such as an optical drive device), and the program code itself realizes the processing of the above-described embodiment, so that the recording medium also constitutes the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information delivery apparatus 2 ... Sensing object 3 ... Sensor 4 ... User terminal 5 ... Administrator 6 ... Communication channel 7 ... Sensor information collection means 8 ... Event detection means 9 ... Sensing object database 10 ... User database 11 ... User selection means 12 ... communication channel selection means 13 ... distribution information personification means 14 ... personification information distribution means 15 ... non-selection determination means 16 ... candidate user selection means 17 ... candidate user ranking means 18 ... selection number calculating means (number determination means)
19 ... Selected user specifying means

Claims (9)

A method for distributing information about an event of a sensing target detected by a sensor attached to a sensing target to a user,
A first step in which a candidate user selecting means selects a delivery candidate user of the information from a user profile stored in a database;
Event indicating how far the candidate user ranking means experienced the distance to the sensing target and the event of the sensing target with reference to the location information stored in the database and the event information history of the user experience A second step of ranking the candidate users according to a score based on an experience interval;
A third step in which the number of persons determining means determines the number of persons to distribute the information according to the expected increase in the number of users when the information is distributed;
A fourth step in which the selected user specifying means specifies a user who distributes the information from the candidate users based on the rank given in the second step and the number of persons determined in the third step;
An information distribution method characterized by comprising: The information distribution method according to claim 1, wherein the second step sets a higher score as the distance between the candidate user and the sensing target is smaller and the event experience interval is larger. The information distribution method according to claim 1, further comprising: a communication channel selection unit that selects a communication channel for distributing the information according to the content of the information. . The distribution information anthropomorphic means further comprises the step of anthropomorphizing the information so that the subject of the information distributed to the user specified in the fourth step is a first person. The information delivery method according to any one of the above. A device that distributes to a user information related to an event of the sensing target detected by a sensor attached to the sensing target,
Candidate user selection means for selecting a delivery candidate user of the information from the user profile stored in the database;
With reference to the location information stored in the database and the history of event information of the user experience, the distance based on the distance to the sensing target and the score based on the event experience interval indicating how long before the sensing target event was experienced Candidate user ranking means for ranking candidate users;
Number-of-people determining means for determining the number of people who distribute the information according to the expected increase in the number of users when the information is distributed;
Based on the rank given by the candidate user ranking means and the number of people determined by the number of people determination means, a selection user specifying means for specifying a user who distributes the information from the candidate users;
An information distribution apparatus comprising: The information distribution apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the candidate user ranking unit sets a higher score as the distance between the candidate user and the sensing target is smaller and the event experience interval is larger. The information distribution apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a communication channel selection unit that selects a communication channel for distributing the information according to the content of the information. The distribution information personification means which personifies the information so that the subject of the information distributed to the user specified by the selected user specification means becomes a first person. The information distribution apparatus according to item 1.   An information distribution program for causing a computer to function as the information distribution apparatus according to claim 5.

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