JP7054444B2 - Information processing equipment, information processing methods and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method and a program.

Patent Document 1 discloses an advertisement distribution support system that improves the rate at which a customer is interested in advertisement information based on the customer's hobbies / preferences and the position / weather / time surrounding the customer.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-07847

In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to store image data in the server from the customer side in advance in order to estimate the characteristics of the customer. For this reason, it was not possible to display an appropriate advertisement on the advertising medium for customers who have not yet registered customer information such as customers who visited the store for the first time.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and is an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program capable of outputting an appropriate advertisement according to an attribute to a customer existing in the vicinity of an advertising medium. The purpose is to provide.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the image pickup means for capturing an image of an object possessed by a customer in a store, the extraction means for extracting the object information of the object from the image, the object information, and the object information. Based on the total weight of the object acquired from the database and the transport method of the object estimated from the determination result of the presence / absence of the transport device in the image, the database is referred to and the attribute of the customer is estimated. Provided is an information processing apparatus including an estimation means and a selection means for selecting an advertisement to be output for the customer according to the attribute from the database .

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing device, an information processing method and a program capable of outputting an appropriate advertisement according to an attribute to a customer existing in the vicinity of an advertising medium.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure example of the POS system to which the information processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware composition of the information processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the advertisement output method of the information processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between the image of the product imaged in 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the attribute estimated from the image. It is a figure which shows an example of the advertisement output based on the attribute of a customer in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the advertisement output method of the information processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the advertisement output method of the information processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the image of the product imaged in 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and an example of the purchase tendency and the attribute of the customer estimated from the image. It is a figure which shows an example of the advertisement output based on the attribute of a customer in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole configuration example of the advertisement distribution system to which the information processing apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the advertisement output method of the information processing apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the image of the object captured in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the advertisement output based on the attribute of a customer in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between the weather outside a store and the advertisement output based on the weather in the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information processing apparatus in another embodiment of this invention.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration example of a POS system to which the information processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. The POS (Point of sale) system is a computer system introduced in a store that sells products. As shown in FIG. 1, the POS system includes an information processing device 10 and a store server 12. The information processing device 10 and the store server 12 are connected by wire to, for example, a network 14 which is a LAN (Local Area Network). The connection method is not limited to wired, and may be connected wirelessly.

The information processing device 10 of the present embodiment has a POS application program having a product sales registration function, an accounting function, a product information registration function, an inventory management function, and the like installed, and functions as a POS device. The information processing device 10 is used by a clerk at the cash register counter to execute accounting processing. The number of information processing devices 10 is not limited to one, and can be arbitrarily changed according to the size of the store and the like.

Further, the information processing device 10 is connected to an advertisement distribution device 16, an image pickup device 18, and a peripheral device 20, which are advertisement media. The advertisement distribution device 16 has, for example, a display 16a such as a liquid crystal display, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display, and an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display, and a speaker 16b. As the advertisement distribution device 16 of the present embodiment, a customer display that displays various information such as accounting data on the screen to the customer under the control of the information processing device 10 which is a POS device is used. That is, the advertisement distribution device 16 displays on the screen data related to advertisements, advertisements, events, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "advertisement data") to customers in addition to accounting data. The advertisement distribution device 16 may be installed separately from the customer display. Further, advertisement data is output by voice from the speaker 16b as needed.

The store server 12 is a POS server (store controller) that manages the operation of a POS system by, for example, managing information on products sold in a store, totaling sales data, managing sales, managing inventory, and the like. The store server 12 is installed, for example, in the backyard of the store.

Further, the store server 12 includes a business database 12a and an advertising database 12b. The business database 12a is a database that manages product information, sales data, sales data, inventory data, and the like. The advertisement database 12b is a database that manages advertisement data presented to customers in a store. In the advertisement database 12b, it is assumed that the attribute of the customer targeted by each advertisement is associated with the advertisement data.

The image pickup device 18 is, for example, a camera or a video camera installed on a cash register counter, a ceiling, a wall surface, or the like in a store. The peripheral device 20 is various devices used at the time of accounting processing, and includes, for example, a display, a non-contact IC (Integrated Circuit) reader / writer, a printer, a cash drawer, a code scanner, and the like.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes an image pickup unit 10a, a product information extraction unit 10b, an attribute estimation unit 10c, an advertisement selection unit 10d, an advertisement output unit 10e, and the like. It includes a product information registration unit 10f. The image pickup unit 10a captures an image of an object possessed by the customer at the store. The image pickup unit 10a of the present embodiment acquires an image of a product (object) brought by the customer to the payment area by controlling the image pickup operation of the image pickup device 18. The product information extraction unit 10b extracts the product information (object information) of the product (object) from the image.

The attribute estimation unit 10c estimates the customer's attribute from the product information extracted by the product information extraction unit 10b. Specific examples of customer attributes include age (age), gender, height, body shape, clothing, family structure, occupation, customer's hobbies, and preferences. Here, an example of a method of estimating the age and gender, which are the attributes of the customer, from the product image will be described. First, a database is provided in a storage device (for example, HDD 104) or a store server 12, which will be described later, and the age group and gender of the customer who is the target of each product are registered in the database. The attribute estimation unit 10c estimates the age and gender of the customer who owns the product by referring to the database based on the product information extracted by the product information extraction unit 10b.

Further, the attribute estimation unit 10c estimates the customer's internal attributes such as the customer's hobbies and preferences by referring to a database in which the hobbies and preferences are previously associated with the product alone and the combination of the products. Specifically, the hobbies / preferences of those who purchase sneakers are [outdoors], and the hobbies / preferences of those who purchase running shoes and sports towels are [sports], [running], [runner-oriented], etc. Can be estimated as. The method of estimating customer attributes based on products is not limited to the above method. Further, in the present embodiment, the product information table (not shown) included in the business database 12a is used.

The advertisement selection unit 10d selects an advertisement to be output to the advertisement distribution device 16 which is an advertisement medium in the store, based on the attributes estimated by the attribute estimation unit 10c. Specifically, the advertisement selection unit 10d of the present embodiment refers to the advertisement database 12b of the store server 12 based on the attributes of the customer. Then, the advertisement selection unit 10d selects advertisement data that matches the customer's attributes estimated from the product image, and downloads the advertisement data from the advertisement database 12b. The advertisement output unit 10e outputs the advertisement data selected by the advertisement selection unit 10d to the advertisement distribution device 16. In this way, by estimating attributes such as the customer's age from the products owned by the customer and referring to the database based on the attributes, it is possible to select and output the advertisement based on the customer's attributes.

The product information registration unit 10f uses a barcode scanner (not shown) or a non-contact IC reader / writer (not shown), which is a peripheral device 20, to display barcodes, IC tags, etc. attached to products brought to the payment area by the customer. By reading, the product information of the purchased product is acquired and registered in the storage device described later. The product information extraction unit 10b described above acquires product information based on the product image before settlement. On the other hand, the product information registration unit 10f acquires the product information by reading the recording medium attached to the product, and outputs the product information to the attribute estimation unit 10c.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing apparatus 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 104, and a communication interface (I / O). It has an F (Interface) 105, an input device 106, an output device 107, and a display device 108. Each device is connected to a common bus line 109.

The CPU 101 controls the overall operation of the information processing apparatus 10. Further, the CPU 101 loads the program stored in the HDD 104 or the like into the RAM 103 and executes the program. As a result, the CPU 101 realizes the functions of the image pickup unit 10a, the product information extraction unit 10b, the attribute estimation unit 10c, the advertisement selection unit 10d, the advertisement output unit 10e, and the product information registration unit 10f.

The ROM 102 stores a program such as a boot program. The RAM 103 is used as a working area when the CPU 101 executes a program.

Further, the HDD 104 is a storage device that stores the processing results of the information processing device 10 and various programs executed by the CPU 101. The storage device is not limited to the HDD 104 as long as it is non-volatile. The storage device may be, for example, a flash memory or the like.

The communication I / F 105 controls data communication with a device connected to the network 14. The communication I / F 105, together with the CPU 101, realizes functions as an image pickup unit 10a, a product information extraction unit 10b, an attribute estimation unit 10c, an advertisement selection unit 10d, an advertisement output unit 10e, and a product information registration unit 10f.

The input device 106 is, for example, a human interface such as a keyboard and a mouse. Further, the input device 106 may be a touch panel incorporated in the display device 108. The user of the information processing apparatus 10 can input the settings of the information processing apparatus 10, input the processing execution instruction, and the like via the input device 106.

The output device 107 is a device that outputs predetermined information according to a control signal from the CPU 101. The output device 107 is, for example, a speaker, a printer, or the like.

The display device 108 is a device that displays predetermined information according to a control signal from the CPU 101. As the display device 108, a liquid crystal display or the like can be used as in the advertisement distribution device 16 described above.

The information processing device 10 is not limited to the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 2, and may further include other devices. The information processing device 10 may be composed of one or a plurality of devices, or may be integrally configured with another device. Further, the information processing device 10 may be connected to another device, and at least a part of the processing performed by the information processing device 10 in the present embodiment may be performed by the device.

Hereinafter, the operation of the information processing apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of an advertisement output method of the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the image of the product captured in the present embodiment and the attribute estimated from the image. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an advertisement output based on a customer's attribute in the present embodiment.

First, the image pickup unit 10a takes an image of the unsettled product that the customer has in the shopping cart or the like (step S101). The image pickup unit 10a outputs the captured image to the attribute estimation unit 10c.

Next, the product information extraction unit 10b analyzes the product image and extracts the product information (step S102). The product information extraction unit 10b stores the product information in a storage device (for example, HDD 104 or RAM 103) and outputs the product information to the attribute estimation unit 10c.

Next, the attribute estimation unit 10c refers to the business database 12a of the store server 12 based on the product information input from the product information extraction unit 10b, and the customer's age, gender, and height based on the product unit and the product combination. , Body type, hobbies, tastes and other attributes (step S103). The attribute estimation unit 10c outputs the estimated customer attribute to the advertisement selection unit 10d.

In FIGS. 4A to 4C, images IMG_1 or IMG_3 showing the products brought by the customer in the shopping cart B, product information of each product extracted from each image, and estimated from each image. The attributes of the customer are shown. In FIG. 4A, [G1: running shoes] and [G2: sports towel] are extracted as product information. The attributes of the customer are estimated to be [gender: male], [age group: 20-30s], and [hobbies / preferences: running].

Further, in FIG. 4B, [G3: cosmetics] and [G4: fashion magazine] are extracted as product information. The attributes of customers are estimated to be [gender: female], [age group: 20-30s], and [hobby: fashion]. Gender and age group are estimated from the subscribers of fashion magazines.

Similarly, in FIG. 4C, [G5: shaving], [G6: golf magazine], and [G7: disposable diaper] are extracted as product information. The attributes of the customer are estimated to be [gender: male], [hobby: golf], and [family structure: having infants]. That is, gender is estimated from shaving (G5) and golf magazine (G6), and family composition is estimated based on the inclusion of paper diapers (G7).

Next, the advertisement selection unit 10d refers to the advertisement database 12b of the store server 12 based on the customer attributes estimated by the attribute estimation unit 10c. Then, the advertisement selection unit 10d selects advertisement data matching the estimated attributes (step S104) and downloads the advertisement data from the advertisement database 12b.

Then, the advertisement output unit 10e outputs the advertisement data selected by the advertisement selection unit 10d to the advertisement distribution device 16 (step S105), and ends the process. In this way, by presenting the advertisement to the customer before the settlement process is completed, it is possible to stimulate new demand of the customer.

In FIGS. 5A to 5C, advertisement data matching the customer attributes shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C is displayed on the advertisement distribution device 16. That is, in FIG. 5A, an advertisement targeting a man in his twenties to thirties is displayed on the display 16a. Further, in FIG. 5B, an advertisement targeting women in their twenties to thirties is displayed on the display 16a. Then, in FIG. 5C, an advertisement targeting a home with a small child is displayed on the display 16a.

Subsequently, the operation of the information processing apparatus 10 at the time of settlement will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of an advertisement output method of the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. The process of FIG. 6 is executed for the purchased product.

First, the product information registration unit 10f acquires the product information of the purchased product by reading the recorded information of the recording medium attached to the purchased product that the customer brought to the checkout counter by the shopping cart or the like (step S201). The product information registration unit 10f outputs the acquired product information to the attribute estimation unit 10c.

Next, the product information registration unit 10f determines whether or not the customer has presented the member's card (step S202). Here, when the product information registration unit 10f determines that the member's card has been presented (step S202: YES), the process proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, when the product information registration unit 10f determines that the member's card is not presented (step S202: NO), the process proceeds to step S206.

In step S203, the product information registration unit 10f acquires the customer's purchase history data from the business database 12a of the store server 12 based on the presented member's card, and outputs the purchase history data to the advertisement selection unit 10d.

Next, the attribute estimation unit 10c refers to the business database 12a of the store server 12 based on the product information of the purchased product input from the product information registration unit 10f, and the customer's age based on the product unit and the product combination. Attributes such as gender, height, body type, hobbies, and tastes are estimated (step S204). The attribute estimation unit 10c outputs the estimated customer attribute to the advertisement selection unit 10d.

Next, the advertisement selection unit 10d refers to the advertisement database 12b of the store server 12 based on the customer attributes and purchase history data estimated by the attribute estimation unit 10c. Then, the advertisement selection unit 10d selects advertisement data matching the estimated attributes (step S205) and downloads the advertisement data from the advertisement database 12b.

In step S206, the attribute estimation unit 10c refers to the business database 12a of the store server 12 based on the product information of the purchased product input from the product information registration unit 10f, and refers to the customer's age based on the product unit and the product combination. , Gender, height, body type, hobbies, tastes and other attributes are estimated. The attribute estimation unit 10c outputs the estimated customer attribute to the advertisement selection unit 10d.

Next, the advertisement selection unit 10d refers to the advertisement database 12b of the store server 12 based on the customer attributes estimated by the attribute estimation unit 10c. Then, the advertisement selection unit 10d selects advertisement data matching the estimated attributes (step S207) and downloads the advertisement data from the advertisement database 12b.

In step S208, the advertisement output unit 10e outputs the advertisement data selected by the advertisement selection unit 10d to the advertisement distribution device 16 and ends the process.

As described above, according to the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the product information can be acquired from the image of the product before the settlement possessed by the customer, and the attribute of the customer can be estimated based on the product information. Then, the information processing apparatus 10 can select an appropriate advertisement according to the estimated customer attribute and output it to the advertisement medium. Since it is not necessary to register data such as hobbies and tastes of customers who visit the store in advance, it is possible to output appropriate advertisements even to customers who visit the store for the first time, for example. Furthermore, the customer's attributes are re-estimated based on the product information acquired from the purchased product at the time of payment. It is possible to estimate customer attributes with higher accuracy than before payment and present new advertisements to customers.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described. In addition, the code common to the code assigned in the figure of the first embodiment indicates the same object. Therefore, the description of the parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and the different parts will be described in detail.

The information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is further provided with a function in which the attribute estimation unit 10c estimates a purchasing tendency based on a comparison result between the price of a product and the price of another product belonging to the same category as the product. It is different from the first embodiment. Here, examples of purchasing tendencies include luxury-oriented, cost-oriented, brand-oriented, and functional-oriented.

As a method of estimating a purchasing tendency, first, a category to which a customer's purchased item belongs is specified. Next, the rank of the price range in which the price of the purchased item is located in the same category (hereinafter referred to as "purchased item rank") is determined in, for example, 100 steps. Then, when the purchased product rank is higher than a predetermined threshold value, it is determined as [purchasing tendency: high-class oriented], and when it is low, it is determined as [purchasing tendency: cost-oriented]. Further, when the purchased products include a predetermined high-end brand product in a high ratio, it is determined as [purchasing tendency: brand-oriented].

Hereinafter, the operation of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of an advertisement output method of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the image of the product captured in the present embodiment and the customer's purchasing tendency and attributes estimated from the image. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an advertisement output based on a customer's attribute in the present embodiment.

First, the image pickup unit 10a takes an image of the unsettled product that the customer has in the shopping cart or the like (step S301). The image pickup unit 10a outputs the captured image to the attribute estimation unit 10c.

Next, the product information extraction unit 10b analyzes the product image and extracts the product information (step S302). The product information extraction unit 10b stores the product information in a storage device (for example, HDD 104 or RAM 103) and outputs the product information to the attribute estimation unit 10c.

Next, the attribute estimation unit 10c analyzes the product information input from the product information extraction unit 10b, and determines the purchasing tendency based on the comparison result between the price of the product and the price of another product belonging to the same category as the product. Estimate (step S303).

In the example of FIG. 8, an image IMG_4 showing each product brought by the customer through the shopping cart B, product information of each product extracted from the image, and customer attributes and purchasing tendencies estimated from the image are shown. There is. Specifically, as product information, [G8: Y-shirt], [Purchased item rank: 36/100], [G9: Sneakers], [Purchased item rank: 30/100], [Purchased item rank (average): 33. / 100] is estimated. That is, when the score of the highest price range is 100 and the average price range is 50, the customer who intends to purchase the product of FIG. 8 selects a relatively cheap price range. Therefore, it is estimated that the attributes of customers are [gender: male] and [age group: 20-30s], and the purchasing tendency is [cost-oriented].

Next, the attribute estimation unit 10c refers to the business database 12a of the store server 12 based on the product information input from the product information extraction unit 10b, and the customer's age, gender, and height based on the product unit and the product combination. , Body type, hobbies, tastes and other attributes (step S304). The attribute estimation unit 10c outputs the estimated customer attribute to the advertisement selection unit 10d.

Next, the advertisement selection unit 10d refers to the advertisement database 12b of the store server 12 based on the customer's attributes estimated by the attribute estimation unit 10c and the customer's purchasing tendency. Then, the advertisement selection unit 10d selects the advertisement data that matches the conditions (step S305) and downloads the advertisement data from the advertisement database 12b.

Then, the advertisement output unit 10e outputs the advertisement data selected by the advertisement selection unit 10d to the advertisement distribution device 16 (step S306), and ends the process. In the example of FIG. 9, since the customer's purchasing tendency shown in FIG. 8 is cost-oriented, an advertisement proposing another Y-shirt that is cheaper than the purchased product in the Y-shirt category is displayed on the display 16a. Has been done.

As described above, according to the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the advertisement can be selected based on the customer's attribute and the purchasing tendency estimated from the product image. That is, it is possible to present the advertisement selected from the viewpoint different from that of the first embodiment to the customer.

[Third Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the information processing apparatus 30 according to the third embodiment will be described. It should be noted that the reference numerals common to the reference numerals given in the drawings of the above-described embodiments indicate the same objects. Therefore, the description of the parts common to the above-described embodiment will be omitted, and the different parts will be described in detail.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration example of an advertisement distribution system to which the information processing apparatus 30 according to the present embodiment is applied. As shown in FIG. 10, the information processing apparatus 30 of the present embodiment includes an object identification unit 10g instead of the product information extraction unit 10b and the product information registration unit 10f shown in FIG. When the image includes an object other than the customer, the object identification unit 10g identifies the type of the object by analyzing the image. The object for which the object identification unit 10g specifies the type is not limited to the product.

Then, the advertisement selection unit 10d selects an advertisement based on the combination of the customer's attribute and the type of the object. For example, if the car is an image, select ads for drivers, taking into account the age of the customer. Similarly, for images that include golf bags, select ads for golfers. That is, since it is highly possible that the object owned by the customer reflects the hobby / preference of the customer, the attribute of the customer can be estimated in detail by specifying the type of the object.

Further, the attribute estimation unit 10c of the present embodiment acquires the accessory information of the object from the image. Then, the advertisement selection unit 10d selects an advertisement based on the combination of the attribute, the type of the object, and the accessory information. For example, vehicle accessory information includes information obtained from accessories on the outside of the vehicle such as emblems, license plates, vehicle inspection stickers, and various stickers affixed to the vehicle body, and accessories on the inside of the vehicle such as the presence or absence of child seats. Information obtained from the product can be mentioned.

In this way, by considering the accessory information of the object, the attribute of the customer can be estimated in more detail. For example, when it is specified from the emblem that the vehicle is a luxury car, it can be estimated that the customer's financial margin and purchasing tendency are luxury-oriented. Also, if a child seat is installed in the car, it is possible to estimate that the family has small children and the number of children. As described above, the information processing apparatus 30 according to the present embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment in that the advertisement is selected by using the information obtained from the object possessed by the customer.

Hereinafter, the operation of the information processing apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an advertisement output method of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an image of an object captured in the present embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an advertisement output according to a customer's attribute estimated from an image of an object in the present embodiment. In the following description, an example of delivering an advertisement in a gas station will be described.

First, the imaging unit 10a images an object existing in a predetermined imaging region in a store (step S401). The image pickup unit 10a outputs the captured image to the attribute estimation unit 10c.

Next, the object identification unit 10g analyzes the input image and specifies the type of the object (step S402). Here, an example of the specific method will be described. Learning data in which the feature quantities of a plurality of objects and the types of the objects are associated with each other is created in advance, and the storage device (for example, HDD 104) or the store server 12 holds the learning data as a database. Next, an object is extracted from the image taken by the image pickup apparatus 18, and the feature amount of the extracted object is calculated. Then, the attribute estimation unit 10c identifies the type of the imaged object by comparing the calculated feature amount of the object with the feature amount of the database. In the case of gas stations, the type of vehicle shall be specified, such as passenger cars, motorcycles, trucks, special vehicles, etc.

Next, the attribute estimation unit 10c estimates the customer's attribute based on the type of the object (step S403). The attribute estimation unit 10c outputs the estimated customer attribute to the advertisement selection unit 10d.

Next, the advertisement selection unit 10d refers to the advertisement database 12b of the store server 12 based on the estimated customer attributes and the type of the object. Then, the advertisement selection unit 10d selects advertisement data matching the estimated attributes (step S404) and downloads the advertisement data from the advertisement database 12b.

In step S405, the attribute estimation unit 10c analyzes the object portion included in the image and determines whether or not a predetermined accessory exists in the object. Here, when the attribute estimation unit 10c determines that the object has a predetermined accessory (step S405: YES), the process proceeds to step S406. On the other hand, when the attribute estimation unit 10c determines that the predetermined accessory does not exist in the object (step S405: NO), the process proceeds to step S408.

In step S406, the attribute estimation unit 10c acquires the accessory information of the object from the image. In the example of FIG. 12, the image IMG_5 including the object X, the customer attributes estimated from the image, the object information of the object X, and the accessory information of the object X are shown. Since the type of the object X is "automobile", [hobby: drive] is included as a customer attribute. Further, a plurality of accessory information is acquired by extracting and analyzing the information of the predetermined regions A1, A2, and A3 of the object X included in the image IMG_5. For example, from the emblem included in the area A1, accessory information of [manufacturer: AAA], [manufacturer category: domestic manufacturer], and [price range: high] is acquired. From the license plate included in the area A2, the accessory information of [Registered place: Shinagawa] is acquired. From the vehicle inspection sticker included in the area A3, the accessory information of [vehicle inspection expiration date: March 2018] is acquired. And, from the inside of the car (not shown), the accessory information of [presence / absence of child seat: yes] is acquired. Along with this, [Family structure: with children] has been added to the customer attributes.

In step S407, the advertisement selection unit 10d refers to the advertisement database 12b of the store server 12 based on the accessory information. Then, the advertisement selection unit 10d selects advertisement data matching the estimated attributes and downloads the advertisement data from the advertisement database 12b. That is, the advertisement data selected based on the customer's attribute and the accessory information of the object is output.

In step S408, the advertisement output unit 10e outputs the advertisement data selected by the advertisement selection unit 10d to the advertisement distribution device 16 by the selected output method, and ends the process. FIG. 13 shows an example of an advertisement displayed to the customer of FIG. Here, two advertisements are displayed in the upper column and the lower column of the display 16a. The advertisement in the above column is an advertisement related to vehicle inspection, and is selected based on the fact that the expiration date of vehicle inspection is approaching from the accessory information. In addition, the advertisement in the lower column is an advertisement that introduces tourist destinations for families with children, and is selected based on the presence of a child seat in the car.

As described above, according to the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, when the object is included in the image, an appropriate advertisement is made based on the combination of the information of the type of the object and the accessories of the object and the attribute of the customer. Can be selected and output to the advertising medium. That is, by using the information obtained from the object owned by the customer for the selection of the advertisement, it becomes possible to provide the advertisement that further matches the hobby / preference of the customer.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the information processing apparatus 40 according to the fourth embodiment will be described. It should be noted that the reference numerals common to the reference numerals given in the drawings of the above-described embodiments indicate the same objects. Therefore, the description of the parts common to the above-described embodiment will be omitted, and the different parts will be described in detail.

The information processing device 40 according to the present embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment in that an advertisement based on a situation outside the store can be output to an advertising medium. Here, specific examples of the situation outside the store include the situation such as the weather, traffic, and the presence / absence of an alarm.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the weather outside the store and the advertisement output based on the weather in the present embodiment. Here, when the customer Y makes a purchase at the store P, the image pickup device 18 takes an image of the outside of the store P. It is assumed that the management server 22 is a server commonly provided among a plurality of affiliated stores, and holds advertisement data in the same manner as the store server 12 described above. The information processing device 40 of the store P controls the advertisement in the advertisement distribution device 16 according to the weather by determining the weather outside the store based on the analysis result of the captured image. For example, when it starts to rain outside the store P, an advertisement urging the purchase of an umbrella can be presented to the customer Y in real time.

Further, the example of FIG. 14 shows a case where the member's card C presented by the customer Y is read by the peripheral device 20 and reflected in the advertisement content. Specifically, the return route from the store P is searched based on the customer's address obtained from the member's card C, the affiliated store (store Q) existing near the customer's address is searched, and the affiliated store (store) is searched. Q) Acquire weather information from the information processing device 40. The weather information may also be acquired by searching the WEB information. When it is determined that the weather outside the store P is "cloudy" but the weather outside the store Q is "heavy rain", the information processing device 40 of the store P is as shown in FIG. Can present advertisements that encourage the purchase of umbrellas. In addition, even if it is based on the situation outside the store other than the weather information, it can be processed by the same method.

As described above, according to the information processing apparatus 40 according to the present embodiment, in addition to the advertisement according to the attribute of the customer, the advertisement selected based on the situation outside the store such as the weather and the traffic condition can be presented to the customer. In addition, by using the registered customer information, it is possible to present an advertisement useful to the customer.

[Other embodiments]
According to still another embodiment, the information processing apparatus described in the above-described embodiment can be configured as shown in FIG. FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing apparatus 50 in another embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 15, the information processing apparatus 50 in another embodiment includes an image pickup means 50a for capturing an image of an object possessed by a customer in a store, an extraction means 50b for extracting object information of the object from the image, and an object. It includes an estimation means 50c for estimating customer attributes from information, and a selection means 50d for selecting an advertisement to be output to an advertising medium based on the attributes. According to the information processing apparatus 50 in another embodiment, it is possible to output an appropriate advertisement according to the attribute to a customer existing in the vicinity of the advertisement medium.

[Modification Embodiment]
Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art are possible within the scope and details of the present invention without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, an embodiment in which a partial configuration of any of the embodiments is added to another embodiment or replaced with a partial configuration of another embodiment is also an embodiment to which the present invention can be applied. ..

In the above-described embodiment, the method of estimating the customer's attribute based on the result of the image analysis of the product owned (brought) by the customer has been described, but the attribute estimation method is not limited to this. The attribute estimation unit 10c may estimate the attributes based on the combination of the total weight of the product and the transportation method. For example, when the total weight of the purchased product exceeds 20 kg and the transportation method does not use the product cart, it can be estimated that the customer attribute is a relatively young male. As with the product, the transportation method can be determined by whether or not an instrument such as a product cart is shown in the image.

Similarly, the attribute estimation unit 10c may estimate the attribute based on the total purchase amount of the product. For example, if the total purchase amount exceeds a predetermined threshold value, it can be estimated that the customer has a financial margin. In addition, the advertisement may be selected based on the number of purchased products and the past purchase history. That is, when a customer repeats bulk purchases for a long period of time, it is considered that the demand for the product is high, and therefore, an advertisement for urging repurchase may be presented at a predetermined timing.

Further, if the purchased product contains a product having a property different from that of other products, the output of the advertisement based on the product may be restricted. For example, there may be a modification such as not estimating the customer's attribute from the product purchased for a gift. In this way, by combining several attribute estimation methods, the customer's attributes can be estimated with higher accuracy.

Further, there is also a processing method in which a program for operating the configuration of the embodiment is recorded on a recording medium so as to realize the functions of the above-described embodiments, the program recorded on the recording medium is read out as a code, and the program is executed by a computer. It is included in the category of each embodiment. That is, a computer-readable recording medium is also included in the scope of each embodiment. Further, not only the recording medium on which the above-mentioned computer program is recorded but also the computer program itself is included in each embodiment.

As the recording medium, for example, a floppy disk (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, or a ROM can be used. In addition, the program recorded on the recording medium is not limited to the one that executes the process by itself, but the program that executes the process on the OS (Operating System) in collaboration with other software and the function of the expansion board is also executed. Included in the category of morphology.

Some or all of the above embodiments may also be described, but not limited to:

(Appendix 1)
An imaging means that captures an image of an object owned by a customer in a store,
An extraction means for extracting object information of the object from the image,
An estimation means for estimating the attributes of the customer from the object information, and
An information processing apparatus including a selection means for selecting an advertisement to be output to an advertisement medium based on the attribute.

(Appendix 2)
The information processing device according to Appendix 1, wherein the object is a product before payment.

(Appendix 3)
Further equipped with a registration means for registering the product information of the product,
The information processing apparatus according to Appendix 2, wherein the estimation means estimates the attributes of the customer from the registered product information.

(Appendix 4)
The estimation means estimates the purchasing tendency of the customer from the product information, and obtains the purchase tendency.
The information processing apparatus according to Appendix 3, wherein the selection means selects the advertisement in line with the purchasing tendency.

(Appendix 5)
The information processing apparatus according to Appendix 4, wherein the estimation means estimates the purchasing tendency based on a comparison result between the price of the product and the price of another product belonging to the same category as the product.

(Appendix 6)
The information processing apparatus according to any one of Supplementary note 2 to 5, wherein the estimation means estimates the attributes based on a combination of the total weight of the product and the transport method.

(Appendix 7)
The information processing apparatus according to any one of Supplementary note 2 to 5, wherein the estimation means estimates the attribute based on the total purchase amount of the product.

(Appendix 8)
The information processing apparatus according to any one of Supplementary Provisions 1 to 7, wherein the attribute includes at least one of the customer's age, gender, hobbies, and tastes.

(Appendix 9)
Steps to capture an image of an object owned by a customer in a store,
The step of extracting the object information of the object from the image and
The step of estimating the customer's attribute from the object information and
An information processing method comprising: a step of selecting an advertisement to be output to an advertisement medium based on the above-mentioned attribute.

(Appendix 10)
On the computer
Steps to capture an image of an object owned by a customer in a store,
The step of extracting the object information of the object from the image and
The step of estimating the customer's attribute from the object information and
A program characterized by executing a step of selecting an advertisement to be output to an advertising medium based on the above attributes.

10, 30, 40, 50 ... Information processing device 10a ... Imaging unit (imaging means)
10b ... Product information extraction unit (extraction means)
10c ... Attribute estimation unit (estimation means)
10d ... Advertisement selection unit 10e ... Advertisement output unit 10f ... Product registration unit (registration means)
10g ・ ・ ・ Object identification part (extraction means)
12 ... Store server 14 ... Network 16 ... Advertisement distribution device 18 ... Imaging device 20 ... Peripheral equipment

Claims (9)

An imaging means that captures an image of an object owned by a customer in a store,
An extraction means for extracting object information of the object from the image,
Refer to the database based on the object information, the total weight of the object acquired from the database based on the object information, and the transport method of the object estimated from the determination result of the presence / absence of the transport device in the image . Then, with the estimation means for estimating the attributes of the customer,
An information processing apparatus including a selection means for selecting an advertisement to be output for the customer according to the attribute from the database . The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the object is a product before payment. Further provided with a registration means for registering product information read from the recording medium attached to the product.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the estimation means estimates the attribute of the customer from the registered product information. The estimation means estimates the purchasing tendency of the customer from the product information, and obtains the purchase tendency.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the selection means selects the advertisement in line with the purchasing tendency. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the estimation means estimates the purchasing tendency based on a comparison result between the price of the product and the price of another product belonging to the same category as the product. .. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the estimation means estimates the attribute based on the total purchase amount of the product. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the attribute includes at least one of the customer's age, gender, hobbies, and tastes. A step in which a computer captures an image of an object owned by a customer in a store,
A step in which the computer extracts object information of the object from the image,
Based on the object information, the total weight of the object acquired from the database based on the object information, and the transport method of the object estimated from the determination result of the presence / absence of the transport device in the image. With reference to the database, the step of estimating the attributes of the customer,
An information processing method comprising: that the computer selects an advertisement to be output for the customer according to the attribute from the database . On the computer
Steps to capture an image of an object owned by a customer in a store,
The step of extracting the object information of the object from the image and
Refer to the database based on the object information, the total weight of the object acquired from the database based on the object information, and the transport method of the object estimated from the determination result of the presence / absence of the transport device in the image . And the step of estimating the attributes of the customer,
A program characterized by executing a step of selecting an advertisement to be output for the customer according to the attribute from the database .

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