JP7606875B2 - Simulator, simulation method and simulation program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a simulator, a simulation method, and a simulation program for predicting the movement of an individual in a specified space.

Simulators that predict crowd behavior are being used to verify things like designing spaces that allow crowds to move around smoothly and appropriate crowd guidance plans in existing spaces.
For example, the following Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe a simulator that predicts the movement of individuals when crowd control is performed, in which each individual constituting a crowd is guided by guidance, etc. This simulator expresses the control of the crowd and the violating behavior of individuals against this control by an attraction area that represents the area where individuals are attracted by guidance, etc., and an attraction degree that represents the ease with which each individual is attracted.

JP 2019-219880 A JP 2019-219881 A

The above-mentioned conventional technology expresses crowd control by setting an attraction area that attracts individuals, but the setting of the attraction area is fixed. Therefore, when a situation occurs in which an individual deviates from crowd control (for example, an individual violates crowd control or stops due to poor health), it is not possible to express the process of dynamically responding to the situation and normalizing it.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to represent a process of dynamically responding and normalizing a situation in which an individual deviates from crowd control in a simulation that predicts the behavior of a crowd when crowd control is in place.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a simulator is provided that predicts the movement of an individual in a specified space. The simulator includes a space information storage means that stores space information that defines the space, a guidance area storage means that stores guidance areas in which a guidance force that attracts or repels the individual acts and a guidance force level that is the strength of the guidance force for each of the guidance areas, an individual information storage means that stores individual information including at least the position of the individual in the space, a behavior determination means that sets the amount of movement of the individual so that the individual is guided more by the guidance area having a stronger guidance force, an individual information change means that updates the position of the individual according to the amount of movement, and a guidance area setting means that updates the guidance force level of the guidance area according to the position or movement mode of the individual.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a simulation method for predicting the movement of an individual in a specified space is provided. In the simulation method, a computer that stores spatial information defining the space, induction areas in which an induction force that attracts or repels the individual acts, and an individual information storage means that stores individual information including at least the position of the individual in the space, is made to execute a process of setting the movement amount of the individual so that the stronger the induction force is in the induction area, the more the individual is guided, a process of updating the position of the individual according to the movement amount, and a process of updating the induction force degree of the induction area according to the position or movement mode of the individual.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a simulation program is provided that causes a computer to predict the movement of an individual in a specified space. The simulation program causes a computer that stores spatial information that defines the space, induction areas in which an induction force that attracts or repels the individual acts, and an individual information storage means that stores individual information including at least the position of the individual in the space, to execute a process of setting the movement amount of the individual so that the stronger the induction force is in the induction area, a process of updating the position of the individual according to the movement amount, and a process of updating the induction force degree of the induction area according to the position or movement mode of the individual.

According to the present invention, in a simulation predicting the behavior of a crowd when crowd control is performed, if a situation occurs in which an individual deviates from crowd control, it is possible to dynamically respond and represent the process of normalizing the situation.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a simulator according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an example of a simulator according to an embodiment. FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of setting a movable area within a target space within which an individual can move, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of setting a representative point of a movement target position and an intermediate target point for forming a representative route to the movement target position. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of fixed guiding region information. 5A to 5I are diagrams showing examples of fixed guiding areas respectively set based on the fixed guiding area information in FIG. 4. FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of individual information that is not dependent on time, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing an example of individual information that is dependent on time. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an action area. FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of detected object information that is not dependent on time, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of detected object information that is dependent on time. 5A to 5F are diagrams for explaining examples of detection area settings, and FIG. 5G is a diagram showing an example of detection area information. 13A to 13E are diagrams illustrating examples of setting additional guiding regions that attract individuals. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating another setting example of an additional guiding region that attracts individuals, and FIG. 13C is a diagram showing an example of additional guiding region information. 13A is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for calculating acceleration e _i (t) for approaching a selected target position, and FIG. 13B is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for calculating acceleration a _i (t) due to the guiding force of a fixed guiding region. 13A is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for calculating acceleration b _i (t) due to the guiding force of an additional guiding area, and FIG. 13B is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for calculating the acceleration of an individual. 1 is a flowchart of an example of a simulation method according to an embodiment. 13 is a flowchart of an example of a behavior decision process. 13A to 13D are diagrams illustrating an example of setting an additional guidance region that excludes an individual.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment of the present invention shown below is an example of an apparatus and method for embodying the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention does not specify the structure, arrangement, etc. of the components as described below. The technical concept of the present invention can be modified in various ways within the technical scope defined by the claims.

As an embodiment of the present invention, an example of a simulator that predicts the behavior of each of a number of people moving to one of the three entrances at a T-junction having three entrances, a west entrance, an east entrance, and a south entrance, is shown.
That is, in this embodiment, the space to be simulated (target space) is a T-junction, the individuals making up the crowd are people, and the purpose of each individual is to obtain services provided by facilities or the like located beyond the access point.

Each individual sets the communication port corresponding to the individual's purpose as a movement target position, and attempts to achieve its purpose by moving toward the movement target position.
In addition, in this embodiment, an example will be given of how the person implementing the simulation (hereinafter referred to as the user) uses a simulator to predict the behavior of a crowd when a policy of keeping to the right at T-junctions is applied.

Note that the T-junction described in this specification is merely one example of a target space, and the subject of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be a more complex space, such as a space made up of multiple rooms and corridors. In that case, the movable area within the target space in which an individual can move will be a complex shape excluding areas of walls, fixtures, etc.

(composition)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a simulator according to an embodiment.
The simulator 1 comprises an operation input unit 2, a file input/output unit 3, a storage unit 4, a control unit 5, and a display unit 6. Of these, the file input/output unit 3, the storage unit 4, and the control unit 5 can be realized by a so-called computer, and the operation input unit 2 and the display unit 6 can be realized as peripheral devices of the computer.

The operation input unit 2 is a user interface such as a keyboard and a mouse, and is operated by the user to input data, etc. The operation input unit 2 is connected to the control unit 5, converts the user's operations into operation signals, and outputs them to the control unit 5.

The file input/output unit 3 is a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) drive, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface, a network interface, etc., and is connected at one end to an external device, recording medium, network, etc. (not shown) and at the other end to the control unit 5, inputting data to the control unit 5 as a file and outputting data from the control unit 5 as a file.

The storage unit 4 is a memory device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), and stores various programs and various data. The storage unit 4 is connected to the control unit 5 and inputs and outputs this information to and from the control unit 5.

The control unit 5 is composed of arithmetic devices such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and an MCU (Micro Control Unit). The control unit 5 is connected to the storage unit 4, and operates as various processing units by reading and executing programs from the storage unit 4, and stores and reads various data in the storage unit 4. The control unit 5 is also connected to the operation input unit 2, the file input/output unit 3, and the display unit 6, and acquires data input by a user operating the operation input unit 2, acquires and outputs data as a file from the outside via the file input/output unit 3, performs a simulation based on the acquired data to predict the behavior of the crowd, and outputs the predicted data as a file from the file input/output unit 3, and/or displays the predicted data as an image on the display unit 6.

The display unit 6 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, is connected to the control unit 5, and displays the prediction results made by the control unit 5. The user visually checks the displayed prediction results and makes observations about the behavior of the crowd, etc.

(Simulator 1 function)
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an example of the simulator 1 according to the embodiment.
The operation input unit 2 functions as part of the condition setting means 20 and part of the detection object setting means 21, etc., and the file input/output unit 3 functions as part of the condition setting means 20, part of the detection object setting means 21 and part of the prediction result output means 43, etc.
The storage unit 4 functions as a spatial information storage means 30, a fixed guiding area storage means 31, an individual information storage means 32, a detected object storage means 33, a detected area storage means 34, an additional guiding area storage means 35, and the like.
The control unit 5 functions as a part of the detection object setting means 21, the detection area setting means 22, the additional guidance area setting means 23, the behavior decision means 40, the individual information changing means 41 and the prediction result output means 43 by executing computer programs stored in the memory unit 4 using an arithmetic device such as a CPU, DSP, MCU, etc.

The condition setting means 20 accepts input of various conditions necessary for the simulation and stores the input conditions in the memory unit 4. The condition setting means 20 is realized, for example, by the operation input unit 2 and the control unit 5 working together, and the control unit 5 stores values input by the user operating the operation input unit 2 in the memory unit 4. The condition setting means 20 may include a file input/output unit 3 that inputs a file in which some or all of the conditions are written, and the control unit 5 acquires the file specified by the user operating the operation input unit 2 via the file input/output unit 3 and stores the values written in the file in the memory unit 4.

The simulation in this embodiment is performed while advancing the virtual time. For example, the process of updating the information of the individuals for each virtual time is repeated while incrementing the virtual time from 0 by 1 until all individuals reach the movement target position. Note that the condition setting means 20 may set an upper limit T for the virtual time, and the process may be repeated until the virtual time reaches (T-1). In addition, a process may be added in which the operation input unit 2 accepts an end instruction input by the user, and the simulation is forcibly terminated when the end instruction is input.

Virtual time is a simulation of the passage of real time, but it advances each time the simulator finishes calculating one hour, so that it ticks faster than the passage of real time. For example, one hour of virtual time corresponds to one actual second, and virtual time is represented as an integer that starts at 0 and increments by 1.

The spatial information storage means 30 stores spatial information including a movable area in which the individual can move within the target space and a plurality of movement target positions. The spatial information is set in advance by an input operation by a user using the condition setting means 20.
Please refer to Fig. 3(a). The spatial information has a map 100 of a movable area in a target space defined in, for example, a two-dimensional xy coordinate system. The map 100 includes coordinate information representing a movable area 110 shown by hatching, and in the example of Fig. 3(a), the movable area 110 is defined as a T-shaped closed polygon connecting the coordinates (0,20)-(30,20)-(30,10)-(20,10)-(20,0)-(10,0)-(10,10)-(0,10).

The spatial information includes a target position ID for identifying each of a plurality of movement target positions defined in the target space, and coordinate information associated with each of the movement target positions.
For example, the movement target positions may be linear regions indicating the positions of the west side entrance, the east side entrance, and the south side entrance, respectively. In the example of Fig. 3(a), the target position IDs of the west side entrance I, the east side entrance II, and the south side entrance III are set to "I", "II", and "III", respectively, and the respective positions are set to the line segments (0,20)-(0,10), (30,10)-(30,20), and (10,0)-(20,0).

The spatial information may also include a representative point of each movement target position as auxiliary information for the movement target position. In the example of Fig. 3B, the representative points Pt1, Pt2, and Pt3 of the west side communication gate I, the east side communication gate II, and the south side communication gate III are the midpoint (0,15) of the line segment of the west side communication gate I, the midpoint (30,15) of the line segment of the east side communication gate II, and the midpoint (15,0) of the line segment of the south side communication gate III, respectively.
The spatial information may also store intermediate target points for forming a representative route to each of the movement target positions as another auxiliary information of the movement target positions. When an obstacle is present in the target space, the intermediate target points may be appropriately set to be intermediate points of a route for avoiding the obstacle. In the example of FIG. 3B, Pi1 (11, 11) and Pi2 (19, 11) are set as intermediate target points.

2, the fixed guide area storage unit 31 stores fixed guide area information relating to a fixed guide area. The fixed guide area is a guide area that is fixedly disposed within the movable area 110.
An induction area is an area that attracts individuals by guiding them, or an area that repels individuals. By setting an induction area, crowd control that guides individuals can be expressed. Attraction is the action of drawing individuals in, and repulsion is the action of keeping individuals away. The attractive force that attracts individuals and the repulsive force that repels individuals are sometimes collectively referred to as "induction force."

For example, a fixed guidance area that attracts individuals may be set in an area where the formation of a traffic line along which the individuals move may be permitted. A fixed guidance area that attracts individuals may be set in an entry permitted area where the individuals are permitted to enter. Conversely, a fixed guidance area that excludes individuals may be set in an entry prohibited area where the individuals are prohibited from entering.

As the fixed guidance area, for example, an area in which an individual is attracted or repelled by guidance for guiding the individual may be set. The guidance may be, for example, an instruction, a display, a sign, a spatial shape, a voice guidance, or the like.
For example, a fixed guidance area to which an individual is attracted by a guide sign for keeping to the right is an area on the right side of a road or passage. For example, a fixed guidance area is set on the right side of a road in response to an arrow (guide) painted on the right side of the road. Also, for example, a fixed guidance area related to lanes divided to guide each of a plurality of different points is an area corresponding to the lanes provided on a road or passage (for example, an area within each lane).
In the above example, guidance was displayed within a fixed guidance area, but the fixed guidance area does not have to coincide with the location where the guidance is displayed, and may even be an area corresponding to guidance perceived other than visually.

For example, a fixed guidance area that is set on the right side of a road section corresponding to guidance displays such as signs and guide lights installed just before the road section where traffic is on the right, or pylons that guide vehicles to the right, is an example of a case where guidance displays or changes in spatial shape are set outside the fixed guidance area.
For example, a fixed guidance area that is set on the right side of a road section in response to a right-hand traffic guidance broadcast within and/or near the road section is an example of a fixed guidance area to which an individual is attracted by instructions or guidance perceived other than visually.

The fixed guiding area information is set in advance by the user using the condition setting means 20 .
4. The fixed guidance area information 120 includes information on a fixed guidance area ID, a moving target position information, coordinate information, a guidance force level, a speed limit, and a specified direction for each of a plurality of fixed guidance areas. The fixed guidance area storage unit 31 stores the fixed guidance area ID, the moving target position information, the coordinate information, the guidance force level, the speed limit, and the specified direction in association with each other for each fixed guidance area.

The fixed guiding area ID is an identifier of the fixed guiding area.
The movement target position information indicates a movement target position of an individual to be attracted to the fixed guidance area. That is, the fixed guidance area is set to attract an individual moving to a specific movement target position, and the movement target position information indicates a correspondence between the specific movement target position and the fixed guidance area that attracts the individual moving to the movement target position.
For example, for a road that extends from east to west and where traffic drives on the right side, a fixed guidance area that applies to people heading east is set on the south side of the road, and a fixed guidance area that applies to people heading west is set on the north side of the road.
The coordinate information of the fixed guiding area indicates the position and shape of the fixed guiding area set within the movable area 110 .

The degree of inductive force represents the strength of the inductive force acting on the individual from the fixed guidance region. In the case of a fixed guidance region that attracts individuals, the degree of inductive force represents the degree of ease with which the individual is attracted to the fixed guidance region. In the case of a fixed guidance region that repels individuals, the degree of inductive force represents the degree of ease with which the individual is repelled from the fixed guidance region. For example, the degree of inductive force that attracts individuals has a positive value, and the degree of inductive force that repels individuals has a negative value.
The speed limit represents the upper limit speed (movement amount per unit time) of an individual in the fixed guidance area.
The specified direction is expressed as a unit vector, which is the movement direction permitted for the individual in the fixed guidance area (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as the "specified direction").

For example, the first row of the fixed guidance area information 120 shown in Figure 4 indicates that a fixed guidance area having a fixed guidance area ID "i" is associated with a movement target position I (i.e., the west connecting gate I), is a rectangular area connecting coordinates (0,20)-(0,15)-(15,15)-(15,20), has a guidance force level of "1.0", has a speed limit of 1.5, and has a specified direction of (-1,0).
For example, the fourth line indicates that a fixed guidance area having a fixed guidance area ID of "iv" is associated with a movement target position II (i.e., the east connecting entrance II), is a rectangular area connecting the coordinates (0,15)-(0,10)-(15,10)-(15,15), has a guidance force level of "1.0", has a speed limit of 1.5, and has a specified direction of (1,0).
The fixed guidance areas 121 to 129 of the fixed guidance area IDs "i" to "ix" set by the fixed guidance area information 120 shown in Fig. 4 are shown in Fig. 5(a) to Fig. 5(i), respectively. Note that multiple fixed guidance areas associated with the same movement target position may be set to have overlapping portions.

Please refer to Fig. 2. The individual information storage means 32 stores individual information, which is information relating to each of the multiple individuals that make up the population.
Figures 6(a) and 6(b) show examples of individual information 130 and 131, respectively. The individual information 130 in Figure 6(a) is information that does not depend on time, and the individual information 131 in Figure 6(b) is individual information that depends on time. Note that the individual information 130 and 131 shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b) are merely examples, and the configuration of the individual information of the present invention is not limited to this.

The individual information may include, for example, at least a status value and a behavior parameter.
(Individual status value)
The state value indicates the state of each individual at each virtual time. In this embodiment, the state value indicates the position of the individual in the target space.
The initial value of the position of each individual is set as the initial position by an input operation by the user using the condition setting means 20. In this embodiment, the initial value of the position of each individual may be any one of the west side connecting gate I, the east side connecting gate II, and the south side connecting gate III.

In the example of FIG. 6(a), the initial position of the individual with individual ID "0" is set to the position (17.78, 0) of the south access gate III.
After the initial position is set, the position of each individual is updated as virtual time passes by the individual information changing means 41. For example, at virtual time "1", an individual with individual ID "0" moves to position (17.78, 1.3), and by virtual time "463", moves to position (0, 15.21) of the west connecting gate I.

(Individual behavior parameters)
The behavior parameters represent the behavior of each individual at each virtual time and act on the state value.
For example, the behavioral parameters may include the behavioral purpose of each individual, the behavioral means determined by the individual to achieve the purpose, and the amount of change in state value (amount of state change) per unit time (per virtual time) by the individual executing the behavioral means.

For example, the purpose of a behavior in this embodiment may be moving to station A, moving to station B, moving to the spectator stands, etc., and an identifier assigned to each purpose may be stored as a behavior parameter.
For example, the action means in this embodiment is movement to a movement target position, and the target position ID of the movement target position selected as the movement target as the action means may be stored as an action parameter. Hereinafter, the movement target position selected as the movement target may be referred to as a "selected target position."

For example, a target position ID "I" is stored for an individual whose selected target position is the west side entrance, a target position ID "II" is stored for an individual whose selected target position is the east side entrance, and a target position ID "III" is stored for an individual whose selected target position is the south side entrance. In the example of Fig. 6(a), the west side entrance I is specified as the selected target position for the individual with the individual ID "0".
The selected target position, which is the means of the action, is determined according to the purpose of the action, and since the simulator 1 of this embodiment is concerned with processing after the selected target position has been set, the following description of the purpose of the action will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the state change amount is the amount of movement per unit time (per virtual time), and a vector that is a pair of an increment value in the x direction and an increment value in the y direction is stored as the state change amount.
For example, the amount of movement for moving one unit distance north is stored as (0, 1), the amount of movement for moving one unit distance northwest is stored as (0.707, -0.707), etc. If the amount of movement of an individual whose position at virtual time t is (5, 15) is (0, 1), its position at virtual time (t+1) is updated to (5, 16).

In the example of FIG. 6(b), at virtual time "0", the movement amount of the individuals with individual ID "0" and ID "1" is (0, 1.3), and the movement amount of the individual with individual ID "99" is (1.3, 0). At virtual time "463", the movement amount of the individual with individual ID "0" is (-1.09, 0), at virtual time "572", the movement amount of the individual with individual ID "1" is (1.1, 0.01), and at virtual time "789", the movement amount of the individual with individual ID "99" is (0, -1.09).

In addition, the individual information may include either an area of effect for each individual or a generation time for each individual.
The area of influence of each individual indicates the fixed induction area around the individual and the area in which surrounding individuals have an effect on the individual. In other words, the fixed induction area that attracts a certain individual is only the fixed induction area that exists within the area of influence of that individual.
The area of action is calculated and updated by the individual information changing means 41 .

7 shows an example of the area of action. For example, the area of action is set around the individual so that it spreads biasedly in the direction of the action from the fixed guidance area around the individual. In this embodiment, the area of action Ri of each individual at virtual time t is defined as a sector with a central angle θ (e.g., 60°) and a radius R (e.g., 5 unit distance) centered on the position x _i (t) of the individual.
The subscript i (i=1, 2, ..., M: M is the total number of individuals) is an index representing an individual of interest, and an individual ID may be used as the subscript i. Hereinafter, an individual with an individual ID of "i" may be referred to as individual i.

In the present embodiment, the individual information 131 stores a vector indicating the direction of the center line Lc of the sector (i.e., the line connecting the intersection of the two radii and the center of the arc) as the action area information representing the action area Ri, and the vector is equal to the movement amount of the same individual at the same time. As a result, the action area is set to spread biasedly in the movement direction of the individual i, for example.
In the example of Figure 6 (b), at virtual time "0", the area of action of the individual with individual ID "0" is a sector-shaped area with a central angle of 60° and a radius of 5 unit distance, centered at position (17.78, 0), and with the direction of the center line Lc represented by the vector (0, 1.3) that is the same as the amount of movement.

The generation time for each individual is the virtual time when information for each individual is generated, and is the virtual time when each individual appears in the target space.
In this embodiment, a generation time is set for each individual in order to simulate the appearance of people appearing in the target space one after another over time through a connection port, but setting the generation time may be omitted when simulating a target space in which all individuals exist when the virtual time is 0.
In the example of FIG. 6A, individuals with individual IDs "0" and "1" appear in the target space at virtual time "0", and an individual with individual ID "99" appears in the target space at virtual time "42".

2, the detection object setting means 21 sets a detection object. The detection object is an object that is placed in the movable area 110 in order to detect an individual that deviates from crowd control.
The detection object may be, for example, a guard, a drone, a PTZ camera, an infrared sensor, etc.

An example of an individual that deviates from crowd control is an individual that violates crowd control, such as an individual that protrudes from a fixed guidance area that is set as a fixed guidance area for creating a traffic line or an entry-permitted area, or an individual that enters a fixed guidance area that is set as a no-entry area.
Other examples of individuals that deviate from crowd control may be individuals that stop moving for some reason (e.g., due to poor health) or individuals that do not maintain social distance (physical distance). Examples of cases where such individuals occur will be described later.

The detection object setting means 21 accepts setting information related to the detection object and stores the input setting information in the storage unit 4. The detection object setting means 21 is realized, for example, by the operation input unit 2 and the control unit 5 working together, and the control unit 5 stores the value input by the user operating the operation input unit 2 in the storage unit 4. The detection object setting means 21 may include a file input/output unit 3 that inputs a file in which some or all of the conditions are described, and the control unit 5 acquires the file specified by the user operating the operation input unit 2 via the file input/output unit 3 and stores the value described in the file in the storage unit 4.

When the detected object is set by the detected object setting means 21, the detected object storage means 33 stores detected object information, which is information relating to the detected object.
Figures 8(a) and 8(b) show examples of detected object information 140 and 141, respectively. The detected object information 140 in Figure 6(a) is detected object information that does not depend on time, and the detected object information 141 in Figure 6(b) is detected object information that depends on time. Note that Figures 8(a) and 8(b) are merely examples, and the configuration of the detected object information of the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, the detected object information 140 may include an object ID, the type of each detected object, a generation time, and an initial position.
The object ID is an identifier for the detected object.
The type of each detected object indicates the type of detected object, such as a monitor, a drone, a surveillance PTZ camera, an infrared sensor, and the like.

The generation time for each detected object is a virtual time at which information for each detected object is generated, and is a virtual time at which each detected object appears in the target space.
The initial position of each detected object is the position of the detected object at the generation time.
In the example of FIG. 8A, the type of object with the object ID "0" is "security guard", and it appears at the initial position (5, 12.5) in the target space at virtual time "0".
The type of object ID "2" is a "camera" and is a fixed object located at the position (15, 15) in the target space. In this case, setting of the virtual time may be omitted.

On the other hand, the detected object information 141 may include the movement amount, position, and detection direction of each detected object at each virtual time.
In the example of Fig. 8B, at virtual time "0", the detected object (guard) with object ID "0" has a movement amount of (1,0) and a position of (5,12.5). At virtual time "0", it has moved to a position of (6,12.5).
The detected object setting means 21 may change the position of the movable detected object according to a predetermined scenario or algorithm.

On the other hand, the position of the detected object (camera) with object ID "2" remains unchanged, and only the detection direction changes from (1.0) at virtual time "0" to (0.95, 0.3) at virtual time "1".
The detected object setting means 21 may change the detection direction of the detected object according to a predetermined scenario or algorithm.

Please refer to Fig. 2. The detection area setting means 22 sets a detection area for detecting an individual existing within the movable area 110.
The detection area setting means 22 may set a detection area for detecting an individual by, for example, a detection object. In this case, the position and range of the detection area are set according to the position of the detection object stored in the detection object storage means 33.

9A, the detection area setting means 22 may set a detection area 151 in the vicinity of a detection object 150. For example, the detection area 151 may be a circle having the position of the detection object 150 as its center.
9B, the detection area setting means 22 may set a detection area 151 in the traveling direction (movement direction) of the detection object 150. For example, the detection area 151 may be set at a position in the traveling direction away from the detection object 150 by a predetermined distance.

Furthermore, the detection area setting means 22 may set a detection area 151 in which the detection direction changes successively as shown in FIG. 9C, for example, as the detection area 151 of a detection object 150 which is a camera.
Furthermore, the detection area may be an area for detecting an individual within a fixed range, not a detection area based on a detection object set by the detection object setting means 21. This makes it possible to express a fixed detection area based on a fixed camera or sentry.

The shape of the detection area 151 is not limited to a circle. For example, the shape of the detection area 151 may be a polygon, or may be a sector shape as shown in Fig. 9(d). In addition, when the detection object 150 is a line sensor such as an infrared sensor, a line segment may be set as the detection area 151 as shown in Fig. 9(e).
In a simulation in which the target space is a three-dimensional space, a polyhedral detection area 151 as shown in FIG. 9( f ) may be set.

2, the detection area storage means 34 stores detection area information, which is information relating to the detection area set by the detection area setting means 22.
Fig. 9G shows an example of the detection area information 152. The detection area information 152 may include a detection area ID, an object ID, a position, and a radius. The example of Fig. 9G shows an example of setting a circular detection area.

The detection area ID is an identifier of the detection area.
The object ID is the object ID of a detection object that is to be detected individually in the detection area. The detection area setting means 22 sets the position and range of the detection area according to the position of the detection object specified by the object ID.
The position and radius indicate the position and radius of the detection area.
In the example of FIG. 9( g ), the detection area with detection area ID “0” is the detection area of a detected object with object ID “0”, and is a circular area with a radius of “1.5” centered at the position (8, 12.5).

For example, in the case of a sector-shaped detection area 151 as shown in FIG. 9(d), the detection area information 152 may include information on the center point, central angle, central direction, and radius of the sector. In the case of a line segment detection area 151 as shown in FIG. 9(e), the detection area information 152 may include information on the direction and length of the line segment. In the case of a polyhedral detection area 151 as shown in FIG. 9(f), the detection area information 152 may include coordinate information of the faces that form the detection area 151. In the case of a polygon, the detection area information may include coordinate information of the vertices and sides of the polygon.

Please refer to Fig. 2. When an individual deviates from crowd control, the additional guidance area setting means 23 dynamically responds by adding a guidance area for guiding the specific individual to normalize the situation. Hereinafter, the guidance area added by the additional guidance area setting means 23 will be referred to as "additional guidance area".
The additional guiding area setting means 23 sets an additional guiding area in association with a specific individual. Hereinafter, an individual associated with the additional guiding area is referred to as a "target individual." The additional guiding area is an guiding area that guides (i.e., attracts or repels) only the target individual.

Refer to FIG. 10(a). In the example of FIG. 10(a), a fixed guidance area 126 that attracts individuals is set as an allowed entry area where individuals are permitted to enter. In addition, a detection area 151 by a detection object 150 is set outside the fixed guidance area 126 (i.e., the allowed entry area), and an individual i that protrudes from the fixed guidance area 126 is detected in the detection area 151.

For example, the additional guidance area setting means 23 may determine whether or not an individual i has been detected in the detection area 151, and if an individual i has been detected in the detection area 151, may set an additional guidance area 160 within the movable area 110 with the detected individual i as the target individual.
For example, it is also possible to determine whether or not an individual i has been detected in the detection area 151, determine whether or not the detected individual i is located outside the fixed guidance area 126 (i.e., the permitted entry area), and set an additional guidance area 160 if the detected individual i is located outside the fixed guidance area 126.

At this time, the additional induction area setting means 23 may set an additional induction area 160 for attracting the target individual i, for example, within the fixed induction area 126 and in the vicinity of a boundary surface BF between the fixed induction area 126 and its outside. The additional induction area setting means 23 may set an additional induction area for attracting the individual i having the same range as the entire fixed induction area 126. This provides the same effect as increasing the attracting power of the fixed induction area 126 for attracting the individual i.
10(a), a rectangular additional guiding area 160 of a predetermined size is set at a position in the fixed guiding area 126 that is closest to the target individual i and in the vicinity of the boundary surface BF. For example, the additional guiding area 160 may be a rectangular area of a certain width along the fixed guiding area 126, with the foot of a perpendicular line drawn from the position of the target individual i to the fixed guiding area 126 as its center line. That is, the additional guiding area setting means 23 may set the position of the additional guiding area 160 according to the position of the target individual i.
The shape of the additional guiding area 160 is not limited to a rectangular shape, and may be, for example, a circle or a polygon other than a rectangle.

The range (size) of the additional guidance area 160 may be a fixed value or may be dynamically changed. For example, the range (size) of the additional guidance area 160 may be changed according to the positions and arrangement density of other individuals present in the fixed guidance area 126 to which the individual i is guided so that the individual i guided by the additional guidance area 160 does not collide with other individuals present in the fixed guidance area 126 to which the individual i is guided.

When the additional guidance region is set, the additional guidance region setting means 23 sets a guidance force level which is the strength of the guidance force exerted by the additional guidance region on the target individual.
The additional guiding region setting means 23 sets the guiding force level according to the degree of deviation of the target individual i from the crowd control, for example. For example, the greater the degree of deviation, the stronger the guiding force level may be set.
In the example of FIG. 10( a ), it may be determined that the greater the distance from the fixed guiding region 126 to the individual i, the greater the degree of deviation.

The additional guidance area setting means 23 may also determine the degree of deviation according to the duration of time that the target individual i stays in an area outside the fixed guidance area 126, which is an entry-permitted area (i.e., a no-entry area). For example, it may be determined that the longer the duration that the target individual i stays outside the fixed guidance area 126, the greater the degree of deviation.

In addition, the additional guidance area setting means 23 may set an additional guidance area that excludes the individual i in an area outside the fixed guidance area 126 (i.e., a restricted area where entry is not permitted).
Furthermore, Figure 10 (a) shows an example in which the detection area 151 is set outside the fixed guidance area 126 (i.e., the permitted entry area), but alternatively, if a fixed guidance area that excludes individuals is set as a prohibited entry area, the detection area 151 may be set inside this fixed guidance area.
In this case, when the individual detected in the detection area 151 is located within a fixed guiding area that excludes the individual, the additional guiding area setting means 23 may set an additional guiding area that excludes the individual inside the fixed guiding area that excludes the individual, or may set an additional guiding area that guides the individual outside the fixed guiding area that excludes the individual. This provides the same effect as when the guiding force of the fixed guiding area that excludes the individual is increased.

Figures 10(b) and 10(c) show examples of situations in which multiple fixed guidance areas 126a and 126b that attract individuals are set as permitted entry areas, and a target individual i that was present within the fixed guidance area 126a moves along a path 161, leaving the fixed guidance area 126a and being detected in a detection area 151.
In this case, as shown in Fig. 10(b), an additional guiding area 160 for attracting the target individual i may be set in the fixed guiding area 126a in which the individual i was previously present, or as shown in Fig. 10(c), an additional guiding area 160 for attracting the individual i may be set in the fixed guiding area 126b closest to the target individual i.

In this case, the additional induction area setting means 23 may determine the degree of deviation of the target individual i from the crowd control depending on the distance from the fixed induction area 126a or the fixed induction area 126b to the target individual i. For example, as shown in FIG. 10(d), the degree of deviation may be determined depending on the distance d1 from the fixed induction area 126a in which the individual i was previously present to the target individual i, or the distance d2 from the fixed induction area 126b closest to the target individual i to the target individual i. For example, it may be determined that the longer the distance d1 or d2, the greater the degree of deviation.

The degree of deviation may also be determined based on the distance L traveled by the target individual i in the area outside the fixed induction area 126a and the fixed induction area 126b, or the duration of time the target individual i stays in the area outside the fixed induction area 126a and the fixed induction area 126b. For example, it may be determined that the longer the distance L traveled or the duration of time spent in the area outside the fixed induction area 126a and the fixed induction area 126b, the greater the degree of deviation.

Refer to FIG. 10(e). The additional guidance area setting means 23 may set the position of the additional guidance area 160 according to the position of the detection object 150 that detected the target individual i (i.e., the detection object having the detection area 151 in which the target individual i was detected). In the example of FIG. 10(e), the additional guidance area 160 that attracts the target individual i is set in the vicinity of the detection object 150. For example, the additional guidance area 160 may be a circle centered on the position of the detection object 150.

By setting an additional guiding area 160 that attracts the target individual i near the detecting object 150, it is possible to express a situation in which the target individual i is restrained and taken away by the detecting object 150, which is a security guard.
For this reason, for example, when the degree of deviation of the target individual i from the crowd control is large, the additional guidance area 160 may be set in the vicinity of the detection object 150, and when the degree of deviation is small, the additional guidance area 160 may be set within the fixed guidance area 126.
That is, the position of the additional guiding region 160 may be determined depending on the deviation degree of the target individual i. For example, whether the position of the additional guiding region 160 is set based on the position of the target individual i or the position of the detection object 150 may be switched depending on the deviation degree.

The additional guidance area setting means 23 may determine the degree of deviation of the target individual i from the crowd control in accordance with the movement mode of the target individual i.
11A shows an example of determining the degree of deviation according to the speed (amount of movement) of the target individual i as an example of the movement mode. For example, a speed limit may be set in the fixed guidance area 126 (i.e., the permitted entry area). For example, a speed limit of "1.5" is set in the fixed guidance area shown in FIG. 4.
In this case, the degree of deviation of the target individual i from the crowd control may be determined according to the speeding amount by which the speed of the target individual i exceeds the speed limit. For example, it may be determined that the greater the speeding amount, the greater the deviation degree.

11A, the additional guidance area setting means 23 determines whether or not to set an additional guidance area 160 for attracting the target individual i outside the fixed guidance area 126 according to the degree of deviation. For example, the additional guidance area 160 is set when the amount of speed exceeding a threshold, and the additional guidance area 160 is not set when the amount of speed exceeding the threshold or less. That is, the additional guidance area setting means 23 may determine whether or not to set the additional guidance area 160 according to the degree of deviation.
This makes it possible to represent control that moves vehicles that exceed a speed limit threshold onto the shoulder of the road outside the road (fixed guidance area 126) in a simulation of crowd control in which the vehicles are individuals, for example, traveling on a road with a speed limit.

11B shows an example of determining the deviation degree according to the moving direction of the target individual i as an example of the moving mode. For example, a restriction may be set on the moving direction in the fixed guidance area 126 (i.e., the entry-permitted area). For example, in the fixed guidance area with the fixed guidance area ID "i" shown in FIG. 4, movement in a specified direction (-1, 0) is permitted.
In this case, the degree of deviation of the target individual i from the crowd control may be determined according to the angle difference between the moving direction (movement amount) of the target individual i and the specified direction. For example, it may be determined that the greater the angle difference, the greater the degree of deviation.

In the example of FIG. 11(b), the additional guidance area setting means 23 determines whether or not to set an additional guidance area 160 for attracting the target individual i outside the fixed guidance area 126 depending on the degree of deviation. For example, the additional guidance area 160 is set when the angle difference exceeds a threshold value, and the additional guidance area 160 is not set when the angle difference is equal to or less than the threshold value.

The additional guidance area 160 may be set at a fixed position regardless of the positions of the target individual i and the detection object 150. This makes it possible to express a situation in which the target individual i is guided to a predetermined area (such as a separate room).

Please refer to Fig. 2. The additional induction area storage means 35 stores additional induction area information, which is information on the additional induction area set by the additional induction area setting means 23.
11C shows an example of the additional guiding area information 161. The additional guiding area information 161 may include an additional guiding area ID, an individual ID, coordinate information, and a guiding force.
The additional guiding area ID is an identifier of the additional guiding area.
The individual ID is the individual ID of a target individual associated with the additional guiding area.

The coordinate information indicates a position of the additional guiding region, and the guiding force level indicates the strength of the guiding force of the additional guiding region.
In the example of Figure 11 (c), the additional guidance area with the additional guidance area ID "0" is associated with the target individual with the individual ID "12," has a rectangular area with vertices at positions (15,10), (15,5), (18,5), and (18,10) and a guidance power of "3.0," and attracts the target individual.

The additional guidance area with the additional guidance area ID "1" is associated with the target individual with the individual ID "56", has a center point (12, 12), a circular area with a radius of 2, and a guidance power of "-3.0", and excludes the target individual.
In addition, in the case of a polygonal additional guiding area, the additional guiding area information 161 may include coordinate information of the vertices and sides of the polygon.

2, the behavior decision means 40 refers to the spatial information stored in the spatial information storage means 30, the fixed guide area information stored in the fixed guide area storage means 31, the individual information stored in the individual information storage means 32, and the additional guide area information stored in the additional guide area storage unit 35 at each virtual time t.
The behavior determining means 40 determines behavior parameters for each individual based on this information (i.e., determines the behavior of each individual), and outputs the determined behavior parameters to the individual information changing means 41 .

Specifically, the behavior decision means 40 decides the amount of movement of the individual at each virtual time t.
First, the behavior decision means 40 calculates, for each individual i (i=1, 2, . . . , M), an acceleration vector e _i (t) for bringing the position of the individual i closer to the selected goal position at virtual time t.

The behavior decision means 40 reads out the position x _i (t) of individual i and the selected target position of individual i from the individual information storage means 32 , and also reads out the representative point of the selected target position, the movable area 110 , and the intermediate target point from the spatial information storage means 30 .
The behavior decision means 40 selects the shortest route from among routes connecting the position x _i (t) of the individual i and the representative point of the selected target position and routes connecting the position x _i (t) of the individual i and the representative point via an arbitrary intermediate target point within the movable area 110. At this time, the behavior decision means 40 may exclude routes that deviate from the movable area 110 from the selection targets.

Next, the behavior decision means 40 specifies, as a short-term goal point, the intermediate goal point on the selected shortest route that is closest to the position x _i (t) of the individual i among the intermediate goal points on the selected shortest route and the representative point of the selected goal position. If the shortest route does not pass through the intermediate goal point, the representative point of the selected goal position is specified as the short-term goal point. If the shortest route passes through multiple intermediate goal points, the intermediate goal point that is closest to the position x _i (t) of the individual i among these intermediate goal points is specified as the short-term goal point.
The behavior decision means 40 calculates a unit vector from the position x _i (t) of the individual i toward the short-term target point as an acceleration e _i (t) that brings the individual i closer to the selected target position.

12(a) , in this example, as a result of excluding route R0 that deviates from the movable region 110 from the selection targets, route R1 connecting the position x _i (t) of individual i, intermediate target point Pi2, and representative point Pt2 of selected target position II is the shortest route, and intermediate target point Pi2 is selected as the short-term target point.
Alternatively, without setting an intermediate target point, a unit vector e pointing from the position x _i (t) of the individual i to the representative point of the selected target position may be calculated as vector e _i (t).

Next, the behavior decision means 40 calculates, for each individual i (i = 1, 2, ..., M), an acceleration vector a _i (t) for moving individual i closer to or away from the fixed guidance area due to the guidance force acting on individual i from the fixed guidance area at virtual time t.

The behavior decision means 40 reads the position x _i (t) of individual i, the selected target position of individual i, and action area information of individual i from the individual information storage means 32 , and reads information on the fixed guiding area from the fixed guiding area storage means 31 .
The behavior decision means 40 calculates the action area Ri of the individual i in the target space based on the position x _i (t) of the individual i and the action area information of the individual i. The behavior decision means 40 detects, from among the fixed guiding areas, a fixed guiding area that has an overlapping area with the action area Ri and is associated with the same movement target position as the selected target position.

When detecting an overlapping area between the action area Ri and the fixed guiding area, the action decision means 40 sets a plurality of sample points Ps at equal intervals in the central angle direction and the radial direction within the action area Ri. If any of the sample points Ps is included in the fixed guiding area, the action decision means 40 determines that there is an overlapping area between the action area Ri and the fixed guiding area.
When a fixed guidance area is detected that has an overlap area Ro with the action area Ri and corresponds to the same movement target position as the selected target position II, the behavior decision means 40 determines that the individual i is an attraction target individual ξ of the fixed guidance area, and calculates a vector a _i (t) that is not a zero vector according to the following equation (1).
If a fixed guidance area is not detected that has an overlap area Ro with the action area Ri and corresponds to the same movement target position as the selected target position II, the behavior decision means 40 determines that the individual i is not an attraction target individual ξ of the fixed guidance area, and sets the vector a _i (t) to a 0 vector according to the following equation (2).

Refer to FIG. 12(b). In this example, the sector-shaped figure Ri is the action area of the individual i, and the 16 points drawn within the action area Ri are the sample points Ps. The hatched area Ro in FIG. 12(b) is the overlapping area of the action area Ri and the fixed guidance area. Of the fixed guidance areas 123 (ID=iii) and 126 (ID=vi) that contain one or more of these sample points Ps within them, the fixed guidance area 126 that corresponds to the selected target position II is detected.

In equation (1), the subscript r is an index of the sample points included in the fixed guiding region, and Σr indicates the summation for the sample points included in the fixed guiding region.
Moreover, vector x _r (t-1) is the coordinates of the sample points (i.e., sample points in the overlapping region Ro) that are set in the action region Ri of individual i at virtual time (t-1) and are included in the fixed guiding region. Vector x _i (t-1) is the coordinates of the position of individual i at virtual time (t-1). Moreover, Normalize(.) is an operator that converts a vector into a unit vector (normalizes it).

The difference vector between vector x _r (t-1) and vector x _i (t-1) represents a vector indicating the direction from the position of individual i toward the overlap region Ro between the action region Ri and the fixed guidance region.
Moreover, the variable _Sr indicates the guidance force set in the fixed guidance region including the sample point r. In the formula (1), the guidance force Sr is multiplied by the difference vector between the vector _xr (t-1) and the vector _xi (t-1).

The vector _ai (t) in formula (1) is a weighted average vector obtained by weighting and averaging unit vectors representing the direction from the position of the individual i to the overlapping region Ro by the attraction strength of the fixed guiding region. Therefore, when the fixed guiding region 126 is an area that attracts the individual i (i.e., when the attraction strength Sr is a positive value), the vector is directed to the weighted average point in the overlapping region Ro.
Therefore, by following equation (1), a vector indicating the direction in which individual i approaches the fixed guiding area corresponding to the selected target position of individual i can be calculated as the acceleration a _i (t) that approaches individual _i to the fixed guiding area.
Conversely, when the fixed guiding area 126 is an area that excludes the individual i (i.e., when the attraction Sr is a negative value), an acceleration a _i (t) that moves the individual _i away from the fixed guiding area can be calculated.

Next, the behavior decision means 40 refers to the additional guiding area information to identify target individuals associated with the additional guiding area. For each target individual i, the behavior decision means 40 calculates an acceleration vector b i (t) for moving the individual i closer to or away from the additional guiding area due to an guiding force acting on the individual _i from the additional guiding area at virtual time t.

The behavior determining means 40 reads the position x _i (t) of the individual i from the individual information storing means 32 , and reads information on the additional guiding area from the additional guiding area storing means 35 .
13(b) is referred to. The behavior decision means 40 decides a representative position x _p (t) of the additional guidance area 160. The representative position x _p (t) of the additional guidance area 160 may be, for example, a position in the additional guidance area 160 that is closest to the position x _i (t) of the individual i. The behavior decision means 40 calculates an acceleration vector b i (t) of the following formula (3) based on the position x _i (t) of the individual _i , the representative position x _p (t) of the additional guidance area 160, and the guidance force level Sr of the additional guidance area 160.

The vector b _i (t) in formula (3) is a unit vector representing the direction from the position of the individual i to the representative position x _p (t) weighted by the attraction force Sr of the additional guiding area. Therefore, when the additional guiding area 160 is an area that attracts the individual i (i.e., when the attraction force Sr is a positive value), the vector is directed to the representative position x _p (t).
Conversely, when the additional guiding region 160 is a region that excludes the individual i (that is, when the attractiveness Sr is a negative value), the vector b _i (t) becomes a vector that moves away from the representative position x _p (t).

The behavior decision means 40 then calculates the acceleration vector Δv _{i (t) of the individual i at virtual time t by combining the acceleration e i (} t) approaching the selected target position, the acceleration a _i (t) due to the guidance of the fixed guidance area, and the acceleration b _i (t) due to the guidance of the additional guidance area according to the following equation (4). Figure 13(b) is an explanatory diagram of vector combination in equation (6).

The behavior decision means 40 calculates the amount of movement of the individual i at time t by adding the acceleration Δv _i (t) to the amount of movement of the individual i at the previous time (t−1) (equation (5)).
In formula (5), vector v _i (t) is the amount of movement of individual i at time t. Also, vector v _i (t−1) is the amount of movement of individual i at the previous time (t−1) obtained by reading from the individual information storage means 32.

In this way, by calculating the amount of movement based on the acceleration Δv _i (t) obtained by adding the acceleration b _i (t) due to the additional guidance area, when an individual deviates from crowd control, it is possible to represent the process of dynamically adding an additional guidance area corresponding to a specific target individual and guiding the target individual to normalize the situation.

Please refer to Fig. 2. The individual information changing means 41 creates, updates and deletes individual information.
When creating new individual information, the individual information changing means 41 creates new individual information appropriately in accordance with the conditions set by the condition setting means 20 and causes the individual information storage means 32 to additionally store the information.
When updating the individual information, the individual information changing means 41 updates the state value of each individual with the behavior parameters of the individual.

In this embodiment, the individual information change means 41 updates the state values by adding the movement amount of the behavior parameters to the position of the state values. Specifically, the individual information change means 41 reads the position and movement amount of each individual from the individual information storage means 32, adds the read movement amount to the read position for each individual, and stores the position after the addition in the individual information storage means 32.

The individual information changing means 41 deletes the individual that has reached the movement target position. This process means that the individual information of the relevant individual is set to be excluded from processing by the behavior determining means 40.
The additional guidance area setting means 23 also identifies a target individual associated with the additional guidance area from the additional guidance area information, and determines whether the state in which the identified target individual is deviating from crowd control has been resolved. For example, the additional guidance area setting means 23 determines whether a target individual that has been protruding from an entry-permitted area has reached the entry-permitted area. Also, for example, the additional guidance area setting means 23 determines whether a target individual that has been staying in a no-entry area has left the no-entry area.
When the state in which the target individual deviates from the crowd control is resolved, the additional guiding area setting means 23 deletes the additional guiding area associated with the target individual.

The prediction result output means 43 outputs a prediction result that is the result of the simulation. The prediction result includes at least a part or all of the information stored in the individual information storage means 32, and preferably further includes a part or all of the information stored in the spatial information storage means 30. The prediction result output means 43 may also perform statistical processing of the information stored in the individual information storage means 32, or the information stored in the individual information storage means 32 and the information stored in the spatial information storage means 30, and output the obtained statistics as the prediction result.

The timing of outputting the prediction results may include the end of the simulation, as well as any time during the simulation. In other words, some or all of the above information obtained up to the middle of the simulation may be output as an intermediate prediction result.

In addition, the prediction result output means 43 may output the prediction result as a data file, may output it as an image file, may display it as an image, or may output it in one or more of these formats.
The prediction result output means 43 creates an image of the prediction result by imaging a map of the target space including the exit and superimposing figures representing individuals at coordinates corresponding to the position of each individual on the image, and outputs the generated image as a file and/or outputs it to the display unit 6.

(Example of operation of Simulator 1)
An example of the operation of the simulator 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIG. 14 and FIG.
In step S1, the condition setting means 20 accepts input from a user and sets the simulation conditions. That is, the simulation conditions obtained by manual input by the user using the condition setting means 20 are set in the spatial information storage means 30, the fixed guiding area storage means 31, and the individual information storage means 32. The simulation conditions may be acquired by the user specifying a file using the condition setting means 20 and the corresponding condition setting means 20 reading out and acquiring the simulation conditions from the corresponding file.
Furthermore, the detected object setting means 21 accepts an input from the user and sets a detected object.

In step S2, the simulator 1 initializes the virtual time to 0 and sets a loop process of steps S3 to S9.
In the virtual time loop process, in step S3, the behavior decision means 40 performs a behavior decision process to calculate the amount of movement of each individual.
The action decision process in step S3 will be described with reference to FIG.
In step S30, the behavior decision means 40 sets each of the currently existing individuals as an individual i to be processed in sequence.

In step S31, the behavior determining means 40 calculates the acceleration ei(t) that brings the individual i closer to the selected goal position.
In step S32, the behavior determining means 40 calculates the action area Ri of the individual i.
In step S33, the action decision means 40 calculates the acceleration a _i (t) due to the guidance of the fixed guidance area according to the above expressions (1) and (2).

In step S34, the action determination means 40 calculates the acceleration b _i (t) due to the guidance of the additional guidance area according to the above formula (3).
In step S35, the behavior decision means 40 calculates the acceleration Δv _i (t) of the individual i by vector-composing the accelerations e _i (t), a _i (t), and b _i (t) according to equation (4).

In step S36, the behavior decision means 40 calculates the amount of movement of the individual i at time t by adding the acceleration Δv _i (t) to the amount of movement of the individual i at the previous time (t−1) (equation (5)). The behavior decision means 40 stores the calculated amount of movement of the individual i in the individual information storage means 32.
In step S37, the behavior decision means 40 judges whether or not the processing has been completed for all of the currently existing individuals. If the processing has been completed for all of the currently existing individuals (S37: Y), the behavior decision processing ends and the processing returns to step S4 in Fig. 14. If the processing has not been completed for all of the currently existing individuals (S37: N), the processing returns to S31.

14. In step S4, the individual information changing means 41 updates the amount of information of the currently existing individuals. Specifically, the individual information changing means 41 reads out the position and movement amount of each individual from the individual information storage means 32, adds the read movement amount to the read out position for each individual, and stores the position after the addition in the individual information storage means 32.
In step S5, the individual information changing means 41 creates new individual information whose generation time has arrived, and causes the individual information storage means 32 to additionally store it.

In step S6, the individual information changing means 41 deletes the individual that has reached the movement target position.
In step S7, the additional guiding area setting means 23 deletes the additional guiding area associated with the target individual whose state of deviation from crowd control has been resolved.

In step S8, the individual information change means 41 determines whether all individuals stored in the individual information storage means 32 have reached the movement target position. If all individuals have reached the movement target position (S8: Y), the process proceeds to step S10. If there are any individuals remaining that have not reached the movement target position (S8: N), the process proceeds to step S9.

In step S9, the simulator 1 advances the virtual time by 1 and returns the process to step S3.
In step S10, the prediction result output means 43 outputs the prediction result, which is the result of the simulation, and then the process ends.

(Variation 1)
In the above embodiment, the additional guidance area is set to change the guidance force for guiding the individual through the guidance area. Alternatively, when an individual deviating from crowd control is detected, the guidance force for guiding the individual may be changed by changing the guidance force level of the fixed guidance area.
For example, in the example shown in FIG. 10( a), when an individual i that protrudes from the fixed induction area 126 is detected in the detection area 151, instead of setting the additional induction area 160, the induction strength of the fixed induction area 126 may be changed.

For example, instead of setting the additional induction area 160 within the fixed induction area 126, the induction power level of the fixed induction area 126 may be increased. In this case, the induction power level of the fixed induction area 126 may be set according to the degree of deviation of the individual i from the crowd control.
Unlike the guiding force of the additional guiding region 160, which acts only on the target individual, the guiding force of the fixed guiding region 126 also acts on individuals other than the target individual. By changing the guiding force of the fixed guiding region 126, it is possible to express the process in which other individuals around an individual i that has deviated from crowd control are also influenced and guided.

(Variation 2)
In the following modified examples 2 to 4, examples of additional induction regions that exclude target individuals are given.
16(a), when an individual i0 that has deviated from crowd control is detected in the detection area 151, the additional guidance area setting means 23 may set an additional guidance area 160 in the vicinity of the individual i0 to exclude other individuals i1.
As an individual i0 that has deviated from crowd control, for example, an individual that has a period of zero movement (a period of stationary) that continues for a predetermined length or more may be detected. This makes it possible to express a situation in which, for example, when the individual i0 is unable to move due to poor health or other reasons, the area around the individual i0 is off-limits until safety is ensured.

In this case, the additional induction area setting means 23 sets the additional induction area 160 based on the position of the individual i0 detected in the detection area 151. In the example of FIG. 16(a), a circle with a radius r0 centered on the individual i0 is set as the additional induction area 160. In addition, another individual i1 staying within the additional induction area 160 is set as a target individual. Furthermore, the induction force level of the additional induction area 160 is set based on the distance d between the individual i0 and the target individual i1. For example, the shorter the distance d, the stronger the repulsive induction force level is set.

Furthermore, the range (size) of the additional guidance area 160 may be fixed or may be dynamically changed.
16(b) , when detecting an individual i0 that deviates from crowd control, the detected object setting means 21 may associate movable detected objects, such as a monitor or a drone, among the detected objects stored in the detected object storage means 33 with the individual i0, and control the positions of these detected objects so that they gather in the vicinity of the individual i0.

For example, the detected object setting means 21 may associate the detected objects 150a and 150b within a predetermined distance r1 from the individual i0 with the individual i0, and control the positions of the detected objects 150a and 150b so that they gather in the vicinity of the individual i0.
The additional guiding area setting means 23 may change the size of the additional guiding area 160 according to the number of detection objects 150b gathered in the vicinity of the individual i0. For example, the number of detection objects 150b within a range of a predetermined distance r2 (r2<r1) from the individual i0 may be set as the number of detection objects gathered in the vicinity of the individual i0. The larger the number of detection objects gathered in the vicinity of the individual i0, the larger the additional guiding area 160 may be set.

(Variation 3)
16C, a fixed guidance area 124 for attracting an individual is set as an entry-permitted area at a position away from a specific object or person (hereinafter, referred to as a "specific object, etc.") 162 existing within the movable area. The specific object, etc. 162 may be, for example, valuables, a VIP, or a celebrity.
An individual i that deviates from crowd control and goes outside the fixed guidance area 124 and approaches a specific object or the like is detected in the detection area 151.

In this case, an additional guidance region 160 for excluding the individual i may be set according to the position of a specific object or the like 162 outside the fixed guidance region 124. For example, the additional guidance region 160 may be set in the vicinity of the specific object or the like 162.
This makes it possible to express a situation in which an individual i is prevented from leaving an area where entry is permitted and approaching a specific object or the like 162.

When an individual i that has protruded from the fixed induction area 124 is detected in the detection area 151, the additional induction area setting means 23 sets an additional induction area 160 according to the position of the specific object, etc. 162. Also, the individual i is set as a target individual of the additional induction area 160. Furthermore, the induction force level of the additional induction area 160 is set based on the distance d between the individual i and the specific object, etc. 162. For example, the shorter the distance d, the stronger the repulsive induction force level is set.

(Variation 4)
See Fig. 16(d). In this example, crowd control is assumed in which the intervals between individuals i0, i1, i2, and i3 present within a predetermined area are maintained at or above a certain distance.
As an individual that deviates from crowd control, another individual i1 that approaches within a range of less than a threshold distance from an individual i0 is detected in the detection area 151.
In this case, an additional guiding region 160 for excluding another individual i1 moving in a direction that shortens the distance between the individual i0 and the individual i0 may be set according to the position of the individual i0. For example, the additional guiding region 160 may be set in the vicinity of the individual i0.

This makes it possible to realize crowd control that maintains social distance (physical distance) between individuals within a specified area, for example.
When another individual i1 approaching within a range of less than the threshold distance from a certain individual i0 is detected in the detection area 151, the additional guidance area setting means 23 sets an additional guidance area 160 according to the position of the individual i0. In the example of Fig. 16(d), the additional guidance area 160 is a circle with the individual i0 as its center and the threshold distance as its radius.
Moreover, the individual i is set as a target individual of the additional guidance region 160. Furthermore, based on the distance d between the individual i0 and the target individual i1, the guidance force of the additional guidance region 160 is set. For example, the shorter the distance d, the stronger the repulsive guidance force is set.

(Effects of the embodiment)
(1) A simulator 1 for predicting the movement of an individual in a specified space includes a spatial information storage means 30 for storing spatial information defining the space, guidance area storage means 31, 32 for storing guidance areas in which an attracting or repelling force acts on the individual, and the guidance force level, which is the strength of the guidance force, for each of the guidance areas, an individual information storage means 32 for storing individual information including at least the position of the individual in the space, a behavior decision means 40 for setting the amount of movement of the individual so that the individual is guided more by the guidance area having a stronger guidance force, an individual information change means 41 for updating the position of the individual in accordance with the amount of movement, and a guidance area setting means 23 for updating the guidance force level of the guidance area in accordance with the position or movement mode of the individual.
This allows us to dynamically change the crowd control by updating the guidance strength of the guidance area when a situation occurs in which an individual deviates from the crowd control. This allows us to dynamically respond to a situation in which an individual deviates from the crowd control and express the process of normalizing the situation.

(2) The guidance area setting means 23 may update the guidance force depending on the distance between the guidance area and the position of the individual. This makes it possible to dynamically update the guidance force depending on the distance between the guidance area and the position of the individual.
(3) The guidance area setting means 23 may update the guidance power level according to the time that the individual stays in the outer area of the guidance area that attracts the individual. This makes it possible to dynamically update the guidance power level according to the time that the individual stays in the outer area of the guidance area that attracts the individual.

(4) The guidance area setting means 23 may update the guidance force depending on the speed and the moving direction of the individual. This makes it possible to dynamically update the guidance force depending on the moving mode of the individual.
(5) The guidance area setting means 23 may update the position or range of the guidance area according to the guidance force. This makes it possible to change the setting of the guidance area based on the guidance force set according to the position or movement mode of the individual.

(6) The simulator 1 may further include a detection area storage means 34 that stores a detection area for detecting the presence or absence of an individual. The additional guidance area setting means 23 may increase the guidance strength of the guidance area when an individual detected in the detection area is located outside an guidance area that attracts the individual or inside an guidance area that repels the individual.
This makes it possible to increase the degree of guidance applied to an individual that violates the guidance provided by the guidance area.

1...simulator, 2...operation input unit, 3...file input/output unit, 4...storage unit, 5...control unit, 6...display unit, 20...condition setting means, 21...detection object setting means, 22...detection area setting means, 23...additional guidance area setting means, 30...spatial information storage means, 31...fixed guidance area storage means, 32...individual information storage means, 33...detection object storage means, 34...detection area storage means, 35...additional guidance area storage means, 40...action decision means, 41...individual information change means, 43...prediction result output means

Claims (9)

A simulator for predicting the movement of an individual in a predetermined space, comprising:
A space information storage means for storing space information defining the space;
an induction area storage means for storing an induction area in which an induction force acting on the individual acts, and an induction force level, which is the strength of the induction force, for each of the induction areas;
an individual information storage means for storing individual information including at least the position of the individual in the space;
a behavior determining means for setting a movement amount of the individual so as to guide the individual in the guidance region with a stronger guiding force;
an individual information changing means for updating the position of the individual in accordance with the amount of movement;
an induction area setting means for updating the degree of the induction force so that the induction force for attracting the detected individual into the induction area increases as the distance between the individual detected in a detection area provided outside the induction area increases;
A simulator comprising: A simulator for predicting the movement of an individual in a predetermined space, comprising:
A space information storage means for storing space information defining the space;
an induction area storage means for storing an induction area in which an induction force acting on the individual acts, and an induction force level, which is the strength of the induction force, for each of the induction areas;
an individual information storage means for storing individual information including at least the position of the individual in the space;
a behavior determining means for setting a movement amount of the individual so as to guide the individual in the guidance region with a stronger guiding force;
an individual information changing means for updating the position of the individual in accordance with the amount of movement;
an induction area setting means for updating the degree of the guiding force so that the guiding force for attracting the detected individual into the induction area increases as the time during which the individual detected in a detection area outside the induction area remains in the outer area of the induction area increases;
A simulator comprising: A simulator for predicting the movement of an individual in a predetermined space, comprising:
A space information storage means for storing space information defining the space;
an induction area storage means for storing an induction area in which a repulsive induction force acts on the individual and an induction force level, which is the strength of the induction force, for each of the induction areas;
an individual information storage means for storing individual information including at least the position of the individual in the space;
a behavior determining means for setting a movement amount of the individual so as to guide the individual in the guidance region with a stronger guiding force;
an individual information changing means for updating the position of the individual in accordance with the amount of movement;
an induction area setting means for updating the degree of the induction force so that the induction force for excluding the detected individual from the induction area becomes stronger as the time during which the individual detected in a detection area provided within the induction area remains within the inner area of the induction area increases;
A simulator comprising: A simulation method for predicting the movement of an individual in a predetermined space, comprising the steps of:
A computer stores spatial information that defines the space, an induction area in which an induction force that attracts the individual acts, an induction force level that is the strength of the induction force for each induction area, and individual information including at least the position of the individual in the space,
A process of setting a movement amount of the individual so that the individual is guided in the guidance region with a stronger guidance force;
updating the position of the individual in accordance with the amount of movement;
updating the degree of the guiding force so that the guiding force for attracting the detected individual into the guidance area increases as the distance between the individual detected in a detection area provided outside the guidance area increases;
A simulation method comprising: A simulation method for predicting the movement of an individual in a predetermined space, comprising the steps of:
A computer stores spatial information that defines the space, an induction area in which an induction force that attracts the individual acts, an induction force level that is the strength of the induction force for each induction area, and individual information including at least the position of the individual in the space,
A process of setting a movement amount of the individual so that the individual is guided in the guidance region with a stronger guidance force;
updating the position of the individual in accordance with the amount of movement;
updating the degree of the guiding force so that the guiding force for attracting the detected individual into the guidance area increases as the time during which the individual detected in a detection area outside the guidance area stays in the area outside the guidance area increases;
A simulation method comprising: A simulation method for predicting the movement of an individual in a predetermined space, comprising the steps of:
A computer stores spatial information defining the space, an induction region in which an induction force acting on the individual is exerted, an induction force level which is the strength of the induction force for each induction region, and individual information including at least the position of the individual in the space,
A process of setting a movement amount of the individual so that the individual is guided in the guidance region with a stronger guidance force;
updating the position of the individual in accordance with the amount of movement;
updating the degree of the guiding force so that the guiding force for excluding the detected individual from the guiding area increases as the time during which the individual detected in the detection area stays in an inner area of the guiding area increases;
A simulation method comprising: A simulation program for predicting the movement of an individual in a predetermined space,
A computer stores spatial information defining the space, an induction area in which an induction force acting on the individual acts, an induction force level which is the strength of the induction force for each induction area, and individual information including at least the position of the individual in the space,
A process of setting a movement amount of the individual so that the individual is guided in the guidance region with a stronger guidance force;
updating the position of the individual in accordance with the amount of movement;
updating the degree of the guiding force so that the guiding force for attracting the detected individual into the guidance area increases as the distance between the individual detected in a detection area provided outside the guidance area increases;
A simulation program for executing the above-mentioned steps. A simulation program for predicting the movement of an individual in a predetermined space,
A computer stores spatial information defining the space, an induction area in which an induction force acting on the individual acts, an induction force level which is the strength of the induction force for each induction area, and individual information including at least the position of the individual in the space,
A process of setting a movement amount of the individual so that the individual is guided in the guidance region with a stronger guidance force;
updating the position of the individual in accordance with the amount of movement;
updating the degree of the guiding force so that the guiding force for attracting the detected individual into the guidance area increases as the time during which the individual detected in a detection area outside the guidance area stays in the area outside the guidance area increases;
A simulation program for executing the above-mentioned steps. A simulation program for predicting the movement of an individual in a predetermined space,
A computer stores spatial information defining the space, an induction region in which an induction force acting on the individual is exerted, an induction force level which is the strength of the induction force for each induction region, and individual information including at least the position of the individual in the space,
A process of setting a movement amount of the individual so that the individual is guided in the guidance region with a stronger guidance force;
updating the position of the individual in accordance with the amount of movement;
updating the degree of the guiding force so that the guiding force for excluding the detected individual from the guiding area increases as the time during which the individual detected in the detection area stays in an inner area of the guiding area increases;
A simulation program for executing the above-mentioned steps.

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