JP7616465B2 - Server device, entrance/exit management system, server device control method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a server device, an entrance/exit management system, a control method for a server device, and a storage medium.

In recent years, more diverse work styles have been promoted. For example, the "free address" system, where employees are free to use any available seat to get work done without being assigned a specific desk, is being promoted.

For example, Patent Document 1 states that a system is provided that allows a user's presence status to be confirmed without moving to the seat position. The system disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a user terminal and a server. The user terminal is equipped with a camera. The user terminal detects the user's face based on an input image from the camera, determines whether the user is present or not, and transmits presence information indicating the determination result to the server. The server stores the presence information transmitted from each user terminal. Furthermore, when a request to confirm the user's presence information is received from another user's terminal, the server transmits the stored presence information to the other user's terminal.

JP 2019-101566 A

In some cases, employees from a particular department may use one free address floor, but in other cases, many employees from different departments may use the same floor. In such cases, problems may arise, such as time taken to find the right person when meeting someone on that floor, due to the people meeting for the first time.

In addition, even if a visitor to a floor does not have an appointment such as a meeting, if a familiar employee is staying on the floor, he or she may wish to meet with that employee for the purpose of exchanging information, etc. However, if the employee they wish to meet has just entered the floor, the visitor may be hesitant to meet with that employee, as they may assume that the employee has just started work.

The main objective of the present invention is to provide a server device, an entrance/exit management system, a control method for the server device, and a storage medium that allow a visitor to easily determine whether or not to meet with a person they wish to meet while grasping the location of that person.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a server device is provided that includes a visitor management database that stores location information and entry dates and times of visitors to a restricted area, a receiver that receives a search request for a person wishing to meet with a visitor from an authentication terminal that controls the entry of visitors to the restricted area, a search request processor that calculates the length of stay of a visitor corresponding to the visitor among the visitors stored in the visitor management database in accordance with the search request, and a transmitter that transmits location information of the person wishing to meet and the calculated length of stay to the authentication terminal.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an entrance/exit management system including an authentication terminal that controls the entry of visitors to a restricted area, and a server device connected to the authentication terminal, the server device comprising: an visitor management database that stores location information and entry dates and times of visitors to the restricted area; a receiver that receives from the authentication terminal a search request for a person who wishes to meet with the visitor; a search request processor that calculates, in accordance with the search request, the length of stay of a visitor corresponding to the visitor among the visitors stored in the visitor management database; and a transmitter that transmits location information of the visitor and the calculated length of stay to the authentication terminal.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling a server device is provided, which includes a visitor management database that stores location information and entry dates and times of visitors to a restricted area, and receives a search request for a person who wishes to meet with the visitor from an authentication terminal that controls the entry of visitors to the restricted area, calculates the length of stay of a visitor corresponding to the visitor among the visitors stored in the visitor management database in accordance with the search request, and transmits location information of the visitor and the calculated length of stay to the authentication terminal.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a program for causing a computer mounted on a server device having an visitor management database that stores location information and entry dates and times of visitors to a restricted area to execute the following processes: receiving a search request for a visitor who wishes to meet from an authentication terminal that controls the entry of visitors to the restricted area; calculating, in accordance with the search request, the length of stay of a visitor corresponding to the visitor among the visitors stored in the visitor management database; and transmitting location information of the visitor and the calculated length of stay to the authentication terminal.

According to each aspect of the present invention, a server device, an entrance/exit management system, a control method for a server device, and a storage medium are provided that contribute to a visitor being able to grasp the location of a person he or she wishes to meet and easily decide whether or not to meet with that person. Note that the effects of the present invention are not limited to the above. The present invention may achieve other effects instead of or in addition to the effects.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an embodiment. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an entrance/exit management system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display by the authentication terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display by the authentication terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display by the authentication terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display by the authentication terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a display of an authentication terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration of a server device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration of a user registration unit according to the first embodiment; 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a user information acquisition unit according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display by the authentication terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user information database according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an attendee management database according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an attendee management database according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration of an authentication terminal according to the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the entrance/exit management system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a user information acquisition unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a user information acquisition unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user information database according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display by an authentication terminal according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display by an authentication terminal according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display by an authentication terminal according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display by an authentication terminal according to the third embodiment. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a server device.

First, an overview of one embodiment will be described. The reference numbers in the drawings are added to each element for convenience as an example to aid in understanding, and the description of this overview is not intended to be limiting in any way. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the blocks shown in each drawing represent functional units rather than hardware units. The connection lines between blocks in each drawing include both bidirectional and unidirectional lines. Unidirectional arrows are used to show the main signal (data) flow diagrammatically, and do not exclude bidirectionality. In this specification and drawings, elements that can be described in the same way may be given the same reference numbers to avoid duplicated explanations.

The server device 100 according to one embodiment includes a visitor management database 101, a receiving unit 102, a search request processing unit 103, and a transmitting unit 104 (see FIG. 1). The visitor management database 101 stores location information and entry dates and times of visitors in the restricted area. The receiving unit 102 receives a search request for a person who wishes to meet with a visitor from an authentication terminal that controls the entry of visitors to the restricted area. The search request processing unit 103 calculates the stay time of a visitor who corresponds to the visitor among the visitors stored in the visitor management database 101 in accordance with the search request. The transmitting unit 104 transmits the location information of the person who wishes to meet and the calculated stay time to the authentication terminal.

The server device 100 refers to the visitor management database 101, obtains the location information of the person the visitor wishes to meet, and calculates the duration of stay. The server device 100 transmits the location information and duration of stay of the person wishing to meet to the authentication terminal. The authentication terminal displays the information so that the visitor can understand the location and duration of stay of the person wishing to meet. As a result, the visitor can easily determine whether or not to visit the person wishing to meet, taking into account the duration of stay while knowing the location of the person they wish to meet.

Specific embodiments are described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

[First embodiment]
The first embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the entrance/exit management system according to the first embodiment. Referring to Figure 2, the entrance/exit management system includes an authentication terminal 10 and a server device 20. The entrance/exit management system according to the first embodiment manages the entrance/exit of users of a free address floor (hereinafter also simply referred to as a floor).

At least one camera device 30 is installed on the floor shown in FIG. 2. The camera device 30 is installed so as to overlook the entire floor. Although one camera device 30 is shown in FIG. 2, if multiple camera devices 30 are required to obtain an image overlooking the entire floor, a number of camera devices 30 that will achieve that purpose will be installed.

The devices shown in FIG. 2 are interconnected. For example, the authentication terminal 10 and the server device 20 are connected by wired or wireless communication means and are configured to be able to communicate with each other. Although FIG. 2 illustrates the connection line between the authentication terminal 10 and the server device 20, other components (e.g., the camera device 30) are also connected to the server device 20. Furthermore, a stationary PC (Personal Computer) installed on the floor is also connected to the server device 20.

The server device 20 may be installed in the same building as the free address floor, or it may be installed on a network (on the cloud).

The authentication terminal 10 is a terminal installed at the entrance to the free address floor. The authentication terminal 10 is connected to the gate 40. If the authentication terminal 10 successfully authenticates a visitor, it opens the gate 40 and allows the visitor to use the free address floor. The authentication terminal 10 is a terminal that controls the entry of visitors to a restricted area (free address floor) where the users who can enter are restricted (limited).

The server device 20 is a device that manages users on the floor. The server device 20 executes authentication processing using biometric information (e.g., facial images) of visitors acquired via the authentication terminal 10. The server device 20 notifies the authentication terminal 10 of the results of the authentication processing.

When the server device 20 successfully authenticates a visitor, it manages the successfully authenticated person as a visitor (stayer) on the floor. The server device 20 manages visitors within the free address flow using a database (a visitor management database, described below). The server device 20 also manages the visitor's entry date and time (authentication time).

The server device 20 manages the locations of users (entrants and visitors to the floor) within the floor. The server device 20 grasps the location of each user in real time by any means.

For example, the server device 20 may obtain location information from a terminal (such as a smartphone) carried by the user to ascertain the user's location. In this case, the terminal carried by the user may receive GPS signals from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites to perform positioning and generate location information including the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the device itself.

The server device 20 may detect the location of the user by analyzing images obtained from the camera device 30. In the first embodiment, a case will be described in which the server device 20 determines the location of the user by analyzing images obtained from the camera device 30.

The server device 20 updates the locations of visitors stored in the visitor management database in real time.

A visitor (a user who wishes to enter a free address floor) may wish to meet (for a meeting, a conference) with a user on the floor. In this case, after successful authentication by the authentication terminal 10, the visitor inputs information about the person he or she wishes to meet (hereinafter referred to as the person requesting the meeting).

For example, the authentication terminal 10 uses a GUI (Graphical User Interface) as shown in FIG. 3 to confirm the visitor's intention (whether the visitor wishes to meet with other users). When the authentication terminal 10 determines that the visitor wishes to meet with other users, it accepts the visitor's operation using a GUI as shown in FIG. 4.

For example, a visitor who sees a screen such as that shown in FIG. 4 inputs the name of the person he or she wishes to meet into the character input area. After inputting the name of the person he or she wishes to meet, the visitor presses the confirm button. The authentication terminal 10 transmits the name of the person he or she wishes to meet, obtained through a GUI such as that shown in FIG. 4, to the server device 20.

The authentication terminal 10 is equipped with an input/output device that combines a liquid crystal panel and a touch panel, and uses the input/output device to display the GUI and accept user operations.

The server device 20 identifies the location of the person requesting a meeting based on the information (name of the person requesting a meeting) acquired from the authentication terminal 10, and notifies the authentication terminal 10 of the identified location.

The authentication terminal 10 uses the acquired information to display the location of the person wishing to meet (the location of the person wishing to meet within the free address floor). For example, the authentication terminal 10 displays a screen as shown in FIG. 5. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the authentication terminal 10 displays map information that mimics a free address floor. The authentication terminal 10 then identifies the location of the person wishing to meet with a teardrop-shaped marker (a marker that is teardrop-shaped and inverted upside down), and displays the face image, name, etc. of the person wishing to meet within the marker.

When a visitor sees a screen like the one shown in Figure 5, they will know that the person they wish to meet is sitting at a round table in the center of the floor. The visitor can easily find the location of the person they are looking for and does not need to search for the person they wish to meet.

The server device 20 notifies the authentication terminal 10 of the location of the person requesting the meeting as well as the length of time the person is staying there. Therefore, the authentication terminal 10 can also display the length of time the person is staying there, as shown in FIG. 6.

Alternatively, the authentication terminal 10 may change the display of markers, etc., depending on the length of stay of the person seeking a meeting. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the authentication terminal 10 may change the color or shade of the color of the marker depending on the length of stay of the person seeking a meeting. For example, the longer the stay, the darker the color, and the shorter the stay, the lighter the color. In the example of FIG. 7, marker M1 shown in FIG. 7 has the shortest stay time, and marker M3 shown in FIG. 7 has the longest stay time. Marker M2 shown in FIG. 7 indicates the stay time between marker M1 and marker M3.

Alternatively, the authentication terminal 10 may change the design of the marker depending on the length of stay. For example, the authentication terminal 10 may express differences in length of stay by using different shapes, such as a star or a triangle. In other words, when the authentication terminal 10 displays the location of a person wishing to meet with a marker, it may change the color or design of the marker depending on the length of stay.

As explained above, when a visitor wishes to meet with a person on the floor, the authentication terminal 10 requests (demands) the server device 20 to search for the location of that person. In the following explanation, the request sent from the authentication terminal 10 to the server device 20 will be referred to as a "search request." Information that identifies the person wishing to meet, such as the name of the person wishing to meet, will be referred to as "interview requester information." Location information of the person wishing to meet, included in the response (response to the search request) sent by the server device 20 to the authentication terminal 10, will be referred to as "interview requester location information."

<Advance preparations>
In order to realize the entrance and exit management of users by the server device 20, system users (users of the free address floor) need to make advance preparations. The advance preparations will be described below.

The user registers their biometric information, profile, and other attribute values in the system. Specifically, the user inputs a face image into the server device 20. The user also inputs their profile (e.g., attribute information such as name, employee number, place of work, department, job title, and contact information) into the server device 20.

Note that any method can be used to input the biometric information, profile, and other information. For example, the user uses a terminal such as a smartphone to capture an image of his or her face. The user then uses the terminal to generate a text file or the like in which the profile is written. The user operates the terminal to transmit the information (face image, profile) to the server device 20. Alternatively, the user may input the necessary information to the server device 20 using an external storage device such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) in which the information is stored.

Alternatively, the server device 20 may function as a WEB server, and the user may input the necessary information using a form provided by the server. Alternatively, a terminal for inputting the above information may be installed outside the floor, and the user may input the necessary information to the server device 20 from the terminal. Alternatively, the user may input the necessary information to the server device 20 from the authentication terminal 10.

The server device 20 updates a database that manages system users using the acquired user information (biometric information, profile, etc.). Details regarding updating the database will be described later, but the server device 20 updates the database through the following operations. In the following explanation, the database for managing users who use the system disclosed in this application will be referred to as the "user information database."

If the person corresponding to the acquired user information is a new user who is not registered in the user information database, the server device 20 assigns an ID (identifier) to the user. The server device 20 also generates features that characterize the acquired face image.

The server device 20 adds an entry to the user information database, including the ID assigned to the new user, features generated from the facial image, the user's facial image, a profile, etc. Once the server device 20 has registered the user information, the user is able to enter the free address floor.

Next, we will explain the details of each device included in the entrance/exit management system according to the first embodiment.

[Server device]
Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a processing configuration (processing module) of the server device 20 according to the first embodiment. Referring to Fig. 8, the server device 20 includes a communication control unit 201, a user registration unit 202, an authentication unit 203, a user management unit 204, a search request processing unit 205, and a storage unit 206.

The communication control unit 201 is a means for controlling communication with other devices. For example, the communication control unit 201 receives data (packets) from the authentication terminal 10. The communication control unit 201 also transmits data to the authentication terminal 10. The communication control unit 201 passes data received from other devices to other processing modules. The communication control unit 201 transmits data acquired from other processing modules to other devices. In this way, the other processing modules transmit and receive data to and from other devices via the communication control unit 201. The communication control unit 201 has a function as a receiving unit that receives search requests and a function as a transmitting unit that transmits authentication results, etc.

The user registration unit 202 is a means for realizing the system user registration described above. The user registration unit 202 includes multiple sub-modules. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the processing configuration of the user registration unit 202. Referring to FIG. 9, the user registration unit 202 includes a user information acquisition unit 211, an ID generation unit 212, a feature generation unit 213, and an entry management unit 214.

The user information acquisition unit 211 is a means for acquiring the user information described above. The user information acquisition unit 211 acquires the biometric information and profile of each of the multiple users who use the entrance/exit management system. More specifically, the user information acquisition unit 211 acquires the biometric information (e.g., facial image) and profile (e.g., name, affiliation, etc.) of the system users. The system users may input the above information from their own terminals to the server device 20, or may input the above information by operating the authentication terminal 10.

The user information acquisition unit 211 may provide a GUI or form for inputting the above information. For example, when the user's terminal accesses the server device 20, the user information acquisition unit 211 displays an information input form such as that shown in FIG. 10 on the terminal operated by the user.

The system user inputs the information shown in FIG. 10. After inputting all the information, the system user presses the "Send" button and inputs the biometric information and profile into the server device 20.

When a user inputs user information using the authentication terminal 10, the authentication terminal 10 acquires a facial image of the user using an interface such as that shown in FIG. 11. If the authentication terminal 10 succeeds in acquiring a facial image, it provides the user with an interface for inputting a profile.

The user information acquisition unit 211 stores the acquired user information in the memory unit 206.

The ID generation unit 212 is a means for generating an ID to be assigned to a system user. When the user information input by the system user is information related to a new registration, the ID generation unit 212 generates an ID for identifying the new user. For example, the ID generation unit 212 may calculate a hash value of the acquired user information (face image, profile), and use this hash value as the ID to be assigned to the user. Alternatively, the ID generation unit 212 may assign a unique value each time a user is registered, and use this as the ID. In the following explanation, the ID generated by the ID generation unit 212 (the ID for identifying a system user) will be referred to as the "user ID".

The feature generation unit 213 is a means for generating features (feature vectors consisting of multiple features) that characterize a facial image from a facial image included in the user information. Existing technology can be used for the feature generation process, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted. For example, the feature generation unit 213 extracts the eyes, nose, mouth, etc. from the facial image as feature points. The feature generation unit 213 then calculates the positions of each feature point and the distance between each feature point as feature amounts, and generates a feature vector (vector information that characterizes a facial image) consisting of multiple features.

The entry management unit 214 is a means for managing entries in the user information database. When registering a new user in the database, the entry management unit 214 adds an entry to the user information database, including the user ID generated by the ID generation unit 212, the features generated by the feature generation unit 213, the facial image, and the profile acquired from the user.

When the user registration unit 202 operates, a user information database (a database that stores a user ID that identifies a system user, biometric information, and a profile in association with each other) as shown in FIG. 12 is constructed. Note that the contents registered in the user information database shown in FIG. 12 are merely examples, and are of course not intended to limit the information to be registered in the user information database.

Returning to the explanation of Figure 8, the authentication unit 203 is a means for performing authentication processing of visitors who visit the free address floor. The authentication unit 203 acquires an authentication request from the authentication terminal 10. Since the authentication request includes biometric information (facial image) of the visitor (person to be authenticated), the authentication unit 203 extracts the facial image from the authentication request. The authentication unit 203 calculates feature amounts from the acquired facial image.

The authentication unit 203 sets the feature amount calculated based on the face image acquired from the authentication terminal 10 as the object of matching, and performs a matching process with the feature amount registered in the user information database. More specifically, the authentication unit 203 sets the calculated feature amount (feature vector) as the object of matching, and performs 1:N (N is a positive integer, the same applies below) matching with the multiple feature vectors registered in the user information database.

The authentication unit 203 calculates the similarity between the feature to be matched and each of the multiple feature on the registration side. The similarity can be calculated using chi-square distance, Euclidean distance, or the like. Note that the greater the distance, the lower the similarity, and the closer the distance, the higher the similarity.

The authentication unit 203 determines that authentication of the target to be matched has been successful if the similarity between the feature to be matched and the feature registered in the user information database is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and if there is a feature with the highest similarity. The authentication unit 203 transmits the authentication result (authentication successful, authentication failed) to the authentication terminal 10 as a response to the matching request.

The authentication unit 203 reads out the user ID corresponding to the person who has been successfully authenticated from the user information database. If the biometric authentication of the visitor is successful, the authentication unit 203 may send a response (authentication successful) including the user ID of the person who has been successfully authenticated (visitor's user ID) to the authentication terminal 10. The authentication unit 203 also passes the read-out user ID to the user management unit 204.

In this way, the authentication unit 203 performs biometric authentication of the visitor using the visitor's biometric information included in the authentication request and the biometric information of each of the multiple users stored in the user information database. The authentication unit 203 transmits the result of the biometric authentication to the authentication terminal 10 via the communication control unit 201.

The user management unit 204 is a means for managing users (entrants and visitors to the floor) within the free address floor. The user management unit 204 manages visitors using the user ID acquired from the authentication unit 203. Specifically, the user management unit 204 manages the user ID by associating it with the location information of the person corresponding to the user ID, etc.

The user management unit 204 calculates the position of the visitor in real time. As described above, the user management unit 204 calculates the position of the visitor by any means. In the first embodiment, the user management unit 204 calculates the position information of the visitor by analyzing images obtained from the camera devices 30 placed in various places on the free address floor. The user management unit 204 functions as a calculation unit that calculates the position information related to the visitor on the free address floor.

For example, the user management unit 204 extracts a face region (face image) from image data acquired from the camera device 30. The user management unit 204 calculates features from the extracted face image and identifies the user ID of the person appearing in the image data by a matching process using a user information database. Furthermore, the user management unit 204 converts the coordinates of the face image in the image data (for example, coordinates in a coordinate system with the lower left corner of the image data as the origin) into coordinates on the floor (coordinates in a coordinate system with an entrance or the like as the origin). For example, the user management unit 204 performs the above conversion using a conversion table prepared in advance to calculate the user's position information. The user management unit 204 updates the position information of the identified user ID with the position information calculated using the image data. Note that the size of a person's face can be considered to be the same to a certain extent, so the distance between the user and the camera device 30 can be inferred from the size of the face. Therefore, by preparing the above conversion table for each size of the extracted face region, the user management unit 204 can estimate the user's position.

Alternatively, the free address floor may be divided into a grid pattern, and a camera device 30 may be assigned to each of the divided small areas. In this case, the user management unit 204 may estimate the user's position by referencing information (e.g., table information) that associates the imaging range and position of each camera device 30, and analyzing the image data obtained from each camera device 30. That is, the user management unit 204 may infer the position of the person corresponding to the facial image from the position of the camera device 30 that captured the image including the facial image. That is, if a person is captured in the image data obtained from a camera device 30, the user management unit 204 determines that the person is present within the imaging range of the camera device 30, and infers the position.

Alternatively, the user management unit 204 may calculate the position information of the visitor using a stereo camera or the like capable of calculating the depth direction as the camera device 30. In this case, the user management unit 204 analyzes the two pieces of image data and calculates the position (coordinates) and direction of the user based on the position of the camera device 30. After that, the user management unit 204 may calculate the user's position information by combining the position of the camera device 30 with the position of the user (adding the user's relative position to the absolute position of the camera device 30).

Alternatively, as described above, the user management unit 204 may obtain location information from a terminal carried by the user. The user's terminal may generate location information using GPS, or may generate location information based on the strength of radio waves received from a wireless access point such as WiFi (Wireless Fidelity).

In addition, if there is a blind spot for the camera device 30, the user management unit 204 may calculate the position of the user from address information of the PC (personal computer) used by the user. For example, the address information of the PC may be stored in association with the location information of the PC, and the location information may be calculated by identifying the visitor from login information (information identifying the user using the PC) obtained from the PC. In a free address system, the location of the user may be identified from the location of the PC and the logged-in ID by logging in to the PC placed on each table using an ID and PW (password) or facial recognition.

The user management unit 204 manages the user ID, the date and time when the user entered the floor, and the user's location information in association with each other. Specifically, the user management unit 204 manages visitors using a visitor management database that has fields for storing at least the above three pieces of information. For example, the user management unit 204 manages visitors using a visitor management database as shown in FIG. 13. As shown in FIG. 13, the visitor management database is a database that stores at least the user ID corresponding to a visitor to a restricted area (free address floor) where entry and exit are restricted, the date and time of entry, and the visitor's location information in association with each other.

The visitor management database shown in FIG. 13 is an example, and in addition to the entry date and time and location information, the visitor's status (work status) may also be managed. For example, if the visitor is in a meeting, the visitor's status may be set to "in a meeting," and if the visitor is performing work at a round table or the like, the visitor's status may be set to "regular work" (see FIG. 14). Note that if the visitor is located in a conference room, the visitor's status may be set to "in a meeting."

The user management unit 204 adds a new entry to the visitor management database immediately after a user enters the free address floor. When a user leaves the floor, the user management unit 204 deletes the corresponding entry from the visitor management database. The user management unit 204 detects the entry and exit of users using images obtained from the camera device 30.

Returning to FIG. 8 for explanation, the search request processing unit 205 is a means for processing a "search request" received from the authentication terminal 10. The search request processing unit 205 transmits to the authentication terminal 10 location information, duration of stay, etc. of the person wishing to meet with whom the visitor wishes to meet. The search request processing unit 205 calculates the duration of stay (duration of stay within the free address floor) of the visitor corresponding to the visitor who wishes to meet among the visitors stored in the visitor management database, according to the search request received from the authentication terminal 10 regarding the location of the person wishing to meet. The search request processing unit 205 transmits the location information of the person wishing to meet, the calculated duration of stay, etc. to the authentication terminal 10 via the communication control unit 201.

The search request processing unit 205 extracts information that identifies the person wishing to meet from the search request (person wishing to meet information; for example, name). The search request processing unit 205 searches the user information database using the extracted information as a search key, and identifies the corresponding user ID.

The search request processing unit 205 refers to the visitor management database and obtains location information (coordinate information within the floor) corresponding to the identified user ID. The search request processing unit 205 also calculates the identified user's stay time (the difference between the current time and the entry time) based on the entry date and time (entry time) corresponding to the identified user ID and the current time.

The search request processing unit 205 transmits the search results, including the location information, length of stay, name and face image of the person who is the subject of the search, to the authentication terminal 10.

For example, in the example of FIG. 2, if a visitor wants to know the location of visitor U, a search request including the name (ABC) of visitor U is sent to the server device 20. The search request processing unit 205 acquires the corresponding user ID from the user information database based on the name (ABC) included in the search request. The search request processing unit 205 refers to the visitor management database and acquires the location information of the person corresponding to the user ID read from the user information database. The search request processing unit 205 transmits the acquired location information, the calculated stay time, the name (ABC) and face image of the search target person to the authentication terminal 10. The authentication terminal 10 displays a screen showing the location of the person wishing to meet using the acquired search results (name, face image, location information, stay time). For example, the authentication terminal 10 displays a screen such as that shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6.

Note that there may be cases where users with the same name are registered in the user information database. In this case, the search request processing unit 205 cannot determine which of the multiple people with the same name is the person who wishes to meet, so it transmits the search results (name, face image, location information, and stay time) of the multiple people to the authentication terminal 10. The authentication terminal 10 may display the search results for each of the multiple people. In this case, the visitor may identify the person who wishes to meet based on the displayed face image. Alternatively, if there is only one person (person registered in the database) corresponding to the acquired name, the search request processing unit 205 may transmit the name, location information, and stay time to the authentication terminal 10, and if there are multiple corresponding people, it may transmit a face image in addition to the name, location information, and stay time to the authentication terminal 10. In other words, the search request processing unit 205 may change the content to be transmitted to the authentication terminal 10 depending on the acquired information of the person who wishes to meet and the results obtained from the user information database.

In this way, the search request processing unit 205 refers to the user information database and identifies the corresponding user ID from the information identifying the person wishing to meet that is included in the search request (e.g., the name of the person wishing to meet). The search request processing unit 205 refers to the visitor management database and identifies the visitor corresponding to the person wishing to meet from the identified user ID.

The memory unit 206 is a means for storing information necessary for the operation of the server device 20. A user information database and an attendee management database are constructed in the memory unit 206. The user information database is a database that stores the biometric information, user ID, and information identifying each user (e.g., name, etc.) of each of multiple users who can enter the restricted area, in association with each other. The attendee management database is a database that stores the user ID, location information, and entry date and time of an attendee, in association with each other.

[Authentication device]
The authentication terminal 10 is a terminal that manages entry to a restricted area (free address floor). When authentication using biometric information registered in the user information database is successful, the authentication terminal 10 permits the successfully authenticated user to enter the restricted area.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the processing configuration (processing module) of the authentication terminal 10. Referring to Fig. 15, the authentication terminal 10 includes a communication control unit 301, a face image acquisition unit 302, an authentication request unit 303, a search request unit 304, a search result output unit 305, and a memory unit 306.

The communication control unit 301 is a means for controlling communication with other devices. For example, the communication control unit 301 receives data (packets) from the server device 20. The communication control unit 301 also transmits data to the server device 20. The communication control unit 301 passes data received from other devices to other processing modules. The communication control unit 301 transmits data acquired from other processing modules to other devices. In this way, the other processing modules send and receive data to and from other devices via the communication control unit 301.

The facial image acquisition unit 302 is a means for controlling a camera device (a camera device provided in the authentication terminal 10) and acquiring a facial image (biometric information) of a visitor in front of the visitor. The facial image acquisition unit 302 captures an image of the area in front of the device periodically or at a predetermined timing. The facial image acquisition unit 302 determines whether the acquired image contains a human facial image, and if a facial image is included, extracts the facial image from the acquired image data.

Note that the facial image detection process and facial image extraction process performed by the facial image acquisition unit 302 can use existing technology, so detailed explanations will be omitted. For example, the facial image acquisition unit 302 may extract a facial image (facial region) from image data using a learning model trained by a CNN (Convolutional Neural Network). Alternatively, the facial image acquisition unit 302 may extract a facial image using a method such as template matching.

The facial image acquisition unit 302 passes the extracted facial image to the authentication request unit 303.

The authentication request unit 303 is a means for requesting authentication of the visitor from the server device 20. The authentication request unit 303 generates an authentication request including the acquired face image and transmits it to the server device 20.

The authentication request unit 303 receives a response (authentication successful, authentication failed) from the server device 20 in response to the authentication request. If the response from the server device 20 includes a user ID, the authentication request unit 303 stores the user ID in the storage unit 306.

If the authentication result is "authentication failed," the authentication request unit 303 notifies the visitor of this fact. At that time, it is preferable for the authentication request unit 303 to also notify the visitor of contact information in the event of authentication failure. For example, the authentication request unit 303 displays on an LCD panel or the like that the authentication has failed and a contact telephone number.

If the authentication result is "authentication successful," the authentication request unit 303 notifies the search request unit 304 accordingly.

The search request unit 304 is a means for requesting the server device 20 to search for people who wish to meet. The search request unit 304 displays a screen for the visitor to input whether or not he or she wishes to search for people who wish to meet. For example, the search request unit 304 displays a screen as shown in FIG. 3.

If the visitor does not wish to search for people who wish to meet (if No in FIG. 3 is selected), the search request unit 304 opens the gate 40. After the visitor enters the floor, the search request unit 304 closes the gate 40. Note that whether or not the visitor has entered the floor (whether or not he or she has passed through the gate 40) is detected by a sensor (a sensor using infrared rays or the like) installed at the gate 40, and the detection result is notified to the authentication terminal 10.

If the visitor wishes to search for a person who wishes to meet (if Yes in FIG. 3 is selected), the search request unit 304 displays a screen for inputting information about the person who wishes to meet. For example, the search request unit 304 displays (generates a GUI) as shown in FIG. 4.

The search request unit 304 generates a "search request" that includes information acquired via the GUI (information about the person wishing to meet; for example, the name of the person wishing to meet). The search request unit 304 transmits the generated search request to the server device 20.

The search request unit 304 obtains a response to the above request from the server device 20. The search request unit 304 passes the obtained response to the search result output unit 305.

The search result output unit 305 is a means for outputting information related to the search results obtained from the server device 20. Specifically, the search result output unit 305 outputs information related to the location of the person requesting the meeting. The search result output unit 305 uses the response obtained from the server device 20 (the name, face image, location information, and duration of stay of the person requesting the meeting) to display, for example, a screen such as that shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 on the display.

The administrator, etc., inputs the information required to produce the displays shown in Figures 5 and 6 into the authentication terminal 10 in advance. Specifically, the administrator, etc., inputs information about the layout of the free address floor and information about the coordinate system into the authentication terminal 10 in advance. For example, the administrator, etc., stores in the authentication terminal 10 a conversion formula, etc., for converting the position information (coordinate information) obtained from the server device 20 into coordinates on a map.

The displays shown in Figures 5 and 6 are merely examples and are not intended to limit the output format, output form, etc. of the search result output unit 305. For example, the search result output unit 305 may send the search results to the visitor's email address, etc. Alternatively, the search result output unit 305 may notify the visitor of the location information of the person requesting a meeting by replacing the location information with a concise expression indicating the location information. For example, in the example of Figures 5 and 6, a display or sound such as "Mr. ABC is seated at the round table in the center" may be output.

Alternatively, as described above, the search result output unit 305 may display the results as shown in FIG. 6 using the dwell time obtained from the server device 20.

The memory unit 306 is a means for storing information necessary for the operation of the authentication terminal 10.

[Operation of the entrance/exit management system]
Next, the operation of the entrance/exit management system according to the first embodiment will be described.

Figure 16 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the entrance/exit management system according to the first embodiment. Note that Figure 16 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the system operation when a visitor wishes to search for someone who wishes to meet with them. It is assumed that system users have already been registered prior to the operation of Figure 16.

When a visitor positions himself/herself in front of the authentication terminal 10, the authentication terminal 10 acquires a facial image of the visitor. The authentication terminal 10 transmits an authentication request including the facial image to the server device 20 (step S01).

The server device 20 executes authentication processing using the acquired face image (matching processing using the features registered in the user information database) (step S11). The server device 20 transmits the result of the authentication processing (authentication successful, authentication failed) to the authentication terminal 10.

When a visitor wishes to search for a person who wishes to meet, the authentication terminal 10 sends a search request including the name, etc., of the person who wishes to meet to the server device 20 (step S02).

The server device 20 extracts the information of the person wishing to meet from the search request, and identifies the location information of the person wishing to meet using the user information database and visitor management database (step S12).

The server device 20 transmits a response (response to the search request) including the location information, duration of stay, etc., to the authentication terminal 10 (step S13).

The authentication terminal 10 outputs information indicating the location of the person requesting the meeting using the acquired location information, length of stay, etc. (outputs location information of the person requesting the meeting; step S03).

As described above, the server device 20 according to the first embodiment refers to the visitor management database, etc., to obtain location information of the person the visitor wishes to meet. Furthermore, the server device 20 calculates the length of stay of the person who wishes to meet. The server device 20 transmits the location information and length of stay of the person who wishes to meet to the authentication terminal 10. The authentication terminal 10 displays the information so that the visitor can understand the location and length of stay of the person who wishes to meet. As a result, the visitor can easily determine whether or not to visit the person who wishes to meet, taking into account their length of stay, while understanding the location of the person they wish to meet.

Second Embodiment
Next, the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the second embodiment, a case where a visitor registers in advance users who he or she frequently meets will be described. In the second embodiment, a case where a visitor displays the location and duration of stay of a user (registered person) who has been registered in advance will be described.

The configuration of the entrance/exit management system according to the second embodiment can be the same as that of the first embodiment, so the explanation corresponding to FIG. 2 will be omitted. Also, the processing configuration of the authentication terminal 10 and server device 20 according to the second embodiment can be the same as that of the first embodiment, so the explanation will be omitted. The following explanation will focus on the differences between the first and second embodiments.

When a system user is registered, the user registration unit 202 of the server device 20 acquires information on people frequently visited by the user. More specifically, the user information acquisition unit 211 generates a GUI as shown in FIG. 17. When the user accesses the GUI and wishes to register a person who frequently visits, the user presses the "Register" button located at the bottom right.

In response to pressing this button, the user information acquisition unit 211 generates a GUI as shown in FIG. 18. Following this GUI, the user registers people who frequently visit. For example, the system user inputs the name of a collaborating person in another department. Alternatively, the user information acquisition unit 211 may refer to a digitized employee list or the like, and generate a GUI that displays candidates for registrants when the user inputs all or part of a name, and allows the user to select a registrant from the displayed candidates. Alternatively, the user information acquisition unit 211 may identify a registrant by an employee number or the like instead of a name (the employee number may be input).

That is, the user information acquisition unit 211 acquires information (such as the names of candidates) about people (candidates) who are candidates for meeting with each user registered in the user information database.

The user information acquisition unit 211 stores the acquired candidate information together with the biometric information (facial image, feature amount) and attribute information (name, affiliation, etc.) of the system user in a user information database (see FIG. 19). As shown in FIG. 19, the user information database according to the second embodiment stores at least one candidate (candidate's name, etc.) who wishes to meet with each user, in addition to biometric information, a user ID, and information identifying each user (user's name, etc.).

When the search request unit 304 of the authentication terminal 10 determines through a GUI such as that shown in FIG. 20 that the visitor wishes to search for a person who wishes to meet, it sends a "search request" to the server device 20. At that time, the search request unit 304 sends a search request including the user ID of the visitor (person who has been successfully authenticated) to the server device 20. Note that in the second embodiment, the search request sent from the authentication terminal 10 does not include the name, etc., of the person who wishes to meet.

The search request processing unit 205 of the server device 20 acquires the user ID from the received search request. The search request processing unit 205 searches the user information database using the acquired user ID as a key, and identifies the entry corresponding to the visitor.

The search request processing unit 205 references the candidate field of the identified entry and obtains the candidate information (name, employee number, etc.). In the example of FIG. 19, if the user ID is "ID01", the names of two candidates (AA1, AA2) are obtained.

The search request processing unit 205 searches the user information database using the acquired candidate's name as a key, and acquires the corresponding user ID. In the above example, "ID11" is identified as the user ID of the user with the name "AA1," and "ID12" is identified as the user ID of the user with the name "AA2."

The search request processing unit 205 searches the admission management database using the identified user ID as a key to identify the corresponding entry. With reference to FIG. 13, in the above example, the entries on the sixth and seventh lines are identified.

The search request processing unit 205 generates search results to be sent to the authentication terminal 10 based on the information of the identified entry. In the above example, the search request processing unit 205 sends search results including location information, stay time, name (candidate's name), and face image for each of the two registered users to the authentication terminal 10.

If the candidate is absent (if the identified user ID is not stored in the admission management database), the search request processing unit 205 transmits search results including that fact to the authentication terminal 10. Specifically, the search request processing unit 205 transmits search results including the name, face image, etc. of the absent candidate (person wishing to meet who has been preregistered) to the authentication terminal 10. If the visitor wishing to meet is absent from the free address floor, the search request processing unit 205 notifies the authentication terminal 10 that the person wishing to meet is absent.

The search request unit 304 of the authentication terminal 10 passes the response (search result) obtained from the server device 20 to the search result output unit 305.

The search result output unit 305 uses the response (candidate's name, face image, location information, duration of stay, etc.) acquired from the server device 20 to display, for example, a screen as shown in FIG. 21. In FIG. 21, as explained with reference to FIG. 7, the color of the marker changes depending on the duration of stay of the candidate (person seeking an interview).

If the candidate is absent, the search result output unit 305 displays the information as shown in FIG. 22, clearly indicating that the person is absent. If the person requesting the meeting is absent, the authentication terminal 10 displays that fact.

As described above, the server device 20 according to the second embodiment refers to the user information database and identifies candidates from the visitor's user ID included in the search request. The server device 20 calculates the stay time of visitors corresponding to the candidates among the visitors stored in the visitor management database, and transmits this together with location information, etc. to the authentication terminal 10. That is, in the second embodiment, the visitor does not need to input the name, etc., of the person wishing to meet, and can know the location and stay time of the person wishing to meet with a simple operation.

[Third embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the third embodiment, a combination of the first and second embodiments will be described. In the third embodiment, a combination of searching for the location of a person wishing to meet specified by a visitor (first embodiment) and searching for the location of a person wishing to meet registered in advance by a visitor (second embodiment) will be described.

The configuration of the entrance/exit management system according to the third embodiment can be the same as that of the first and second embodiments, so the explanation corresponding to FIG. 2 will be omitted. Also, the processing configuration of the authentication terminal 10 and server device 20 according to the third embodiment can be the same as that of the first and third embodiments, so the explanation will be omitted. The following explanation will focus on the differences between the first to third embodiments.

The search request unit 304 of the authentication terminal 10 according to the third embodiment acquires the search method desired by the visitor through a GUI as shown in FIG. 23. When a visitor wishes to search for a user who has registered in advance, the operation of the entrance/exit management system according to the third embodiment can be the same as the operation of the entrance/exit management system according to the second embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

When a visitor specifies a person he or she wishes to meet, the search request unit 304 sends a search request to the server device 20, which includes information identifying the person he or she wishes to meet (person information about the person he or she wishes to meet; name, etc.) and the user ID of the person who was successfully authenticated (the visitor).

The search request processing unit 205 processes the request in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The search request processing unit 205 also searches the user information database using the visitor's user ID included in the search request as a key to identify a corresponding entry. The search request processing unit 205 stores the meeting request information (such as the name of the person requested to meet) included in the search request in the candidate field of the identified entry. In other words, the search request processing unit 205 treats the user for whom the visitor has instructed a search as a "pre-registered person" as described in the second embodiment, and registers the user in the user information database.

When a user requests to search for the location of a pre-registered user (a potential meeting candidate), the search request processing unit 205 searches the user information database, enabling a location search that includes not only pre-registered people, but also people specified in past location searches.

As described above, in the third embodiment, when a search request includes information identifying the person wishing to meet and the visitor's user ID, the server device 20 stores the information identifying the person wishing to meet as candidate information in an entry corresponding to the visitor in the user information database. As a result, the candidates stored in the user information database are strengthened, and user convenience can be improved.

Next, we will explain the hardware of each device that makes up the entrance/exit management system. Figure 24 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of server device 20.

The server device 20 can be configured by an information processing device (so-called a computer) and has the configuration shown in FIG. 24. For example, the server device 20 has a processor 311, a memory 312, an input/output interface 313, a communication interface 314, etc. The components such as the processor 311 are connected by an internal bus or the like and are configured to be able to communicate with each other.

However, the configuration shown in FIG. 24 is not intended to limit the hardware configuration of the server device 20. The server device 20 may include hardware not shown, and may not include an input/output interface 313 as necessary. In addition, the number of processors 311 and the like included in the server device 20 is not intended to be limited to the example shown in FIG. 24, and for example, the server device 20 may include multiple processors 311.

The processor 311 is, for example, a programmable device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Alternatively, the processor 311 may be a device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The processor 311 executes various programs including an operating system (OS).

Memory 312 is a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a SSD (Solid State Drive), etc. Memory 312 stores the OS program, application programs, and various data.

The input/output interface 313 is an interface for a display device and an input device (not shown). The display device is, for example, a liquid crystal display. The input device is, for example, a device that accepts user operations such as a keyboard or a mouse.

The communication interface 314 is a circuit, module, etc. that communicates with other devices. For example, the communication interface 314 includes a NIC (Network Interface Card), etc.

The functions of the server device 20 are realized by various processing modules. The processing modules are realized, for example, by the processor 311 executing a program stored in the memory 312. The program can be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium can be a non-transitory medium such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. That is, the present invention can also be embodied as a computer program product. The program can be downloaded via a network, or updated using a storage medium that stores the program. The processing modules may also be realized by a semiconductor chip.

The authentication terminal 10 can also be configured with an information processing device, just like the server device 20, and its basic hardware configuration is no different from that of the server device 20, so a description of it will be omitted. For example, the authentication terminal 10 may be equipped with a camera device, a liquid crystal display, etc.

The server device 20 is equipped with a computer, and the functions of the server device 20 can be realized by causing the computer to execute a program. In addition, the server device 20 executes the control method of the server device 20 by the program.

[Modification]
The configuration, operation, etc. of the entrance/exit management system described in the above embodiment are merely examples and are not intended to limit the system configuration, etc.

In the above embodiment, it has been described that the name and face image of the person requesting the meeting are transmitted from the server device 20 to the authentication terminal 10. However, in addition to or instead of this information, other information may be transmitted to the authentication terminal 10. For example, the status of the person requesting the meeting (e.g., on regular duty, in a meeting) may be transmitted to the authentication terminal 10. The authentication terminal 10 also displays the status of the person requesting the meeting, thereby providing information for the visitor to decide whether or not to actually visit the person requesting the meeting.

The server device 20 may be linked to other servers or databases that manage information about visitors to the floor. For example, the server device 20 may transmit the name and employee number of the person requesting the meeting to the other servers, etc., and obtain the schedule information of the person requesting the meeting. The server device 20 may also transmit the obtained schedule information to the authentication terminal 10. By responding in this way, if the person requesting the meeting is not present, the authentication terminal 10 can display the return time and the place of stay of the absent person.

Alternatively, as shown in Figures 21 and 22, when location information of multiple meeting applicants (including those who are absent) is displayed, the authentication terminal 10 may display schedule information of the meeting applicant selected by the visitor. For example, in the example of Figure 21, if a visitor wants to know the schedule of meeting applicant AA1, he or she can click on the marker of that meeting applicant to display the corresponding schedule information. In this way, the visitor can know the schedule of the meeting applicant and make an appropriate decision as to whether or not to visit that meeting applicant. For example, if the meeting applicant will soon be absent for a meeting, the visitor will refrain from meeting with that meeting applicant.

In the above embodiment, the server device 20 calculates the stay time within the free address floor for each visitor. However, the server device 20 may also divide the floor into smaller areas for management, and calculate the stay time in each small area. When a visitor leaves a small area and moves to another small area, the server device 20 may calculate the stay time in the new small area. In other words, the server device 20 may calculate the time that each visitor stays in substantially the same place within the restricted area (free address floor) as the stay time of each visitor.

The profile of a system user (user attribute values) may be input using a scanner or the like. For example, a user inputs an image of his or her business card into the server device 20 using a scanner. The server device 20 performs optical character recognition (OCR) processing on the acquired image. The server device 20 may determine the user's profile based on the obtained information.

In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which biometric information related to a "face image" is transmitted from the authentication terminal 10 to the server device 20. However, biometric information related to "feature amounts generated from a face image" may also be transmitted from the authentication terminal 10, etc. to the server device 20. The server device 20 may use the acquired feature amounts (feature vector) to perform a matching process with the feature amounts registered in the user information database.

The server device 20 may notify the person requesting the meeting of the arrival of a visitor. Specifically, when the server device 20 receives a search request from a visitor via the authentication terminal 10, including the name of the person requesting the meeting, the server device 20 may send an email to the person requesting the meeting notifying the person of the presence of the visitor.

In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the authentication terminal 10 controls entry to a free address floor. However, the use of the authentication terminal 10 is not limited to controlling entry to a free address floor. For example, the authentication terminal 10 may be used to restrict entry to an event venue, an exhibition, etc. The authentication terminal 10 may be a terminal that performs two-factor authentication when entering a floor, or may be a terminal that makes payments using facial recognition (for example, a facial recognition self-checkout).

In the flow diagrams (flowcharts, sequence diagrams) used in the above explanation, multiple steps (processes) are described in order, but the order in which the steps are executed in the embodiment is not limited to the order described. In the embodiment, the order of the steps shown in the diagrams can be changed to the extent that does not interfere with the content, such as executing each process in parallel.

The above embodiments have been described in detail to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure, and it is not intended that all of the configurations described above are necessary. Furthermore, when multiple embodiments are described, each embodiment may be used alone or in combination. For example, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of an embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of an embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of an embodiment with other configurations.

The above explanation makes it clear that the present invention has industrial applicability, and the present invention can be suitably applied to entrance and exit management systems used in free address floors of companies, etc.

A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but is not limited to, the following supplementary notes.
[Appendix 1]
an attendee management database that stores location information and entry date and time of attendees in the restricted area;
a receiving unit that receives a search request for a person who wishes to meet with the visitor from an authentication terminal that controls the visitor's entry into the restricted area;
a search request processing unit that calculates the length of stay of visitors corresponding to the person wishing to meet among those stored in the visitor management database in accordance with the search request;
A transmission unit that transmits location information of the person seeking an appointment and the calculated staying time to the authentication terminal;
A server device comprising:
[Appendix 2]
a user information database that stores biometric information, a user ID, and information for identifying each user of a plurality of users who are allowed to enter the restricted area in association with each other;
the visitor management database stores the visitor's user ID, location information, and visit date and time in association with each other;
The search request includes information identifying the person wishing to meet,
The search request processing unit refers to the user information database, and identifies the corresponding user ID from information identifying the meeting requester included in the search request, and
The server device according to claim 1, further comprising: a visitor management database; a visitor corresponding to the person wishing to meet the visitor is identified from the identified user ID;
[Appendix 3]
The receiving unit receives an authentication request including biometric information of the visitor from the authentication terminal,
an authentication unit that performs biometric authentication of the visitor using the biometric information included in the authentication request and the biometric information stored in the user information database;
3. The server device according to claim 2, wherein the transmission unit transmits a result of the biometric authentication to the authentication terminal.
[Appendix 4]
The server device according to claim 3, wherein the transmission unit transmits an authentication result including a user ID of the visitor to the authentication terminal if the biometric authentication of the visitor is successful.
[Appendix 5]
The user information database stores, in addition to the biometric information, the user ID, and information for identifying each user, at least one candidate for each user who wishes to meet the user;
the receiving unit receives the search request that does not include information identifying the person seeking an appointment and that includes a user ID of the visitor;
The server device described in Appendix 4, wherein the search request processing unit refers to the user information database to identify the candidate from the visitor's user ID included in the search request, and calculates the stay time of an attendee corresponding to the candidate among the attendees stored in the attendee management database.
[Appendix 6]
The server device described in Appendix 5, wherein when the search request includes information identifying the person wishing to meet and the visitor's user ID, the search request processing unit stores the information identifying the person wishing to meet as information of the candidate in an entry corresponding to the visitor in the user information database.
[Appendix 7]
The server device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the search request processing unit calculates the stay time based on the entry date and time of the visitor corresponding to the person wishing to meet and the current time.
[Appendix 8]
The server device according to any one of appendixes 2 to 6, wherein the biometric information is a face image or a feature generated from the face image.
[Appendix 9]
A server device described in any one of appendices 1 to 8, further comprising a calculation unit that analyzes images obtained from at least one camera device that photographs the restricted area and calculates the location information of the entrants.
[Appendix 10]
an authentication terminal for controlling the entry of visitors into the restricted area;
a server device connected to the authentication terminal;
Including,
The server device includes:
an attendee management database that stores location information and entry dates and times of attendees in the restricted area;
a receiving unit that receives a search request for a person who the visitor wishes to meet from the authentication terminal;
a search request processing unit that calculates the length of stay of visitors corresponding to the person wishing to meet among those stored in the visitor management database in accordance with the search request;
A transmission unit that transmits location information of the person seeking an appointment and the calculated staying time to the authentication terminal;
An entrance/exit management system.
[Appendix 11]
The entrance/exit management system of claim 10, wherein the authentication terminal, when displaying the location of the person wishing to meet with a marker, changes the color or design of the marker depending on the length of stay.
[Appendix 12]
When the meeting requesting person is not present in the restricted area, the search request processing unit notifies the authentication terminal that the meeting requesting person is not present;
The entrance/exit management system according to claim 10 or 11, wherein, when the person wishing to meet is not present, the authentication terminal displays that the person wishing to meet is not present.
[Appendix 13]
A server device having an attendee management database that stores location information and entry dates and times of attendees in a restricted area,
receiving a search request for a person who wishes to meet with the visitor from an authentication terminal that controls the visitor's entry into the restricted area;
Calculating the length of stay of visitors corresponding to the person requesting an appointment among those stored in the visitor management database in accordance with the search request;
A method for controlling a server device, the method comprising: transmitting location information of the person requesting the meeting and the calculated length of stay to the authentication terminal.
[Appendix 14]
A computer installed in a server device having an attendee management database that stores the location information and the entry date and time of an attendee in a restricted area,
receiving a search request for a person who wishes to meet with the visitor from an authentication terminal that controls the visitor's entry into the restricted area;
A process of calculating the stay time of visitors corresponding to the person requesting an appointment among the visitors stored in the visitor management database in accordance with the search request;
A process of transmitting location information of the person seeking an appointment and the calculated staying time to the authentication terminal;
A computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for executing the above.

The disclosures of the above cited prior art documents are incorporated herein by reference. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand that these embodiments are merely illustrative and that various modifications are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. In other words, the present invention naturally includes various modifications and amendments that a person skilled in the art can make in accordance with the entire disclosure, including the scope of the claims, and the technical ideas.

10 Authentication terminal 20, 100 Server device 30 Camera device 40 Gate 101 Visitor management database (DB)
102 Receiving unit 103, 205 Search request processing unit 104 Transmitting unit 201, 301 Communication control unit 202 User registration unit 203 Authentication unit 204 User management unit 206, 306 Storage unit 211 User information acquisition unit 212 ID generation unit 213 Feature amount generation unit 214 Entry management unit 302 Face image acquisition unit 303 Authentication request unit 304 Search request unit 305 Search result output unit 311 Processor 312 Memory 313 Input/output interface 314 Communication interface M1, M2, M3 Marker

Claims (10)

a receiving unit that receives a search request including specific information of a person who the visitor wishes to meet from an authentication terminal that controls the visitor's entry into a restricted area;
a search request processing unit which stores user IDs of users permitted to enter the restricted area in association with specific information identifying each user, refers to a user information database to identify the user ID associated with the specific information included in the search request, and stores location information of visitors to the restricted area, entry date and time, and the user ID in association with each other, and refers to a visitor management database to calculate the duration of stay of the person seeking to meet within the restricted area based on the entry date and time associated with the identified user ID and the current time;
an output unit that outputs the location information of the person seeking an appointment and the calculated staying time;
A server device comprising: the user information database stores, in addition to the user ID and the specific information, biometric information of the user who is permitted to enter the restricted area;
The receiving unit receives an authentication request including biometric information of the visitor from the authentication terminal,
an acquisition unit that acquires a result of biometric authentication of the visitor using the biometric information of the visitor included in the authentication request and the biometric information of the user stored in the user information database,
The server device according to claim 1 , wherein the output unit outputs a result of the biometric authentication. The server device according to claim 2, wherein the output unit outputs the result of the biometric authentication including the user ID of the visitor if the biometric authentication of the visitor is successful. The user information database stores, in addition to the biometric information of the user, the user ID, and information for identifying each of the users, at least one or more candidates related to the person who wishes to meet each of the users;
the receiving unit receives the search request that does not include information identifying the person wishing to meet and that includes the user ID of the visitor;
The server device described in claim 3, wherein the search request processing unit refers to the user information database to identify the candidate from the user ID of the visitor included in the search request, and calculates the stay time of an attendee corresponding to the candidate among the attendees stored in the attendee management database. The server device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a calculation unit that analyzes images obtained from at least one camera device that captures the restricted area and calculates the location information of the visitor. an authentication terminal for controlling the entry of visitors into the restricted area;
a server device connected to the authentication terminal;
Including,
The server device includes:
a receiving unit that receives a search request including specific information of a person who the visitor wishes to meet from the authentication terminal;
a search request processing unit which stores user IDs of users permitted to enter the restricted area in association with specific information identifying each user, refers to a user information database to identify the user ID associated with the specific information included in the search request, and stores location information of visitors to the restricted area, entry date and time, and the user ID in association with each other, and refers to a visitor management database to calculate the duration of stay of the person seeking to meet within the restricted area based on the entry date and time associated with the identified user ID and the current time;
an output unit that outputs and transmits the location information of the person seeking an appointment and the calculated staying time;
An entrance/exit management system. The entrance/exit management system according to claim 6, wherein the authentication terminal changes the color or design of the marker according to the length of stay when displaying the location of the person requesting the meeting with the marker. When the meeting requesting person is not present in the restricted area, the search request processing unit notifies the authentication terminal that the meeting requesting person is not present;
8. The entrance/exit management system according to claim 6, wherein, when the person requesting the meeting is not present, the authentication terminal displays that the person requesting the meeting is not present. receiving a search request including specific information of a person whom the visitor wishes to meet from an authentication terminal that controls the visitor's entry into a restricted area;
linking and storing the user IDs of users who are allowed to enter the restricted area and specific information that identifies each user; referring to a user information database, identifying the user ID linked to the specific information included in the search request, and linking and storing the location information of the entrant in the restricted area, the entry date and time, and the user ID; referring to a visitor management database, calculating the stay time of the person wishing to meet in the restricted area based on the entry date and time linked to the identified user ID and the current time;
A method for controlling a server device, the method including: outputting the location information of the person requesting the meeting and the calculated duration of stay. receiving a search request including specific information of a person whom the visitor wishes to meet from an authentication terminal that controls the visitor's entry into a restricted area;
a process of storing, in association with each other, the user IDs of users permitted to enter the restricted area and specific information identifying each user; referring to a user information database, identifying the user ID associated with the specific information included in the search request, and storing, in association with each other, location information of visitors to the restricted area, the date and time of entry, and the user ID; referring to a visitor management database, calculating the length of stay of the person wishing to meet within the restricted area based on the date and time of entry associated with the identified user ID and the current time;
A process of outputting the location information of the person seeking an appointment and the calculated staying time;
A program for causing a computer to execute the following.

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