JP7727064B2 - STAY DETERMINATION DEVICE, STAY DETERMINATION METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a stay determination device, a stay determination method, and a computer program.

Patent Document 1 is known as an example of an advertising distribution technology for delivering advertisements to users. The technology described in Patent Document 1 determines that a user terminal device is located in a notification target area by receiving a beacon signal from a beacon terminal device, and sends an advertising notification message associated with the notification target area to the target user terminal. Furthermore, because excessively frequent advertising notifications can be irritating to users, notifications are sent only when notification permission conditions, including time-related condition elements, are met. For example, an advertising notification message is sent to a user terminal device when notification permission conditions, including time-related condition elements, are met, such as when a certain notification waiting time has elapsed since the user terminal device entered the notification target area.

Patent No. 6623610

In the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1, the user terminal device determines whether it is located in a notification target area by receiving a beacon signal from a beacon terminal device installed in the notification target area. Then, if a certain notification waiting time has elapsed since the user terminal device entered the notification target area, an advertising notification message is sent to the user terminal device.

However, with this conventional technology, even if a user terminal device is present in a notification target area, if the user terminal device is unable to receive the beacon signal due to poor radio wave reception conditions for the beacon signal, this fact cannot be detected even if a certain notification waiting time has passed since the user terminal device entered the notification target area, and there is a possibility that the opportunity to send an advertising notification message to the user terminal device will be missed.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and its purpose is to adapt to changes in the radio wave reception conditions of beacon signals when determining that a user terminal device receiving a beacon signal has stayed in a stay determination area for a predetermined stay determination time or longer.

(1) One aspect of the present invention is a stay determination device that includes a beacon log collection unit that collects beacon logs, which are logs related to beacon signals received by a user terminal device from a beacon transmitting device; a memory unit that stores stay determination areas in association with one or more beacon transmitting devices; and a stay determination unit that determines the end of beacon signal detection based on the beacon logs related to the one or more beacon transmitting devices associated with the stay determination area, compares the elapsed time from the end of beacon signal detection to the current time with a predetermined departure determination time, and determines that the user terminal device has left the stay determination area if the elapsed time exceeds the departure determination time.When multiple beacon transmitting devices are associated with the stay determination area, the stay determination unit determines that beacon signal detection has ended when all of the latest beacon logs related to the multiple beacon transmitting devices indicate the end of beacon signal detection .
(2) One aspect of the present invention is the stay determination device of (1) above, in which the stay determination unit determines that detection of the beacon signal has ended if the latest beacon log among the latest beacon logs related to the plurality of beacon transmitting devices is related to a beacon transmitting device located outside the stay determination area .
(3) One aspect of the present invention is the stay determination device of (2) above, wherein the memory unit further stores information indicating that the beacon transmitting device is installed inside or outside the stay determination area at an entrance/exit of the stay determination area, and the stay determination unit determines, based on the information stored in the memory unit, whether the latest beacon log among the latest beacon logs related to the plurality of beacon transmitting devices is related to a beacon transmitting device installed outside the stay determination area.

( 4 ) One aspect of the present invention is a stay determination device that includes: a beacon log collection unit that collects beacon logs, which are logs related to beacon signals received by a user terminal device from a beacon transmitting device ; a memory unit that stores stay determination area information that associates stay determination areas with beacon transmitting devices, the information indicating that the beacon transmitting device is installed inside or outside the stay determination area at an entrance or exit of the stay determination area; and a stay determination unit that determines the end of beacon signal detection when all of the latest beacon logs related to each beacon transmitting device associated with the stay determination area indicate the end of beacon signal detection and the latest beacon log among the latest beacon logs related to each beacon transmitting device is related to a beacon transmitting device installed outside the stay determination area, compares the elapsed time from the end of beacon signal detection to the current time with a predetermined departure determination time, and determines that the user terminal device has left the stay determination area when the elapsed time exceeds the departure determination time.

( 5 ) One aspect of the present invention is a stay determination method including: a storage step in which a stay determination device stores a stay determination area in association with one or more beacon transmitting devices; a beacon log collection step in which the stay determination device collects beacon logs, which are logs related to beacon signals received by a user terminal device from beacon transmitting devices; and a stay determination step in which the stay determination device determines the end of beacon signal detection based on the beacon logs related to one or more beacon transmitting devices associated with the stay determination area, compares the elapsed time from the end of beacon signal detection to the current time with a predetermined departure determination time, and determines that the user terminal device has left the stay determination area if the elapsed time exceeds the departure determination time, wherein the stay determination step, when a plurality of beacon transmitting devices are associated with the stay determination area, determines that beacon signal detection has ended when all of the latest beacon logs related to the plurality of beacon transmitting devices indicate the end of beacon signal detection .

( 6 ) One aspect of the present invention is a computer program that causes a computer to execute a storage step of storing stay determination areas in association with one or more beacon transmitting devices, a beacon log collection step of collecting beacon logs, which are logs related to beacon signals received by a user terminal device from a beacon transmitting device, and a stay determination step of determining the end of beacon signal detection based on the beacon logs related to one or more beacon transmitting devices associated with the stay determination area, comparing the elapsed time from the end of beacon signal detection to the current time with a predetermined departure determination time, and determining that the user terminal device has left the stay determination area if the elapsed time exceeds the departure determination time, wherein the stay determination step determines that beacon signal detection has ended when multiple beacon transmitting devices are associated with the stay determination area and all of the latest beacon logs related to the multiple beacon transmitting devices indicate the end of beacon signal detection .

This invention has the advantage of being able to adapt to changes in the radio wave reception conditions of the beacon signal when determining that a user terminal device receiving a beacon signal has stayed in a stay determination area for a predetermined stay determination time or longer.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information providing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of configuration of stay determination area information according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a beacon log according to an embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a stay determination method according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a stay determination method according to an embodiment. 10 is an example of a method for installing a beacon transmitting device according to an embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of another stay determination method according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of an information provision system according to an embodiment. In Fig. 1, a stay determination area (area) is an area for which it is determined whether a user terminal apparatus UE has stayed in the stay determination area (area) for a predetermined stay determination time or longer. If the user terminal apparatus UE has stayed in the stay determination area (area) for a predetermined stay determination time or longer, it can be estimated that a user U using the user terminal apparatus UE has stayed in the stay determination area (area) for a predetermined stay determination time or longer. On the other hand, if the user terminal apparatus UE has not stayed in the stay determination area (area) for a predetermined stay determination time or longer, it can be estimated that the user U using the user terminal apparatus UE has not stayed in the stay determination area (area) for a predetermined stay determination time or longer.

A stay determination area may contain, for example, stores and public transportation routes (such as buses, taxis, and trains). A user U who has stayed in a stay determination area for a specified stay determination time or longer is a person who is likely to be provided with information (provided information) associated with that stay determination area. The provided information may be, for example, advertisements or guides for stores in the stay determination area, or coupons or points that offer special benefits that can be used at those stores. The provided information is information that is expected to be used by a user U who has stayed in the stay determination area for the stay determination time or longer. On the other hand, a user U who has not stayed in the stay determination area for the stay determination time or longer is someone who simply passes through the stay determination area and is therefore likely not to use the provided information even if it is provided to them.

The provided information may be information that is used directly by the user U, such as store advertisements or coupons, or information that is used by the user terminal device UE. For example, the provided information may be parameters set in an application provided in the user terminal device UE, and may be parameters specific to the stay determination area (area).

One or more beacon transmission devices 2 are installed in the stay determination area (area). The beacon transmission devices 2 periodically transmit a beacon signal (be). When a user terminal device UE enters the stay determination area (area), it receives the beacon signal (be) transmitted from the beacon transmission device 2.

The beacon transmitting device 2 periodically (at intervals of approximately 100 ms to 1 second) transmits a beacon signal be, which is a wireless signal based on the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, for example. The beacon signal be stores identification information (beacon ID) that identifies the beacon transmitting device 2 that sent the signal. In BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), one of the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standards, the beacon signal be is identified by a set of three beacon ID values: "UUID," "major," and "minor."

It is preferable that the beacon transmitting device 2 controls the transmission of the beacon signal be so that the user terminal device UE can receive the beacon signal be within the stay determination area area, but cannot receive the beacon signal be outside the stay determination area area. This control of the transmission of the beacon signal be is performed by adjusting the transmission output of the beacon transmitting device 2 and adjusting the installation location.

By installing multiple beacon transmitters 2 in the stay determination area, it is possible to expand the size of the stay determination area and to provide redundancy to deal with failures of beacon transmitters 2.

The user terminal device UE is a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet computer (tablet PC). The user terminal device UE receives a beacon signal be transmitted by a beacon transmission device 2. The user terminal device UE communicates with a stay determination server 4 and an information provision device 7 via a communication network NW. The user terminal device UE connects to a mobile phone network or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

The user terminal device UE transmits a beacon log 52, which is a log related to the beacon signal be received from the beacon transmitting device 2, to the stay determination server 4. The user terminal device UE transmits the beacon log 52 to the stay determination server 4 each time the start or end of detection of the beacon signal be is confirmed.

The information provision system 1 includes a stay determination server 4 (stay determination device) and an information provision device 7. The stay determination server 4 and the information provision device 7 communicate via a communication network NW.

[Stay determination server]
The stay determination server 4 includes a beacon log collection unit 40, a stay determination unit 41, and a database 42 (storage unit).

The functions of the stay determination server 4 are realized by the stay determination server 4 comprising computer hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory, and the CPU executing computer programs stored in the memory. The stay determination server 4 may be configured using a general-purpose computer device, or may be configured as a dedicated hardware device. For example, the stay determination server 4 may be configured using a server computer connected to a communications network such as the Internet. The functions of the stay determination server 4 may also be realized by cloud computing. The stay determination server 4 may also be realized by a single computer, or the functions of the stay determination server 4 may be distributed across multiple computers.

The beacon log collection unit 40 collects beacon logs 52, which are logs related to the beacon signals be received by the user terminal device UE from the beacon transmission device 2. The beacon log collection unit 40 stores the beacon logs 52 received from the user terminal device UE in the database 42.

The database 42 stores stay determination area information 51 and a beacon log 52. The stay determination area information 51 is stored in advance in the database 42. The stay determination area information 51 is information that associates the stay determination area (area) with the beacon transmitting device 2.

The stay determination unit 41 performs a stay determination process to determine whether the user terminal device UE has stayed in the stay determination area (area) for a predetermined stay determination time or longer, based on the beacon log 52 and stay determination area information 51 stored in the database 42. The stay determination unit 41 also performs a non-stay determination process based on the beacon log 52 and stay determination area information 51 stored in the database 42. The non-stay determination process is a process to determine whether the user terminal device UE has not stayed in the stay determination area (area) for a predetermined stay determination time or longer.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of stay determination area information according to this embodiment. As illustrated in Figure 2, the stay determination area information 51 stores, for each stay determination area, the identification information (stay determination area ID) of the stay determination area and a beacon list, in association with each other. The beacon list for a certain stay determination area is a list that lists the beacon IDs of all beacon transmitting devices 2 installed in that stay determination area. For example, in a beacon signal be based on BLE, the beacon list stores a set of "UUID," "major," and "minor" for each beacon transmitting device 2 installed in the stay determination area.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a beacon log according to this embodiment. As illustrated in Figure 3, the beacon log 52 stores, in association with one another, identification information for the beacon log (beacon log ID), identification information for the user terminal device UE (user ID), the date and time of the log (log time), area IN/OUT flags, and beacon IDs. The area IN/OUT flag is set to "1: Area IN" when detection of a beacon signal be for the beacon ID begins, and is set to "2: Area OUT" when detection of a beacon signal be for the beacon ID ends.

When the user terminal device UE starts detecting a beacon signal be of a certain beacon ID, it creates a beacon log 52 for that beacon ID with an area IN/OUT flag set to "1: Area IN" and transmits it to the stay determination server 4. After a beacon log 52 with an area IN/OUT flag set to "1: Area IN" is created for a certain beacon ID, no subsequent beacon log 52 with an area IN/OUT flag set to "1: Area IN" is created. When the user terminal device UE starts detecting a beacon signal be of a certain beacon ID and then finishes detecting the beacon signal be of that beacon ID, it creates a beacon log 52 for that beacon ID with an area IN/OUT flag set to "2: Area OUT" and transmits it to the stay determination server 4. Therefore, for one beacon ID, a beacon log 52 with an area IN/OUT flag set to "1: Area IN" and a beacon log 52 with an area IN/OUT flag set to "2: Area OUT" are paired.

[Information provision device]
The information providing device 7 includes an information providing unit 71 and an information providing control unit 72 .
Each function of the information providing device 7 is realized by the information providing device 7 including computer hardware such as a CPU and memory, and the CPU executing a computer program stored in the memory. The information providing device 7 may be configured using a general-purpose computer device or a dedicated hardware device. For example, the information providing device 7 may be configured using a server computer connected to a communication network such as the Internet. Each function of the information providing device 7 may be realized by cloud computing. The information providing device 7 may be realized by a single computer, or may be realized by distributing the functions of the information providing device 7 across multiple computers. The information providing device 7 may also be configured to set up a website using, for example, a WWW system.

The information providing unit 71 provides information (provided information) associated with a stay determination area to a user terminal device UE that has been determined by the stay determination server 4 to have stayed in the stay determination area for a predetermined stay determination time or longer. On the other hand, the information providing unit 71 does not provide information associated with the stay determination area to a user terminal device UE that has been determined by the stay determination server 4 to have not stayed in the stay determination area for a predetermined stay determination time or longer.

The information provision control unit 72 controls the provision of information by the information provision unit 71 in accordance with the number of stay determinations made by the stay determination server 4. The number of stay determinations is the number of times the stay determination server 4 executes the stay determination process. For example, the information provision control unit 72 determines whether the stay determination area (area) is congested with user terminal devices UE based on the number of stay determinations made over a certain period of time, and suppresses the provision of information by the information provision unit 71 if the determination result indicates congestion. This is because, if the number of stay determinations is high, it is considered that a large number of user terminal devices UE have entered the stay determination area (area), and therefore the information provision control unit 72 determines that the stay determination area (area) is congested with user terminal devices UE and suppresses the provision of information to contribute to alleviating congestion in the stay determination area (area).

[Stay determination method]
The stay determination method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the stay determination method according to this embodiment.

When the user terminal device UE first detects a beacon signal be transmitted from a beacon transmitting device 2 installed in the stay determination area (area), it creates a beacon log 52 for the beacon ID of the beacon signal be, in which the area IN/OUT flag is set to "1: area IN", and transmits this to the stay determination server 4. This beacon log 52 indicates the start of detection of the beacon signal be of the beacon ID. Furthermore, when the beacon signal be of the beacon ID is no longer detected, the user terminal device UE creates a beacon log 52 for the beacon ID of the beacon signal be, in which the area IN/OUT flag is set to "2: area OUT", and transmits this to the stay determination server 4. This beacon log 52 indicates the end of detection of the beacon signal be of the beacon ID.

The stay determination unit 41 is preset with a "stay determination time," a "leave determination time," and a "standby time." The stay determination time is a threshold value used to determine whether the user terminal device UE has stayed in the stay determination area (area) for a predetermined period of time or longer. The leave determination time is a threshold value used to determine whether the user terminal device UE has left the stay determination area (area). The leave determination time according to this embodiment is set so that stay determination can be correctly performed even when the radio wave reception conditions for the beacon signal be are poor in the stay determination area (area) and the beacon signal be is received intermittently even though the user terminal device UE is within the stay determination area (area). The standby time is a standby time during which processing is temporarily suspended during the processing of Figure 4.

The stay determination unit 41 starts the process of FIG. 4 when the first beacon log 52 after initialization of the process of FIG. 4 is stored in the database 42 for each stay determination area and for each user terminal device UE. The stay determination unit 41 records the time at which the process of FIG. 4 is started (stay determination start time) each time the process of FIG. 4 is started. After initialization of the process of FIG. 4, the first beacon log 52 of a certain user terminal device UE for a certain stay determination area is a beacon log 52 in which the area IN/OUT flag is "1: area IN".

The beacon log 52 in each step of Figure 4 is a beacon log 52 stored in the database 42, is a beacon log 52 related to a beacon signal be transmitted from a beacon transmitting device 2 installed in the stay determination area (area) to be determined, and is a beacon log 52 created by the user terminal device UE to be determined.

(Step S1) The stay determination unit 41 determines whether there is a beacon log 52 of each beacon transmitting device 2 (beacon ID) that has the most recent log time and an area IN/OUT flag of "1: area IN". If this determination results in a beacon log 52 with an area IN/OUT flag of "1: area IN", the beacon signal be of the beacon ID related to that beacon log 52 is being continuously detected by the user terminal device UE. If there is a beacon log 52 with an area IN/OUT flag of "1: area IN" (step S1, YES), proceed to step S2; if not (step S1, NO), proceed to step S4.

(Step S2) The stay determination unit 41 determines whether the elapsed time from the current stay determination start time to the current time has exceeded the "stay determination time." If the result of this determination is that the elapsed time has exceeded the "stay determination time" (step S2, YES), the process proceeds to step S3; if not (step S2, NO), the process proceeds to step S6.

(Step S3) The stay determination unit 41 determines that the user terminal device UE has stayed ("stayed") in the stay determination area (area) for the "stay determination time" or longer. After this, the processing in FIG. 4 is terminated, and initialization of the processing in FIG. 4 is executed.

(Step S4) The stay determination unit 41 compares the elapsed time from the log time of the beacon log 52 of each beacon transmitting device 2 (beacon ID) whose log time is the most recent and whose area IN/OUT flag is "2: area OUT" to the current time with the "leave determination time." If this comparison shows that the elapsed time exceeds the "leave determination time" (step S4, YES), the process proceeds to step S5; otherwise (step S4, NO), the process proceeds to step S6. If the elapsed time exceeds the "leave determination time," the user terminal device UE has not received beacon signals be transmitted from all beacon transmitting devices 2 installed in the stay determination area for a period equal to or greater than the "leave determination time."

(Step S5) The stay determination unit 41 determines that the user terminal device UE has not stayed in the stay determination area (area) for the "stay determination time" or longer ("non-stay"). After this, the processing in FIG. 4 ends, and initialization of the processing in FIG. 4 is executed.

(Step S6) The stay determination unit 41 waits for the "waiting time." Once the waiting time has elapsed, the process returns to step S1 and resumes from step S1.

Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the stay determination method according to this embodiment. Figure 5 shows two pairs (the first pair and the second pair) of beacon logs 52 whose area IN/OUT flag is "1: area IN" and beacon logs 52 whose area IN/OUT flag is "2: area OUT." In the example of Figure 5, the process of Figure 4 begins when the beacon logs 52 of the first pair whose area IN/OUT flag is "1: area IN" are stored in the database 42. Furthermore, the log time of the beacon logs 52 of the second pair whose area IN/OUT flag is "1: area IN" is the time before the "leave determination time" has elapsed since the log time of the beacon logs 52 of the first pair whose area IN/OUT flag is "2: area OUT." Hereinafter, a pair of a beacon log 52 whose area IN/OUT flag is "1: area IN" and a beacon log 52 whose area IN/OUT flag is "2: area OUT" will be referred to as a "pair of beacon logs 52."

Figure 5 shows four examples of "stay determination time": (a), (b), (c), and (d).

In the case of example (a) of the "stay determination time," a "stay" is determined when the time elapsed from the stay determination start time during the period of the first beacon log 52 pair exceeds the "stay determination time."

In the case of example (b) of the "stay determination time," the time elapsed from the stay determination start time for the first pair of beacon logs 52 does not exceed the "stay determination time," so it is not determined to be a "stay." Subsequently, for the beacon log 52 in the first pair of beacon logs 52 whose area IN/OUT flag is "1: Area IN," the time elapsed from the stay determination start time exceeds the "stay determination time," so it is determined to be a "stay."

In the case of example (c) of the "stay determination time," the time elapsed from the stay determination start time for both the first pair of beacon logs 52 and the second pair of beacon logs 52 does not exceed the "stay determination time," so it is not determined to be a "stay." Then, when the "leave determination time" has elapsed from the log time of the beacon log 52 for which the area IN/OUT flag of the second pair of beacon logs 52 is "2: Area OUT," it is determined to be a "non-stay."

In the case of example (d) of the "stay determination time," as in example (c) above, the time elapsed from the stay determination start time for both the first pair of beacon logs 52 and the second pair of beacon logs 52 does not exceed the "stay determination time," so it is not determined to be a "stay." Then, when the "leave determination time" has elapsed from the log time of the beacon log 52 for which the area IN/OUT flag of the second pair of beacon logs 52 is "2: Area OUT," it is determined to be a "non-stay."

According to this embodiment, even if the beacon log 52 is created with the area IN/OUT flag set to "2: Area OUT" because the user terminal device UE was temporarily unable to receive the beacon signal be despite being in the stay determination area (area) due to the non-stay determination process using the above-mentioned "leave determination time," it is possible to proceed to step S6 and execute the stay determination process again using the "stay determination time." This makes it possible to correctly determine "stay" even when the radio wave reception conditions for the beacon signal be are poor in the stay determination area (area) and the beacon signal be is received intermittently even though the user terminal device UE is within the stay determination area (area). In this way, this embodiment has the advantage of being able to adapt to changes in the radio wave reception conditions for the beacon signal be when determining that the user terminal device UE receiving the beacon signal be has stayed in the stay determination area (area) for the "stay determination time" or longer.

[Other stay determination methods]
Another stay determination method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. This other stay determination method is particularly suitable when the stay determination area (area) is so large that a large number of beacon transmitting devices 2 must be installed in the stay determination area (area) in order for the beacon signal (be) to reach the entire stay determination area (area).

Figure 6 shows an example of a method for installing beacon transmitters according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, beacon transmitters 2 (2_in, 2_out) are installed inside and outside the stay determination area areaA at the entrances and exits of the stay determination area areaA. The database 42 (storage unit) further stores information indicating whether the beacon transmitters 2 are installed inside or outside the stay determination area areaA at the entrances and exits of the stay determination area areaA.

Beacon transmitting device 2_in is installed inside stay determination area areaA at the entrance/exit of stay determination area areaA. The beacon signal be transmitted from beacon transmitting device 2_in can be received by the user terminal device UE in the reception area Ca_in. Beacon transmitting device 2_out is installed outside stay determination area areaA at the entrance/exit of stay determination area areaA. The beacon signal be transmitted from beacon transmitting device 2_out can be received by the user terminal device UE in the reception area Ca_out. In the example of Figure 6, the sizes of reception area Ca_in and reception area Ca_out are set to be approximately the same.

Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for another stay determination method according to this embodiment. Below, with reference to Figure 7, a stay determination method for a user terminal device UE in a stay determination area area A in which a beacon transmitting device 2 is installed as exemplified in Figure 6 will be described. Note that in Figure 7, parts corresponding to the steps in Figure 4 are assigned the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

The only difference between the process in Figure 7 and the process in Figure 4 described above is step S1A. All other steps are the same as the process in Figure 4 described above.

The beacon log 52 in each step of Figure 7 is a beacon log 52 stored in the database 42, is a beacon log 52 related to the beacon signal be transmitted from the beacon transmitting device 2 (2_in, 2_out) installed in the stay determination area area A to be determined, and is a beacon log 52 created by the user terminal device UE to be determined.

(Step S1A) The stay determination unit 41 determines whether the beacon logs 52 of each beacon transmitter 2 (beacon ID) are true: "All of the beacon logs 52 with the most recent log times for each beacon transmitter 2 indicate the end of beacon signal detection (the area IN/OUT flag is "2: area OUT")" and "among the beacon logs 52 with the most recent log times for each beacon transmitter 2, the beacon log 52 with the most recent log time is the beacon log 52 for a beacon transmitter 2_out located outside the stay determination area areaA." If this determination is true (step S1A, YES), the process proceeds to step S4, where the stay determination unit 41 performs non-stay determination processing using the "leave determination time." On the other hand, if this determination is false (step S1A, NO), the process proceeds to step S2.

Note that in the stay determination area areaA, in addition to the beacon transmitters 2 (2_in, 2_out) at the entrances and exits illustrated in FIG. 6, beacon transmitters 2 inside the stay determination area areaA illustrated in FIG. 1 may also be provided, and the processes of FIG. 4 and FIG. 7 described above may be combined and applied. For example, within the stay determination area areaA, beacon transmitters 2 may be provided only in areas where it is particularly desired to detect user terminal devices UE. As an example of combining the processes of FIG. 4 and FIG. 7, stay determination may first be performed for a wide area using the process of FIG. 7, and then stay determination for a narrower area within that area may be performed using the process of FIG. 4.

In the example of Figure 6, the stay determination area areaA has an entrance and exit, but if there are one-way entrances and exits instead of entrances and exits, only a beacon transmitter 2_in can be installed inside the stay determination area areaA at the entrance, and only a beacon transmitter 2_out can be installed outside the stay determination area areaA at the exit.

According to the other stay determination methods described above, in cases where the stay determination area (area) is so large that a large number of beacon transmitters 2 must be installed within the stay determination area (area) in order for the beacon signal (be) to reach the entire stay determination area (area), it is possible to reduce the number of installed beacon transmitters 2 and perform stay determination efficiently.

As described above, this embodiment has the advantage of being able to adapt to changes in the radio wave reception conditions of the beacon signal be when determining that a user terminal device UE receiving a beacon signal be has stayed in the stay determination area area for at least the "stay determination time."

As a result, even if the user terminal device UE is in an area subject to notification of, for example, advertisements, coupons, etc., and the user terminal device UE is unable to receive the beacon signal be due to poor radio wave reception conditions for the beacon signal be, it is possible to detect that the stay determination time has elapsed since the user terminal device UE entered the area subject to notification, thereby ensuring that opportunities to send advertisements, coupons, etc. to the user terminal device UE are seized.

For example, by distributing coupons that grant benefits that can be used at stores or public transportation (e.g., bus, taxi, train, etc.) to user terminal devices UE that have been determined to be "staying" in a stay determination area where stores or public transportation routes (e.g., bus, taxi, train, etc.) are located, the effect of encouraging use of those stores or public transportation can be achieved.

Furthermore, by having the information provision control unit 72 of the information provision device 7 control the provision of information by the information provision unit 71 in accordance with the number of stay determinations made by the stay determination server 4, it is possible to dynamically adjust the amount of coupon distribution in accordance with the degree of congestion of user terminal devices UE (users U) within the stay determination area (area). This makes it possible, for example, to reduce the amount of coupon distribution if the stay determination area becomes congested after coupon distribution has begun to attract customers, thereby alleviating the congestion.

Furthermore, this will enable improvements to the overall quality of services in stores and public transport, for example, and contribute to Goal 8 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to "Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all."

The above describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment and includes design modifications and the like that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

Furthermore, a computer program for implementing the functions of each of the above-described devices may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read and executed by a computer system. Note that the term "computer system" may include hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices.
Furthermore, if the WWW system is used, the "computer system" also includes the homepage providing environment (or display environment).
In addition, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to writable non-volatile memory such as a flexible disk, optical magnetic disk, ROM, or flash memory, portable media such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or storage devices such as a hard disk built into a computer system.

Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" also includes a device that stores a program for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory (e.g., DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)) within a computer system that serves as a server or client when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line.
The program may be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by transmission waves in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" that transmits the program refers to a medium that has the function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line.
The program may also be a program for implementing some of the functions described above, or may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can implement the functions described above in combination with a program already stored in the computer system.

1... Information provision system, 2... Beacon transmission device, 4... Stay determination server, 40... Beacon log collection unit, 41... Stay determination unit, 42... Database, 7... Information provision device, 71... Information provision unit, 72... Information provision control unit, UE... User terminal device, NW... Communication network, area... Stay determination area, be... Beacon signal

Claims (6)

a beacon log collection unit that collects a beacon log, which is a log related to beacon signals received by a user terminal device from a beacon transmission device;
a storage unit that stores stay determination areas and one or more beacon transmitting devices in association with each other;
a stay determination unit that determines the end of beacon signal detection based on the beacon logs related to one or more beacon transmitting devices associated with the stay determination area, compares the elapsed time from the end of the beacon signal detection to the current time with a predetermined departure determination time, and determines that the user terminal device has left the stay determination area if the elapsed time exceeds the departure determination time;
Equipped with
When a plurality of beacon transmission devices are associated with the stay determination area, the stay determination unit determines that the detection of the beacon signal has ended when the latest beacon logs related to the plurality of beacon transmission devices all indicate the end of the detection of the beacon signal.
Stay determination device. the stay determination unit determines that the detection of the beacon signal has ended when the latest beacon log among the latest beacon logs related to the plurality of beacon transmitting devices is related to a beacon transmitting device provided outside the stay determination area,
The stay determination device according to claim 1 . the storage unit further stores information indicating that the beacon transmitting device is installed inside or outside the stay determination area at an entrance or exit of the stay determination area,
the stay determination unit determines, based on the information stored in the storage unit, whether the latest beacon log among the latest beacon logs related to the plurality of beacon transmitting devices is related to a beacon transmitting device provided outside the stay determination area.
The stay determination device according to claim 2 . a beacon log collection unit that collects a beacon log, which is a log related to beacon signals received by a user terminal device from a beacon transmission device;
a storage unit that stores stay determination area information that associates stay determination areas with beacon transmission devices , the stay determination area information indicating that the beacon transmission device is installed inside or outside the stay determination area at an entrance or exit of the stay determination area ;
a stay determination unit that determines the end of beacon signal detection when all of the latest beacon logs related to each beacon transmitting device associated with the stay determination area indicate the end of beacon signal detection and the latest beacon log among the latest beacon logs related to each beacon transmitting device is related to a beacon transmitting device installed outside the stay determination area , compares an elapsed time from the end of beacon signal detection to a current time with a predetermined departure determination time, and determines that the user terminal device has left the stay determination area when the elapsed time exceeds the departure determination time,
Stay determination device. a storage step in which the stay determination device stores the stay determination area and one or more beacon transmitting devices in association with each other;
a beacon log collection step in which the stay determination device collects a beacon log, which is a log related to beacon signals received by the user terminal device from a beacon transmission device;
a stay determination step in which the stay determination device determines the end of beacon signal detection based on the beacon logs related to one or more beacon transmitting devices associated with the stay determination area, compares the elapsed time from the end of the beacon signal detection to the current time with a predetermined departure determination time, and determines that the user terminal device has left the stay determination area if the elapsed time exceeds the departure determination time;
Including,
In the stay determination step, when a plurality of beacon transmission devices are associated with the stay determination area, the determination of the end of the beacon signal detection is made when the latest beacon logs related to the plurality of beacon transmission devices all indicate the end of the beacon signal detection.
Stay determination method. On the computer,
a storage step of storing the stay determination area and one or more beacon transmitting devices in association with each other;
a beacon log collection step of collecting a beacon log, which is a log related to beacon signals received by the user terminal device from the beacon transmission device;
a stay determination step of determining the end of beacon signal detection based on the beacon logs related to one or more beacon transmitting devices associated with the stay determination area, comparing the elapsed time from the end of the beacon signal detection to the current time with a predetermined departure determination time, and determining that the user terminal device has left the stay determination area if the elapsed time exceeds the departure determination time;
Execute
In the stay determination step, when a plurality of beacon transmission devices are associated with the stay determination area, the determination of the end of the beacon signal detection is made when the latest beacon logs related to the plurality of beacon transmission devices all indicate the end of the beacon signal detection.
Computer program.