The application discloses an automatic product dispatching device in case of a site abnormality in a queue time section loop, which includes a risk level definition module and a risk control logic module for product dispatching in case of the site abnormality; the risk level definition module divides risks into a plurality of levels, defines a corresponding site risk level at each site, divides a queue time section loop from a current site to an abnormal site of products into a current queue time section, a middle queue time section and an abnormal queue time section, and respectively defines section risk level; the risk control logic module forms a current product dispatching result according to a logic relationship among the section risk levels. The application further discloses an automatic product dispatching method in case of a site abnormality in a queue time section loop.

Managing passenger flows is an important issue in modern buildings. Particularly in high buildings there will be a lot of people arriving and leaving typically through one access floor. When passenger flows are not managed and passengers are not instructed facilities of buildings are not in optimal use. People may be queuing for one elevator group when another elevator group is not used in full capacity. This can be improved by using an access gate arrangement where the controller of the access gate arrangement receives information from external systems in the building.

A system and method for managing virtual queues. A cloud-based queue service manages a plurality of queues hosted by one or more entities. The queue service is in constant communication with the entities providing queue management, queue analysis, and queue recommendations. The queue service is likewise in direct communication with queued persons. Sending periodic updates while also motivating and incentivizing punctuality and minimizing wait times based on predictive analysis. The predictive analysis uses “Big Data” and other available data resources, for which the predictions assist in the balancing of persons across multiple queues for the same event or multiple persons across a sequence of queues for sequential events.

Provided is an automatic access control system which can accurately detect the completion time of the security check of the preceding subject of inspection of the access control system, even if a situation occurs where an exception needs handling during the security check of a preceding subject of inspection. The automatic access control system comprises: a search controller which opens an entrance so that a subject of a search inspection enters a security check area; a primary sensor which generates a primary detection signal by primarily detecting the subject of the search inspection to identify whether or not there is an occurrence of a preset inspection handling exception during the security check; a secondary sensor which generates a secondary detection signal by performing secondary detection to determine whether or not a preset search completion condition is satisfied, and which has a different detection method from that of the primary sensor; and a control unit which performs the primary detection and the secondary detection again if there is an occurrence of handling an inspection exception.

A customer order is received and associated with a list of items being ordered from an in-store counter of a store. An estimated time of preparing the order by attendants of the in-store counter is calculated. The customer selects a time to pickup the order after presented with the estimated required time to fulfill and prepare the order. The order is placed on behalf of the customer with the store. Status updates for the order are sent to the customer on a customer-operated device. Once the status of the order indicates the order is completed, the customer travels to the in-store counter within the store and picks up the order.

Provided is a method and device for determining a queuing scheme. The method includes: obtaining candidate queuing schemes by using each to-be-executed item as a first-order item, using the to-be-executed item other than the first-order item as other items; for each candidate queuing scheme, obtaining a completion time for the first-order item according to a number of current queueing people and a unit execution time for the first-order item; determining a number of increased queuing people for each of the other items according to the completion time for the first-order item; obtaining the completion time for all the other items according to the number of the current queuing people, the number of the increased queuing people and the unit execution time for each of the other items; calculating a total time for completion of all the to-be-executed items in each candidate queuing scheme, and determining a target queuing scheme.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to a method of estimating a length of a queue associated with a resource within a venue. Images of the queue may be received, each image corresponding to a segment of the queue. A server may estimate a number of venue guests in the queue by: for each of a first subset of the images, estimating a number of pixels of the image that correspond to venue guests in the queue; and for each of a second subset of the images, detecting and counting individual venue guests visible in the image. A notification including the estimated number of venue guests in the queue, an estimated current wait time, and/or a time at which a venue guest joining the queue is permitted entry to the resource, may be sent to devices corresponding to venue guests.

A system and method for managing virtual queues. A cloud-based queue service manages a plurality of queues hosted by one or more entities. The queue service is in constant communication with the entities providing queue management, queue analysis, and queue recommendations. The queue service is likewise in direct communication with queued persons. Sending periodic updates while also motivating and incentivizing punctuality and minimizing wait times based on predictive analysis. The predictive analysis uses “Big Data” and other available data resources, for which the predictions assist in the balancing of persons across multiple queues for the same event or multiple persons across a sequence of queues for sequential events.

A technique for controlling access to one or more attractions is achieved using a number of access keys, each being issued to one or more users. An electronic queue management part manages a virtual queue in respect of each attraction and receives electronic requests for attraction access, each request relating to an access key and being for the users associated with it to access a particular attraction. Receipt of each request causes the respective users to be added to a corresponding virtual queue. A time at which each group of users reaches the front of the virtual queue and can access the attraction is determined. The users access the attractions by presenting an access key to an access control part, in communication with the electronic queue management part. Only a user presenting an access key at the correct time for accessing the attraction is allowed access to the attraction.

A service robot is capable of communicating with a reception device that assigns at least a reception number. The service robot includes: an image information acquirer that acquires image information including an image of a customer; a reception number acquirer that acquires a reception number from the reception device, in response to a reception operation performed by the customer; and a storage unit that stores the acquired reception number and the acquired image information in association with each other.