Facility control system

Abstract

To reduce the effort required to select a room in which a facility to be operated is installed by detecting a room where a user is present.SOLUTION: A control device 15 determines, based on the usage status of a room managed by a management device 14, whether or not a user is using the room. When it is determined that the user is using the room, the control device determines, based on a fact that which of a plurality of wireless communication devices (13a and 13b) is relaying communication with a mobile terminal device 90, whether or not the user carrying the mobile terminal device 90 is in the room. When it is determined that the user is in the room, the control device controls a facility based on an operation inputted to the mobile terminal device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a facility control system for controlling facilities provided in a room.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an indoor positioning system using a beacon transmitter. Patent Document 2 describes an indoor positioning system using radio waves.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When operating the facilities in the room where the user is currently located from a portable terminal device carried by the user, if the room where the user is located can be detected, there is no need to select the room where the facility to be operated is located, and the labor of the user can be reduced. As positioning systems suitable for indoor use, various systems have been proposed in addition to those described above. However, when it is desired to measure the position in units of office rooms, there is no appropriate system due to low accuracy, inability to stably detect, high cost, etc. This invention aims to solve such problems and obtain sufficient accuracy for detecting the room where the user is located while suppressing the facility cost.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The facility control system includes a control device that controls facilities provided in a room, a management device that manages the usage status of the room, and a plurality of wireless communication devices installed at predetermined locations and communicating with portable terminal devices carried by users. The control device determines whether the user is using the room based on the usage status of the room managed by the management device. When it is determined that the user is using the room, based on which of the plurality of wireless communication devices is relaying the communication with the portable terminal device, it is determined whether the user carrying the portable terminal device is in the room. When it is determined that the user is in the room, the facilities are controlled based on the operations input to the portable terminal device.

Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the facility control system, based on the usage status of the room managed by the management device and the wireless communication device communicating with the portable terminal device carried by the user, it is determined whether the user is in the room. Therefore, while suppressing the facility cost, sufficient accuracy can be obtained to detect the room where the user is located.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Referring to FIG. 1, the office 80 will be described. The office 80 is a space where users such as employees work. For example, an office 81 and conference rooms 82a to 82c are provided. The office 81 is a space where users usually are. The conference rooms 82a to 82c (an example of a room) are spaces used by users for meetings and the like. In addition, in the office 80, NFC tags 12a to 12c (Near Field Communication tags), wireless communication access point devices 13a and 13b (an example of a wireless communication device), and facilities 83a to 83c are provided.

[0009] The NFC tag 12a is installed in the conference room 82a. Similarly, the NFC tag 12b is installed in the conference room 82b, and the NFC tag 12c is installed in the conference room 82c. The NFC tags 12a to 12c each store in advance data representing the conference rooms 82a to 82c in which the tags are installed. The NFC tags 12a to 12c can communicate wirelessly with the portable terminal device 90 (see FIG. 2. For example, a smartphone, etc.) when the portable terminal device 90 carried by the user is within a very narrow range of about 10 cm (centimeters) in radius.

[0010] The wireless communication access point devices 13a and 13b are connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) installed in the office 80. The wireless communication access point devices 13a and 13b can communicate wirelessly with the portable terminal device 90 when the portable terminal device 90 is within a relatively wide range of about 15 m (meters) in radius. For example, the communicable range in which the wireless communication access point device 13a can communicate with the portable terminal device 90 covers the conference rooms 82a to 82c and a part of the office 81. Also, the communicable range of the wireless communication access point device 13b covers most of the office 81 but does not cover the conference rooms 82a to 82c. Therefore, if the portable terminal device 90 is connected to the wireless communication access point device 13b, it can be known that the portable terminal device 90 is not in the conference rooms 82a to 82c but in the office 81. Conversely, when the portable terminal device 90 is connected to the wireless communication access point device 13a, although there is a possibility that the portable terminal device 90 is in the office 81, there is a high possibility that it is in the conference rooms 82a to 82c.

[0011] The equipment 83a is installed in the conference room 82a. Similarly, the equipment 83b is installed in the conference room 82b, and the equipment 83c is installed in the conference room 82c. The equipment 83a to 83c are equipment used in the conference room, such as an air conditioner for air conditioning in the conference room, a lighting device for lighting in the conference room, and blinds attached to the windows of the conference room.

[0012] Referring to FIG. 2, the equipment control system 10 will be described. The equipment control system 10 controls the equipment 83a to 83c according to the operations by the users of the conference room. The equipment control system 10 includes, for example, the above-described NFC tags 12a to 12c, the above-described wireless communication access point devices 13a and 13b, the management device 14, and the control device 15.

[0013] The management device 14 is, for example, a server device, and manages the reservation status, usage status, etc. of the conference rooms 82a to 82c. For example, the management device 14 receives requests from users such as which conference room a user wants to use at what time, stores them as conference room reservations, and manages them so that no overlapping reservations occur. The management device 14 stores, for example, a plurality of conference room reservation information. Each conference room reservation information includes, for example, information for identifying the conference room, information indicating the date and time to start using the conference room, information indicating the date and time to end using the conference room, and information indicating the user who uses the conference room.

[0014] The control device 15 is, for example, a server device, and controls the equipment 83a to 83c according to the operations by the users of the conference rooms 82a to 82c.

[0015] Here, the operations input by the user are input into the mobile terminal device 90 carried by the user. For example, an application program for facility control is installed in advance in the mobile terminal device 90. The user starts this application program and inputs operations such as tapping a button displayed on the screen. The operations input by the user are transmitted to the control device 15 via a wireless LAN, a public communication line, or the like. The control device 15 controls the facilities 83a to 83c based on the operation content received from the mobile terminal device 90. For example, the management device 14 controls the facility 83a based on the operations input by the user using the conference room 82a. Similarly, in the case of operations input by the user using the conference room 82b, the facility 83b is controlled, and in the case of operations input by the user using the conference room 82c, the facility 83c is controlled.

[0016] To determine which conference room the user is using, the usage status of the conference rooms 82a to 82c managed by the management device 14 is used. For example, the control device 15 extracts reservation information of a conference room from the conference room reservation information stored in the management device 14, where the start time of using the conference room is earlier than the current time, the end time of using the conference room is later than the current time, and the user carrying the mobile terminal device 90 where the operation was input is included in the conference room users. Based on the extracted conference room reservation information, the control device 15 grasps the conference room that the user is currently using. Note that since there is a possibility that the user may be in the conference room for the preparation of a conference to be held immediately afterwards, even if the start time of using the conference room is later than the current time, if it is within a predetermined time (for example, within 10 minutes after the current time of the start time of use), it may be determined that the user is currently using that conference room. Also, it may be determined in real time which conference room the user is using when the user inputs an operation to the mobile terminal device 90, or it may be determined in advance at a predetermined interval (for example, at one-minute intervals) regardless of whether the user has input an operation to the mobile terminal device 90.

[0017] In addition, since there is a possibility that the user suddenly cancels participation in a meeting and this is not reflected in the meeting room reservation information, or the user is participating remotely in the meeting and not in the meeting room, the control device 15 may further confirm whether the user determined to be using the meeting room is actually in that meeting room based on which wireless communication access point device the mobile terminal device 90 is connected to. For example, the control device 15 acquires which wireless communication access point device the mobile terminal device 90 with an operation input is connected to. Then, it determines whether the meeting room determined to be currently used by the user is included in the communication range of the acquired wireless communication access point device. And when the meeting room is included in the communication range of the wireless communication access point device, it is determined that the user is in that meeting room. Specifically, for example, the control device 15 stores in advance the correspondence relationship between the meeting room and the wireless communication access point device capable of relaying communication with the mobile terminal device in that meeting room, and based on that correspondence relationship, determines whether the meeting room is included in the communication range of the wireless communication access point device. In this way, by combining determination methods with relatively low certainty, the accuracy of the determination can be increased.

[0018] The control device 15 controls the facilities installed in the meeting room determined to have the user who input the operation to the mobile terminal device 90 in this way, based on the operation input by the user to the mobile terminal device 90. Thereby, the user can operate the facilities in the meeting room where the user is located without taking the trouble to select which meeting room facilities to operate.

[0019] Note that since it is possible that an unplanned user suddenly joins a meeting and the fact that the user is participating in the meeting is not reflected in the conference room reservation information, even if the control device 15 is not determined to be in the conference room by the above-described determination method, if it is determined to be in the conference room by another determination method, the facilities in the conference room may be operable. For example, when a user enters a conference room, the user brings the portable terminal device 90 that the user is carrying close to the NFC tag installed in the conference room. When the portable terminal device 90 enters the communicable range of the NFC tag, the NFC tag transmits the stored data to the portable terminal device 90. By receiving this, the portable terminal device 90 acquires data representing the conference room into which the user has entered. The portable terminal device 90 transmits the acquired data to the control device 15. By receiving this, the control device 15 grasps that the user has entered the conference room. Then, when the control device 15 grasps that the user has entered the conference room in this way, the control device 15 controls the facilities in the conference room based on the operation input to the portable terminal device 90 carried by the user. Thereby, even a user who is not scheduled to participate in the meeting can operate the facilities in the conference room.

[0020] Note that this determination method is for enabling even a user who is not determined to be in the conference room by the above-described determination method to operate the facilities in the conference room. Therefore, a user who can be determined to be in the conference room by the above-described determination method, such as a user whose participation in the meeting is registered in the conference room reservation information managed by the management device 14, does not need to bring the portable terminal device 90 close to the NFC tag when entering the conference room. Also, even for a user who is not scheduled to participate in the meeting, if there is no need to operate the facilities in that meeting room, there is no need to bring the mobile terminal device 90 close to the NFC tag. In fact, in such a scenario, since other users who are registered to participate in the meeting can operate it, the scenarios where a user who is not scheduled to participate in the meeting needs to bring the mobile terminal device 90 close to the NFC tag are expected to be very limited.

[0021] Also, with this determination method, it is not possible to determine that the user has left the meeting room. Therefore, when the control device 15 grasps that the user has entered the meeting room by bringing the mobile terminal device 90 close to the NFC tag, the control device 15 may control the facilities in that meeting room based on the operations input to the mobile terminal device 90 carried by the user only until a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes) has elapsed since the entry. Even after the predetermined time has elapsed, if the user brings the mobile terminal device 90 close to the NFC tag again, the facilities in that meeting room can be operated again. Alternatively, the facilities in that meeting room may be controlled based on the operations input to the mobile terminal device 90 carried by the user only until the scheduled end date and time of the meeting scheduled at that time.

[0022] Note that instead of performing the in-room determination based on which wireless communication access point device the mobile terminal device is connected to, other indoor positioning methods may be used to perform the in-room determination. For example, a plurality of beacon transmitting devices that transmit beacons may be installed in the office 80, and the in-room determination may be performed based on which beacon the mobile terminal device has received from which beacon transmitting device. That is, by detecting that the wireless communication device installed at a predetermined position can communicate with the mobile terminal device carried by the user, it is detected that the mobile terminal device is within the communication range of the wireless communication device. Similar to the case of the wireless communication access point device, the wireless communication device may detect the communication with the mobile terminal device, or similar to the case of the beacon transmitting device, the mobile terminal device may detect the communication with the wireless communication device. Here, "wireless communication" includes not only communication using radio waves, but also all communication that does not require a wired connection, such as light, infrared rays, and ultrasonic waves.

[0023] The embodiments described above are examples for facilitating the understanding of the present invention. The present invention is not limited thereto, and includes those that have been variously modified, changed, added, or removed without departing from the scope defined by the appended claims. This can be easily understood by those skilled in the art from the above description.

[0024] In a system that identifies office building facilities (such as air conditioning, lighting, blinds, etc.) related to a position from the results of indoor positioning and operates them from a smartphone, it is not easy to accurately identify the position in terms of rooms. This is because general indoor positioning technologies use radio waves such as Wi-Fi and BLE, and radio waves can easily pass through walls made of glass or gypsum board. Therefore, even if such a system is introduced in an office conference room or the like, there is a possibility of misdetecting the office building facilities to be operated and operating the office building facilities in an adjacent room as the operation target. On the other hand, the facility control system uses data obtained by near-field wireless communication (NFC, etc.), beacons (Wi-Fi, BLE, etc.), and a web calendar to identify a conference room or the like in the office used by the user, and enables operation of office building facilities related to the room. By processing data obtained by near-field wireless communication (NFC, etc.), beacons (Wi-Fi, BLE, etc.), and a web calendar, the position of the user can be accurately identified in terms of rooms, and operations on office building facilities in the corresponding room can be enabled. For a user who has made a meeting reservation on the Web calendar, if the user has responded to participate in the schedule associated with the corresponding room and has been detected by the beacon (such as Wi-Fi) associated with the corresponding room, the operation of the office building facilities of the corresponding room is enabled. For users in adjacent rooms, the equipment operation of that room is disabled and the equipment operation of the adjacent room is enabled based on the same mechanism. Also, a user who is not participating in any meeting cannot operate the office building facilities of any room. Users who have not made a meeting reservation on the Web calendar include those who have not been pre-invited to the Web calendar and those who use it suddenly without a reservation. By holding the user's smartphone near the short-range wireless communication (such as NFC) installed in the room, the operation of the office building facilities of the corresponding room is temporarily enabled. As a result, the user can easily operate the equipment that suits their location without being aware of it. Also, the user can operate the equipment of the room they are using without intentionally selecting the target equipment from their smartphone. Also, it is possible to prevent the user from accidentally operating a non-corresponding room. Users who do not use the Web calendar can also operate the office building facilities of the room by holding it near the NFC.

Description of Signs

[0025] 10 Equipment control system, 12a~12c NFC tags, 13a, 13b Wireless communication access point devices, 14 Management device, 15 Control device, 80 Office, 81 Office room, 82a~82c Conference rooms, 83a~83c Equipment, 90 Portable terminal device.

Claims

1. A control device for controlling equipment provided in a room, A management device for managing the usage status of the room, A plurality of wireless communication devices respectively installed at predetermined locations and communicating with a portable terminal device carried by a user Comprising, The control device, Based on the usage status of the room managed by the management device, determines whether the user is using the room, When it is determined that the user is using the room, based on which of the plurality of wireless communication devices is relaying communication with the portable terminal device, determines whether the user carrying the portable terminal device is inside the room, When it is determined that the user is inside the room, controls the equipment based on an operation input to the portable terminal device, An equipment control system.

2. Further comprising a short-range wireless communication tag installed in the room, The management device, Determines whether the portable terminal device has communicated with the short-range wireless communication tag, Even when an operation for controlling equipment is input to the portable terminal device before a predetermined time has elapsed since the portable terminal device communicated with the short-range wireless communication tag, controls the equipment based on the operation input to the portable terminal device, The equipment control system according to Claim 1.

3. The management device, Among the plurality of wireless communication devices, stores in advance a wireless communication device capable of relaying communication with a portable terminal device inside the room, When the wireless communication device relaying communication with the portable terminal device is included in the stored wireless communication devices, determines that the user carrying the portable terminal device is inside the room, The equipment control system according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. The wireless communication device is a wireless communication access point device for relaying communication with the portable terminal device, The equipment control system according to Claim 1 or 2.

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