Office environmental control system, office environmental control method, and program

Abstract

To provide an office environmental control system and the like capable of properly controlling the environment.SOLUTION: The office environmental control system includes a number-of-people processing unit 313 that calculates the number-of-people in the room. The number-of-people processing unit 313 includes: an acquisition unit 313a that acquires entry and exit timing of people entering and leaving offices 99a-99c and a personal ID capable of identifying each person entering or leaving the room; a number-of-people in the room estimation unit 313b that estimates the real number-of-people in the room in the offices 99a-99c from the acquired entry and exit timing and personal ID; a number of people on hold estimation unit 313c that estimates the number of people on hold as the number of people entering and leaving the room that are considered to be temporarily leaving out of those who entered and left office 99a-99c from the acquired entry and exit timing and personal ID; and a number-of-occupied seats estimation unit 313d that estimates the number-of-occupied seats in the offices 99a-99c from the sum of the real number of people in the room and the number of people on hold, and outputs the number-of-occupied seats estimated as the number-of-people in the room.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 33

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an office environment control system, an office environment control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, free address work styles have been proposed in light of the liberalization of work styles. In this type of work style, each user can select their preferred area to carry out their work. Patent Document 1 discloses a free address office equipment control system for controlling equipment related to this free address work style. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-4047 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the traditional free address working style, there were cases where the environment within the office was not properly controlled.

[0005] In view of the above, the present disclosure aims to provide an office environment control system and the like that can more appropriately control the environment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An office environment control system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an office environment control system that controls environmental equipment in the office based on the number of people present in the office, and includes a number of people processing unit that calculates the number of people present. The number of people processing unit includes an acquisition unit that acquires the entry and exit timings of people entering and leaving the office and personal IDs that can identify each of the people entering and leaving, a number of people present estimation unit that estimates the actual number of people present in the office from the acquired entry and exit timings and personal IDs, a pending number of people estimation unit that estimates a pending number of people, which is the number of people who have left the office and are considered to have left temporarily, from the acquired entry and exit timings and personal IDs, and an occupied seat number estimation unit that estimates the number of occupied seats in the office from the sum of the actual number of people present and the pending number of people, and outputs the estimated number of occupied seats as the number of people present.

[0007] Furthermore, an office environment control method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an office environment control method executed by a computer that controls environmental equipment in the office based on the number of people present in the office, and includes a number of people processing step of calculating the number of people present, in which the number of people processing step acquires the entry and exit timings of people entering and leaving the office and personal IDs that can identify each of the people entering and leaving, estimates the number of people actually present in the office from the acquired entry and exit timings and personal IDs, estimates a pending number of people, which is the number of people who have left the office and are considered to have temporarily left, from the acquired entry and exit timings and personal IDs, estimates the number of occupied seats in the office from the sum of the actual number of people present and the pending number of people, and outputs the number of occupied seats estimated as the number of people present.

[0008] Furthermore, one aspect of the present disclosure can be realized as a program that causes a computer to execute the office environment control method, or as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium storing the program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, the environment can be controlled more appropriately. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an office to which an office environment control system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a work area in an office according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a work area in an office according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a work area in an office according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the office environment control system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an office area table according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the office environment control system according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an office to which an office environment control system according to another embodiment is applied. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a work area in an office according to another example of the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a work area in an office according to another embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a work area in an office according to another embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of an office area table according to another example of the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an input / output screen according to another example of the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of an input / output screen according to the embodiment. [Figure 15]FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of one day's operation of the office environment control system according to the embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a layout diagram of the office areas and areas outside the office areas in each office area pattern corresponding to FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of an office area pattern according to an office area usage order according to the embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of an office area pattern according to an office area usage order according to the embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of an office area pattern according to an office area usage order according to the embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of an office area pattern according to an office area usage order according to the embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the relationship between the office area pattern sequence and the office area pattern according to the embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the relationship between the office area pattern and the amount of power consumption of environmental equipment per unit time according to the embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing average power consumption per unit time for each office area pattern sequence according to the embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of displaying the location of the office area according to the embodiment. [Figure 25] FIG. 25 is a diagram showing the relationship between the amount of power consumption per unit time of the environmental equipment, the weather information, and the seasonal information in the section according to the embodiment. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a diagram showing average power consumption under certain conditions according to the embodiment. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a diagram showing average power consumption under certain conditions according to the embodiment. [Figure 28] FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of the operation input device according to the embodiment. [Figure 29]FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating an example of the actual operating time of the lighting devices according to the embodiment. [Figure 30] FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operating time of the air conditioner according to the embodiment. [Figure 31] FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating a work area in an office according to an embodiment. [Figure 32] FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of an office to which an office environment control system according to yet another embodiment is applied. [Figure 33] FIG. 33 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the number of people management unit according to this embodiment. [Figure 34] FIG. 34 is a diagram illustrating an example of a number of people change table according to the embodiment. [Figure 35] FIG. 35 is a diagram illustrating an example of information regarding entry and exit according to the embodiment. [Figure 36] FIG. 36 is a diagram illustrating an example of the temporary exit time according to the embodiment. [Figure 37] FIG. 37 is a diagram illustrating an example of calculation of a condition related to reservation according to the embodiment. [Figure 38] FIG. 38 is a diagram illustrating an example of calculation of a condition related to reservation according to the embodiment. [Figure 39] FIG. 39 is a diagram illustrating an example of calculation of a condition related to reservation according to the embodiment. [Figure 40] FIG. 40 is a diagram illustrating an example of calculation of a condition related to reservation according to the embodiment. [Figure 41] FIG. 41 is a diagram illustrating an example of calculation of a condition related to reservation according to the embodiment. [Figure 42] FIG. 42 is a diagram illustrating an example of calculation of the number of occupied seats according to the embodiment. [Figure 43] FIG. 43 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the number-of-people processing unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 44] FIG. 44 is a diagram illustrating an example of arrangement of a number of people change table according to the embodiment. [Figure 45] FIG. 45 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating the reservation list according to the embodiment. [Figure 46] FIG. 46 is a diagram showing an example of changes in the estimated number of people and the reservation list according to the embodiment. [Figure 47] FIG. 47 is a diagram showing an example of changes in the estimated number of people and the reservation list according to the embodiment. [Figure 48] FIG. 48 is a diagram showing an example of changes in the estimated number of people and the reservation list according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Below, an office environment control system and the like according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that each of the embodiments described below represents a specific example of the present disclosure. Therefore, the numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component arrangements and connection forms, steps, and step sequences shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Therefore, among the components according to the following embodiments, components not recited in independent claims will be described as optional components.

[0012] Furthermore, each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily an exact illustration. Therefore, for example, the scales of the figures do not necessarily match. Furthermore, in each figure, substantially the same components are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted or simplified.

[0013] (Embodiment) [overview] In the embodiment described below, in a free address office, the office is divided into multiple candidate work areas, and the number and layout of the candidate work areas to be used are determined according to the number of people in the office. In this case, the areas determined as work areas are controlled to a first environment suitable for work, and the other areas are controlled to a second environment that consumes less energy (or power) than the first environment, thereby achieving energy conservation throughout the office while maintaining satisfaction with the work environment for workers (also referred to as users or workers).

[0014] A more detailed overview is provided below. As mentioned in the Background Technology section, office usage patterns have shifted from fixed seats to flexible address systems, and work styles such as remote work have become more common due to activity-based working (ABW) and COVID-19, resulting in an increasing number of situations in which the number of people working in the office fluctuates from day to day. Meanwhile, even when the number of people present is low, situations have arisen in which all office lights are turned on and air conditioning is applied uniformly throughout the office to avoid compromising user comfort, resulting in increased energy consumption per person. From the perspective of global warming countermeasures, it is necessary to reduce energy consumption derived from fossil fuels, so the above situation is inappropriate.

[0015] Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, it has been explained that energy conservation is achieved by determining work areas according to the number of people in the office, gathering workers in the determined work areas, and operating equipment in the work areas while stopping equipment in areas other than the work areas. However, with such a measure, since equipment in areas other than the work areas is stopped, the atmosphere in the office becomes worse, reducing workers' satisfaction with the work environment, and although it can reduce power consumption, there is a risk that it will reduce workers' productivity.

[0016] In other words, implementing conventional controls can lead to problems such as not being able to ensure safe lighting outside of work areas, creating a dark image within the office that discourages employees from working, or creating discomfort when crossing between work and non-work areas due to temperature differences.

[0017] Therefore, this disclosure aims to reduce the energy used to maintain the environment throughout the office without compromising worker productivity by setting up work areas of a size appropriate for the number of people present in the office, creating an environment (lighting, air conditioning) suitable for work within the set work areas, and reducing the energy used to maintain the environment in other areas compared to the work areas, while taking into consideration not compromising the safety and comfort of the workers.Furthermore, this disclosure also mentions managing the usage history of environmental equipment (lighting equipment, air conditioning equipment, etc.) in the office to reduce bias in usage and enable the environmental equipment to continue to be used until its appropriate lifespan.

[0018] Furthermore, while the number of people present can be calculated by simply calculating the difference between the number of people entering and leaving the office, in that case, a temporary departure may result in a seat being occupied but not being counted as the number of people present in the office. In this case, when a person temporarily leaves the office and a new person enters, a problem may arise: when the new person tries to use a seat, the seat may be occupied by luggage or other items left behind by the person who temporarily left, preventing the new person from using the seat; or when the person who temporarily left tries to return to their original seat, the seat may already be occupied by the new person. Therefore, it may be appropriate to determine the number of people present based on the number of occupied seats, taking into account the presence of people who temporarily left the office. This disclosure also discusses the use of the "number of occupied seats," which is more in line with the actual situation when the office is in use, as the "number of people present."

[0019] [Example 1] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an office to which an office environment control system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. Fig. 1 shows a floor plan of an office 99 as an example of the office 99 to which the system is applied. Fig. 1 shows that a plurality of pieces of furniture 97 are arranged in the office 99, and that some of the furniture 97 belong to candidate work areas 98.

[0020] As explained above, the present invention exerts an energy-saving effect when applied to a free-address office where the number of people in the office 99 is managed and there are no fixed seats. An entry card reader 96 and an exit card reader 95 are installed at the entrances and exits of this office 99 for security management, so that the number of people in the room can be known. A plurality of office furniture 97 is arranged in the room, and it is a free-address system where workers can choose any seat. In addition, based on the arrangement of the furniture 97, a candidate office area 98 to be used for environmental equipment control is set. Note that the candidate office area 98 becomes an office area once it is decided that it will be used, and therefore may be expressed as the office area 98.

[0021] 2 to 4 are diagrams illustrating work areas in an office according to an embodiment. In Fig. 2, the furniture 97 shown in the floor plan of Fig. 1 is omitted, and instead, reference numerals 1 to 12 are assigned to identify each of the work area candidates 98. For example, work area candidate 1 is also a work area candidate 98.

[0022] The candidate office area 98 used in this embodiment does not refer to an area physically surrounded by walls or partitions, but rather refers to a conceptual location within an office 99 that is controlled to have an environment suitable for work. FIG. 3 shows the layout relationship between the candidate office area 98 and lighting devices L (see FIG. 5 described later), and FIG. 4 shows the layout relationship between the candidate office area 98 and air conditioning devices AC (see FIG. 5 described later). FIG. 3 omits the illustration of fixtures 97 from the floor plan of FIG. 1, and instead shows the layout relationship between each candidate office area 98 and lighting devices L1 to L24. Furthermore, FIG. 4 omits the illustration of fixtures 97 from the floor plan of FIG. 1, and instead shows the layout relationship between each candidate office area 98 and air conditioning devices AC1 and AC2.

[0023] In this embodiment, a candidate office area 98 is selected (determined) as the office area 98 to be used based on the number of people present in the room, and the selected office area 98 is controlled to a first environment suitable for work, while the unselected candidate office area 98 is controlled to a second environment that consumes less power than the first environment, thereby achieving energy conservation. At this time, although the second environment consumes less power than the first environment, it does not mean that no power is consumed at all. Specifically, in the second environment, environmental devices are controlled to consume the minimum amount of power necessary while taking into consideration not to impair the safety and comfort of the workers.

[0024] 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an office environment control system according to an embodiment. The office environment control system described below is mainly realized by a control unit 300 and various devices for inputting and outputting information to and from the control unit 300. The control unit 300 is realized, for example, by an information processing server such as a cloud server, and is realized by a processor, memory, and application programs executed by these. The control unit 300 includes a headcount management unit 310, an input / output unit 320, an office area table management unit 330, an office area determination unit 340, and an environment control unit 350.

[0025] The headcount management unit 310 accumulates the number of people (hereinafter simply referred to as the number of people) in the office 99 measured by an external sensor 391. When the number of people increases, it calculates the maximum number of people. When the number of people decreases, it determines the decrease in the number of people and calculates a representative number of people at the time of the decrease. The control information for the control is sent to the office area determination unit 340. In this embodiment, the headcount is measured using an entry card reader 96 and an exit card reader 95 for security management installed at the entrance / exit as external sensors 391. However, other sensing means for measuring the number of people may also be used. Examples of other measuring means include a passing number of people sensor installed at the entrance / exit, a sensor that detects radio signals from a mobile phone or beacon, and a camera for measuring the number of people in the room. The relationship between the three system operation modes and the corresponding control information is shown below. The person status measurement unit 311 and presence / absence determination unit 312 will be described later. In this embodiment, the person status measurement unit 311 and presence / absence determination unit 312 are not required components.

[0026] (1) Office area expansion mode: When the number of people increases, only the office area is expanded, and when the number of people decreases, the state of the office area remains the same. In this case, the number of people for control is the maximum number of people from the start to the end of control for one day. In other words, the maximum number of people is reset for each day.

[0027] (2) Office area expansion and reduction mode: When the number of people increases, the office area is expanded, and when the number of people decreases, the office area is reduced. In this case, the number of people used for control is the maximum number of people from the start of control for the day when the number of people increases, and the representative value within the period in which the decrease continues for a certain period when the number of people decreases. Examples of representative values include the average number of people within the decrease period or the number of people at the end of the decrease period.

[0028] (3) Office area expansion and specified time reduction mode: When the number of people increases, the office area expands, and when the number of people decreases, the office area shrinks only when the conditions are met at a predetermined specified time. When the number of people increases, the number of people used for control is the maximum number of people since the start of control for the day, and when the number of people decreases, the representative value of the number of people within the section at that time is used only if the number of people continues to decrease for a certain period of time at a predetermined specified time. The representative value can be, for example, the average number of people within the decreasing section or the number of people at the end of the decreasing section.

[0029] The office area table management unit 330 manages the office area table. The office area table includes, for each office area candidate 98, multiple series indicating the relationship between the lighting devices L and air conditioners AC belonging to each office area candidate 98, the number of seats in each office area, and the order of use of the office areas for each congestion level.

[0030] 6 is a diagram showing an example of an office area table according to an embodiment. The density level indicates whether, when expanding an office area 98 to be used at a certain point in time (i.e., increasing the number of office areas 98), among the candidate office areas 98, an office area is selected from those that are close to the office area 98 already in use, or from those that are farther away from the office area 98 in use. When selecting a close office area 98, a use order with a high density level ("high density") is selected, and when selecting from office areas 98 that are farther away, a use order with a low density level ("low density") is selected.

[0031] A high density level is selected when there is a lot of group work where workers communicate with each other while working, and a low density level is selected when there are many workers who want to concentrate on solo work without being aware of the presence of other workers, creating an environment suited to the nature of the work. This improves the efficiency of work. The work area table is set up in advance by the system administrator, but can be modified as needed based on changes to the layout of fixtures 97 and user preferences for the order in which work areas are used at each density level.

[0032] The input / output unit 320 has an operation interface unit 321 and a control effect presentation unit 322. The operation interface unit 321 receives, from an operation input device 392, input of the system's operating mode and the user's desired density level, which are necessary when the office area determination unit 340 determines the order in which office areas will be used. The control effect presentation unit 322 and display device 393 will be described later. In this embodiment, the control effect presentation unit 322 and display device 393 are not essential components.

[0033] The office area determination unit 340 first selects one series from the office area use order series of congestion levels according to input by the user, then compares the total number of seats in the candidate office area 98 in use plus the number of available seats with the control number of personnel calculated by the headcount management unit 310, and if it determines that the number of seats is insufficient according to the operation mode selected by the user, it expands the range of office areas 98 in use to a range of office areas 98 that satisfies the number of seats (or increases the number of office areas 98) according to the selected office area use order, or if the number of seats is too large, it reduces the range of office areas 98 in use to a range of office areas that satisfies the control number of personnel (or decreases the number of office areas 98) according to the selected office area use order.

[0034] The seating surplus is set in advance to increase user satisfaction by providing a surplus of seats and expanding the range of seating options available to users, and to prevent a shortage of office seats due to errors in people counting or delays in the operation of environmental equipment.

[0035] The environmental control unit 350 controls the environmental devices so as to create a first environment suitable for work in the work area 98 determined to be used by the work area determination unit 340, and to create a second environment in other areas not determined to be used that requires less power consumption to maintain the environment than the first environment, while taking into consideration not compromising the safety and comfort of the workers. Here, lighting device L and air conditioner AC are shown as examples of environmental devices. Lighting device L is a concept that encompasses lighting devices L1 to L24. Air conditioner AC is a concept that encompasses air conditioners AC1 and AC2.

[0036] As described above, the environmental control unit 350 has the function of controlling air conditioning equipment in addition to controlling lighting equipment, and controls the lighting equipment and air conditioning equipment so that the office area 98 is provided with a first lighting environment and a first air conditioning environment that are suitable for work, and so that other areas whose use has not been determined are provided with a second lighting environment and a second air conditioning environment that consume less power to maintain the environment than the first lighting environment and the first air conditioning environment, while taking into consideration not compromising the comfort of the workers. Preferred examples of the first lighting environment, first air conditioning environment, second lighting environment, and second air conditioning environment are as follows:

[0037] First lighting environment: Desk surface illuminance is 500 lux.

[0038] First air-conditioning environment: PMV = -0.5 to 0.5. More preferably, PMV = 0.

[0039] Second lighting environment: Floor illuminance 150 lux.

[0040] Second air-conditioning environment: PMV=0.5~1 in summer, PMV=-1~-0.5 in winter.

[0041] The first lighting environment is a bright environment suitable for work, and can be easily distinguished by its brightness compared to the slightly darker second lighting environment, and people who enter the room can be guided to the work area 98 illuminated by the first lighting environment. Furthermore, in the second lighting environment, the perceived brightness can be increased by configuring the lighting device L to be able to illuminate the walls and columns, thereby improving the comfort of the workers.

[0042] Furthermore, during times when office 99 is not being used for work, such as during a lunch break, environmental control unit 350 can reduce the amount of power consumed by lighting device L by dimming both the first and second lighting environments while maintaining the illuminance of the first lighting environment brighter than the illuminance of the second lighting environment. Note that environmental device power consumption management unit 351 included in environmental control unit 350 will be described later. In this embodiment, environmental device power consumption management unit 351 is not an essential component.

[0043] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the office environment control system configured as above, that is, the flow of processing by the control unit 300. Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the office environment control system according to the embodiment.

[0044] First, the operation interface unit 321 of the input / output unit 320 accepts input of the system operation mode and office area density (S101). Next, the external sensor 391 measures the number of people in the office by sensing and outputs the number of people counting results. Then, the number of people counting results output by the number of people management unit 310 are acquired and a number of people for control purposes is calculated from the number of people counting results (S102). Acquiring the number of people counting results and calculating the number of people for control purposes in step S102 is an example of counting and managing the number of people in the office 99. At this time, the number of people management unit 310 performs calculations according to the system operation mode. Next, the office area determination unit 340 determines an office area based on the system operation mode, the office area density, the number of people for control purposes, and the office area table (S103). At this time, the office area determination unit 340 reads and uses the office area table managed by the office area table management unit. Next, the environmental control unit 350 controls the environmental equipment so that the determined work area is in a first lighting environment and a first air conditioning environment, and the other areas are in a second lighting environment and a second air conditioning environment (S104). When the predetermined office closing time is reached (Yes in S105), the control for the day ends, and the lighting and air conditioning are stopped (S106). If the office closing time has not yet been reached (No in S105), steps S102 to S104 are repeated.

[0045] Next, an example of an office 99 with a different layout from that shown in FIG. 1 is shown. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an office to which an office environment control system according to another embodiment of the present invention is applied. As with FIGS. 2 to 4, FIG. 9 shows symbols for identifying a candidate office area 98 according to this example, FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the candidate office area 98 and lighting equipment L, and FIG. 11 shows the relationship between the candidate office area 98 and air conditioning equipment AC. In this example, the layout of fixtures 97 differs from that shown in FIG. 1, but even with this type of fixture layout, an office area table can be created as shown in FIG. 12 and can be controlled by the present system. As shown in FIG. 12, by using the office area table, office areas can be set to any size and in any location, allowing for any fixture layout.

[0046] An information processing terminal such as a tablet PC is used as the operation input device. An example of the input / output screen is shown in Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the input / output screen according to another example of the embodiment. The input / output screen shown in the figure accepts input of the system operation mode and the office area density, and also displays the location of the currently determined office area, thereby making it possible to communicate the location of the office area to the user in an easy-to-understand manner.

[0047] [Example 2] Next, a second embodiment will be described. The office 99 in this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 8. The functional configuration of the office environment control system in this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 5. The environmental control unit 350 in this embodiment includes an environmental device power consumption management unit 351. The environmental device power consumption management unit 351 manages the operating time and power consumption of each environmental device connected to this system. The input / output unit 320 in this embodiment includes a control effect presentation unit 322. The control effect presentation unit 322 displays the amount of power consumption and the amount of power reduction during operation on a display device 393. By presenting the amount of power consumption and the amount of power reduction during operation to the user, user convenience can be improved. By using the amount of power consumption per unit time for each office area usage order for each office area density, which is calculated using power consumption data accumulated during operation, the office area determination unit 340 can select an office area usage order that consumes less power, thereby improving energy conservation.

[0048] The operation interface unit 321 in the input / output unit 320 receives the system operation mode, the user's request for the density level, and the energy-saving operation selection, which are required when the office area use order is determined by the office area determination unit 340, from the operation input / output screen shown in Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the input / output screen according to the embodiment.

[0049] When the system is running, the environmental equipment power consumption management unit 351 calculates the amount of power consumed per unit time for each office area pattern used, and calculates the average power consumption for each office area pattern series in which the office area patterns are arranged in order of use.

[0050] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of daily operation of an office environment control system according to an embodiment. This embodiment will be described below using FIG. 15. In the example of operation shown in FIG. 15, the explanation will be given assuming that the user has selected the "office area expansion and reduction mode" as the system operation mode and the "low density" as the density level. FIG. 16 is a layout diagram of the office areas and areas outside the office areas in each office area pattern corresponding to FIG. 15. In FIG. 16, the shaded areas indicate the office areas, and the unshaded areas indicate the areas outside the office areas. Hereinafter, in the diagrams showing the office area patterns, the shaded areas indicate the office areas, and the unshaded areas indicate the areas outside the office areas.

[0051] In the office area table of FIG. 12, which corresponds to the office layout shown in FIG. 8, there are two office area usage orders that satisfy the low density requirement: "aa1" and "bb1." In this embodiment, the first one is selected by default until operational data is accumulated. In other words, "aa1" is selected. The graph in FIG. 15 shows the change in the number of people occupying each hour of the day. Each section in the graph indicates a period during which the same office area pattern selected according to the office area usage order continues. In other words, in a certain section, the office area pattern remains constant and unchanged. Here, an office area pattern refers to the combination of office areas 98 selected within that section. An office area pattern is represented by "P()," with the selected office area number (the symbol in FIG. 15) in parentheses, separated by a comma. In this embodiment, there are seven office areas, resulting in a total of 121 office area patterns.

[0052] As shown in the lower part of FIG. 15, in sections 1 to 3 where the number of people is primarily increasing, the number of office areas 98 increases, as in P(13) to P(13,17,18), while in sections 4 to 5 where the number of people is primarily decreasing, the number of office areas decreases, as in P(13,17) to P(13). FIGS. 17 to 20 show an arrangement of office area patterns according to the office area usage order in the office area table. FIGS. 17 to 20 show examples of office area patterns according to the office area usage order in accordance with an embodiment. Note that FIG. 17 corresponds to the example shown in FIG. 16. As shown in FIGS. 17 to 20, candidate office areas are determined as office areas in different patterns according to the office area usage order. Here, the office area patterns arranged according to each office area usage order are referred to as an office area pattern sequence. FIG. 21 shows a summary of the office area pattern sequence and the office area patterns. FIG. 21 shows the relationship between the office area pattern sequence and the office area patterns in accordance with an embodiment.

[0053] The environmental device power consumption management unit 351 measures the duration of each section and the amount of environmental device power consumption within each section, divides the amount of environmental device power consumption by the duration to calculate the amount of environmental device power consumption per unit time, and associates this with the office area pattern selected for each section. The operating time of each environmental device is also accumulated based on the environmental device used in each section and the duration of each section. For lighting devices, in addition to the operating time, a value obtained by multiplying the operating time by the dimming rate is also saved. Hereinafter, the operating time multiplied by the dimming rate will be referred to as the actual operating time. The relationship between the office area pattern and the amount of environmental device power consumption per unit time is shown in Figure 22. Figure 22 is a diagram showing the relationship between the office area pattern and the amount of environmental device power consumption per unit time according to an embodiment.

[0054] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing the average power consumption per unit time for each office area pattern sequence according to the embodiment. The amount of power consumption per unit time of environmental devices in each section is averaged across all sections to determine the average power consumption for the office area pattern sequence. In this embodiment, because office area pattern sequence aa1 is selected, data is accumulated with a timestamp as the average power consumption for aa1. In this way, as shown in FIG. 23, the average power consumption per unit time for each office area pattern sequence is accumulated for each working day. These accumulated average power consumption per unit time are averaged over the day, and this average value can be used to compare the power consumption status of each office area pattern.

[0055] The power consumption data of each environmental device is obtained by periodically inquiring about power consumption from each environmental device by the environmental control unit 350. Alternatively, a data table of the amount of power consumption per unit time may be prepared in advance for each environmental device, and the power consumption data may be calculated from the operating time of each environmental device.

[0056] The office area determination unit 340 compares the control number of people calculated from the counted number of people with the total number of seats in the currently selected office area 98 plus the number of surplus seats to determine whether there is an excess or shortage of seats. Next, based on the operation mode and density level input through the operation interface unit 321, the order of use of the office areas with the selected office area density is selected from the office area table.

[0057] Next, if an energy-saving operation is selected (if an energy-saving operation is selected), the average power consumption of the office area pattern series corresponding to the office area usage order is referenced, and the office area usage order with the lowest average power consumption is selected to determine the office area. As shown in the input / output screen in Figure 14, if the density level is "low" and the energy-saving operation is "selected," aa1 and bb1 are selected as candidates for the office area usage order from the office area table in Figure 12, and the office area usage order with the lowest average power consumption is determined from these candidates by referring to Figure 23. If an energy-saving operation is not selected (if an energy-saving operation is not selected), the previously described aa1 may be selected by default, or aa1 and bb1 may be used alternately.

[0058] The control effect presentation unit 322 in the input / output unit 320 uses the current power consumption data and past time-series power consumption data managed by the environmental device power consumption management unit 351 to display all or some of the power consumption and power reduction amounts, the time-series progress of power consumption and power reduction amounts, and the outlook for future power consumption and power reduction amounts on the display device 393, making it easier for users to recognize the effects of the system and improving convenience. The power reduction amount may be set based on the amount of power consumed when all environmental devices are operated at full capacity, or may be set based on the previous year's results. The display device 393 may be a digital signage device installed in the office 99, or may be displayed on the display module of a personal computer or tablet PC used by a user in the office 99.

[0059] Furthermore, the control effect presentation unit 322 may display the location of the currently determined office area 98 on the display device 393. An example of the display is shown in Fig. 24. Fig. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a display of the location of an office area according to an embodiment. The display example in Fig. 24 displays the current power consumption and power reduction amount, actual and predicted power reduction amounts over time, and the currently active office area. In the graph of power reduction amount, the solid line indicates actual results and the dashed line indicates predictions, and the actual and predicted values can be used to collectively recognize the amount of power reduction for the entire year.

[0060] [Example 3] Next, a third embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the power consumption for each office area usage order for each office area density is predicted based on the office area usage pattern predicted based on the number of people present per day predicted using the number of people data accumulated in the number of people management unit 310, weather forecast data, power consumption during operation, and meteorological information data accumulated together with the power consumption during operation, and a configuration will be described in which the energy saving effect is enhanced by selecting the office area usage order with the lowest predicted power consumption. In this embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the office 99 is the same as that shown in FIG. 8.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 25, the environmental device power consumption management unit 351 in the environmental device control unit 350 accumulates the environmental device power consumption per unit time for each section, weather information, and seasonal information for each office area pattern used in each section during operation. Weather information refers to meteorological information such as sunny, cloudy, or rainy weather, as well as temperature and humidity. Seasonal information is calculated based on the calendar at that time, distinguishing between spring, summer, autumn, and winter. When low density is selected in the office area table shown in FIG. 9, FIG. 26 shows the average power consumption for each weather information for each office area pattern in the case of office area usage order aa1, and FIG. 27 shows the average power consumption for each weather information for each office area pattern in the case of office area usage order bb1. Here, weather (either sunny, cloudy, or rainy) was used as the weather information.

[0062] In addition to the details described in Example 2 above, the headcount management unit 310 uses accumulated time-series headcount data, the calendar of working days, and event schedule information to perform a time-series prediction of the number of people present on the day the system is operating. Candidates for the order of use of office areas are selected based on this predicted time-series headcount and the selection results of the system operation mode, office area density, and energy-saving operation input by the user. The following explanation assumes that the system operation mode is "expand / reduce mode," the office area density is "low density," and the energy-saving operation is "on." Similar to the actual operation shown in Figure 15, sections and office area patterns can be predicted from this information. In the case of low density, there are two possible office area use orders, aa1 and bb1, and the predicted office area patterns for each are as follows:

[0063] (1)aa1:P(13)→P(13,17)→P(13,17,18)→P(13,17)→P(13) (2)bb1:P(19)→P(15,19)→P(14,15,19)→P(15,19)→P(19)

[0064] According to the weather forecast, the weather for each section is predicted as follows:

[0065] Section 1: Sunny, Section 2: Cloudy, Section 3: Rainy, Section 4: Cloudy, Section 5: Sunny

[0066] The average power consumption corresponding to the weather forecast for each section is extracted from Fig. 26 and Fig. 27, and the average power consumption is tallied as follows.

[0067] Wtotal(aa1) = W_P(13)(Sunny) + W_P(13,17)(Cloudy) + W_P(13,17,18)(Rainy) + W_P(13,17)(Cloudy) + W_P(13)(Sunny) Wtotal(bb1) = W_P(19)(Sunny) + W_P(15,19)(Cloudy) + W_P(14,15,19)(Rainy) + W_P(15,19)(Cloudy) + W_P(19)(Sunny)

[0068] The office area determination unit compares the average power consumptions Wtotal(aa1) and Wtotal(bb1) for the two office area usage orders compiled from the prediction results, and selects the one with the lower average power consumption. By determining the office area to be used in this manner, it is possible to reduce power consumption in response to changes in weather. Although seasonal information is not used in the explanation of this example, by storing data on average power consumption corresponding to each weather information for each office area pattern shown in Figures 26 and 27 and further classifying the data with seasonal information, the same seasonal information can be used when making predictions for the day, making it possible to predict a more appropriate office area usage order and improving the effectiveness of power consumption reduction.

[0069] [Example 4] Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the people status measurement unit 311 in the number of people management unit 310 in the first embodiment determines whether or not workers are concentrating based on the people status data from the externally connected sensor 391, and the determination result is used during the work area reduction process. For this purpose, the sensor 391 and the determination of whether or not the subjects are concentrating may be performed, for example, by using a camera as the sensor 391 and analyzing the captured image of the subjects to determine whether or not they are concentrating. However, any other existing technology may be applied. Thus, the sensor 391 has a sensing function in addition to the function of sensing the number of people in the office. In other words, the sensor 391 is a concept that encompasses multiple detectors, each having several sensing functions. In other words, one detector included in the sensor 391 is used to sense the number of people in the office, and another detector included in the sensor 391 is used to sense the state of people.

[0070] In this embodiment, when reducing an office area 98 (excluding a portion of the office area 98 at that time so that it is not included in future office areas 98), the state of people in the office area 98 to be reduced is measured, and if the state of the people working there is measured to be a concentrated state, the office area reduction process is suspended, thereby reducing the impact on the work of the workers. On the other hand, if it is determined that the state has returned to normal from a concentrated state while the reduction process is suspended, the office area reduction process is carried out.

[0071] The functional configuration of the office environment control system in this embodiment is similar to that shown in FIG. 5. The person state measurement unit 311 determines whether a person is concentrating based on information about the person (e.g., an image) input from the sensor 391. When the office area determination unit 340 determines to reduce the office area 98, it queries the person state measurement unit 311 about the state of people in the office area 98 to be reduced, and if it receives a response indicating that there is a person in a concentrating state, it suspends the reduction process. While the reduction process is suspended, it continues to query the person state measurement unit 311 about the state of people in the office area 98 to be reduced, and executes the reduction process after the state changes from the concentrating state to a normal state (a state where the person is not concentrating). As described above, when a camera is used for the sensor 391, the person state measurement unit 311 can determine the state of concentration based on the person's body movements and facial expressions.

[0072] [Example 5] Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the operation interface unit 321 in the first embodiment accepts user input for expanding or reducing the office area from the operation input device 392. In this way, by accepting user requests while the system is automatically controlling the office area, it is possible to deal with situations where the number of people present is higher than the measured value due to an incorrect count of people due to tailgating or other reasons, or when the user's request for the number of available seats changes due to the user's situation while the system is running, thereby improving user convenience. Furthermore, when operating in expanded mode, if the user determines that the office area 98 can be reduced, the system accepts an input for reducing the office area 98 and performs the reduction process, thereby improving energy conservation. Furthermore, by storing the frequency of office area expansion inputs, and if the input frequency is higher than a predetermined threshold, the system can operate in accordance with the user's request, thereby improving user convenience.

[0073] Figure 28 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen of the operation input device. As shown in Figure 28, the display screen of the operation input device 392 has buttons for inputting the operation mode and density level, as well as buttons for enlarging and reducing the office area. When the operation interface unit 321 accepts the operation of the button for enlarging or reducing the office area, it issues a command to the office area determination unit 340 to enlarge or reduce the office area. In the case of enlarging, the office area determination unit 340 follows the currently selected office area use order, and in the case of reducing, it increments the use order by one and adds the next office area 98 in the use order, or in the case of reducing, it invalidates the office area 98 in the current use order and decrements its use order by one.

[0074] The operation frequency of the office area expansion input is stored for each order of office area use, and if the frequency is high, the available seating capacity can be increased. When the available seating capacity is increased, the change result is displayed on the operation input device 392 or the display device 393 to notify the user.

[0075] [Example 6] Next, a sixth embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, if there is a bias in the accumulated operating times of the environmental devices in the second embodiment, the order of use of the work area 98 is selected so as to reduce the bias in operating times, thereby using the environmental devices as evenly as possible and contributing to extending the lifespan of the environmental devices throughout the office 99.

[0076] An example of the office 99 shown in FIG. 8 used in the second embodiment will be described. It is assumed that the user inputs from the operation interface unit 321 include the system operation mode "office area expansion and reduction mode," the density level "low density," and the energy-saving operation "off." If the deviation in the actual operating time of lighting device L and the operating time of air conditioner AC is equal to or greater than a predetermined value at the start of the system, the office area determination unit 340 selects the office area use order in which the candidate office area 98 to which the lighting device L or air conditioner AC with the shortest actual operating time belongs has the highest priority. Specifically, when the actual operating time of lighting device L is shown in FIG. 29 and the operating time of air conditioner AC is shown in FIG. 30, the actual operating time of lighting devices L22, L23, and L24 is shorter than that of lighting devices L1, L2, L3, and L4, and the operating time of air conditioner AC2 is shorter than that of air conditioner AC1. Lighting devices L1, L2, L3, and L4 and air conditioner AC1 belong to office area 13, and lighting devices L22, L23, and L24 and air conditioner AC2 belong to office area 19. Therefore, it is determined that the frequency of use of office area 19 is lower than the frequency of use of office area 13 and that the frequency of use of office area 19 should be increased. Referring to the office area table in Figure 12, low density is selected as the density level, so the office area usage order will be aa1 or bb1. Because bb1 will have a higher usage order for office area 19 than office area 13, the office area determination unit selects bb1.

[0077] The function of this embodiment to reduce imbalance in the use of environmental devices operates when the energy saving operation is "off" (when no energy saving operation is selected), but does not operate when the energy saving operation is "on" (when energy saving operation is selected).

[0078] [Example 7] Next, a seventh embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, when the system operation mode is either a mode for expanding and reducing the office area 98 or a mode for expanding the office area 98 and reducing it at a predetermined time, i.e., an operation mode involving the reduction of the office area 98, the operation when some office areas 98 are excluded (no longer determined as office areas 98) from the areas determined as office areas 98 due to a decrease in the number of people present therein differs from the examples described above. Specifically, in any of the above embodiments, the office areas 98 that are excluded are those with the lowest order of use shown in the office area table, but it is not taken into consideration which office area 98 the decrease in the number of people present in the office 99 is due to the departure of the worker who was using that office area 98.

[0079] Therefore, due to the reduction in the work area 98, the work area 98 may suddenly cease to be a work area 98, regardless of whether a worker is currently working there or not. In other words, a worker who is currently working there may suddenly be forced to move to another work area 98 (from the excluded area to an area that is still a work area 98) or to end their work altogether.

[0080] Therefore, in this embodiment, the presence / absence determination unit 312 (an example of an absence determination unit) in the headcount management unit 310 determines whether or not a worker is present based on human presence sensing data from an externally connected sensor 391, and the determination result is used during the office area reduction process. Specifically, the presence / absence determination unit 312 determines, based on the human presence sensing data, areas where no workers are present among the areas determined to be office areas 98. For this purpose, each area (candidate office area 98) is provided with a human presence sensor that can sense whether or not a worker is present. FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating office areas in an office according to an embodiment. In FIG. 31, the furniture 97 is omitted from the floor plan of FIG. 1, and instead, the relationship between the placement of each candidate office area 98 and the human presence sensors S1 to S12 is shown. For example, one human presence sensor S1 to S12 is provided for each candidate office area 98. Human presence sensors S1 to S12 (hereinafter, they will be simply referred to as human presence sensors without distinguishing between them) are each one of sensors 391 for detecting whether a person is present or absent within the candidate office area 98 in which they are located.

[0081] Any human presence sensor does not require any further information such as the number of workers as long as it can detect whether a worker is present or absent in the candidate office area 98. Therefore, it can be realized with an inexpensive low-resolution infrared sensor or the like.

[0082] The placement of the candidate office areas 98 can be changed as described in Fig. 8. Therefore, instead of placing one motion sensor for each candidate office area 98, one motion sensor may be placed for each piece of furniture 97. In other words, in the example of the office 99 in Fig. 1, each of the 12 candidate office areas 98 includes four pieces of furniture 97, so 48 motion sensors can be placed somewhere on the furniture 97.

[0083] In this embodiment, the office environment control system operates as follows. First, when the number of people decreases over a certain period of time and the number of people in the office 99 reaches a number that allows for the reduction of one work area 98, the presence / absence determination unit 312 determines whether or not a worker is present in each work area 98 based on the detection results of the human presence sensors in each work area 98. The presence / absence determination unit 312 then identifies work areas 98 that indicate the absence of a worker for a certain period of time or longer, taking into account, for example, temporary absences from the desk. The identified work areas 98 can be considered to be work areas 98 that can be excluded from the work areas 98 when the work areas 98 are reduced. Therefore, if there is an office area 98 that has been identified as an office area 98 that can be excluded before referring to the use order of the office area table, the work area determination unit 340 excludes the identified office area 98 before the next work area 98 that would be excluded in the use order (i.e., makes it less likely to be determined as a work area 98 than other work areas 98). Then, the identified work area 98 changes to the second environment, so that it is possible to reduce the hassle of workers moving around and the like, while also achieving energy conservation in the entire office.

[0084] If there are multiple office areas 98 identified as office areas 98 that may be excluded, the office areas 98 to be excluded may be determined from among those identified office areas 98 according to the order of use. Furthermore, an office area 98 that is excluded from the office areas 98 in this way without considering the order of use may also be recorded as having been excluded in the office area table. In this way, it is possible to continue reducing and expanding the office areas 98 according to the order of use on the office area table.

[0085] [Example 8] Next, an eighth embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, similar to the seventh embodiment, environmental control of an office 99 using a human presence sensor and a presence / absence determination unit 312 will be described. Here, attention is focused not on the area of the first environment determined as the work area 98, but on an area of a second environment outside the work area 98. For example, a worker who wants to do some small work may desire to use this area outside the work area 98. In such a case, the second environment is not suitable for work, which may cause inconvenience such as slow progress in even small work. Therefore, in this embodiment, the presence / absence determination unit 312 (an example of a presence determination unit) determines whether or not a worker is present outside the work area 98 based on human presence sensing data for the area of the second environment outside the work area 98, and the determination result is used in environmental control processing to temporarily ensure a suitable work environment.

[0086] As explained in the seventh embodiment above, at least one human presence sensor is provided for each of the candidate office areas 98 so that any of the candidate office areas 98 may be determined as the office area 98. Therefore, the results of human presence sensing for each candidate office area 98 can be obtained even for areas outside the office area 98.

[0087] In this embodiment, the office environment control system operates as follows. First, the presence / absence determination unit 312 determines whether a worker is present in each office area 98 based on the detection results of the human presence sensors in each office area 98. The presence / absence determination unit 312 then identifies an area outside the office area 98 where the worker has been present for more than a certain period of time, which can sufficiently eliminate cases where the worker simply passed through the detection area or simply stopped briefly (staying there long enough not to perform work). Since it is assumed that the worker is performing some kind of work in the identified area despite being in the second environment, the environment control unit 350 controls the environment of this area to a third environment instead of the second environment. The third environment consumes more power than the second environment, and brightness and other factors are ensured to a minimum level that allows for work.

[0088] As an example, as described in Example 1, the first environment has a desk surface illuminance of 500 lux, and the second environment has a desk surface illuminance of 150 lux. In contrast, the third environment has a desk surface illuminance of 300 lux, and is brighter (higher power consumption) than the second environment and darker (lower power consumption) than the first environment. Also, as an example, as described in Example 1, the first environment is an air-conditioned environment controlled to have a PMV of -0.5 to 0.5, more preferably PMV of 0, and the second environment is an air-conditioned environment controlled to have a PMV of 0.5 to 1 (summer) and a PMV of -1 to -0.5 (winter). In contrast, the third environment is an air-conditioned environment controlled to a PMV of -0.5 to 0.5, and more preferably to a PMV of 0, and is more comfortable than the second environment (higher power consumption) and equivalent to the first environment (similar power consumption). However, the control in the third environment is often temporary, and it is known that it takes time for the effects of the air-conditioned environment to be perceived by the worker after control begins. Therefore, the air-conditioned environment in the third environment may be equivalent to the second environment.

[0089] Thereafter, after a preset time (for example, several tens of minutes to several tens of minutes) has elapsed, or when the presence / absence determination unit 312 determines that the worker is absent, the environment control unit 350 changes the environment of this area back from the third environment to the second environment. In this way, even if a worker appears who temporarily uses an area outside the work area 98 for work, the environment necessary for that work can be provided, thereby realizing an office environment control system that is effective from the viewpoint of worker convenience.

[0090] [Example 9] Next, Example 9 will be described. This example can be used in combination with any of the other Examples 1 to 8. Specifically, this example differs from the other Examples 1 to 8 in that it uses the "number of occupied seats" that is more in line with the actual situation when an office is in use, instead of the "number of people in the room" used to control the environmental equipment in Examples 1 to 8. Therefore, by using the "number of occupied seats" described below as the "number of people in the room" in any of the above Examples 1 to 8, this example can be used in combination with that example.

[0091] FIG. 32 is a diagram illustrating an example of an office to which an office environment control system according to another embodiment of the present invention is applied. As shown in the figure, the building includes an office 99a (also referred to as the second area) similar to the office 99 according to the present embodiment, an office 99b (also referred to as the third area) different from office 99a and used for meetings, etc., and an office 99c (also referred to as the first area) such as a shared space. For each office, the number of people entering and exiting from that office to other offices or outside the building is measured. To this end, an exit card reader 95 and an entry card reader 96 are provided so that the number of people entering and exiting from each office to other offices or outside the building can be measured. Specifically, of the pair of exit card reader 95 and entry card reader 96 from office 99c to the outside (hereinafter, the combined pair is also referred to as the entry / exit sensor), one of the entry / exit sensors is designated as the first sensor, and the other as the second sensor. The entry / exit sensor from office 99a to office 99c is designated as the third sensor. The entrance / exit sensor from office 99b to office 99c is the fourth sensor. The entrance / exit sensor from office 99a to office 99b is the fifth sensor. Each entrance / exit sensor can measure the number of people exiting from one office to the other (conversely, the number of people entering the office) and the number of people exiting from the other office to the first office (conversely, the number of people entering the office). In this embodiment, each entrance / exit sensor detects entry and exit by reading the IC tag belonging to the person entering or exiting the office. At that time, the timing of entry or exit (entry / exit timing) and a personal ID that can distinguish the person from other people entering or exiting the office are obtained from information linked to the IC tag. In other words, in this embodiment, it is possible to detect who entered or exited the office and when via the entrance / exit sensor. Alternatively, the entrance / exit timing and the personal ID of the person entering or exiting the office may be obtained by facial recognition using a camera or fingerprint authentication instead of the entrance / exit sensor. In other words, there are no particular limitations on the type of entrance / exit sensor as long as it can acquire the entrance / exit timing of the person entering / exiting and the personal ID of that person.

[0092] Next, Fig. 33 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a number of people management unit according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, instead of the number of people management unit 310 according to the other embodiments described above, a number of people management unit 310a including a number of people processing unit 313 is provided. The number of people processing unit 313 is a processing unit that estimates the number of occupied seats to be used as the number of people present. The number of people processing unit 313 includes an acquisition unit 313a, a number of people present estimation unit 313b, a number of people on hold estimation unit 313c, a number of occupied seats estimation unit 313d, a learning unit 313e, a learning database 313f, and a non-temporary exit management unit 313g.

[0093] The acquisition unit 313a is a processing unit that acquires the number of people entering and exiting from the entrance and exit sensors serving as the sensors 391, that is, the exit card readers 95 and the entry card readers 96. The acquisition unit 313a communicates with all the exit card readers 95 and all the entry card readers 96 to acquire the entry and exit timings at each entrance and exit sensor and the personal IDs associated with the entry and exit.

[0094] The occupancy count estimation unit 313b is a processing unit that estimates the actual number of people present at a specific office (one of the above offices 99a, 99b, and 99c) based on the entry / exit timings and personal IDs acquired by the acquisition unit 313a. The occupancy count estimation unit 313b manages the personal IDs of people who are already present in the specific office and the personal IDs of people who have newly entered the office as a presence list, counts the number of personal IDs included in the presence list, and calculates and estimates the actual number of people present. Considering a time when there are zero personal IDs present, the actual number of people present can be calculated from the number of personal IDs in the presence list by subtracting the personal IDs of people who have newly entered the office and the personal IDs of people who have recently left the office from the zero personal IDs and adding the resulting personal IDs to the presence list. Then, by adding the personal IDs of the actual occupants, which are obtained by subtracting the personal IDs of the newly entered entrants and the personal IDs of the newly left entrants from the calculated actual number of occupants, to the present list, the actual number of occupants at the next point in time can be calculated from the number of personal IDs in the present list. In other words, the actual number of occupants can be calculated from the number of personal IDs in the present list by adding the personal IDs of the actual occupants, which are obtained by subtracting the personal IDs of the newly entered entrants and the personal IDs of the newly left entrants, to the present list.

[0095] FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of a headcount change table according to an embodiment. As shown in the figure, the personal IDs of people entering a specific office at a certain time are acquired from each entry / exit sensor, and a list of those personal IDs is stored as a headcount change table for that time. This headcount change table is stored each time a detection result is obtained from the entry / exit sensor (for each entry / exit timing), and the number of occupied seats, as described below, is estimated for each headcount change table. In other words, the estimation of the number of occupied seats is repeatedly performed in accordance with the detection cycle of the entry / exit sensor. In FIG. 34, the personal IDs are indicated by serial numbers, and furthermore, arrows from right to left indicate the direction of exit, and arrows from left to right indicate the direction of entry.

[0096] The reserved number estimation unit 313c is a processing unit that estimates the reserved number, which is the number of people who are considered to be temporarily leaving a specific office (one of the above-mentioned offices 99a, 99b, and 99c) at that time, based on the entry / exit timing and personal ID acquired by the acquisition unit 313a. The reserved number estimation unit 313c estimates the reserved number by updating several reservation-related conditions and a reservation list related to the reserved number. Here, these reservation-related conditions are optimized in advance for each individual and based on the office from which and the office to which the person is leaving. Specifically, the learning unit 313e and learning database 313f operate in advance based on information about past entry and exit, and as a result, these reservation-related conditions are determined.

[0097] The learning unit 313e and the learning database 313f are processing units for determining conditions related to suspension. The learning unit 313e acquires, for example, information related to past entry and exit, as shown in FIG. 35. FIG. 35 is a diagram showing an example of information related to entry and exit according to an embodiment. Here, the information related to entry and exit includes the entry and exit timings of each past entry and exit person and the stay time for each office calculated therefrom. In other words, the learning unit 313e can generate a table such as that shown in the figure by organizing the combinations of entry and exit timings and personal IDs previously acquired by the acquisition unit 313a for the same personal ID. The learning unit 313e acquires the entry and exit timings for each office over multiple days, with one day being the time from arrival at work to leaving work. The learning unit 313e then calculates the stay time in that office by subtracting the entry timing from the exit timing.

[0098] The learning unit 313e can generate a table as shown in the figure for each personal ID. Then, using this table, the information shown in FIG. 36 is calculated. FIG. 36 is a diagram showing an example of temporary exit time according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 36, the temporary exit time is calculated for all offices from which the user left by totaling the time spent in other offices after leaving one office and before returning to that office. Then, entries indicating temporary exit times that are too long for temporary exits (i.e., exits with the intention of returning to the original office) (e.g., entries indicating temporary exit times longer than 120 minutes) can be deleted, and the table can be reorganized as shown below the white arrow. The learning unit 313e determines several hold conditions from this reorganized table. FIGS. 37 to 41 are diagrams showing examples of calculations of hold conditions according to an embodiment.

[0099] First, the learning unit 313e tally the temporary hold times for each combination of the exit source and destination, as shown in FIG. 37, and calculates the frequency of the temporary hold times for each combination of the exit source and destination. Then, a representative temporary hold time is calculated for each combination of the exit source and destination. This is calculated for each personal ID, that is, for each person entering and leaving, so that a representative value of the temporary hold time can be calculated for each person entering and leaving, and for each combination of the exit source and destination. The calculated representative value may be the most frequent value, or may be the maximum value, median value, or average value, or may be calculated as a value at any position, such as the 40th or 80th percentile.

[0100] Such a representative value corresponds to the hold time for each entry / exit person and for each combination of the exit source and destination. Therefore, using this representative value as the upper limit of the hold time can prevent unnecessary temporary leaving periods, resulting in unnecessary occupied seats. For example, FIG. 38 shows an example of a hold time upper limit table for each combination of the exit source and destination for a certain entry / exit person. As shown in the figure, one of the hold conditions is the exit from an office, where an upper limit of the hold time is set based on the combination of the exit source and destination. For example, when leaving from office 99c, the first area, to office 99a, the second area, an upper limit of the hold time is set to 10 minutes. The upper limit of the hold time indicates the length of time that a person who has left the office will remain considered a temporary leaving. A time count begins upon exit, and the person is considered a temporary leaving until the upper limit of the hold time has elapsed. After the upper limit of the hold time has elapsed, the person is no longer considered a temporary leaving. In this way, unnecessary temporary leaving periods can be prevented from being treated as a temporary leaving for longer than necessary, resulting in unnecessary occupied seats. The calculated upper limit reservation time table is stored in the learning database 313f.

[0101] Next, the learning unit 313e organizes the period (absence period) from the time all entrants leave the office until they return, as shown in FIG. 39. Here, the individual IDs of entrants are listed on the vertical axis, and the total period is shown on the horizontal axis. The absence period for each entrant is indicated by a rectangle extending along the horizontal axis. The number of entrants overlapping along the vertical axis at a given time indicates the number of absentees at that time. Because entries indicating temporary absence times that are too long for temporary absence have been deleted, the number of entrants overlapping along the vertical axis at a given time can be considered to correspond to the number of temporarily leaving entrants who may return to the office. In other words, based on the graph in the figure, the upper limit for the number of reserved persons at each time point (reserved person limit) can be determined. Alternatively, by aggregating such reserved person limits at each time point over a certain period, an appropriate reserved person limit for that period can be determined. FIG. 40 shows an example of a reserved person limit table for each office over a certain period. As shown in the figure, a reserved person limit for each area is set as one of the conditions for reservation. For example, the first area, office 99c, has a limit of one person for the number of reserved seats. By setting such a limit, it is possible to treat more people than necessary as temporarily leaving the room, thereby avoiding unnecessary occupied seats. The calculated limit table for reserved seats is stored in the learning database 313f.

[0102] Next, the learning unit 313e compiles the percentage of individuals who returned to their original offices after leaving the office as temporary exits from the table above and below the white arrows shown in FIG. 36 for each individual and for each combination of origin and destination. For example, in FIG. 36, for an individual with personal ID [1], one of the exits from area 1 to area 2 is a temporary exit with a return time of 60 minutes, and the other is a non-temporary exit with a return time of 240 minutes. Therefore, a ratio of 0.5 is obtained by dividing 1 / (1 + 1). This ratio can be used as a retention probability for determining whether the exit of the individual from that office to another office in the combination is considered a temporary exit. By performing similar calculations for each individual, a retention probability table can be compiled for each combination of origin and destination, as shown in FIG. 41.

[0103] As shown in the figure, one of the conditions for reservation is a reservation probability α, which is used to probabilistically determine whether a person leaving each area is considered to be temporarily leaving. For example, a reservation probability α of 0.1 is set for the departure of an entry / exit person with personal ID [1] from office 99a (the second area) to office 99c (the first area). The reservation probability is used to determine whether a person leaving each office should be counted as one of the reserved number of people based on the probability determined by the numerical value. By setting such a reservation probability α, it is possible to avoid unnecessary occupied seats by treating a higher proportion of people as temporarily leaving than necessary. The calculated reservation probability table is stored in the training database 313f. Details of the reservation number estimation by the reservation number estimation unit 313c will be described later, along with an explanation of the operation of the number of people processing unit 313.

[0104] The occupied seat number estimation unit 313d is a processing unit that calculates the number of occupied seats using the number of people actually present and the number of people on hold. Specifically, the occupied seat number estimation unit 313d adds the number of people on hold to the number of people actually present in the office, thereby calculating the actual number of occupied seats in the office, taking into account the number of people who have temporarily left the office, as the number of occupied seats. By using this number of occupied seats as the number of people present to be used in controlling the environmental equipment described above, it is possible to control the environmental equipment in a way that is more in line with the actual situation when the office is being used, and to control the environment more appropriately.

[0105] FIG. 42 is a diagram illustrating an example of calculation of the number of occupied seats according to an embodiment. As shown in the figure, the presence list for office 99a, which is the second area, is [1, 2, 3], and the number of people actually present is calculated to be three based on the number of personal IDs. The hold list is [4(2), 5(1), 6(3)], and the number of people on hold is calculated to be three based on the number of personal IDs. 3 + 3 calculates the number of occupied seats to be six. The presence list for office 99b, which is the third area, is [7, 8], and the number of people actually present is calculated to be two based on the number of personal IDs. The hold list is [], and the number of people on hold is calculated to be zero based on the number of personal IDs. 2 + 0 calculates the number of occupied seats to two. The hold list will be described later, along with its update process. The hold list lists the remaining hold time for each person considered to have temporarily left the room and included in the hold list. Specifically, for example, the number before the parentheses in the figure indicates the value of the personal ID, and the number within the parentheses indicates the remaining hold time. As an example, [4(2)] means that the person with personal ID [4] has left the room, and the time elapsed since the start of the hold will exceed the upper limit of the hold time with two minutes remaining.

[0106] The non-temporary leave management unit 313g is a processing unit for managing the personal IDs of entry / exit persons who should not be added to the present list and the reserved list. The non-temporary leave management unit 313g generates a non-temporary leave list and adds the personal IDs of entry / exit persons who should not be added to the present list and the reserved list to the non-temporary leave list. An entry / exit person who should not be added to the present list and the reserved list is, for example, an office worker who has already finished his / her work for the day and left work. Such an entry / exit person is determined based on the condition that he / she left the office after a specified time, such as the closing time of the institution to which he / she belongs. The non-temporary leave management unit 313g stores the generated non-temporary leave list in a storage unit (not shown) and deletes this stored non-temporary leave list each time the date changes. The occupancy count estimation unit 313b and the pending count estimation unit 313c each refer to the storage unit and delete the personal IDs included in the non-temporary exit list from the present list and the pending list. This allows for the deletion of personal IDs from the pending list, such as personal IDs of people who have already left work and whose pending time limit has not yet elapsed, and personal IDs from the present list that remain added despite having already left work due to so-called tailgating or problems with the entry / exit sensor. This prevents the number of occupied seats from increasing more than necessary. The non-temporary exit management unit 313g may be configured to reflect only the detection results of the first and second entry / exit sensors that detect exiting to the outdoors.

[0107] Next, the operation of the number of people processing unit 313 in this embodiment described above will be described. FIG. 43 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the number of people processing unit according to the embodiment. Here, it is assumed that the conditions for each reservation have already been calculated by the learning unit 313e, and the number of people entering and exiting, and the reservation conditions are set using the parameters exemplified in FIGS. 34, 38, 39, and 42. Note that, for simplicity of calculation, a reservation probability table in which all reservation probabilities α are 1.0 is used instead of the reservation probability α shown in FIG. 40. Also, it is assumed that no personal IDs have been added to the non-temporary exit list. Furthermore, it is assumed here that the entry / exit pairs for the second and third areas are set as the target pairs. First, the acquisition unit 313a acquires entry / exit timings and personal IDs (step S101). For example, the acquisition unit 313a compiles the personal IDs at the acquired entry / exit timings into a number of people change table. At this time, the table shown in FIG. 34 is organized into a table shown in FIG. 44 by integrating the number of people changes for the same exit source and destination. FIG. 44 is a diagram illustrating an example of arrangement of a number of people change table according to the embodiment.

[0108] Next, one of the entry / exit pairs for the second area and the third area is selected, that is, one of the third to fifth rows shown in FIG. 44 (step S102). Then, the occupancy count estimation unit updates the occupancy list and estimates the actual number of people present (step S103). Here, for the second area, a person with a personal ID of [4] has entered the area, and a person with a personal ID of [2] has left the area, compared to [1,2,3] on the original occupancy list. Therefore, the occupancy list is updated to [1,3,4], and the actual number of people present is estimated to be three. Furthermore, for the third area, there is no change in entry / exit from [7,8] on the original occupancy list, and the actual number of people present is estimated to be two.

[0109] Next, the number-of-reserved-persons estimation unit 313c updates the hold list (step S104). For example, as shown in FIG. 45, for each person included in the hold list who is considered to have temporarily left the room, the elapsed time (for example, 1 minute in the figure) is subtracted from the remaining hold time of each person. FIG. 45 is a diagram showing an example of an update of the hold list according to the embodiment. As a result of the update, the value shown in the hold list indicates the time remaining until the hold time upper limit elapses after the update by the elapsed time. For example, the hold list for the second area is updated from [4(2), 5(1), 6(3)] to [4(1), 5(0), 6(2)]. After that, a process is performed to delete items from the hold list whose hold time upper limit has elapsed (items whose remaining time until the hold time upper limit elapses is 0 minutes). As a result, the hold list for the second area is updated from [4(1), 5(0), 6(2)] to [4(1), 6(2)].

[0110] On the other hand, in the second area, a person with personal ID [2] has left the room, so the hold probability α is used to determine whether or not to consider this a temporary leave. In this case, since the hold probability α is 1.0, all leavers are considered to be temporary leavers. Therefore, a person with personal ID [2] has temporarily left the second area, and the hold list is updated.

[0111] Thereafter, the reserved person number estimation unit 313c estimates the number of reserved people (step S105). The reserved person number is estimated, for example, by counting the number of personal IDs in the reserved person list. Furthermore, the occupied seat number estimation unit 313d estimates the number of occupied seats using the actual number of people in the room and the number of reserved people (step S106). The number of people processing unit 313 determines whether all groups have been selected (step S107), and if not all groups have been selected (No in step S107), the processing returns to step S102 to select another group and perform the same process. If all groups have been selected (Yes in step S107), the processing outputs the estimated number of occupied seats as the number of people in the room (step S108).

[0112] 46 to 48, an example of changes in the various types of number of people and the reservation list estimated at a certain entry / exit timing (for one number of people change table) will be described below. FIGS. 46 to 48 are diagrams showing an example of changes in the various types of number of people and the reservation list estimated according to an embodiment. In FIG. 46, it is assumed that the set in the third row shown in FIG. 44 is selected in step S102. First, as described above, in step S103, a person with personal ID [4] entered the second area and a person with personal ID [2] left the area. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 46, the presence list is updated to [1, 3, 4], and the actual number of people present is estimated to be three. Then, in step S104, a person with personal ID [2] left the second area, so it is determined whether or not the person left is temporary using the reservation probability α, and the leaving is considered to be temporary. As a result, the hold list, which has been updated over time to [4(1), 6(2)], is further updated to [4(1), 6(2), 2(120)] by adding a value for the upper limit of the hold time of 120 minutes (not shown), which corresponds to the departure of the person with personal ID [2] from the second area to the first area. Here, since the person with personal ID [4] entered the second area at this entry / exit timing, personal IDs from the hold list that overlap with personal IDs in the present list are deleted. As a result, the hold list is updated to [6(2), 2(120)]. Then, because the number of personal IDs on the hold list is now two, the number of people on hold is estimated to be two in step S105. As a result, the number of occupied seats in the second area is estimated to be 3 + 2 = 5 in step S106.

[0113] Next, in FIG. 47, it is assumed that the set in the fourth row shown in FIG. 44 was selected in step S102. First, as described above, in step S103, a person with a personal ID of [3, 9, 10] entered the third area, and a person with a personal ID of [8] left the third area. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 47, the presence list is updated to [7, 3, 9, 10], and the number of people actually present in the room is estimated to be four. At the same time, the personal IDs included in the presence list for the third area are deleted from the presence list for the second area, and the presence list is updated to [1, 4]. In other words, the number of people actually present in the second area is estimated to be two, and the number of occupied seats is estimated to be four. In this way, to prevent duplicate personal IDs from occurring in the presence lists of different offices, the personal IDs of people who entered and left other offices in updates after the update of the presence list for one office are deleted from the presence list for the first office.

[0114] Then, in step S104, a person with personal ID [8] leaves the third area, so the hold probability α is used to determine whether the exit is temporary, and the exit is considered to be temporary. As a result, the hold list, which was previously [ ] because the number of people on hold was 0, is updated to [8(120)] by adding a value for the upper limit of the hold time of 120 minutes (not shown), which corresponds to the departure of a person with personal ID [8] from the third area to the first area. Then, because the number of personal IDs on the hold list is now 1, the number of people on hold is estimated to be 1 in step S105. As a result, in step S106, the number of occupied seats in the second area is estimated to be 4 + 1 = 5.

[0115] Next, in FIG. 48, it is assumed that the set in the fifth row shown in FIG. 44 was selected in step S102. First, as described above, in step S103, a person with personal ID [7] entered the second area and a person with personal ID [1] left the second area, and a person with personal ID [1] entered the third area and a person with personal ID [7] left the third area. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 48, the occupancy list for the second area is updated to [4, 7], and the actual number of people present is estimated to be two. Furthermore, the occupancy list for the third area is updated to [3, 9, 10, 1], and the actual number of people present is estimated to be four. Then, in step S104, a person with personal ID [1] left the second area, so the reservation coefficient α is used to determine whether the exit is temporary, and the exit is deemed to be temporary. As a result, the hold list, which was updated to [6(2), 2(120)] when the set in the fourth row was selected, is further updated to [6(2), 2(120), 1(60)] by adding a value with a hold time upper limit of 60 minutes (see FIG. 36), which corresponds to the exit of a person with personal ID [1] from the second area to the third area. Since the number of personal IDs on the hold list is now three, the number of people on hold is estimated to be three in step S105. As a result, the number of occupied seats in the second area is estimated to be 2 + 3 = 5 in step S106. If the upper limit for the number of people on hold in the second area is set to two, one hold time is deleted so that the number of people on hold becomes two. When deleting a value from the hold list according to the upper limit for the number of people on hold, the value with the shortest remaining time until the upper limit for the hold time expires may be deleted, or the value with the earliest remaining time may be deleted.

[0116] Furthermore, in step S104, a person with personal ID [7] entered and left the third area. Therefore, the hold probability α is used to determine whether the exit was temporary, and the exit is considered temporary. As a result, the hold list, which was updated to [8(120)] when selecting the fourth row pair, is further updated to [8(120),7(15)] by adding a hold time limit of 15 minutes (not shown), which corresponds to the exit of a person with personal ID [7] from the third area to the second area. Since the number of personal IDs on the hold list is now two, the number of people on hold is estimated to be two in step S105. As a result, the number of occupied seats in the third area is estimated to be 4 + 2 = 6 in step S106. If the maximum number of people on hold in the third area was set to one, one hold time would be deleted to reduce the number of people on hold to one. When deleting values from the reserved list according to the reserved person limit, as in the second area, the value with the shortest remaining time until the reserved time limit expires may be deleted, or the value with the earliest remaining time may be deleted.

[0117] [Effects, etc.] As described above, the office environment control system according to the first aspect of this embodiment is an office environment control system that controls environmental equipment in offices 99a to 99c based on the number of people present in offices 99a to 99c, and is equipped with a number of people processing unit 313 that calculates the number of people present. The number of people processing unit 313 includes an acquisition unit 313a that acquires the entry and exit timings of people entering and leaving offices 99a to 99c and personal IDs that can identify each of the people entering and leaving, an occupant number estimation unit 313b that estimates the actual number of people present in offices 99a to 99c from the acquired entry and exit timings and personal IDs, a pending number of people estimation unit 313c that estimates a pending number of people, which is the number of people who have left offices 99a to 99c and are considered to have temporarily left, from the acquired entry and exit timings and personal IDs, and an occupied seat number estimation unit 313d that estimates the number of occupied seats in offices 99a to 99c from the sum of the actual number of people present and the pending number of people, and outputs the estimated number of occupied seats as the number of people present.

[0118] This office environment control system adds the number of people entering or leaving the room who may have temporarily left the room to the actual number of people present as the "number of people present." This makes it easy to avoid situations where a seat is occupied by a person counted as a reserved number with luggage or other items, making it unavailable for a new entrant, or where a seat is taken by a new entrant when a person counted as a reserved number returns. In particular, because entrants and exits can be managed using personal IDs, the actual number of people present and the reserved number of people can be estimated using personal IDs in a manner that is more in line with actual use of offices 99a-99c. In this way, the number of people present can be appropriately determined based on the number of occupied seats, taking into account the presence of people temporarily leaving the room. This allows for more appropriate control of the indoor environment of offices 99a-99c based on the number of people in the room that is more in line with the actual situation when offices 99a-99c are being used.

[0119] Also, for example, the office environment control system according to the second aspect is the office environment control system described in the first aspect, in which the number of people occupying the office 99a to 99c estimation unit 313b adds the personal IDs of people who enter and exit the offices 99a to 99c to a presence list based on the entry and exit timing, and calculates the number of personal IDs in the presence list as the actual number of people occupying the office 99a to 99c.

[0120] According to this, the personal IDs of people who enter and leave the offices 99a to 99c are added to a presence list, and the number of personal IDs in the presence list is counted, thereby making it possible to estimate the number of people actually present in the room.

[0121] Also, for example, the office environment control system according to the third aspect is the office environment control system described in the first aspect, in which the number-of-occupants estimation unit 313b (a) adds the personal IDs of people who entered or left offices 99a to 99c based on the entry and exit timing to the presence list, and (b) deletes from the presence list the personal IDs of people who entered or left other offices 99a to 99c different from one of offices 99a to 99c after (a), and calculates the number of personal IDs in the presence list as the actual number of people present in the room.

[0122] This allows the number of people actually present in a room to be estimated by ensuring that the same personal ID is not included in any of the presence lists of the different offices 99a to 99c.

[0123] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to a fourth aspect is an office environment control system according to any one of the first to third aspects, in which offices 99a to 99c are provided with two or more exit routes corresponding to two or more exit destinations from offices 99a to 99c, respectively, an acquisition unit 313a separately acquires the timing of entry and exit inside and outside offices 99a to 99c using each of the two or more exit routes and personal IDs, and a pending number estimation unit 313c uses a pending probability α set in association with the combination of the personal ID and the exit destination when leaving offices 99a to 99c to determine whether to add an entry or exit person corresponding to the personal ID who has exited outside offices 99a to 99c to the pending number of people.

[0124] According to this, the number of reserved people can be estimated by using the reservation probability α to determine whether or not to add the person who entered and left the office 99a to 99c and corresponds to the personal ID to the number of reserved people.

[0125] Furthermore, for example, the office environment control system according to the fifth aspect is the office environment control system described in the fourth aspect, in which the number of people processing unit 313 further has a reservation probability learning unit (learning unit 313e and learning database 313f) that calculates a reservation probability α for a combination of a personal ID and a destination when exiting from one of offices 99a to 99c, based on the history of the destination when a person corresponding to the personal ID exited from one of offices 99a to 99c in the past and whether or not the person re-entered the office 99a to 99c within a predetermined time after exiting the office.

[0126] According to this, the number of reserved persons can be estimated by using the reserved probability α calculated by the reserved probability learning unit to determine whether or not to add the person corresponding to the personal ID who has left office 99a to 99c to the number of reserved persons.

[0127] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to a sixth aspect is the office environment control system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, in which offices 99a to 99c are provided with two or more exit routes corresponding to two or more exit destinations from offices 99a to 99c, respectively, an acquisition unit 313a acquires the timing of entry and exit into and outside offices 99a to 99c using each of the two or more exit routes and personal IDs, respectively, and a holding number estimation unit 313c uses a holding time upper limit table including an upper limit of holding time for continuing estimation as the holding number, which is set in association with the combination of the personal ID and the exit destination when exiting from offices 99a to 99c, and counts the person as one of the holding number of people from the time counting begins until the upper limit of holding time has elapsed, and does not count the person as one of the holding number of people after the upper limit of holding time has elapsed.

[0128] According to this, by using the upper limit table of the holding time, a person is counted as one of the people on hold from the time when counting starts until the upper limit of the holding time has elapsed, and after the upper limit of the holding time has elapsed, the person is not counted as one of the people on hold, thereby making it possible to estimate the number of people on hold.

[0129] Furthermore, for example, the office environment control system according to the seventh aspect is the office environment control system described in the sixth aspect, in which the number of people processing unit 313 further includes a hold time upper limit learning unit (learning unit 313e and learning database 313f) that calculates an upper limit of the hold time for a combination of a personal ID and a destination when exiting from one of offices 99a to 99c, based on the history of the destination when a person corresponding to the personal ID previously exited from one of offices 99a to 99c and the time required from that exit to re-entering the office 99a to 99c.

[0130] According to this, by using the hold time upper limit table calculated by the hold time upper limit learning unit, a person is counted as one of the people on hold from the time counting starts until the upper limit of the hold time has elapsed, and after the upper limit of the hold time has elapsed, the person is not counted as one of the people on hold, thereby making it possible to estimate the number of people on hold.

[0131] Also, for example, the office environment control system according to the eighth aspect is an office environment control system described in any one of the first to seventh aspects, in which the hold number estimation unit 313c uses a hold number upper limit table including a hold number upper limit, which is an upper limit of the hold number that is preset in the offices 99a to 99c, to estimate the hold number so that the hold number does not exceed the hold number upper limit.

[0132] According to this, the number of reserved people can be estimated using the reserved people upper limit table so that the number of reserved people does not exceed the reserved people upper limit.

[0133] Furthermore, for example, the office environment control system according to the ninth aspect is the office environment control system described in the eighth aspect, in which the number of people processing unit 313 further has a reservation number upper limit learning unit (learning unit 313e and learning database 313f) that calculates the reservation number upper limit for offices 99a to 99c based on the history of the number of people who overlap in the period from the time of leaving offices 99a to 99c in the past to the time of re-entering offices 99a to 99c within a predetermined time.

[0134] According to this, the number of reserved people can be estimated so that the number of reserved people does not exceed the reserved people upper limit, using the reserved people upper limit table calculated by the reserved people upper limit learning unit.

[0135] Furthermore, for example, the office environment control system according to the tenth aspect is an office environment control system according to the second or third aspect, or any one of the fourth to ninth aspects that cite the second or third aspect, in which the number of people processing unit 313 further has a non-temporary exit management unit 313g that adds, to the non-temporary exit list, the personal IDs of people who have left offices 99a to 99c after a specified time, and the number of people present estimation unit 313b deletes from the present list the personal IDs of people present whose personal IDs are included in the non-temporary exit list, and the pending number of people estimation unit 313c does not count people present whose personal IDs are included in the non-temporary exit list as one of the pending number of people.

[0136] This allows people entering and leaving the room whose personal IDs are included in the non-temporarily leaving list and whose personal IDs are difficult to consider as people leaving the room temporarily to be not counted in the number of people actually present in the room or the number of people on hold.

[0137] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control method according to an eleventh aspect is an office environment control method executed by a computer that controls environmental equipment in offices 99a to 99c based on the number of people present in offices 99a to 99c, and includes a number of people processing step that calculates the number of people present. In the number of people processing step, the entry and exit timings of people entering and leaving offices 99a to 99c and personal IDs that can identify each of the people entering and leaving are obtained, the actual number of people present in offices 99a to 99c are estimated from the obtained entry and exit timings and personal IDs, a pending number of people is estimated from the obtained entry and exit timings and personal IDs, which is the number of people who have left offices 99a to 99c and are considered to have left temporarily, the number of occupied seats in offices 99a to 99c is estimated from the sum of the actual number of people present and the pending number of people, and the estimated number of occupied seats is output as the number of people present.

[0138] This can provide the same effects as the office environment control system described above.

[0139] Furthermore, for example, a program according to a twelfth aspect is a program for causing a computer to execute the above-described office environment control method.

[0140] This makes it possible to achieve the same effects as the above-described office environment control system using a computer.

[0141] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another first aspect includes a number of units: a number of people management unit 310 that counts and manages the number of people in an office 99; a work area table management unit 330 that sets a plurality of office area candidates 98 within the office 99 and manages an office area table that includes one or more sequences of the relationship between each of the set office area candidates 98 and the environmental equipment within the office 99, the number of seats in each of the set office area candidates 98, and the order of use of each of the set office area candidates 98; and a system operation mode and a selection of the office area density. The system includes an input / output unit 320 that receives operational input, an office area determination unit 340 that determines an office area 98 to be used from among the candidate office areas 98 based on the counted number of people present, the office area table, and the system operation mode and office area density selected by the operational input, and an environment control unit 350 that controls the environment of the determined office area 98 to become a predetermined first environment and controls the environment outside the office area 98 to become a predetermined second environment that consumes less power than the first environment.

[0142] This office environment control system according to another aspect can distinguish between candidate office areas 98 as usable office areas 98 and areas that are not work areas 98, based on the counted number of people present, the office area table, and the system operation mode and office area density selected by operational input. In areas determined as work areas 98, the system can control environmental equipment to create a first environment suitable for work, while controlling environmental equipment in areas that are not work areas 98 to create a second environment that consumes less power than the first environment. For example, by controlling environmental equipment to create the second environment with the minimum necessary power consumption while taking into consideration the safety and comfort of workers, energy savings can be achieved throughout the office, reducing power consumption while maintaining worker productivity.

[0143] Also, for example, an office environment control system according to another second aspect is the office environment control system according to another first aspect, in which the office area table is capable of setting a sequence of use orders of office areas 98 corresponding to the office area density.

[0144] According to this, when determining the office area 98, the office area 98 to be used can be determined in accordance with the set order of use of the office areas 98.

[0145] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another third aspect is an office environment control system according to another first or second aspect, in which the environment control unit 350 reduces the power consumption of the first environment and the second environment during a pre-specified period other than working hours, while maintaining the relationship in which the power consumption of the second environment is less than the power consumption of the first environment.

[0146] This allows for further reduction in power consumption during pre-specified periods outside of office hours.

[0147] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another fourth aspect is the office environment control system according to any one of the other first to third aspects, in which the environment control unit 350 controls the air conditioner AC so that the PMV is within a range of -0.5 or more and 0.5 or less in the first environment.

[0148] According to this, in the first environment, an air-conditioning environment suitable for work can be realized in which the PMV is in the range of -0.5 to 0.5.

[0149] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another fifth aspect is the office environment control system according to any one of the other first to fourth aspects, in which the work area determination unit 340 uses the maximum number of people measured since the start of control in one day as the number of people to determine the work area 98.

[0150] This makes it possible to prevent the work area from being inadvertently reduced by using only the maximum number of people present.

[0151] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another sixth aspect is the office environment control system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, in which the work area determination unit 340, when the number of people continues to decrease over a predetermined period of time, uses the number of people present after the decrease as the number of people for determining the work area 98.

[0152] According to this, by using the number of people present after the reduction, only the optimal range of the office area 98 at that time is controlled to the first environment, and the area that is no longer the office area 98 due to the reduction is controlled to the second environment, thereby reducing the amount of power consumption.

[0153] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another seventh aspect is an office environment control system according to any one of the other first to fourth aspects, in which, when the work area determination unit 340 observes a continuous decrease in the number of people for a predetermined period of time at a predetermined specified time, the number of people present in the room after the decrease is used as the number of people for determining the work area 98.

[0154] According to this, at a specified time, by using the reduced number of people present in the room, only the optimal range of the office area 98 at that time is controlled to the first environment, and after the specified time, the area that is no longer the office area 98 due to the reduction is controlled to the second environment, thereby reducing the amount of power consumption.

[0155] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another eighth aspect is the office environment control system according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, in which input / output unit 320 has operation interface unit 321, which accepts input of an energy-saving operation selection, environment control unit 350 has environmental equipment power consumption management unit 351, which calculates the amount of power consumption per unit time for each office area pattern, which is a pattern of office areas 98 used when the office environment control system is running, calculates the average power consumption for each of a series of office area patterns in which the office area patterns are arranged in order of use, and stores the calculation results, and office area determination unit 340 determines an office area 98 based on the counted number of people present, the office area table, the selected office area density and whether or not an energy-saving operation has been selected, and the lowest average power consumption for the series of office area patterns.

[0156] This allows the office area 98 to be determined more appropriately based on the counted number of people present, the office area table, the selected office area density and whether or not energy-saving operation has been selected, as well as the low average power consumption of the office area pattern series.

[0157] In another example, an office environment control system according to a ninth aspect is the office environment control system according to the eighth aspect, in which the headcount management unit 310 accumulates time-series data on the number of people in the room while the office environment control system is in operation, the environmental equipment power consumption management unit 351 accumulates data linking average power consumption for each office area pattern used during past operation of the office environment control system with meteorological information and seasonal information from the past operation, the headcount management unit predicts the number of people in the room over time and predicts the order in which the office areas will be used based on the selected office area density and whether or not energy-saving operations have been selected, extracts data from the accumulated data corresponding to the predicted order in which office areas 98 will be used, and predicts power consumption based on the extracted data, current weather forecast information, and seasonal information, and the office area determination unit 340 determines an office area based on the counted number of people in the room, the office area table, the selected office area density and whether or not energy-saving operations have been selected, and the lowest predicted power consumption of the office area pattern series.

[0158] This makes it possible to more appropriately determine the office area 98 based on the counted number of people in the room, the office area table, the selected office area density and whether or not energy-saving operation has been selected, and the predicted low power consumption of the office area pattern series. In this case, the predicted low power consumption of the office area pattern series can be determined based on data linking the average power consumption for each office area pattern with meteorological information and seasonal information from the past operation, and therefore it is possible to more accurately determine the appropriate office area 98.

[0159] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another tenth aspect is an office environment control system according to any one of the other first to ninth aspects, in which the input / output unit 320 has a control effect presentation unit 322, the environment control unit 350 has an environmental equipment power consumption management unit 351, and the control effect presentation unit 322 presents at least one of the power consumption and / or power reduction amount at each point in time of each environmental equipment stored in the environmental equipment power consumption management unit 351, the progress of at least one of the power consumption and / or power reduction amount over time, and at least one of the future power consumption and / or power reduction amount.

[0160] According to this, the control effect presentation unit 322 can present at least one of the power consumption and / or power reduction amount, the time series of the power consumption and / or power reduction amount, and the future power consumption and / or power reduction amount.

[0161] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another eleventh aspect is an office environment control system according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, in which the input / output unit 320 has an operation interface unit 321, and the office area 98 determined by the office area determination unit 340 is displayed on an operation input device 392 controlled by the operation interface unit 321.

[0162] This allows the user to visually confirm the determined office area 98 from an image or the like displayed on the operation input device 392.

[0163] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another twelfth aspect is the office environment control system according to another tenth aspect, in which the office area 98 determined by the office area determination unit 340 is displayed on a display device 393 controlled by the control effect presentation unit 322.

[0164] This allows the user to visually confirm the determined office area 98 from an image or the like displayed on the display device 393.

[0165] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another thirteenth aspect is an office environment control system according to another sixth or seventh aspect, in which the work area determination unit 340 performs an update process to update the determined work area 98, the number of people management unit 310 has a person status measurement unit 311, and when determining the work area 98 when the number of people present decreases, the person status measurement unit 311 determines whether or not the workers within the work area 98 are in a state of concentration based on the measurement results obtained by the sensor 391 within the range of the work area 98, and if it is determined that the workers within the range of the work area 98 are in a state of concentration, the office area determination unit 340 suspends the update process for the work area 98.

[0166] According to this, when workers are working in a concentrated state in the work area 98 that is scheduled to be reduced, the reduction of the work area 98 can be put on hold so as not to interfere with the work of the workers.

[0167] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another 14th aspect is the office environment control system according to any one of the other 1st to 13th aspects, in which the input / output unit 320 has an operation interface unit 321, and the operation interface unit 321 receives user input for enlarging and reducing the office area 98, and when the operation interface unit 321 receives input for enlarging the office area 98, the office area determination unit 340 determines the office area 98 to be next in the current usage order in accordance with the usage order of the selected office areas 98 and enlarges the office area 98 to be used, and when the operation interface unit 321 receives input for reducing the office area, the office area determination unit 340 reduces the office area 98 to be determined the office area 98 to be previous in the current usage order in accordance with the usage order of the selected office areas 98.

[0168] This allows the office area 98 to be manually enlarged or reduced in size based on input from the user.

[0169] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another 15th aspect is the office environment control system described in another 14th aspect, which stores the number of times an expansion of the work area 98 is input, and increases the number of available seats set in each of the work areas 98 if the number of times an expansion of the work area 98 is input is greater than a predetermined number.

[0170] This makes it possible to determine an office area 98 that is more suitable for the user in the office based on the number of times that expansion of the office area 98 has been input in the past.

[0171] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another 16th aspect is an office environment control system according to any one of the other 1 to 15 aspects, in which the environment control unit 350 has an environmental device power consumption management unit 351, and the office area determination unit 340 refers to the operating times of each environmental device managed by the environmental device power consumption management unit 351, and selects an order of use of the office areas 98 from the order of use of the office areas 98 in the office area table corresponding to the selected office area density so as to minimize bias in the operating times of each environmental device, thereby determining the office area 98.

[0172] This allows the office area 98 to be determined so that the operating times of the environmental devices are less uneven.

[0173] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another 17th aspect is an office environment control system according to another 6th or 7th aspect, in which the office area determination unit 340 performs an update process to update the determined office area 98, the office environment control system has an absence determination unit (presence / absence determination unit 312), and when determining an office area 98 when the number of people present in the room decreases, the absence determination unit determines, from the determined office areas 98, office areas 98 in which no workers are present based on the measurement results obtained by a sensor 391 within the range of the office area 98, and the office area determination unit 340 performs an update process for the office areas 98 so that the office areas 98 determined to have no workers present are less likely to be determined as office areas 98 compared to the other office areas 98.

[0174] This will reduce the hassle of workers having to move around and will also help save energy throughout the office.

[0175] Furthermore, for example, an office environment control system according to another 18th aspect is an office environment control system according to any one of the first to seventeenth aspects, in which the office environment control system has a presence determination unit (presence / absence determination unit 312), and the presence determination unit determines, based on measurement results obtained by a sensor within the range of the office area candidate 98 that was not determined to be the office area 98, an office area candidate 98 in which a worker is present, from among the office area candidate 98 that was not determined to be the office area 98, and the environment control unit 350 controls the environment of an area outside the office area corresponding to the office area candidate 98 in which it was determined that a worker is present, so that instead of the second environment, it becomes a third environment that consumes more power than the second environment.

[0176] This makes it possible to provide the environment necessary for work, thereby realizing an office environment control system that is effective from the viewpoint of convenience for workers.

[0177] In addition, an office environment control method according to another 19th aspect of the present embodiment counts and manages the number of people in an office 99, sets multiple candidate office areas 98 within the office 99, manages an office area table consisting of one or more series of relationships between each of the set candidate office areas 98 and the environmental equipment within the office 99, the number of seats in each of the set candidate office areas 98, and the order of use of each of the set candidate office areas 98, accepts operational input to select a system operation mode and office area density, determines an office area 98 to be used from the candidate office areas 98 based on the counted number of people, the office area table, and the system operation mode and office area density selected by the operational input, controls the environment of the determined office area 98 to become a predetermined first environment, and controls the environment outside the office area 98 to become a predetermined second environment that consumes less power than the first environment.

[0178] This can provide the same effects as the office environment control system according to the other aspect described above.

[0179] A program according to a twentieth aspect of the present embodiment is a program for causing a computer to execute the above-described office environment control method.

[0180] This makes it possible to achieve the same effects as those of the office environment control system according to the other aspect described above using a computer.

[0181] (Other embodiments) The office environment control system and the like according to the present disclosure have been described above based on the above embodiment, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0182] In the above embodiment, a process executed by a specific processing unit may be executed by another processing unit. The order of multiple processes may be changed, or multiple processes may be executed in parallel. The allocation of components of the office environment control system to multiple devices is an example. For example, components included in one device may be included in another device.

[0183] For example, the processing described in the above embodiments may be realized by centralized processing using a single device (system), or may be realized by distributed processing using multiple devices. Furthermore, the processor that executes the program may be a single processor or multiple processors. That is, centralized processing or distributed processing may be performed.

[0184] In the above embodiments, all or some of the components such as the control unit may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk drive or semiconductor memory.

[0185] Furthermore, components such as the control unit may be configured with one or more electronic circuits, each of which may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0186] The one or more electronic circuits may include, for example, a semiconductor device, an IC, or an LSI. The IC or LSI may be integrated on a single chip or on multiple chips. Although the IC or LSI is referred to here as an IC or LSI, the name may vary depending on the degree of integration, and may be called a system LSI, a VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), or an ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration). Also, an FPGA that is programmed after the LSI is manufactured can be used for the same purpose.

[0187] Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present disclosure may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, or a computer program. Alternatively, they may be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as an optical disk, a HDD, or a semiconductor memory on which the computer program is stored. Alternatively, they may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0188] In addition, this disclosure also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art would think of, and forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope of this disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0189] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 Office area 95 Exit card reader 96 Entry card reader 97 Fixtures 98 Office area candidate (Office area) 99, 99a, 99b, 99c Office 300 control section 310, 310a Personnel management department 311 Human Condition Measurement Department 312 Presence / absence determination unit 313 Number of people processing unit 313a Acquisition Department 313b Room occupancy estimation department 313c Holding Number Estimation Department 313d Occupied Seat Estimation Section 320 Input / output section 321 Operation Interface Unit 322 Control effect display section 330 Office Area Table Management Department 340 Office Area Determination Department 350 Environmental Control Department 351 Environmental equipment power consumption management department 391 Sensors 392 Operation input device 393 Display equipment AC, AC1, AC2 Air conditioning equipment L, L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6, L7, L8, L9, L10, L11, L12, L13, L14, L15, L16, L17, L18, L19, L20, L21, L22, L23, L24 Lighting equipment

Claims

1. An office environment control system that controls environmental equipment in an office based on the number of people in the office, a number-of-people processing unit for calculating the number of people present in the room, The number of people processing unit an acquisition unit that acquires the entry and exit timings of people entering and leaving the office and personal IDs that can identify each of the people entering and leaving the office; an occupancy number estimation unit that estimates the number of people actually present in the office based on the acquired entry / exit timing and personal ID; a reserved number estimation unit that estimates a reserved number of people, which is the number of people who enter and exit the office and are considered to have temporarily left the office, from the acquired entry and exit timings and personal IDs; an occupied seat number estimation unit that estimates the number of occupied seats in the office from the sum of the actual number of people present and the number of people on hold, and outputs the number of occupied seats estimated as the number of people present. Office climate control system.

2. The occupancy estimation unit Adding the personal ID of the person who entered or left the office based on the entry / exit timing to a presence list; The number of personal IDs in the occupancy list is calculated as the actual number of people present in the room.

10. The office climate control system of claim 1.

3. The occupancy estimation unit (a) adding the personal ID of a person who entered or left the office based on the entry / exit timing to a presence list, and (b) deleting the personal ID of a person who entered or left an office other than the office after (a) from the presence list; The number of personal IDs in the occupancy list is calculated as the actual number of people present in the room.

10. The office climate control system of claim 1.

4. The office is provided with two or more exit routes corresponding to two or more exit destinations from the office, the acquisition unit individually acquires the entry / exit timings inside and outside the office using each of the two or more exit paths and the personal ID; The reserved number estimation unit determines whether to add the entry / exit person corresponding to the personal ID who has left the office to the reserved number of people by using a reserved probability α set in association with a combination of the personal ID and the exit destination when the person has left the office.

10. The office climate control system of claim 1.

5. The number of people processing unit further includes a reservation probability learning unit that calculates the reservation probability α for a combination of the personal ID and the destination of an exit when the person corresponding to the personal ID has left the office in the past, based on a history of the destination of an exit when the person has left the office in the past and whether the person has re-entered the office within a predetermined time after the exit.

5. The office climate control system of claim 4.

6. The office is provided with two or more exit routes corresponding to two or more exit destinations from the office, the acquisition unit individually acquires the entry / exit timings inside and outside the office using each of the two or more exit paths and the personal ID; The holding number estimation unit counts the person as one of the holding numbers from the start of counting until the holding time limit has elapsed, using a holding time limit table including an upper limit for the holding time for continuing estimation as the holding number, which is set in association with a combination of the personal ID and the exit destination when the person exits the office, and does not count the person as one of the holding numbers after the holding time limit has elapsed.

10. The office climate control system of claim 1.

7. The number of people processing unit further includes a hold time upper limit learning unit that calculates an upper limit of the hold time for a combination of the personal ID and the destination when the person corresponding to the personal ID exits from the office based on a history of the destination when the person exits from the office in the past and the time required from the exit to re-entering the office.

7. The office climate control system of claim 6.

8. The reservation number estimation unit estimates the reservation number so that the reservation number does not exceed the reservation number upper limit by using a reservation number upper limit table including a reservation number upper limit that is an upper limit of the reservation number set in advance in the office.

10. The office climate control system of claim 1.

9. The number-of-people processing unit further includes a reservation number upper limit learning unit that calculates the reservation number upper limit for the office based on a history of the number of people who overlap in a period from a past time when they left the office to a time when they re-entered the office within a predetermined time.

9. The office climate control system of claim 8.

10. The number of people processing unit further includes a non-temporary exit management unit that adds the personal ID of an entry / exit person who has left the office after a predetermined time to a non-temporary exit list, the occupancy number estimation unit deletes from the presence list the personal ID of the person entering or leaving the room whose personal ID is included in the non-temporary exit list; The reserved person number estimation unit does not count an entering or leaving person whose personal ID is included in the non-temporary exit list as one of the reserved people.

4. An office environment control system according to claim 2 or 3.

11. 1. A computer-implemented office environment control method for controlling environmental equipment in an office based on the number of people in the office, comprising: a number-of-people processing step for calculating the number of people present in the room, In the number of people processing step, Acquire the entry and exit timings of people entering and leaving the office and personal IDs that can identify each of the people entering and leaving the office; The number of people actually present in the office is estimated from the acquired entry / exit timing and personal ID. From the acquired entry / exit timing and personal ID, estimate a pending number of people, which is the number of people who are considered to have temporarily left the office among those who have left the office, The number of occupied seats in the office is estimated from the sum of the actual number of people present and the number of people on hold, and the number of occupied seats estimated as the number of people present is output. Office environment control methods.

12. A method for causing the computer to execute the office environment control method according to claim 11. program.

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