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

Abstract

To provide an office environment control system that can more appropriately control the environment.SOLUTION: An office environment control system controls environmental equipment (such as air conditioning equipment AC and lighting equipment L) in an office 99 on the basis of the number of workers present in the office 99, and is equipped with a headcount management unit 310a that acquires the number of people present, a memory unit 394 that stores an environmental preference ratio, which is the ratio of spatial environment preferences to all workers based on each worker's preference for the spatial environment in the office 99, an environmental control unit 350 that controls the environmental equipment to expand the area of each spatial environment according to the environmental preference ratio to an area corresponding to the number of people present, and a presentation unit that presents the expanded spatial environment for each area to the worker.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 38

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 aspect of the present disclosure is an office environment control system that controls environmental equipment in an office based on the number of workers present in the office, and includes: a headcount management unit that acquires the number of people present; a memory unit that stores an environmental preference ratio, which is the ratio of each worker's preference for the spatial environment in the office to all workers' preference, based on each worker's preference for the spatial environment; an environmental control unit that controls the environmental equipment to expand the area of ​​each spatial environment in accordance with the environmental preference ratio to an area corresponding to the number of people present; and a presentation unit that presents the spatial environment for each expanded area to the worker.

[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 an office based on the number of workers present in the office, and includes a number processing step that calculates the number of people present; a reading step that reads from a memory unit an environmental preference ratio, which is the ratio of preference for the spatial environment in the office to all workers based on each worker's preference for the spatial environment in the office; an environmental control step that controls the environmental equipment to expand the area of ​​each spatial environment in accordance with the environmental preference ratio so that it has an area corresponding to the number of people present; and a presentation step that presents the spatial environment for each expanded area to the workers.

[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, meteorological information, and 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 scene table according to the present embodiment. [Figure 35] FIG. 35 is a diagram illustrating an example of an area allocation table according to this embodiment. [Figure 36] FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the office environment control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 37] FIG. 37 is a diagram illustrating an example of an area allocation table for each time according to the embodiment. [Figure 38] FIG. 38 is an example of the information presented in the example. [Figure 39] FIG. 39 is another example of information presented in an embodiment. [Figure 40] FIG. 40 is a diagram showing how the area of ​​a group is expanded according to a modification of 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 orders 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] In addition, each worker who uses an office has their own environmental conditions that suit their preferences, so we will also discuss office environmental control that allows each worker to use the office under environmental conditions that suit them.

[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)

[0064] (2)bb1:P(19)→P(15,19)→P(14,15,19)→P(15,19)→P(19)

[0065] According to the weather forecast, the weather for each section is predicted as follows:

[0066] Section 1: Sunny, Section 2: Cloudy, Section 3: Rainy, Section 4: Cloudy, Section 5: Sunny

[0067] 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.

[0068] 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)

[0069] 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)

[0070] 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.

[0071] [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.

[0072] 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.

[0073] 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.

[0074] [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.

[0075] 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.

[0076] 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.

[0077] [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.

[0078] 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.

[0079] 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).

[0080] [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.

[0081] 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.

[0082] 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.

[0083] 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.

[0084] 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.

[0085] 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.

[0086] 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.

[0087] [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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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.

[0090] 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.

[0091] 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.

[0092] [Example 9] Next, a description will be given of Example 9. This example can be used in combination with any of Examples 1 to 8 as long as no inconsistency occurs.

[0093] 32 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 shown in the diagram, in the office 99 according to this embodiment, each work area 98 includes, for example, six seats, and the office 99 has 24 work areas, from work area 20 to work area 43.

[0094] For example, in the above example, the work areas 98 available for workers to use have two environmental conditions: either designated as work areas or designated as non-work areas. However, because each worker using the office 99 has their preferred environmental conditions, it is preferable to provide work areas 98 with three or more environmental conditions. Therefore, in this example, an example in which work areas 98 with three or more environmental conditions are provided is described. Here, the work areas 98 are treated as blocks, and several blocks are grouped together to form groups with the same environmental conditions. A worker who prefers a certain environmental condition can select and use one of the blocks in the group corresponding to that environmental condition. Groups with different temperature conditions (set temperatures) are arranged so that the difference in set temperatures between adjacent groups is small. As a result, there is no need to control air conditioning equipment more than necessary to create a temperature gradient, which is advantageous in terms of energy costs. Adjacent groups are managed, for example, by using a matrix representing the distance between each work area 98 and ensuring that the calculated value of the distance between the groups is equal to or less than a threshold.

[0095] 33 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a headcount management unit according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, instead of the headcount management unit 310 according to the other embodiments described above, a headcount management unit 310a including an area headcount calculation unit 313 is provided. The area headcount calculation unit 313 is a processing unit that acquires the number of people present and, based on the number of people present, estimates the number of area users who are expected to use each work area 98, in order to control environmental equipment so as to form multiple work areas 98 with multiple environmental conditions set.

[0096] FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of a scene table according to this embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 32 and 34, multiple office areas 98 are grouped together to form one identical spatial environment. Within each group, the control unit, i.e., the number of office areas 98 among the multiple office areas 98, that form the spatial environment, is varied for each group. That is, for one group, two office areas 98 are included in the spatial environment, and two candidate office areas 98 are excluded from the work area. For another group, one office area 98 is included in the spatial environment, and three candidate office areas are excluded from the work area. In this way, the office area 98 can be expanded for each group according to the users of the office areas 98 belonging to that group, enabling the office to operate at minimal energy costs while providing office areas 98 with various environmental conditions.

[0097] As shown in FIG. 34, the number of work areas 98 to be formed in each group, in other words, the number of work areas 98 for the number of people, can be set in advance as a scene table and used. For example, in group A, a work area consisting of one work area 98 is formed when there are up to three area users. In group A, a work area consisting of two work areas 98 is formed when there are up to nine area users. In group A, a work area consisting of three work areas 98 is formed when there are up to 15 area users. In group A, a work area consisting of four work areas 98 is formed when there are up to 21 area users. Since one work area 98 is provided with seats for six people, three or more surplus seats are always secured, making it possible to accommodate irregular use by workers. Note that if the number of surplus seats is less than three, energy costs can be further reduced.

[0098] 34, when the office area 98 is enlarged, which office area candidate 98 is used is managed by a scene table. In other words, when the office area 98 is enlarged, the order in which the office area candidate 98 is used and which group each office area candidate 98 belongs to can be set in advance.

[0099] In the example of FIG. 34, the same number of office areas is set for all groups. However, in reality, there is variation in the number of workers who wish to use the office areas 98 in each group. If this variation is not taken into consideration, problems such as unused candidate office areas 98 or no candidate office areas 98 that can be set despite being desired for use may arise. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 35, the number of office areas 98 set for each group in advance is not fixed. FIG. 35 is a diagram showing an example of an area allocation table according to this embodiment. Specifically, group A is assigned 30% of the area of ​​office areas 98. This corresponds to 7 to 8 of the 24 office areas. Group B is assigned 30% of the area of ​​office areas 98. Group C is assigned 15% of the area of ​​office areas 98. Group D is assigned 15% of the area of ​​office areas 98. Group E is assigned 5% of the area of ​​office areas 98. Group F is allocated 5% of the office areas 98 as an area ratio. If the 24 office areas 98 were allocated according to the above ratio, there would be a shortage of office areas. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 35, the number of seats included in each group is adjusted to be a multiple of 6 seats (the number of seats in one office area 98). For example, Group A is allocated 30% of the office areas 98 as an area ratio, which corresponds to 7 to 8 of the 24 office areas. In contrast, the number of seats in Group A is set to 42 seats, which corresponds to 7 office areas, and the area ratio is adjusted, resulting in a ratio of 42 / 144 = 7 / 24. The same applies to the other groups. The scene table and area allocation table are included in the environment preference ratio and are stored in advance in the storage unit 394.

[0100] Here, the area ratio for each group is an environmental preference ratio, which is the number of workers who prefer the environmental conditions of each work area set for that group divided by the total number of workers. The environmental preference ratio is prepared in advance based on, for example, a questionnaire about environmental condition preferences, such as what environmental conditions workers prefer. Alternatively, the environmental preference ratio may be prepared in advance based on age and gender, taking into account the age and gender of all workers, such that the older the worker, the brighter the environmental conditions, the younger the worker, the darker the environmental conditions, the cooler the male, and the hotter the female. Alternatively, both may be taken into consideration.

[0101] Furthermore, if a card reader or the like capable of identifying the individual worker is used, an environmental preference ratio may be created based on the results of the individual worker identification and the individual spatial environment preferences of each worker within the office 99.

[0102] The office environment control system operates as shown in FIG. 36. FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the office environment control system according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 36, the office environment control system acquires the number of people in a room (step S101), reads out the environment preference ratio (step S102), and allocates the number of area users according to the allocation ratio in the area allocation table in accordance with the number of people in the room. Then, in light of the environment preference ratio created in advance, a sufficient number of office area candidates 98 are set in the office area 98 to ensure the number of seats for the corresponding number of area users in each group. Specifically, based on the scene table shown in FIG. 34, the area of ​​the area is expanded a set number of times relative to the number of area users. Here, only expansion is performed, and reduction is not performed. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the office area 98 cannot be used due to a lack of seats. However, reduction may be permitted if conditions are met that make it unlikely that a shortage of seats will occur, such as late at night.

[0103] Note that the number of users in each group, i.e., the number of area users, changes from moment to moment. The manner in which this changes may differ for each group. Therefore, for example, the following may be done. FIG. 37 is a diagram showing an example of an area allocation table by time according to an embodiment. In FIG. 37, only Group A and Group B are shown as representative examples. Typically, each worker starts using the office 99 at a different time. Therefore, as shown in the figure, there is a bias in the number of workers that increase for each group at each time. The area allocation table may be organized by time based on the number of workers who started using the office 99 at the same time in the past, and changed for each time. In this case, as shown in the figure, if the number of workers who started using the office 99 at the same time in the past is zero, the number of area users may be uniformly allocated to each group.

[0104] Returning to FIG. 36 , the required number of candidate office areas 98 are set as the office areas 98, and each office area 98 is controlled to have the predetermined environmental conditions by controlling the environmental devices (step S103). Then, for example, a digital signage or tablet device serving as a display device 393 presents the layout of the office areas 98 along with the controlled environmental conditions to the worker (step S104). In other words, at least one of the input / output unit 320 and the display device 393 is considered to be included in the presentation unit for presenting the information to the worker. As an example, FIG. 38 shows an example of information presented in the embodiment. By viewing this presented information, the worker can select and use the office area 98 with the environmental conditions that best suit the worker's preferences. This allows the worker to work under environmental conditions that match the worker's preferences, even based solely on the number of people present. The presented information includes, for example, a rectangle indicating the same temperature conditions for all office areas 98 in the group, with solid or dashed lines dividing the rectangle to indicate the temperature range.

[0105] This allows workers to intuitively grasp the environmental conditions simply by looking at the display. Similarly, temperature conditions can be indicated by any method, such as the color inside the rectangle, the color of the lines, or the style of the lines. For example, light bulb icons indicating the same lighting conditions are attached to a group, and the illuminance level is indicated by the number of icons. This also allows workers to intuitively grasp the environmental conditions simply by looking at the display. Similarly, as shown in Figure 39, lighting conditions can be indicated by the number or size of icons. Alternatively, the color temperature of lighting can be indicated by any method, such as the color inside the icon, the color of the lines, or the style of the lines.

[0106] As shown in the figure, a worker can also input information for controlling the office area 98 to the office environment control system. Specifically, the digital signage or tablet terminal or the like is equipped with the functionality of an operation input device 392, and the worker can input information via this function. The input from the worker is accepted by the input / output unit 320 of the office environment control system and processed with priority. In other words, the input of information for controlling the office area 98 from the worker takes priority over the process of automatically setting the office area 98.

[0107] For example, in the figure, an input is made to forcibly enlarge the office area 98 of group F. As a result, the number of office areas 98 of group F changes from one to three. Note that the input of information to control the office areas 98 in order to change the number of office areas 98 in each group may be a direct input such as an input of the number of blocks after the change, or an input of selecting the office area candidate 98 to be included in the group by tapping, or may be an indirect input using a numerical value for the area ratio after the change.

[0108] On the other hand, in such an expansion, office areas 98 belonging to another group may also be set as office areas 98 of the group, which may change the environmental conditions. If such changes are undesirable, it may be possible to set a condition lock in advance that prevents changes to the environmental conditions of the office area 98 based on input by the worker. In such an office area 98 with a condition lock set, the environmental conditions will not change even if the worker inputs.

[0109] FIG. 40 is a diagram showing the area expansion of a group according to a modified example of the embodiment. As described above, the candidate office areas 98 belonging to a group and the order in which they are switched to the expanded office areas 98 can be set in advance using a scene table. Considering temperature conditions, the closer the office areas are to each other, the more efficient the temperature control using airflow from air conditioners can be, since the temperature loss outside the area is reduced. In other words, the office areas 98 within a group should be set so that the sum of the distances from a starting point to all locations within the group is minimized. Furthermore, the closer the office areas are to a wall, the more efficient the temperature control using airflow from air conditioners can be, since the temperature loss outside the area is reduced. For example, in the case of two groups (groups A and C, i.e., two different temperature conditions) shown in FIG. 40, the starting point for the office area 98 should be along the adjacent wall near the center, and the office area 98 should be expanded while maintaining a nearly square shape.

[0110] [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 the environmental equipment (such as air conditioning equipment AC and lighting equipment L) in the office 99 based on the number of workers present in the office 99, and includes a headcount management unit 310a that acquires the number of people present, a memory unit 394 that stores an environmental preference ratio, which is the ratio of spatial environment preferences to all workers based on each worker's preference for the spatial environment in the office 99, an environmental control unit 350 that controls the environmental equipment to expand the area of ​​each spatial environment according to the environmental preference ratio so that it corresponds to the number of people present, and a presentation unit that presents the expanded spatial environment for each area to the worker.

[0111] This office environment control system can expand each area to an appropriate size based on the number of people in the room, in accordance with the stored environment preference ratio. In other words, if the environment preference ratios are stored in advance, it is possible to expand each area to an appropriate size based on the number of people in the room, thereby controlling the environment to suit each worker without having to identify each worker individually. This allows for more appropriate environment control.

[0112] 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 environmental preference ratio is created based on at least one of a questionnaire regarding preferences for the spatial environment within the office 99 that was previously administered to the workers and the age and gender of each worker, and is stored in the memory unit 394.

[0113] This allows each area to be expanded so that the area of ​​each spatial environment is appropriate for the number of people present, in accordance with environmental preference ratios created based on at least one of a questionnaire about preferences for spatial environments in the office 99 previously administered to workers and the age and gender of each worker. Once created, environmental preference ratios can continue to be used for a certain period of time, but may also be updated at predetermined intervals, such as every day, month, quarter, or year.

[0114] Furthermore, for example, the office environment control system according to the third aspect is the office environment control system according to the first or second aspect, in which the environmental preference ratios are organized and stored for each worker who has the same start time of using the office 99 based on the start time of each worker's use of the office 99 and their preferences for the spatial environment within the office 99, and the environmental control unit 350 controls the environmental equipment at each time, thereby gradually expanding the area of ​​each spatial environment to an area corresponding to the number of people present in the room according to the environmental preference ratios for each worker who has the same start time of using the office 99.

[0115] According to this, if it is assumed that the environmental preference ratio differs depending on the start time of use of office 99, each area can be expanded using the environmental preference ratio appropriate for each different start time of use so that the area size of each spatial environment is appropriate based on the number of people present.

[0116] Furthermore, for example, the office environment control system according to the fourth aspect is an office environment control system according to any one of the first to third aspects, in which the environmental preference ratio is created based on the personal identification result of the current worker and the individual spatial environment preferences of each worker within the office 99, and is stored in the memory unit 394.

[0117] This allows the results of personal identification of the current worker to be used, and each area can be expanded using an environmental preference ratio that reflects each individual's spatial environment preferences, so that the area size of each spatial environment is appropriate based on the number of people present.

[0118] Furthermore, for example, the office environment control system according to the fifth aspect is the office environment control system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising an input unit (including at least one of operation input / output device 393 and input / output unit 320) that receives input from a worker to change the area of ​​each area, and after receiving the input, environmental control unit 350 controls the environmental equipment so that the area of ​​each spatial environment becomes the changed area.

[0119] This allows the spatial environment to be controlled based on input from the operator so that the area of ​​each spatial environment for which input has been received becomes the same.

[0120] Furthermore, for example, the office environment control system according to the sixth aspect is an office environment control system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, in which the environment control unit 350 arranges multiple areas with different spatial environments so that the difference in set temperature between adjacent areas is small, and expands the area of ​​each area so that the sum of the distances from the wall within the office 99 to each point is minimized.

[0121] This allows the environment to be controlled efficiently, particularly by the air conditioner AC, and allows the environment to be controlled more appropriately in terms of energy costs.

[0122] Also, for example, an office environment control method according to a seventh aspect is an office environment control method executed by a computer that controls environmental equipment in office 99 based on the number of workers present in office 99, and includes a number processing step (step S101) that calculates the number of people present, a reading step (step S102) that reads from a memory unit an environmental preference ratio, which is the ratio of spatial environment preference to all workers based on each worker's preference for the spatial environment in office 99, an environmental control step (step S103) that controls the environmental equipment to expand the area of ​​each spatial environment according to the environmental preference ratio so that it corresponds to the number of people present, and a presentation step (step S104) that presents the expanded spatial environment for each area to the workers.

[0123] This can provide the same effects as the office environment control system described above.

[0124] Furthermore, for example, a program according to an eighth aspect is a program for causing a computer to execute the above-described office environment control method.

[0125] This makes it possible to achieve the same effects as the above-described office environment control system using a computer.

[0126] 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.

[0127] 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.

[0128] 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.

[0129] 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.

[0130] 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.

[0131] This allows for further reduction in power consumption during pre-specified periods outside of office hours.

[0132] 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.

[0133] 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.

[0134] 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.

[0135] This makes it possible to prevent the work area from being inadvertently reduced by using only the maximum number of people present.

[0136] 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.

[0137] 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.

[0138] 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.

[0139] 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.

[0140] 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.

[0141] 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.

[0142] 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.

[0143] 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.

[0144] 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.

[0145] 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.

[0146] 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.

[0147] 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.

[0148] 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.

[0149] This allows the user to visually confirm the determined office area 98 from an image or the like displayed on the display device 393.

[0150] 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.

[0151] 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.

[0152] 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.

[0153] This allows the office area 98 to be manually enlarged or reduced in size based on input from the user.

[0154] 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.

[0155] 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.

[0156] 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.

[0157] This allows the office area 98 to be determined so that the operating times of the environmental devices are less uneven.

[0158] 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.

[0159] This will reduce the hassle of workers having to move around and will also help save energy throughout the office.

[0160] 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.

[0161] This makes it possible to provide the environment necessary for work, thereby realizing an office environment control system that is effective in terms of convenience for workers.

[0162] 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.

[0163] This can provide the same effects as the office environment control system according to the other aspect described above.

[0164] A program according to another twentieth aspect of the present embodiment is a program for causing a computer to execute the above-described office environment control method.

[0165] 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.

[0166] (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.

[0167] 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.

[0168] 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.

[0169] 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.

[0170] 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.

[0171] 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.

[0172] 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.

[0173] 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]

[0174] 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 Office 300 control section 310 Personnel Management Department 311 Human Condition Measurement Department 312 Presence / absence determination unit 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 workers in the office, a number-of-occupancy management unit that acquires the number of people present; a storage unit configured to store an environmental preference ratio, which is a ratio of preferences for the spatial environment of each of the workers to preferences for the spatial environment of all the workers, based on the preferences for the spatial environment of each of the workers in the office; an environmental control unit that controls the environmental devices to expand the area of ​​each of the spatial environments in accordance with the environmental preference ratio so that the area corresponds to the number of people present; a presentation unit that presents the spatial environment for each enlarged area to the worker. Office climate control system.

2. The environmental preference ratio is created based on at least one of a questionnaire regarding preferences for spatial environments in the office that was previously administered to the workers and the age and sex of each of the workers, and is stored in the storage unit.

10. The office climate control system of claim 1.

3. The environmental preference ratio is sorted and stored for each worker who has a similar start time of using the office based on the start time of using the office and the preference of the spatial environment in the office of each worker, The environmental control unit controls the environmental equipment at each time, and sequentially expands the area of ​​each spatial environment according to the environmental preference ratio of each worker who starts using the office at the same time so that the area corresponds to the number of people present.

10. The office climate control system of claim 1.

4. The environmental preference ratio is created based on the personal identification result of the current worker and the preferences of each worker for the individual spatial environment in the office, and is stored in the storage unit.

10. The office climate control system of claim 1.

5. further comprising an input unit that receives an input from the worker to change the area of ​​each area; After receiving the input, the environmental control unit controls the environmental devices so that the area of ​​each of the spatial environments becomes the changed area.

10. The office climate control system of claim 1.

6. The environmental control unit arranges the plurality of areas with different spatial environments so that the difference in set temperature between adjacent areas is small, and expands the area of ​​each area so that the sum of the distances from a wall in the office to each point is minimized.

10. The office climate control system of claim 1.

7. 1. An office environment control method executed by a computer, which controls environmental equipment in an office based on the number of workers present in the office, comprising: a number-of-people processing step for calculating the number of people present; a reading step of reading from a storage unit an environment preference ratio, which is a ratio of preferences for the spatial environment of each of the workers to all the workers based on the preferences for the spatial environment in the office of each of the workers; an environmental control step of controlling the environmental equipment to expand the area of ​​each spatial environment in accordance with the environmental preference ratio so that the area corresponds to the number of people present; and a presentation step of presenting the spatial environment for each enlarged area to the worker. Office environment control methods.

8. A method for causing the computer to execute the office environment control method according to claim 7. program.

Images