Information processing device and environmental control system

Abstract

The objective is to provide an information processing device and an environmental control system that can realize an environment that can improve human productivity in indoor spaces. [Solution] An information processing device for controlling the environment of an indoor space in which at least one user can be active, comprising: an information acquisition unit configured to identify the user and acquire user information relating to the user's physical and mental state; an environment information acquisition unit that acquires environment information relating to the environment of the indoor space in which the user is present; and a control unit that controls the environment based on the user information relating to the physical and mental state identified and acquired by the information acquisition unit and the environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus used for environmental control of an indoor space and an environmental control system including the information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] In order to realize a comfortable environment for a human body in an indoor space, a method of performing information processing using output values of various sensors and performing environmental control of the indoor space is generally implemented. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an environmental control system that estimates a human state using human information about a person in an indoor space, an indoor environment, and a human model simulating a person, and controls an air conditioning system so that the human state becomes a target state.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The human model used in the environmental control system of Patent Document 1 simulates physical parts and movements of a human body such as bones, joints, and skin, and the input human information is biological information such as weight, age, and gender, and objective information such as ethnicity or geographical information. However, in order to actually provide a highly productive environment in which a person feels comfortable or easy to work, since the psychological effects of a person also have an impact, there are cases where the conventional environmental control system cannot achieve an improvement in productivity.

[0005] The present disclosure solves the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus and an environmental control system for realizing an environment capable of improving the productivity of a person in an indoor space.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The information processing device relating to this disclosure is an information processing device for controlling the environment of an indoor space in which at least one user can be active, and is configured to identify a user, and comprises: an information acquisition unit that acquires user information relating to the physical and mental state of the user; an environment information acquisition unit that acquires environment information relating to the environment of the indoor space in which the user is present; and a control unit that controls the environment based on the user information relating to the physical and mental state identified and acquired by the information acquisition unit and the environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit.

[0007] The environmental control system relating to this disclosure is an environmental control system for controlling the environment of an indoor space in which multiple users may be active, and comprises: a first user information acquisition unit configured to identify a first user among the multiple users and to acquire first user physical and mental information relating to the physical and mental state of the identified first user; a second user information acquisition unit separate from the first user information acquisition unit and configured to identify a second user different from the first user among the multiple users, and to acquire second user physical and mental information relating to the physical and mental state of the identified second user; an environmental information acquisition unit for acquiring environmental information relating to the environment of an indoor space in which multiple users may be active; and a control unit that controls the environment based on the first user physical and mental information identified and acquired by the first user information acquisition unit, the second user physical and mental information identified and acquired by the second user information acquisition unit, and the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, by controlling the environment using user information regarding the user's physical and mental state and environmental information regarding the environment of the indoor space in which the user is present, it is possible to create an environment that improves human productivity in the indoor space. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the environmental control system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of the information processing device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] This is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] This is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart showing the operation flow of the information processing device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram of the environmental control system according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram of the information processing device according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart showing the operation flow of the information processing device according to Embodiment 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the information processing device 1 and the environmental control system 100 equipped with the information processing device 1 according to this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, components denoted by the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent components, and this is common throughout the entire specification. Note that the relative dimensions or shapes of the components in each drawing may differ from those of the actual components.

[0011] Embodiment 1. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the environmental control system 100 according to Embodiment 1. The environmental control system 100 of this embodiment improves the productivity of user Pa by controlling the environment of an indoor space in which at least one user, including user Pa, can be active. As shown in Figure 1, the environmental control system 100 of this embodiment consists of an information processing device 1, an environmental information measuring device 2, and an environmental control device 3. The information processing device 1 is connected to the environmental information measuring device 2 and the environmental control device 3 via wired or wireless communication. For wired or wireless communication, an interface compliant with a communication standard such as Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi®, ZigBee®, LTE®, or LoRaWAN® is used.

[0012] Information processing device 1 is a personal state support system linked to user Pa. Information processing device 1 is, for example, an autonomous robot as shown in Figure 1. The appearance and shape of information processing device 1 can be customized by user Pa. By configuring information processing device 1 in this way, user Pa can become familiar with information processing device 1, and a stronger bond is formed between user Pa and information processing device 1.

[0013] The information processing device 1 is not limited to a robot as shown in Figure 1, but may be a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet, or a wearable device such as a smartwatch. Alternatively, the information processing device 1 may be a device realized by embedding or attaching a chip having the functions of the information processing device 1 into or to a device of the user's choice. The information processing device 1 is a device specific to user Pa and starts operating when user Pa is authenticated, such as by entering an identification number, fingerprint authentication, or facial recognition.

[0014] The environmental information measuring device 2 is a device that measures environmental information of the indoor space where user Pa is present. Environmental information includes, for example, at least one of the following: indoor temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration, dust concentration, illuminance, odor intensity, noise level, and number of people present. The environmental information measuring device 2 includes, for example, at least one of the following: a temperature sensor to measure indoor temperature, a humidity sensor to measure humidity, a CO2 sensor to measure CO2 concentration, a dust sensor to measure dust concentration, an illuminance sensor to measure illuminance, an odor sensor to measure odor intensity, a sound level sensor to measure noise level, and an infrared sensor or camera to detect the number of people present. The environmental information measured by the environmental information measuring device 2 is transmitted to the information processing device 1. Note that the environmental information measuring device 2 and environmental information are not limited to the examples listed above, and may include other devices and information.

[0015] The environmental control device 3 is a device that controls the environment of the indoor space where user Pa is present. The environmental control device 3 is, for example, at least one of the following: an air conditioner, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, a ventilation system, an air purifier, a lighting system, an acoustic device such as a speaker (including a sound-dampening device), and an aroma diffuser that emits fragrance. The air conditioner, humidifier, dehumidifier, and ventilation system control the temperature and humidity of the room. The ventilation system and air purifier control the CO2 concentration, dust concentration, and odor intensity of the room. The lighting system controls the illuminance of the room. The acoustic device controls the noise level of the room. The aroma diffuser controls the odor intensity of the room. Note that the environmental control device 3 is not limited to the examples listed above and may be other devices.

[0016] In the environmental control system 100 of this embodiment, the information processing device 1 estimates environmental control information to realize the optimal ease of working for user Pa, based on the environmental information measured by the environmental information measuring device 2 and user information including person information and work information obtained from user Pa, and controls the environmental control device 3 based on the estimated environmental control information. User Pa's ease of working refers to, for example, the degree to which user Pa can work comfortably both physically and mentally in that space, or the degree to which they can approach their work positively (job satisfaction). Furthermore, "optimal" in this disclosure includes not only what is actually optimal, but also what is defined as optimal by user Pa, or what is set as optimal in the information processing device 1.

[0017] The user information of User Pa includes the personal information and business information of User Pa. The personal information of User Pa is information regarding the physical and mental state of User Pa, and includes at least either information regarding states such as the words and actions, physical and mental state, and action history of User Pa, or biological information such as the brain waves, heart rate, pulse wave, body temperature, and posture of User Pa. The words and actions of User Pa are words and actions indicating the comfort or psychological state of User Pa such as "hot", "cold", or "tired", and the physical and mental state indicates the physical and mental state towards work such as "unable to concentrate" or "tired". The personal information of User Pa may be input into the information processing device 1 by User Pa, or may be measured by a biological information sensor (not shown) such as a microphone, camera, infrared sensor, electroencephalograph, activity meter, heart rate meter, thermometer, or acceleration sensor, and input into the information processing device 1. When the information processing device 1 is a wearable device such as a smartwatch, the information processing device 1 may be equipped with a biological information sensor for measuring personal information.

[0018] The business information of User Pa is information regarding the business that User Pa is engaged in, and includes at least either the schedule, affiliation, position, work content, and working hours of User Pa. The schedule is a schedule such as the business or going out of User Pa for each time. The work content includes at least either specific work content such as document creation or meetings, the type of work such as intellectual work (desk work) or physical work, or the work load such as light work or heavy work. Here, "physical work" includes work inside a building such as the work of a worker on a factory line or a nurse in a hospital, but does not include work outside such as a construction site. The business information of User Pa may be input into the information processing device 1 by User Pa, or may be obtained from an external management device that manages the business information of User Pa. Also, the work content and working hours of User Pa may be obtained by measurement using a biological information sensor such as a microphone, camera, infrared sensor, activity meter, or acceleration sensor, and input into the information processing device 1. Note that the personal information and business information of User Pa are not limited to the examples listed above, and may be other information.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the information processing apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing apparatus 1 includes a control device 11, a storage device 12, an input device 13, and an output device 14.

[0020] The control device 11 includes, as functional units, an information acquisition unit 111, an estimation unit 112, and a control unit 113. The control device 11 is composed of a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) that executes a program stored in dedicated hardware or memory. FIGS. 3 and 4 are hardware configuration diagrams showing configuration examples of the control device 11 according to Embodiment 1.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, when the control device 11 is dedicated hardware, the control device 11 is composed of a processing circuit 600. The processing circuit 600 corresponds to, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), or a combination thereof. The information acquisition unit 111, the estimation unit 112, and the control unit 113 of the control device 11 may be realized by individual hardware or by one hardware.

[0022] As shown in Figure 4, when the control device 11 is configured by a processor 601, the information acquisition unit 111, estimation unit 112, and control unit 113 of the control device 11 are implemented by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is written as a program and stored in the memory 602 that constitutes the storage device 12. The processor 601 and the memory 602 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate via a bus 603. The processor 601 implements the information acquisition unit 111, estimation unit 112, and control unit 113 by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 602. The control device 11 may have multiple processors 601 and multiple memories 602, which work together to implement each function of the control device 11. Alternatively, some of the functions of the control device 11 may be implemented by dedicated hardware, and some may be implemented by software or firmware.

[0023] Returning to Figure 2, the information acquisition unit 111 communicates with the environmental information measuring device 2 via wired or wireless communication to acquire environmental information of the indoor space from the environmental information measuring device 2. The information acquisition unit 111 also acquires user Pa's personal information and work information input via the input device 13. Alternatively, the information acquisition unit 111 may acquire user Pa's personal information and work information via wired or wireless communication with the biometric information sensor. Information acquisition by the information acquisition unit 111 may be performed periodically at predetermined time intervals (e.g., every 30 minutes), or when instructed by user Pa. Alternatively, the information acquisition unit 111 may acquire environmental information when user Pa inputs personal information and work information via the input device 13.

[0024] The estimation unit 112 uses the environmental information, human information, and work information acquired by the information acquisition unit 111, along with the learned estimation model 120 stored in the storage device 12, to estimate environmental control information necessary to achieve optimal ease of work for user Pa. Specifically, the estimation unit 112 inputs the environmental information, human information, and work information acquired by the information acquisition unit 111 as input data to the estimation model 120, and obtains the environmental control information output from the estimation model 120 as the estimation result. The environmental control information is, for example, at least one of the following: indoor temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration, dust concentration, illuminance, odor intensity, and noise level, which are necessary to achieve optimal ease of work for user Pa. Note that the environmental control information is not limited to the examples listed above and may include other information.

[0025] The control unit 113 controls the environmental control device 3 based on the environmental control information estimated by the estimation unit 112 so that the indoor environment becomes suitable for user Pa. Specifically, the control unit 113 controls the environmental control device 3 to target one of the indoor temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration, dust concentration, illuminance, odor intensity, and noise level included in the environmental control information.

[0026] The storage device 12 is composed of, for example, volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable and Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or a combination thereof. The storage device 12 stores programs used for estimation and control of the control device 11, as well as various data such as calculation formulas and thresholds used for executing said programs.

[0027] Furthermore, the storage device 12 stores the estimation model 120. The estimation model 120 is a trained model that takes environmental information, human information, and work information as input data and outputs environmental control information to achieve optimal ease of use as output data. The estimation model 120 is trained using user Pa's unique training data. The estimation model 120 is trained, for example, by supervised learning using a neural network.

[0028] This section describes an example of how the estimation model 120 is trained. The estimation model 120 uses past environmental information, at least one of user Pa's personal information and work information, and the user Pa's work-life balance at that time as training data to learn environmental control information that optimizes work-life balance. Work-life balance is a numerical representation of the effects or indices obtained from the perspectives of labor productivity (work-life balance), motivation (job satisfaction), or physical and mental health (fatigue prevention). For example, from the perspective of labor productivity, this could include work efficiency, reduction in working hours, improvement index of intellectual productivity, degree of concentration on work; from the perspective of motivation, the engagement index; and from the perspective of physical and mental health, the comfort index, fatigue index, medical expense reduction rate, or sleep index. The user Pa's work-life balance in the training data can be obtained from feedback from past users Pa. Feedback from user Pa may be obtained from at least one of the following: information about user Pa's state, such as their speech, physical and mental condition, and behavioral history in the person information; and biometric information such as user Pa's brain waves, heart rate, pulse wave, body temperature, and posture; or it may be input from user Pa via the input device 13.

[0029] For example, suppose the estimation model 120 is trained using training data where the ease of working is 2 when the noise level is 60 [dB] and user Pa is doing desk work, and training data where the ease of working is the optimal value of 5 when the noise level is 40 [dB] and user Pa is doing desk work. Note that a higher value for ease of working indicates a more comfortable environment. In this case, if the trained estimation model 120 receives input data of a noise level of 60 [dB] in the environmental information and that user Pa is doing desk work in the work information, it will output a noise level of 40 [dB] as environmental control information. The above is just one example; in reality, the estimation model 120 is trained to output optimal environmental control information based on multiple factors.

[0030] Even in the same environment, the degree of ease of work varies from person to person. Furthermore, the degree of ease of work also varies from person to person depending on the combination of work content and environment. For example, when doing desk work, some people work better in a quiet environment, while others work better in an environment with music playing. Even among people who work best in a quiet environment when doing desk work, some work better with music playing when doing physical labor, while others work better in a quiet environment even when doing physical labor. Estimation model 120 learns from past environmental information, at least one of the user Pa's personal information and work information, and the user Pa's degree of ease of work at that time as training data, and can output an estimation result that optimizes the user Pa's unique ease of work, taking into account the user Pa's physical and psychological state.

[0031] The input device 13 may be, for example, an operating device such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel operated by user Pa, a camera that acquires images of user P, or a microphone that acquires voice from user Pa. At least one of user Pa's personal information and business information is input to the input device 13. The input device 13 transmits the input information to the information acquisition unit 111 of the control device 11.

[0032] The output device 14 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or organic EL display that outputs visual information to the user Pa, or a speaker that outputs audio information to the user Pa. The output device 14 outputs current environmental information or environmental control information estimated by the estimation unit 112.

[0033] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the operation flow of the information processing device 1 according to Embodiment 1. First, the information acquisition unit 111 acquires environmental information, human information, and business information from the environmental information measuring device 2 and user Pa as input information to be input to the estimation model 120 (S1). Next, the estimation unit 112 estimates environmental control information using the learned estimation model 120 stored in the storage device 12 (S2). Here, the estimation unit 112 inputs the environmental information, human information, and business information acquired by the information acquisition unit 111 to the estimation model 120 and obtains environmental control information as output data.

[0034] The control unit 113 controls the environmental control device 3 based on the environmental control information estimated by the estimation unit 112 (S3). For example, the control unit 113 instructs the air conditioning device to set the temperature included in the environmental control information to the set temperature. Alternatively, the control unit 113 instructs the sound device to set the noise level included in the environmental control information to the set volume.

[0035] As described above, in this embodiment, the information processing device 1 linked to user Pa controls the environment to create an environment suitable for user Pa using user information, including personal information about user Pa's physical and mental state, and work information about the tasks user Pa performs, thereby improving user Pa's productivity. Furthermore, by using the estimation model 120 trained using user Pa's unique learning data, it is possible to estimate environmental control information to achieve optimal ease of work for user Pa. Then, by controlling the environmental control device 3 based on the estimated environmental control information, user Pa's productivity can be further improved. In addition, by controlling the environment with the information processing device 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to improve user Pa's ease of work and job satisfaction, and contribute to preventing physical and mental fatigue.

[0036] Embodiment 2. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the environmental control system 100A according to Embodiment 2. The environmental control system 100A of this embodiment differs from Embodiment 1 in that at least two or more information processing devices 1a to 1d, each associated with a plurality of users Pa to Pd, cooperate via communication to control the environment of the indoor space, thereby improving the productivity of multiple users Pa to Pd.

[0037] As shown in Figure 6, the environmental control system 100A of this embodiment consists of multiple information processing devices 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d, each linked to a plurality of users Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd, respectively, an environmental information measuring device 2, and an environmental control device 3. The information processing devices 1a to 1d are connected to each other via wired or wireless communication. Furthermore, the information processing devices 1a to 1d are connected to the environmental information measuring device 2 and the environmental control device 3 via wired or wireless communication. The configuration and functions of the environmental information measuring device 2 and the environmental control device 3 are the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0038] Information processing devices 1a to 1d are personal status support systems linked to users Pa to Pd, respectively. Similar to Embodiment 1, information processing devices 1a to 1d are terminal devices such as robots, smartphones or tablets, or wearable devices such as smartwatches. Alternatively, information processing devices 1a to 1d may be devices realized by embedding or attaching a chip with the functions of information processing device 1 into or to a device of the user's choice. Information processing devices 1a to 1d are unique devices for each user Pa to Pd, and begin operation when each user is authenticated, such as by entering an identification number, fingerprint authentication, or facial recognition.

[0039] In this embodiment, information processing devices 1a to 1d estimate environmental control information Ia to Id for each user Pa to Pd, based on environmental information measured by the environmental information measuring device 2 and human information and work information obtained from users Pa to Pd, respectively. Furthermore, information processing device 1a integrates the environmental control information Ia to Id estimated by the multiple information processing devices 1a to 1d to generate environmental control information Iu for multiple users Pa to Pd, and controls the environmental control device 3 based on the generated environmental control information Iu. The information processing device 1a that controls the environmental control device 3 is the "first information processing device," and any of the information processing devices 1b to 1d that cooperate with information processing device 1a is the "second information processing device." Also, user Pa associated with information processing device 1a is the "first user," and any of the users Pb to Pd associated with information processing devices 1b to 1d is the "second user."

[0040] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the information processing device 1a according to Embodiment 2. Information processing devices 1b to 1d have the same configuration and functions as information processing device 1a, but are not shown in Figure 7. As shown in Figure 7, information processing device 1a includes a control device 11A, a storage device 12, an input device 13, and an output device 14. Information processing devices 1b to 1d also include the same control device 11A, storage device 12, input device 13, and output device 14 as information processing device 1a. The configuration and functions of the storage device 12, input device 13, and output device 14 are the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0041] The control device 11A has, as functional units, an information acquisition unit 111, an estimation unit 112, a control unit 113, and an integration unit 115. The control devices 11A of the information processing devices 1b to 1d also have the same information acquisition unit 111, estimation unit 112, control unit 113, and integration unit 115 as the control device 11A of the information processing device 1a. The information acquisition unit 111 of the information processing device 1a is the "first information acquisition unit," the user information acquired by the information acquisition unit 111 of the information processing device 1a is the "first user information," and the control unit 113 is the "first control unit." Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 111 of the information processing devices 1b to 1d is the "second information acquisition unit," the user information acquired by the information acquisition unit 111 of the information processing devices 1b to 1d is the "second user information," and the control unit 113 is the "second control unit." The functions of the information acquisition unit 111, estimation unit 112, and control unit 113 are the same as in Embodiment 1. The integration unit 115 communicates with the information processing devices 1b to 1d to which it is to be linked, obtains the environmental control information Ib to Id estimated by the information processing devices 1b to 1d, and integrates the environmental control information Ia estimated by its own device (information processing device 1a) with the obtained environmental control information Ib to Id to generate the optimal environmental control information Iu.

[0042] The integration unit 115 acquires environmental control information by linking with information processing devices located in the same room as its own device (information processing device 1a), or information processing devices located near its own device (information processing device 1a) (i.e., within a predetermined distance range). Alternatively, the integration unit 115 may link with information processing devices linked to users belonging to the same department, group, or team as user Pa, who is linked to its own device (information processing device 1a), or with information processing devices linked to users performing the same tasks as user Pa, who is linked to its own device (information processing device 1a). In this embodiment, the case of linking with three other information processing devices (a total of four) is described as an example, but the number of linking targets is not limited to this, and it is sufficient to link with one or more other information processing devices (a total of two) other than its own device.

[0043] The integration unit 115 determines the environmental control information Iu that maximizes the ease of use for all users Pa to Pd, based on the environmental control information Ia estimated by the estimation unit 112 and the environmental control information Ib to Id estimated by the information processing devices 1b to 1d that are the targets of the integration. For example, if the temperature of environmental control information Ia is 23°C, the temperature of environmental control information Ib is 23°C, the temperature of environmental control information Ic is 23°C, and the temperature of environmental control information Id is 25°C, the integration unit 115 may use the average value of 23.5°C as the final environmental control information Iu, or it may use the mode of 23°C as the final environmental control information Iu.

[0044] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the operation flow of the information processing device 1a according to Embodiment 2. First, the information acquisition unit 111 acquires environmental information, human information, and business information from the environmental information measuring device 2 and user Pa as input information to be input to the estimation model 120 (S11). Next, the estimation unit 112 estimates the environmental control information Ia using the learned estimation model 120 stored in the storage device 12 (S12). The estimation unit 112 inputs the environmental information, human information, and business information acquired by the information acquisition unit 111 to the estimation model 120 and obtains the environmental control information Ia as output data.

[0045] Next, the integration unit 115 acquires the environmental control information Ib to Id estimated by the information processing devices 1b to 1d that are linked (S13). Then, the integration unit 115 integrates the multiple environmental control information Ia to Id to generate the final environmental control information Iu (S14). The control unit 113 controls the environmental control device 3 based on the environmental control information Iu integrated by the integration unit 115 (S15).

[0046] As described above, in this embodiment, by using the environmental control information Ia to Id estimated by the multiple information processing devices 1a to 1d, it is possible to estimate environmental control information Iu that realizes optimal ease of use for a group including multiple users Pa to Pd. Then, by controlling the environmental control device 3 based on the estimated environmental control information Iu, the productivity of the group of multiple users Pa to Pd can be improved.

[0047] Although the above explanation uses the example of information processing device 1a controlling the environmental control device 3, any of the information processing devices 1b to 1d may control the environmental control device 3. Which information processing device controls the environmental control device 3 may be predetermined by users Pa to Pd, or it may be set dynamically according to the status of each information processing device.

[0048] The above describes the embodiments, but this disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. Furthermore, this disclosure includes all possible combinations of the configurations shown in the above embodiments. For example, the affiliation of each functional unit in the control device 11 of the information processing device 1 is not limited to the examples of the above embodiments. For example, each functional unit of the control device 11 may be implemented by dividing it among multiple control devices, or a part of the functional unit of the control device 11 may be implemented by an external device that can communicate with the information processing device 1. Also, the estimated model 120 stored in the storage device 12 of the information processing device 1 may be stored in an external storage device such as online storage. Furthermore, at least a part of the functional unit of the control device 11 of the multiple information processing devices 1a to 1d in Embodiment 2 may be centrally implemented by an external device that can communicate with the information processing devices 1a to 1d.

[0049] Furthermore, while the estimation model 120 in the above embodiment outputs environmental control information that realizes the optimal ease of work for user Pa, the output data of the estimation model 120 is not limited to this. The estimation model 120 may also output the degree of ease of work for user Pa in the current environment. In this case, the estimation unit 112 estimates environmental control information to make the degree of ease of work determined by the estimation model 120 the optimal degree of ease of work. The optimal degree of ease of work is assumed to be predetermined and stored in the storage device 12.

[0050] For example, the estimation unit 112 estimates the environmental control information to be instructed to the environmental control device 3 using a table or formula that represents the correspondence between the difference between the optimal ease of work level and the current ease of work level and the adjustment value of the environmental information. The adjustment value of the environmental information is the amount of change in environmental information required to bring the current ease of work level to the optimal ease of work level, and the estimation unit 112 obtains the environmental control information by adding or subtracting the adjustment value to the current environmental information measured by the environmental information measuring device 2. Furthermore, the estimation model 120 may output both the environmental control information that realizes the optimal ease of work for user Pa and the ease of work level in the current environment.

[0051] Furthermore, in the estimation model 120, when estimating environmental control information, environmental information, human information, and business information are configured to be input as input data. However, not all of the environmental information, human information, and business information may be input, but at least one of them may be input. In this case, the user information of user Pa includes at least one of user Pa's human information and business information. For example, only environmental information and human information may be input to the estimation model 120, or only environmental information and business information may be input, or only human information and business information may be input. In addition, the estimation model 120 may also be input spatial information that includes at least one of the following: the size, height, materials and colors of the walls, floor and ceiling, and furniture configuration of the indoor space where user Pa resides, in addition to at least one of the environmental information, human information, and business information. Spatial information is input, for example, by user Pa via the input device 13 and stored in the storage device 12.

[0052] Furthermore, the information and estimation results acquired by the information processing device 1 in the above embodiment may be stored in the storage device 12 or an external storage device as a personalized database for user Pa. The information processing device 1 may then retrain the estimation model 120 based on the stored information. This configuration allows the information processing device 1 to be linked to each individual user Pa. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0053] 1, 1a~1d Information processing device, 2 Environmental information measuring device, 3 Environmental control device, 11, 11A Control device, 12 Storage device, 13 Input device, 14 Output device, 100, 100A Environmental control system, 111 Information acquisition unit, 112 Estimation unit, 113 Control unit, 115 Integration unit, 120 Estimation model, 600 Processing circuit, 601 Processor, 602 Memory, 603 Bus.

Claims

1. An information processing device that controls the environment of an indoor space in which at least one user can operate, The information acquisition unit is configured to identify the user and acquires user information relating to the user's physical and mental state, An environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information relating to the environment of the indoor space where the user is present, The system comprises a control unit that controls the environment based on the user information relating to the mind and body identified and acquired by the information acquisition unit and the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit. An information processing device characterized by the following features.

2. The system further comprises an estimation unit that estimates environmental control information for realizing an environment suitable for the user, using at least one of the environmental information of the indoor space and the user information relating to the mind and body, and a trained estimation model. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the estimation model is trained using training data specific to the user.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the estimation model takes at least one of the environmental information and the user information relating to the mind and body as input and outputs the environmental control information.

4. The estimation model takes at least one of the environmental information and the user information relating to the physical and mental state as input and outputs the degree of ease of use of the user. The estimation unit estimates the environmental control information so that the outputted ease of use level becomes the optimal ease of use level. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the degree of ease of work is a numerical representation of the effect or index obtained from the perspective of ease of work, job satisfaction, or physical and mental health.

5. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising an integration unit that integrates the environmental control information estimated by the estimation unit and the environmental control information estimated by another information processing apparatus to generate final environmental control information.

6. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the control unit controls an environmental control device that controls the environment based on the environmental control information.

7. The aforementioned environmental information includes the temperature, humidity, and CO2 of the indoor space. ２ An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, comprising at least one of concentration, dust concentration, illuminance, odor intensity, noise level, and number of people present.

8. An environmental control system for controlling the environment of an indoor space where multiple users may be active, A first user information acquisition unit is configured to identify a first user among the aforementioned plurality of users, and acquires first user mental and physical information relating to the identified first user. A second user information acquisition unit is separate from the first user information acquisition unit and is configured to identify a second user who is different from the first user among the plurality of users, and acquires second user mental and physical information relating to the mental and physical state of the identified second user. An environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information relating to the environment of the indoor space where the multiple users can be active, The system comprises a control unit that controls the environment based on the first user physical and mental information identified and acquired by the first user information acquisition unit, the second user physical and mental information identified and acquired by the second user information acquisition unit, and the environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit. An environmental control system characterized by the following features.

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