Furniture detection system, furniture management system, robot

Abstract

To more easily determine whether or not suitable furniture is present in the workspace according to the work style. [Solution] The furniture detection system comprises a detection unit and a notification unit. The detection unit detects the presence or absence of furniture in the workspace. The notification unit notifies the recipient of the presence or absence of furniture in the workspace according to the detection result by the detection unit. The robot comprises the above-mentioned detection unit and a drive mechanism that mounts the detection unit and allows it to travel on the floor surface of the workspace.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a furniture detection system for detecting the presence or absence of furniture used for work in a work space and notifying a user, a furniture management system for managing the detected furniture, and a robot for detecting the furniture.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in order to save storage space when chairs are not in use, it has been widely practiced to fit chairs together horizontally. As this type of chair, Patent Document 1 discloses, for example, making a swivel chair used in an office or the like nestable.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent years, so-called shared offices and free-address offices have become widespread, and in the office environment, there is a need to respond to various work styles. Therefore, in order to realize various work styles in the same office environment, it is important to grasp, prior to work in the work space, whether or not suitable furniture exists in the work space according to the work style.

[0005] As space-saving furniture that can be stored in large quantities, such as the nestable chairs described in Patent Document 1, becomes more widespread, the number or types of furniture in a workspace may increase, leading to increased effort in managing such furniture. For example, it may become necessary to physically visit the workspace and visually inspect the furniture to determine whether it is suitable for a given work style. Such work can hinder comfortable work in the workspace.

[0006] One aspect of this disclosure aims to provide a system and robot that can more easily determine whether or not suitable furniture is present in the workspace according to the work style. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, a furniture detection system according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a detection unit that detects the presence or absence of furniture in a workspace, and a notification unit that notifies a recipient of the presence or absence of furniture in the workspace according to the detection result by the detection unit.

[0008] Furthermore, a robot according to one aspect of this disclosure includes a detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of furniture in a workspace in order to notify a recipient of the presence or absence of furniture in the workspace, and a drive mechanism that is equipped with the detection unit and for traveling on the floor surface of the workspace. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] A furniture detection system or robot according to one aspect of this disclosure can more easily determine whether or not suitable furniture is present in the workspace according to the work style. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram of the furniture management system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This is a schematic floor plan showing an example of the office space related to this disclosure. [Figure 3] This is a schematic perspective view of a chair, which is an example of furniture related to this disclosure. [Figure 4] This is a schematic front view of an RF tag, which is an example of an identifier attached to a chair related to this disclosure. [Figure 5] This is a schematic perspective view of the robot according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 6] This is a schematic plan view showing an example of a terminal for the conference room reservation system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows an example of a method for managing furniture in an office space using the furniture management system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 8] This is a block diagram of the furniture management system according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 9] These are schematic front and rear views of a mobile terminal according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 10] This is a block diagram of the furniture management system according to Embodiment 3. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the parts shown in the drawings of the present disclosure are illustrative and may differ from the actual scale.

[0012] <Office Space> This disclosure uses as an example a furniture management system that manages the presence or absence of furniture such as chairs, desks, PCs, or displays placed in a workspace such as an office where users perform work. However, the furniture management system related to this disclosure is not limited to this, and may also be a system that manages furniture as furniture placed in a workspace such as a residence where household chores or other work are performed.

[0013] An example of the work space according to the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a work space X according to the present disclosure. In the work space X, for example, a number of furniture Y are arranged on the floor surface X1 of the work space X. In particular, the work space X according to the present disclosure may include a plurality of conference rooms X2 in which some spaces are partitioned from other spaces.

[0014] The furniture Y according to the present disclosure is furniture that assists a user in performing work in the work space X. The furniture Y may include, for example, a plurality of chairs Y1 on which a user who performs work in the work space X sits, and a plurality of desks Y2 on which the user sitting on the chair Y1 performs work. In particular, in each of the conference rooms X2 of the work space X, a plurality of furniture Y that enable a user in each of the conference rooms X2 to hold a meeting may be installed.

[0015] <Furniture> As an example of the furniture Y according to the present disclosure, an example of the chair Y1 is shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view F1 and a schematic perspective view F2 showing the chair Y1. The schematic perspective view F1 is a perspective view mainly showing the front side of the chair Y1, and the schematic perspective view F2 is a perspective view mainly showing the back side of the chair Y1.

[0016] The chair Y1 may have, for example, a seat surface on which a user can sit and a backrest against which a user sitting on the seat surface can lean. The chair Y1 may also have a plurality of casters that enable it to move, for example, on the floor surface X1 of the work space X without the need to lift and move the chair Y1 itself. However, the chair Y1 according to the present disclosure is not limited to this, and may have various configurations as long as a seated user can perform work in the work space X.

[0017] The chair Y1 according to the present disclosure may have an RF (Radio o Frequency) tag Z as an identifier for identifying the chair Y1. The RF tag Z may be attached to the back of the chair Y1, for example, as shown in the schematic perspective view F2.

[0018] <RF tag> An example of an identifier related to this disclosure, RF tag Z, will be explained with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a schematic front view of RF tag Z related to this disclosure.

[0019] RF tag Z is a passive type identification tag that can retain identification information without incorporating a power source such as a battery. However, RF tag Z may also be an active type identification tag that incorporates a battery.

[0020] The RF tag Z comprises an IC chip Z1, an IC antenna Z2, and a substrate Z3. The IC chip Z1 is, for example, a semiconductor chip and is located in the center of the substrate Z3. The IC chip Z1 has a memory area Z4 which serves as a medium for storing identification information of chair Y1. The identification information of chair Y1 stored in the memory area Z4 may include, for example, information such as the type of chair Y1 and the location in the workspace X where chair Y1 should be located.

[0021] The IC antenna Z2 is positioned on the substrate Z3 and spirally wound around the IC chip Z1. For example, the IC antenna Z2 may receive radio waves transmitted from the reading unit (described later) and supply current to generate an electromotive force that operates the IC chip Z1 through resonance. When the IC chip Z1 operates, it may encode the identification information stored in the memory area Z4 and wirelessly transmit the encoded data to the reading unit via the IC antenna Z2. This allows the RF tag Z to allow the reading unit to read the identification information of the chair Y1 to which it is attached.

[0022] Furthermore, the RF tag Z may be attached to any position on the chair Y1, as long as the identification information can be read by the reader. In addition, each piece of furniture Y, including the chair Y1, may be fitted with an RF tag Z having the same configuration as the RF tag Z, except for the contents of the identification information stored in the memory area Z4.

[0023] Furthermore, the identifiers attached to each piece of furniture Y are not limited to the RF tags Z described above, as long as they contain information that allows each piece of furniture Y to be identified. For example, the identifiers attached to each piece of furniture Y may include an antenna for near-field communication (NFC) or a two-dimensional barcode. Alternatively, the identifiers attached to each piece of furniture Y may contain information that a user can directly see and identify, such as letters, numbers, or symbols.

[0024] In the above explanation, we have used as an example a configuration in which each piece of furniture Y is assigned an identifier that has identification information that allows it to identify itself, but the configuration of furniture Y is not limited to this. For example, at least some pieces of furniture Y may have at least a part of their external shape that functions as identification information for the furniture Y. For example, the identification information of furniture Y having the above external shape may be determined by capturing an image of the furniture Y's external shape with a camera or the like (described later) and analyzing the obtained image.

[0025] <Overview of the fixture management system> As described above, the furniture management system described herein is a system that manages the presence or absence of furniture Y at specific locations in the office space X. The furniture management system will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a block diagram of the furniture management system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0026] The furniture management system 1 comprises a furniture detection system 2 and a management device 3. The furniture management system 1 uses the furniture detection system 2 to detect the presence or absence of furniture Y at specific locations in the office space X and notifies the recipient of this information. The furniture management system 1 also uses the management device 3 to manage the presence or absence of furniture Y in each of the office spaces X, particularly in the conference rooms X2, and to display the presence or absence of furniture Y in each conference room X2 to the user and manage the reservation status of each conference room X2.

[0027] As a result, the furniture management system 1 detects the presence or absence of furniture Y at specific locations in the office space X, updates the information regarding its presence or absence, and notifies the user of this information, in order to assist the user in performing their work in the office space X.

[0028] <Furniture Detection System: Overview> The following describes the furniture detection system 2 in more detail. The furniture detection system 2 comprises a robot 11, a notification unit 12, a memory 13, and a processor 14. The furniture detection system 2 detects the presence or absence of furniture Y in the workspace X using a detection unit provided by the robot 11, which will be described later, and notifies the recipient of the presence or absence information using the notification unit 12.

[0029] <Furniture detection system: robot> The configuration of the robot 11 included in the fixture detection system 2 will be explained with reference to Figure 5 in addition to Figure 1. Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of the robot 11 according to this embodiment. The robot 11 includes a detection unit 21, a drive mechanism 22, and a display unit 23.

[0030] The detection unit 21 includes, for example, a roughly cylindrical housing 24 and a reading unit 25 located inside the housing 24. In particular, the reading unit 25 emits radio waves to, for example, an RF tag Z which is an identifier for a chair Y1, and as a result receives the radio waves emitted by the RF tag Z. The reading unit 25 then reads the identification information of each piece of furniture Y, including the identification information of the chair Y1 to which the RF tag Z is attached. Based on the success or failure of detecting the identifier attached to the furniture Y, more specifically the success or failure of reading the RF tag Z by the reading unit 25, the detection unit 21 detects whether or not furniture Y is present in the office space X. In particular, the detection unit 21 may also detect whether or not furniture Y is present in at least one conference room X2 within the office space X.

[0031] In particular, the detection unit 21 may have an opening 26 on the top side of the housing 24 so as to allow radio waves to propagate between the reading unit 25 in the housing 24 and the RF tag Z attached to the fixture Y. The opening 26 may be shielded by a cover (not shown) that allows radio waves propagating between the reading unit 25 and the RF tag Z to pass through.

[0032] The drive mechanism 22 is a mechanism for the robot 11 to travel on the floor surface X1 of the workspace X. The drive mechanism 22 may have, for example, a substantially cylindrical housing 27 and wheels 28 formed at the lower part of the housing 27, the rotation and direction of rotation of which are controlled by a power unit (not shown). The drive mechanism 22 may be able to travel freely on the floor surface X1 of the workspace X by the rotation of the wheels 28. The robot 11 is also equipped with a detection unit 21 mounted on the drive mechanism 22. Therefore, the detection unit 21 moves in the workspace X together with the drive mechanism 22.

[0033] The display unit 23 may be mounted, for example, on the housing 24 of the detection unit 21. The display unit 23 may display, for example, information about the furniture Y that the detection unit 21 of the robot 11 is currently trying to detect, or identification information of the furniture Y that the detection unit 21 last detected. In other words, the display unit 23 may display the progress of the detection of the presence or absence of furniture Y by the detection unit 21.

[0034] The display unit 23 may also have a touch panel, in which case the display unit 23 may also serve as an operation unit that accepts user operations on the touch panel. The furniture detection system 2 may determine the furniture Y to detect according to the content of the user's operation on the touch panel of the display unit 23. In other words, the detection unit 21 may detect the presence or absence of furniture Y in the workspace X according to the user's operation on the touch panel acting as an operation unit.

[0035] <Furniture Detection System: Notification Unit> Returning to Figure 1, the notification unit 12 receives information regarding the detection result of the presence or absence of furniture Y in the office space X, which was detected by the detection unit 21, via wireless or wired communication means (not shown). The notification unit 12 also notifies the recipient of this information via wireless or wired communication means (not shown), thereby notifying the recipient of the presence or absence of furniture Y in the office space X.

[0036] For example, the notification unit 12 may transmit the above information to at least one of the following: a terminal such as a PC, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, and a cloud server. In this case, the recipients to whom the notification unit 12 notifies the above information may include the user of the terminal, the owner of the smartphone, or the person accessing the cloud server.

[0037] In particular, the notification unit 12 may link the identification information of furniture Y with the presence or absence of furniture Y at a specific location in the workspace X and notify the recipient. The identification information of furniture Y may include the identification information obtained by the detection unit 21 from the RF tag Z attached to furniture Y.

[0038] The information that the notification unit 12 notifies the recipient may include the information that the display unit 23 displays. In other words, the display unit 23 may display the information that the notification unit 12 notifies the recipient.

[0039] <Furniture detection system: memory and processor> Memory 13 is a storage unit capable of temporarily storing at least the information necessary to operate the furniture detection system 2. The information stored in memory 13 may include, for example, information relating to the control of the detection unit 21 and the drive mechanism 22 for causing the robot 11 to perform the detection of the presence or absence of furniture Y in the workspace X. Memory 13 may also include data relating to the detection of the presence or absence of furniture Y in the workspace X, which is transmitted from the robot 11 and notified to the recipient by the notification unit 12.

[0040] The processor 14 is a control unit that includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, which controls the operation of each part, including the robot 11 and the notification unit 12, for the detection operation of furniture Y using the furniture detection system 2. For example, the control of each part of the furniture detection system 2 by the processor 14 may be achieved by performing calculations on the data recorded in the memory 13 in accordance with the program recorded in the memory 13.

[0041] In this embodiment, the locations of the notification unit 12, memory 13, and processor 14 are not particularly limited as long as the above-described operations are possible. For example, the notification unit 12, memory 13, and processor 14 may be mounted on the robot 11.

[0042] <Management device: Conference room reservation system> Next, the management device 3 will be described in more detail. The management device 3 includes a conference room reservation system 31, a memory 32, and a processor 33.

[0043] The conference room reservation system 31 provides information regarding the presence or absence of furniture Y located in each conference room X2 within the workspace X to users who perform work using workspace X. The conference room reservation system 31 also accepts operations from users who have been presented with this information, and based on these operations, accepts reservations for each of the conference rooms X2 and manages those reservations.

[0044] The specific configuration of the conference room reservation system 31 and specific examples of the information that the conference room reservation system 31 presents to the user will be explained with reference to Figure 6. Figure 5 is a schematic front view showing an example of a terminal 34 of the conference room reservation system 31.

[0045] For example, the conference room reservation system 31 includes a terminal 34, which has a display unit 35. As shown in Figure 6, the conference room reservation system 31 displays information about the furniture Y located in each of the conference rooms X2 in the office space X on the display unit 35. For example, the display unit 35 may display information in a display area 36 corresponding to each conference room X2, including the type of furniture Y located in the conference room X2, the number of furniture Y, and the work that can be performed in the conference room X2 based on the presence of the furniture Y.

[0046] Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the display unit 35 may display information in multiple display areas 36, each corresponding to a specific conference room X2. In particular, the display unit 35 may display the number of chairs, desks, and PCs located in the corresponding conference room X2 in each of the multiple display areas 36. In addition, the display unit 35 may also display information in each of the multiple display areas 36 as an example of work performed in the corresponding conference room X2, such as whether or not web conferencing using an internet-connected PC is possible.

[0047] The types of work that can be performed in conference room X2 may vary depending not only on the presence or number of furniture Y units, but also on the type of furniture Y. For example, whether or not the aforementioned web conference is possible in conference room X2 requires consideration not only of whether a PC is present in conference room X2, but also whether or not the PC is connected to the internet. For this reason, the conference room reservation system 31 may determine whether or not a specific type of work can be performed in conference room X2 based on the identification information of furniture Y units present in conference room X2, and determine the information to present to the user based on the result of the determination.

[0048] Furthermore, the display unit 35 may have a touch panel that accepts user operations. In this case, the conference room reservation system 31 may accept user operations on the touch panel and, based on those operations, store the identification information of conference room X2, the information of the time for which conference room X2 is reserved, and the identification information of the user who made the reservation. In this way, the conference room reservation system 31 may accept reservations for conference room X2 by users of conference room X2 and manage the reservation status of each conference room X2 in the office space X.

[0049] The information presented to the user by the conference room reservation system 31 is determined based on information regarding the presence or absence of furniture Y in the workspace X, which is detected, for example, by the detection unit 21 of the furniture detection system 2's robot 11 and transmitted from the notification unit 12. In particular, suppose the furniture detection system 2 has newly detected the presence or absence of furniture Y in each of the conference rooms X2. In this case, the management device 3 updates the information presented to the user by the conference room reservation system 31 based on the information transmitted by the notification unit 12, in other words, the information notified to the recipient by the notification unit. As a result, the management device 3 continuously updates the presence or absence of furniture Y located in each of the conference rooms X2 at the present time and presents this information to the user via the conference room reservation system 31.

[0050] <Management devices: memory and processor> Memory 32 is a storage unit capable of temporarily storing at least the information necessary to operate the management device 3. The information stored in memory 32 may include, for example, information presented to the user by the conference room reservation system 31, or information updated by the furniture detection system 2's detection result of whether or not furniture Y exists in the workspace X.

[0051] The processor 33 is a control unit that includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, which controls the operation of each part of the management device 3, including the conference room reservation system 31. For example, the control of each part of the management device 3 by the processor 33 may be achieved by performing calculations on the data recorded in the memory 32 in accordance with the program recorded in the memory 32.

[0052] In this embodiment, the conference room reservation system 31 has been described in an example that includes a terminal 34, but it is not limited to this. In particular, the specific configuration of the conference room reservation system 31 is not limited as long as it can accept user operations, reserve conference rooms, and manage said reservations. For example, the conference room reservation system 31 may be implemented by a terminal used by the user while working, with an application for reserving conference rooms installed. In this case, the memory 32 and processor 33 of the management device 3 may be the memory and processor of the terminal, and the display unit 35 may be a display connected to the terminal.

[0053] <Fixture Management Method> An example of a method for managing furniture Y in the office space X using the furniture management system 1 will be described. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for managing furniture Y in the office space X using the furniture management system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0054] For example, first, the furniture management system 1 executes the operation reception step S1. In the operation reception step S1, the furniture management system 1 accepts, for example, an operation by a user on any of the parts of the furniture detection system 2, for example, the touch panel of the display unit 23 of the robot 11.

[0055] Following the operation reception step S1, the furniture management system 1 executes the furniture detection step S2. In the furniture detection step S2, the furniture management system 1 detects the presence or absence of furniture Y in at least a portion of the workspace X, based on the user's operation in the operation reception step S1.

[0056] For example, in the furniture detection step S2, the furniture management system 1 controls the robot 11 via the processor 14 of the furniture detection system 2, causing the robot 11 to move on the floor surface X1 of the workspace X. Also in the furniture detection step S2, while the robot 11 is moving, the furniture management system 1 uses the detection unit 21 to detect the presence or absence of furniture Y at each location in the workspace X. In the furniture detection step S2, the furniture management system 1 may, for example, have the robot 11 directly transmit the detection results of the presence or absence of furniture Y at each location in the workspace X to the notification unit 12, or have the robot 11 record them in the memory 13.

[0057] Following the furniture detection step S2, the furniture management system 1 executes the notification step S3. In the notification step S3, based on the detection results from the furniture detection step S2, the furniture management system 1 instructs the notification unit 12 to notify the recipient of the presence or absence of furniture Y in at least a portion of the workspace X.

[0058] In conjunction with the notification step S3, the furniture management system 1 also executes the information update step S4. In the information update step S4, the furniture management system 1 updates the information recorded in the memory 32 of the management device 3 regarding the presence or absence of furniture Y in at least a portion of the workspace X, based, for example, on the detection results in the furniture detection step S2. The information updated in the information update step S4 may include information regarding the feasibility of performing specific tasks in each conference room X2. This allows the conference room reservation system 31 to present the updated information regarding the presence or absence of furniture Y in at least a portion of the workspace X to the user.

[0059] Furthermore, the method of managing furniture Y using the furniture management system 1 is not limited to the method described above. For example, the furniture management system 1 may instruct the furniture detection system 2 to execute the actions of the robot 11 in a timely manner based on a program pre-recorded in memory 13. In other words, in the method of managing furniture Y using the furniture management system 1, the operation acceptance step S1 does not necessarily have to be executed.

[0060] <Summary of Embodiment 1> The furniture detection system 2 according to this embodiment notifies a user or other designated recipient of information regarding the presence or absence of furniture Y in at least a portion of the workspace X. Specifically, the furniture detection system 2 uses a detection unit 21 provided by a robot 11 capable of traveling on the floor surface X1 of the workspace X to detect the presence or absence of furniture Y in at least a portion of the workspace X, and notifies the designated recipient of the above information based on the detection results.

[0061] This allows the furniture detection system 2 to notify the user or other designated recipients of information regarding the presence or absence of furniture Y at a specific location in the workspace X, without requiring the user to directly move to that location. Therefore, the furniture detection system 2 makes it easier for the user to determine whether or not furniture Y suitable for their work style is present at a specific location in the workspace X.

[0062] The furniture management system 1, which includes a furniture detection system 2 and a management device 3, can manage information regarding the presence or absence of furniture Y at each location in the workspace X while reducing the burden on the user. In particular, the management device 3 allows the furniture management system 1 to update information regarding the presence or absence of furniture in conference room X2 and present this information to the user. Therefore, the furniture management system 1 manages information on work that can be performed in conference room X2 and presents this information to the user, thereby improving the convenience of work for the user in the workspace X.

[0063] In particular, in this embodiment, the robot 11 of the furniture detection system 2 travels on the floor surface X1 of the workspace X and detects the presence or absence of furniture Y at each location in the workspace X. Therefore, the robot 11 can collect information for executing the notification to the notification destination described above without having the user move directly to a specific location in the workspace X. Thus, the robot 11 can collect information that allows the user to more easily determine whether or not furniture Y suitable for the user's work style is present at a specific location in the workspace X.

[0064] The furniture detection system 2 detects the presence or absence of furniture Y at a specific location in the office space X based on whether or not an identifier attached to furniture Y and containing the identification information of furniture Y is detected at that specific location in the office space X. The furniture detection system 2 also notifies the notification unit 12 of the presence or absence of furniture Y at a specific location in the office space X, linking the identification information of furniture Y with the presence or absence of furniture Y at that specific location in the office space X.

[0065] This allows the furniture detection system 2 to notify users or other recipients of which furniture Y is present at a specific location in the workspace X, or whether a specific piece of furniture Y is present at a specific location in the workspace X. Therefore, with the above configuration, the furniture detection system 2 can provide users with more detailed information regarding whether or not furniture Y suitable for the user's work style is present at a specific location in the workspace X.

[0066] The furniture detection system 2 obtains identification information of furniture Y by having the reading unit 25 of the detection unit 21 read the RF tag Z attached to furniture Y. This allows the furniture detection system 2 to obtain identification information of furniture Y detected by the detection unit 21 in the office space X with a simpler configuration, or to obtain more detailed identification information of furniture Y.

[0067] By including a display unit 23 in the furniture detection system 2, users of the furniture detection system 2 can obtain information notified by the notification unit 12 from the information displayed by the display unit 23. Therefore, the furniture detection system 2 can more easily notify the user of whether or not furniture Y has been detected in the workspace X. Alternatively, with the above configuration, the furniture detection system 2 can show the user which furniture Y is currently being detected by displaying it on the display unit 23. This allows the furniture detection system 2 to notify the user whether or not the detection unit 21 is performing normal detection of furniture Y.

[0068] The furniture detection system 2 is equipped with a touch panel on the display unit 23 as an operating unit. This allows the user to change the type of furniture Y they want to detect using the furniture detection system 2, or the location in the workspace X where they want to check for the presence or absence of furniture Y, by operating the operating unit. Therefore, with the above configuration, the furniture detection system 2 improves convenience for users who want to determine whether or not a suitable piece of furniture Y is present in the workspace.

[0069] The furniture detection system 2 may be equipped with multiple robots 11, or in other words, multiple detection units 21. In this case, the furniture detection system 2 may have each detection unit 21 of the multiple robots 11 detect the presence or absence of furniture Y in the area of ​​the workspace X corresponding to each robot 11. In this case, the furniture detection system 2 may also have the notification unit 12 notify a notification recipient of the information of the area corresponding to each robot 11 and the presence or absence of furniture Y in that area. With the above configuration, the furniture detection system 2 can more quickly detect the presence or absence of furniture Y at each location in the workspace X. Alternatively, with the above configuration, the furniture detection system 2 can detect the presence or absence of furniture Y for each of the multiple areas in the workspace X.

[0070] [Embodiment 2] Other embodiments of this disclosure are described below. For the sake of clarity, components having the same function as those described in the above embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are not repeated.

[0071] <Mobile Devices: Overview> The furniture management system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 8. Figure 8 is a block diagram of the furniture management system 1 according to this embodiment. The furniture management system 1 according to this embodiment has the same configuration as the furniture management system 1 according to the previous embodiment, except that some of the configurations of the furniture detection system 2 are different. In other words, the furniture management system 1 according to this embodiment may include a management device 3 that has the same configuration as the management device 3 according to the previous embodiment.

[0072] The furniture detection system 2 according to this embodiment has the same configuration as the furniture detection system 2 according to the previous embodiment, except that it includes a mobile terminal 15 instead of a robot 11. In other words, the furniture detection system 2 according to this embodiment includes a mobile terminal 15, a notification unit 12, a memory 13, and a processor 14.

[0073] The mobile terminal 15 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 9 in addition to Figure 8. Figure 9 shows a schematic front view F3 and a schematic rear view F4 of the mobile terminal 15, respectively. The mobile terminal 15 comprises a detection unit 41, a housing 42, and a display unit 43. The mobile terminal 15 is a small terminal that has each part on the surface or inside of a housing 42, which is, for example, a roughly rectangular shape, and can be carried by the user by gripping the housing 42.

[0074] <Mobile device: Detection unit> The detection unit 41 of the mobile terminal 15 may include, for example, at least one of a camera 44 located on the rear surface of the housing 42 and an NFC (Near Field Communication) antenna 45 located on the rear side inside the housing 42, as shown in schematic rear view F4. The display unit 43 of the mobile terminal 15 may also include, for example, a touch panel located on the front surface of the housing 42, as shown in schematic front view F3, and as an operating unit operated by the user.

[0075] Camera 44 captures images of objects located on the back side of the mobile terminal 15, for example, based on user operation of the touch panel, which is the operating unit of the display unit 43. In particular, when detecting the presence or absence of furniture Y in the workspace X using the furniture detection system 2, the user captures an identifier attached to furniture Y or at least a part of the outline of furniture Y using camera 44. The detection unit 41 then determines whether the identifier attached to furniture Y or at least a part of the outline of furniture Y is visible in the captured image, thereby detecting the presence or absence of furniture Y in the workspace X. The mobile terminal 15 may also record video using camera 44. In this case, the detection unit 41 may also determine whether at least a part of the outline of furniture Y is visible in any of the consecutive images included in the video recorded by camera 44, thereby detecting the presence or absence of furniture Y in the workspace X.

[0076] The NFC antenna 45 is a communication unit that enables wireless communication with an NFC antenna attached to a piece of furniture Y, for example, when an NFC antenna is attached to the piece of furniture Y as an identifier. The detection unit 41 then detects the presence or absence of furniture Y in the workspace X based on whether or not identification information of furniture Y is obtained through wireless communication between the NFC antenna 45 and the NFC antenna attached to furniture Y. The NFC antenna attached to furniture Y may, for example, be powered by electricity supplied from the NFC antenna 45 of the detection unit 41.

[0077] <Mobile device: Method for detecting fixtures> The mobile terminal 15 is intended for use within the workspace X, and may detect the presence of furniture Y in the workspace X at the time furniture Y is detected. However, it is not limited to this, and the mobile terminal 15 may, for example, be a terminal carried by the user both inside and outside the workspace X. In this case, the mobile terminal 15 may be set to a mode that detects furniture Y by, for example, operation of a touch panel by the user, and may detect the presence of furniture Y in the workspace X when furniture Y is detected by the detection unit 41. Furthermore, when the detection unit 41 detects the presence of furniture Y, the mobile terminal 15 may determine the location of furniture Y in the workspace X based, for example, on operations on the mobile terminal 15's control panel.

[0078] Alternatively, the mobile terminal 15 may be equipped with a configuration that can determine its location, such as a GPS antenna. In this case, the mobile terminal 15 may detect the presence of furniture Y in the office space X if the detection unit 41 can detect furniture Y when the mobile terminal 15 has detected that it is located in the office space X.

[0079] The configuration of the detection unit 41 of the mobile terminal 15 is not limited to the above configuration, as long as it is capable of detecting the presence or absence of furniture Y in the office space X. For example, the detection unit 41 may include a reader capable of reading an RF tag Z attached to furniture Y.

[0080] <Notification of information detected by mobile devices> In this embodiment, the notification unit 12 notifies the recipient of information regarding the presence or absence of furniture Y in the office space X, depending on the presence or absence of furniture Y in the office space X detected by the detection unit 41 of the mobile terminal 15. In particular, suppose the detection unit 41 detects the presence or absence of furniture Y in the office space X by imaging the furniture Y with the camera 44. In this case, the notification unit 12 according to this embodiment may link the identification information of furniture Y, which is determined based on the external shape information of at least a part of furniture Y detected by the detection unit 41, with the presence of furniture Y in the office space X and notify the recipient.

[0081] Information from the mobile terminal 15 and information notified by the notification unit 12 may be recorded in the memory 13, and the mobile terminal 15 and the notification unit 12 may be controlled by the processor 14. The notification unit 12, memory 13, and processor 14 may be installed in the mobile terminal 15.

[0082] According to the furniture detection system 2 of this embodiment, prior to a user performing work in the workspace X, another user can use a mobile terminal 15 to have the detection unit 41 perform a detection of whether or not furniture Y is present at each location in the workspace X. This allows the furniture detection system 2 to determine whether or not furniture Y necessary for work is present in the workspace X without the user actually moving to the workspace X before performing work in the workspace X. In particular, the furniture detection system 2 can have one user perform a detection of whether or not furniture Y is present at each location in the workspace X, and the notification unit 12 can notify multiple users of the detection results from the detection unit 41. This allows the furniture detection system 2 of this embodiment to more easily allow users to determine whether or not furniture Y suitable for their work style is present at a specific location in the workspace X.

[0083] In particular, the furniture detection system 2 according to this embodiment detects the presence or absence of furniture Y in the workspace X by having the user actually use a mobile terminal 15 in the workspace X to have the detection unit 41 detect it. Therefore, the furniture detection system 2 according to this embodiment can improve the accuracy of detecting the presence or absence of furniture Y in the workspace X.

[0084] Furthermore, the detection unit 41 according to this embodiment can detect the presence or absence of the furniture Y in the workspace X by acquiring images with the camera 44. In this case, the furniture detection system 2 according to this embodiment can detect the presence or absence of furniture Y in the workspace X even if, for example, furniture Y does not have an identifier attached. Alternatively, the furniture detection system 2 can detect the presence or absence of furniture Y by determining whether or not the identifier is visible in the image, without requiring a mechanism to read the identification information of an identifier such as an RF tag Z. Therefore, the furniture detection system 2 can further simplify the configuration of the detection unit 41.

[0085] The management device 3 according to this embodiment may manage the presence or absence of furniture Y in the workspace X using the same method as the management device 3 according to the previous embodiment. Therefore, the furniture management system 1 equipped with the furniture detection system 2 and the management device 3 according to this embodiment can manage information regarding the presence or absence of furniture Y at each location in the workspace X while reducing the burden on the user.

[0086] [Embodiment 3] <Detection unit installed in the office space> Further embodiments of the present disclosure are described below. The furniture management system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 10. Figure 10 is a block diagram of the furniture management system 1 according to this embodiment. The furniture management system 1 according to this embodiment has the same configuration as the furniture management system 1 according to each of the above embodiments, except that some of the configurations of the furniture detection system 2 are different. In other words, the furniture management system 1 according to this embodiment may include a management device 3 having the same configuration as the management device 3 according to each of the above embodiments.

[0087] The furniture detection system 2 according to this embodiment has the same configuration as the furniture detection system 2 according to each of the above embodiments, except that it includes a detection unit 51 instead of a robot 11 or a mobile terminal 15. In other words, the furniture detection system 2 according to this embodiment includes a detection unit 51, a notification unit 12, a memory 13, and a processor 14.

[0088] The detection unit 51 according to this embodiment is installed at any location in the workspace X shown in Figure 2, for example. The detection unit 51 also continuously detects the presence or absence of furniture Y at a predetermined location in the workspace X. For example, the detection unit 51 may include a camera that continuously images a predetermined location in the workspace X. In this case, the detection unit 51 detects the presence or absence of furniture Y at a predetermined location in the workspace X by determining whether or not furniture Y is visible in the captured image. Alternatively, the detection unit 51 may include a stand that is installed at a predetermined location in the workspace X and on which a specific piece of furniture Y can be installed. In this case, the detection unit 51 detects the presence or absence of furniture Y at a predetermined location in the workspace X by determining whether or not furniture Y is installed on the stand.

[0089] In this embodiment, the notification unit 12 notifies the recipient of information regarding the presence or absence of furniture Y at a predetermined location in the workspace X, based on the presence or absence of furniture Y at that predetermined location detected by the detection unit 51. The information from the detection unit 51 and the information notified by the notification unit 12 may be recorded in the memory 13, and the detection unit 51 and the notification unit 12 may be controlled by the processor 14.

[0090] The furniture detection system 2 according to this embodiment notifies the user of information regarding the presence or absence of furniture Y at a predetermined location in the workspace X. This allows the furniture detection system 2 according to this embodiment to more easily enable the user to determine whether or not furniture Y suitable for the user's work style is present at a specific location in the workspace X.

[0091] In particular, the furniture detection system 2 according to this embodiment causes the detection unit 51 installed in the workspace X to continuously detect whether or not furniture Y is present at a predetermined location in the workspace X. Therefore, the furniture detection system 2 can successively notify the user whether or not furniture Y suitable for the user's work style is present at a specific location in the workspace X.

[0092] In addition, since the detection unit 51 is installed in the work space X in the present embodiment, the position of the detection unit 51 in the work space X and the predetermined position where the detection unit 51 detects the presence or absence of the furniture Y do not normally change. Therefore, the furniture detection system 2 according to the present embodiment improves the detection accuracy of the presence or absence of the furniture Y by the detection unit 51.

[0093] The furniture detection system 2 according to the present embodiment may include a plurality of detection units 51. In this case, each of the plurality of detection units 51 may be installed at different positions in the work space X. In addition, each of the plurality of detection units 51 may detect the presence or absence of the furniture Y in different regions of the work space X. In this case, the notification unit 12 may notify the notification destination by associating the information on the region of the work space X where each detection unit 51 detects the presence or absence of the furniture Y with the detection result of the presence or absence of the furniture Y by each detection unit 51. Thereby, the furniture detection system 2 can notify the user of the detection results of the presence or absence of the furniture Y in a plurality of regions in the work space X for each region.

[0094] The management device 3 according to the present embodiment may manage the presence or absence of the furniture Y in the work space X by the same method as the management device 3 according to the previous embodiment. Therefore, the furniture management system 1 including the furniture detection system 2 and the management device 3 according to the present embodiment can manage the information on the presence or absence of the furniture Y at each position in the work space X while reducing the burden on the user.

[0095] <Contribution to SDGs> The furniture management system 1 according to each embodiment of this disclosure manages information on the presence or absence of furniture Y in the workspace X in order to perform work in the workspace X more efficiently. Therefore, the furniture management system 1 provides users with more efficient work in the workspace X. Work performed in workspaces such as offices is fundamental to social and economic activities. Accordingly, the furniture management system 1, which provides users with a workspace where such work can be performed comfortably, contributes to the smooth promotion of social and economic activities by users and contributes to economic development. Such effects contribute, for example, to achieving Goal 8 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "Decent Work and Economic Growth."

[0096] Furthermore, the furniture management system 1 according to each embodiment of this disclosure can individually manage the presence or absence of furniture Y in the office space X for each type of furniture Y. Therefore, users using the furniture management system 1 can more easily consider, for example, whether it is necessary to replenish or discard a particular piece of furniture Y in order to continue working in the office space X. Accordingly, the furniture management system 1 reduces the occurrence of phenomena that lead to waste of resources, such as the procurement of furniture Y that already exists in the office space X and does not need to be newly introduced, or the disposal of furniture Y that is necessary for the office space X. Such effects also contribute to achieving, for example, Goal 12 of the SDGs advocated by the United Nations, "Responsible Consumption and Production."

[0097] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of this disclosure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0098] 1. Equipment Management System 2. Furniture detection system 3 Management device 11 Robots 12 Notification Department 15 Mobile devices 21 Detection unit 22 Drive mechanism 23 Display section 25 Reading section 31. Meeting Room Reservation System X Office Space Y fixtures Z RF tag

Claims

1. A detection unit that detects the presence or absence of furniture in the workspace, A furniture detection system comprising: a notification unit that notifies a recipient of the presence or absence of the furniture in the office space according to the detection result by the detection unit.

2. The detection unit detects whether or not an identifier attached to the furniture and having identification information of the furniture is detected in the office space. The furniture detection system according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit links the identification information of the furniture with the presence or absence of the furniture in the office space and notifies the notification recipient.

3. The fixture detection system according to claim 2, wherein the detection unit has a reading unit that reads an RF tag included in the identifier.

4. The detection unit includes a camera that detects the external shape of at least a part of the fixture whose presence has been detected. The furniture detection system according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit links the identification information of the furniture, which is determined based on the external shape information of at least a part of the furniture detected by the detection unit, with the presence of the furniture in the office space and notifies the notification recipient.

5. The robot further includes a drive mechanism for traveling on the floor surface of the aforementioned workspace. The fixture detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the detection unit is mounted on the drive mechanism.

6. The fixture detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a mobile terminal equipped with the aforementioned detection unit.

7. The furniture detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the detection unit is installed at any location in the workspace and detects whether or not the furniture is present at a predetermined location in the workspace.

8. The system comprises multiple detection units, Each of the aforementioned detection units detects whether or not the furniture is present in the corresponding area of ​​the workspace. The furniture detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the notification unit links information about the area with whether or not the furniture is present in the area and notifies the notification recipient.

9. The furniture detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a display unit that displays at least one of the information notified by the notification unit and the progress of the detection by the detection unit regarding the presence or absence of the furniture.

10. It further includes an operating section that accepts user input, The furniture detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the detection unit detects the presence or absence of the furniture in the workspace in response to an operation on the operation unit.

11. A fixture detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A furniture management system comprising: a management device that manages information on the presence or absence of the furniture based on information notified by the notification unit; and a furniture management system.

12. The detection unit detects whether or not furniture is present in the conference room. The furniture management system according to claim 11, wherein the management device includes a conference room reservation system that presents to a user information on the presence or absence of furniture in the conference room, accepts and manages reservations for the conference room made by the user, and updates the information on the presence or absence of furniture in the conference room presented by the conference room reservation system based on information notified by the notification unit.

13. In order to notify a recipient of the presence or absence of furniture in the workspace, a detection unit detects the presence or absence of furniture in the workspace, A robot equipped with the aforementioned detection unit and a drive mechanism for traveling on the floor surface of the workspace.

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