Facility status management device and facility status management method

Abstract

To provide a facility status management apparatus configured to improve convenience of a user using a facility, and a facility status management method.SOLUTION: In a facility status management system 1, a server 10 includes a database 11, a first display control unit 12, a second display control unit 13, and an update unit 14. The database 11 stores use status information indicating a use status of a room 91 in a facility 90 and work status information indicating whether the facility 90 is in a normal state or a cleaning state. The first display control unit 12 causes a digital signage 30 and a user terminal 40 to be referred by a user to display a screen showing the use status and work status of each facility 90. The second display control unit 13 causes an operation terminal 50 to display a UI which includes the screen showing the use status and work status of each facility 90 and receives an operation to select the normal state or the cleaning state by facility 90 unit. The update unit 14 updates the work status information stored in the database 11 on the basis of contents operated on the UI.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a facility status management device and a facility status management method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a queue measurement system that measures the length of a queue that forms at the entrance of a facility such as a public restroom is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to the behavior measurement system, the waiting time of the facility is calculated based on the measured queue length. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-159947 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, by presenting the waiting time at each facility ascertained by the above-mentioned technology to the user via digital signage or the like, the user can be made aware of facilities with short waiting times. However, the system disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is unable to accurately grasp the usage status (vacancy status) of facilities where no queues are formed. Furthermore, even if there are vacant private rooms in the facility, there may be situations where the facility cannot be used depending on the facility's work status (for example, whether cleaning work is being performed). Therefore, the above-mentioned system has room for improvement in terms of improving user convenience.

[0005] Therefore, an object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a facility status management device and a facility status management method that can improve user convenience regarding facilities. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A management device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes:A management device for managing availability of a plurality of facilities, Each of said facilities includes at least one private room. A database that stores usage status information indicating the usage status of the private room, and the Private room Based on the usage status information, facility Every Vacant Show the situation No. 1 a first display control unit that displays a screen on a display terminal referenced by a first user; Each private room Based on the usage status information, facility Every Vacant Show the situation Second a second display control unit that displays the screen on an operation terminal operated by a second user; The layout of the facilities whose availability is displayed on the first screen is different from the layout of the facilities whose availability is displayed on the second screen. .

[0007] In the above management device, A first screen including availability for each facility is displayed on the display terminal of the first user, and a second screen including availability for each facility is displayed on the operation terminal of the second user. The layout of the facilities whose availability is shown on the first screen is different from the layout of the facilities whose availability is shown on the second screen. This can improve convenience for both the first user and the second user regarding the facility. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a facility status management device and a facility status management method that can improve user convenience regarding facilities. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a facility status management system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a facility. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the server illustrated in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the server illustrated in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the use status information and the work status information stored in the database. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the digital signage or the user terminal. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface displayed on the operation terminal. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation log. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the server shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the server according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in a database according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the server shown in FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the layout of the user interface displayed on the operation terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be omitted.

[0011] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a facility status management system 1 according to a first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the facility status management system 1 is a system for managing the status of a plurality of facilities 90. Each facility 90 is, for example, a toilet facility provided in a building such as a building. The facility status management system 1 includes a server 10 (facility status management device), a GW (gateway) 20, a digital signage 30 (display terminal), a user terminal 40 (display terminal), and an operation terminal 50. The server 10, the GW 20, the digital signage 30, the user terminal 40, and the operation terminal 50 are connected via a network 60.

[0012] The GW 20 is a relay device provided for each facility 90. The GW 20 relays communication between the server 10 and a sensor 93 (see FIG. 2) provided in each private room 91 (see FIG. 2) of the facility 90, and communication between the server 10 and a private room terminal 94 (see FIG. 2) provided in each private room 91.

[0013] The digital signage 30 is, for example, a video display device provided at the entrance of a building, on a wall, etc. The digital signage 30 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. The digital signage 30 displays a screen SC (see FIG. 6) showing the status of each facility 90. Note that the digital signage 30 may display building guide information, advertisements, etc. in addition to the status of each facility 90.

[0014] The user terminal 40 is a terminal used by a user U1 (first user). The user terminal 40 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet owned by the user U1. A web browser or a dedicated application or the like is pre-installed on the user terminal 40. The user terminal 40 also has a display (for example, a touch panel display or the like). A screen SC (see FIG. 6) showing the status of each facility 90 is displayed on the display of the user terminal 40 by the above-mentioned web browser or dedicated application or the like. The digital signage 30 and the user terminal 40 are mainly referenced by the user U1 of the facility 90.

[0015] The operation terminal 50 is a terminal used by a worker U2 (a second user). The worker U2 performs a predetermined task (e.g., cleaning work, etc.) on the facility 90. The operation terminal 50 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet lent to the worker U2, and is referred to and operated by the worker U2. A web browser or a dedicated application, etc. is installed in the operation terminal 50 in advance. The operation terminal 50 also has a display (e.g., a touch panel display, etc.). The display of the operation terminal 50 includes a screen showing the status of each facility 90 transmitted from the server 10 via the network 60, and a user interface UI (see FIG. 7) for setting the work status of each facility 90 is displayed by the above-mentioned web browser or dedicated application, etc.

[0016] The network 60 is any communication network, whether wired or wireless. The network 60 is, for example, the Internet, a public line network, a dedicated line network, etc. The GW 20, the digital signage 30, the user terminal 40, and the operation terminal 50 are each connected to the server 10 via the network 60 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a facility 90. The facility 90 shown in Fig. 2 is a toilet facility provided for a user U1. The facility 90 includes a plurality of private rooms 91. In this embodiment, one facility 90 constitutes one area.

[0018] Each private room 91 is provided with a door 92, a sensor 93, and a private room terminal 94. The sensor 93 is provided on each door 92 and detects the open / closed state of the door 92. The sensor 93 is, for example, a magnet sensor. The sensor 93 detects the open / closed state of the door 92 at a predetermined interval (for example, every 3 seconds) and generates detection information indicating a state in which the door 92 is open (i.e., the private room is vacant) or a state in which the door 92 is closed (i.e., the private room is in use). The detection information includes information for identifying the private room 91 (for example, a sensor ID for identifying the sensor 93, etc.). Each sensor 93 provided in each private room 91 of a certain facility 90 is capable of communicating with a GW 20 provided in the facility 90. The detection information generated by each sensor 93 is transmitted to the server 10 via the GW 20 and the network 60.

[0019] The private room terminal 94 is a terminal referenced by the user U1 who is using the private room 91. The private room terminal 94 is, for example, a video display device such as a small liquid crystal display fixed to the wall of the private room 91. The private room terminal 94 may be integrated with an operation panel for using, for example, a warm water cleaning function, or may be provided separately from the operation panel. The private room terminal 94 is connected to the server 10 via the network 60 so as to be able to communicate with it.

[0020] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 10. As shown in Fig. 3, the server 10 includes, as functional components, a database 11, a first display control unit 12, a second display control unit 13, and an update unit 14.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the server 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the server 10 can be physically configured as a computer system including one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) 101 as a processor, one or more ROMs (Read Only Memories) 102, one or more RAMs (Random Access Memories) 103 as a main storage device, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 104 as an auxiliary storage device, and a communication unit 105 such as a communication interface for communicating with the network 60. For example, the CPU 101 reads a processing program stored in advance in the HDD 104 into the RAM 103 and executes it, whereby each piece of hardware operates under the control of the CPU 101, and data is read and written in the ROM 102, the RAM 103, and the HDD 104. In this way, each function of the server 10 shown in FIG. 3 is realized. The user terminal 40 and the operation terminal 50 can also be configured with hardware similar to the hardware of the server 10 shown in FIG. 4.

[0022] The database 11 stores management information on an area basis (for each facility 90 in this embodiment). The management information includes usage status information and work status information. Usage status information for a certain area (facility 90) is information indicating the usage status of private rooms 91 in the facility 90. In this embodiment, the usage status information is information indicating whether each private room 91 is vacant or in use. Usage status information for a certain facility 90 is appropriately updated based on detection signals transmitted from sensors 93 installed in each private room 91 of the facility 90 via the GW 20 of the facility 90.

[0023] The work status information of a certain area (facility 90) is information indicating a normal state (first state) in which cleaning (predetermined work) is not being performed by the worker U2 in the facility 90, or a cleaning state (second state) in which cleaning is being performed by the worker U2 in the facility 90. In other words, the work status information is information indicating whether or not the facility 90 is being cleaned. The work status information is appropriately updated in response to the operation of the worker U2 on the user interface UI (see FIG. 7) displayed on the operation terminal 50.

[0024] 5 is a diagram showing an example of management information for each facility 90 stored in database 11. As an example, one piece of management information (i.e., information for one record stored in database 11) includes a facility ID, a facility name, work status information, and usage status information. The facility ID is identification information for uniquely identifying the facility 90. The facility name is the name of the facility 90 identified by the facility ID.

[0025] The work status information is information that indicates whether cleaning is being performed in the facility 90 identified by the facility ID. In the example of Fig. 5, either a "normal state" indicating a state where cleaning is not being performed (first state) or a "cleaning state" indicating a state where cleaning is being performed (second state) is stored as the work status information.

[0026] The usage status information includes availability information (information indicating whether the room is "vacant" or "occupied") of each private room 91 included in the facility 90 identified by the facility ID. In this example, the usage status information further includes the total number of private rooms 91 previously associated with the facility 90, and the number of vacant rooms counted based on the availability information of each private room 91 (i.e., the number of private rooms 91 set to "vacant").

[0027] For example, the management information L1 illustrated in FIG. 5 indicates that the facility identified by the facility ID "F1" (facility 90 whose facility name is "B1F (Ladies)") is in a normal state and all of the seven private rooms 91 are vacant. The management information L2 indicates that the facility identified by the facility ID "F2" (facility 90 whose facility name is "9F (Ladies)") is in a cleaning state and all of the seven private rooms 91 are vacant. The management information L3 indicates that the facility identified by the facility ID "F3" (facility 90 whose facility name is "12F (Ladies)") is in a normal state and all of the four private rooms 91 are in use. The management information L4 indicates that the facility identified by the facility ID "F4" (facility 90 whose facility name is "B1F (Men's)") is in a normal state and one of the two private rooms 91 is vacant.

[0028] The first display control unit 12 accesses the database 11 to refer to (acquire) management information (usage status information and work status information) for each facility 90 stored in the database 11. Then, the first display control unit 12 causes the digital signage 30 and the user terminal 40 to display a screen SC (see FIG. 6) showing the usage status (i.e., availability) and work status (i.e., whether cleaning is in progress) for each facility 90 based on the management information for each facility 90.

[0029] For example, the first display control unit 12 may generate a screen SC based on management information for each facility 90, and transmit the information of the screen SC to the digital signage 30 or the user terminal 40. In this case, the digital signage 30 or the user terminal 40 may directly display the screen SC transmitted from the server 10 (first display control unit 12) on the display of the own device. Alternatively, the digital signage 30 or the user terminal 40 may generate a screen SC based on management information for each facility 90 transmitted from the first display control unit 12, and display the generated screen SC on the display of the own device.

[0030] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen SC displayed on the digital signage 30 or the user terminal 40. In this example, the screen SC includes a plurality of display areas A for displaying the usage status and the work status for each facility 90. The display areas A1 to A4 in FIG. 6 correspond to the management information L1 to L4 in FIG. 5, respectively. Note that the display area A may include display information other than the information directly stored as the management information. In the example of FIG. 6, display information indicating "vacant", "crowded", or "full" is included in each display area A. "Vacant" indicates that "number of vacant rooms / total number" is greater than 0.5. "Crowded" indicates that "number of vacant rooms / total number" is greater than 0 and less than 0.5, and "full" indicates that "number of vacant rooms" is 0. Such display information may be generated based on the management information for each facility 90 (see FIG. 5). In addition, the layout of the screen displayed on the digital signage 30 or the user terminal 40 is not limited to the landscape screen exemplified in FIG. 6. For example, when the user terminal 40 is used in portrait orientation, a vertically long screen may be displayed instead of a horizontally long screen.

[0031] The second display control unit 13, like the first display control unit 12, accesses the database 11 to refer to (acquire) management information (usage status information and work status information) for each facility 90 stored in the database 11. Then, the second display control unit 13 causes the operation terminal 50 to display a user interface UI (see FIG. 7) including a screen showing the usage status and work status for each facility 90, based on the management information for each facility 90.

[0032] The user interface UI includes a screen showing the usage status and work status of each facility 90, similar to the screen SC (see FIG. 6), and accepts an operation to switch between a normal state and a cleaning state for each facility 90. For example, the worker U2 can perform an operation to switch the work status of a specific facility 90 from a normal state to a cleaning state, or an operation to switch the work status of a specific facility 90 from a cleaning state to a normal state, via the user interface UI displayed on the display of the operation terminal 50. Operation information indicating the content of the operation accepted by the user interface UI is transmitted from the operation terminal 50 to the server 10 via the network 60.

[0033] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface UI displayed on the operation terminal 50. As shown in FIG. 7, the user interface UI includes a plurality of display areas B for displaying the usage status and the work status of each facility 90. The display areas B1 to B4 in FIG. 7 correspond to the management information L1 to L4 in FIG. 5, respectively. Note that, as in the example of FIG. 7, the display area B may include display information other than the management information (for example, information indicating "empty", "crowded", or "full"). In addition, the layout of the screen (user interface UI) displayed on the operation terminal 50 is not limited to the portrait-oriented layout exemplified in FIG. 7. For example, when the operation terminal 50 is used in a landscape orientation, a landscape-oriented screen may be displayed instead of a portrait-oriented screen.

[0034] The icon-shaped display area B included in the user interface UI is different from the display area A included in the screen SC in that it can receive an operation from the worker U2. For example, the worker U2 can change the work status of the facility 90 shown in a given display area B by performing a selection operation (e.g., a tap operation) on the display area B. For example, if the work status of each facility 90 is set to a normal state by default, when a selection operation is performed an odd number of times on the display area B corresponding to a certain facility 90, the work status of the facility 90 is set to a cleaning state. On the other hand, when a selection operation is performed an even number of times on the facility 90, the work status of the facility 90 is set to a normal state. That is, every time a selection operation (tap operation) is performed on the display area B, the work status of the facility 90 corresponding to the display area B is switched between a normal state and a cleaning state.

[0035] In this way, the worker U2 can easily switch the work status of the facility 90 by performing a tap operation on the display area B of the facility 90. Here, when the first facility 90 (first area) is changed from the normal state to the cleaning state by the operation of the worker U2, the user interface UI may prohibit a second facility 90 (second area) other than the first facility 90 from being set to the cleaning state until the first facility 90 is set to the normal state again. In other words, the user interface UI may prohibit one worker U2 from setting two or more facilities 90 to the cleaning state at the same time. According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the worker U2 from accidentally setting two or more facilities 90 to the cleaning state at the same time.

[0036] As an example, when a tap operation on the second facility 90 is received via the user interface UI after the first facility 90 has been changed to a cleaning state and before the first facility 90 is returned to a normal state, the user interface UI may display an error screen on the display of the operation terminal 50. Note that a tap operation (i.e., an odd-numbered tap operation) that switches the work status of the second facility 90 to a cleaning state even though the first facility 90 is in a cleaning state (i.e., an unauthorized prohibited operation) may be detected on the operation terminal 50 side or on the server 10 side. When a prohibited operation is detected on the operation terminal 50 side, for example, the operation terminal 50 can detect the prohibited operation by storing the number of selection operations on each facility 90 from a certain point in time (e.g., a reference point in time when the work statuses of all the facilities 90 are set to a normal state) to the current point in time. In addition, when a prohibited operation is detected on the server 10 side, for example, the server 10 (e.g., the update unit 14 described later) can detect the prohibited operation by referring to the work status information of each facility 90 stored in the database 11 when it receives operation information (information indicating a selection operation for a certain facility 90) from the operation terminal 50.

[0037] The update unit 14 updates the usage status information or work status information stored in the database 11. First, the update process of the usage status information by the update unit 14 will be described. The update unit 14 acquires detection information from each sensor 93 via each GW 20 and the network 60. As described above, the detection information includes information for identifying the private room 91 (sensor ID, etc.). Based on the sensor ID included in the detection information, the update unit 14 can identify which private room 91 in which facility 90 the detection information corresponds to.

[0038] The update unit 14 can update the usage status information stored in the database 11 in the following manner. When the update unit 14 receives detection information indicating that the door 92 is open, the update unit 14 sets the availability information of the private room 91 in the facility 90 corresponding to the detection information to "vacant." On the other hand, when the update unit 14 receives detection information indicating that the door 92 is closed, the update unit 14 sets the availability information of the private room 91 in the facility 90 corresponding to the detection information to "occupied."

[0039] Next, the updating process of the work status information by the update unit 14 will be described. The update unit 14 acquires operation information from the operation terminal 50 via the network 60. The operation information is information indicating that a selection operation has been performed on a specific facility 90. The update unit 14 updates the work status information for each facility 90 stored in the database 11 based on the operation information. For example, when the update unit 14 receives operation information indicating that a selection operation has been performed on a facility 90 whose work status is set to "normal state", the update unit 14 switches the work status of the facility 90 to "cleaning state". At this time, when there is another facility 90 whose work status is set to "cleaning state", the update unit 14 may transmit error information to the operation terminal 50 indicating that a prohibited operation (an operation of simultaneously setting two or more facilities 90 to the cleaning state) has been performed without performing the above-mentioned switching operation. Furthermore, when the update unit 14 receives operation information indicating that a selection operation has been performed on a facility 90 whose work status is set to "cleaning state", the update unit 14 switches the work status of the facility 90 to "normal state".

[0040] The database 11 may store a history of operations performed by the worker U2 via the operation terminal 50 (user interface UI). For example, every time the update unit 14 executes the update process of the work status information as described above, an operation log indicating the history of operations performed by the worker U2 may be saved in the database 11.

[0041] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an operation log stored in the database 11. In this example, the operation log includes a user ID, an operation time, a facility ID, and an operation content. The user ID is identification information for uniquely identifying the worker U2 who performed a selection operation on a specific facility 90 using the user interface UI of the operation terminal 50. For example, the user ID may be included in the operation information transmitted from the operation terminal 50 to the server 10. When the operation terminal 50 is associated one-to-one with the worker U2 (that is, when each worker U2 has a dedicated operation terminal 50), a terminal ID (e.g., a MAC address, etc.) that identifies the operation terminal 50 may function as the above-mentioned user ID. In addition, when a plurality of workers U2 share a common operation terminal 50, the worker U2 may execute a login operation of inputting his / her own user ID when starting to use the operation terminal 50. In this case, the user ID input at the time of the login operation is included in the operation information. The operation time is the time when an operation on the user interface UI is performed. The operation content is information indicating whether it is an operation for setting the cleaning state (that is, an odd-numbered selection operation) or an operation for setting the normal state (that is, an even-numbered selection operation).

[0042] The first operation log illustrated in FIG. 8 indicates that the worker U2 identified by the user ID "U0001" set the work status of the facility 90 identified by the facility ID "F2" to a cleaning state at time t1. On the other hand, the second operation log illustrated in FIG. 8 indicates that the worker U2 identified by the user ID "U0001" set the work status of the facility 90 identified by the facility ID "F2" to a normal state at time t2. According to the above configuration, it is possible to easily manage the period during which a certain facility 90 was set to a cleaning state (i.e., the period during which the cleaning work of the facility 90 was performed by the worker U2 identified by the user ID). For example, according to the operation log illustrated in FIG. 8, it is possible to know that the worker U2 identified by the user ID "U0001" performed the cleaning work of the facility 90 identified by the facility ID "F1" during the period from time t1 to time t2.

[0043] Next, an example of the operation of the server 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The update unit 14 acquires, from the GW 20 provided in each facility 90, detection information generated by each sensor 93 provided in each private room 91 of the facility 90 (step S1). The process of acquiring the detection information in step S1 is executed periodically, for example, at predetermined intervals (for example, 3 seconds).

[0044] Moreover, the update unit 14 acquires operation information transmitted from the operation terminal 50 every time the operator U2 performs an operation on the user interface UI (step S2).

[0045] Next, the update unit 14 updates the management information stored in the database 11 based on the detection information acquired in step S1 or the operation information acquired in step S2 (step S3). When the update unit 14 acquires detection information, it updates the usage status information of the facility 90 corresponding to the detection information (in this embodiment, the vacancy information of each private room 91 and the number of vacant rooms (see FIG. 5)). When the update unit 14 acquires operation information, it updates the work status information of the facility 90 corresponding to the operation information. Specifically, when the work status of the facility 90 is "normal state", the update unit 14 changes the work status of the facility 90 to "cleaning state", and when the work status of the facility 90 is "cleaning state", it changes the work status of the facility 90 to "normal state".

[0046] Next, the first display control unit 12 accesses the database 11 to refer to (acquire) management information for each facility 90, and displays a screen SC (see FIG. 6) generated based on the management information for each facility 90 on the digital signage 30 and the user terminal 40 (step S4). For example, the digital signage 30 periodically executes the processes of steps S1 to S4, so that a screen SC reflecting the latest usage status and work status for each facility 90 is displayed in almost real time. On the other hand, the latest screen SC information may be periodically delivered to the user terminal 40, as in the case of the digital signage 30, but in order to reduce the communication volume and processing load on the user terminal 40 side, the following processing may be performed. That is, the first display control unit 12 may deliver the latest screen SC information to the user terminal 40, triggered by receiving an update request from the user terminal 40.

[0047] Moreover, the second display control unit 13 accesses the database 11 to refer to (obtain) management information for each facility 90, and causes the operation terminal 50 to display a user interface UI (see FIG. 7) including a screen generated based on the management information for each facility 90 (step S5). Screen information reflecting the latest usage status and work status may be periodically distributed to the operation terminal 50, as with the digital signage 30, but in order to reduce the amount of communication and processing load on the operation terminal 50 side, the following processing may be performed. That is, the second display control unit 13 may distribute the latest screen information to the operation terminal 50, triggered by receipt of an update request from the operation terminal 50.

[0048] The server 10 appropriately executes the processes of steps S1 to S5, thereby allowing the latest usage status and work status of each facility 90 to be displayed on the digital signage 30, the user terminal 40, and the operation terminal 50. The process of step S5 may be executed prior to the process of step S4, or may be executed simultaneously with the process of step S4.

[0049] As described above, in the server 10, a screen SC showing the usage status and work status for each facility 90 is presented to the user U1 via the digital signage 30 or the user terminal 40. On the other hand, a user interface UI capable of switching the action status for each facility 90 together with a screen showing the usage status and work status for each facility 90 is provided to the worker U2 via the operation terminal 50. This allows the worker U2 to switch the facility 90 that has little impact on the user U1 (for example, a facility 90 with many vacant rooms) to a cleaning state and perform cleaning while referring to the usage status for each facility 90. In addition, the fact that the work status of a certain facility 90 has been switched to a cleaning state by the worker U2 is reflected in the database 11 by the update unit 14 and is presented to the user U1 via the digital signage 30 or the user terminal 40. This allows the user U1 to appropriately select a facility 90 to use from among the facilities 90 in a normal state in which cleaning is not being performed. In other words, it is possible to prevent the user U1 from heading to a facility 90 in a cleaning state. As a result, the convenience of the users (both the users U1 and the workers U2) of the facility 90 can be improved.

[0050] With the above-mentioned mechanism, when the worker U2 performs an operation to select one facility 90 (area) via the user interface UI, the display of the display area A corresponding to the facility 90 selected by the worker U2 is changed on the screen SC displayed on the digital signage 30 or the user terminal 40 by the first display control unit 12. For example, when the worker U2 performs an operation to select a facility 90 that was in a normal state, the display of the display area A corresponding to the facility 90 on the screen SC is changed from a display mode indicating a normal state to a display mode indicating a cleaning state. In this way, by updating the display of the screen SC in response to the operation of the worker U2, it is possible to provide useful information to the user U1 in a timely manner.

[0051] Furthermore, the update unit 14 acquires detection information indicating whether the private room 91 is vacant or not from the sensor 93 provided for each private room 91, and updates the usage status information stored in the database 11 based on the detection information. According to the above configuration, the usage status information can be automatically updated in real time based on the detection information from the sensor 93 provided for each private room 91. This makes it possible to provide accurate usage status information to the user U1 who refers to the digital signage 30 or the user terminal 40, and the worker U2 who refers to the operation terminal 50 at any point in time, thereby further improving the convenience of the user U1 and the worker U2.

[0052] In the above embodiment, a layout in which the facilities 90 are displayed by gender is adopted as the layout of the screen SC (see FIG. 6) displayed on the digital signage 30 or the user terminal 40. Specifically, the screen SC is divided into an area in which the display area A of the men's (gentlemen's) restroom facilities is collected (the lower half of the screen SC in the example of FIG. 6) and an area in which the display area A of the women's (ladies') restroom facilities is collected (the upper half of the screen SC in the example of FIG. 6). A user U1 who wants to check the usage status of the restroom facilities usually checks only the restroom facilities that he or she uses (i.e., the restroom facilities corresponding to the gender of the user U1). For this reason, when a layout in which the facilities 90 are displayed by gender on the screen SC is adopted as in the example of FIG. 6, it becomes easier for the user U1 to check the status of the restroom facilities that he or she may use, and the convenience of the user U1 can be improved.

[0053] [Second embodiment] A facility status management system 1A according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. As shown in Fig. 10, the facility status management system 1A mainly differs from the facility status management system 1 according to the first embodiment in that it includes a server 10A instead of the server 10, and in that reservation setting (described in detail later) can be operated on a user interface UI displayed on an operation terminal 50.

[0054] In the facility status management system 1A, the user interface UI displayed on the operation terminal 50 is configured to be capable of further accepting reservation settings. The reservation settings are settings indicating that a designated facility 90 (hereinafter also referred to as a "designated facility") is to be changed from a normal state to a cleaning state at a future time point a predetermined period of time from the present time (hereinafter also referred to as a "scheduled cleaning start time").

[0055] For example, when the work status of a specific facility 90 is changed from a normal state to a cleaning state by the worker U2 operating the operation terminal 50 on the user interface UI shown in FIG. 7, a pop-up window is displayed to inquire the worker U2 whether to set a reservation. For example, the pop-up window displays buttons "Yes" and "No" together with a message "Do you want to set the facility to be cleaned next?". If the worker U2 selects "Yes", the user interface UI shown in FIG. 7 is displayed again on the operation terminal 50. If the worker U2 selects the display area B of the facility 90 for which the worker U2 wishes to make a cleaning reservation, an input window for inputting the scheduled cleaning start time is displayed on the operation terminal 50. The worker U2 inputs the scheduled cleaning start time into the input window, thereby completing the reservation setting. When the reservation setting is completed as described above, reservation setting information indicating the reservation setting (i.e., information including the designated facility and the scheduled cleaning start time) is transmitted from the operation terminal 50 to the server 10A via the network 60. The reservation setting operation may be performed by an operation procedure different from the operation procedure exemplified above.

[0056] The server 10A differs from the server 10 mainly in that the server 10A includes an update unit 14A instead of the update unit 14, and further includes a third display control unit 15.

[0057] The update unit 14A differs from the update unit 14 in that it is configured to further execute the following processing. The update unit 14A updates the work status information of the designated facility stored in the database 11 from a normal state to a cleaning state at the scheduled cleaning start time based on the reservation setting accepted by the user interface UI. That is, when the update unit 14A detects that the current time has reached the scheduled cleaning start time, it automatically updates the work status information of the designated facility from a normal state to a cleaning state. To execute the above processing, for example, the update unit 14A executes the following processing.

[0058] When the update unit 14A receives reservation setting information from the operation terminal 50, it associates the reservation information with management information of the specified facility stored in the database 11. The reservation information is information indicating whether a reservation has been set (including information on the scheduled cleaning start time if a reservation has been set). FIG. 11 shows an example in which a reservation has been set for a facility 90 identified by a facility ID "F2" with a scheduled cleaning start time of "15:00". According to this mechanism, the update unit 14A can automatically update the work status of the facility 90 identified by the facility ID "F1" from a normal state to a cleaning state when the current time becomes "15:00", for example, by periodically referring to the database 11.

[0059] When the reservation setting is accepted by the user interface UI, the third display control unit 15 displays notification information indicating that the reservation setting has been made on the private room terminal 94 provided in each private room 91 in the designated facility. For example, the third display control unit 15 periodically accesses the database 11 to refer to the reservation information of each facility 90. Then, when a designated facility for which a reservation has been set (i.e., a facility 90 with which the reservation information is associated) exists and the remaining time from the current time to the scheduled cleaning start time is within a predetermined time (e.g., 10 minutes), the third display control unit 15 displays the notification information on the private room terminal 94 provided in each private room 91 in the designated facility. The notification information is display information including characters such as, for example, "Cleaning is scheduled in 10 minutes" or "A cleaning staff may enter this restroom facility in 10 minutes." The notification information may include an image. Furthermore, the display information such as characters and images constituting the notification information may be stored in advance in the private room terminal 94 or may be stored in the server 10A.

[0060] When the above-mentioned reservation setting is performed by the worker U2, the first display control unit 12 and the second display control unit 13 may refer to the reservation information (see FIG. 11) for each facility 90 stored in the database 11, and cause the digital signage 30, the user terminal 40, and the operation terminal 50 to display information indicating that a reservation has been set for the designated facility. For example, information regarding the reservation setting, such as "cleaning scheduled to start at 15:00", may be displayed in the display areas A and B (see FIGS. 6 and 7) of the designated facility.

[0061] Next, an example of the operation of the server 10A will be described with reference to Fig. 12. When a reservation is set by the worker U2 operating the operation terminal 50, the update unit 14A acquires reservation setting information (information including the designated facility and the scheduled cleaning start time) from the operation terminal 50 (step S11). Next, the update unit 14A updates the reservation information of the designated facility stored in the database 11 based on the reservation setting information (step S12). In the example of Fig. 11, the update unit 14A sets reservation information of the designated facility (facility 90 identified by facility ID "F2").

[0062] Next, the third display control unit 15 periodically accesses the database 11 to refer to the reservation information of each facility 90 and determines whether or not there is a facility 90 for which a scheduled cleaning start time is set within a predetermined time (here, 10 minutes as an example) from the current time (step S13). If there is a facility 90 that meets the above criteria (step S13: YES), the third display control unit 15 displays the notification information on the private room terminal 94 of the facility 90.

[0063] As described above, in the facility status management system 1A, the user interface UI is configured to be able to accept reservation settings. Then, based on the reservation settings accepted by the user interface UI, the update unit 14A automatically updates the work status information of the designated facility stored in the database 11 from a normal state to a cleaning state at the scheduled cleaning start time. With the above configuration, the worker U2 can smoothly carry out cleaning work for each facility 90 by setting reservations in advance for the facilities 90 to be cleaned.

[0064] Furthermore, when a reservation setting is accepted by the user interface UI, the third display control unit 15 causes a private room terminal 94 provided in the private room 91 in the designated facility to display notification information indicating that a reservation has been set. According to the above configuration, the user U1 using the private room 91 in the designated facility can be notified that a reservation has been set via the private room terminal 94. This makes it possible to prompt the user U1 to complete use of the private room 91 by the scheduled cleaning start time. Also, the user U1 can be made to refrain from using the private room 91 for which a reservation has been set.

[0065] Although the embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. In the above-described embodiments, an example in which one facility 90 constitutes one area has been shown, but the relationship between the facility 90 and the area is not limited to the above. For example, a relatively large facility 90 such as a toilet provided in a service area of ​​a highway may be divided into multiple sections, and an area may be constituted as a management unit for each section. In addition, one facility 90 does not necessarily have to include multiple private rooms 91, and may include only one private room 91. In addition, the facility 90 provided for the user U1 is not limited to the toilet facility exemplified in the above-described embodiments, and may be a facility including private rooms with a limited number of rooms that can be used at the same time.

[0066] Furthermore, the method of determining the availability information of the private room 91 is not limited to the method of determining based on the open / closed state of the door 92 as exemplified in the above embodiment. For example, there are private toilets, such as multi-purpose toilets, whose doors are always closed regardless of whether they are in use or not. For such private toilets, for example, a human presence sensor may be installed in the private room. In this case, the update units 14, 14A can determine the availability information of the private room based on information from the human presence sensor and update the database 11.

[0067] Furthermore, the predetermined work is not limited to the cleaning work exemplified in the above embodiment. The predetermined work may be any work that makes the private room 91 in the facility 90 unavailable during the work. For example, the predetermined work may be construction work on the facility 90, repair work (maintenance) of equipment in the facility 90, etc.

[0068] Furthermore, the layout and display contents of the screens (see Figs. 6 and 7) displayed on the digital signage 30, the user terminal 40, and the operation terminal 50 are not limited to those exemplified in the above embodiment. For example, the above screens may display more detailed guidance information (for example, text information such as "Cleaning staff will be entering for about 5 minutes" or "Available for use, but cleaning is in progress") instead of (or in addition to) the display of "Cleaning" which indicates that cleaning is in progress as exemplified in the above embodiment.

[0069] Furthermore, the operation method for switching the work status of the facility 90 using the user interface UI is not limited to the method exemplified in the above embodiment (tapping on the display area B of the corresponding facility 90). For example, the operation method may be a long press on the display area B of the corresponding facility 90. Alternatively, the operation method may be an operation of pressing the "Yes" button on a confirmation window (for example, a window including "Yes" and "No" buttons together with a message "Do you want to change the work status to XX?") that is displayed after tapping on the display area B of the corresponding facility 90.

[0070] Moreover, the operation terminal 50 is not limited to a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet carried by the worker U2. The operation terminal 50 may be, for example, a terminal installed (fixed) in each facility 90 (for example, a terminal placed in a locker or the like that is managed so that the user U1 cannot use it). In addition, such an operation terminal may be provided with a switch for switching between a normal state and a cleaning state. In this case, the worker U2 can switch the work status of the facility 90 between the normal state and the cleaning state by operating the switch of the operation terminal installed in the facility 90. In addition, the server 10, 10A may hold information indicating a correspondence between the operation terminal and the facility 90 (for example, a correspondence between a terminal ID and a facility ID) in advance. In this case, the server 10, 10A (update unit 14, 14A) can update the work status of the facility 90 corresponding to the terminal ID based on the information of the switch operation received from the operation terminal (information indicating the terminal ID of the operation terminal and the work status set by the switch operation).

[0071] In the above embodiment, the layout of the screen SC (see FIG. 6) is such that the facilities 90 are grouped and displayed by gender, but the classification for grouping the display areas is not limited to the above example (gender in this case). For example, if the facilities 90 are divided by age group (e.g., divided into children's and adults' facilities), a layout may be adopted in which the facilities 90 are grouped and displayed by age group.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the user interface UI (see FIG. 7) displayed on the operation terminal 50 also adopts a layout similar to that of the screen SC (see FIG. 6) (i.e., a layout that displays the facilities 90 collectively by gender). In this way, the layout of the user interface UI may be the same as the layout of the screen SC. Alternatively, as described below, the layout of the user interface UI may be different from the layout of the screen SC.

[0073] For example, the same worker U2 may clean both a male restroom facility and a female restroom facility. In this case, the worker U2 is considered to clean a plurality of restroom facilities arranged in close positions in order to efficiently perform the cleaning work of each restroom facility. In such a case, the worker U2 may consider the cleaning order more easily in a layout in which the facilities 90 are displayed by installation location (e.g., floor unit, etc.) than in a layout in which the facilities 90 are displayed by gender. Therefore, for example, the layout shown in FIG. 13 may be adopted in the user interface UI shown in FIG. 7. In the example of FIG. 13, a layout is adopted in which an area R (e.g., a rectangular area) is set for each floor (e.g., "9F", etc.), and display areas BA corresponding to the facilities 90 belonging to the same floor are arranged together in each area R. The display area BA differs from the display area B shown in FIG. 7 in that information indicating gender (male or female) is displayed instead of floor information (information indicating the floor number). In this way, the information displayed in the display area corresponding to each facility 90 can be changed as appropriate depending on the layout (e.g., classification for bundling a plurality of facilities 90) to be adopted. According to the layout in which the facilities 90 are collectively displayed by floor as shown in Fig. 13, it becomes easier for the worker U2 to consider the order in which the cleaning work is to be performed (e.g., the order in which to visit each floor), and therefore the convenience of the worker U2 can be improved.

[0074] As described above, various layouts can be adopted for the screen SC provided to the user U1 or the user interface UI provided to the worker U2. The layout of the screen SC or the user interface UI may be configured to be arbitrarily selected from a plurality of layouts prepared in advance. In this case, it is possible to appropriately set the layout according to the usage scene. For example, a worker U2 who cleans only men's restroom facilities can easily check only the status of the facility 90 (in this case, the men's restroom facility) that he / she is cleaning by selecting a layout that displays the facilities 90 by gender as shown in FIG. 7. On the other hand, a worker U2 who cleans both men's and women's restroom facilities can enjoy the above-mentioned merits by selecting the layout shown in FIG. 13. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 10, 10A...server (facility status management device), 11...database, 12...first display control unit, 13...second display control unit, 14, 14A...update unit, 15...third display control unit, 30...digital signage (display terminal), 40...user terminal (display terminal), 50...operation terminal, 90...facility, 91...private room, 94...private room terminal, U1...user (first user), U2...worker (second user), UI...user interface.

Claims

1. A management device for managing availability of a plurality of facilities, each of said facilities includes at least one private room; A database for storing usage status information indicating the usage status of the private room; a first display control unit that displays a first screen showing an availability status of each of the facilities on a display terminal referenced by a first user based on the utilization status information of the private rooms stored in the database; a second display control unit that causes an operation terminal operated by a second user to display a second screen showing an availability status of each of the facilities based on the utilization status information of each of the private rooms stored in the database; The facility is a toilet facility, A management device characterized in that the layout of the first screen is a layout in which the availability status of the multiple facilities is grouped by gender, and the layout of the second screen is a layout in which the availability status of the multiple facilities is arranged based on the location of each facility.

2. Furthermore, the database stores work status information indicating whether a predetermined work is being performed in the private room or the facility; The second display control unit accepts an operation on the second screen by the second user, The management device according to claim 1 , further comprising an update unit that updates the work status information stored in the database based on operation information indicating the content of the operation.

3. The management device described in claim 1 or 2, further characterized in that the second display control unit displays the second screen so as to be switchable between a layout in which the availability status of the multiple facilities is grouped by gender and a layout in which the availability status of the multiple facilities is arranged based on the location of each facility, in accordance with the operation of the second user.

4. The management device of claim 3, further comprising a third display control unit that, when a reservation setting is accepted by a user interface provided to the second user indicating that a designated area including at least one private room should be changed from a first state in which a specified task is not being performed by the second user to a second state in which the specified task is being performed at a future time a specified period from the present time, the third display control unit causes a terminal installed in the private room in the designated area to display notification information indicating that the reservation setting has been made.

5. A management system having a management device for managing availability of a plurality of facilities, each of said facilities includes at least one private room; The management device includes: A database for storing usage status information indicating the usage status of the private room; Transmitting the usage status information to a display terminal referenced by a first user in response to a request from the display terminal; Transmitting the usage status information to an operation terminal operated by a second user in response to a request from the operation terminal; the display terminal displays a first screen showing an availability status of each of the facilities based on the utilization status information; the operation terminal displays a second screen showing an availability status of each of the facilities based on the utilization status information; The facility is a toilet facility, A management system characterized in that the layout of the first screen is a layout in which the availability status of the multiple facilities is arranged by gender, and the layout of the second screen is a layout in which the availability status of the multiple facilities is arranged based on the location of each facility.

6. A program for causing a computer to function as the management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A computer-implemented management method for managing availability of a plurality of facilities, comprising the steps of: each of said facilities includes at least one private room; displaying a first screen showing an availability status for each of the facilities on a display terminal referenced by a first user, based on a database storing usage status information showing a usage status of the private rooms and the usage status information of the private rooms stored in the database; displaying a second screen showing an availability status of each of the facilities on an operation terminal operated by a second user based on the utilization status information of each of the private rooms stored in the database; The facility is a toilet facility, a layout of the first screen in which the availability status of the multiple facilities is arranged by gender, and a layout of the second screen in which the availability status of the multiple facilities is arranged based on the location of each facility,

Images