Work support device and program

Abstract

To provide a work support device and a program capable of sending instructions to fixtures in a workspace in accordance with an actual state of work.SOLUTION: A work support device 1 collects an activity history of one or two or more workers in a predetermined work space 2 by an activity history collection unit 11, determines a utilization form of one or two or more fixtures arranged in the workspace 2 by a utilization form determination unit 12. Based on the collected activity history and the determined utilization form, an instruction transmission unit 13 transmits one or more instructions in accordance with the activity history and the utilization form to the one or more fixtures arranged in the workspace 2 at a prescribed timing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a work assistance device and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, IT-based fixtures have been installed in work spaces such as offices. For example, a voice processing system and a voice processing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 are known as devices for concealing conversations in booths where meetings, business negotiations, etc. are held. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-197770 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When designing a work space such as an office, for example, booths for individual workers to work, booths for multiple people to work together, or a conference room for meetings are designed.

[0005] On the other hand, in recent years, companies are increasingly adopting work styles that allow workers to freely choose their own work locations, etc., and as a result, pre-designed workspaces are increasingly diverging from the requirements of the workers who will be using those workspaces, requiring rapid responses to these discrepancies.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a work support device and a program capable of sending instructions to fixtures in a work space in accordance with the actual work situation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The work support device of the present invention, which has been made for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems, comprises an activity history collection unit that collects activity content such as work performed by each of two or more workers at predetermined time intervals in a predetermined work space equipped with two or more fixtures and used by two or more workers as an activity history; a usage mode determination unit that determines a usage mode indicating how many of the workers are using each of the two or more fixtures at what time based on the positions of the workers acquired by a position information acquisition unit for acquiring the positions of the workers and the occupancy status of the fixtures acquired by a detection device for detecting the occupancy status of the fixtures; and an instruction sending unit that transmits instructions corresponding to the activity history and the usage mode to the fixtures at a predetermined timing based on the collected activity history and the determined usage mode, wherein the predetermined timing is the start and / or end of a time period during which certain activity content and usage mode continue.

[0008] The work support device of the present invention may be configured so that the one or more fixtures include a partition that can be opened and closed in response to the instruction, and the instruction sending unit sends an instruction to open or close the partition depending on the activity content and the usage mode.

[0009] The work support device of the present invention may be configured so that the one or more pieces of furniture include a desk that can be separated and connected according to the instructions, and the instruction sending unit sends an instruction to separate or connect the desk depending on the activity content and the usage mode.

[0010] The work support device of the present invention may be configured so that the one or more pieces of furniture include a desk and / or chair that can move autonomously in response to the instruction, and the instruction sending unit sends an instruction to move the desk and / or chair in accordance with the activity content and the usage mode.

[0011] The work support device of the present invention may be configured so that the one or more furniture pieces include a chair whose seat and / or backrest hardness can be changed in response to the instruction, and the instruction sending unit sends an instruction to change the hardness of the seat and / or backrest of the chair in accordance with the activity content and the usage mode.

[0012] The work support device of the present invention may be configured so that the one or more fixtures include an audio device capable of outputting sound in response to the instruction, and the instruction sending unit sends an instruction to the audio device to output a predetermined masking sound in accordance with the activity content and the usage mode.

[0013] The work support device of the present invention may be configured so that the one or more fixtures include at least one of an audio device capable of outputting audio in response to the instruction and a video device capable of outputting a specified video in response to the instruction, and the instruction sending unit sends an instruction to the audio device and / or the video device to output audio and / or video that increases the concentration of the worker, or specified audio and / or video that relaxes the worker, depending on the activity content and the usage mode.

[0014] The work support device according to the present invention may further include a furniture arrangement support information creation unit that creates support information regarding the arrangement of furniture in the work space from the determined usage mode.

[0015] In the work support device according to the present invention, the usage mode may include at least one of a position of the worker and an occupancy state of a predetermined seat of the worker. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the configuration of the present invention, instructions are sent to the fixtures based on the work history of the worker in the workspace collected by the activity history collection unit and the usage mode determined by the usage mode determination unit. With this configuration, instructions can be sent to the fixtures in the workspace according to the actual work situation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a work support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the external appearance of a partition in the example of the embodiment, in which (a) shows the partition in a closed state, and (b) shows the partition in an open state. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a process flow of the work support device in the example of the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of an activity content input screen in an example of the same embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a work support device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] In this embodiment, the work support device 1 is a device that transmits instructions to fixtures arranged in a work space 2 where one or more workers perform work, and is equipped with an activity history collection unit 11, a usage mode determination unit 12, an instruction transmission unit 13, and a fixture placement support information creation unit 14.

[0020] The work support device 1 in this embodiment is configured using a computer used as a server. A program stored in advance in a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) of the computer is executed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to cause the computer to function as the work support device 1. In this embodiment, each functional unit of the work support device 1 is realized by the cooperation of software and hardware.

[0021] As described above, the work support device 1 of this embodiment is configured using a computer for server use, but, for example, a general personal computer or a tablet computer may be used. The hardware configuration of the work support device 1 can be changed as desired depending on the performance, durability, reliability, etc. required for the work support device 1. Furthermore, the number of computers to be used to configure the work support device 1 is arbitrary, and the work support device 1 may be configured using, for example, two or more computers.

[0022] Furthermore, the work support device 1 in this embodiment is a device that transmits instructions to fixtures arranged in the work space 2, but as long as the work support device 1 is capable of transmitting the instructions, it does not need to be arranged in the work space 2, and it may be arranged, for example, in a remote data center. Furthermore, any / all of the components included in the work support device 1 do not necessarily need to be physically integrated, and may be arranged separately and realized via a communication network.

[0023] The activity history collection unit 11 collects, as activity histories, activity details of one or more workers performing work in the work space 2. In this embodiment, the activity details of the workers are received by an activity content input unit 12b included in the worker terminal 12 described later, and collected as activity histories for a predetermined period of time.

[0024] The usage mode determination unit 12 determines the usage mode of the fixtures arranged in the work space 2. In this embodiment, specifically, the usage mode of the fixtures is determined based on the position information of the worker acquired by the position information acquisition unit 12a included in the worker terminal 12 described later and the occupancy information of the fixtures acquired by the occupancy detection device 11 described later.

[0025] The instruction sending unit 13 sends instructions corresponding to the activity history and the usage mode to a specified fixture at a specified timing based on the activity history collected by the aforementioned activity history collection unit 11 and the usage mode determined by the aforementioned usage mode determination unit 12.

[0026] The fixture arrangement support information creation unit 14 creates and outputs the usage mode determined by the above-mentioned usage mode determination unit 12 as specified fixture arrangement support information.

[0027] The work space 2 is a space where one or more workers perform work. Specifically, the work space 2 may be a predetermined section of an office, or may be a single work room.

[0028] In the work space 2 of this embodiment, a partition 3, a partition lift desk 4, a connecting / separating desk 5, a transforming desk 6, an autonomously moving chair 7, a hardness-adjustable chair 8, an audio device 9, and a video device 10 are arranged as furniture capable of receiving instructions transmitted from the work support device 1.

[0029] The partition 3 and the partition lift desk 4 are fixtures that function as partitions to separate any space within the work space 2.

[0030] The partition 3 is a flat-plate-like fixture that divides an arbitrary space in the working space 2. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the partition 3 in this embodiment, (a) showing the partition 3 in a closed state, and (b) showing the partition 3 in an open state. As shown in FIG. 2, the partition 3 in this embodiment has movable parts 3d made of flat-plate-like members on both the left and right ends of a fixed part 3c made of a flat-plate-like member, and other fixtures such as a display 3e and a shelf 3f can be arranged in a space having a concave shape in a plan view formed by the fixed part 3c and the movable part 3d. The movable part 3d is pivotally supported by the fixed part 3c so as to be swingable about an axis perpendicular to a joint with the fixed part 3c, and an instruction transmitted by an instruction transmission part 13 of the work support device 1 is received by a receiving part 3a (not shown in FIG. 2), and a driving part 3b (not shown in FIG. 2) opens and closes the movable part 3d.

[0031] The partition lift desk 4 is a desk that has a function of raising and lowering a partition provided at the center of the tabletop in response to an external instruction. The instruction receiving unit 4a receives an instruction transmitted by the instruction transmitting unit 13 of the work support device 1, and the driving unit 4b raises or lowers the partition at the center of the tabletop.

[0032] In this embodiment, a partition 3 and a partition lift desk 4 are arranged in the work space 2 as fixtures that function as partitions, but the fixtures that function as partitions are not limited to the above, and for example, curtains, corner panels, or sliding doors may be arranged in the work space 2 as partitions that have the function of receiving instructions sent from the work support device 1 and moving.

[0033] The connectable / split desk 5 is a desk that can be used by two or more workers at the same time. The connectable / split desk 5 of this embodiment includes an instruction receiving unit 5a that receives instructions sent by the work support device 1, and a connectable / split driving unit 5b that connects or splits the top plate and other components of the connectable / split desk 5.

[0034] The transformable desk 6 is a desk that can be transformed into the form of a chair. An instruction transmitted by the instruction transmitting unit 13 of the work support device 1 is received by the instruction receiving unit 6b, and the transformable desk 6 is transformed into the form of a desk or a chair by the transformation driving unit 6b.

[0035] The autonomously moving chair 7 is a chair that can autonomously move to a specified position. The autonomously moving chair 7 in this embodiment includes an instruction receiving unit 7a and an autonomously moving unit 7b, and when the instruction receiving unit 7a receives an instruction transmitted by the instruction transmitting unit 13 of the work support device 1, the autonomously moving chair 7 autonomously moves to the position included in the instruction by the autonomously moving unit 7b.

[0036] The hardness-variable chair 8 is a chair with the function of increasing or decreasing the hardness of the seat and / or backrest, and is equipped with an instruction receiving unit 8a that receives instructions transmitted by the instruction transmitting unit 13 of the work support device 1, and a hardness changing unit 8b that increases or decreases the hardness of the seat and / or backrest based on the received instructions.

[0037] The audio device 9 and the video device 10 are devices that output any audio and video. The audio device 9 and the video device 10 each include an instruction receiving unit 9a, 10a that receives an instruction transmitted by the instruction transmitting unit 13 of the work support device 1, and an output unit 9b, 10b that outputs any audio and video.

[0038] The seat presence detection device 11 is provided on a desk and / or a chair arranged in the work space 2, and is a device that detects whether or not a worker is seated at the desk and / or chair. The specific configuration of the seat presence detection device 11 may be selected from well-known technologies, and for example, a beacon may be arranged on the desk and / or chair, or a pressure sensor or the like may be arranged on the seat of the chair.

[0039] The worker terminal 12 is a terminal carried by each of one or more workers who perform work in the work space 2. In this embodiment, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone carried by the worker is used as the worker terminal 12, and is functionally configured to include a location information acquisition unit 12a that acquires the location of the worker carrying the worker terminal 12, and an activity content input unit 12b that allows the worker to input activity content such as the work of the worker.

[0040] In this embodiment, the work support device 1 is communicatively connected to a partition 3, a partition lift desk 4, a connecting / separating desk 5, a transforming desk 6, an autonomous traveling chair 7, a hardness variable chair 8, an audio device 9, a video device 10, a seat presence detection device 11, and a worker terminal 12 via a network 14. The specific configuration of the network 5 may be selected arbitrarily, and may be, for example, a wide area network such as the Internet, or a LAN (local area network) constructed within the work space 2, or may be a wired network or a wireless network.

[0041] The above is the configuration of the work support device 1 in this embodiment and the device group that cooperates with the work support device 1 through communication or the like. Next, the flow of processing of the work support device 1 in this embodiment will be described. Fig. 3 is a flow diagram showing the flow of processing of the work support device 1 in this embodiment.

[0042] The work support device 1 collects, by the activity history collection unit 11, activity histories of one or more workers performing work in the work space 2 (step S101).

[0043] Specifically, the process of step S101 in this embodiment is a process of receiving activity details input by the worker via the activity history input unit 12b of the worker terminal 12 and collecting the activity details as an activity history.

[0044] As described above, in this embodiment, one or more workers who perform work in the work space 2 each carry a worker terminal 12. The worker terminal 12 in this embodiment is a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, and includes a location information acquisition unit 12a and an activity content input unit 12b. The activity content input unit 12b prompts the worker to input activity content such as work performed by the worker at predetermined time intervals, and transmits the input activity content to the work support device 1.

[0045] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of an activity content input screen displayed on the display device of the worker terminal 12 by the activity content input unit 12b described above. As shown in FIG. 4, the activity content input screen W100 in this embodiment is a screen for selecting the activity content to be input from concentrated work W101, one-person work W102, information sharing W103, two-person work W104, discussion / consultation W105, and idea generation W106. When the worker selects any of the activity contents W101 to W106 on the activity content input screen W100, information indicating the selected activity content is transmitted to the work support device 1. In this embodiment, step S101 waits for transmission of information indicating the activity content from the worker terminal 12, and when the information is transmitted, it is received and recorded in a predetermined storage or the like, thereby collecting the activity history of the workspace 2 within a predetermined period. Note that the activity content input on the activity content input screen W100 is not necessarily limited to those shown in FIG. 4, and other activity contents may be included instead of or in addition to any of these. For example, instead of / in addition to any of the information shown in FIG. 4, the activity content input screen W100 may be configured to allow the worker to input the activity content as text, or to select from work content that has been pre-registered through a preliminary survey.

[0046] Furthermore, the work support device 1 in this embodiment determines the usage mode of the fixtures arranged in the work space 2 by the usage mode determination unit 12 (step S102). Specifically, the process of step S102 in this embodiment is to determine how many people will be using the fixtures in the work space 2 and at what time, based on the position of the worker acquired by the position information acquisition unit 11 included in the worker terminal 12 and the occupancy information of the fixtures acquired by the occupancy detection device 11.

[0047] The timing for executing step S102 may be selected arbitrarily. For example, step S102 may be executed daily or monthly.

[0048] Next, the work support device 1 transmits instructions to a specific fixture at a predetermined timing based on the worker's activity history collected in the above-mentioned step S101 and the usage mode determined in the above-mentioned step S102 (step S103).

[0049] The conditions, timing, and information included in the instruction for transmitting in step S103 may be set arbitrarily. For example, when transmitting an instruction to the partition 3, if it is determined in the above-mentioned step S102 from the activity history that there is a time period in which the place where the partition 3 is placed is occupied by a single person or a small number of people, or if there is a time period in which the workers working in the space enclosed by the partition 3 perform more highly concentrated or specialized work than the activity history indicates, an instruction to close the movable part 3d of the partition 3 may be transmitted at the start of the time period, and an instruction to open the movable part 3d of the partition 3 may be transmitted at the end of the time period.

[0050] For other fixtures, instructions may be sent according to the activity history and the usage mode based on the activity history collected in step S101 and the usage mode determined in step S102. For example, for the partition lift desk 4, an instruction may be sent to raise the partition 4e of the partition lift desk 4 at the start of a time period when the partition lift desk 4 is used by one person or a small number of people, or to lower the partition 4e of the partition lift desk 4 at the start of a time period when the partition lift desk 4 is used by several people for work, discussion, meetings, and other conferences. For the connecting / dividing desk 5, the transforming desk 6, and the autonomous mobile chair 7, instructions may be sent according to the number of workers using the desk and the activity history. For example, an instruction may be sent to connect or divide the connecting / dividing desk 5 according to the number of workers using the desk, or an instruction may be sent to transform the transforming desk 6 into a chair form when there are not enough chairs for the number of users. Also, an instruction may be sent to the autonomous mobile chair 7 according to the number of users to move the autonomous mobile chair 7 to a required location.

[0051] For the hardness variable chair 8, for example, if there is a time period during which a worker often sits on the hardness variable chair 8 for a long time to perform work, an instruction to reduce the hardness of the seat and / or backrest of the hardness variable chair 8 may be transmitted at the start of the time period, and an instruction to increase the hardness of the seat and / or backrest of the hardness variable chair 8 may be transmitted at the end of the time period. On the other hand, if there is a time period during which the hardness variable chair 8 is often used for meetings, etc., an instruction to increase the hardness of the seat and / or backrest of the hardness variable chair 8 may be transmitted at the start of the time period, and an instruction to decrease the hardness of the seat and / or backrest of the hardness variable chair 8 may be transmitted at the end of the time period.

[0052] Furthermore, in step S103, if there is a time period during which a specific space in the work space 2 tends to be used for conferences such as meetings or consultations, an instruction may be sent to an audio device 9 located in that specific space to output a specific masking sound.

[0053] On the other hand, when a specific space in the work space 2 is used for the above-mentioned recharge, or when there is a time period during which highly concentrated work is likely to continue for long periods of time, an instruction to output specific sounds and / or images to relax the worker may be sent to the audio device 9 and / or video device 10 arranged in that specific space.

[0054] In parallel with the process of transmitting instructions to the fixtures in step S103, the work support device 1 creates information for supporting the placement of the fixtures by the fixture placement support information creation unit 14 (step S104).

[0055] The information for supporting the arrangement of fixtures created in step S104 may indicate the activity history collected in the above-mentioned step S101 and the usage pattern determined in the above-mentioned step S102, and may be, for example, a representation by characters, diagrams, etc. of how the location in the workspace 2 where the divisible / connectable desks 5 are arranged tends to be used during a specific period, day of the week, or time period. Also, instead of the tendency for a specific period or time period, it may be possible to indicate what type of work or other activity a specific fixture or the location where the fixture is installed tends to be used for. In this case, for example, the information may present the number of workers using the partition 3 or the percentage of each activity, such as 20% work by one person, 50% work by two to four people, and 30% work by five or more people, as the usage pattern of the partition 3.

[0056] Furthermore, the above-mentioned information supporting the arrangement of fixtures may, in addition to the above-mentioned usage patterns, suggest changes to the arrangement of fixtures, etc. For example, in the case of the above-mentioned partition 3, the information may suggest arranging work desks for two to four people in the work space 2 based on the fact that 50% of the usage patterns of the partition 3 are for work by two to four people.

[0057] This concludes the description of the present embodiment. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above example. For example, the work support device 1 of the present embodiment includes step S101 for collecting the activity contents input by the worker, but may also include a step for collecting the satisfaction level of the worker.

[0058] The fixtures controlled by the work support device 1 are not necessarily limited to those in the above embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate.

[0059] Other configurations can also be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1 Work support device 11 Activity History Collection Department 12 Usage status determination unit 13 Instruction transmission unit 14. Furniture Layout Support Information Creation Department 2. Working Space 3. Partitions 4 Partition lift desk 5 Connecting / splitting desk 6. Transformable Desk 7. Autonomous Mobile Chair 8. Variable hardness chair 9 Sound equipment 10. Video equipment 11. Occupancy detection device 12 Worker terminal 13 Network

Claims

1. an activity history collection unit that collects, as an activity history, activity content such as work performed by each of the two or more workers at a predetermined time interval in a predetermined work space equipped with two or more fixtures and used by two or more workers; a usage mode determination unit that determines a usage mode indicating how many workers are using each of the two or more fixtures at what time based on the positions of the workers acquired by a position information acquisition unit for acquiring the positions of the workers and the occupancy status of the fixtures acquired by a detection device for detecting the occupancy status of the fixtures; An instruction transmission unit that transmits an instruction to the fixture at a predetermined timing according to the activity history and the usage mode based on the collected activity history and the determined usage mode; Equipped with The predetermined timing is the start and / or end of a time period during which a certain activity and usage pattern continues. Work support equipment.

2. The two or more fixtures include a partition that can be opened or closed by the instruction, the instruction transmission unit transmits an instruction to open or close the partition depending on the activity content and the usage mode. The work support device according to claim 1.

3. The two or more pieces of furniture include a desk that can be separated and connected according to the instructions, The instruction transmission unit transmits an instruction to divide or connect the desks according to the activity content and the usage mode. The work support device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The two or more pieces of furniture include a desk and / or a chair that can move autonomously according to the instruction, the instruction transmission unit transmits an instruction to move the desk and / or chair in accordance with the activity content and the usage mode. The work support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The two or more pieces of furniture include a chair whose seat and / or backrest hardness can be changed according to the instruction, the instruction transmission unit transmits an instruction to change the hardness of the seat and / or the backrest of the chair in accordance with the activity content and the usage mode. The work support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The two or more fixtures include an audio device capable of outputting sound in response to the instruction, the instruction transmission unit transmits an instruction to the audio device to output a predetermined masking sound in accordance with the activity content and the mode of use. The work support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The two or more fixtures include at least one of an audio device capable of outputting sound in response to the instruction and a video device capable of outputting a predetermined video in response to the instruction, The instruction transmission unit transmits an instruction to the audio device and / or the video device to output a sound and / or a video that enhances the concentration of the worker, or a predetermined sound and / or a video that relaxes the worker, in accordance with the activity content and the usage mode. The work support device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The work support device further includes a furniture arrangement support information creation unit that creates support information regarding the arrangement of furniture in the work space from the determined usage mode. The work support device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The usage mode includes at least one of the location of the worker and the occupancy state of a predetermined seat of the worker, The work support device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A program for causing a computer to function as the work support device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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