Space environment regulation device

Abstract

To provide a space environment adjustment apparatus that adjusts a space environment for each operator of an office work to increase intellectual productivity of the operator.SOLUTION: A space environment adjustment apparatus 1 adjusts a space environment of an office work of an operator. The space environment adjustment apparatus 1 includes an operator identification unit 104 that identifies the operator, a color presentation unit 91 that presents a changeable color to an area where the operator visibly recognizes during the office work, and a control unit 100 that controls the color presentation unit 91 to cause the color presentation unit 91 to present a color stored in a storage unit 102 in advance as a color suitable for the office work of a target operator identified by the operator identification unit 104.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a space environment adjusting device for adjusting the space environment for office work. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, devices and methods for increasing human intellectual productivity have been studied.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a learning support device that can efficiently improve abilities such as logical thinking, reading comprehension, and inference. The learning support device uses a software program that includes a story memory unit, an information display unit, a character reception unit, a figure reception unit, a frame creation unit, and a frame display unit, and the device itself uses a smartphone, tablet computer, or the like. It is said that learners can develop the ability to infer a story by reading the screen and text information on the software.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a game device, a game control method, and a game program that can simultaneously improve calculation skills and planning skills. The game is roughly divided into a number of areas, and players use pens of different colors to select the areas so that no two areas of the same color are adjacent to each other, and the player must add up the numerical values ​​assigned to each pen associated with each area to reach a target numerical value.

[0005] Patent Document 3 discloses an extract of spearmint (Mentha spicata) containing rosmarinic acid and plant polyphenols for improving memory, logical thinking, attention / concentration, planning ability, and the like.

[0006] Patent Document 4 discloses a method for developing intellectual abilities that can be reliably built up from the basics in order to acquire sufficient "problem-solving ability" required to survive in the real world. Specifically, the method uses graphics shown on paper or a computer to carry out training in the following order: training to expand the field of view, training to improve attention, training to improve memory, training to improve reasoning and thinking skills, training to improve insight and relationship comprehension, training to improve spatial recognition and directional perception, and training to improve spatial comprehension.

[0007] Patent Document 5 discloses a method that takes advantage of the fact that workers tend to move their faces less and their facial expressions change less when they are concentrating on intellectual work such as PC work, and photographs the worker's facial expressions to obtain an estimated age value, as well as photographs of the worker's facial movements and changes in facial expression, thereby quantitatively and continuously evaluating the level of concentration.

[0008] Patent Documents 6 and 7 disclose lighting systems that adjust the color temperature of lighting to reduce discomfort caused by a sense of incongruity felt by the user, thereby increasing the user's concentration and improving intellectual productivity.

[0009] Patent Documents 8 to 11 disclose methods for evaluating a human condition, such as monitoring the autonomic nervous system using skin conductance, estimating mental load, evaluating stress, and estimating tension. Patent Document 8 discloses a method and device for simultaneously displaying a sedated patient's possible pain / discomfort state and possible alertness state based on measurements of the patient's skin conductance.

[0010] Patent Document 9 discloses a device that estimates the mental strain caused by operating an in-vehicle information device, with the aim of assisting automobile driving.

[0011] Patent Document 10 discloses a stress measuring device (wearable device) and method for determining a user's long-term stress level.

[0012] Patent Document 11 discloses a driver state detection device that is capable of estimating the degree of tension of a driver with higher accuracy. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0013] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-166174 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-032114 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-206566 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-175004 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-200959 [Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-22939 [Patent Document 7] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-22944 [Patent Document 8] Patent No. 4444099 [Patent Document 9] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-104516 [Patent Document 10] Special Publication No. 2014-514080 [Patent Document 11] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-42262 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0014] The present invention aims to provide a spatial environment control device that adjusts the spatial environment for each office worker to enhance their intellectual productivity. Another object of the present invention is to provide a spatial environment control device that adjusts the spatial environment according to the state of the office worker to enhance their intellectual productivity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] The spatial environment control device of the present invention is a spatial environment control device that controls the spatial environment of a worker's office work, and includes: a worker identification unit that identifies a target worker from among a plurality of workers; a memory unit that stores in advance colors suitable for the office work of each of the plurality of workers; a color presentation unit that presents a changeable color for an area that the worker views while performing office work; and a control unit that controls the color presentation unit so that the color presentation unit presents the color that is suitable for the office work of the target worker identified by the worker identification unit and that is stored in the memory unit. a detection unit that detects an index representing the sympathetic nerve activity of the target worker; Equipped with the control unit controls the color presented by the color presentation unit so that the index detected by the detection unit falls within a range that is pre-stored in the storage unit as a range suitable for the office work of the target worker. It is characterized by:

[0017] In the spatial environment adjusting device of the present invention, the control unit may control the color presentation unit to selectively present yellow, red, or pink so that the indicator detected by the detection unit falls within a range suitable for the target worker's office work.

[0018] The spatial environment adjustment device of the present invention may include a volatile component presentation unit that releases volatile components into an area that the worker smells while doing office work, and the volatile component presentation unit is capable of releasing a first volatile component that includes a volatile component that acts on a sympathetic nerve receptor present in the human olfactory sense, and a second volatile component that includes a volatile component that acts on a parasympathetic nerve receptor present in the human olfactory sense, and the control unit may control the volatile component presentation unit to selectively release the first volatile component and the second volatile component so that the indicator detected by the detection unit falls within a range suitable for the office work of the target worker.

[0019] In the spatial environment controlling device of the present invention, the first volatile component may include at least one of 1,8-cineole and limonene, and the second volatile component may include pinene.

[0020] In the spatial environment controlling device of the present invention, the first and second volatile components may include a volatile component that acts on a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor present in the human olfactory system.

[0021] The spatial environment adjustment device of the present invention may be provided with a sound presentation unit that emits sound into an area that can be heard by the worker while he or she is doing office work, and the control unit may control the sound emitted by the sound presentation unit so that the indicator detected by the detection unit falls within a range suitable for the office work of the target worker.

[0022] In the spatial environment adjustment device of the present invention, the control unit may be configured to control the sound presentation unit so that, when the indicator detected by the detection unit exceeds a range suitable for the target worker's office work, the sound presentation unit emits a sound that gives the person a sense of relaxation.

[0023] In the spatial environment adjusting device of the present invention, the clerical work may be work that requires at least one of information processing ability, calculation ability, and logical thinking ability. [Effects of the Invention]

[0026] According to the present invention, it is possible to adjust the spatial environment for each office worker, thereby increasing the intellectual productivity of the worker. Also, according to the present invention, it is possible to adjust the spatial environment according to the state of the office worker, thereby increasing the intellectual productivity of the worker. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of an office desk-type spatial environment control device. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a side view of an office desk-type spatial environment control device. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an office desk-type spatial environment control device. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a front view of a conference table-type spatial environment control device. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a side view of a conference table type spatial environment control device. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a conference table type spatial environment control device. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an organic EL variable plate. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an LED light variable board. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a triangular prism-shaped variable plate. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a roller-type variable plate. [Figure 11A] FIG. 10 is a front view of a finger-insertion type human state recognition unit. [Figure 11B] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional plan view of a finger-insertion type human state recognition unit. [Figure 11C] FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of a finger-insertion type human state recognition unit. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating how a wristwatch-type human state recognition unit is used. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wristwatch-type human state recognition unit. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the spatial environment control device. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart of a process for searching for a range of colors and skin conductance suitable for each worker's office work. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart of a process for adjusting the spatial environment of the spatial environment adjustment device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The embodiment is an example of implementing the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0029] Fig. 1 is a front view of an office desk-type spatial environment controlling device 1 (automatic spatial environment controlling device) according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a side view of the spatial environment controlling device 1 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the spatial environment controlling device 1 of Fig. 1. The spatial environment controlling device 1 has two chairs 16 arranged facing each other, and is configured so that workers (not shown) can sit in each chair 16 and do office work. The spatial environment controlling device 1 comprises a plant presenting unit 2, volatile component presenting units 3 to 5, color presenting units 6 and 7, and a sound presenting unit 8.

[0030] The plant presentation unit 2 is placed between two workers seated on chairs 16 so as to block their view of each other. The plant presentation unit 2 includes a cultivation bed 9 and a plant 10, and the plant 10 is planted in the cultivation bed 9. In this embodiment, soil for ornamental plants is used for the cultivation bed 9, but a sponge such as urethane for hydroponic cultivation may also be used. Furthermore, the plants 10 used are angiosperms such as pothos, table palm, spathiphyllum, pachira, and spider plant, and an Asiatic antemonstration plant, but any plant that can be stored in the plant presentation unit 2 may be a gymnosperm, a bryophyte, an artificial plant, or the like.

[0031] An electric lifting motor 17 is installed under the plant presentation unit 2. The spatial environment controlling device 1 can be converted into a conference table-type spatial environment controlling device 1 as shown in Fig. 4 by lowering the plant presentation unit 2 using the electric lifting motor 17, removing the side walls 6, and adding chairs 16. Fig. 5 is a side view of the spatial environment controlling device 1 in Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is a plan view of the spatial environment controlling device 1 in Fig. 4.

[0032] As shown in Figure 1, the volatile component presentation parts 3 to 5 are arranged vertically at one end of the plant presentation part 2. The first volatile component presentation part 3 is a part that releases a first essential oil component, and the second volatile component presentation part 4 is a part that releases a second essential oil component. The third volatile component presentation part 5 is a part that adsorbs and releases volatile components from the plant 10 of the plant presentation part 2.

[0033] The first volatile component presenting unit 3 is a unit that releases volatile components (e.g., linalool) that can act on "γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) receptors" present in the olfactory sense of humans and other humans, thereby stimulating the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) nerve, and volatile components (e.g., 1,8-cineole, limonene) that can act on "sympathetic receptors" present in the olfactory sense of humans and other humans, thereby stimulating the sympathetic nerve. When a worker smells these volatile components, the worker's mental stress is reduced and intellectual productivity is further increased. In this embodiment, the first volatile component presenting unit 3 releases linalool, 1,8-cineole, and limonene.

[0034] The second volatile component presenting unit 4 is a part that releases volatile components (e.g., linalool) that can stimulate the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) nerve by acting on the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) nerve receptors present in the olfactory sense of humans, etc., and volatile components (e.g., pinene) that can stimulate the parasympathetic nerve by acting on the parasympathetic nerve receptors (e.g., muscarinic receptors) present in the olfactory sense of humans, etc. When a worker smells these volatile components, the worker's mental stress is reduced and the relaxing effect is further enhanced.

[0035] The first and second volatile component presentation sections 3 and 4 are each provided with a shutter (not shown). The first and second volatile component presentation sections 3 and 4 are each configured so that the volatile component is released when the shutter is open, and the volatile component is not released when the shutter is closed. This allows selective release of the volatile component from the first volatile component presentation section 3 and the volatile component from the second volatile component presentation section 4. By opening the shutter of the first volatile component presentation section 3 and closing the shutter of the second volatile component presentation section 4, only the volatile component from the first volatile component presentation section 3 is released, thereby increasing the sympathetic activity of the worker. Furthermore, by opening the shutter of the second volatile component presentation section 4 and closing the shutter of the first volatile component presentation section 3, only the volatile component from the second volatile component presentation section 4 is released, thereby reducing the sympathetic activity of the worker.

[0036] When an angiosperm such as rosemary or lemon verbena, which are known as herbaceous plants, is planted as the plant 10 in the plant presentation unit 2, 1,8-cineole and limonene are emitted from the leaves of the plant 10. The third volatile component presentation unit 5 can adsorb and release such volatile components. The third volatile component presentation unit 5 is also provided with a shutter, which controls the release of volatile components from the third volatile component presentation unit 5. The plant 10 in the plant presentation unit 2 is placed in a transparent case having an openable window (not shown), and opening and closing the window controls whether or not the volatile components of the plant 10 are released outside the transparent case.

[0037] The first color display unit 6 is a side wall of the desk or a part built into the side wall. The first color display unit 6 is configured to be able to selectively display a plurality of colors on the inner surface of the side wall (surfaces visible to the worker) on both the left and right sides of the worker sitting on the chair 16 in FIG. 1. The first color display unit 6 is configured to be able to change the color of part or all of the inner surface of the side wall.

[0038] The second color presentation unit 7 is the desk top or a part incorporated into the desk top. The second color presentation unit 7 is configured to be able to selectively present a plurality of colors on the upper surface of the desk top (the surface visible to the worker) in FIG. 1. The second color presentation unit 7 is configured to be able to change the color of part or all of the upper surface of the desk top.

[0039] The first and second color display units 6 and 7 may be, for example, an organic EL variable plate 31 as shown in Fig. 7. The organic EL variable plate 31 can selectively display a number of colors. The organic EL variable plate 31 includes a transparent plate 32 disposed on the outside and an organic EL 33 disposed on the inside adjacent to the transparent plate 32.

[0040] 8, the first and second color display units 6 and 7 may be, for example, an LED-lighted variable panel 41. The LED-lighted variable panel 41 can selectively display a number of colors. The LED-lighted variable panel 41 includes a translucent panel 42 disposed on the outside and an LED light 43 disposed on the inside adjacent to the translucent panel 42.

[0041] The first and second color presentation units 6 and 7 may be, for example, triangular prism-shaped variable plates 51 as shown in Fig. 9. The triangular prism-shaped variable plate 51 includes a transparent plate 52 arranged on the outside, a plurality of regular triangular prisms 53 arranged side by side on the inside, and a DC motor 54 for rotating the plurality of regular triangular prisms 53. The triangular prism-shaped variable plate 51 has sheets of different colors attached to the surfaces of the plurality of regular triangular prisms 53, and by rotating them, it is possible to present one of three colors to the worker.

[0042] The first and second color presentation units 6 and 7 may be, for example, a roller-type variable plate 61 as shown in Fig. 10. The roller-type variable plate 61 includes a transparent plate 62 disposed on the outside, first and second colored sheets 63 and 64 disposed on the inside and joined to each other so as to form a ring in cross section, and a DC motor 65 for rotating the first and second colored sheets 63 and 64. By rotating the DC motor 65, the roller-type variable plate 61 can change the sheet located on the transparent plate 62 side to either the first colored sheet 63 or the second colored sheet 64, and can present one of two colors to the worker.

[0043] The colors presented by the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7 may be one or more of warm colors, cool colors, and neutral colors. Warm colors refer to yellow, orange, red, and pink colors, neutral colors refer to green, purple, and reddish purple colors, and cool colors refer to blue colors. It is preferable that the color presented by the first color presentation unit 6 and the color presented by the second color presentation unit 7 are the same color.

[0044] The sound presentation unit 8 is a speaker and is arranged above the volatile component presentation units 3 to 5. The sound presentation unit 8 outputs natural sounds such as the murmuring of a river or the chirping of birds to give the worker a sense of relaxation. It is preferable that the sound presentation unit 8 outputs sounds from a high-resolution sound source.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 1, the spatial environment controlling device 1 includes a finger-insertion-type human state recognition unit 18 embedded in the edge of the desk top 7. The human state recognition unit 18 is a measuring device that measures skin conductance (one of the indicators of sympathetic nerve activity). The human state recognition unit 18 is configured so that a worker seated on a chair 16 can insert two fingers (index finger and middle finger) into it. FIG. 11A shows a front view of the human state recognition unit 18 with the worker inserting two fingers, FIG. 11B shows a plan cross-sectional view thereof, and FIG. 11C shows a side cross-sectional view thereof.

[0046] The human state recognition unit may be a wristwatch-type human state recognition unit 81 as shown in Figures 12 and 13. As shown in Figure 13, this human state recognition unit 81 has an electrode 82 embedded on the side that comes into contact with the skin of the worker's hand, making it possible to measure skin conductance. Furthermore, this human state recognition unit 81 is capable of evaluating sympathetic nervous activity by measuring LF (Low Frequency) and HF (High Frequency) from heart rate fluctuations when the index finger of the worker's right hand comes into contact with a knob adjuster 83 and calculating the sympathetic nervous activity using the following formula (1):

[0047] Sympathetic nerve activity = LF (Low Frequency) / HF (High Frequency) (Equation 1)

[0048] The spatial environment control device 1 also includes a personal computer (PC) 13 placed on the desk top 7. A display 14 and a keyboard 15 are electrically connected to the PC 13. Microsoft Word and Excel are installed on the PC 13. The PC 13 functions as a human ability evaluation unit, evaluating the worker's information processing ability, calculation ability, and logical thinking ability. Information processing ability is evaluated based on the number of correct typing input characters using Word. Calculation ability is evaluated based on the number of correct addition answers in the Uchida-Kraepelin test created in Excel. Logical thinking ability is evaluated based on the number of correct answers in Sudoku.

[0049] 14 is a functional block diagram of the spatial environment adjusting device 1. A human state recognition unit 18 (also called a detection unit), a color presentation unit 91 (first and second color presentation units 6 and 7), a volatile component presentation unit 92 (first to third volatile component presentation units 3 to 5), and a sound presentation unit 8 are electrically connected to the PC 13.

[0050] The PC 13 includes a control unit 100 having a CPU, and a storage unit 102 consisting of a ROM, RAM, flash memory, hard disk, etc. The control unit 100 operates in accordance with a program (not shown) stored in the storage unit 102, thereby functioning as a personal authentication unit 104 (also called a worker identification unit), a human ability evaluation unit 106, and a learning / processing unit 110.

[0051] The personal authentication unit 104 performs personal authentication (identification of the worker) using, for example, login information entered from the keyboard of the PC 13. Note that the personal authentication unit 104 may also perform personal authentication using a facial image of the worker captured by a camera provided on the display of the PC 13, the worker's fingerprint, or the like.

[0052] The learning and processing unit 110 associates the worker identified by the personal authentication unit 104 with the worker's state (skin conductance) from the human state recognition unit 18, and stores the associated data in the memory unit 102 as learning data 114. The learning and processing unit 110 also associates the worker identified by the personal authentication unit 104 with the evaluation results of clerical work ability (information processing ability, calculation ability, logical thinking ability) from the human ability evaluation unit 106, and stores the associated data in the memory unit 102 as learning data 114.

[0053] FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a process for using the spatial environment controlling device 1 to evaluate a worker's clerical work ability according to the colors presented by the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7, and to find colors suitable for clerical work (colors that improve clerical work efficiency) for each worker. This process seeks colors suitable for the worker's tasks of information processing, calculation, and logical thinking. The colors suitable for the worker's tasks of information processing, calculation, and logical thinking are associated with the worker identified by the personal authentication unit 104 and stored in the storage unit 102 as learning data 114. This process also seeks skin conductance ranges (lower and upper limits) suitable for the worker's tasks of information processing, calculation, and logical thinking. The skin conductance ranges (lower and upper limits) suitable for the worker's tasks of information processing, calculation, and logical thinking are associated with the worker identified by the personal authentication unit 104 and stored in the storage unit 102 as learning data 114.

[0054] For example, the flow of FIG. 15 is first performed to find, for each worker, the color and skin conductance range (lower and upper limits) appropriate for one of the tasks of information processing, calculation, and logical thinking (information processing in this example). In this case, the "ability evaluation" (S112, S122, S132, S142) in the flow of FIG. 15 is an evaluation of information processing ability (evaluation based on the number of correct typing characters). The flow of FIG. 15 includes steps (S104, S116, S126, S136, S146, S152) for comparing the skin conductance range (lower and upper limits) appropriate for clerical work with the skin conductance detected by the human state recognition unit 18. However, since the skin conductance range (lower and upper limits) appropriate for clerical work has not yet been determined, these steps are not performed in the initial stage. As a default state, the shutters of the first to third volatile component presenting units 3 to 5 are kept closed.

[0055] The flow of FIG. 15 will be described below. In S100, the personal authentication unit 104 identifies the worker. Hereinafter, the identified worker will be referred to as the target worker. In S102, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 acquires the skin conductance of the target worker from the human state recognition unit 18. Next, in S106, the plant presentation unit 2 is presented. Note that in this embodiment, the plant presentation unit 2 is always presented. In S108, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 opens the shutter of the first volatile component presentation unit 3. This causes the volatile components from the first volatile component presentation unit 3 to act on sympathetic receptors present in the target worker's olfactory sense, thereby increasing the target worker's sympathetic activity. Next, in S110, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 controls the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7 to present color 1 (here, yellow) from the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7.

[0056] Then, with color 1 (yellow) presented to the target worker, in S112, the PC 13 (human performance evaluation unit 106) evaluates the target worker's information processing performance (evaluation based on the number of correct typing input characters). After the performance evaluation is performed for a predetermined time, in S114, the human state recognition unit 18 measures the target worker's skin conductance. For example, an alarm is output from the PC 13 or the like, and an instruction is issued to the target worker to measure his or her skin conductance. As a result, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 acquires the target worker's skin conductance from the human state recognition unit 18. Then, color 1 (yellow), the performance evaluation result of S112, and the skin conductance detection result of S114 are associated with the target worker and stored as learning data 114 in the memory unit 102 of the PC 13.

[0057] Next, in S120, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 controls the first and second color display units 6 and 7 to display color 2 (here, green) from the first and second color display units 6 and 7. Then, in a state similar to the above-described ability evaluation, with color 2 (green) being presented to the target worker, in S122, the PC 13 (human ability evaluation unit 106) evaluates the target worker's information processing ability (evaluation based on the number of correct typing input characters). Then, after the ability evaluation is performed for a predetermined time, in S124, the human state recognition unit 18 measures the target worker's skin conductance. As a result, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 acquires the target worker's skin conductance from the human state recognition unit 18. Then, color 2 (green), the ability evaluation result of S122, and the skin conductance detection result of S124 are associated with the target worker and stored as learning data 114 in the memory unit 102 of the PC 13.

[0058] In this way, various colors are presented to the subject worker in sequence, and the evaluation results of information processing ability and skin conductance at that time are stored. In the flow of Figure 15, color 3 (here, blue) is presented in S130, and the evaluation results of information processing ability and skin conductance are stored (S132, 134). Furthermore, color 4 (here, red) is presented in S140, and the evaluation results of information processing ability and skin conductance are stored (S142, 144).

[0059] By performing this ability evaluation for each color, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 determines the color (presented color) that maximizes the information processing ability of the target worker and the skin conductance at that time. For example, the measured value of the skin conductance at the color (presented color) that maximizes the information processing ability is set as the median, and a predetermined range is determined as the range (lower limit, upper limit) of skin conductance suitable for clerical work (information processing). The learning and processing unit 110 of the PC 13 associates the target worker with the color (the color that maximizes the information processing ability) suitable for the target worker's clerical work (information processing), and the range (lower limit, upper limit) of skin conductance suitable for the target worker's clerical work (information processing), and stores the result as learning data 114 in the memory unit 102.

[0060] By performing the above process for each worker, learning data 114 for each worker is stored in the storage unit 102.

[0061] The flow of FIG. 15 can be repeated even after obtaining such learning data 114 to improve the accuracy of the learning data 114. In this case, since the range of skin conductance suitable for office work (lower limit, upper limit) has already been acquired, steps (S104, S116, S126, S136, S146, S152) in the flow of FIG. 15 are executed to compare the range of skin conductance suitable for office work (lower limit, upper limit) with the skin conductance detected by the human state recognition unit 18. Furthermore, the color 1 (S110) presented first is a color that has already been learned (in the learning data 114) and is suitable for the office work (information processing) of the target worker. Furthermore, color 2 (S120), color 3 (S130), and color 4 (S140) are colors that can sequentially increase the person's sympathetic nerve activity. As a result, for example, after presenting color 1 in S110, if the detected skin conductance (S114) is lower than the lower limit of the range of skin conductance suitable for the target worker's office work in S116 (S116: Yes), the sympathetic nerve activity is deemed to be lower than the desired value, and color 2 (S120) that may increase the sympathetic nerve activity more than color 1 (S110) is next presented. Similarly, after presenting color 2 in S120, if the detected skin conductance (S124) is lower than the lower limit of the range of skin conductance suitable for the target worker's office work in S126 (S126: Yes), the sympathetic nerve activity is deemed to be lower than the desired value, and color 3 (S130) that may increase the sympathetic nerve activity more than color 2 (S120) is next presented. In this way, colors suitable for the target worker's office work can be further explored.

[0062] In addition, if the detected skin conductance (S102) in S104 is equal to or greater than the lower limit of the range of skin conductance suitable for the target worker's office work (S104: No) and is higher than the upper limit of the range of skin conductance suitable for the target worker's office work (S152: Yes), the sympathetic nerve activity level is determined to be higher than the desired value, and processing is performed in S154 to S162 to reduce the sympathetic nerve activity level (processing to give the target worker a sense of relaxation).

[0063] Specifically, in S154, the plant presentation unit 2 is presented. Note that in this embodiment, the plant presentation unit 2 is always presented. Next, in S156, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 closes the shutter of the first volatile component presentation unit 3 and opens the shutter of the second volatile component presentation unit 4. As a result, the volatile components from the second volatile component presentation unit 4 act on the parasympathetic receptors present in the olfactory sense of the target worker, thereby reducing the target worker's sympathetic activity. Next, in S158, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 controls the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7 to present color 5 (here, pink). Then, in S160, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 controls the sound presentation unit 8 to output a relaxing sound from the sound presentation unit 8. Then, in S162, the target worker is asked to perform office work. Then, steps S154 to S162 are repeated until the detected skin conductance becomes equal to or less than the upper limit of the range of skin conductance suitable for office work for the target worker (S152: No), thereby reducing the sympathetic nerve activity of the target worker.

[0064] The above explanation was about evaluating the ability of information processing and finding the color and skin conductance range (lower limit, upper limit) suitable for information processing for each worker, but the same thing can also be done for calculation (evaluation based on the number of correct answers in addition) and logical thinking (evaluation based on the number of correct answers in Sudoku). As a result, the color and skin conductance range (lower limit, upper limit) suitable for each worker's information processing, calculation, and logical thinking tasks are recorded in the memory unit 102 as learning data 114.

[0065] Next, we will explain the control of the spatial environment controlling device 1 using the learning data 114. Figure 16 is a flowchart of the process of adjusting the spatial environment of the spatial environment controlling device 1. The flow in Figure 16 is obtained by replacing the "ability evaluation" (S112, S122, S132, S142) in the flow in Figure 15 with "clerical work" (S212, S222, S232, S242).

[0066] As described above, the learning data 114 includes colors and skin conductance ranges (lower and upper limits) suitable for each task: information processing, calculation, and logical thinking. For example, if the "office work" in FIG. 16 is primarily information processing, the learning data 114 of colors and skin conductance ranges (lower and upper limits) suitable for information processing is used to control the spatial environment controlling apparatus 1. Similarly, if the "office work" is primarily calculation, the learning data 114 for calculation is used to control the spatial environment controlling apparatus 1, and if the "office work" is primarily logical thinking, the learning data 114 for logical thinking is used to control the spatial environment controlling apparatus 1. The worker using the spatial environment controlling apparatus 1 may select, on the PC 13, which of the learning data 114 for information processing, calculation ability, or logical thinking to use.

[0067] The flow of Fig. 16 will be described below. In S200, the personal authentication unit 104 identifies the worker (target worker). Then, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 reads out the color and skin conductance range (lower limit, upper limit) suitable for the target worker's office work (e.g., information processing) stored as learning data 114 in the memory unit 102.

[0068] Next, in S202, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 acquires the skin conductance of the target worker from the human state recognition unit 18. Next, in S204, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 checks whether the detected skin conductance (S202) is lower than the lower limit of the range of skin conductance suitable for the target worker's office work (e.g., information processing). If S204 is Yes, the process proceeds to S206. Note that if S204 is No (the detected skin conductance is equal to or greater than the lower limit of the range of skin conductance of the target worker) and S252 is No (the detected skin conductance is equal to or less than the upper limit of the range of skin conductance of the target worker), i.e., if the detected skin conductance is within the range of skin conductance suitable for the target worker's office work, the process also proceeds to S206.

[0069] In S206, the plant presentation unit 2 is presented. In this embodiment, the plant presentation unit 2 is always presented. In S208, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 opens the shutter of the first volatile component presentation unit 3. This causes the volatile components from the first volatile component presentation unit 3 to act on sympathetic receptors present in the olfactory sense of the subject worker, thereby increasing the sympathetic activity of the subject worker.

[0070] Next, in S210, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 controls the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7 to present a color suitable for the target worker's office work (e.g., information processing) as color 1 from the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7. Then, in S212, the target worker performs office work (e.g., information processing). In this way, the colors previously stored in the storage unit 102 as colors suitable for the target worker's office work are presented from the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7, and the worker performs the office work. Because a color suitable for each worker is presented, the worker's intellectual productivity can be improved.

[0071] After the worker performs the office work for a predetermined period of time, the human state recognition unit 18 measures the worker's skin conductance in S214. For example, an alarm is output from the PC 13 or the like to instruct the worker to measure his or her skin conductance. Then, in S216, it is confirmed whether the detected skin conductance (S214) is lower than the lower limit of the range of skin conductance suitable for the worker's office work (e.g., information processing). If the result of S216 is No, it is determined that an appropriate color is being presented by the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7, and color 1 is maintained. On the other hand, if the result of S216 is Yes, it is determined that the worker's sympathetic nervous activity is lower than the desired value and that the sympathetic nervous activity needs to be increased. Then, in S220, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 controls the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7 to present color 2 (S220), which is more likely to increase the sympathetic nervous activity than color 1 (S210).

[0072] Then, after the office work (S222) is performed again for a predetermined time, the human state recognition unit 18 measures the target worker's skin conductance (S224). Then, in S226, it is again confirmed whether the detected skin conductance (S224) is lower than the lower limit of the range of skin conductance suitable for the target worker's office work (e.g., information processing). If the answer is No in S226, it is determined that an appropriate color is being presented by the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7, and color 2 is maintained. On the other hand, if the answer is Yes in S226, it is determined that the target worker's sympathetic nervous activity is lower than the desired value and that the sympathetic nervous activity needs to be increased. Then, in S230, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 controls the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7 to present color 3 (S230), which is more likely to increase the sympathetic nervous activity than color 2 (S220).

[0073] In this way, when the detected skin conductance is lower than the lower limit suitable for the target worker's office work, colors that can increase sympathetic nerve activity are presented in sequence (S230, S240). This allows the detected skin conductance to be equal to or higher than the lower limit suitable for the target worker's office work. Note that when colors are presented in sequence in this way and the detected skin conductance is equal to or higher than the lower limit suitable for the target worker's office work, that color may be stored in the memory unit 102 as a color suitable for the target worker's office work.

[0074] Furthermore, if the detected skin conductance (S202) in S204 is equal to or greater than the lower limit of the range of skin conductance suitable for the target worker's office work (S204: No) and is higher than the upper limit of the range of skin conductance suitable for the target worker's office work (S252: Yes), the target worker's sympathetic nervous activity is determined to be higher than the desired value, and processing is performed in S254 to S262 to reduce the sympathetic nervous activity (processing to give the target worker a sense of relaxation).

[0075] Specifically, in S254, the plant presentation unit 2 is presented. Note that in this embodiment, the plant presentation unit 2 is always presented. Then, in S256, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 closes the shutter of the first volatile component presentation unit 3 and opens the shutter of the second volatile component presentation unit 4. This causes the volatile components from the second volatile component presentation unit 4 to act on the parasympathetic receptors present in the target worker's olfactory sense, thereby reducing the target worker's sympathetic nerve activity. Next, in S258, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 controls the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7 to present color 5 (e.g., pink) from the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7. Then, in S260, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 controls the sound presentation unit 8 to output a relaxing sound (e.g., a natural sound) from the sound presentation unit 8. Then, in S262, the target worker is asked to perform office work. Then, steps S254 to S262 are repeated until the detected skin conductance becomes equal to or less than the upper limit of the range of skin conductance suitable for office work for the target worker (S252: No), thereby making it possible to reduce the sympathetic nerve activity of the target worker.

[0076] As described above, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 controls the colors presented by the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7, controls the shutters of the first and second volatile component presentation units 3 and 4, and controls the sound emitted from the sound presentation unit 8, so that the detected skin conductance falls within a range previously stored in the storage unit 102 as a range of skin conductance suitable for the target worker's office work. In this way, the spatial environment adjusting device 1 adjusts the spatial environment according to the state (sympathetic nerve activity) of the office worker, thereby increasing the worker's intellectual productivity.

[0077] According to the above-described embodiment, even in a large office, the spatial environment (plant presentation unit, volatile component presentation unit, color presentation unit, and sound presentation unit) can be individually adjusted without compromising the spatial environment of the office. The spatial environment is automatically adjusted based on an evaluation of an individual's state and abilities (information processing ability, calculation ability, logical thinking ability), thereby improving intellectual productivity. By changing the color of the plant presentation unit and the color of the color presentation unit based on an evaluation of an individual's state (alertness) and abilities, the prefrontal cortex is stimulated or relaxed via the primary visual cortex of the cerebral cortex through human vision. Furthermore, changing the volatile components released from the volatile component presentation unit alters the effects on sympathetic receptors, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) receptors, and parasympathetic receptors present in the human olfactory system, improving cerebral blood flow, reducing mental stress, and regulating the autonomic nervous system. Furthermore, natural sounds played from the sound presentation unit have a relaxing effect on individuals, leading to regulation of the autonomic nervous system. These effects enable individuals to demonstrate their sustainable abilities (information processing ability, calculation ability, logical thinking ability) and increase intellectual productivity.

[0078] In the above-described embodiment, a skin conductance range suitable for each worker's clerical work is acquired by a performance assessment in advance, but this learning step may be omitted. For example, a skin conductance range (lower limit, upper limit) suitable for clerical work shared by multiple workers may be stored in the memory unit 102 of the PC 13, and the flow of FIG. 16 may be controlled using this range. In this case, it is not necessary to identify the worker through personal authentication. In this case, in the flow of FIG. 16, for example, colors 1 = yellow, 2 = green, 3 = blue, and 4 = red may be displayed in order of increasing sympathetic nerve activity when the detected skin conductance is low.

[0079] In the above-described embodiment, control is performed using skin conductance, but control may also be performed using an index other than skin conductance that represents the sympathetic nerve activity of the worker (including the sympathetic nerve activity itself). Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, relaxing sounds are output from the sound presentation unit 260, but sounds for increasing the sympathetic nerve activity of the worker may also be output from the sound presentation unit 260.

[0080] In the spatial environment controlling device 1, the plants 10 presented by the plant presentation unit 2 preferably include at least one of angiosperms, gymnosperms, bryophytes, ferns, and artificial plants.

[0081] In the spatial environment controlling device 1, the volatile components emitted from the volatile component presenting unit may include at least one of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Also, the components emitted from the volatile component presenting unit may include at least one of 1,8-cineole, limonene, linalool, pinene, eudesmol, and cadinene.

[0082] The spatial environment controlling device 1 may also be provided with an LED light 20 (see FIG. 2) for maintaining the growth of the plants 10. The spatial environment controlling device 1 may also be configured to issue a warning by light or sound when the moisture content of the cultivation bed 9 for the plants 10 falls below a reference value. The human condition recognizing unit of the spatial environment controlling device 1 may be a camera, and the condition of the worker may be acquired based on an image of the worker captured by the camera.

[0083] Next, we will introduce the verification conducted by the inventors.

[0084] Three subjects (A, B, and C) completed Sudoku puzzles in various environments, and their intellectual productivity was evaluated for each environment based on the number of correct answers. The Sudoku puzzles were performed in the following order: control condition, work mode (twice), rest mode (twice), and control condition. In the work mode, plants and colors (yellow and red, respectively) and volatile compounds (1,8-cineole, limonene, and linalool, both times) were presented to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) nervous system. In the rest mode, plants and colors (blue and green, respectively), sounds (the sound of a babbling brook), and volatile compounds (α-pinene and linalool, both times) were introduced into the test room to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and GABAergic nervous system. The control condition did not contain plants, colors, sounds, or volatile compounds.

[0085] The effect of each work / rest mode environment on the number of correct answers in the Sudoku puzzle was evaluated by the ratio of the number of correct answers in each environment to the control condition (hereafter, the control condition ratio). The number of correct answers in the control condition used to calculate the control condition ratio was calculated using the following method. It is known that the number of correct answers increases as the number of trials increases due to familiarity with the trial, and a proficiency curve is a graph showing the number of correct answers as a function of the number of trials. In this study, the control condition trials were conducted on the first and sixth trials overall, and the proficiency curve for the number of correct answers in the control condition was calculated from the number of correct answers in both trials and the number of trials. On the other hand, since the work / rest mode trials were conducted on the second to fifth trials overall, the number of correct answers in the control condition on trials two to five was calculated from the proficiency curve and used to calculate the control condition ratio.

[0086] Heart rate was measured while participants were solving Sudoku puzzles, and the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic) of the participants was evaluated using the obtained data. The ratio of the low frequency (LF) to high frequency (HF) components of the heart rate (LF / HF) was used as an index of the sympathetic nervous system, and HF was used as an index of the parasympathetic nervous system.

[0087] Of the 12 tests (4 tests / subject x 3 subjects) in work mode and rest mode, the ratio of correct answers to the control condition was higher than 1 in 11 tests. In addition, the average ratio of correct answers to the control condition in work mode and rest mode (4 tests / subject) for each subject was 1.11 (A), 1.40 (B), and 1.46 (C), which was higher than 1 for all three subjects.

[0088] These findings suggest that work mode and rest mode environments may increase the number of correct answers in Sudoku and improve intellectual productivity.

[0089] In the work mode environment, which is a sympathetic nervous condition, subject B had two examples (yellow and red) of Sudoku puzzles in which the parasympathetic nervous system was high, and the ratios of correct answers to the control condition were 1.63 (yellow) and 1.64 (red), which were higher than the average of 1.40 for all four trials for subject B. Conversely, in the rest mode environment, which is a parasympathetic nervous condition, subject A had two examples (blue) of Sudoku puzzles in which the sympathetic nervous system was high, and subject C had two examples (green) of Sudoku puzzles in which the sympathetic nervous system was high, and the ratios of correct answers to the control condition were 1.15 for the former and 1.53 for the latter, both of which were higher than the averages of 1.11 and 1.46 for all four trials for subjects A and C, respectively.

[0090] These findings suggest that when either the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system is in a high state, placing someone in an environment that enhances the other may further improve intellectual productivity. This suggests the effectiveness of monitoring the autonomic nervous system and providing an environment suited to that state in improving intellectual productivity. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 1 spatial environment control device, 2 plant presentation unit, 3 first volatile component presentation unit (volatile component presentation unit), 4 second volatile component presentation unit (volatile component presentation unit), 5 third volatile component presentation unit (volatile component presentation unit), 6 first color presentation unit (color presentation unit, side wall), 7 second color presentation unit (color presentation unit, top plate), 8 sound presentation unit, 9 cultivation bed, 10 plant, 11 operation panel, 12 environmental controller, 13 personal computer (notebook computer), 14 display, 15 keyboard, 16 chair, 17 lifting electric motor, 18 skin conductance meter (human state recognition unit, detection unit), 20 LED light, 31 organic EL type variable plate, 32 transparent plate, 33 organic EL, 41 LED light type variable plate, 42 translucent plate, 43 LED light, 51 triangular prism type variable plate, 52 transparent plate, 53 Three-colored regular triangular prism, 54 DC motor, 61 roller-type variable plate, 62 transparent plate, 63 first colored sheet, 64 second colored sheet, 65 DC motor, 71 human hand, 81 wristwatch-type human state recognition unit (detection unit), 82 electrode unit, 83 knob adjuster, 84 band, 91 color presentation unit, 92 volatile component presentation unit, 100 control unit, 102 memory unit, 104 personal authentication unit (worker identification unit), 106 human ability evaluation unit, 110 learning / processing unit, 114 learning data.

Claims

1. A spatial environment adjustment device that adjusts the spatial environment of a worker's office work, a worker identification unit for identifying a target worker from among a plurality of workers; a storage unit in which colors suitable for the clerical work of each of a plurality of workers are stored in advance; a color display unit that displays a changeable color for an area that the worker views while performing clerical work; a control unit that controls the color presentation unit so that the color presentation unit presents a color that is suitable for the clerical work of the target worker identified by the worker identification unit and that is stored in the storage unit; a detection unit that detects an index representing the sympathetic nerve activity of the target worker, The control unit controlling the color presented by the color presenting unit so that the index detected by the detecting unit falls within a range that is stored in advance in the storage unit as a range suitable for the office work of the target worker; A spatial environment control device characterized by:

2. 2. The spatial environment control device according to claim 1, The control unit controlling the color presentation unit to selectively present yellow, red, or pink so that the indicator detected by the detection unit falls within a range suitable for the office work of the target worker; A spatial environment control device characterized by:

3. 3. The spatial environment control device according to claim 1 or 2, a volatile component presenting unit that emits volatile components to an area that the worker smells while working, the volatile component presentation unit is capable of releasing a first volatile component including a volatile component that acts on a sympathetic nerve receptor present in the human olfactory sense, and a second volatile component including a volatile component that acts on a parasympathetic nerve receptor present in the human olfactory sense, The control unit controlling the volatile component presenting unit to selectively release the first volatile component and the second volatile component so that the indicator detected by the detection unit falls within a range suitable for the office work of the target worker; A spatial environment control device characterized by:

4. 4. The spatial environment control device according to claim 3, the first volatile component comprises at least one of 1,8-cineole and limonene; The second volatile component comprises pinene. A spatial environment control device characterized by:

5. 5. The spatial environment control device according to claim 3 or 4, The first and second volatile components include volatile components that act on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) neuroreceptors present in the human olfactory system. A spatial environment control device characterized by:

6. The spatial environment control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a sound presentation unit that emits sound to an area that can be heard by the worker while he or she is doing office work; The control unit controlling the sound emitted by the sound presentation unit so that the indicator detected by the detection unit falls within a range suitable for the office work of the target worker; A spatial environment control device characterized by:

7. 7. The spatial environment control device according to claim 6, The control unit When the indicator detected by the detection unit is outside a range suitable for the office work of the target worker, the sound presentation unit is controlled so that the sound presentation unit emits a sound that gives a sense of relaxation to the person. A spatial environment control device characterized by:

8. The spatial environment control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The above-mentioned administrative work is The task requires at least one of information processing ability, calculation ability, and logical thinking ability. A spatial environment control device characterized by:

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