JP7656856B2 - Environmental control system, environmental control method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure generally relates to an environmental control system, an environmental control method, and a program, and more specifically, to an environmental control system, an environmental control method, and a program for determining environmental conditions.

The planning support system described in Patent Document 1 supports the planning of work to be performed in a facility. The facility is divided into multiple areas, and in each of the multiple areas, a type of work assigned to that area is performed.

JP 2016-149167 A

In a planning support system such as that described in Patent Document 1, there was a demand to provide an area where the tasks performed can be changed depending on the facility's usage status, and to determine environmental conditions suitable for the tasks performed in that area.

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned reasons, and aims to provide an environmental control system, an environmental control method, and a program that can determine the environmental conditions of an area in a specified space that is used for any purpose.

An environmental control system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit, an estimation unit, a prediction unit, and a control unit . The acquisition unit acquires a plurality of pieces of location information of a plurality of users of a predetermined space in a facility for at least a predetermined period. The estimation unit estimates a usage pattern of the predetermined space in the predetermined period before the present day from the plurality of pieces of location information of each of the plurality of users in the predetermined period before the present day. The prediction unit predicts the usage pattern on the present day from the usage pattern in the predetermined period before the present day. The predetermined space includes a first area used for any purpose and a second area used for a predetermined purpose. The prediction unit determines an environmental condition of the first area on the present day from the predicted usage pattern on the present day. The control unit controls an appliance capable of controlling an environment. The control unit changes the number of areas in which the appliance stops controlling the environment among a plurality of areas included in the first area over time based on the environmental condition on the present day, thereby changing the range in which the appliance controls the environment in the first area over time.

An environmental control method according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition process, an estimation process, a prediction process, and a control process . The acquisition process acquires a plurality of pieces of location information of a plurality of users in a predetermined space in a facility for at least a predetermined period. The estimation process estimates a usage pattern of the predetermined space in the predetermined period before the day from the plurality of pieces of location information of each of the plurality of users in the predetermined period before the day. The prediction process predicts the usage pattern on the day from the usage pattern in the predetermined period before the day. The predetermined space includes a first area used for any purpose and a second area used for a predetermined purpose. The prediction process determines an environmental condition of the first area on the day from the predicted usage pattern on the day. The control process controls an appliance capable of controlling the environment. The control process changes the range in which the appliance controls the environment in the first area over time by changing the number of areas in which the appliance stops controlling the environment among a plurality of areas included in the first area over time based on the environmental condition of the first area on the day.

A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer system to execute the environmental control method.

The present disclosure makes it possible to determine the environmental conditions of an area of a given space that is used for any purpose.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a predetermined space in an environmental control system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the above-mentioned environmental control system. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a server in the above environmental control system. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the processing unit in the environmental control system. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of user position information in the above environmental control system. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the distribution of clock-out times in the above-mentioned environmental control system. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the distribution of clock-out times in the above-mentioned environmental control system. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a first cluster of distribution of clock-out times in the above-mentioned environmental control system. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a second cluster of the distribution of clock-out times in the above-mentioned environmental control system. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a third cluster of the distribution of clock-out times in the above-mentioned environmental control system. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of environmental control of the first area in the above-mentioned environmental control system. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of environmental control of the first area in the above environmental control system.

An environmental control system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment and modified examples described below are merely examples of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment and modified examples. Other than the embodiment and modified examples, various modifications are possible according to the design, etc., as long as they do not deviate from the technical concept of the present disclosure. Also, the arrows indicating the "X-axis direction" and "Y-axis direction" in the drawings are merely indicated for explanatory purposes and have no substance.

(1) Overview An environmental control system 10 of this embodiment is a system for determining environmental conditions of a predetermined space 110 in a facility 100, as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the environmental control system 10 includes a server 20. The server 20 includes an acquisition unit 21, an estimation unit 22, and a prediction unit 23.

The acquisition unit 21 acquires multiple pieces of position information B1 for at least a predetermined period T0 of multiple users 200 in a specified space 110 in the facility 100. The multiple pieces of position information B1 include, for example, information on the reception strength at the receiver 30 of a wireless signal W10 transmitted at a predetermined period from a transmitter 40 carried by the user 200. Since the reception strength at the receiver 30 changes depending on the distance from the receiver 30 to the transmitter 40, the information on the reception strength at the receiver 30 is information whose magnitude changes depending on the distance from the receiver 30 to the user 200.

The estimation unit 22 estimates the usage pattern P0 of the specified space 110 during a specified period T0 prior to the current day from the multiple location information B1 of each of the multiple users 200 during the specified period T0 prior to the current day.

The prediction unit 23 predicts the usage pattern P0 for the current day from the usage pattern P0 during a specified period T0 prior to the current day. Here, the specified space 110 includes a first area A10 that is used for any purpose and a second area A20 that is used for a specified purpose, and the prediction unit 23 determines the environmental conditions for the first area A10 for that day from the predicted usage pattern P0 for that day.

(2) Details In this embodiment, the facility 100 is, for example, an office, and the predetermined space 110 is an internal space of the office. Furthermore, the user 200 of the predetermined space 110 is, for example, an employee working in the office. Note that the facility 100 is not limited to an office, and may be a detached house, an apartment building (a dwelling unit, a common area), a store, a building (an entire building, within a floor), or the like. Furthermore, the facility 100 may include not only a building, but also a building and the site on which the building is located, and may be, for example, a factory, a park, a hospital, a commercial facility, an art museum, a museum, an amusement facility, a theme park, an airport, a train station, a dome stadium, a hotel, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the designated space 110 includes multiple (four in this embodiment) areas (areas A1 to A4). Note that the number of areas in the designated space 110 is not limited to four, and may be two or three, or five or more. Here, area A4 is a first area A10 that is used for any purpose, and areas A1 to A3 are a second area A20 that is used for a designated purpose. In this embodiment, for example, areas A1 and A2 are areas for computer work, and area A3 is an area for meetings.

As shown in FIG. 2, the environmental control system 10 includes multiple receivers 30, multiple transmitters 40, and a server 20.

The environmental control system 10 can also communicate with devices 70, such as lighting fixtures and air conditioners, through a communication network 60. The communication network 60 may include the Internet. The communication network 60 may be configured not only as a network conforming to a single communication protocol, but also as a plurality of networks conforming to different communication protocols. The communication protocol may be selected from various well-known wired and wireless communication standards. Although simplified in FIG. 2, the communication network 60 may include information and communication devices such as a repeater hub, a switching hub, a bridge, a gateway, and a router.

The transmitter 40 is used to determine the location of the user 200. In other words, under the assumption that the user 200 carries the transmitter 40, the location of the transmitter 40 is treated as the location of the user 200. The transmitter 40 has a function of transmitting a wireless signal W10. In particular, the transmitter 40 transmits the wireless signal W10 at a predetermined period. The wireless signal W10 may include identification information of the transmitter 40. The identification information may be used to distinguish between multiple transmitters 40. In the transmitter 40, the identification information is stored, for example, in a memory unit possessed by the transmitter 40. The memory unit of the transmitter 40 is, for example, a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory).

In this embodiment, the medium of the wireless signal W10 is radio waves. In particular, the medium of the wireless signal W10 is radio waves suitable for short-distance wireless communication. An example of short-distance wireless communication is Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy. In this case, the identification information is, for example, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) Device Address. The short-distance wireless communication is not limited to Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy, and may be, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The transmitter 40 is of a size and weight that can be carried by the user 200. The transmitter 40 is, for example, a beacon. The beacon wirelessly transmits a wireless signal (beacon signal) called, for example, an advertisement packet at a predetermined time interval and with a predetermined transmission power. The transmitter 40 may be realized by a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a wearable terminal, or a personal computer.

The receiver 30 is used to determine the location of the transmitter 40 (i.e., the location of the user 200 carrying the transmitter 40). The receiver 30 has a function of receiving a wireless signal W10 from the transmitter 40. The receiver 30 is also communicatively connected to the server 20. That is, the receiver 30 is capable of communicating with the server 20 through a communication network 50. When the receiver 30 receives the wireless signal W10 transmitted from the transmitter 40, it transmits the identification information contained in the wireless signal W10 and information on the reception strength of the wireless signal W10 to the server 20 through the communication network 50. The information on the reception strength of the wireless signal W10 is, for example, a received signal strength indicator (RSSI). The receiver 30 transmits, for example, RSSI information and identification information to the server 20 when the RSSI is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

In this embodiment, multiple receivers 30 are set in the specified space 110. In detail, as shown in FIG. 1, one receiver 30 is installed in each of areas A1 to A4. If the area in which the receiver 30 is installed is indoors, the receiver 30 may be placed on the ceiling of the area in which the receiver 30 is installed. The multiple receivers 30 (four in this embodiment) have different identification information. The identification information of the receiver 30 is stored in a non-volatile memory or the like of the receiver 30.

The communication network 50 may include a local area network. The communication network 50 may be configured not only as a network conforming to a single communication protocol, but also as multiple networks conforming to different communication protocols. The communication protocol may be, for example, a communication protocol conforming to the Ethernet (registered trademark) standard, or a communication protocol conforming to a standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Although simplified in FIG. 2, the communication network 50 may include information and communication devices such as a repeater hub, a switching hub, a bridge, a gateway, and a router. The communication network 50 may also be a power line communication network using power lines.

As shown in FIG. 3, the server 20 includes a first communication unit 201, a second communication unit 202, a storage unit 203, and a processing unit 204. The processing unit 204 includes an acquisition unit 21, a determination unit 24, an information creation unit 25, an estimation unit 22, and a prediction unit 23. In this embodiment, the processing unit 204 further includes a control unit 26 as shown in FIG. 3.

The first communication unit 201 is a communication interface. In particular, the first communication unit 201 is a communication interface that can be connected to the communication network 50, and has a function of communicating through the communication network 50. This allows the server 20 to communicate with the receiver 30 through the communication network 50. The first communication unit 201 receives a signal from the receiver 30 via the communication network 50 in the facility 100. The signal that the first communication unit 201 receives from the receiver 30 includes, for example, the reception strength of the wireless signal W10 received by the receiver 30, identification information of the receiver 30, identification information of the transmitter 40, and the like. In addition, the signal that the first communication unit 201 receives from the receiver 30 may also include, for example, attribute information of the user 200 who owns the transmitter 40.

The second communication unit 202 is a communication interface. In particular, the second communication unit 202 is a communication interface that can be connected to the communication network 60, and has a function of communicating through the communication network 60. In particular, the second communication unit 202 can communicate with devices 70 such as lighting fixtures and air conditioners through the communication network 60. The communication protocol of the second communication unit 202 can be selected from various well-known wired and wireless communication standards.

The storage unit 203 is a device for storing information. The storage unit 203 is a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an EEPROM, etc. The storage unit 203 has an area for storing determination information used to determine whether the transmitter 40 is present in multiple areas. For example, the determination information includes information on areas A1 to A4, information on the receiver 30, and information on the transmitter 40. The information on areas A1 to A4 is information for identifying the size and shape of each of areas A1 to A4. The information on the receiver 30 includes information for identifying the receiver 30 (identification information) and position information of the receiver 30. The position information of the receiver 30 is, for example, coordinates indicating the position of the receiver 30 within the facility 100. The information on the transmitter 40 includes information for identifying the transmitter 40 (identification information).

The processing unit 204 is configured to control the entire server 20, i.e., the first communication unit 201, the second communication unit 202, and the storage unit 203. The processing unit 204 can be realized, for example, by a computer system including one or more processors (microprocessors) and one or more memories. That is, the one or more processors execute one or more programs (applications) stored in one or more memories to function as the processing unit 204. Here, the programs are pre-recorded in the memory of the processing unit 204, but they may also be provided via a telecommunications line such as the Internet, or recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card.

In this embodiment, the processing unit 204 estimates the position of the transmitter 40 based on the position information of the receiver 30 and information on the reception strength (RSSI) of the wireless signal W10. The position information of the receiver 30 is, for example, coordinate information of the receiver 30 within the specified space 110. The reception strength at the receiver 30 tends to decrease as the distance between the receiver 30 and the transmitter 40 increases. Therefore, it is possible to estimate the distance from the receiver 30 to the transmitter 40 based on the reception strength of the wireless signal W10 at the receiver 30. The processing unit 204 estimates the range in which the transmitter 40 may be present (as an example, a circumference centered on the receiver 30) from the position information of the receiver 30 stored in the memory unit 203. The processing unit 204 estimates the distance from each of the multiple receivers 30 to the transmitter 40 based on the reception strength information (RSSI) when the wireless signal W10 from the transmitter 40 is received by the multiple receivers 30, and estimates the position of the receiver 30 based on the position information of the multiple receivers 30 and the information of the distance from the multiple receivers 30 to the transmitter 40. In other words, the processing unit 204 estimates the position (coordinates) of the transmitter 40 in the specified space 110 by performing positioning (here, one-point positioning) using, for example, the position information of the receiver 30 (for example, coordinate information within the specified space 110) and the reception strength information (RSSI) at the receiver 30. The reception strength information is, for example, RSSI, and more specifically, an instantaneous value of RSSI.

The processing unit 204 may, for example, obtain ranges in which the transmitter 40 may exist from different receivers 30, and estimate the position where all the ranges overlap as the position of the transmitter 40. For example, in this embodiment, the processing unit 204 may estimate the position of the transmitter 40 by four-point positioning using the coordinate information of each of the four receivers 30 installed in the specified space 110 and the information on the reception strength of each of these four receivers 30. In the case of four-point positioning, it is possible to estimate the position (coordinates) of the transmitter 40 with higher accuracy than in the case of one-point positioning. In the case of four-point positioning, it is also possible to estimate the direction in which the transmitter 40 exists relative to the receiver 30. The positioning used to estimate the coordinates of the transmitter 40 is not limited to four-point positioning, and may be, for example, three-point positioning or five-point positioning.

The processing unit 204 is described in more detail below.

As shown in Fig. 3, the processing unit 204 includes an acquisition unit 21, a determination unit 24, an information creation unit 25, an estimation unit 22, a prediction unit 23, and a control unit 26. Note that in Fig. 3, the acquisition unit 21, the determination unit 24, the information creation unit 25, the estimation unit 22, the prediction unit 23, and the control unit 26 included in the processing unit 204 do not represent physical configurations, but rather represent functions realized by the processing unit 204.

The acquisition unit 21 acquires information (location information B1) on the reception strength at the receiver 30 of the wireless signal W10 periodically transmitted from the transmitter 40 at a predetermined cycle. The predetermined cycle is, for example, 0.1 to 0.5 seconds, and is, for example, 0.3 seconds. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 21 acquires the multiple pieces of location information B1 during a predetermined period T0 that is longer than the predetermined cycle. The acquisition unit 21 may acquire the multiple pieces of location information B1 during a period other than the predetermined period T0. In this embodiment, the predetermined period T0 is, for example, one day, and further, in this embodiment, is, for example, 7:00 to 21:00 in one day. Note that the predetermined period T0 is not limited to 7:00 to 21:00 in one day. Here, the multiple pieces of location information B1 are time-series information acquired at 0.3-second intervals, as described above. In other words, the multiple pieces of location information B1 are time-series information with a granularity finer than at least 24 hours (one day).

In this embodiment, the determination unit 24 estimates the position of the transmitter 40 based on the multiple pieces of position information B1 acquired by the acquisition unit 21 for each acquisition period that is longer than a predetermined cycle (0.3 seconds in this embodiment) and shorter than a predetermined period T0 (7:00 to 21:00 in this embodiment). The estimation of the position of the transmitter 40 is performed, for example, during the predetermined period T0. Note that the determination unit 24 may also estimate the position of the transmitter 40 during periods other than the predetermined period T0. In this embodiment, the length of the acquisition period is, for example, 5 to 15 minutes, and as an example, 10 minutes. The determination unit 24 calculates the average value of the multiple pieces of position information B1 acquired during the acquisition period, and estimates the position of the transmitter 40 based on the calculated average value (average value of RSSI). The position (coordinates) of the transmitter 40 estimated by the determination unit 24 is stored in the memory unit 203, for example, in association with the identification information of the transmitter 40 and the time information at the start and end of the acquisition period. The time information is acquired, for example, from the clock function of the acquisition unit 21. Here, "estimating the position" means performing positioning. For example, when performing four-point positioning, the average value of multiple pieces of position information B1 is calculated for each of the four receivers 30, and four-point positioning of the transmitter 40 is performed using the average value of the multiple pieces of position information B1 for each of the four receivers 30.

Based on the estimated position of the transmitter 40, the determination unit 24 determines the area (area A1 to area A4) of the specified space 110 in which the transmitter 40 exists. Here, the determination unit 24 determines the area in which the transmitter 40 exists, for example, based on the estimated position (coordinates) of the transmitter 40 and the coordinates of areas A1 to A4 stored in the storage unit 203. For example, if the estimated coordinates of the transmitter 40 are included in the coordinate range of area A1, the determination unit 24 determines that the transmitter 40 exists in area A1. In other words, it determines that the user 200 corresponding to the transmitter 40 exists in area A1. Note that, as shown in FIG. 1, the areas A1 to A4 are assigned coordinates 1 to 6 in the X-axis direction and coordinates 1 to 4 in the Y-axis direction. Here, the range of XY coordinates (X,Y) is (1,1), (1,2), (2,1), (2,2), (3,1), (3,2) is area A1, the range of (4,1), (4,2), (5,1), (5,2), (6,1), (6,2) is area A2, the range of (1,3), (1,4), (2,3), (2,4), (3,3), (3,4) is area A3, and the range of (4,3), (4,4), (5,3), (5,4), (6,3), (6,4) is area A4. Note that the coordinate display in the X-axis direction and the coordinate display in the Y-axis direction in FIG. 1 are merely shown for the purpose of explanation and do not have any substance.

If the position of the transmitter 40 cannot be estimated from the average value of the multiple pieces of position information B1, the determination unit 24 determines that the user 200 corresponding to the transmitter 40 is outside the specified space 110.

The information on the area in which multiple users 200 exist, as determined by the determination unit 24, is stored in the memory unit 203, for example, in association with the identification information of the transmitter 40 and time information including the start and end points of the acquisition period.

The information creation unit 25 creates information about the usage state of the specified space 110 in the specified period T0 based on information about the areas in which the multiple users 200 are present during the specified period T0 (7:00 to 21:00 in this embodiment) as determined by the determination unit 24. Here, the information about the usage state of the specified space 110 is, for example, the distribution of the arrival times of the multiple users 200 at the specified space 110, the distribution of the departure times of the multiple users 200 from the specified space 110, the number of users 200 using each of areas A1 to A4, etc. Furthermore, the information about the usage state of the specified space 110 may include time series information indicating in which of areas A1 to A4 each of the multiple users 200 is present while attending work in the specified space 110.

The information about the usage status of the specified space 110 during the specified period T0 created by the information creation unit 25 is stored in the memory unit 203.

The estimation unit 22 estimates the usage pattern P0 of the specified space 110 in the specified period T0 from information on the usage state of the specified space 110 in the specified period T0 stored in the storage unit 203. Here, the usage pattern P0 in the specified period T0 is, for example, a distribution trend of the time when multiple users 200 leave the specified space 110 in the specified period T0. Note that the usage pattern P0 in the specified period T0 may also be a distribution trend of the time when multiple users 200 arrive at the specified space 110 in the specified period T0, a trend in the number of users 200 using each of areas A1 to A4 in the specified period T0, etc. The operation of estimating the usage pattern P0 in the specified period T0 by the estimation unit 22 will be described in detail in "(3) Example of Operation" below.

The prediction unit 23 predicts the usage pattern P0 of the current day from the usage pattern P0 in a specified period T0 prior to the current day. Note that in this embodiment, the current day is, for example, April 1st when the prediction unit 23 predicts the usage pattern, and "prior to the current day" is, for example, one month from March 1st to March 31st. In other words, the specified period T0 prior to the current day is the specified period T0 (7:00 to 21:00) on each of the days from March 1st to March 31st. Note that "prior to the current day" does not have to include the day before the current day.

The prediction unit 23 determines the environmental conditions for the day in area A4, which is the first area A10, from the predicted usage pattern P0 for that day. Here, the environmental conditions for area A4 are the light distribution, temperature, etc. of area A4 that are suitable for the predicted usage pattern P0 for that day. The prediction operation of the prediction unit 23 for the usage pattern P0 will be described in detail in "(3) Example of Operation" below.

The control unit 26 controls equipment 70 that can control the environment, such as lighting equipment and air conditioning equipment. The equipment 70 is installed in a specified space 110, for example.

The control unit 26 controls the devices 70 through the communication network 60, and changes the light distribution, temperature, etc. of the lighting in the area A4 on the day over time based on the environmental conditions of the area A4 on the day determined by the prediction unit 23. This makes it possible to reduce unnecessary power consumption in the area A4.

(3) Operation An example of the operation of the processing unit 204 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 to Fig. 12. Note that in the following example, a case will be described in which the usage pattern P0 is a distribution trend of the finishing times of multiple users 200.

The acquisition unit 21 acquires multiple pieces of location information B1 for each of the multiple users 200 during a predetermined period T0 (7:00 to 21:00 on a single day in this embodiment).

The determination unit 24 determines the areas where the multiple users 200 exist from the multiple position information B1 of each of the multiple users 200 for each acquisition period (10 minutes in this embodiment) from 7:00 to 21:00. Then, the determination unit 24 creates information for one day on the areas where the multiple users 200 exist (ST1) and stores it in the storage unit 203. For example, from 7:00 to 21:00 on March 1, the position (coordinates) of user 210, who is one of the multiple users 200, and the area of the specified space 110 in which it is determined that the user 210 exists, change as shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, when the user 210 is outside the specified space 110, the XY coordinates are (0,0). The determination unit 24 also creates information on the areas where users 200 other than user 210 exist on March 1 in the same way. The determination unit 24 also creates information on the areas where the multiple users 200 exist on each of March 2 to March 31 in the same way.

The information creation unit 25 uses information on the areas where the multiple users 200 are present from 7:00 to 21:00 on March 1st to create a distribution G1 of the time when the multiple users 200 leave the specified space 110 on March 1st (ST2), for example, as shown in FIG. 6. Here, FIG. 6 shows the number of users 200 who leave the specified space 110 every 10 minutes. The distribution G1 of the time when the multiple users 200 leave the specified space 110 is stored in the memory unit 203. The information creation unit 25 determines the time when each of the multiple users 200 was last determined to be present in any area of the specified space 110 before 21:00 as the time when each of the multiple users 200 leaves the specified space 110. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, the user 210 is determined to be present in area A2 at 20:30, and is then determined to be present outside the specified space 110 until 21:00, so the time when the user 210 leaves the specified space 110 on March 1st is determined to be 20:30.

The information creation unit 25 similarly creates a distribution G1 of the leaving times of multiple users 200 for each day from March 2 to March 31.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, when the distribution G1 of the clock-out times of the multiple users 200 on each day from March 1 to March 31 (hereinafter referred to as March) is accumulated in the memory unit 203 (ST3: YES), the estimation unit 22 estimates the distribution tendency of the clock-out times of the multiple users 200 in March as a usage pattern P0. Note that in FIG. 7, the distribution G1 of the clock-out times on each day in March is illustrated side by side. Specifically, the estimation unit 22 clusters (clustering) the distribution G1 of the clock-out times of the multiple users 200 on each day in March based on the similarity (ST4). As shown in Table 1, in this embodiment, the distribution G1 of the clock-out times of the multiple users 200 on each day in March is divided into, for example, three clusters (first cluster C1 to third cluster C3). As shown in Figures 8 to 10, each of the first cluster C1 to the third cluster C3 contains information obtained by averaging the distribution G1 of the leaving time in March corresponding to each of the first cluster C1 to the third cluster C3, and represents three different distribution trends of the leaving time in March. Note that the number of clusters is not limited to three, and may be two or less, or four or more.

The prediction unit 23 predicts the cluster (prediction cluster) to which the distribution of the user 200's leaving time on the current day (April 1 in this embodiment) corresponds from the clusters to which each day in March corresponds (ST5). For example, as shown in Table 1, the prediction unit 23 predicts that April 1, which is also a Thursday, also corresponds to the second cluster C2 because all Thursdays in March correspond to the second cluster C2. In other words, the prediction unit 23 predicts that the cluster to which the same day of the week in the past corresponds is the prediction cluster for April 1. Note that the prediction unit 23 may predict that the cluster with the highest frequency of occurrence among the clusters to which the same day of the week in the past corresponds is the prediction cluster for April 1. The prediction unit 23 may also predict the prediction cluster based on, for example, the working style of the user 200. For example, if the work of the user 200 includes multiple work processes, the prediction cluster for April 1 may be predicted based on the cluster of the past days on which the same work process is executed. Note that the predicted cluster for April 1 may differ depending on the prediction method, and the predicted cluster for April 1 may be predicted to correspond to a cluster other than the second cluster C2.

The prediction unit 23 also determines the environmental conditions for area A4, which is the first area A10 used for any purpose, on April 1st from the distribution of the clock-out times of the predicted cluster on April 1st (ST6). Here, in this embodiment, the environmental conditions for area A4 are the light distribution and temperature of lighting suitable for the distribution of clock-out times of the predicted cluster on April 1st. In more detail, the prediction unit 23 predicts the change in the number of users 200 using area A4 over time, assuming that users 200 will clock-out from the specified space 110 according to the distribution of clock-out times of the predicted cluster on April 1st. Here, the prediction unit 23 determines the light distribution, temperature, etc. of lighting for area A4 suitable for the number of users 200 using area A4 at each time on April 1st. It is preferable that the prediction unit 23 determines the environmental conditions for area A4 before the time when the use of the specified space 110 begins in a day, and for example, the environmental conditions for April 1st are preferably determined by 7:00 on April 1st. The environmental conditions for area A4 may be determined when the distribution G1 of the leaving times of multiple users 200 in March is stored in the memory unit 203, or may be determined before the users 200 start using the specified space 110 on April 1.

The control unit 26 controls the lighting distribution, temperature, etc. of the area A4 on April 1st over time by controlling the equipment 70, such as lighting devices and air conditioners, based on the environmental conditions of the area A4 on April 1st determined by the prediction unit 23 (ST7). Here, the control unit 26 controls the lighting distribution, temperature, etc. of the area A4, for example, by changing the range of the area A4 whose environment is controlled by the equipment 70, such as lighting devices and air conditioners. For example, if the predicted cluster on April 1st is the second cluster C2, as shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 26 changes the range of the area A4 whose environment is controlled by the equipment 70 over time. In the second cluster C2, 1/3 of the area A4 is outside the range of the environmental control by the equipment 70 at 20:00, and all of the area A4 is outside the range of the environmental control by the equipment 70 at 21:00. Also, if the predicted cluster for April 1st is the first cluster C1, as shown in FIG. 12, 1/3 of area A4 will be outside the range of environmental control by device 70 at 18:00, 2/3 of area A4 will be outside the range of environmental control by device 70 at 19:00, and all of area A4 will be outside the range of environmental control by device 70 at 20:00. Note that FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 show the range of area A4 whose environment is controlled by device 70 during the time period from 17:00 to 21:00, and among the six regions divided within area A4, the regions where environmental control is stopped are shown with hatching. Note that, since the third cluster C3 is a cluster that corresponds to Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays as shown in Table 1, if the predicted cluster for April 1st is the first cluster C1, all of area A4 will be outside the range of environmental control by device 70 all day.

(4) Modifications The above embodiment is merely one of various embodiments of the present disclosure. The above embodiment can be modified in various ways depending on the design, etc., as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. In addition, functions similar to those of the environmental control system 10 may be embodied in an environmental control method, a computer program, or a non-transitory recording medium on which a program is recorded, etc.

The environmental control method according to the above embodiment includes an acquisition process, an estimation process, and a prediction process. The acquisition process acquires multiple pieces of position information B1 for at least a specified period T0 for multiple users 200 in a specified space 110 in a facility 100. The estimation process estimates a usage pattern P0 of the specified space 110 in a specified period T0 prior to the current day from the multiple pieces of position information B1 for each of the multiple users 200 in the specified period T0 prior to the current day. The prediction process predicts a usage pattern P0 for the current day from the usage pattern P0 in the specified period T0 prior to the current day. The specified space 110 includes a first area A10 used for any purpose and a second area A20 used for a specified purpose. The prediction process determines the environmental conditions for the first area A10 on the current day from the predicted usage pattern P0 for the current day. The (computer) program according to the above embodiment is a program for causing a computer system to execute the above-mentioned environmental control method.

Below, we will list some modified examples of the above embodiment. However, components that are common to the environmental control system 10 of the above embodiment will be given the same reference numerals, and their explanation will be omitted as appropriate. In addition, the modified examples described below can be applied in appropriate combinations.

(4.1) Modification 1
The environmental control system 10 according to the first modification will be described below.

In the above embodiment of the environmental control system 10, the predetermined period T0 is set to 7:00 to 21:00 in one day.

The environmental control system 10 of this modified example 1 differs from the above embodiment in that multiple predetermined periods T0 are set within a single day. In the environmental control system 10 of this modified example 1, the prediction unit 23 predicts the usage pattern P0 for each of the multiple predetermined periods T0 on the current day from the usage pattern P0 for each of the multiple predetermined periods T0 prior to the current day.

In this first modification, for example, a first predetermined period T1 to a third predetermined period T3 are defined within one day. Here, the first predetermined period T1 is from 7:00 to 11:59, the second predetermined period T2 is from 12:00 to 16:59, and the third predetermined period T3 is from 17:00 to 21:00.

In this modified example 1, the information creation unit 25 creates information about the usage status of the specified space 110 during each of the first to third specified periods T1 to T3. Here, in this modified example 1, the information about the usage status of the specified space 110 is, for example, the number of users of area A4.

When information on the number of users of area A4 in each of the first to third specified periods T1 to T3 is accumulated in the memory unit 203 for, for example, one month, the estimation unit 22 estimates the trend of the number of users of area A4 in each of the first to third specified periods T1 to T3 of one month as the usage pattern P0 of the specified space 110. Here, the trend of the number of users of area A4 refers to multiple ranges of the number of users, such as 0 to 4 people, 5 to 9 people, and 10 to 14 people.

The prediction unit 23 predicts the number of users in area A4 for each of the first to third specified periods T1 to T3 on the current day from the number of users in area A4 for each of the first to third specified periods T1 to T3 in one month.

The prediction unit determines the environmental conditions for area A4 on that day from the predicted occupancy range of area A4 in each of the first to third specified periods T1 to T3 on that day.

(4.2) Other Modifications Other modifications of the embodiment are listed below. The following modifications may be realized in appropriate combination.

It is not essential for the environmental control system 10 that the server 20 includes the first communication unit 201, the second communication unit 202, and the memory unit 203, and at least one of the functions of the first communication unit 201, the second communication unit 202, and the memory unit 203 may be realized by the processing unit 204.

The environmental control system 10 in the present disclosure includes a computer system. The computer system is mainly composed of a processor and a memory as hardware. The function of the environmental control system 10 in the present disclosure is realized by the processor executing a program recorded in the memory of the computer system. The program may be pre-recorded in the memory of the computer system, provided through an electric communication line, or recorded and provided in a non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card, an optical disk, or a hard disk drive that can be read by the computer system. The processor of the computer system is composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or a large-scale integrated circuit (LSI). The integrated circuits such as IC or LSI referred to here are called different names depending on the degree of integration, and include integrated circuits called system LSI, VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), or ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration). Furthermore, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) that is programmed after the manufacture of the LSI, or a logic device that can reconfigure the connection relationship inside the LSI or reconfigure the circuit partition inside the LSI, can also be used as a processor. The multiple electronic circuits may be integrated into one chip, or may be distributed across multiple chips. The multiple chips may be integrated into one device, or may be distributed across multiple devices. The computer system referred to here includes a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. Therefore, the microcontroller is also composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit or a large-scale integrated circuit.

It is not essential for the environmental control system 10 that multiple functions are concentrated in one housing, and the components of the environmental control system 10 may be distributed across multiple housings.

At least some of the functions of the environmental control system 10, for example the functions of the server 20, may be realized by the cloud (cloud computing) or the like.

The prediction unit 23 may predict the usage pattern P0 for the day and determine the environmental conditions for the first area A10 for the day before the day, for example, the day before the day, or two days before the day.

The control of the environment by the control unit 26 is not limited to changing the range of the environment to be controlled, but may also be, for example, changing the illuminance of lighting fixtures, changing the temperature setting of air conditioning devices, etc.

(5) Summary As described above, the environmental control system (10) of the first aspect includes an acquisition unit (21), an estimation unit (22), and a prediction unit (23). The acquisition unit (21) acquires a plurality of pieces of position information (B1) of a plurality of users (200) in a predetermined space (110) in a facility (100) for at least a predetermined period (T0). The estimation unit (22) estimates a usage pattern (P0) of the predetermined space (110) in a predetermined period (T0) prior to the day from the plurality of pieces of position information (B1) of each of the plurality of users (200) in the predetermined period (T0) prior to the day. The prediction unit (23) predicts a usage pattern (P0) for the day from the usage pattern (P0) in the predetermined period (T0) prior to the day. The predetermined space (110) includes a first area (A10) used for any purpose and a second area (A20) used for a predetermined purpose. A prediction section (23) determines the environmental conditions of the first area (A10) on that day from the predicted usage pattern (P0) on that day.

According to this aspect, it is possible to determine the environmental conditions of the first area (A10) on that day that are suitable for the usage pattern (P0) on that day.

In the second aspect of the environmental control system (10), in the first aspect, multiple predetermined periods (T0) are set within a day. The prediction unit (23) predicts the usage pattern (P0) for each of multiple predetermined periods (T0) on the current day from the usage pattern (P0) for each of multiple predetermined periods (T0) prior to the current day.

According to this aspect, it is possible to predict the usage pattern (P0) of the day for each finer specified period (T0).

In the third aspect of the environmental control system (10), in the first or second aspect, the multiple pieces of location information (B1) are time series information with a granularity finer than at least 24 hours.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to obtain information regarding the changes in the locations of multiple users (200) over the course of a day.

The environmental control system (10) of the fourth aspect is any one of the first to third aspects, and further includes a control unit (26) that controls the device (70) capable of controlling the environment.

According to this aspect, the environmental control system (10) can control the environment.

The environmental control method of the fifth aspect includes an acquisition process, an estimation process, and a prediction process. The acquisition process acquires a plurality of pieces of position information (B1) for at least a predetermined period (T0) of a plurality of users (200) in a predetermined space (110) in a facility (100). The estimation process estimates a usage pattern (P0) of the predetermined space (110) in a predetermined period (T0) prior to the current day from the plurality of pieces of position information (B1) of each of the plurality of users (200) in the predetermined period (T0) prior to the current day. The prediction process predicts a usage pattern (P0) for the current day from the usage pattern (P0) in the predetermined period (T0) prior to the current day. The predetermined space (110) includes a first area (A10) used for any purpose and a second area (A20) used for a predetermined purpose. The prediction process determines the environmental conditions for the first area (A10) for the current day from the predicted usage pattern (P0) for the current day.

According to this aspect, it is possible to determine the environmental conditions of the first area (A10) on that day that are suitable for the usage pattern (P0) on that day.

The sixth aspect of the program is a program for causing a computer system to execute the environmental control method of the fifth aspect.

According to this aspect, it is possible to determine the environmental conditions of the first area (A10) on that day that are suitable for the usage pattern (P0) on that day.

Note that the second to fourth aspects are not essential components of the environmental control system (10) and may be omitted as appropriate.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Environmental control system 10 Environmental control system 21 Acquisition unit 22 Estimation unit 23 Prediction unit 26 Control unit 70 Equipment 100 Facility 110 Specified space 200 User A10 First area A20 Second area B1 Position information P0 Usage pattern T0 Specified period

Claims (5)

an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of pieces of location information for at least a predetermined period of a plurality of users of a predetermined space in a facility having the predetermined space including a first area used for any purpose and a second area used for a predetermined purpose;
an estimation unit that estimates a usage pattern of the specified space during the specified period before the current day from the plurality of pieces of position information of the plurality of users during the specified period before the current day;
a prediction unit that predicts the usage pattern of the current day from the usage pattern in the predetermined period prior to the current day;
A control unit that controls an environment-controllable device ,
the prediction unit determines an environmental condition of the first area on the day from the predicted usage pattern on the day ;
the control unit changes, over time, a number of areas in which the device stops controlling the environment among a plurality of areas included in the first area based on an environmental condition of the first area on the day, thereby changing, over time, a range in which the device controls the environment in the first area.
Environmental control system. The predetermined period is determined multiple times within a day,
The environmental control system according to claim 1 , wherein the prediction unit predicts the usage pattern for each of the plurality of predetermined periods on the current day from the usage pattern for each of the plurality of predetermined periods prior to the current day. The environmental control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of pieces of position information are time-series information with a granularity finer than at least 24 hours. An acquisition process for acquiring a plurality of pieces of location information of a plurality of users in a predetermined space in a facility for at least a predetermined period of time;
an estimation process of estimating a usage pattern of the specified space during the specified period prior to the current day from the plurality of pieces of location information of the plurality of users during the specified period prior to the current day;
a prediction process for predicting the usage pattern of the current day from the usage pattern in the predetermined period prior to the current day;
A control process for controlling an environment-controllable device,
The predetermined space includes a first area used for any purpose and a second area used for a predetermined purpose,
the prediction process determines an environmental condition of the first area on the day from the predicted usage pattern on the day;
the control process changes, based on the environmental conditions of the first area on the day, the number of areas in which the device stops controlling the environment among a plurality of areas included in the first area, thereby changing, over time, a range in which the device controls the environment in the first area;
Environmental control methods. A method for causing a computer system to execute the environmental control method according to claim 4,
Program.

Images