JP7668696B2 - Seat area selection system, seat area selection method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a seating area selection system, a seating area selection method, and a program.

In recent years, a work style called Activity Based Working (ABW), which allows workers (employees) to choose the place where they can work most efficiently, has been attracting attention.
A method of dividing the behavior of workers in an office into a number of "scenes (work scenes)," such as "Think,""Station,""Community,""Review,""Reception,""Academy," and "Break" is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The layout of each scene in a building and the location where groups using the building carry out their work can be optimized at the floor plan design stage to increase the convenience of the building. According to Patent Document 1, general office work is classified into "stations," and interactions in which workers meet with each other are classified into "community," etc. Buildings that are configured to allow efficient work by dividing the scenes in this way have already been provided.
Furthermore, if the area for office work ("station") is configured as a free address system, workers can choose the table and seat they want to use from the tables and seats provided in that area. In such a free address office, it is sometimes desirable to stimulate communication within a group and to be able to work in a suitable environment.
In addition, in a free address type office, for example, a group address may be applied in which the position of an area in which each group is active is assigned to each group.

JP 2016-115006 A

When group addresses were applied, the tendency for the allocation of locations used by groups was biased among groups. In such cases, the convenience of the free address system was reduced.
An object of the present invention is to provide a seating area selection system, a seating area selection method, and a program that can reduce bias in the tendency of allocating positions used by groups in a free address office.

(1) The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a seating area selection system that is a first aspect of the present invention relates to group arrangement in which each group determines a table to be used by each group from among a plurality of tables arranged within a target area used as a free address office, and includes a recommendation processing unit that selects a table to be used by each group based on a table priority indicating the priority for selecting a table to be placed from among the plurality of tables in the target area, the arrangement order of each group, the number of tables required determined for each group based on the usage schedule of each group, and assigned table identification information indicating tables that have been assigned within the target area.

(2) Furthermore, in the seat area selection system, the recommendation processing unit determines a first group to be preferentially placed from among the groups according to a first selection criterion that uses information on the planned use of the target area and auxiliary information for reducing bias in group placement trends.

(3) Furthermore, in the seat area selection system, the auxiliary information for reducing bias in the layout tendency includes either identification information indicating that the area is to be excluded from selection as the first group, or history information indicating a history of being selected as the first group.

(4) Furthermore, in the seat area selection system, the recommendation processing unit determines the arrangement order of the second and subsequent groups from each of the groups, excluding the first group, according to a second selection criterion different from the first selection criterion.

(5) Furthermore, in the seat area selection system, the second selection criterion is defined using the degree of association between each of the groups.

(6) Furthermore, in the seat area selection system, when allocating the first table to a group selected from among the groups, the recommendation processing unit determines the table to be selected depending on whether the group is the first group or not.

(7) Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, when allocating the first table to the first group, the recommendation processing unit determines the table to be selected according to the allocation priority of each table in the target area.

(8) Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, when the recommendation processing unit assigns the first table to the second group or later, the recommendation processing unit determines the table to be selected from among the tables adjacent to the table assigned to the group before the target group in accordance with the table priority order.

(9) Furthermore, in the seat area selection system, the planned use information of the target area includes meeting schedule information for each group indicating meetings scheduled within the target area on the day the target area is to be used.

(10) Another aspect of the present invention is a seating area selection method for group arrangement in which each group determines which table to use from among a plurality of tables arranged in a target area used as a free address office, the seating area selection method including a step of selecting, by a computer, a table to be used by each group based on a table priority indicating the priority of selecting tables to be placed from among the plurality of tables in the target area, the arrangement order of each group, the number of tables required determined for each group based on the usage schedule of each group, and assigned table identification information indicating the tables already assigned in the target area.

(11) A further aspect of the present invention relates to group arrangement in which each group determines which table to use from among a number of tables arranged within a target area used as a free address office, and is a program for causing a computer to execute a step of selecting a table to be used by each group based on a table priority indicating the priority of selecting tables to be placed from among the multiple tables in the target area, the arrangement order of each group, the number of tables required determined for each group based on the usage schedule of each group, and assigned table identification information indicating the tables that have been assigned within the target area.

The present invention can reduce bias in the allocation of positions used by groups in a free address office.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a building to which an embodiment is applied. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a seating area selection system 1 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2B is a diagram for explaining an application example of the seating area selection system 1 of FIG. 2A. FIG. 2B is a diagram for explaining an application example of the seating area selection system 1 of FIG. 2A. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an analysis processing device 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of information related to a table of the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of information related to a group according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of data of a processing result according to the embodiment. 11 is a flowchart of a recommendation process according to an embodiment. 11 is a flowchart of a process for determining a priority order of a group according to an embodiment. 11 is a flowchart of a process for arranging each group in a table according to an embodiment. 11 is a flowchart of an arrangement process for placing tables adjacent to each other within a group according to an embodiment. 9 is a diagram for explaining a table extracted in the process shown in FIG. 8 . FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a table extracted in the process shown in FIG. 8 . FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a table extracted in the process shown in FIG. 8 . FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a table extracted in the process shown in FIG. 8 . FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a process for sorting tables extracted as candidates for placement destinations according to an embodiment. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of a result of sorting the placement destination candidates by the process shown in FIG. 10 . FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of a result of sorting the placement destination candidates by the process shown in FIG. 10 . FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a process for arranging groups adjacent to each other according to an embodiment. 13 is a diagram for explaining a table extracted during the process shown in FIG. 12 . FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a table extracted during the process shown in FIG. 12 . FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a table extracted during the process shown in FIG. 12 . FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a table extracted during the process shown in FIG. 12 . FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of a result of sorting the placement destination candidates by the process shown in FIG. 12. [0033] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of a result of sorting the placement destination candidates by the process shown in FIG. 12. [0033] FIG.

Below, an embodiment of the seating area selection system, seating area selection method, and program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

(Matters common to all embodiments)
The seating area selection system described below is applied to, for example, seating area selection processing in a free address office.

For example, within the building in which the office is located, the seven scenes mentioned above are appropriately arranged to suit the work style. The work style includes various requirements such as the work content, work place, employment type, and working hours, and is determined in advance for each group or worker. The layout of each scene is determined in advance at the design stage using the floor plan and zoning, and is changed relatively infrequently. The utilization rate of each of the above scenes may vary depending on the content of daily work, but in this embodiment, a common floor plan is applied and the position of each scene is immutable.

The embodiment described below relates to the use of areas assigned to "stations." The seating area selection system of the embodiment applies a "group address system" by providing a "home area" in which the tables and seats used by workers are grouped together in a free-address "station." Seats (homes) to be used for daily work are determined within this "home area." The seating area selection system proposes (recommends) the location of the table assigned to the "home area" in response to a request from the worker. This is expected to stimulate communication both within and outside the group and to increase the worker's sense of belonging. Furthermore, free space is created by optimizing the layout of each group's work area (home area). The seating area selection system provides an opportunity to utilize the free space by providing it in a desired location. Details of this will be explained below.

(Application examples of the embodiment)
The following application example will be given to explain the embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a building to which the embodiment is applied.
A "station" is assigned to the target area TZ shown in (a) of FIG. 1. The number of workers using this target area TZ is determined based on the total number of seats at each table. For example, a total of about 30 to 50 people is expected. Although it is possible to accommodate up to the total number of seats, it is recommended to use up to about 80% of the total number of seats for convenience. For example, tables arranged in a "station" may have 4 to 6 seats per table. Each table is arranged, for example, at the intersection of a two-dimensional lattice. The size, shape, number of seats, etc. of each table may be uniform, or some of them may be different from each other. The number of tables and the arrangement position may be changed as appropriate without being limited to those shown in (a) of FIG. 1.

The diagram of the application example shown in (a) of FIG. 1 includes adjacent areas NZ1 and NZ2 in addition to the target area TZ described above. The adjacent area NZ1 is adjacent to the target area TZ. The adjacent area NZ1 is assigned to "Community," one of the scenes described above. In the "Community," for example, a place is provided where workers can communicate with each other. The target area TZ and adjacent area NZ1 are adjacent to the adjacent area NZ2, and the adjacent area NZ2 is provided with an "aisle" along the direction in which the target area TZ and adjacent area NZ1 are arranged side by side. (b) of FIG. 1 shows a legend for the information shown in the table portion shown in (a) of FIG. 1 above.

The position of the table within the target area TZ is indicated using XY coordinates. The origin of the XY coordinates is set at the point where the "community" and the "passage" meet. The X-axis direction is the direction along the extension direction of the "passage", and the Y-axis direction is the direction that intersects with the extension direction of the "passage".

In FIG. 1(a), "a1" to "a4", "b1" to "b4", and "c1" to "c4" each indicate a table with, for example, four seats.

Although not shown in the figure, the working hours of each group using the target area TZ are set to a common time period, and are not based on a shift system in which working hours differ from one another. Furthermore, a flextime system or overtime hours may be applied. For example, the time periods proposed by the seating area selection system may be either regular working hours or overtime hours, or both. In both cases, the seating area selection system may change the content of the proposals for regular working hours and overtime hours.

The area where free tables FT (not shown) that are not assigned to any group are located is called free space FS (not shown). The area where free tables FT are located together is called central table BB. Free tables FT are tables that have become available by leaving them vacant, but by adjusting the positions of the vacant seats, each group can use them for their own purposes as a place for communication, or individual workers can use them as a place to concentrate.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 2A is a schematic configuration diagram of a seating area selection system 1 according to an embodiment.
The seat area selection system 1 in this embodiment includes an analysis processing device 100, a terminal device 200, and a terminal device 200M. A worker is indicated by the symbol W. A manager is indicated by the symbol M. In the following description, descriptions of the symbols W and M are omitted.

The terminal device 200 is a device used by workers to post and view information. For example, each worker carries the same type of terminal device 200. The symbols GA, GB, GC, and GD in FIG. 2A indicate the groups to which the workers belong. Each worker can operate the terminal device 200 he or she carries to send information (e.g., responses to a questionnaire) to the analysis processing device 100, obtain information from the analysis processing device 100, and display the information on the display unit, thereby obtaining the location of tables available to the worker in the office.

The terminal device 200M is a device operated by the administrator M of the seat area selection system 1 to change the settings of the analysis processing device 100.

2B and 2C are diagrams for explaining an application example of the seating area selection system 1. FIG.
FIG. 2B shows a typical work style for one day.
For example, when a worker arrives at work at 9:00 or is scheduled to arrive at work (9:00), the seat area selection system 1 displays information on the worker's terminal device 200 (e.g., a smartphone) that guides the worker to the seat that he or she will use that day. The terminal device 200 may display this information in a pop-up format (FIG. 2C). The worker may operate a pop-up icon on the terminal device 200 to display (on a signage) related information regarding the seat guide.

Furthermore, for example, when it is time to leave work (e.g. 5:30 p.m.), the seating area selection system 1 displays information on the terminal device 200 (e.g. a smartphone) carried by the worker that guides the worker to the work area (seat) that will be used during overtime that day. The work area to be used during overtime is determined so that all groups fit within a partial area of the whole. Within this work area, the groups may be arranged in groups so that they are grouped together, or may be arranged in a general free address format.

In this way, the seating area selection system 1 can recommend work areas according to the way the office is used.

An example of the analysis processing device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the analysis processing device 100 of an embodiment. The analysis processing device 100 is an example of a computer system.

The analysis processing device 100 includes, for example, an information acquisition unit 10, a calculation unit 30, a recommendation processing unit 40, an output unit 50, and a memory unit 60 (not shown).

The memory unit 60 stores various data and programs for various processes executed by each unit of the seating area selection system 1, which will be described later. The seating area selection system 1 may be configured to use an external memory unit in addition to the memory unit 60, and a general method using communication may be applied to this.

The information acquisition unit 10 acquires various data related to the processing of the seat area selection system 1 from an operation unit not shown in FIG. 3 or via the communication line NW (FIG. 2A). The various data include, for example, basic information, information related to a questionnaire from the previous day (schedule information), and data on the amount of inter-organizational communication up to the previous day.

For example, the basic information includes various information such as the floor plan of the building, the work style of each target group, the personnel composition of the workers of each group, the arrangement of multiple tables, and the table priority order. The floor plan information includes information regarding the positional relationship and distance between the target area TZ used as a free address office and an area for specific uses located outside the target area TZ. The information regarding the questionnaire on the previous day includes the presence schedule for that day declared by the workers of each group, and whether or not there is a meeting scheduled for that day. The above-mentioned information regarding the questionnaire on the previous day is an example of schedule information related to the work on the day of use that is declared before the use of the multiple tables (the day before). The above-mentioned schedule information is an example of usage schedule information of the target area TZ. The usage schedule information of the target area TZ may include meeting schedule information of each group indicating a meeting scheduled within the target area TZ on the day of use of the target area TZ. The amount of communication between groups includes behavior history information (including location information) for several days up to the previous day.

When the information acquisition unit 10 acquires the various data described above, it writes and adds the acquired information to the storage unit 60. Each of the functional units described below adds to the storage unit 60 the various data acquired by the information acquisition unit 10 or the results of processing using the various data stored in the storage unit 60.

The calculation unit 30 calculates the number of tables required on the day of use (required number of tables) from among the multiple tables in the target area TZ to be used as tables that limit the usage pattern on that day, based on the above schedule information. The required number of tables includes the number of tables for each group and the number of free tables. More specifically, the required number of tables on the day of use includes the number of tables allocated for each group's exclusive use and the number of free tables FT allocated for shared use by each group. In this embodiment, processing based on the number of tables is described, but processing based on the number of seats may be used instead.

The calculation unit 30 calculates the number of people who answered that they have a meeting for each group based on the schedule information, and calculates the meeting ratio, attendance rate, etc. based on this. The calculation unit 30 calculates the amount of communication between groups based on the behavior history information. The inter-group proximity is an example of the amount of communication between groups.

Based on the above-mentioned schedule information, the recommendation processing unit 40 determines the priority of group arrangement for determining the table to be used by each of multiple groups, including the first group and the second group, within the target area TZ. For example, the group with the higher priority of group arrangement is called the first group. In this case, the second group has a lower priority than the first group. The same applies below.

Furthermore, the recommendation processing unit 40 places the areas of the second group, which has a lower priority than the group placement priority of the first group, in an area other than the area in which the areas of the first group are placed so as to satisfy the required number of tables. This determines the position of the area of the second group. Note that the placement of this area of the second group shall follow the rules for placing the areas of the second group, which will be described later.

The recommendation processing unit 40 may select free tables FT that are permitted for use by members of the first group and members of the second group as appropriate to meet the required number of tables.

The output unit 50 receives requests from external terminal devices and outputs the results of the processing by the recommendation processing unit 40 to the terminal devices in response to the requests.

An example of various types of information related to the example shown in the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4A to 4C.

Figure 4A is a diagram for explaining an example of information related to a table in an embodiment. The "table master" shown in Figure 4A stores information related to each table. The "table master" includes items such as the table ID, number of seats, coordinates (X coordinate, Y coordinate), center table, extraction order, and table priority. Each record in the "table master" is provided for each table.

The table ID is identification information for each table. The number of seats is the number of seats at each table. The X coordinate indicates the coordinate in the X direction of each table, and the Y coordinate indicates the coordinate in the Y direction. The table priority is the priority of the table to be selected when arranging the group.

The central table indicates information for identifying it as a table within central table BB, and information defining the priority of tables within central table BB. For example, "0" indicates that it is not set as central table BB, and any number other than "0" indicates that the respective table is set as a central table. The priority of tables within central table BB is defined, for example, with "1" being the highest priority, and the higher the consecutive number, the lower the priority.

The extraction order indicates the result of a specified calculation process related to table allocation. For example, the extraction order is defined as "1" being the highest priority, and the higher the consecutive number, the lower the priority.

The table priority is the priority of the table selected when arranging the group. For table priority, for example, "1" is defined as the highest priority, and the higher the consecutive number, the lower the priority.

4B is a diagram for explaining an example of information related to groups according to the embodiment. The "group master" shown in FIG. 4B stores information related to each group.
The "group master" includes items such as group ID, name, number of members, number of people scheduled to be present, number of tables required, number of people scheduled to have meetings, ratio of people scheduled to have meetings, not first flag, and group processing order.

For example, the group ID is identification information for each group, the name indicates the name of each group, and the number of members indicates the number of members in each group.
The number of people expected to be present indicates the number of people expected to be present on that day. For example, it may be a value obtained by tallying up the number of people expected to be present on that day based on the results of a survey. The number of tables required indicates the number of tables required to allocate the people expected to be present based on the number of people expected to be present.

The number of people planning to have a meeting indicates the number of people who have a meeting scheduled among those who are planning to enroll. For example, it may be a value obtained by tallying the number of people who answered that they have a meeting scheduled among those who are planning to enroll, based on the results of a survey. The ratio of people planning to have a meeting indicates the proportion of people who answered that they have a meeting scheduled among those who are planning to be present. For example, it may be the ratio of the "number of people planning to have a meeting" to the above-mentioned "number of people planning to be present."

The "don't make first" flag indicates information to prevent a group from being placed in the top priority table when performing group placement processing. For example, a value of 1 is set for a group that should not be placed in the top priority table. The group priority indicates the order in which the next group to be processed is selected in the group placement process. This group priority is recalculated and updated each time processing is performed, referring to the basic data of the group master, the proximity between groups, output history, etc.

The basic data of the group master may include information based on survey results, etc., such as the group ID, number of members, number of people scheduled to be present, number of tables required, number of people scheduled to have meetings, ratio of people scheduled to have meetings, and a flag to not be first. A known method such as that described in JP 2016-115006 A may be used to calculate the proximity between groups. The group priority order in the "group master" may also be specified as a consecutive number starting from 1, similar to the table priority order described above.

Figure 4C is a diagram for explaining an example of data resulting from processing in an embodiment. The "output data" shown in Figure 4E stores data resulting from processing. The "output data" includes items such as table ID, number of seats, group ID, group name, number in use, and number of empty seats. For example, the number of seats indicates the number of seats that can be assigned to each table. A group associated with a group ID is assigned to each table associated with a table ID, and the number of groups is stored as the number of seats in use. The number of empty seats is the result of subtracting the number of seats in use from the number of seats at each table.

Figure 4C shows an example of the state when 10 members of group A are distributed and assigned to three tables, "a1", "a2", and "b1". Four members are assigned to each of tables "a1" and "a2", and there are no vacant seats. In contrast, two members are assigned to table "b1", and there are two vacant seats. All other tables are vacant.

An overview of the recommendation process according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a recommendation process according to the embodiment.

The recommendation processing unit 40 determines the priority order of the groups (step S1). This will be described in detail later.

The recommendation processing unit 40 acquires the group ID and the number of people expected to be present according to the group priority (step S2), and arranges each group in a table based on this (step S3), and adds the result to the output data. The details of this will be described later.

The recommendation processing unit 40 refers to the output data and obtains the number of allocated seats (step S4). The recommendation processing unit 40 compares the number of people scheduled to be present with the number of allocated seats to determine whether the number of people scheduled to be present is less than or equal to the number of allocated seats (number of people scheduled to be present ≦ number of allocated seats) (step S5). If the number of people scheduled to be present exceeds the number of allocated seats, the recommendation processing unit 40 continues processing of that group and performs processing from step S3.

If the number of people expected to be present is equal to or less than the number of allocated seats, the recommendation processing unit 40 attempts to finish processing the group and switch to processing the next group. For example, the recommendation processing unit 40 identifies whether processing of all groups has been completed (step S6). If processing of all groups is still in an incomplete stage, in which processing has not been completed, the recommendation processing unit 40 performs processing from step S2 to switch to processing of the next group.

When processing of all groups has been completed, the recommendation processing unit 40 outputs the history information (step S7) and ends the series of processes.

The above process is carried out at the request of an administrator or at a predetermined time. Below, we will provide more specific processing examples and explain each step in more detail.

First, referring to FIG. 6, an example of the process for determining the priority of each group related to step S1 (FIG. 5) described above will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the process for determining the priority of groups in an embodiment. The process illustrated in FIG. 6 may be applied to the results extracted as the group to be initially assigned, when ensuring a balance between groups, etc.

The recommendation processing unit 40 calculates the ratio of people who have meetings scheduled based on the results of the previous day's survey (step S11).

The groups can be sorted based on the "not first flag", the ratio of people scheduled to meet, and the priority order of the groups to be selected to determine the selection order of the groups to be processed. The recommendation processing unit 40 extracts the group that is at the top of this selection order as the group to be processed (step S12).

For example, for the "Don't prioritize" flag, groups without that flag are given priority over groups with that flag. For the ratio of people scheduled to have meetings, groups with a relatively high ratio are given priority. In other words, in the case of the ratio of people scheduled to have meetings, selection is made in descending order. The priority order of groups follows their priority. The priority order of the group master may be used as the priority order of groups.

The recommendation processing unit 40 calculates the percentage of times the extracted group was assigned first during a predetermined period in the past (e.g., 30 days) (step S13). The recommendation processing unit 40 determines whether the percentage exceeds a predetermined ratio (e.g., 30%) (step S14).

If the ratio does not exceed the specified ratio, the recommendation processing unit 40 determines the extracted group as the "first priority group" (step S15).

If the ratio exceeds the predetermined ratio, the recommendation processing unit 40 determines whether there are any groups among all the groups to be evaluated that have not yet been evaluated, in other words, whether the group to be evaluated is the last group (step S16).

If it is not the last group, the recommendation processing unit 40 extracts the next group to be evaluated from the groups that have not yet been evaluated (step S17).

If it is the last group, the recommendation processing unit 40 determines the group that was placed at the top of the selection order in the processing of step S12 as the "first priority group" (step S18).

The recommendation processing unit 40 determines the processing order for the second and subsequent groups (step S19).

The process for determining the processing order of the second and subsequent groups may use the proximity between groups. For example, the proximity between groups may be determined based on information about the amount of communication between groups based on past behavioral history. In this case, when members of two or more groups are located within a specified range, the time and number of people who stayed in that location for a specified period of time (e.g., five minutes) or more are measured, and the total time (product of time and number of people) for one week is divided by the number of people in the group.

For example, suppose group A has 5 members and group B has 10 members.
If three people from group A and three people from group B meet for 10 minutes, and two people from group A and two people from group B meet for 20 minutes, respectively, the inter-group proximity of group A and group B is calculated according to the following formulas (1) to (3). The inter-group proximity is an example of an index showing the degree of association between groups.

A: (30+40)/5 people = 14 minutes...(1)
B: (30+40)/10 people = 7 minutes...(2)
Proximity between groups A and B: 14 + 7 = 21 minutes ... (3)

Using the same method as above, calculate the inter-group proximity between two groups for each group.

If there are multiple groups with the same inter-group proximity value, the ranking may be determined using the following conditions.

The one that has been placed adjacent to each other the least number of times in the past (called the number of adjacent times) is selected (first condition).
Select the one that was placed in close proximity the previous time (second condition).

The above conditions may be combined. For example, the first condition is applied first, and if the number of proximity events is also the same as the first condition, the second condition is applied.

The process for determining the processing order for the second and subsequent groups is not limited to the above, and any known method for determining the order may be used.

The above process can be used to determine the priority of each group.

Next, an example of the process of arranging each group in a table related to step S3 (FIG. 5) described above will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the process of arranging each group in a table according to the embodiment.

The recommendation processing unit 40 identifies whether or not this is the first table arrangement for the group with the acquired group ID (step S31).

If the placement is for the first table in the group with the acquired group ID, the recommendation processing unit 40 identifies whether the group with the acquired group ID has been extracted as the first group among the groups to be placed (step S32).

If the first group has been extracted, the recommendation processing unit 40 places the first table of that group at the table with the first table priority order (step S34), and ends the series of processes. This allows the first table of the group to be placed first to be placed at the table with the first table priority order.

If a group other than the first group, i.e., a second or subsequent group, has been extracted, the recommendation processing unit 40 places the group to be placed in a table with a high table priority among tables adjacent to the table of the group processed immediately before the group to be placed and that have not yet been assigned (step S35), and ends the series of processes. This allows the first table of the second or subsequent group to be placed adjacent to the previous group.

If the processing is not for placing the first table of the group with the acquired group ID, the recommendation processing unit 40 places the group in a table with a high table priority among tables adjacent to the table in which the group with that group ID is placed and that have not yet been assigned (step S33), and ends the series of processing. This allows the second and subsequent tables in each group to be placed in order.

The above process allows processing to be performed according to the group allocation order by identifying the group allocation order within each group and whether the allocation process is for the first table within the same group.

(First Application Example)
Next, with reference to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9A to FIG. 9D, an application example (first application example) of the process of arranging tables in a group adjacent to each other in the above step S35 (FIG. 7) will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the process of arranging tables in a group adjacent to each other in the embodiment. FIG. 9A to FIG. 9D are diagrams for explaining tables extracted in the process shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 9A (a) shows the extracted tables with thick hatching. The diagonal hatching shows the starting table. FIG. 9A (b) shows a list including items corresponding to the table master. This list is the table master with the "abscissa" and "ordinate" omitted, and shows the tables extracted in each process. FIG. 9B to FIG. 9D are similar to FIG. 9A.

The recommendation processing unit 40 acquires the coordinates of the first table (step S81) and sets this as the starting point. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 9A to FIG. 9D, the first table of group X has already been placed at "a1" and is set as the starting point. Below, an example is given of placing the second table of group X. Group X can be any of groups A to D, and is shown as an example for explanation purposes.

The recommendation processing unit 40 extracts tables that are free within a range of ±1 from the starting point in the vertical or horizontal direction as candidates for placement (referred to as first candidates) (step S82). For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, by extraction starting from "a1", "b1" and "a2" are extracted as first candidates. The recommendation processing unit 40 adds "1", which indicates the first candidate, to the extracted "b1" and "a2" as data in the extraction order of the table master.

The recommendation processing unit 40 extracts vacant tables within a range of ±1 in a diagonal direction from the starting point as candidate tables for placement (step S83). For example, as shown in FIG. 9B, "b2" is extracted as the second candidate by extraction starting from "a1". The recommendation processing unit 40 adds "2", indicating the second candidate, to the extracted "b2" as data in the extraction order of the table master.

The recommendation processing unit 40 extracts empty tables within a range of ±2 vertically or horizontally from the starting point as candidate tables for placement (step S84). For example, as shown in FIG. 9C, by extracting from "a1" as the starting point, "b1", "c2", "a2", and "a3" are extracted as third candidates. The recommendation processing unit 40 adds "3", which indicates the third candidate, to the extracted "b1", "c2", "a2", and "a3" as data in the extraction order of the table master.

The recommendation processing unit 40 extracts all available tables as candidate tables for placement (step S85). Available tables are tables for which group assignment has not yet been completed. For example, as shown in FIG. 9D, by extraction starting from "a1", all tables other than "a1" are extracted as the fourth candidate. The recommendation processing unit 40 adds "4", indicating the fourth candidate, to the extraction order data of the table master for all tables other than "a1".

The recommendation processing unit 40 identifies whether or not there are no extracted tables (step S86). If there are no extracted tables, the recommendation processing unit 40 stops the process since there are no free tables (step S89).

If any tables have been extracted, the recommendation processing unit 40 sorts the tables extracted as candidates for placement according to a predetermined rule (step S87). The recommendation processing unit 40 places the table that has been sorted to the top (step S88), and ends the series of processes.

Here, an example of rearranging tables extracted as candidates for placement will be described with reference to FIG. 10, FIG. 11A, and FIG. 11B. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the process of rearranging tables extracted as candidates for placement in an embodiment. FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B are diagrams for explaining an example of the results of rearranging candidates for placement.

The recommendation processing unit 40 integrates the data of the tables extracted as the first to fourth candidates (step S871). At this time, the data of the tables extracted repeatedly will be duplicated, but the following processing may be continued.

The recommendation processing unit 40 determines whether the ratio of the number of tables that will become vacant to the total number of tables in the placement target reaches a predetermined value (referred to as threshold K) (step S872). For example, threshold K is set to half.

When the ratio does not reach a predetermined threshold value K, that is, when the ratio of free tables is less than the threshold value K, it is advisable to perform rearrangement so that tables near the center (tables in the BB area) are secured for use as free tables FT. More specifically, the recommendation processing unit 40 first performs sorting using data on items in the central table (step S873), and arranges the allocation of tables near the center so that they are at the end of the candidates. Next, the recommendation processing unit 40 performs sorting using data on items in the extraction order in the group master (e.g., Figures 11A and 11B) (step S874), and finally performs sorting using data on items in the table priority order (step S875). This makes it possible to obtain the result shown in Figure 11A.

On the other hand, when the ratio reaches a predetermined threshold value K, that is, when the ratio of free tables is equal to or greater than the threshold value K, it is advisable to perform rearrangement without reserving tables near the center (tables in the BB area) as free tables FT. More specifically, the recommendation processing unit 40 proceeds to step S874 without performing sorting using data on items in the central table. This makes it possible to obtain a result as shown in FIG. 11B, which is different from the result described above.

Comparing Figure 11A and Figure 11B, the first table remains "b1". In the case of Figure 11B, the tables "b2" and "b3" that are assigned to the items in the central table are assigned later in the list than the center. This is different from the case of Figure 11A, where they are assigned to the end of the list.

According to the above application example, the seating area selection system 1 can arrange tables adjacent to each other for use by members of a group.

(Second Application Example)
Next, an application example (second application example) of the adjacent arrangement process of groups related to step S34 (FIG. 7) will be described with reference to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13A to FIG. 13D. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the adjacent arrangement process of groups according to an embodiment. FIG. 13A to FIG. 13D are diagrams for explaining tables extracted in the process shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 12 and FIG. 13A to FIG. 13D correspond to the above-mentioned FIG. 8 and FIG. 9A to FIG. 9D.

The recommendation processing unit 40 acquires the coordinates of all tables of the previously processed group (step S81A) and sets these as the starting point. For example, in the example shown in Figures 13A to 13D, the second table of group A has already been placed at "a1" and "b1", and the table of group B is placed using these as the starting point. The notation in Figures 13A to 13D is the same as that in Figures 9A to 9D described above.

The recommendation processing unit 40 extracts tables that are free within a range of ±1 in the vertical or horizontal direction from each starting point as candidates for placement (referred to as first candidates) (step S82A). For example, as shown in FIG. 13A, by extracting from "a1" and "b1" as starting points, "c1", "a2", and "b2" are extracted as first candidates. The recommendation processing unit 40 adds "1", which indicates the first candidate, to the extracted "c1", "a2", and "b2" as data in the extraction order of the table master.

The recommendation processing unit 40 extracts vacant tables within a range of ±1 in a diagonal direction from each starting point as candidate tables for placement (step S83A). For example, as shown in FIG. 13B, by extracting from "a1" and "b1" as starting points, "a2", "b2", and "c2" are extracted as second candidates. The recommendation processing unit 40 adds "2", which indicates the second candidate, to the extracted "a2", "b2", and "c2" as data in the extraction order of the table master.

The recommendation processing unit 40 extracts empty tables within a range of ±2 in the vertical or horizontal direction from each starting point as candidate tables for placement (step S84A). For example, as shown in FIG. 13C, by extracting from "a1" and "b1" as starting points, "c1", "a2", "b2", "a3", and "b3" are extracted as third candidates. The recommendation processing unit 40 adds "3", indicating the third candidate, to the extracted "c1", "a2", "b2", "a3", and "b3" as data in the extraction order of the table master.

The recommendation processing unit 40 extracts all available tables as candidate tables for placement (step S85A). Available tables are tables for which group assignment has not yet been completed. For example, as shown in FIG. 13D, by extracting tables starting from "a1" and "b1", all tables except "a1" and "b1" are extracted as the fourth candidate. The recommendation processing unit 40 adds "4", which indicates the fourth candidate, to the extraction order data of the table master for all tables except "a1" and "b1".

The recommendation processing unit 40 determines whether or not there are no extracted tables (step S86). After this, the processes from step S87 to step S89 are the same as those in FIG. 8 described above.

Now, with reference to Figures 14A and 14B, an example of rearranging tables extracted as candidates for placement will be described. Figures 14A and 14B are diagrams for explaining an example of the results of rearranging candidates for placement. Figures 14A and 14B correspond to Figures 11A and 11B described above.

When the ratio of the number of free tables to the total number of tables in the placement target does not reach a specified value, i.e., when there are relatively few free tables, the result shown in Figure 14A is obtained.

On the other hand, when that ratio reaches a certain value, meaning there are a relatively large number of free tables, the results shown in Figure 14B can be obtained.

Comparing Figure 14A and Figure 14B, the first table remains "c1". In the case of Figure 14B, the tables "b2" and "b3" that are assigned to items in the central table are scattered throughout the list. For example, "b2" is assigned as the third table from the top of the list. This is different from the case of Figure 14A, where it is assigned to the end of the list.

According to the above application example, the seating area selection system 1 can arrange tables adjacent to each other that are used by core groups that are highly related to each other.

The seating area selection system 1 of any of the above embodiments is equipped with a recommendation processing unit 40 that selects tables to be used by each group based on table priority indicating the priority of selecting tables to be placed from among multiple tables placed in a target area used as a free address office, the placement order of each group, the number of required tables determined for each group based on the usage schedule of each group, and assigned table identification information indicating the tables that have been assigned in the target area, with regard to group placement in which each group determines which table to use from among multiple tables placed in the target area, thereby reducing bias in the tendency of allocating positions to be used by groups in a free address office.

The recommendation processing unit 40 may determine the first group to be preferentially placed from among the groups according to a first selection criterion using the planned usage information of the target area TZ and auxiliary information for reducing bias in the group placement tendency. In this case, the auxiliary information for reducing bias in the placement tendency may include either identification information indicating that the group is to be excluded from being selected as the first group, or history information indicating the history of being selected as the first group. A "not first flag" may be applied to the identification information indicating that the group is to be excluded from being selected as the first group. The number of times the group was selected during a specified period may also be applied to the history information indicating the history of being selected as the first group.

The recommendation processing unit 40 may exclude the first group from each group and determine the arrangement order of the second and subsequent groups according to a second selection criterion different from the first selection criterion. The second selection criterion may be defined using the relevance between each group. This allows the second group to be assigned according to the situation after the assignment of the first group has been completed.

When allocating the first table to a group selected from among the groups, the recommendation processing unit 40 may determine the table to be selected depending on whether the group is the first group or not. This allows a predetermined desired table to be allocated to the first table of the first group. At that time, the recommendation processing unit 40 may determine the table to be selected according to the allocation priority of each table in the target area TZ.

When allocating the first table to a second group or later, the recommendation processing unit 40 can determine the position of each group in accordance with the table priority order by determining the table to be selected from among the tables adjacent to the table allocated to the group before the target group, in accordance with the table priority order.

The above describes an embodiment of the present invention, and the seating area selection system 1 has an internal computer system. The series of steps related to the above-mentioned processes are stored in the form of a program on a computer-readable storage medium, and the above-mentioned processes are performed by the computer reading and executing this program. Here, computer-readable storage medium refers to a magnetic disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, semiconductor memory, etc. Also, this computer program may be distributed to a computer via a communication line, and the computer that receives this distribution may execute the program. Also, the "computer system" here includes an OS, etc.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above. For example, the embodiment of the present invention may be modified as follows.
For example, in the above embodiment, for convenience, the configuration related to the present invention has been described as each function of the seat area selection system 1 being integrated into one device, but each function may also be appropriately distributed across multiple devices.

1 seat area selection system, 10 information acquisition unit, 30 calculation unit, 40 recommendation processing unit, 50 output unit, 60 storage unit, 100 analysis processing device, 200, 200M terminal device

Claims (9)

A seating area selection system including a computer that supports group arrangements that determine which table each group will use from among a plurality of tables that are arranged in a target area used as a free address office,
an information acquisition unit that adds the acquired information to a storage unit;
a recommendation processing unit that selects a table to be used by each of the groups based on table priority order information stored in the storage unit, the table priority order information indicating the priority of selecting tables to be placed from among the plurality of tables in the target area, the placement order information of each of the groups, information on the number of required tables determined for each group based on the usage schedule information of each of the groups, and assigned table identification information indicating tables that have been assigned in the target area;
an output unit that outputs information on a table to be used by each of the selected groups in response to the received request;
Equipped with
The auxiliary information for reducing bias in the arrangement tendency includes either identification information indicating that the target is to be excluded from being selected as the first group or history information indicating a history of being selected as the first group;
The recommendation processing unit is
The process of determining a first group to be preferentially arranged from among the groups uses the utilization schedule information of the target area and auxiliary information for reducing bias in group arrangement tendency .
Seating area selection system. The recommendation processing unit is
performing a process of determining an arrangement order of the second group and subsequent groups from among the groups, excluding the first group, and adding information on the determined arrangement order to the storage unit;
The seating area selection system according to claim 1 . The recommendation processing unit is
information on the degree of association between the groups is used in the process of determining the arrangement order of the second group and subsequent groups;
The seating area selection system according to claim 2 . The recommendation processing unit is
When allocating a first table to a group selected from among the groups based on the arrangement order information of each group , a process is performed to determine a table to be selected depending on whether the information indicating the selected group is information indicating the first group , and the determined arrangement order information is added to the storage unit .
The seating area selection system according to claim 2 or 3 . The recommendation processing unit is
performing a process of determining the tables to be selected based on information on the allocation priority order of each table in the target area , and adding information on the determined arrangement order to the storage unit ;
The seating area selection system according to claim 4 . The recommendation processing unit is
When allocating a first table to the second or subsequent groups based on the arrangement order information of each group , a table allocated to a group prior to the target group is identified based on the allocated table identification information , and a table to be selected is determined from among the tables adjacent to the allocated table by a process using information on the identification result and the table priority order information , and information on the determination result is added to the storage unit .
The seating area selection system according to claim 4 or 5 . The seating area selection system according to claim 1 , wherein the usage schedule information of the target area includes meeting schedule information of each of the groups indicating meetings scheduled within the target area on the day the target area is to be used. A computer-implemented seating area selection method for supporting group arrangements in which each group determines which table to use from among a plurality of tables arranged in a target area used as a free address office, comprising the steps of:
By computer,
Add the acquired information to the storage unit,
selecting a table to be used by each of the groups based on a table priority order indicating a priority for selecting a table to be placed from among the plurality of tables in the target area, which is stored in the storage unit, an order of placement of each of the groups, a number of required tables determined for each group based on a usage schedule of each of the groups, and assigned table identification information indicating tables that have been assigned in the target area;
outputting information on a table used by each of the selected groups in response to the received request;
A seating area selection method, in which the auxiliary information for reducing bias in the placement tendency includes either identification information indicating that the seat is to be excluded from being selected as the first group, or historical information indicating a history of being selected as the first group . Regarding group arrangement in which each group determines which table to use from among a plurality of tables arranged within a target area used as a free address office,
On the computer,
Add the acquired information to the memory unit,
selecting a table to be used by each of the groups based on a table priority order indicating a priority for selecting a table to be placed from among the plurality of tables in the target area, which is stored in the storage unit, an order of placement of each of the groups, a number of required tables determined for each group based on a usage schedule of each of the groups, and assigned table identification information indicating tables that have been assigned in the target area;
outputting information on a table to be used by each of the selected groups in response to the received request;
A program for executing
A program, wherein the auxiliary information for reducing bias in the placement tendency includes either identification information indicating that the target is to be excluded from being selected as the first group, or historical information indicating a history of being selected as the first group .

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