JP7790116B2 - Spatial environment control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a spatial environment adjustment device that adjusts the spatial environment for office work.

Devices and methods for increasing people's intellectual productivity have long been studied.

Patent Document 1 discloses a learning support device that can efficiently improve abilities such as logical thinking, reading comprehension, and inference. The learning support device uses a software program equipped with a story memory unit, information display unit, character reception unit, figure reception unit, frame creation unit, and frame display unit, and the device itself uses a smartphone, tablet computer, or similar device. Learners are said to be able to develop the ability to infer a story by reading the screen and text information on the software.

Patent Document 2 discloses a game device, game control method, and game program that can simultaneously improve calculation skills and planning abilities. In general, the game involves using multiple colored pens to select multiple areas on a figure divided (sectioned) into multiple regions, ensuring that no areas of the same color are adjacent, and then adding up the numerical values assigned to each pen associated with each region to match the total to a target numerical value.

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

Patent Document 4 discloses a method for developing intellectual abilities that reliably builds up basic abilities in order to acquire sufficient "problem-solving ability" needed to survive in the real world. Specifically, using diagrams displayed on a printed sheet or computer, the method involves training in the following order: visual field expansion training, attention training, memory training, reasoning and thinking skills training, insight and relational comprehension training, spatial awareness and directional perception training, and spatial comprehension training.

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

Patent documents 6 and 7 disclose lighting systems that adjust the color temperature of lighting to reduce discomfort felt by users, thereby increasing the user's concentration and improving intellectual productivity.

Patent documents 8 to 11 disclose methods for evaluating a person's condition, including monitoring the autonomic nervous system using skin conductance, estimating mental load, evaluating stress, and estimating tension. Patent document 8 discloses a method and device for simultaneously displaying a sedated patient's possible pain/discomfort state and possible state of alertness based on measurements of the patient's skin conductance.

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

Patent document 10 discloses a stress measurement device (wearable device) and method for determining a user's long-term stress level.

Patent document 11 discloses a driver state detection device that can more accurately estimate the driver's level of tension.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-166174 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-032114 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-206566 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-175004 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-200959 JP 2015-22939 A JP 2015-22944 A Patent No. 4444099 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-104516 Special table 2014-514080 publication JP 2017-42262 A

The present invention aims to provide a spatial environment control device that adjusts the spatial environment for each office worker, thereby increasing the worker's intellectual productivity. The present invention also aims to provide a spatial environment control device that adjusts the spatial environment according to the state of the office worker, thereby increasing the worker's intellectual productivity.

The spatial environment control device of the present invention is a spatial environment control device that controls the spatial environment of a worker's office work, and is equipped with a worker identification unit that identifies a target worker from among a plurality of workers, a memory unit in which colors suitable for the office work of each of the plurality of workers are pre-stored, a color presentation unit that presents colors in a changeable manner for the area that the worker views while working, a control unit that controls the color presentation unit so that the color presentation unit presents colors suitable for the office work of the target worker identified by the worker identification unit that are stored in the memory unit, and a detection unit that detects an index that represents the sympathetic nervous activity of the target worker, and is characterized in that the control unit controls the color presented by the color presentation unit so that the index detected by the detection unit falls within a range that has been pre-stored in the memory unit as a range suitable for the office work of the target worker .

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

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

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

In the spatial environment control device of the present invention, the first and second volatile components may include volatile components that act on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) neuroreceptors present in the human olfactory system.

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

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

In the spatial environment control device of the present invention, the clerical work may be work that requires at least one of information processing ability, calculation ability, and logical thinking ability.

According to the present invention, the spatial environment can be adjusted for each office worker, thereby increasing the worker's intellectual productivity. According to the present invention, the spatial environment can be adjusted according to the office worker's condition, thereby increasing the worker's intellectual productivity.

FIG. 1 is a front view of an office desk-type spatial environment control device. FIG. 1 is a side view of an office desk-type spatial environment control device. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an office desk-type spatial environment control device. FIG. 1 is a front view of a conference table-type spatial environment control device. FIG. 1 is a side view of a conference table type spatial environment control device. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a conference table type spatial environment control device. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an organic EL variable panel. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an LED light variable plate. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a triangular prism-shaped variable plate. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a roller-type variable plate. FIG. 10 is a front view of a finger-insertion type human state recognition unit. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional plan view of a finger-insertion type human state recognition unit. FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of a finger-insertion type human state recognition unit. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating how a wristwatch-type human state recognition unit is used. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wristwatch-type human state recognition unit. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the spatial environment control device. 10 is a flowchart of a process for searching for a range of colors and skin conductance suitable for each worker's office work. 10 is a flowchart of a process for adjusting the spatial environment of the spatial environment adjustment device.

An embodiment of the present invention is described below. This embodiment is an example of implementing the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

Figure 1 is a front view of an office desk-type spatial environment control device 1 (automatic spatial environment control device) according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a side view of the spatial environment control device 1 of Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a plan view of the spatial environment control device 1 of Figure 1. The spatial environment control device 1 is configured with two chairs 16 arranged facing each other, allowing a worker (not shown) to sit in each chair 16 and perform office work. The spatial environment control device 1 comprises a plant presentation unit 2, volatile component presentation units 3-5, color presentation units 6 and 7, and a sound presentation unit 8.

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

An electric lifting motor 17 is installed below the plant presentation unit 2. By lowering the plant presentation unit 2 using the electric lifting motor 17, removing the side walls 6, and adding chairs 16, the spatial environment control device 1 can be transformed into a conference table-type spatial environment control device 1 as shown in Figure 4. Figure 5 is a side view of the spatial environment control device 1 in Figure 4, and Figure 6 is a plan view of the spatial environment control device 1 in Figure 4.

As shown in Figure 1, the volatile component presenting units 3-5 are arranged vertically at one end of the plant presenting unit 2. The first volatile component presenting unit 3 is a unit that releases a first essential oil component, and the second volatile component presenting unit 4 is a unit that releases a second essential oil component. The third volatile component presenting unit 5 is a unit that adsorbs and releases volatile components from the plant 10 of the plant presenting unit 2.

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

The second volatile component presentation unit 4 is a component that releases volatile components (such as linalool) that can stimulate the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) nerve receptors present in the olfactory system of humans and other organisms by stimulating the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) nerves, and volatile components (such as pinene) that can stimulate the parasympathetic nerve receptors (e.g., muscarinic receptors) present in the olfactory system of humans and other organisms by stimulating the parasympathetic nerves. When a worker smells these volatile components, the worker's mental stress is reduced and the relaxation effect is further enhanced.

The first and second volatile component presentation units 3 and 4 are each provided with a shutter (not shown). The first and second volatile component presentation units 3 and 4 are each configured so that their volatile components are released when the shutter is open and not released when the shutter is closed. This allows for selective release of the volatile components from the first volatile component presentation unit 3 and the second volatile component presentation unit 4. By opening the shutter of the first volatile component presentation unit 3 and closing the shutter of the second volatile component presentation unit 4, only the volatile component from the first volatile component presentation unit 3 is released, thereby increasing the worker's sympathetic nervous activity. Furthermore, by opening the shutter of the second volatile component presentation unit 4 and closing the shutter of the first volatile component presentation unit 3, only the volatile component from the second volatile component presentation unit 4 is released, thereby reducing the worker's sympathetic nervous activity.

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

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

The second color display unit 7 is the desk top or a part built into the desk top. The second color display unit 7 is configured to be able to selectively display multiple colors on the top surface of the desk top (the surface visible to the worker) in Figure 1. The second color display unit 7 is configured to be able to change the color of part or all of the top surface.

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

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

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

The first and second color presentation units 6, 7 may also be, for example, roller-type variable plates 61 as shown in Figure 10. The roller-type variable plate 61 includes a transparent plate 62 arranged on the outside, first and second colored sheets 63, 64 arranged on the inside and joined to form a ring in cross section, and a DC motor 65 for rotating the first and second colored sheets 63, 64. By rotating the DC motor 65, the roller-type variable plate 61 can change the sheet located on the transparent plate 62 side to either the first colored sheet 63 or the second colored sheet 64, allowing the worker to see either of the two colors.

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

The sound presentation unit 8 is a speaker and is located above the volatile component presentation units 3 to 5. The sound presentation unit 8 outputs natural sounds such as the murmuring of a river or the chirping of birds to provide a sense of relaxation to the worker. It is recommended that the sound presentation unit 8 output sounds from a high-resolution audio source.

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

The human condition recognition unit may be a wristwatch-type human condition recognition unit 81 as shown in Figures 12 and 13. As shown in Figure 13, this human condition recognition unit 81 has an electrode 82 embedded on the side that comes into contact with the skin of the worker's hand, making it possible to measure skin conductance. Furthermore, by having the index finger of the worker's right hand come into contact with a knob adjuster 83, this human condition recognition unit 81 measures LF (Low Frequency) and HF (High Frequency) from heart rate variability and calculates sympathetic nervous activity using the following (Equation 1), making it possible to evaluate sympathetic nervous activity.

Sympathetic nervous activity = LF (Low Frequency) / HF (High Frequency)... (Equation 1)

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

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

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

The personal authentication unit 104 performs personal authentication (identification of the worker) using, for example, login information entered from the keyboard of the PC 13. The personal authentication unit 104 may also perform personal authentication using a facial image of the worker captured by a camera attached to the display of the PC 13, the worker's fingerprint, etc.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By performing a performance evaluation for each color in this way, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 determines the color (presented color) that resulted in the highest information processing ability of the target worker and the skin conductance at that time. Furthermore, for example, the measured skin conductance value when the color (presented color) that resulted in the highest information processing ability is used as the median, and a predetermined range is determined as the range of skin conductance (lower limit, upper limit) suitable for clerical work (information processing). The learning/processing unit 110 of the PC 13 links the target worker, the color (color that resulted in the highest information processing ability) suitable for the target worker's clerical work (information processing), and the range of skin conductance (lower limit, upper limit) suitable for the target worker's clerical work (information processing), and stores this as learning data 114 in the memory unit 102.

By performing the above process for each worker, learning data 114 for each worker is stored in the memory unit 102.

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

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

Specifically, in S154, the plant presentation unit 2 is presented. In this embodiment, the plant presentation unit 2 is always presented. Next, in S156, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 closes the shutter of the first volatile component presentation unit 3 and opens the shutter of the second volatile component presentation unit 4. This causes the volatile components from the second volatile component presentation unit 4 to act on the parasympathetic receptors present in the target worker's olfactory sense, thereby reducing the target worker's sympathetic nervous activity. Next, in S158, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 controls the first and second color presentation units 6 and 7 to present color 5 (here, pink). Then, in S160, the control unit 100 of the PC 13 controls the sound presentation unit 8 to output a relaxing sound from the sound presentation unit 8. Then, in S162, the target worker is asked to perform clerical work. Steps S154 to S162 are then repeated until the detected skin conductance falls below the upper limit of the range of skin conductance suitable for the target worker's office work (S152: No). This allows the target worker's sympathetic nervous activity to be reduced.

The above explanation was about assessing information processing abilities and finding the colors and skin conductance ranges (lower and upper limits) suitable for information processing for each worker, but the same thing can also be done for calculation (assessment based on the number of correct addition answers) and logical thinking (assessment based on the number of correct Sudoku answers). As a result, the colors and skin conductance ranges (lower and upper limits) suitable for each worker's information processing, calculation, and logical thinking tasks are recorded in the memory unit 102 as learning data 114.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the embodiment described above, a skin conductance range suitable for clerical work for each worker was obtained by conducting a performance assessment in advance, but this learning step may be omitted. For example, a skin conductance range (lower limit, upper limit) suitable for clerical work shared by multiple workers may be stored in the memory unit 102 of the PC 13, and the flow of FIG. 16 may be controlled using this range. In this case, there is no need to identify the worker through personal authentication. In this case, in the flow of FIG. 16, it is also advisable to present colors in an order that increases the sympathetic nerve activity when the detected skin conductance is low, for example, color 1 = yellow, color 2 = green, color 3 = blue, and color 4 = red.

In the above-described embodiment, control is performed using skin conductance, but control may also be performed using an index other than skin conductance that represents the worker's sympathetic nervous activity (including the sympathetic nervous activity itself). In the above-described embodiment, relaxing sounds are output from the sound presentation unit 260, but sounds that increase the worker's sympathetic nervous activity may also be output from the sound presentation unit 260.

In addition, in the spatial environment adjusting device 1, the plants 10 presented by the plant presentation unit 2 should preferably include at least one of angiosperms, gymnosperms, bryophytes, ferns, and artificial plants.

Furthermore, in the spatial environment control device 1, the volatile components emitted from the volatile component presentation unit may preferably include at least one of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Furthermore, the components emitted from the volatile component presentation unit may also include at least one of 1,8-cineole, limonene, linalool, pinene, eudesmol, and cadinene.

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

Next, we will introduce the verification conducted by the inventor.

Three subjects (A, B, C) completed Sudoku puzzles in various environments, and their intellectual productivity was evaluated for each environment based on the number of correct answers. Sudoku puzzles were performed in the following order: control condition, work mode (twice), rest mode (twice), and control condition. In work mode, plants and colors (yellow and red, in order of performance) and volatile compounds (1,8-cineole, limonene, and linalool, both times) were presented to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) nervous system. In rest mode, plants and colors (blue and green, in order of performance), sounds (the sound of a babbling brook), and volatile compounds (α-pinene and linalool, both times) were introduced into the test room to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and GABAergic nervous system. In the control condition, no plants, colors, sounds, or volatile compounds were presented.

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

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

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

These findings suggest that work mode and break mode environments may increase the number of correct Sudoku answers and improve intellectual productivity.

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

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

1 Spatial environment control device, 2 Plant presentation unit, 3 First volatile component presentation unit (volatile component presentation unit), 4 Second volatile component presentation unit (volatile component presentation unit), 5 Third volatile component presentation unit (volatile component presentation unit), 6 First color presentation unit (color presentation unit, side wall), 7 Second color presentation unit (color presentation unit, top plate), 8 Sound presentation unit, 9 Cultivation bed, 10 Plant, 11 Operation panel, 12 Environmental controller, 13 Personal computer (notebook computer), 14 Display, 15 Keyboard, 16 Chair, 17 Lifting electric motor, 18 Skin conductance meter (human state recognition unit, detection unit), 20 LED light, 31 Organic EL type variable plate, 32 Transparent plate, 33 Organic EL, 41 LED light type variable plate, 42 Translucent plate, 43 LED light, 51 Triangular prism type variable plate, 52 Transparent plate, 53 Three-color regular triangular prism, 54 DC motor, 61 roller-type variable plate, 62 transparent plate, 63 first colored sheet, 64 second colored sheet, 65 DC motor, 71 human hand, 81 wristwatch-type human state recognition unit (detection unit), 82 electrode unit, 83 knob adjuster, 84 band, 91 color presentation unit, 92 volatile component presentation unit, 100 control unit, 102 memory unit, 104 personal authentication unit (worker identification unit), 106 human ability evaluation unit, 110 learning/processing unit, 114 learning data.

Claims (8)

A spatial environment adjustment device that adjusts the spatial environment of a worker's office work,
a worker identification unit for identifying a target worker from among a plurality of workers;
a storage unit in which colors suitable for the clerical work of each of a plurality of workers are stored in advance;
a color display unit that displays a changeable color for an area that the worker views while performing clerical work;
a control unit that controls the color presentation unit so that the color presentation unit presents a color that is suitable for the clerical work of the target worker identified by the worker identification unit and that is stored in the storage unit;
a detection unit that detects an index representing the sympathetic nerve activity of the target worker ,
The control unit
controlling the color presented by the color presenting unit so that the index detected by the detecting unit falls within a range that is stored in advance in the storage unit as a range suitable for the office work of the target worker;
A spatial environment control device characterized by: 2. The spatial environment control device according to claim 1 ,
The control unit
controlling the color presentation unit to selectively present yellow, red, or pink so that the indicator detected by the detection unit falls within a range suitable for the office work of the target worker;
A spatial environment control device characterized by: 3. The spatial environment control device according to claim 1 or 2 ,
a volatile component presenting unit that emits volatile components to an area that the worker smells while working,
the volatile component presentation unit is capable of releasing a first volatile component including a volatile component acting on a sympathetic nerve receptor present in the human olfactory sense, and a second volatile component including a volatile component acting on a parasympathetic nerve receptor present in the human olfactory sense,
The control unit
controlling the volatile component presenting unit to selectively release the first volatile component and the second volatile component so that the indicator detected by the detecting unit falls within a range suitable for the office work of the target worker;
A spatial environment control device characterized by: 4. The spatial environment control device according to claim 3 ,
the first volatile component comprises at least one of 1,8-cineole and limonene;
The second volatile component comprises pinene.
A spatial environment control device characterized by: 5. The spatial environment control device according to claim 3 or 4 ,
The first and second volatile components include volatile components that act on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) neuroreceptors present in the human olfactory system.
A spatial environment control device characterized by: The spatial environment control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
a sound presentation unit that emits sound to an area that can be heard by the worker while he or she is doing office work;
The control unit
controlling the sound emitted by the sound presentation unit so that the indicator detected by the detection unit falls within a range suitable for the office work of the target worker;
A spatial environment control device characterized by: 7. The spatial environment control device according to claim 6 ,
The control unit
When the indicator detected by the detection unit is outside a range suitable for the office work of the target worker, the sound presentation unit is controlled so that the sound presentation unit emits a sound that gives a sense of relaxation to the person.
A spatial environment control device characterized by: The spatial environment control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
The above-mentioned administrative work is
The task requires at least one of information processing ability, calculation ability, and logical thinking ability.
A spatial environment control device characterized by: