JP7804882B2 - Attendance information management system and attendance information management method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an attendance information management system and an attendance information management method that manages attendance information related to the presence status of people in a work area.

In recent years, interest in and awareness of mental health has increased dramatically. Specifically, stress checks are now mandatory for employees, and measures to address employee mental health are expanding, such as recommending consultations with industrial physicians for those who are found to be in a problematic state through these stress checks.

One known technology related to employee mental health measures is one in which a humanoid robot provides counseling to employees and encourages them to implement effective mental health care and training (see Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 6724279

However, conventional technology only conducts stress checks to assess a person's stress level, which is insufficient from the perspective of mental health care. In other words, in order to create an environment where employees can work with peace of mind, it is important to conduct stress checks for each person in a timely manner, effectively present the stress check results, and ensure each person's mental health care throughout the workplace. Furthermore, it is desirable to improve each person's mental health care by reporting to relevant parties such as supervisors and health management office staff, and by receiving support from those around them in the workplace.

The main objective of this invention is to provide an attendance information management system and an attendance information management method that utilizes a robot to conduct timely stress checks on each individual and effectively present the results of the stress checks, thereby promoting the mental health care of each individual throughout the workplace and creating an environment in which employees can work with peace of mind. Furthermore, this invention also aims to enhance each individual's mental health care by reporting to relevant parties such as superiors and health management office staff, and by receiving support from people around them in the workplace.

The presence information management system of the present invention is an presence information management system that manages presence information regarding the presence status of a person based on the detection result of an presence detection area in a work area that has changed from vacant to occupied , and includes an presence management unit that accumulates the presence information, an information collection robot having a camera that autonomously travels within the work area to collect information regarding a subject who is present in the presence detection area , and a robot control unit that controls the operation of the information collection robot, and when the robot control unit receives an instruction to collect information regarding a subject who is present in the presence detection area, it controls the movement of the information collection robot to the presence detection area. The presence management unit controls the system to identify the subject from the image captured by the camera, and performs facial expression detection processing to detect the facial expressions of the subject, thereby conducting a stress check to determine the subject's stress state, and further performs a result display confirmation to ask the subject whether or not the results of the stress check for the subject should be displayed on a screen to be shared with other people, and obtains setting information regarding whether or not the results of the stress check should be displayed on the screen, and if the setting information is set to allow screen display, the presence management unit presents the results of the stress check for the subject along with the presence status of each person in the office area.

Furthermore, the presence information management method of the present invention is a method for managing presence information regarding a person's presence status based on the detection results of an presence detection area in an office area that has changed from vacant to occupied , wherein an information collection robot equipped with a camera autonomously travels within the office area to collect information regarding a subject present in the presence detection area , and when a robot control unit that controls the operation of the information collection robot receives an instruction to collect information regarding a subject present in the presence detection area, the robot control unit controls the movement of the information collection robot to the presence detection area, identifies the subject from the image captured by the camera, and performs facial expression detection processing to detect the subject's facial expression to conduct a stress check to determine the subject's stress state, and further performs a result display confirmation to ask the subject whether or not the results of the stress check regarding the subject should be displayed on a screen to be shared with other people, and obtains setting information regarding whether the results of the stress check should be displayed on the screen, and if the setting information is set to allow screen display, the presence information management unit that accumulates the presence information is configured to present the results of the stress check regarding the subject together with the presence status of each person in the office area.

According to the present invention, a robot can be used to conduct stress checks on each person in a timely manner, and the results of the stress check can be effectively presented to the person in question, in accordance with their wishes, thereby promoting mental health care for each person throughout the workplace and creating an environment in which employees can work with peace of mind.

Overall configuration diagram of the seating information management system according to the first embodiment FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the layout of an office according to the first embodiment, the installation status of fixed cameras, and the setting status of an occupancy detection area. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information gathering robot according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overview of the processing performed by the attendance management server and the robot control server according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of an information collecting robot, a robot control server, and a presence management server according to a first embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen displayed on a display of the information collecting robot according to the first embodiment; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a seat presence status confirmation screen in map display mode displayed on a user terminal according to the first embodiment; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an attendance status confirmation screen in a department display mode displayed on a user terminal according to the first embodiment; FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the seating management server according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of a robot control server according to a first embodiment; FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of an information collecting robot, a robot control server, and a presence management server according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen displayed on a display of an information collecting robot according to a second embodiment; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a stress check result report screen displayed on a user terminal of a related person according to the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a call request screen displayed on the display of the robot and on the user terminal of the seated person according to the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a setting screen displayed on an administrator terminal according to the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a setting screen displayed on an administrator terminal according to the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the robot control server according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the robot control server according to the second embodiment.

The first invention made to solve the above problems is an occupancy information management system that manages occupancy information regarding the occupancy status of a person based on the detection result of an occupancy detection area in a work area that has changed from vacant to occupied , and includes an occupancy management unit that accumulates the occupancy information, an information gathering robot having a camera that autonomously travels within the work area to collect information regarding a subject who is seated in the occupancy detection area , and a robot control unit that controls the operation of the information gathering robot , and when the robot control unit receives an instruction to collect information regarding a subject who is seated in the occupancy detection area, The presence management unit controls movement of the subject to the office, identifies the subject from the image captured by the camera, performs facial expression detection processing to detect the subject's facial expressions, and conducts a stress check to determine the subject's stress state.Furthermore , a result display confirmation is performed to ask the subject whether or not the results of the stress check for the subject should be displayed on a screen to be shared with other people, and obtains setting information regarding whether or not the results of the stress check should be displayed on the screen.If the setting information is set to allow screen display, the presence management unit presents the results of the stress check for the subject along with the presence status of each person in the office area.

According to this system, a robot can be used to conduct a timely stress check for each person, and the results of the stress check can be effectively presented to the person in question, thereby promoting the mental health care of each person throughout the workplace and creating an environment in which employees can work with peace of mind. Note that the stress check can, for example, detect the subject's facial expression from an image of the subject's face and detect the subject's tone of voice from the subject's speech, and determine the subject's stress level based on the detection results of the facial expression and tone of voice.

In addition, in the second invention, the robot control unit is configured to cut out an image area of the subject's face from the image captured by the camera to obtain a facial image, extract facial feature information of the subject from the facial image, and compare the facial feature information of each registered person with the facial feature information of the subject to identify the subject .

This allows the subject to be identified with high accuracy through facial matching. It is also advisable to capture an image of the subject's face and also obtain information on the subject's condition, such as body temperature, as a measure to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. It is also possible to detect whether the subject is wearing a mask from the image of the subject's face as a measure to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

In addition, in a third invention, if the stress check results in the subject being in an undesirable state, the robot control unit performs processing to guide the subject about implementing a specified refresh menu.

This allows for the rapid improvement of the subject's undesirable condition.

In addition, in a fourth invention, the robot control unit is configured to perform processing to guide the subject to perform at least one of smiling, stretching, and speaking as part of the refresh menu.

This allows the subject's undesirable condition to be appropriately improved.

In addition, in a fifth invention, the robot control unit is configured to perform processing to report the stress check results to those related to the subject if the stress check results in the subject being in an undesirable state.

This allows relevant parties to quickly understand any undesirable conditions of the subject. In this case, a notification to report the stress check results may be sent via SNS to a user device operated by the relevant parties. This allows the stress check results to be reported quickly.

In addition, in a sixth aspect of the invention, if the stress check reveals that the subject is in an undesirable state, the robot control unit selects a person from those around the subject who will speak to the subject to improve the subject's condition, and requests that person to speak to the subject.

This allows for the rapid improvement of the subject's undesirable condition.

In addition, in a seventh invention, the robot control unit controls the information gathering robot to move near the requested person and perform an action to request the requested person to speak to the target person.

This allows the request to the requested person to be made face-to-face with confidence. A notification requesting the requested person to make a call to the target person may also be sent via SNS to a user device operated by the requested person. This allows the request to the requested person to make a call to be made quickly.

In addition, an eighth invention is configured such that the robot control unit controls the information collection robot to perform an operation related to the result display confirmation when collecting information required for the stress check.

This allows the subject to confirm at the appropriate time whether or not they would like their stress check results displayed on screen.

A ninth invention is a method for managing presence information regarding a person's presence status based on the detection results of an presence detection area in an office area that has changed from vacant to occupied, wherein an information collection robot equipped with a camera autonomously travels within the office area to collect information regarding a subject present in the presence detection area , and a robot control unit that controls the operation of the information collection robot, when it receives an instruction to collect information regarding a subject present in the presence detection area, controls the movement of the information collection robot to the presence detection area, identifies the subject from the image captured by the camera, and performs facial expression detection processing to detect the subject's facial expression, thereby conducting a stress check to determine the subject's stress state, and further performs a result display confirmation to ask the subject whether or not the results of the stress check regarding the subject should be displayed on a screen to be shared with other people, and obtains setting information regarding whether the results of the stress check should be displayed on the screen, and if the setting information is set to allow screen display, a presence management unit that accumulates the presence information presents the results of the stress check regarding the subject together with the presence status of each person in the office area.

According to this, as with the first invention, a robot can be used to conduct stress checks on each person in a timely manner, and the results of the stress check can be effectively presented to the person in question according to their wishes, thereby promoting mental health care for each person throughout the workplace and creating an environment in which employees can work with peace of mind.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a seating information management system according to the first embodiment.

This system manages presence information regarding the presence status of people in a free-address office (work area). The system comprises an information-gathering robot 1, a robot control server 2 (robot control unit), a fixed camera 3, a presence management server 4 (presence management unit), a cloud server 5, a user terminal 6 (user device), and an administrator terminal 7 (administrator device). The robot control server 2, fixed camera 3, presence management server 4, cloud server 5, user terminal 6, and administrator terminal 7 are connected via a network.

The information gathering robot 1 is configured to be capable of autonomous movement. In response to instructions from the robot control server 2, the information gathering robot 1 moves to the vicinity of a person (target person) sitting at a desk in an office and collects information about that person.

The robot control server 2 controls the operation of the information gathering robot 1. When the presence management server 4 detects the presence of a person, the robot control server 2 instructs the information gathering robot 1 to collect information about the person (target person) present.

Fixed camera 3 is installed in an appropriate location in the office (for example, at the entrance or on the ceiling) and captures images of people staying in the office.

The presence management server 4 manages the people sitting at their desks in the office based on images captured by the fixed camera 3 and information collected by the information collection robot 1. The presence management server 4 also functions as a distribution server, and distributes presence information about the presence status of people in the office to the user terminal 6 based on management information registered in a database.

The cloud server 5 provides the SNS. Users can participate in the SNS using user terminals 6. An SNS application is installed on the user terminals 6. The cloud server 5, together with the user terminals 6, constitutes an SNS system. Specifically, the cloud server 5 controls the chat service that uses the user terminals 6.

The user terminal 6 is operated by a person (user) sitting at a desk in the office. The user terminal 6 is composed of a PC, tablet terminal, etc. The user terminal 6 presents presence information regarding the presence status of people in the office to the user based on information distributed from the presence management server 4. The user terminal 6 can also use the chat service provided by the cloud server 5.

In this embodiment, a robot control server 2 is provided as a robot control unit that controls the information collection robot 1, but the information collection robot 1 itself may be configured to have a robot control unit that controls its own device, i.e., to have the functions of the robot control server 2.

In addition, in this embodiment, the robot control server 2 performs face matching, but a separate face matching server may also be provided.

In addition, in this embodiment, the presence management server 4 is provided as an attendance management unit that manages presence information, but the presence management server 4 may also be integrated with the robot control server 2. Furthermore, the function of managing the database in the presence management server 4 and the function of distributing presence information may be separated from the presence management server 4, with each function being implemented by an independent database server and distribution server.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a system is described for an office with a free address system, but the system may also be for an office with fixed seats.

Next, we will explain the layout of the office according to the first embodiment, the installation status of the fixed cameras 3, and the setting status of the occupancy detection area. Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the layout of the office, the installation status of the fixed cameras 3, and the setting status of the occupancy detection area.

In the office, desks and work seats (chairs) are arranged side by side. This office uses a free address system, so anyone who enters the office finds an empty work seat and sits down.

A fixed camera 3 is installed on the ceiling of the office and captures images of people staying in the office. The fixed camera 3 is an omnidirectional camera that uses a fisheye lens to capture images in a 360-degree range. However, the fixed camera 3 may also be a box camera that captures images within a specified angle of view. The fixed camera 3 may also be a simple camera (for example, a USB camera) connected to a PC in the office.

In this embodiment, an occupancy detection area for each office seat is set in advance on the image captured by the fixed camera 3, and whether or not a person is sitting at the office seat is detected based on the image of this detection area. Note that in the example shown in Figure 2, the occupancy detection area (dotted line area) is represented by a rectangle on the floor plan of the office, but in reality, the occupancy detection area is set as a polygon on the omnidirectional image (fisheye image) captured by the fixed camera 3.

An information gathering robot 1 is also placed in the office. This information gathering robot 1 waits at a predetermined standby position in the office and, in response to instructions from the robot control server 2, moves to the vicinity of a person sitting at a desk in the office to collect information about that person. In this embodiment, when the presence management server 4 detects the presence of a person in the presence detection area, it instructs the robot control server 2 to move to the vicinity of the presence detection area of the target person in order to collect information about that target person (subject).

Next, we will explain the general configuration of the information gathering robot 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the general configuration of the information gathering robot 1.

The information gathering robot 1 is equipped with a camera 11, a body temperature sensor 12, a speaker 13, a microphone 14, a display 15, a running unit 16, and a controller 17.

Camera 11 captures the face of a subject sitting at a desk. A facial image for face matching is obtained from the image captured by camera 11. Camera 11 can capture the face of a person sitting at a desk from the front at a close distance. This makes it possible to obtain a facial image suitable for face matching.

The body temperature sensor 12 measures the subject's body temperature without contact. The body temperature sensor 12 is, for example, a thermal camera (infrared camera). Note that the camera 11 may be a thermal camera capable of outputting temperature images and color images, so that the camera 11 also serves as the body temperature sensor 12. It may also be equipped with a vital sensor that measures vital information other than body temperature, such as heart rate (pulse), without contact.

The speaker 13 outputs various voice requests, announcements, notifications, etc. in accordance with the control of the robot control server 2.

The microphone 14 picks up the voice of the subject under the control of the robot control server 2.

The display 15 displays various screens such as guidance and notifications under the control of the robot control server 2.

The driving unit 16 is equipped with wheels, a motor, etc. The driving unit 16 performs autonomous driving to move to the destination under the control of the controller 17.

The controller 17 controls each part of the information gathering robot 1 based on operational instructions from the robot control server 2.

Next, we will explain an overview of the processing performed by the presence management server 4 and robot control server 2 in the first embodiment. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an overview of the processing performed by the presence management server 4 and robot control server 2.

The seat presence management server 4 extracts the image region of the seat presence detection area (office seat) from the image captured by the fixed camera 3 to obtain an seat presence detection area image, determines from the seat presence detection area image whether a person is present in the seat presence detection area, and sets the state of the seat presence detection area to either present or vacant (absent) depending on the determination result (seat presence detection process). This seat presence detection process is performed periodically. The detection results of the seat presence detection process are registered in the seat presence database.

In addition, when the presence management server 4 detects the presence of a person in the presence detection area, it instructs the robot control server 2 to have the information collection robot 1 collect information about the person (target person) present in the presence detection area.

The robot control server 2 controls the operation of the information collection robot 1 in response to information collection instructions from the presence management server 4. Specifically, it controls the information collection robot 1 to move near the target presence detection area. It also controls the information collection robot 1 to take a picture of the face of a person sitting in the target presence detection area with the camera 11.

The robot control server 2 also acquires a facial image by cutting out the image area of the person's face from the image captured by the camera 11, and extracts facial feature information of the target person from that facial image. The target person is then identified by comparing the facial feature information of each registered person with the facial feature information of the target person (face matching process). This face matching process links the target person with the registered person, and the target person is identified. In other words, a face authentication system is constructed by the information collection robot 1 constituting a mobile authentication device and the robot control server 2 constituting a face matching server that executes the face matching process.

The robot control server 2 also determines whether the subject is wearing a mask based on the image captured by the camera 11 (mask wear determination process). The robot control server 2 also controls the information collection robot 1 to measure the subject's body temperature using the body temperature sensor 12, and obtains the body temperature measurement results (body temperature measurement process).

The robot control server 2 also detects the facial expression of the subject based on the image captured by the camera 11 (facial expression detection process). The robot control server 2 also detects the subject's tone of voice based on the audio picked up by the microphone 14 (speech tone detection process). The robot control server 2 then determines the subject's stress state based on the detection results of the facial expression detection process and the speech tone detection process (stress check process).

The facial matching results, mask wearing determination results, body temperature measurement results, and stress check results obtained by the robot control server 2 are sent to the presence management server 4 as occupancy information and registered in the occupancy database. The occupancy information also includes the time of collection, etc.

Based on the detection results of the presence detection process and the occupancy information registered in the presence database, the presence management server 4 generates an occupancy status confirmation screen (see Figures 7 and 8) that displays the stress check results for the subject along with the occupancy status of each person in the office, and displays it on the user terminal 6. This allows the user to simultaneously check the occupancy status and stress state of each person in the office.

Next, we will explain the general configuration of the information gathering robot 1, robot control server 2, and presence management server 4 according to the first embodiment. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the general configuration of the information gathering robot 1, robot control server 2, and presence management server 4.

As described above, the information gathering robot 1 includes a camera 11, a body temperature sensor 12, a speaker 13, a microphone 14, a display 15, a running unit 16, and a controller 17 (see Figure 2). The controller 17 includes a communication unit 51, a memory unit 52, and a processor 53.

The communication unit 51 communicates with the robot control server 2.

The memory unit 52 stores programs executed by the processor 53.

The processor 53 performs various processes by executing programs stored in the memory unit 52. In this embodiment, the processor 53 performs autonomous driving control processing, etc.

In the autonomous driving control process, the processor 53 controls the driving unit 16 to proceed toward the destination instructed by the robot control server 2 while determining a course to avoid obstacles based on images captured by the camera 11 and detection results from a distance sensor (not shown).

In addition, the processor 53 controls the camera 11, body temperature sensor 12, speaker 13, microphone 14, and display 15, causing each device to perform the necessary operations.

The robot control server 2 includes a communication unit 21, a memory unit 22, and a processor 23.

The communication unit 21 communicates with the information gathering robot 1, the presence management server 4, the cloud server 5, and the administrator terminal 7.

The memory unit 42 stores programs executed by the processor 23, etc. The memory unit 42 also stores registration information for the area management database and face database. The area management database stores management information for presence detection areas, specifically, the area ID and location information of the presence detection areas. The face database stores face matching information for each pre-registered person, specifically, information such as person ID and facial feature information.

The processor 43 performs various processes by executing programs stored in the memory unit 42. In this embodiment, the processor 43 performs driving control processing, mask wearing determination processing, face matching processing, body temperature measurement processing, facial expression detection processing, speech tone detection processing, stress check processing, and the like.

In the driving control process, the processor 23 controls the driving of the information gathering robot 1. Specifically, the processor 23 sets a target position near a person (target person) whose presence has been detected, and controls the information gathering robot 1 to move from the standby position to the target position. The processor 23 also controls the information gathering robot 1 to return to the standby position.

In the mask wearing determination process, the processor 23 determines whether the subject is wearing a mask based on images captured by the camera 11 of the information gathering robot 1.

In the face matching process, the processor 23 controls the information gathering robot 1 to capture a photograph of the target person's face with the camera 11. Next, the processor 23 extracts facial feature information of the target person from the image captured by the camera 11 received from the information gathering robot 1. Then, facial feature information for each registered person is obtained from the memory unit 42, and the target person is identified by matching the facial feature information for that registered person with the facial feature information of the target person. Note that if the target person is wearing a mask, matching may be performed by excluding the masked area from the facial image, but guidance to temporarily remove the mask may also be displayed on the display 15 or output as audio from the speaker 13 to prompt the target person to remove the mask, and matching may be performed once the entire facial image has been recognized.

In the body temperature measurement process, the processor 23 acquires the body temperature measurement results based on the detection results of the body temperature sensor 12 of the information collection robot 1. Note that vital information other than body temperature, such as heart rate (pulse), may also be measured.

In the facial expression detection process (facial expression estimation process), the processor 23 detects the facial expression of the subject based on images captured by the camera 11 of the information gathering robot 1.

In the speech tone detection process, the processor 23 detects the speech tone of the target person based on the voice picked up by the microphone 14 of the information gathering robot 1. Note that speech tone is determined based on, for example, the speaking force and tone.

In the stress check process, the processor 23 determines the stress state of the subject based on the detection results of the facial expression detection process and the detection results of the speech tone detection process. In this embodiment, the stress state is determined to be positive, negative, or neutral. Here, positive represents a desirable state, negative represents an undesirable state, and neutral represents a normal state.

The attendance management server 4 includes a communication unit 41, a memory unit 42, and a processor 43.

The communication unit 41 communicates between the robot control server 2, fixed camera 3, and user terminal 6.

The memory unit 42 stores programs executed by the processor 43, etc. The memory unit 42 also stores registration information for the area management database, occupancy database, and person database. The area management database registers management information for occupancy detection areas, specifically, the area ID and location information of the occupancy detection areas. The occupancy database registers information such as the area ID, occupancy detection time, and person matching result information, specifically, the person ID and person matching score. The person database registers person management information, specifically, information such as the person ID, person name, affiliation, and position. The memory unit 42 also temporarily stores images captured by the fixed camera 3.

The processor 43 performs various processes by executing programs stored in the memory unit 42. In this embodiment, the processor 43 performs presence detection processing, presence information distribution processing, etc.

In the presence detection process, the processor 43 performs person detection on the image region of the presence detection area within the image captured by the fixed camera 3, and determines whether a person is present in the target presence detection area. If a person is present in the presence detection area, the state of the presence detection area is set to "present." On the other hand, if no person is present in the presence detection area, the state of the presence detection area is set to "vacant (not present)." The presence detection result information (presence detection time, number of areas) and presence detection result detail information (presence detection time, area ID, detection state) are then stored in the memory unit 42.

In the presence information distribution process, the processor 43 generates information about the presence status of people in the office (such as their seat location) based on the information registered in the presence database and the person database, and distributes this information to the user terminal 6. In this embodiment, the display information of the presence status confirmation screen (see Figures 7 and 8) is distributed to the user terminal 6. The presence status confirmation screen also includes information about the body temperature measurement results, mask wear determination results, and stress check results.

Next, we will explain the screen displayed on the display 15 of the information gathering robot 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the screen displayed on the display 15 of the information gathering robot 1.

When the information gathering robot 1 arrives at the target person's location, the screen 101 (initial screen) shown in Figure 6 (A) is first displayed on the display 15. The screen 101 displays an image 102 captured by the camera 11 and text 103 urging the target person to turn towards the information gathering robot 1 and speak. Simultaneously with the screen display, audio urging the target person to turn towards the information gathering robot 1 and speak may be output from the speaker 13.

At this time, the robot control server 2 acquires from the information gathering robot 1 the image captured by the camera 11, the detection results of the body temperature sensor 12, and the audio picked up by the microphone 14. The robot control server 2 then performs facial matching of the subject based on the image captured by the camera 11, determines whether the subject is wearing a mask, and detects the subject's facial expression. The robot control server 2 also detects the subject's tone of voice from the audio picked up by the microphone 14. The robot control server 2 also acquires the body temperature measurement results from the detection results of the body temperature sensor 12. The robot control server 2 then performs a stress check based on the detection results of the facial expression detection and tone of voice detection. The robot control server 2 then displays a screen on the display 15 of the information gathering robot 1 that presents the stress check results, mask wear determination results, and body temperature measurement results to the subject. Different screens are displayed as stress check results depending on whether the stress state is positive, negative, or neutral.

Specifically, if the stress check result is positive, screen 111 shown in Figure 6(B) is displayed. If the stress check result is neutral, screen 121 shown in Figure 6(C) is displayed. If the stress check result is negative, screen 131 shown in Figure 6(D) is displayed. Screens 111, 121, and 131 display text 112 indicating the stress check result, an image 113 indicating the mask wearing determination result, and an image 114 indicating the body temperature measurement result.

In addition, on the display 15, the screens 111, 121, and 131 shown in Figures 6(B), (C), and (D), which are the stress check results, transition to screen 141 shown in Figure 6(E).

Screen 141 shown in Figure 6 (E) is used to confirm with the subject whether they wish to have the stress check results for that person displayed on the presence status confirmation screen (see Figures 7 and 8). Screen 141 has text 142 asking the subject whether they wish to have the stress check results displayed, as well as a "Yes" button 143 and a "No" button 144. The subject operates either the "Yes" button 143 or the "No" button 144 depending on whether they wish to have the stress check results displayed. This allows the robot control server 2 to obtain setting information for each person regarding whether or not the stress check results can be displayed.

Next, we will explain the presence status confirmation screen displayed on the user terminal 6 according to the first embodiment. Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the presence status confirmation screen in map display mode displayed on the user terminal 6. Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the presence status confirmation screen in department display mode displayed on the user terminal 6.

The presence management server 4 generates display information for a screen that shows the presence status of people in the office based on the information registered in the database and distributes this display information to the user terminal 6, which then displays the presence status confirmation screen 201 in map display mode shown in Figure 7 and the presence status confirmation screen 211 in department display mode (list display mode) shown in Figure 8. Note that map display mode and department display mode can be switched by a specific screen operation. It is also possible to display an integrated confirmation screen for these two modes.

As shown in Figure 7, the seating status confirmation screen 201 (seat presence map) in map display mode displays an office layout diagram 202 (area map) with each office seat drawn on it, and at the position of each office seat on the layout diagram 202, a person icon 203 (an image showing the person's seating position) representing the person sitting at the office seat is displayed. The person icon 203 displays an image of the person's face. Note that in addition to a face image of the person cut out from a photographed image of the person, the person icon 203 may also display a portrait of the person or letters representing the person's name.

On the presence status confirmation screen 201, when the user operates the person icon 203, a speech bubble 204 (person information display section) is displayed. This speech bubble 204 displays detailed information about the person. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the speech bubble 204 displays detailed information about the person, including the person's name, identification information (area number) of the presence detection area (work seat), measured body temperature, a mask icon 205 indicating whether or not the person is wearing a mask, and a stress icon 206 indicating the results of a stress check. Links to emails and SNS may also be displayed.

The mask icon 205 changes form depending on whether or not a mask is being worn. Specifically, if a mask is being worn, it takes on a first form including a "circle" symbol. If a mask is not being worn, it takes on a second form including a "cross" symbol.

The stress icon 206 changes form depending on the stress check results and whether the person wishes to display the stress check results. Specifically, if the person wishes to display the stress check results (results can be displayed) and their stress state is good, the stress icon will take on a first form in which a smiling face icon is drawn. If the person wishes to display the stress check results (results can be displayed) and their stress state is normal, the stress icon will take on a second form in which a normal face icon is drawn. If the person does not wish to display the stress check results (results cannot be displayed), the stress icon will take on a third form in which no face icon is drawn.

Here, if the stress check result is positive, the stress state is deemed to be good and the first form is selected. If the stress check result is negative or neutral, the stress state is deemed to be normal and the second form is selected. Note that if the stress check result is neutral, the stress state may be deemed to be good and the first form may be selected.

If the person sitting at the desk is unknown, that is, if the person cannot be identified through face matching, a person icon 207 indicating that the person is unknown will be displayed.

As shown in Figure 8, the presence status confirmation screen 211 in department display mode displays information about people who are present, separated by department (first to third development groups). Specifically, a department display column 212 is provided, and the department display column 212 also has a person display column 213. The person display column 213 displays the person's face image, the person's name, the identification information (area number) of the presence detection area (office seat), the measured body temperature value, a mask icon 205, and a stress icon 206. Note that in the example shown in Figure 8, for people who are absent, only the person's face image and name are displayed.

Furthermore, if the body temperature falls within the fever range (e.g., 37.5°C or higher) or if the person is not wearing a mask, the corresponding person-specific display column 213 may be highlighted. In the example shown in Figure 8, the measured body temperature is displayed in bold red. Note that if the body temperature falls within the fever range or if the person is not wearing a mask, an alert may be issued via a pop-up screen or audio.

Next, we will explain the operating procedures of the attendance management server 4 according to the first embodiment. Figure 9 is a flow diagram showing the operating procedures of the attendance management server 4.

The presence management server 4 first performs presence detection processing (ST101). In this presence detection processing, the processor 43 acquires an image captured by the fixed camera 3, performs person detection on the image region of the presence detection area within the captured image, and determines whether a person is present in the target presence detection area. If the processor 43 determines that a person is present in the target presence detection area, the processor 43 sets the state of the target presence detection area to "present." If no person is present in the target presence detection area, the processor 43 sets the state of the target presence detection area to "vacant (not present)" and stores the presence detection result in the memory unit 42. Note that even if no person is present in the target presence detection area, if the person's belongings are detected due to temporary absence, for example, the processor 43 may treat the state of the presence detection area as "present."

Next, the processor 43 determines whether the state of the seat presence detection area has changed (ST102).

If the state of the occupancy detection area has changed (Yes in ST102), the processor 43 then performs information collection processing (information collection loop) using the information collection robot 1 for all occupancy detection areas whose state has changed (ST103 to ST112).

In this information collection process, the processor 43 first determines whether the state of the seat occupancy detection area has changed from vacant (absent) to occupied (ST104).

Here, if the state of the occupancy detection area changes from vacant to occupied, i.e., if a person has taken a seat (Yes in ST104), the processor 43 then determines whether the target occupancy detection area has not yet been checked, i.e., whether an instruction to collect information has not yet been issued by the information gathering robot 1 (ST105).

Here, if the target presence detection area has not been checked (Yes in ST105), the processor 43 then sends an information collection instruction from the communication unit 41 to the robot control server 2 to cause the information collection robot 1 to collect information about people present in the target presence detection area (ST106).

Next, the processor 43 acquires the information about the person present, i.e., the face matching result, mask wearing determination result, body temperature measurement result, and stress check result, received from the robot control server 2 via the communication unit 41 (ST107).

Next, processor 43 updates the registration information for the person in the seating detection database (ST108). That is, the person ID as the face matching result for the person associated with the target seating detection area, the mask wearing determination result, the body temperature measurement result, and the stress check result are registered in the seating detection database. Processor 43 also updates the registration information for the target area's status in the seating detection database to "occupied" (ST109). Then, the process proceeds to processing the next seating detection area.

On the other hand, if the target occupancy detection area has not been unchecked, i.e., if an instruction to collect information has already been given by the information gathering robot 1 (No in ST105), the processor 43 then determines whether a predetermined time or more has passed since the instruction to collect information was given by the information gathering robot 1 (ST110).

Here, if a predetermined amount of time has passed since the information gathering robot 1 was instructed to gather information (Yes in ST110), proceed to ST106 and instruct the information gathering robot 1 to gather information again. On the other hand, if a predetermined amount of time has not passed since the information gathering robot 1 was instructed to gather information (No in ST110), proceed to ST109.

Also, if the state of the occupancy detection area changes from occupied to vacant (No in ST104), the processor 43 then updates the registered information regarding the state of the target occupancy detection area in the occupancy database to vacant (ST111). Then, the process proceeds to processing the next occupancy detection area.

Next, the operating procedures of the robot control server 2 according to the first embodiment will be described. Figure 10 is a flow diagram showing the operating procedures of the robot control server 2.

In the robot control server 2, the communication unit 21 first receives an instruction for the information gathering robot 1 to gather information from the presence management server 4 (ST201).

Next, the processor 23 sets a target position near the target person, i.e., a person present in the presence detection area whose presence has been detected, and controls the information gathering robot 1 to move from the standby position to the target position (ST202).

Next, when the information gathering robot 1 arrives at the target location, the processor 23 controls the information gathering robot 1 to perform guidance actions for information gathering (ST203). Specifically, a guidance screen (see FIG. 6(A)) is displayed encouraging the target person to turn toward the information gathering robot 1 and speak, and similar guidance audio is output from the speaker 13. At this time, the processor 23 controls the information gathering robot 1 to photograph the target person's face with the camera 11 and to pick up the target person's speech with the microphone 14.

Next, the processor 23 performs a mask wearing determination process (ST204). At this time, the processor 23 determines whether or not the subject is wearing a mask based on the image captured by the camera 11 received from the information gathering robot 1.

Next, the processor 23 performs face matching processing (ST205). At this time, facial feature information of the subject is extracted from the image captured by the camera 11. Then, facial feature information for each registered person is obtained from the memory unit 42, and the facial feature information for that registered person is compared with the facial feature information of the subject to obtain a face matching score.

Next, the processor 23 determines whether the face matching was successful, i.e., whether the subject matches a registered person, based on the face matching score (ST206).

If face matching is successful (Yes in ST206), the processor 23 performs body temperature detection processing (ST207). At this time, the processor 23 controls the information collection robot 1 to measure the subject's body temperature using the body temperature sensor 12, and obtains the body temperature measurement results received from the information collection robot 1.

Next, the processor 23 receives from the information gathering robot 1 an image of the target person's face captured by the information gathering robot 1's camera 11, and detects the target person's facial expression from the image (facial expression detection process) (ST208).

In addition, the processor 23 receives the target person's voice picked up by the microphone 14 of the information gathering robot 1 from the information gathering robot 1 and detects the target person's tone of voice from the voice (tone of voice detection process) (ST209).

Next, the processor 23 determines the stress level of the subject based on the detection results of the facial expression detection process and the detection results of the speech tone detection process (stress check) (ST210).

Next, the processor 23 displays screens 111, 121, and 131 (see Figures 6(B), (C), and (D)) on the display 15 of the information collection robot 1, which present the subject with the body temperature measurement results, mask wearing determination results, and stress check results (ST211).

Next, the processor 23 displays a screen 141 (see FIG. 6(E)) on the display 15 of the information-collecting robot 1, which asks the subject whether or not they wish to display their stress check results, on a screen shared with other people (presence status confirmation screen, see FIGS. 7 and 8) (ST212). At this time, setting information regarding whether or not to display the stress check results on the screen is acquired in response to the subject's screen operations.

Next, the processor 23 transmits the information about the person in attendance, i.e., the face matching result, mask wearing determination result, body temperature measurement result, and stress check result, from the communication unit 21 to the attendance management server 4 (ST213).

Next, the processor 23 controls the information gathering robot 1 to return to a predetermined standby position (ST214).

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described. Note that the points not specifically mentioned here are the same as those in the previous embodiment.

In the first embodiment, a stress check is conducted to determine the stress level of a person sitting in an office, and the results of the stress check are displayed on the screen. In contrast, in this embodiment, if the stress check result is negative, the subject is asked to perform a refreshment menu to improve the subject's negative state (undesirable state). In this embodiment, the subject is asked to perform one of the refreshment menus: smiling, stretching, or speaking.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the stress check result is negative, the stress check result is reported to relevant parties (such as a supervisor or a health management office staff member). This reporting of the stress check result is performed using the SNS provided by the cloud server 5, specifically a chat service.

In addition, in this embodiment, if the stress check result of the subject is negative, the subject is spoken to in order to improve the subject's negative state. The person who speaks to the subject is a person who is present in the subject's vicinity and is selected by the robot control server 2. The information gathering robot 1 makes a request to speak to the subject in person to the requested person. Alternatively, the request to speak to the requested person is made using SNS. Note that the information gathering robot 1 itself may speak to the subject.

Incidentally, such actions to improve the subject's mental health (refreshment menu, stress check result report, speaking to the subject) may be taken when the subject's negative state is significant. In this case, the stress check will determine the negative state at multiple levels.

In addition, mental health measures may be implemented when there is a significant change in the stress check results, i.e., when the stress state has significantly worsened compared to before. Specifically, stress check results (scores) for each person are accumulated, and the subject's normal stress state is obtained from the subject's past stress check results. The current stress check result is then compared with the subject's normal stress state, and if the degree of change in state exceeds the standard range, mental health measures may be implemented. Furthermore, mental health measures may be implemented if the degree of change in state exceeds the standard range for a predetermined number of consecutive times (for a predetermined period of time).

Next, we will explain the general configuration of the information gathering robot 1, robot control server 2, and presence management server 4 according to the second embodiment. Figure 11 is a block diagram showing the general configuration of the information gathering robot 1, robot control server 2, and presence management server 4.

The configuration of the information gathering robot 1 and the presence management server 4 is the same as in the first embodiment (see Figure 5).

The configuration of the robot control server 2 is substantially the same as in the first embodiment, but the processes executed by the processor 23 are different. Specifically, like in the first embodiment, the processor 23 performs driving control processing, mask wearing determination processing, face matching processing, body temperature measurement processing, facial expression detection processing, speech tone detection processing, and stress check processing, but also performs refreshment guidance processing, movement detection processing, stress check result reporting processing, and call-out request processing.

In the refreshment guidance process, the processor 23 guides the subject to perform a predetermined refreshment menu. In this embodiment, the subject is prompted to perform one of the refreshment menus: smiling, stretching, or vocalizing. In this embodiment, the information gathering robot 1 is also caused to perform an operation (screen display, audio output) to guide the subject to perform the refreshment menu.

In the movement detection process, the processor 23 detects the movement of the subject from images captured by the camera 11 of the information gathering robot 1 while the subject is performing the stretching (stretching exercise) refresh menu. In particular, in this embodiment, it is determined whether the subject has performed stretching (stretching exercise) to a standard degree or above.

In the facial expression detection process, as in the first embodiment, the processor 23 detects the facial expression of the subject from the image captured by the camera 11 of the information gathering robot 1, but in this embodiment, it is determined whether the subject has smiled at a level above a reference level. In the speech tone detection process, as in the first embodiment, the processor 23 detects the speech tone of the subject from the audio picked up by the microphone 14 of the information gathering robot 1, but in this embodiment, it is determined whether the subject has spoken at a level above a reference level.

In the stress check result reporting process, if the stress check result is negative and there is a significant change in the stress check result, the processor 23 issues a notification to report the stress check result to the relevant person (supervisor or health management office staff). Specifically, the stress check result report notification is sent from the robot control server 2 via the cloud server 5 to the relevant person's user terminal 6. On the relevant person's user terminal 6, a stress check result report screen 301 (see Figure 13) presenting the stress check result is displayed as a screen for a chat service using an SNS application. Note that the stress check result is reported when a setting is made to allow reporting for the subject.

In the call request process, if the subject's stress check result is negative, the processor 23 selects someone from those around the subject to call out to the subject to improve their stress check status, and requests that person to call out to the subject. Note that the call to the subject is made only if the subject has a setting that allows calls to be made to the subject.

In this embodiment, the information gathering robot 1 is controlled so that it moves near the requested person and performs a face-to-face action to request the requested person to speak to the target person. Specifically, as an action to request the person to speak to the target person, a call request screen 171 (see FIG. 14(A)) requesting the person to speak to the target person is displayed on the display 15 of the information gathering robot 1.

In addition, in this embodiment, a notification of the call request is sent from the robot control server 2 via the cloud server 5 to the user terminal 6 of the requested person. On the user terminal 6 of the requested person, a call request screen 311 (see Figure 14 (B)) requesting the user to call the target person is displayed as a screen for the chat service using the SNS application.

Next, we will explain the screen displayed on the display 15 of the information gathering robot 1 according to the second embodiment. Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the screen displayed on the display 15 of the information gathering robot 1.

If the stress check result is negative and the refresh menu is a smile, first, screen 131 shown in FIG. 6(D) is displayed on display 15, and then screen 141 shown in FIG. 12(A-1) is displayed. Screen 141 shown in FIG. 12(A-1) displays image 102 captured by camera 11 and text 143 urging the subject to smile. At this time, the robot control server 2 determines in the facial expression detection process whether the subject has smiled at a level above a reference level based on the image captured by camera 11. If it is determined that the subject has smiled at a level above the reference level, screen 142 shown in FIG. 12(A-2) is displayed. Screen 142 shown in FIG. 12(A-2) displays image 102 captured by camera 11 and text 144 indicating that the refresh menu has ended.

If the stress check result is negative and the refresh menu is stretching, first, screen 131 shown in FIG. 6(D) is displayed on display 15, and then screen 151 shown in FIG. 12(B-1) is displayed. Screen 151 shown in FIG. 12(B-1) displays image 102 captured by camera 11 and text 153 urging the subject to stretch (stretching exercises). At this time, the robot control server 2 determines whether the subject has stretched to a standard degree or more based on the image captured by camera 11 in the movement detection process or skeletal detection process. If it is determined that the subject has stretched to a standard degree or more, screen 152 shown in FIG. 12(B-2) is displayed. Screen 152 shown in FIG. 12(B-2) displays image 102 captured by camera 11 and text 154 indicating that the refresh menu has ended.

If the stress check result is negative and the refresh menu is to speak, first, screen 131 shown in FIG. 6(D) is displayed on display 15, and then screen 161 shown in FIG. 12(C-1) is displayed. Screen 161 shown in FIG. 12(C-1) displays image 102 captured by camera 11 and text 163 urging the subject to speak. At this time, the robot control server 2 determines in the speech tone detection process whether the subject has spoken at a level above the standard level based on the audio picked up by microphone 14. If it is determined that the subject has spoken at a level above the standard level, screen 162 shown in FIG. 12(C-2) is displayed. Screen 162 shown in FIG. 12(C-2) displays image 102 captured by camera 11 and text 164 indicating that the refresh menu has ended.

After the screens shown in Figures 12 (A-2), (B-2), and (C-2) are displayed on the display 15, the screen will transition to the screen shown in Figure 6 (E).

Next, we will explain the stress check result report screen displayed on the user terminal 6 of the relevant person in the second embodiment. Figure 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the stress check report screen.

If the stress check result is negative and there is a significant change in the stress check result, a notification to report the stress check result to relevant parties (supervisors or health management office staff) is sent from the robot control server 2 via the cloud server 5 to the relevant parties' user terminals 6.

A stress check result report screen 301 (chat service screen) is displayed on the user terminal 6 of the person involved using the SNS application. The stress check result report screen 301 displays the stress check results. This allows the person involved to understand the stress check results of the subject.

In addition, stress check reports using SNS can be submitted using chat services, or via other services such as email.

Next, we will explain the call request screen displayed on the display 15 of the information gathering robot 1 and the user terminal 6 of the seated person in the second embodiment. Figure 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the call request screen.

If the stress check result of the subject is negative, the robot control server 2 selects a person to speak to the subject from among those present near the subject, and requests that person to speak to the subject. Note that the subject will be spoken to if a speaking setting has been made for the subject.

In this embodiment, the robot control server 2 controls the information gathering robot 1 so that the robot 1 moves to the location of the requested person and requests the requested person to speak to the target person.

Specifically, a call request screen 171 shown in FIG. 14(A) is displayed on the display 15 of the information gathering robot 1. The call request screen 171 displays text 172 requesting that the target person be called out to, and an image 102 captured by the camera 11 showing the target person. This allows the person to understand the content of the call request. At the same time as the screen display, audio requesting that the target person be called out to may be output from the speaker 13.

In addition, in this embodiment, a notification requesting a call is sent from the robot control server 2 via the cloud server 5 to the user terminal 6 of the person to whom the request is made.

The user terminal 6 of the requested person displays the call request screen 311 (chat service screen) shown in FIG. 14(B) via the SNS application. A message requesting a call is displayed on the call request screen 311. This allows the requested person to understand the content of the call request.

In addition, requests to communicate using SNS can be made using a chat service, or can be made using other services such as email.

Next, we will explain the settings screen displayed on the administrator terminal 7 according to the second embodiment. Figures 15 and 16 are explanatory diagrams showing the settings screen displayed on the administrator terminal 7.

When the administrator terminal 7 accesses the robot control server 2, the administrator menu screen 401 (initial screen) shown in Figure 15 (A) is displayed.

The administrator menu screen 401 shown in FIG. 15(A) has a refresh button 402 and a notification button 403. When the administrator operates the refresh button 402, the screen transitions to the refresh menu screen shown in FIG. 15(B). When the administrator operates the notification button 403, the screen transitions to the notification settings screen shown in FIG. 16(A).

The refresh menu screen 411 shown in FIG. 15(B) has a smile button 412, a stretch button 413, and a vocal button 414. The refresh menu screen 411 also has a confirm button 415 and a cancel button 416. When the administrator operates either the smile button 412, the stretch button 413, or the vocal button 414 and then operates the confirm button 415, a refresh menu is set according to the operation. Note that on the refresh menu screen 411, multiple buttons may be selected from the smile button 412, the stretch button 413, and the vocal button 414.

The notification settings screen 421 shown in FIG. 16 (A) displays a member list 422 and a search box 423. The member list 422 displays, for each member, the name, whether the stress check results can be reported to relevant parties, the person to report to, and whether the target person can be contacted to improve a negative state. When the administrator enters a keyword (such as a person's name) in the search box 423 and instructs a search, information about the corresponding member is displayed in the member list 422.

The notification settings screen 421 also has a confirm button 424 and a cancel button 425. When the administrator operates the confirm button 424, the contents of the member list 422 are registered. When the administrator operates the cancel button 425, the screen returns to the administrator menu screen 401 (see Figure 15 (A)). When the administrator operates a member's cell (number or name) in the member list 422, the screen transitions to the member registration screen 431 shown in Figure 16 (B).

The member registration screen 431 shown in FIG. 16(B) has an input section 432 for the name, an input section 433 for whether to report, an input section 434 for the person to report to, an input section 435 for whether to call out, and a confirm button 436. When the administrator operates the confirm button 436 after inputting information in the input sections 432 to 435, the member registration information is updated based on the input content, and the member registration information is reflected in the member list 422 on the notification settings screen 421 shown in FIG. 16(A).

Note that while Figures 15 and 16 show the settings screen displayed on the administrator terminal 7, each person may also be able to configure their own user terminal 6 to set whether or not they can report, who to report to, and whether or not they can speak up.

In addition, in the examples shown in Figures 15 and 16, whether or not to report or call out is set for each person, but whether or not to report or call out may also be set for all people at once.

Next, we will explain the operating procedures of the robot control server 2 according to the second embodiment. Figures 17 and 18 are flow diagrams showing the operating procedures of the robot control server 2.

As shown in Figure 17, the process (ST201 to ST211) up to the display 15 of the information gathering robot 1, where screens 111, 121, and 131 (see Figures 6(B), (C), and (D)) that present the body temperature measurement results, mask wear determination results, and stress check results to the subject are displayed is the same as in the first embodiment (see Figure 10).

Next, as shown in FIG. 18, the processor 23 determines whether the refresh menu previously set by the administrator is smiling, speaking, or stretching (ST221).

Here, if the refresh menu is a smile ("Smile" in ST221), the processor 23 displays a smile refresh guide screen (see FIG. 12 (A-1)) on the display 15 of the information gathering robot 1 (ST222). Next, the processor 23 determines whether the subject has smiled at a level above the standard level based on the image captured by the camera 11 (facial expression detection process) (ST223). Here, if it is determined that the subject has smiled at a level above the standard level, the processor 23 displays a smile refresh result screen (see FIG. 12 (A-2)) on the display 15 of the information gathering robot 1 (ST224).

Also, if the refresh menu item is stretching ("Stretching" in ST221), processor 23 displays a stretch refresh guide screen (see FIG. 12 (B-1)) on the display 15 of information-gathering robot 1 (ST225). Next, processor 23 determines whether the subject has performed stretching to a standard degree or more based on the image captured by camera 11 (motion detection process or skeletal detection process) (ST226). Here, if it is determined that the subject has performed stretching to a standard degree or more, processor 23 displays a stretch refresh result screen (see FIG. 12 (B-2)) on the display 15 of information-gathering robot 1 (ST227).

Also, if the refresh menu is vocalization ("Vocalization" in ST221), the processor 23 displays a vocalization refresh guide screen (see FIG. 12 (C-1)) on the display 15 of the information gathering robot 1 (ST228). Next, the processor 23 determines whether the subject has vocalized at a level above the standard level based on the sound picked up by the microphone 14 (speech tone detection process) (ST229). Here, if it is determined that the subject has vocalized at a level above the standard level, the processor 23 displays a vocalization refresh result screen (see FIG. 12 (C-2)) on the display 15 of the information gathering robot 1 (ST230).

Next, the processor 23 determines whether the setting allows reporting of stress check results (ST231). If the setting allows reporting of stress check results (Yes in ST231), the stress check results are reported to relevant parties (such as a supervisor or a health management office staff member) (ST232).

The processor 23 also determines whether the setting allows calling out to the target person (ST233). If the setting allows calling out to the target person (Yes in ST233), a person to call out to the target person is selected from among people present around the target person, and the requested person is asked to call out to the target person (ST234).

The subsequent processing (ST212 to ST214) is the same as in the first embodiment (see Figure 10).

In this embodiment, the stress check and refreshment menu are administered when the person's presence is detected, i.e., when the person arrives at work, but the stress check and refreshment menu may also be administered during working hours. For example, the stress check and refreshment menu may be administered during a time period when fatigue is accumulating. The timing for administering the stress check and refreshment menu may also be set in advance by the administrator.

As mentioned above, the embodiments have been described as examples of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited to these, and can also be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. Furthermore, it is possible to combine the components described in the above embodiments to create new embodiments.

The presence information management system and presence information management method of the present invention utilize a robot to conduct stress checks on each person in a timely manner and effectively present the stress check results, thereby promoting the mental health care of each person throughout the workplace and creating an environment in which employees can work with peace of mind. They are useful as presence information management systems and presence information management methods for managing presence information regarding the presence status of people in a work area.

1. Information gathering robot 2. Robot control server (robot control unit)
4 Attendance management server (Attendance management department)
6. User terminal (user device)
11 Camera 12 Body temperature sensor 13 Speaker 14 Microphone 15 Display 16 Running part 17 Controller

Claims (9)

An occupancy information management system that manages occupancy information related to the occupancy status of a person based on a detection result of an occupancy detection area that has changed from an empty seat to an occupied seat in an office area ,
an attendance management unit that accumulates the attendance information;
an information gathering robot having a camera that autonomously travels within the office area and gathers information about a target person present in the presence detection area ;
a robot control unit that controls the operation of the information collecting robot,
The robot control unit
When an instruction to collect information about a subject present in the presence detection area is received, the information collection robot is controlled to move to the presence detection area, the subject is identified based on the captured image acquired by the camera, and a facial expression detection process is performed to detect the facial expression of the subject, thereby conducting a stress check to determine the subject's stress state;
Furthermore, a result display confirmation is performed to confirm with the subject whether or not the results of the stress check regarding the subject will be displayed on a screen to be shared with other people, and setting information regarding whether or not the results of the stress check will be displayed on the screen is acquired;
The presence management unit
An attendance information management system characterized in that , when the setting information is set to be displayable on the screen, the results of the stress check for the subject are presented along with the presence status of each person in the work area. The robot control unit
The presence information management system according to claim 1, characterized in that an image area of the target person's face is cut out from the image captured by the camera to obtain a facial image, facial feature information of the target person is extracted from the facial image, and the target person is identified by comparing the facial feature information of each registered person with the facial feature information of the target person. The robot control unit
2. The presence information management system according to claim 1, wherein, if the result of the stress check indicates that the subject is in an undesirable state, the system performs a process of instructing the subject to implement a predetermined refresh menu. The robot control unit
4. The presence information management system according to claim 3, wherein the refresh menu includes a process of instructing the subject to perform at least one of smiling, stretching, and speaking. The robot control unit
2. The attendance information management system according to claim 1, wherein if the result of the stress check indicates that the subject is in an undesirable state, the system performs a process of reporting the stress check result to the subject's relatives. The robot control unit
The presence information management system described in claim 1, characterized in that if the result of the stress check shows that the subject is in an undesirable state, a person who will speak to the subject to improve the subject's condition is selected from among the people present around the subject, and that person is asked to speak to the person. The robot control unit
7. The presence information management system according to claim 6, wherein the information gathering robot is controlled so as to move to the vicinity of the requested person and request the requested person to speak to the target person. The robot control unit
2. The attendance information management system according to claim 1 , wherein the information collecting robot is controlled so as to perform an operation related to the display and confirmation of the results when collecting information required for the stress check. A method for managing presence information relating to the presence status of a person based on a detection result of an occupancy detection area that has changed from an empty seat to an occupied seat in an office area, comprising:
An information gathering robot equipped with a camera
autonomously traveling within the office area to collect information about subjects present in the presence detection area ;
a robot control unit that controls the operation of the information collecting robot,
When an instruction to collect information about a subject present in the presence detection area is received, the information collection robot is controlled to move to the presence detection area, the subject is identified based on the captured image acquired by the camera, and a facial expression detection process is performed to detect the facial expression of the subject, thereby conducting a stress check to determine the subject's stress state;
Furthermore, a result display confirmation is performed to confirm with the subject whether or not the results of the stress check regarding the subject will be displayed on a screen to be shared with other people, and setting information regarding whether or not the results of the stress check will be displayed on the screen is acquired;
an attendance management unit that accumulates the attendance information,
A method for managing presence information, characterized in that , when the setting information is set to be displayable on the screen, the results of the stress check for the subject are presented along with the presence status of each person in the work area.