JP2024057041A - Seat area selection system, seat area selection method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a seating area selection system, seating area selection method, and program that enable a desired number of tables to be shared in a free address office. [Solution] In the seating area selection system, an analysis processing device 100 includes an information acquisition unit 10 that acquires floor plan information including positional relationship information between a target area used as a free address office and an area for a specific purpose located outside the target area, arrangement information of a plurality of tables to be arranged in the target area, and schedule information related to the business of the use day declared before the use day of the plurality of tables, a calculation unit 30 that calculates the number of tables required for the use day that limits the use mode of the use day from among the plurality of tables based on the schedule information, and a recommendation processing unit 40 that determines a group arrangement for determining tables to be used by a first group and a second group in the target area, respectively, based on the schedule information. [Selected Figure] Figure 3A

Description

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

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

JP 2016-115006 A

When group addresses are applied, it can be difficult to reserve the desired number of seats in addition to the area assigned to the group, or to work in an environment different from that of the group. Even if communication within the group can be stimulated, the convenience of the office can be reduced.
An object of the present invention is to provide a seating area selection system, a seating area selection method, and a program that enable a desired number of tables to be shared in a free address office.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the seating area selection system, which is a first aspect of the present invention, comprises an information acquisition unit that acquires floor plan information including positional relationship information between a target area used as a free address office and an area for a specific purpose located outside the target area, arrangement information of a plurality of tables to be arranged within the target area, and schedule information related to the business of the use day declared before the use day of the plurality of tables, a calculation unit that calculates the number of tables required for the use day that limits the use mode of the use day from among the plurality of tables based on the schedule information, and a recommendation processing unit that determines a group arrangement for determining tables to be used by a first group and a second group, respectively, within the target area based on the schedule information.

Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, the number of tables required on the day of use includes the number of tables that are assigned to each group for exclusive use and the number of free tables that are assigned to each group for shared use.

Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, the recommendation processing unit selects one of the following arrangement methods for the free tables that the members of the first group and the members of the second group are permitted to use as appropriate: arranging them together in the center of the target area, distributing them within the target area, or arranging them together at the edge of the target area, and arranges them in a predetermined position according to the selected arrangement method.

Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, the recommendation processing unit provisionally places the free table at the predetermined position according to the selected placement method, and corrects the position of the provisionally placed free table depending on the result of the placement of the tables assigned to each group for exclusive use.

Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, the recommendation processing unit determines the priority of the group placement based on the schedule information related to meeting plans or outing plans declared by the members of the first group and the members of the second group.

Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, the rules for arranging the areas of the groups after the first area that is relatively close to the specific use area is filled depend on the organizational proximity between the groups.

Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, the recommendation processing unit arranges the areas of the first group and the second group according to the group arrangement priority, and then determines the position to arrange the third group based on the organizational proximity between the first group and the third group and the organizational proximity between the second group and the third group.

Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, the recommendation processing unit selects an area to be used as a free table that is permitted for use by members of the first group and members of the second group as appropriate, before arranging the areas of the first group and the second group according to the group arrangement priority.

Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, the schedule information includes either schedule information related to a meeting scheduled for the day of use or schedule information related to going out.

Furthermore, in the seat area selection system, the recommendation processing unit places a first area, which is an area relatively close to the specific use area, in an area within the target area that is relatively close to the specific use area.

Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, the recommendation processing unit determines the priority of the group placement based on the schedule information related to the meeting schedule for the use date declared by the members of the first group and the members of the second group.

Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, the recommendation processing unit, based on the schedule information, places the group including members who go out in the afternoon outside the first area, which is an area relatively close to the area for the specific use.

Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, the recommendation processing unit makes a decision based on the schedule information related to plans to go out declared by the members of the first group and the members of the second group.

Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, the rules for arranging the areas of the groups after they have been arranged based on the schedule information related to the plans to go out depend on the organizational proximity between the groups.

The seat area selection system further includes an output unit that receives a request from an external terminal device and outputs a result of the processing of the recommendation processing unit to the terminal device in response to the request.
Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, the recommendation processing unit determines group arrangement priorities for determining tables to be used by a first group and a second group within the target area, based on the schedule information.
Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, the recommendation processing unit arranges the area of the first group having a higher priority for group arrangement, including a first area, within the target area, which is relatively close to the area for the specific use, so as to meet the number of tables required by the first group on the day of use.
Furthermore, in the seat area selection system, the recommendation processing unit places the second group in an area other than the area in which the first group is placed so as to satisfy the required number of tables for the day of use of the second group.
Furthermore, in the seating area selection system, the recommendation processing unit selects free tables that are permitted to be used appropriately by members of the first group and members of the second group so as to satisfy the required number of tables of the free tables.

Furthermore, one aspect of the present invention provides a seating area selection method including the steps of: a computer of a seating area selection system acquiring floor plan information including positional relationship information between a target area used as a free address office and an area for a specific purpose located outside the target area; arrangement information of a plurality of tables to be arranged within the target area; and schedule information related to the business of the use day declared before the use day of the plurality of tables; calculating the number of tables required for the use day from among the plurality of tables based on the schedule information, which limits the use mode of the use day; and determining a group arrangement based on the schedule information to determine tables to be used by a first group and a second group within the target area.

Another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer of a seating area selection system to execute the steps of acquiring floor plan information including positional relationship information between a target area used as a free address office and an area for a specific purpose located outside the target area, arrangement information of a number of tables to be arranged within the target area, and schedule information related to the business of the use day that is declared before the use day of the multiple tables, calculating the number of tables required for the use day from among the multiple tables based on the schedule information, which limits the use mode of the use day, and determining a group arrangement based on the schedule information to determine the tables to be used by the first group and the second group within the target area.

According to the present invention, it is possible to share a table with the desired number of seats in a free address office.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a building to which an embodiment is applied. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the arrangement of four groups of regions within the target region TZ of FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a seat area selection system according to a first embodiment. 1 is a configuration diagram of a seat area selection system according to a first embodiment. 11 is a flowchart of a recommendation process according to an embodiment. 11 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the number of people in a group and the number of vacant seats in an embodiment. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a meeting schedule ratio according to an embodiment. 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining an example of the arrangement of free spaces according to an embodiment. 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining processing relating to the arrangement of group regions according to an embodiment; 11 is a diagram for explaining a compilation result showing a schedule for the day based on a questionnaire in the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the amount of communication with other departments based on the action history information of the embodiment. FIG. 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining the arrangement results of group regions according to an embodiment. 13 is a flowchart of a recommendation process according to the second embodiment. 11 is a diagram for explaining a compilation result showing a schedule for the day based on a questionnaire in the embodiment. FIG. 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining the arrangement results of group regions according to an embodiment. 13 is a flowchart of a recommendation process according to the third embodiment. 11 is a diagram for explaining a compilation result showing a schedule for the day based on a questionnaire in the embodiment. FIG. 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining the arrangement results of group regions according to an embodiment.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

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

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

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

(Application examples of the embodiment)
The following application example will be given to explain the embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a building to which the embodiment is applied.
In the target area TZ shown in FIG. 1, "stations" are assigned. The total number of workers using this target area TZ is expected to be approximately 30 to 50 people. The number of groups to which each worker belongs is expected to be 3 to 5 groups. The tables arranged in the "stations" may have 4 to 6 seats per table. Each table is arranged, for example, at the intersection of a two-dimensional grid. The size, shape, number of seats, etc. of each table may be uniform, or some of them may be different from each other. The number of tables and their arrangement positions may be changed as appropriate without being limited to those shown in the figure.

In the diagram of the application example shown in FIG. 1, in addition to the target area TZ described above, adjacent areas NZ1 and NZ2 are included. The adjacent area NZ1 is adjacent to the target area TZ. The adjacent area NZ1 is assigned to the "community", which is one of the scenes described above. In the "community", for example, a place where workers can communicate with each other is provided. The target area TZ and adjacent area NZ1 are adjacent to the adjacent area NZ2, and the adjacent area NZ2 is provided with a "passage" along the direction in which the target area TZ and adjacent area NZ1 are arranged side by side. The range within the target area TZ that is located near the adjacent area NZ1 or the side that contacts the adjacent area NZ1 within the periphery of the target area TZ is called the "range close to the adjacent scene", and conversely, the area away from the above side is called "far from the adjacent scene". The AA area shown in FIG. 1 is an example of the "range close to the adjacent scene".

In FIG. 1, "a1" to "a4", "b1" to "b4", and "c1" to "c4" each indicate a table with, for example, four seats. The AA area is located in a position that includes the three tables "a1", "b1", and "c1". The AA area contains three tables and a total of 12 seats corresponding to these. Details of the AA area will be described later.

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

If the work style of members of each group tends to involve a relatively large amount of work within the office, prioritization can be done by, for example, placing the area of the group that moves around the office more frequently closer to the aisle.

Examples of meeting partners include those within the company in general and those outside the company. The former will be explained in the first and second embodiments. In this case, the seating area selection system should place the areas of groups that have relatively many meetings near free tables or the community. The latter will be explained in the third embodiment.

Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the arrangement of the areas of four groups within the target area TZ of Figure 1. In the example of arrangement shown in Figure 2, the areas of four groups, group A to group D, are assigned to the target area TZ, and the assigned areas are used for business purposes. Each area (range) assigned to each group is called a home area, and the table located therein is called a home table. For example, tables "a1" and "b1" are included in the home area GBHA of group B and are the home tables of group B. The same is true for groups A, C, and D, and the symbols GAHA, GCHA, and GDHA indicate the home areas of each group. The symbol FS indicates a free space provided within the target area TZ, and includes tables "c3" and "c4" as free tables FT that are not assigned to each group. The free space FS is an example of a free table arrangement area (BB area) in which the table to be arranged is considered to be a free table FT. Free tables (FT) are tables that have been left vacant and are now available for use, but by adjusting the placement of the empty seats, each group can use them for their own purposes as a place for communication, or individual workers can use them as a place to concentrate.

In other words, the home tables in each group's home area are assigned for the exclusive use of that group, and the free tables FT in the free space FS are assigned for shared use by each group.

First Embodiment
FIG. 3A is a schematic configuration diagram of the seating area selection system 1 of the first embodiment.
The seating area selection system 1 in this embodiment includes an analysis processing device 100, a terminal device 200, a terminal device 200M, and a worker position information measurement device 300. A worker is indicated by the symbol W. A manager is indicated by the symbol M. In the following description, descriptions of the symbols W and M are omitted.

The terminal device 200 is a device used by workers to post and view information. For example, each worker carries the same type of terminal device 200. The symbols GA, GB, GC, and GD in FIG. 3 indicate the groups to which the workers belong. Each worker can operate the terminal device 200 he or she carries to send information (e.g., responses to a questionnaire) to the analysis processing device 100, obtain information from the analysis processing device 100, and display the information on the display unit, thereby obtaining the location of tables available to the worker in the office.

The worker position information measuring device 300 acquires the positions of workers within the office. Details will be described later.

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

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

The analysis processing device 100 includes, for example, an information acquisition unit 10, a positional relationship/distance information setting unit 20, a calculation unit 30, a recommendation processing unit 40, and a memory unit 60 (not shown).

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

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

For example, the basic information includes various information such as the floor plan of the building, the work style of each target group, the personnel composition of the workers in each group, and the arrangement of multiple tables. The floor plan information includes information regarding the positional relationship and distance between the target area TZ used as a free address office and an area for specific uses located outside the target area TZ. The information regarding the questionnaire on the previous day includes the plans for being in the office on that day declared by the workers of each group, and whether or not there are any meetings scheduled for that day. The above information regarding the questionnaire on the previous day is an example of schedule information related to work on the day of use that was declared before the use of multiple tables (the day before). The above schedule information is an example including schedule information related to meetings scheduled for the day of use. The amount of communication between groups includes behavioral history information (including location information) for several days up to the previous day.

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

The positional relationship/distance information setting unit 20 uses basic information, etc., to place the AA area in an area within the target area TZ that is relatively close to an area for a specific use. An area for a specific use is, for example, a "community" assigned to adjacent area NZ1, or a "corridor" assigned to adjacent area NZ2. For example, the positional relationship/distance information setting unit 20 may identify the position of the "community" in adjacent area NZ1 or the "corridor" in adjacent area NZ2 based on the floor plan, and place the AA area within the target area TZ based on this result. The AA area is an example of a first area.

Based on the schedule information, the calculation unit 30 calculates the number of tables required on the day of use (required number of tables) from among the multiple tables in the target area TZ to be used as tables that limit the usage pattern on that day. The required number of tables includes the number of tables for each group and the number of free tables. More specifically, the required number of tables on the day of use includes the number of tables allocated for each group's exclusive use and the number of free tables FT allocated for shared use by each group. In this embodiment, processing based on the number of tables will be described, but processing based on the number of seats may be used instead.
The calculation unit 30 calculates the number of people who answered that they have a meeting for each group based on the schedule information, and calculates the meeting ratio, attendance rate, etc. based on this. The calculation unit 30 calculates the amount of communication between groups based on the behavior history information.

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

As described above, the AA area is arranged within the target area TZ. The recommendation processing unit 40 arranges the area of the first group, which has a higher priority for group arrangement, including the AA area so as to satisfy the required number of tables. "So as to satisfy the required number of tables" means, for example, that the number of tables included in the allocated range is equal to or greater than the required number of tables. "Arrangement including the AA area" means, for example, arranging a part or all of the area of the first group in the AA area. When a part of the area of the first group is arranged in the AA area, the other part of the area of the first group will be outside the AA area and will be arranged adjacent to the AA area. In addition, when "arranging including the AA area", the recommendation processing unit 40 determines the respective quantities of the part and the other part of the area of the first group so that the part is wider than the other part, the number of tables is greater, the number of seats at the tables is greater, or the center of gravity (center) based on the area of the first group is within the AA area, and the area of the first group is arranged mainly around the AA area accordingly. At that time, the recommendation processing unit 40 determines the above quantities so that the restrictions on the size of the AA area, the conditions for the shape of the first group of regions, etc. are satisfied. The same applies below. In this way, the layout of the first group of regions is determined.

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

The recommendation processing unit 40 may select free tables FT that are permitted for use by the members of the first group and the members of the second group as appropriate, so as to satisfy the required number of tables. This is not essential in this embodiment, and will be described in the second embodiment.

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

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a recommendation process according to the embodiment.
The recommendation process of this embodiment is applied to, for example, arranging an area of a group that has relatively many meetings adjacent to a "community" that is arranged outside a "station" of the target area TZ. The seat area selection system 1 (recommendation processing unit 40) arranges an AA area for allocating a home area of a group that has relatively many meetings in an area of a "station" of the target area TZ that is relatively close to the "community."

First, the information acquisition unit 10 acquires, for example, basic information, schedule information, and behavior history information designated by a facility manager (step S12). For example, the schedule information may be based on responses to a questionnaire presented by the information acquisition unit 10 to the group members, or may be based on schedule information collected by a schedule management device (not shown).

The calculation unit 30 calculates the number of tables required based on the above-mentioned schedule information (step S14). The positional relationship/distance information setting unit 20 sets the AA area and the aisle close to the community based on the basic information (step S16). The information acquisition unit 10 accepts an operation related to the arrangement method of the free table arrangement area (BB area) and selects the arrangement method of the free table arrangement area (BB area) (step S18). At this time, the administrator selects, for example, a central arrangement, which is one of the arrangement types of free space, and instructs this to the recommendation processing unit 40.

Next, the recommendation processing unit 40 receives the instruction to place the group in the center, extracts groups with more scheduled meetings with other departments based on the schedule information, and places the groups in the AA area (step S22). As described above, the recommendation processing unit 40 determines the priority of group placement based on the schedule information related to scheduled meetings declared by the members of the first group and the members of the second group.

The recommendation processing unit 40 determines whether there is vacant space in the AA area (step S28), and if there is vacant space in the AA area, proceeds to step S22, and if there is no vacant space in the AA area, proceeds to step S30.

Next, the recommendation processing unit 40 extracts groups that spend a relatively large amount of time communicating with other departments (step S30) and arranges the areas of the extracted groups (step S32). In this way, the rules for arranging the areas of the groups after the AA area is filled may be stipulated by the inter-organizational proximity between the groups. As a result, the recommendation processing unit 40 can arrange the areas of the first and second groups according to the priority of group arrangement, and then determine the position for arranging the area of the third group based on the inter-organizational proximity between the first and third groups and the inter-organizational proximity between the second and third groups. For example, the recommendation processing unit 40 arranges the areas with higher proximity (larger) closer together based on the magnitude relationship of the inter-organizational proximity values.

The recommendation processing unit 40 determines whether there are any remaining groups (step S36), and if there are any remaining groups, proceeds to step S30, and if there are no remaining groups, ends the series of processes.

As described above, the recommendation processing unit 40 determines the priority of group placement until the AA area is filled based on the schedule information related to the meeting schedule declared by the members of the first group and the members of the second group. After that, the recommendation processing unit 40 may use, for example, a priority based on the organizational proximity between groups as a rule for placing the group areas after the AA area is filled.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the number of people in a group and the number of vacant seats according to the embodiment.
The table shown in Figure 5 shows the relationship between the number of people in a group, the number of basic tables (NA), the number of people expected to be present (NB), the number of required tables (NC), the number of free tables (ND), and the number of vacant seats (NE) for groups A to D.

Of these, the number of people in a group and the number of basic tables (NA) are determined by the composition of the group's members and are included in basic information whose values do not change from day to day. The number of people expected to be present (NB) is determined based on the results of a survey and is the number of members who plan to be at work on that day.

Here, we will show an example of four seats per table and explain each group and their survey responses.

Let's explain Group A. Group A has 12 members, so the total number of members is 12. Dividing this by the number of boats per table, which is 4 (seats), gives the basic number of tables (NA) required for all members to be seated. In this case, that number (NA) is 3. Let's assume that the number of people expected to be present on the day (NB), based on the results of the survey, is 11. In this case, the required number of tables (NC) required for 11 people to be seated is 3. In this case, since the basic number of tables (NA) and the required number of tables (NC) are the same, the number of free tables (ND) that arise due to the difference between them is 0, and one empty seat will be created at each of the three assigned tables.

Now let's explain Group B. The number of people in Group B is the same as in Group A. The basic number of tables (NA) for Group B is three. In the case of Group B, if we assume that the expected number of people (NB) expected to be present on the day, based on the results of the survey, is eight, then two tables (NC) will be sufficient. In this case, the number of free tables (ND), which arises due to the difference between the basic number of tables (NA) and the required number of tables (NC), will be one. There will be no empty seats at the two assigned tables.

The calculation unit 30 performs similar calculations for groups A and B, as well as groups C and D. The calculation unit 30 tallies the values for each group to obtain the results shown in the table in FIG. 5.

As a result, for groups B, C, and D, which have four or more fewer expected attendees (NB) than the number of members in their group, one free table will be created each, for a total of three.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the meeting schedule ratio according to the embodiment.
The table shown in FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the number of people who answered that they have a meeting scheduled (NF) and the ratio of people who have a meeting scheduled (NG) for groups A to D.
The number of people who answered that they have a meeting scheduled (NF) is the number of members in each group who answered that they have a meeting scheduled. The meeting scheduled ratio (NG) is the result of dividing the number of members in each group who answered that they have a meeting scheduled (NF) by the number of people in the group.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of the arrangement of free spaces according to the embodiment.
7(a) to (c) show examples of free space arrangement.
The first arrangement example shown in Fig. 7(a) is an example in which a free space FSC is arranged in the center of the station. In this case, the free tables FT are arranged together in the free space FSC in the center. This arrangement example is suitable when the amount of communication between groups is relatively large.

The second layout example shown in Figure 7(b) is an example where free spaces FSS1 and FSS2 are placed near the edge of the station. With such an edge-of-the-station layout, a relatively quiet environment can be expected compared to the example of a central layout (Figure 7(a)) where the distance between each group is relatively close. This layout example can be placed away from the aisles, so the voices of people passing by in the aisles are less likely to reach the group, making it possible for several people to have a calm meeting and suitable for concentrating on work. It can also be placed away from the community, so it can be used as an alternative to a concentration booth, and similar effects can be expected as above.

The third layout example shown in Figure 7(c) is an example in which free spaces FSD1 to FSD3 are placed within a station. This layout example allows for the free spaces to be distributed throughout the station, and is suitable for use by the nearest group for meetings within the group, or for meetings between relatively nearby groups. Because they are placed near the group area, they can be used with a short travel distance, and it is easy to check whether they are in use or not.

For example, the recommendation processing unit 40 selects one of the arrangement methods of arranging the free tables FT together in the center of the target area TZ, the arrangement method of distributing the free tables FT within the target area TZ, and the arrangement method of arranging the free tables FT together at the edge of the target area TZ, in accordance with the selection operation of the administrator, and arranges the free tables FT at a predetermined position according to the selected arrangement method. The recommendation processing unit 40 provisionally arranges the free tables FT at a predetermined position according to the selected arrangement method.
In this way, by allowing the manager to select how to arrange the free spaces according to the station's usage and purpose, the free spaces can be made more easily usable by workers in each group.

The layout method for free space should be selected based on the worker's working style, the location relative to the scenes that are frequently used, the area of the target area TZ, and the relationship with the amount of communication, so that it can be used more effectively.

The recommendation processing unit 40 may correct the position of the provisionally placed free table FT depending on the results of the placement of the tables assigned to each group for exclusive use. This will be described later.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the process relating to the arrangement of the group regions according to the embodiment.
8(a) and (b), a method of selecting tables when selecting multiple tables to arrange the area of a group will be described. It is advisable to select multiple tables so that the amount of movement required for communication within the group is reduced.

For example, rather than selecting tables positioned in a row as in FIG. 8(a), the distance between the farthest seats in a group can be shortened by selecting the tables so that the selected results are grouped together as in FIG. 8(b). When it is possible to select either FIG. 8(a) or FIG. 8(b), the recommendation processing unit 40 prioritizes the arrangement in FIG. 8(b) and selects the shape of the group area that shortens the distance within the group.

Next, the requirements for arranging the group areas will be described.
For example, when the recommendation processing unit 40 aims to locate the area of a group that has relatively many meetings close to a community, it is preferable that the home area of each group be determined so that the following requirements are satisfied.

In principle, the home areas of groups are arranged so that their home tables are adjacent (adjacent arrangement). For example, the arrangements shown in Figures 8(a) and (b) above are one example. Note that cases in which the home tables of groups cannot be arranged adjacent will be described later.
- Determine the order in which groups are selected for placing home areas based on the amount of communication per person in the group.
- Determine the shape of the group area taking into account the placement distance within the group.
- Once the territory of the first group can be placed near the community, the next group with a relatively large amount of communication is selected and the location for placing that group's territory is determined.
The layout of the group area is determined so as not to interfere with the layout of the free table.
・Once the AA area is filled, place the areas of groups with relatively high inter-organizational communication time close together.
When the arrangement of the group area is stuck due to interference with a free table in the provisionally placed free space FSPV (see FIG. 8(c)), for example, as shown in FIG. 8(d), the position of the provisionally placed free space FSPV is shifted by one line, and then rearrangement is attempted according to the above procedure. When the arrangement of the group area is stuck, this includes cases where the group area of a specific group is divided.

The recommendation processing unit 40 can obtain multiple placement plans by repeating the placement process with different conditions for selecting the group shape. In this way, when there are multiple placement plans, the recommendation processing unit 40 can compare the past group placements and select the more different one as the final plan by giving priority to it.

An example of group arrangement based on a questionnaire in an embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 9 to 11.

Figure 9 is a diagram for explaining the results of a survey showing the schedule for the day based on the questionnaire in the embodiment. The table shown in Figure 9(a) shows the results of a survey of the number of people present on the day, for each group, based on the responses to the questionnaire from the previous day. The table shown in Figure 9(b) shows the results of a calculation, for each group, of the ratio between the number of people who responded to the questionnaire from the previous day that they had a meeting planned with another department and the number of people who responded that they planned to be present on the day (number of people present). The values in the table shown in Figure 9(b) range from 0 to 1.

10 is a diagram for explaining the amount of communication with other departments based on the action history information of the embodiment. The table shown in FIG. 10 is an example of the result of normalizing the amount of communication with other departments by the number of people in each group. For example, the amount of communication with other departments is a value obtained by dividing the detection value of the total time during which members of a group communicated with members of other departments during a specified period by the number of people in each group. The specified period may be a period relatively close to the current day, such as a few days until the previous day, one to two weeks until the previous day, or one month until the previous day, based on the current day. In addition, regarding the detection of a state in which communication with other departments was taking place, for example, it is possible to indirectly detect a state in which members were communicating with each other by considering that groups whose members were present at the above-mentioned "Community", "Review", and "Break" at the time of detection were communicating with each other.

A more specific method is to use a worker position information measurement device 300. The worker position information measurement device 300 acquires the position information of the terminal device 200 carried by the worker as worker position information. For example, the terminal devices 200 each receive a beacon (wireless signal) emitted by multiple wireless beacon transmitters placed according to placement rules, and each uploads the received results (beacon information) to the worker position information measurement device 300. The worker position information measurement device 300 receives the beacon information from each terminal device 200 and analyzes it to generate the amount of communication (inter-organizational proximity) between workers or between groups to which the workers belong, and supplies this to the analysis processing device 100.

The method for detecting the state of communication is not limited to this, and other known methods may be used.

Here, the results shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 will be summarized.
Based on the results of the survey conducted the day before (Figure 9), of groups A to D, group A is determined to be the group with the most scheduled meetings with other departments, followed by group B.
Also, based on the action history information (FIG. 10), the group combination that spends a relatively long amount of time communicating with other departments is the pair of Group B and Group D, followed by the pair of Group A and Group C.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement result of the group regions according to the embodiment.
For example, as shown in Fig. 11, an AA area is arranged on the side of the nearby area NZ1 in the target area TZ, and a free space FS is arranged in the center. The tables "b2" and "b3" in the free space FS are examples of free tables FT.

Based on the results shown in Figures 9 and 10 above, the recommendation processing unit 40 arranges the home areas of each group as follows:

For example, based on the results of the previous day's survey (Figure 9), the recommendation processing unit 40 assigns part of the home area GAHA of group A and part of the home area GBHA of group B to the AA area. With these two groups placed, there are no free spaces on the tables in the AA area.

The tables "a1" and "b1" in the home area GAHA of group A are in the AA area. The table "a2" is outside the AA area but is assigned to the home area GAHA of group A.
In the home area GAHA of group A, the recommendation processing unit 40 selects tables arranged so that the distance between the farthest seats is as short as possible to facilitate movement within the group, and the tables are arranged so that they are adjacent to each other and surround the free table FT to avoid the free space FS.

The table "c1" in the home area GBHA of group B is in the AA area. The table "c2" is outside the AA area, but has been assigned to the home area GBHA of group B by the recommendation processing unit 40. The home area GBHA of group B is arranged so that the two tables are adjacent to each other and do not interfere with the free space FS.

As mentioned above, there are no vacant tables in area AA, and no new groups can be placed based on the results of the previous day's survey. Next, the recommendation processing unit 40 determines the placement of the remaining groups C and D based on the behavioral history information. Since the combination of groups that spends the most time communicating with other departments is group B and group D, the recommendation processing unit 40 places the home area GDHA of group D, whose placement has not yet been determined, next to the home area GBHA of group B.

Finally, the recommendation processing unit 40 places the home area GCHA of group C next to the home area GAHA of group A based on the behavioral history. This completes the placement of the home areas for each group, and the table "b4" becomes a spare table (spare table RST).

As described above, the free space FS in this embodiment is not simply a table that is left over after the home areas of each group are allocated first. The free space FS in this embodiment is allocated before the home areas of each group are allocated in order to apply group addresses.

According to the above embodiment, the recommendation processing unit 40 can select free tables that are permitted for use by members of the first group and members of the second group as needed, so as to satisfy the required number of tables, thereby making it possible to share a desired number of tables in a free address office.

For example, even if a free-address work style is used, by applying a group address, the seats of the group members will not be dispersed throughout the target area, facilitating communication within the group. In the above embodiment, instead of simply applying a group address, a free space FS is provided in the target area FZ. This prevents vacant seats from being dispersed throughout the target area, and they can be used as free space FS.

(First Modification of the First Embodiment)
When deciding the placement of the above groups C and D, if the groups C and D have the same conditions, the recommendation processing unit 40 may place the group with the larger number of meetings on the day closer to the community side.

(Second Modification of the First Embodiment)
When determining the placement of the above groups C and D, if the distance from the home area of each group to be placed to the community and the number of planned meetings for each group are the same, the recommendation processing unit 40 may prioritize placement of the area of the group that contains the table in which the group area has been placed the fewest times, based on the placement history information.

For example, the placement history information records the number of times each group area has been assigned to each table in the target region TZ. Based on the placement history information, the recommendation processing unit 40 may compare the number of times a group area of group C has been placed in the past for each table in the group area of group C with the number of times a group area of group D has been placed in the past for each table in the group area of group D, and determine the above placement.

Note that the recommendation processing unit 40 may apply this modified example when an attempt to determine the placement of the first modified example fails.

(Third Modification of the First Embodiment)
When the placement of groups C and D cannot be determined by the above embodiment and the first and second modified examples, for example, the first worker in the group to arrive at work submits a recommendation request at the time of arrival using a terminal device placed at the entrance or a smartphone carried by the worker. The recommendation processing unit 40 accepts this request and, in response to the accepted request, determines the placement of the area of the group to which the worker belongs at the position selected by the worker.

(Fourth Modification of the First Embodiment)
When the placement of groups C and D cannot be determined by the above embodiment and the first and second modified examples, for example, a worker may be allowed to apply for a recommendation request using a smartphone or the like that the worker possesses before coming to work. In this case, the recommendation processing unit 40 determines the placement of the area of the group to which the worker belongs at a position selected by a specific group member. After that, the recommendation processing unit 40 accepts this recommendation request and recommends a predetermined position in response to the accepted request. The above specific group members may be predetermined, or may be determined randomly or according to a predetermined order.

Note that if the recommendation processing unit 40 is unable to determine the placement of the first or second variant even after trying to prioritize it, it may implement either the third or fourth variant described above, but is not limited to this and may implement them independently.

Second Embodiment
A second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, a case where a free space FS is provisionally arranged, and then a home area of each group is arranged is described. Instead of this, in this embodiment, a case where a home area of each group is arranged without provisionally arranging a free space FS is described.

Before allocating an area to be used as the free table FT, the recommendation processing unit 40A arranges at least either the first group or the second group according to the priority of each group arrangement.

Figure 12 is a flowchart of the recommendation process of the embodiment. The following will focus on the differences from the flowchart shown in Figure 4.

The recommendation process of this embodiment is applied, for example, to locating an area of a group that has relatively many meetings in the vicinity of a "community" that is located outside a "station" in the target area TZ. The seat area selection system 1 (recommendation processing unit 40A) locates an AA area that assigns a home area of a group that has relatively many meetings in an area of a "station" in the target area TZ that is relatively close to the "community."

The recommendation processing unit 40A performs the processes of steps S12 to S18 in the same manner as in FIG. 4. At this time, the administrator selects, for example, distributed placement, which is one of the placement types for free space, and instructs the recommendation processing unit 40A to select this.

The recommendation processing unit 40A receives an instruction for distributed placement, extracts groups that have more meetings scheduled with other departments based on the schedule information, and places them in the AA area (step S22).
Next, the recommendation processing unit 40A arranges the area of a group that has a relatively long scheduled meeting time with the above group next to the above group (step S24).
Next, the recommendation processor 40A arranges free tables between the two groups (step S26). At this time, the free tables TF (free spaces FS) are arranged in a dispersed manner.

The recommendation processing unit 40A determines whether there is vacant space in the AA area (step S28), and if there is vacant space in the AA area, the process proceeds to step S22, and if there is no vacant space in the AA area, the process proceeds to step S30A.

Next, the recommendation processing unit 40A extracts groups that spend a relatively large amount of time communicating with other departments (step S30A) and arranges the regions of the extracted groups adjacent to each other (step S32A).

Next, the recommendation processing unit 40A places a free table FT between the above two groups (step S34).

The recommendation processing unit 40 determines whether there are any remaining groups (step S36), and if there are any remaining groups, proceeds to step S30A, and if there are no remaining groups, ends the series of processes.

For example, the rules for arranging the group regions after the above AA area is filled are defined using the inter-organizational proximity between the groups. As a result, the recommendation processing unit 40 can arrange the regions of the first and second groups according to the priority of group arrangement, and then determine the position for arranging the region of the third group based on the inter-organizational proximity between the first and third groups and the inter-organizational proximity between the second and third groups.

Figure 13 is a diagram for explaining the results of a survey showing the schedule for the day based on the questionnaire in the embodiment. The table shown in Figure 13 shows the results of aggregating the schedule for the day regarding meetings with other departments for each group based on the responses to the questionnaire on the previous day. The numbers in this table are the results of aggregating the meeting time with other departments for each group based on the responses to the questionnaire on the previous day, and dividing the aggregated results by the number of people in the group, and are expressed in units of minutes/person.

The recommendation processing unit 40 may use the above results in the processing of steps S22 and S24. The recommendation processing unit 40 may perform the processing of steps S30A and S32A based on the values in the table shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the result of arrangement of the group regions according to the embodiment.
The home area of each group is arranged based on the results shown in FIG. 13 and FIG.

For example, based on the results of the previous day's survey (Figure 13), part of the home area GAHA of group A and part of the home area GCHA of group C are assigned to the AA area. With these two groups in place, there are no more free spaces on the tables in the AA area.

The tables "a1" and "b1" are in the AA area in the home area GAHA of group A. The table "b2" is outside the AA area but is assigned to the home area GAHA of group A.
In the home area GAHA of group A, tables are selected so that the distance between the farthest seats is as short as possible to facilitate movement within the group, and the tables are arranged so that they are adjacent to each other.

The home area GBHA of group B is located outside the AA area and includes tables "a3" and "b3". According to the total value of the schedule for the day in the table of FIG. 13, the time is shortest in the order of group A, group B, and group C. Based on this result, the home area GBHA of group B is allocated next to the home area GAHA of group A. Note that when the home area GAHA of group A and the home area GBHA of group B are arranged, the table "a2" located between them is assigned to the free table FT.

Based on the action history information in the table of Fig. 10, group C is selected from the remaining groups as a group with a relatively large amount of communication with other departments. The home area GCHA of group C is arranged to include the table "c1" in the AA area and the table "c2" connected to it. The remaining group D is selected as the next group, and the home area GDHA of group D is allocated close to the home area GCHA of group C. The table "b4" located between the home area GCHA of group C and the home area GDHA of group D is allocated to the free table FT.
This completes the arrangement of the home areas for each group, and table "a4" becomes a spare table (spare table RST).

According to this embodiment, the provisional placement of the free spaces FS is not performed first, but is performed during the procedure for placing the home areas of each group, and the free tables FT can be placed in a distributed manner. The free tables FT placed in a distributed manner in this way are provided between groups with a relatively large amount of interdepartmental communication, making it easy for nearby groups to use the free tables FT.

Third Embodiment
A third embodiment will be described. In the first and second embodiments, a case where the layout within the target area TZ is determined based on schedule information related to a meeting schedule is described. In this embodiment, instead, a case where the layout within the target area TZ is determined based on schedule information related to an outing schedule is described. As described above, the schedule information in this embodiment includes schedule information related to an outing on the day of use.

The seat area selection system 1 is equipped with a recommendation processing unit 40B replacing the recommendation processing unit 40.

The recommendation processing unit 40B may, for example, determine the priority of group placement based on the schedule information related to the outing plans declared by each member of each group.

The recommendation processing unit 40B determines the priority for arranging the group's area based on the schedule information related to the plans to go out declared by the members of the first group and the members of the second group. For example, the recommendation processing unit 40B may arrange the area of a group that goes out in the afternoon outside the AA area based on the schedule information. The rules for arranging the group's area after it has been arranged based on the schedule information related to the plans to go out may be based on the organizational proximity between the groups.

15 is a flowchart of the recommendation process according to the third embodiment. The following mainly describes the differences from the flowchart shown in FIG.
The recommendation process of this embodiment is applied to, for example, arranging an area for a group that goes out in the afternoon and has fewer tables than in the morning, away from an "aisle" located outside a "station" in the target area TZ. The seat area selection system 1 (recommendation processing unit 40B) arranges an AA area that assigns a home area for a group that goes out relatively often, in an area relatively close to an "aisle" among the "stations" in the target area TZ.

The recommendation processing unit 40B performs the processes of steps S12 to S18 in the same manner as in FIG. 4. At this time, the administrator selects, for example, placement at the edge, which is one of the placement types of free space, and instructs this to the recommendation processing unit 40B.

The recommendation processing unit 40B receives the instruction to distribute the tables, extracts groups that will go out in the afternoon based on the schedule information and will have fewer tables than in the morning, and places them further back than the AA area (step S20).

Next, the recommendation processing unit 40B extracts groups that have plans to go out more frequently based on the schedule information, and places them in the AA area (step S22A).
Next, the recommendation processing unit 40B places a free table in a position farther from the entrance (step S26A).

The recommendation processing unit 40B determines whether there is vacant space in the AA area (step S28), and if there is vacant space in the AA area, proceeds to step S22A, and if there is no vacant space in the AA area, proceeds to step S30B.

Next, the recommendation processing unit 40B extracts groups that spend a relatively large amount of time communicating with other departments (step S30B) and arranges the extracted groups so that they are adjacent to each other (step S32A).

Next, the recommendation processing unit 40B determines whether there are any remaining groups (step S36), and if there are any remaining groups, the processing proceeds to step S30B, and if there are no remaining groups, the processing ends.

Figure 17 is a diagram for explaining the results of a survey showing the schedule for the day based on the questionnaire in the embodiment. Table 1 shown in Figure 17(a) shows the results of a survey for each group on the schedule for the day regarding the attendance plans for that day based on the responses to the questionnaire on the previous day. The numbers in this table are based on the responses to the questionnaire on the previous day, and show the number of people in the group, the number of people present on the day, the number of people present in the afternoon, and the number of tables required in the morning and afternoon.

Table 2 in Figure 17(b) shows the ratio of people in a group who plan to go out as "Plan to go out." Plan to go out is the result of tallying up the number of people who plan to go out for each group and dividing the tally by the number of people in the group.

The recommendation processing unit 40B uses the results of Table 1 above in the processing of step S20 above. The recommendation processing unit 40B uses the results of Table 2 above in the processing of step S22A above. The recommendation processing unit 40B may perform the processing of steps S30B and S32 above based on the values in the table shown in FIG. 10 above.

FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining the result of arranging the areas of the group according to the embodiment.
Each table shown in FIG. 18 has six seats.

The home areas for each group are arranged based on the results shown in Figures 17 and 10 above.

For example, based on the results of the previous day's survey (Figure 17), the home area GCHA for Group C and the home area GDHA for Group D have been assigned to the back of the AA area. Note that the home areas for these two groups were determined before the AA area was assigned, but they were determined not to include the AA area table.

Then, the AA area is assigned the home area GAHA of group A and part of the home area GBHA of group B. With these two groups in place, there is no space left on the table in the AA area.

Tables "a1" and "a2" in the home area GAHA of group A are located in the AA area. In the home area GAHA of group A, tables have been selected that are relatively close to the aisles to make it easier to go outside.

The home area GBHA of group B includes tables "a3" located within the AA area and "b3" located outside the AA area. For example, when the AA area becomes full, it will be placed in a table located outside the AA area.

According to the going out schedule in Table 2 of Fig. 17(b), the going out schedule value decreases in the order of Group A, Group B, Group D, and Group C. As a result, the home area GAHA of Group A and the home area GBHA of Group B are assigned to the AA area.
In Table 1 of Figure 17(a), the groups for which the number of people seated will decrease and the number of tables required will decrease due to plans to go out in the afternoon are Group C and Group D, and the number of tables required will decrease from two to one for each group. Group A and Group B do not see such a decrease in the number of tables required. As a result, home area GCHA of Group C and home area GDHA of Group D are assigned to the back of area AA. When the home areas of each group are arranged, table "c3", which is located relatively far from the aisle, is assigned to free table FT.

In this embodiment, all four groups can be arranged according to the above arrangement rules. However, if it is not possible to arrange them all, it is advisable to follow the arrangement rules below.
For example, it is advisable to select from the remaining groups a group with a relatively large amount of communication with other departments based on the action history information in the table of FIG.

In the comparative example, when using a free-address style office, the available tables were far from the station entrances and exits, making it difficult to leave and return to the office smoothly.

This embodiment can be applied to cases where placement within the target area TZ is determined based on schedule information related to plans to go out. This embodiment can mitigate issues caused by free address type offices such as those described above.

Fourth Embodiment
A fourth embodiment will be described. In the first to third embodiments, the selection of the arrangement type of the free table FT is determined by an instruction from an administrator. Instead, in this embodiment, a case will be described in which the recommendation processing unit 40C optimizes the arrangement type of the free table FT based on the actual usage status (usage rate) of the free table FT.

For example, the recommendation processing unit 40C may be configured to accumulate data on actual usage and select or change the arrangement pattern of the free spaces FS based on this accumulated data. The accumulated data may include, for example, the following:

Worker type Free table usage rate Area (size) of target area TZ

The above "Worker type" indicates the type of worker who is using the recommended target (a station on a specific floor). The worker type may be included in the basic information. The "Free table utilization rate" is the result of analyzing the behavioral history information acquired by the sensor. For example, it may be the ratio of the time that the free table FT was actually used to working hours.

The recommendation processing unit 40C may use the above worker type and the area of the target area TZ as input variables to select a usage form of the free space FS that will result in a high utilization rate of the free table FT.

For example, first, as in the first to third embodiments, the administrator determines the type of placement of the free table FT. Here, a central placement is exemplified as the type of placement of the free table FT. After the administrator inputs the basic information and the type of placement of the free table, the recommendation processing unit 40C determines the type of placement of the free table FT specified by the administrator, and selects, for example, the central placement.

The seating area selection system 1 maintains the selected type of free table FT placement (central placement) for a predetermined period (e.g., one month). The information acquisition unit 10 measures the usage time and number of people at the free tables FT using a sensor during the predetermined period, and acquires this measurement data. The information acquisition unit 10 collects the measurement data during the predetermined period as a behavior history.

Next, the recommendation processing unit 40C calculates the utilization rate of the centrally located free table FT (e.g., the ratio of usage time within regular working hours) and judges whether the result exceeds a predetermined threshold RT (e.g., 30% usage time within regular working hours (utilization rate)). If the utilization rate of the centrally located free table FT exceeds the predetermined threshold RT, the recommendation processing unit 40C judges that the maintained state is the optimal state, and ends the processing without changing the above type in order to maintain this state.
On the other hand, if the utilization rate of the centrally located free table FT does not meet a predetermined threshold value RT, the recommendation processing unit 40C selects either “distributed placement” or “placement at the edge” as the type for the next time onwards, and changes the setting (flag state) related to the selection of the free table FT.

For example, the selection of "distributed" or "edge" may be based on the past selection results of "distributed" or "edge", and the recommendation processing unit 40C may use a selection rule that selects the one that has been selected more frequently. Without being limited to this, the one that has been selected less frequently may be used, or it may be based on other judgment criteria.

According to this embodiment, the arrangement type of the free table FT can be selected based on the actual usage status (usage rate) of the free table FT, and the arrangement type can be optimized based on the information on the arrangement type and statistical processing of the usage status trends. There are no limitations on the above statistical processing method, and general methods such as principal component analysis may be applied.

According to any of the above embodiments, the information acquisition unit 10 acquires floor plan information including positional relationship information between the target area TZ used as a free address office and an area for a specific purpose located outside the target area TZ, arrangement information of a plurality of tables arranged within the target area TZ, and schedule information related to the business of the use day declared before the use day of the plurality of tables. The calculation unit 30 calculates the number of tables required for the use day on which the use form of the use day is restricted from among the plurality of tables based on the schedule information. The recommendation processing unit 40 determines the priority of group arrangement for determining the tables to be used by the first group and the second group, respectively, within the target area TZ based on the schedule information. The recommendation processing unit 40 arranges the area of the first group, which has a higher priority of group arrangement, including the AA area, within the target area TZ, so as to satisfy the number of tables required by the first group. The recommendation processing unit 40 arranges the area of the second group, which has a lower priority than the group arrangement priority of the first group, in an area other than the area in which the first group is arranged so as to satisfy the number of tables required by the second group. The recommendation processing unit 40 selects free tables that are permitted for use by the members of the first group and the members of the second group as appropriate, so as to satisfy the required number of free tables. In this way, the seating area selection system 1 can make it possible to share a desired number of tables in a free address office.

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

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

(Additional Note)
(A) A seating area selection system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:
an information acquisition unit that acquires floor plan information including positional relationship information between a target area used as a free address office and an area for a specific purpose located outside the target area, arrangement information of a plurality of tables arranged within the target area, and schedule information related to the business of the plurality of tables that is declared before the date of use of the tables;
a calculation unit that calculates a required number of tables for the use date that limits the use mode of the use date from among the plurality of tables based on the schedule information;
determining a group arrangement priority for determining tables to be used by each of the first group and the second group within the target area based on the schedule information;
a first area is arranged in an area relatively close to the specific use area within the target area, and an area of the first group having a higher priority of group arrangement is arranged including the first area so as to satisfy the required number of tables of the first group;
placing an area of the second group having a lower priority than the group placement priority of the first group in an area other than the area in which the first group is placed so as to satisfy the required number of tables of the second group;
a recommendation processing unit that selects free tables that are permitted to be used by the members of the first group and the members of the second group as appropriate so as to satisfy the required number of tables of the free tables;
It is advisable to have the following:
(B) The seat area selection method of the embodiment includes:
The computer of the seating area selection system
A step of acquiring floor plan information including positional relationship information between a target area used as a free address office and an area for a specific purpose located outside the target area, arrangement information of a plurality of tables arranged within the target area, and schedule information related to the business of the plurality of tables on the day of use that is declared before the day of use of the tables;
calculating a number of tables required for the day of use that limits the usage pattern of the day of use from among the plurality of tables based on the schedule information;
determining a group placement priority for determining tables to be used by each of the first group and the second group within the target area based on the schedule information;
a first area is arranged in an area relatively close to the specific use area within the target area, and an area of the first group having a higher priority of group arrangement is arranged including the first area so as to satisfy the required number of tables of the first group;
placing an area of the second group having a lower priority than the group placement priority of the first group in an area other than the area in which the first group is placed so as to satisfy the required number of tables of the second group;
selecting free tables that are permitted to be used by the members of the first group and the members of the second group as appropriate so as to satisfy the required number of tables of the free tables;
It is advisable to include:
(C) A program according to an embodiment of the present invention
The computer in the seating area selection system
A step of acquiring floor plan information including positional relationship information between a target area used as a free address office and an area for a specific purpose located outside the target area, arrangement information of a plurality of tables arranged within the target area, and schedule information related to the business of the plurality of tables on the day of use that is declared before the day of use of the tables;
calculating a number of tables required for the day of use that limits the usage pattern of the day of use from among the plurality of tables based on the schedule information;
determining a group placement priority for determining tables to be used by each of the first group and the second group within the target area based on the schedule information;
a first area is arranged in an area relatively close to the specific use area within the target area, and an area of the first group having a higher priority of group arrangement is arranged including the first area so as to satisfy the required number of tables of the first group;
placing an area of the second group having a lower priority than the group placement priority of the first group in an area other than the area in which the first group is placed so as to satisfy the required number of tables of the second group;
selecting free tables that are permitted to be used by the members of the first group and the members of the second group as appropriate so as to satisfy the required number of tables of the free tables;
The program may be a program for executing the above.

1 seat area selection system, 10 information acquisition unit, 20 positional relationship/distance information setting unit, 30 calculation unit, 40 recommendation processing unit, 50 output unit, 60 storage unit, 100 analysis processing device, 200, 200M terminal device, 300 worker position information measurement device

Claims (21)

an information acquisition unit that acquires floor plan information including positional relationship information between a target area used as a free address office and an area for a specific purpose located outside the target area, arrangement information of a plurality of tables arranged within the target area, and schedule information related to the business of the plurality of tables that is declared before the date of use of the tables;
a calculation unit that calculates a required number of tables for the use date that limits the use mode of the use date from among the plurality of tables based on the schedule information;
a recommendation processing unit that determines a group arrangement for determining tables to be used by each of a first group and a second group within the target area based on the schedule information;
A seating area selection system comprising: The seating area selection system according to claim 1, wherein the number of tables required on the day of use includes the number of tables to be assigned to each group for exclusive use and the number of free tables to be assigned to each group for shared use. The recommendation processing unit is
selecting one of a placement method of arranging the free tables permitted to be used by the members of the first group and the members of the second group together in the center of the target area, a placement method of distributing the free tables within the target area, and a placement method of arranging the free tables together at an edge of the target area, and arranging the free tables at predetermined positions according to the selected placement method;
The seating area selection system according to claim 1 . The recommendation processing unit is
temporarily arranging the free table at the predetermined position in accordance with the selected arrangement method, and correcting the position of the provisionally arranged free table depending on the result of arranging the tables assigned to each group for exclusive use.
The seating area selection system according to claim 3. The recommendation processing unit is
determining the priority of the group arrangement based on the schedule information related to a meeting schedule or an outing schedule declared by the members of the first group and the members of the second group;
The seating area selection system according to claim 1 . The rule for arranging the groups of regions after the first area of the region relatively close to the specific application region is filled is based on the tissue proximity between the groups;
The seating area selection system according to claim 1 . The recommendation processing unit is
after arranging the regions of the first group and the second group in accordance with the priority of group arrangement, determining a position for arranging the third group based on a tissue proximity between the first group and a third group and a tissue proximity between the second group and the third group;
The seating area selection system according to claim 1 . The recommendation processing unit is
selecting an area to be used as a free table that is permitted for appropriate use by members of the first group and members of the second group before allocating the areas of the first group and the second group in accordance with the group allocation priority;
The seating area selection system according to claim 1 . The schedule information includes either schedule information related to a meeting schedule for the day of use or schedule information related to going out.
The seating area selection system according to claim 1 . The recommendation processing unit is
disposing a first area, which is an area relatively close to the specific use area, in the target area;
The seating area selection system according to claim 1 . The recommendation processing unit is
determining the priority of the group placement based on the schedule information related to a meeting schedule for the use date declared by the members of the first group and the members of the second group;
The seating area selection system according to claim 1 . The recommendation processing unit is
Based on the schedule information, a group including members who will go out in the afternoon is placed outside a first area that is relatively close to the specific use area.
The seating area selection system according to claim 1 . The recommendation processing unit is
The decision is based on the schedule information related to plans to go out reported by the members of the first group and the members of the second group.
The seating area selection system according to claim 12. The rules for arranging the areas of the groups after the areas are arranged based on the schedule information related to the outing schedule are based on the organizational proximity between the groups,
The seating area selection system according to claim 13. The seat area selection system according to claim 1 , further comprising: an output unit that receives a request from an external terminal device and outputs a result of processing by the recommendation processing unit to the terminal device in response to the request. The recommendation processing unit is
determining a group arrangement priority for determining tables to be used by each of the first group and the second group within the target area based on the schedule information;
A seating area selection system according to any one of claims 1 to 15. The recommendation processing unit is
The seating area selection system of claim 16, wherein a first area is located in an area within the target area that is relatively close to the area for the specific use, and the area of the first group having a higher priority for group placement is placed including the first area so as to meet the number of tables required by the first group on the day of use. The recommendation processing unit is
and arranging the second group in an area other than the area in which the first group is arranged so as to satisfy the number of tables required for the day of use of the second group.
20. The seating area selection system of claim 17. The recommendation processing unit is
The seating area selection system according to any one of claims 1 to 18, further comprising: selecting free tables permitted for appropriate use by the members of the first group and the members of the second group so as to satisfy the required number of tables of the free tables. The computer of the seating area selection system
A step of acquiring floor plan information including positional relationship information between a target area used as a free address office and an area for a specific purpose located outside the target area, arrangement information of a plurality of tables arranged within the target area, and schedule information related to the business of the plurality of tables on the day of use that is declared before the day of use of the tables;
calculating a number of tables required for the day of use that limits the usage pattern of the day of use from among the plurality of tables based on the schedule information;
determining a group arrangement for determining tables to be used by each of a first group and a second group within the target area based on the schedule information;
A method for selecting a seating area, including: The seating area selection system computer
A step of acquiring floor plan information including positional relationship information between a target area used as a free address office and an area for a specific purpose located outside the target area, arrangement information of a plurality of tables arranged within the target area, and schedule information related to the business of the plurality of tables on the day of use that is declared before the day of use of the tables;
calculating a number of tables required for the day of use that limits the usage pattern of the day of use from among the plurality of tables based on the schedule information;
determining a group arrangement for determining tables to be used by each of a first group and a second group within the target area based on the schedule information;
A program for executing.

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