JP7499870B2 - Environmental condition management device and area management system - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to technology that changes the environmental conditions of an area depending on the usage status of the area.

In a building such as an office building, the space within the building is sometimes divided into a plurality of areas, and the environmental conditions are managed for each area.
Each floor of a building may be treated as one area, or each of a plurality of small spaces divided within one floor may be treated as an area. The environmental conditions include, for example, temperature, humidity, air flow, illuminance, color temperature, smell, and sound.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-233693 discloses a technique for managing a plurality of areas with different environmental conditions and allowing a user to use one of the plurality of areas.
The technology in Patent Document 1 presents the user with the environmental conditions (e.g., indoor temperature) and environmental load (e.g., the amount of power consumed by an air conditioner that adjusts the indoor temperature) for each area, allowing the user to select an area with a low environmental load that satisfies the user.

JP 2011-187030 A

In the technology of Patent Document 1, a user can freely select an area, so that there is a possibility that some areas have many users and some areas have few users.
In areas with many users, the population density is high, and the environmental load (e.g., the power consumption of air conditioners) increases in order to maintain the environmental conditions (e.g., indoor temperature) of the area. Also, in areas with few users, the environmental load is excessive for the few users.
As described above, the technology of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it is difficult to efficiently reduce the environmental load.

One of the main objectives of this disclosure is to solve these problems. Specifically, the main objective of this disclosure is to efficiently reduce the environmental impact.

The environmental condition management device according to the present disclosure comprises:
a utilization status acquisition unit that acquires utilization status of each of a plurality of areas in which the environmental status is not uniformly the same;
The system further includes a state setting unit that changes an environmental state of one of the areas based on the usage state acquired by the usage state acquisition unit.

According to the present disclosure, the number of users in each area can be equalized, thereby efficiently reducing the environmental impact.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration according to a first embodiment. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an environment state management device according to a first embodiment; 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environment state management device according to the first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environment state management device according to the first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environment state management device according to the first embodiment. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing examples of environmental conditions and usage statuses for each area according to the first embodiment; 5A to 5C are diagrams showing examples of changes in environmental conditions according to the first embodiment; 5A to 5C are diagrams showing examples of changes in environmental conditions according to the first embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration according to a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration according to a third embodiment. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing examples of displays on a portable device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration according to a fifth embodiment.

The following describes the embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the embodiments and in the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Embodiment 1.
***Configuration Description***
FIG. 1 shows an example of a system configuration according to the present embodiment.

In Fig. 1, an indoor space 200 is an internal space of a building such as an office building. The indoor space 200 is divided into a plurality of areas. In Fig. 1, the indoor space 200 is divided into six areas, area 1 to area 6.
Fig. 1 shows an example in which an indoor space 200 is one floor in a building. That is, Fig. 1 shows an example in which one floor in a building, which is the indoor space 200, is divided into a plurality of areas. Unlike Fig. 1, each floor of the building may constitute one area. In this case, all floors included in the building correspond to the indoor space 200, and each floor corresponds to each area.
The environmental conditions of the multiple areas are not uniformly the same. In other words, the environmental conditions of all the areas may be different, or the environmental conditions of some areas may overlap. However, it is necessary that two or more types of environmental conditions exist in one indoor space 200.
The environmental conditions include, for example, temperature, humidity, airflow, illuminance, color temperature, odor, and sound. In this embodiment, an example is described in which an air conditioner is used to manage temperature and humidity as environmental conditions. That is, in this embodiment, the temperature and humidity are not uniformly the same in multiple areas. Note that airflow can be managed using an air conditioner. Odor can be managed using an odor generating device. Illuminance and color temperature can be managed using an illuminance and color temperature control device. Sound can be managed using a sound generating device.
The areas may be separated by physical partitions such as walls, or may be separated without physical partitions so that the environmental conditions of each area are different through mechanical control.

The indoor units 300 are installed in each area. Each indoor unit 300 is connected to an outdoor unit 400.
In the example of Figure 1, the indoor units 300 in area 1, the indoor units 300 in area 3, and the indoor units 300 in area 5 are connected to the outdoor unit 400 on the upper level, and the indoor units 300 in area 2, the indoor units 300 in area 4, and the indoor units 300 in area 6 are connected to the outdoor unit 400 on the lower level.
An air conditioner is made up of the indoor unit 300 and the outdoor unit 400. The indoor unit 300 and the outdoor unit 400 maintain the environmental conditions (temperature and humidity) of each area.

The entrance/exit management device 500 is arranged for each area, and detects users entering and leaving the area.
The entrance/exit management device 500 is, for example, a human presence sensor. The entrance/exit management device 500 may be any device that can detect users entering and exiting an area.
In FIG. 1, the entrance/exit management device 500 is shown only in areas 3 and 4 for drawing reasons, but it is assumed that the entrance/exit management device 500 is disposed in each area.

The utilization status collecting device 600 collects utilization status for each area.
The usage status collecting device 600 is connected to the entrance/exit management device 500 in each area, collects the detection results of the entrance/exit management device 500 in each area, and tally up the usage status for each area.

The environmental state display device 700 is, for example, a display device. The environmental state display device 700 displays the environmental state for each area as the environmental state display.
The environmental condition display device 700 is placed in a position that is easy for users to refer to, such as the entrance of the indoor space 200 .

The environmental state management device 100 manages the environmental state of each area.
The environmental state management device 100 acquires the usage status of each area from the usage status collection device 600, and changes the environmental state of any one of the multiple areas based on the usage status of each area. More specifically, the environmental state management device 100 changes the environmental state of a less used area to the environmental state of a more used area.
The environmental state management device 100 controls the outdoor unit 400 corresponding to the area where it has been determined that the environmental state is to be changed, thereby changing the environmental state of the relevant area.
Furthermore, the environment state management device 100 changes the display on the environment state display device 700 for the area where the environmental state has been changed.

In FIG. 1, the environmental state management device 100 and the usage status collection device 600 are located outside the indoor space 200, but the environmental state management device 100 and the usage status collection device 600 may also be located within the indoor space 200.

Figure 2 shows an example configuration of an environmental state management device 100 relating to this embodiment.

The environment state management device 100 according to this embodiment is a computer.
The environment state management device 100 includes, as hardware components, a processor 901, a main memory device 902, an auxiliary memory device 903, and a communication interface 904.
The processor 901 is an integrated circuit (IC) that performs processing.
The processor 901 is a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), or the like.
The main storage device 902 is a RAM (Random Access Memory).
The auxiliary storage device 903 is a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or the like.
The communication interface 904 is an electronic circuit that performs data communication processing.
The communication interface 904 is, for example, a communication chip or a NIC (Network Interface Card).

The environment state management device 100 also includes, as its functional components, a usage state acquisition unit 101, a condition determination unit 102, a state setting unit 103, and a display setting unit 104.
The auxiliary storage device 903 stores programs for implementing the functions of the utilization status acquisition unit 101, the condition determination unit 102, the status setting unit 103, and the display setting unit 104.
These programs are loaded from the auxiliary storage device 903 to the main storage device 902. The processor 901 then executes these programs to perform the operations of a utilization status acquisition unit 101, a condition determination unit 102, a status setting unit 103, and a display setting unit 104, which will be described later.
FIG. 2 diagrammatically illustrates a state in which the processor 901 is executing programs that realize the functions of the utilization status acquisition unit 101, the condition determination unit 102, the status setting unit 103, and the display setting unit 104.

The auxiliary storage device 903 also stores an OS (Operating System).
At least a part of the OS is executed by the processor 901 .
The processor 901 executes at least a part of the OS, and also executes programs that realize the functions of the utilization status acquisition unit 101 , the condition determination unit 102 , the status setting unit 103 , and the display setting unit 104 .
The processor 901 executes the OS, thereby performing task management, memory management, file management, communication control, and the like.
In addition, at least one of information, data, signal values, and variable values indicating the results of processing by the usage status acquisition unit 101, the condition determination unit 102, the status setting unit 103, and the display setting unit 104 is stored in at least one of the main memory device 902, the auxiliary memory device 903, the register within the processor 901, and the cache memory.
Furthermore, the programs realizing the functions of the usage status acquisition unit 101, the condition determination unit 102, the status setting unit 103, and the display setting unit 104 may be stored in a portable recording medium such as a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk, a DVD, etc. Then, the portable recording medium storing the programs realizing the functions of the usage status acquisition unit 101, the condition determination unit 102, the status setting unit 103, and the display setting unit 104 may be distributed.

Furthermore, the "parts" in the utilization status acquisition part 101, the condition determination part 102, the status setting part 103 and the display setting part 104 may be read as "circuits", "steps", "procedures", or "processes".
The environment state management device 100 may be realized by a processing circuit, such as a logic IC (Integrated Circuit), a GA (Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).
In this case, the utilization status acquisition unit 101, the condition determination unit 102, the status setting unit 103, and the display setting unit 104 are each realized as part of a processing circuit.
In this specification, the higher-level concept of a processor and a processing circuit is called "processing circuitry."
That is, a processor and a processing circuit are each specific examples of "processing circuitry."

The utilization status acquiring unit 101 acquires the utilization status of each area from the utilization status collecting device 600. That is, the utilization status acquiring unit 101 acquires the utilization status of each area from the utilization status collecting device 600 via the communication interface 904.
Then, the utilization status acquisition unit 101 notifies the condition determination unit 102 of the utilization status of each area that has been acquired.

The condition determination unit 102 determines whether or not the utilization status of each area matches a state maintaining condition.
The state maintenance condition is a condition for maintaining the current environmental state. The state maintenance condition is stored in, for example, the auxiliary storage device 903.
The condition determination unit 102 notifies the condition determination unit 102 of the determination result.

The state setting unit 103 sets the environmental state of each area.
More specifically, the state setting unit 103 performs an initial setting of the environmental state of each area, and controls the outdoor unit 400 so that the environmental state of each area matches the initial setting.
Furthermore, the state setting unit 103 changes the setting of the environmental state according to the usage status of each area. Then, the state setting unit 103 controls the outdoor unit 400 to change the environmental state of the corresponding area. The state setting unit 103 also changes the environmental state of any one of the multiple areas based on the usage status acquired by the usage status acquisition unit 101. More specifically, the state setting unit 103 changes the environmental state of an area whose usage status does not match the state maintenance condition.
For example, the state setting unit 103 changes the environmental state of an area whose usage does not match the state maintaining condition based on the environmental state of an area whose usage does match the state maintaining condition. Also, when there are two or more areas whose usage does not match the state maintaining condition, the state setting unit 103 changes the environmental state of the area with the least usage by priority.
Furthermore, the state setting unit 103 notifies the display setting unit 104 of the initial setting value of the environmental state of each area. Furthermore, the state setting unit 103 notifies the display setting unit 104 of the environmental state after the change of the area whose environmental state has been changed.

The display setting unit 104 notifies the environmental state display device 700 of the initial setting values of the environmental state of each area notified by the state setting unit 103 via the communication interface 904 .
Furthermore, the display setting unit 104 notifies the environmental state display device 700 via the communication interface 904 of the environmental state after the change in the area in which the environmental state has been changed, which has been notified by the state setting unit 103 .

*** Operation Description ***
Next, an example of the operation of the environment state management device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

First, in step S11, the state setting unit 103 performs initial setting of the environmental state of each area.
The rules for the initial setting are stored in, for example, the auxiliary storage device 1903. The state setting unit 103 performs the initial setting of the environmental state of each area by referring to the rules. For example, the state setting unit 103 may set an environmental state that is estimated to have many users to an area that is estimated to have many users (for example, an area near a water heater, an area near a vending machine, etc.).
The state setting unit 103 controls the outdoor unit 400 via the communication interface 904 so that the environmental state of each area is as initially set.
The status setting unit 103 also notifies the display setting unit 104 of the initial setting values, and the display setting unit 104 further notifies the environmental status display device 700 of the initial setting values via the communication interface 904. As a result, as shown in FIG 1, the environmental status display device 700 displays the environmental status of each area.

Each user of the indoor space 200 refers to the environmental status display on the environmental status display device 700 and uses the area with a comfortable environmental status. In each area, the entrance/exit management device 500 detects the entry and exit of users and transmits the detection results to the usage status collection device 600 at a specified interval (e.g., 10-minute intervals).

The usage status collecting device 600 counts the number of users in each area for each unit time (e.g., 1 hour). Then, the usage status collecting device 600 transmits the counted result of the number of users in each area for each unit time to the environment state managing device 100 as usage status.
The usage status collecting device 600 counts, as the usage status, for example, for each area, the number of users currently staying in the area (hereinafter, referred to as the number of staying users) based on the result of entry and exit detection by the entrance and exit management device 500. Furthermore, when the size of each area differs, the usage status collecting device 600 may calculate the population density for each area as the usage status.

In step S12, the usage status acquisition unit 101 of the environment state management device 100 acquires the usage status of each area from the usage status collection device 600. In this embodiment, the usage status acquisition unit 101 acquires the number of staying users in each area as the usage status.
The utilization status acquisition unit 101 notifies the condition determination unit 102 of the acquired number of users in each area.

Next, in step S13, the status setting unit 103 determines whether or not the usage status (the number of staying users) for each area satisfies the status maintaining condition.
The state condition is, for example, that the number of staying users is equal to or greater than a threshold value. That is, an area in which the number of staying users is less than the threshold value does not satisfy the state maintaining condition.
If there is an area whose usage status does not satisfy the state maintaining condition, the process proceeds to step S14. Furthermore, the condition determining unit 102 notifies the state setting unit 103 of the area whose usage status does not satisfy the state maintaining condition.
On the other hand, if there is no area whose utilization status does not satisfy the state maintaining condition, the process returns to step S12, and the utilization status acquisition unit 101 waits for notification of a new utilization status.

In step S14, the state setting unit 103 changes the environmental state of the area whose usage does not satisfy the state maintenance condition, i.e., the area with a small number of staying users. Specifically, the state setting unit 103 changes the environmental state of the area with a small number of staying users to the environmental state of the area with a large number of staying users. As a result, the number of areas with a comfortable environmental state for users increases.
Details of step S14 will be described later.
The state setting unit 103 notifies the display setting unit 104 of the environmental state after the change of the area in which the environmental state has been changed.

Next, in step S15, the display setting unit 104 changes the environmental state display in accordance with the notification from the state setting unit 103. That is, the display setting unit 104 notifies the environmental state display device 700 of the environmental state after the change in the area where the environmental state has changed via the communication interface 904, and causes the environmental state display device 700 to change the environmental state display.

By referring to the changed environmental status display, users can see that the number of areas with comfortable environmental conditions for users has increased, and can avoid situations where users are concentrating in a specific area.

Next, with reference to Figure 4, the details of step S14 in Figure 3 will be explained.

In step S141, the status setting unit 103 determines whether or not there are two or more areas whose utilization status does not satisfy the status maintaining condition.
If there is only one area whose utilization status does not satisfy the state maintaining condition, the process proceeds to step S142.
On the other hand, if there are two or more areas whose utilization status does not satisfy the state maintaining condition, the process proceeds to step S143.

In step S142, the status setting unit 103 changes the environmental state of the area whose usage does not satisfy the state maintenance condition to the environmental state of the most frequently used area.

In step S143, the status setting unit 103 selects the least used area from among two or more areas whose usage status does not satisfy the status maintenance condition.

Next, in step S144, the state setting unit 103 changes the environmental state of the selected area to the environmental state of the most frequently used area.

Next, in step S145, the state setting unit 103 determines whether or not the environmental states of all of the two or more areas whose usage situations do not satisfy the state maintenance condition have been changed.
If the environmental conditions of all areas have been changed, the process ends.
On the other hand, if there is an area in which the environmental state has not been changed, the process proceeds to step S146.

In step S146, the state setting unit 103 increments the number of changed areas. The number of changed areas is a counter value for counting the number of areas whose environmental state has been changed.

Then, in step S147, the state setting unit 103 determines whether the incremented number of changed areas has reached the upper limit number, which is the upper limit number of areas for which the environmental state is to be changed.
If the number of changed areas reaches the upper limit, the process ends. On the other hand, if the number of changed areas does not reach the upper limit, the process returns to step S143, the status setting unit 103 selects the least used area among the unselected areas, and the process from step S144 onwards is carried out.

If there is no upper limit to the number of areas in which the environmental state is changed, step S143 is performed without performing steps S146 and S147.

In this way, the environmental conditions of the most used area can be obtained in another area, which makes it possible to disperse users across multiple areas and avoid a situation in which users are concentrated in a particular area.
In areas with few users, the environmental load is excessive (wasteful) for the few users, while in areas with many users, the environmental load increases as the number of users increases. By equalizing the number of users in each area using the method shown in Figure 4, the environmental load can be efficiently suppressed.

In the example of FIG. 4, in steps S142 and S144, the state setting unit 103 changes the environmental state of the less used area to the environmental state of the most used area.
Alternatively, the state setting unit 103 may change the environmental state of the low-use area to the environmental state of an area adjacent to the low-use area.
A flow chart for this case is shown in FIG.

In Figure 5, steps other than step S148 and step S149 are the same as those shown in Figure 4, so their explanation is omitted.

In step S148, the state setting unit 103 changes the environmental state of the area whose usage situation does not satisfy the state maintaining condition to the environmental state of an area adjacent to the area in question that satisfies the state maintaining condition.
Also, in step S149, the state setting unit 103 changes the environmental state of the selected area to the environmental state of an area adjacent to the selected area and which satisfies the state maintaining condition.

In this way, by generating areas with the same environmental conditions next to relatively used areas, users can move between areas more easily with less travel burden, and it is possible to avoid users concentrating in a particular area.

Figure 6 shows an example of the environmental state and usage status of each area before a change in the environmental state. Figure 6 does not show the environmental state display displayed on the environmental state display device 700, but is a diagram explaining the determination process in the state setting unit 103.

6, the environmental state is represented by two alphabetical letters. For example, the environmental state of area 1 is AA, and the environmental state of area 2 is BB.
6, area 1 has the most number of staying users, and area 6 has the least number of staying users.
Also, (Y) indicates that the usage status satisfies the state maintaining condition, and (N) indicates that the usage status does not satisfy the state maintaining condition. In the example of Fig. 6, the usage status satisfies the state maintaining condition in areas 1 to 4, but does not satisfy the state maintaining condition in areas 5 and 6.
Therefore, the state setting unit 103 changes the environmental states of area 5 and area 6 to the environmental states of other areas whose utilization conditions satisfy the state maintaining conditions.

FIG. 7 shows an example of changing the environmental conditions of areas 5 and 6 in the method shown in FIG.
In the method shown in FIG. 4, the state setting unit 103 changes the environmental state of an area whose utilization situation does not satisfy the state maintenance condition to the environmental state of the most utilized area.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the state setting unit 103 changes the environmental states of areas 5 and 6 to AA, which is the environmental state of area 1, which is the most used area.

FIG. 8 shows an example of changing the environmental conditions of areas 5 and 6 in the method shown in FIG.
In the method shown in FIG. 5, the state setting unit 103 changes the environmental state of an area whose usage situation does not satisfy the state maintaining condition to the environmental state of an adjacent area that satisfies the state maintaining condition.
8, the state setting unit 103 changes the environmental state of area 5 to the environmental state CC of area 3, which satisfies the adjacent state maintaining condition. Also, the state setting unit 103 changes the environmental state of area 6 to the environmental state DD of area 4, which satisfies the adjacent state maintaining condition.

***Description of Effects of the Embodiment***
As described above, according to this embodiment, by changing the environmental conditions in areas with a small number of users, it is possible to equalize the number of users in each area, thereby efficiently reducing the environmental load.
Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the number of areas in which the environment is comfortable for users is increased, thereby improving convenience for users and, if the building is an office building, increasing labor productivity.

Embodiment 2.
FIG. 9 shows an example of a system configuration according to this embodiment.
In this embodiment, a system installed in a building having multiple floors and in which an elevator 900 is installed will be described.
In this embodiment, it is assumed that each floor has a plurality of areas.
In this embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described. Items that are not described below are the same as those in the first embodiment.

In FIG. 9, the environment state management device 100, the indoor space 200, and the utilization status collecting device 600 are the same as those shown in FIG. 1, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.
Although not shown in FIG. 9 for drawing reasons, it is assumed that the indoor unit 300, the outdoor unit 400, and the entrance/exit management device 500 are also present in FIG.

The guide device 800 guides the user to an area selected by the user as a destination (hereinafter referred to as a destination area).
The guidance device 800 is disposed, for example, in an elevator hall on the first floor of a building. The guidance device 800 has the environmental condition display device 700 built therein.
Although not shown in FIG. 9, the guide device 800 is connected to a destination display device 850 .

The destination display device 850 is installed on the floor. The destination display device 850 is, for example, arrow-shaped, and lights up to guide users to their destination area.

The environmental state management device 100 and the guidance device 800 constitute an area management system.

Next, an example of operation of this embodiment will be described.

When the user arrives at the elevator hall, the guidance device 800 displays an environmental status display for each floor on the environmental status display device 700. In this embodiment, the environmental status display device 700 displays the environmental status for each area as an environmental status display, as in FIG. 1. The user refers to the environmental status display on the environmental status display device 700 and selects a destination area. For example, the environmental status display device 700 is a touch panel, and the user selects a destination area by touching the touch area of the destination area.

When the destination area is selected, the guidance device 800 performs call registration for the elevator 900 and controls the operation of the elevator 900 to move the elevator 900 to the floor where the destination area is located. Note that instead of directly controlling the operation of the elevator 900, the guidance device 800 may indirectly control the operation of the elevator 900 by, for example, transmitting information required for controlling the elevator 900, such as the call registration, to the elevator system.
When the elevator 900 arrives at the corresponding floor, the guidance device 800 sequentially lights up the destination display device 850 to guide the user to the destination area. For example, the guidance device 800 detects the user's location using a human sensor (not shown) and sequentially lights up the destination display device 850 according to the user's progress.
FIG. 9 shows a state in which the guiding device 800 is guiding a user to area 4-1 on the fourth floor.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the user can arrive at the destination area without getting lost.
In addition, a plurality of elevators, the environmental conditions of which are not uniform, may be arranged in a building, and when guiding a user to a selected area, the guiding device 800 may control the operation of an elevator, among the plurality of elevators, that has an environmental condition closest to that of the destination area (selected area), to guide the user to the selected area. This can suppress changes in the environmental condition on the user's travel route, improve comfort, and further improve convenience for the user. Furthermore, if the building is an office building, labor productivity can be further increased.

Embodiment 3.
FIG. 10 shows an example of a system configuration according to the present embodiment.

In this embodiment, a guide device 800 guides a user to a destination area using a portable device 860 carried by the user instead of the destination display device 850 shown in Fig. 9. The portable device 860 is, for example, a smartphone.
In this embodiment, the guidance device 800 holds the communication address of the portable device 860 in advance, and is capable of wireless communication with the portable device 860. In addition, in this embodiment, the guidance device 800 does not necessarily have to incorporate the environmental condition display device 700.
In FIG. 10, elements other than the guidance device 800 and the portable device 860 are the same as those shown in FIG. 9, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.
In this embodiment, the differences from the second embodiment will be mainly described. Items that are not described below are the same as those in the second embodiment.

In this embodiment, when the user arrives at the elevator hall, the user operates the portable device 860 to display an environmental status display on the portable device 860 as shown in (a) of FIG. 11. The portable device 860 displays the environmental status for each area as the environmental status display, similar to FIG. 1. The user refers to the environmental status display on the portable device 860 and selects a destination area. For example, the user selects a destination area by touching the touch area of the destination area, as shown in (b) of FIG. 11.

When a destination area is selected, the destination area is notified from the mobile device 860 to the guidance device 800, and the guidance device 800 registers a call for the elevator 900 and controls the operation of the elevator 900 to move the elevator 900 to the floor where the destination area is located.
Then, when the elevator 900 arrives at the corresponding floor, the guidance device 800 transmits a guidance route to the destination area to the portable device 860, and guides the user to the destination area. For example, as shown in (c) of FIG. 11, the portable device 860 displays the guidance route.

As described above, according to this embodiment, even without destination display device 850, a user can arrive at the destination area without getting lost.
Instead of the user selecting an area by operating the portable device 860, the guidance device 800 may select an area. For example, information on the environmental state is registered in advance in the portable device 860. As the information on the environmental state, for example, the selection criteria for the area, specifically, the user's preferred environmental state (for example, preferred temperature, humidity, etc.) is registered in advance in the portable device 860. The guidance device 800 acquires information on the environmental state from the portable device 860 by wireless communication. Then, the guidance device 800 selects an area suitable for guiding the user from among a plurality of areas based on the information on the environmental state acquired from the portable device 860. After that, the guidance device 800 guides the user to the selected area. The method of guiding the user to the selected area is as described above. In this way, the user can be saved from the trouble of selecting an area.

Embodiment 4.
FIG. 12 shows an example of a system configuration according to this embodiment.

9, the configuration in FIG. 12 further includes a physical condition detection sensor 830.
The physical condition detection sensor 830 is disposed, for example, at the entrance of the building. The physical condition detection sensor 830 detects the physical condition of the user. The physical condition detection sensor 830 is connected to the guidance device 800.
In this embodiment, the guidance device 800 recommends to the user an area that is suitable for the user's physical condition detected by the physical condition detection sensor 830.
In FIG. 12, elements other than the guidance device 800 and the physical condition detection sensor 830 are the same as those shown in FIG. 9, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.
In this embodiment, the differences from the second embodiment will be mainly described. Items that are not described below are the same as those in the second embodiment.

In this embodiment, when a user arrives at the entrance of the building, the physical condition detection sensor 830 detects the physical condition of the user. For example, the physical condition detection sensor 830 detects the body temperature of the user. The physical condition detection sensor 830 notifies the guiding device 800 of the detected physical condition of the user.
The guidance device 800 selects a recommended area according to the user's physical condition. For example, if the user's body temperature is higher than normal, the guidance device 800 selects an area with a higher room temperature. In addition, when the physical condition detection sensor 830 detects the user's heart rate, if the user's heart rate is higher than normal, the guidance device 800 selects an area where relaxing smells, sounds, etc. are provided.

When the user arrives at the elevator hall, the guidance device 800 displays an environmental status display for each floor on the environmental status display device 700, as in the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the guidance device 800 displays the recommended areas on the environmental status display device 700 in a manner that makes them stand out. The user selects a destination area with reference to the recommended areas recommended by the guidance device 800. The user may select an area other than the recommended areas.

When a destination area is selected, as in the second embodiment, the guidance device 800 performs call registration for the elevator 900, controls the operation of the elevator 900, and moves the elevator 900 to the floor where the destination area is located.
When the elevator 900 arrives at the corresponding floor, the guide device 800 sequentially lights up the destination display device 850 to guide the user to the destination area.

According to this embodiment, users can select an area that suits their physical condition, improving comfort.

In the above, the configuration in which the physical condition detection sensor 830 is added to the configuration in the second embodiment (FIG. 9) has been described, but the physical condition detection sensor 830 may be added to the configuration in the third embodiment (FIG. 10). In this case, the guidance device 800 displays the recommended area on the portable device 860.

Embodiment 5.
Fig. 13 shows an example of a system configuration according to this embodiment. Note that this embodiment is based on the configuration of the third embodiment (Fig. 10).
In this embodiment, the differences from the third embodiment will be mainly described. Items that are not described below are the same as those in the third embodiment.

In this embodiment, a pay area is provided within a plurality of areas.
The paid area is, for example, a high comfort area having a high comfort level. The high comfort area is, for example, an area where PMV (Predicted Mean Vote)=0 and there is no air flow.
In this embodiment, a mechanism is provided that prevents users who have not paid their usage fees from entering paid areas. This mechanism is specifically realized by a payment management device 250 and a gate 260.
The payment management device 250 checks whether the usage fee has been paid, and if the payment has not been completed, the gate 260 is not opened. Therefore, users who have not completed payment cannot use the paid area. The usage fee can be paid, for example, by electronic payment using a smartphone or the like.
In addition, the guiding device 800 may control the elevator 900 so that the elevator 900 does not stop at a floor used by a user who has not yet paid the usage fee. In this case, the guiding device 800 plays the role of the payment management device 250.
When areas are divided by floor (when one floor is one paid area), it is particularly effective for the guide device 800 to control the elevator 900 in this manner.

In this embodiment, the environmental state management device 100, the guidance device 800 and the payment management device 250 constitute an area management system.

In this embodiment, when the user arrives at the elevator hall, the user selects a destination area in the same manner as in embodiment 3. If the selected destination area is a pay area, the user completes payment of the usage fee by electronic payment using, for example, the portable device 860.
When the payment of the usage fee is completed, the payment management device 250 is notified of the completion of the payment of the usage fee and the communication address of the portable device 860.

Thereafter, as in the third embodiment, the guiding device 800 controls the operation of the elevator 900 to move the elevator 900 to a floor where a pay area, which is the destination area, is located.
When the user enters a paid area, payment management device 250 communicates with portable device 860 to check whether or not payment of the usage fee has been completed. Specifically, payment management device 250 determines whether or not payment completion information has been received from portable device 860. If payment of the usage fee has been completed, payment management device 250 opens gate 260 and allows the user to use the paid area. On the other hand, if payment of the usage fee has not been completed, payment management device 250 keeps gate 260 closed and sends a message to portable device 860 urging payment of the usage fee.
As described above, the guiding device 800 may also function as the payment management device 250. In this case, the guiding device 800 communicates with the mobile device 860 to check whether the payment of the usage fee has been completed. If the payment of the usage fee has been completed, the guiding device 800 permits the operation of the elevator 900, and if the payment of the usage fee has not been completed, the guiding device 800 prohibits the operation of the elevator 900.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent users from concentrating in areas with high comfort, and as a result, a comfortable space can be maintained. Also, by preventing users from concentrating in areas with high comfort, it is possible to avoid an increase in the environmental burden. Furthermore, since maintaining comfort requires running costs, the fees collected from users can be used to cover the costs of maintaining comfort.

In addition, points may be given to users who use the paid areas, and the points may be used to pay the usage fee for the paid areas.
Furthermore, the payment management device 250 may provide incentives to users who use areas where the running costs for maintaining the environmental state are below a specified value. Examples of incentives include providing points, cash back, etc. Providing such incentives has the effect of reducing running costs, i.e., promoting energy conservation and electricity saving.

Although the first to fifth embodiments have been described above, two or more of these embodiments may be combined for implementation.
Alternatively, one of these embodiments may be partially implemented.
Alternatively, two or more of these embodiments may be partially combined and implemented.
Furthermore, the configurations and procedures described in these embodiments may be modified as necessary.

100 Environmental state management device, 101 Usage status acquisition unit, 102 Condition determination unit, 103 Status setting unit, 104 Display setting unit, 200 Indoor space, 250 Payment management device, 260 Gate, 300 Indoor unit, 400 Outdoor unit, 500 Entrance/exit management device, 600 Usage status collection device, 700 Environmental state display device, 800 Guidance device, 830 Physical condition detection sensor, 850 Destination display device, 860 Portable device, 900 Elevator, 901 Processor, 902 Main memory device, 903 Auxiliary memory device, 904 Communication interface.

Claims (10)

a utilization status acquisition unit that acquires utilization status of each of a plurality of areas in which the environmental status is not uniformly the same;
a condition determination unit that determines whether or not the usage status of each of the plurality of areas acquired by the usage status acquisition unit matches a state maintenance condition that is a condition for maintaining an environmental state;
and a state setting unit that controls a device that manages the environmental state of an area among the plurality of areas whose usage status does not meet the state maintenance conditions, and changes the environmental state of the area based on the environmental state of an area whose usage status meets the state maintenance conditions. The state setting unit is
2. The environmental state management device according to claim 1, wherein when there are two or more areas whose utilization conditions do not match the state maintenance condition, the environmental state of the least utilized area is given priority for change. The state setting unit is
An environmental state management device as described in claim 1, wherein, when initializing the environmental state of a plurality of areas, the environmental state of an area that is estimated to be used frequently among the plurality of areas is set to the environmental state that is estimated to be used frequently among the plurality of environmental states by controlling a device that manages the environmental state of that area. The state setting unit is
2. The environment condition management device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of temperature, humidity, air flow, illuminance, color temperature, smell, and sound is used as the environmental condition. The environmental condition control device according to claim 1 ;
a guide device that guides a user to an area selected from the plurality of areas,
The plurality of areas are arranged in a building in which a plurality of elevators are installed, the environmental conditions of which are not uniform;
The induction device is
An area management system that, when guiding the user to the selected area, controls the operation of an elevator among the plurality of elevators that has an environmental condition closest to the environmental condition of the selected area to guide the user to the selected area. The induction device is
The area management system according to claim 5 , wherein the user is guided using a portable device carried by the user. The induction device is
The area management system according to claim 6 , further comprising: selecting an area to which the user is to be guided from among the plurality of areas based on information regarding an environmental state that is registered in advance in the portable device. The induction device,
The area management system according to claim 5 , further comprising: recommending to the user an area suitable for the user's physical condition from among the plurality of areas. The environmental condition control device according to claim 1 ;
and a payment management device which checks whether a user who wishes to use a paid area , which is an area selected from the plurality of areas and whose environmental state is managed by the environmental state management device, has completed payment of a usage fee, and does not allow the user to enter the paid area if the user has not completed payment of the usage fee. The payment management device
The area management system according to claim 9, wherein an incentive is given to a user who uses an area where the running cost for maintaining an environmental state is equal to or less than a specified value.

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