JP2012004778A - Conference system and terminal installation table - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conference system and a terminal installation table which realize a remote conference with a scene of realism at lower costs.SOLUTION: When receiving from a user an operation instruction on the terminal installation table 10, a remote-side terminal 3 transmits a remote operation command according to the operation instruction to a conference-side terminal 5. The conference-side terminal 5 receives the remote operation command from the remote-side terminal 3 and transmits the remote operation command to the terminal installation table 10. The terminal installation table 10 receives the remote operation command from the conference-side terminal 5 and changes the orientation of the conference-side terminal 5 installed on a pedestal according to the remote operation command.

Description

  The present invention relates to a conference system that performs a remote conference between terminals provided at a plurality of locations, and a terminal installation base on which terminals used for the remote conference are installed.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a video conference system that performs a video conference between terminals provided at a plurality of sites is known. As a terminal used in such a video conference system, there is known a video conference apparatus that can enhance the realism of a conference by matching the direction in which the other party is watching and the display direction of the other party. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-65490 A

  The video conference apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the apparatus cost is high because an imaging camera, a sound collecting microphone, a display, and the like are integrally held. In recent years, thin and light general-purpose computers (for example, notebook PCs), general-purpose small cameras (for example, WEB cameras) that can be connected to computers are available at low prices. Smartphones and tablet PCs with built-in cameras are also becoming popular. If a video conference is realized using these general-purpose devices, the construction cost of the video conference system can be suppressed. However, in the video conference using these general-purpose devices, there is a possibility that the realism of the conference may be lost because only the two-way video / audio communication of the user is executed.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and is to provide a conference system and a terminal installation table that can realize a remote conference with a higher realistic sensation at a lower cost than in the past.

  The conference system according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a first terminal and a second terminal connected to each other via a network, and a terminal installation base on which the second terminal is installed, the first terminal, A conference system for performing a remote conference by bidirectional communication with the second terminal, wherein the first terminal receives the video signal acquired by the first imaging unit and the audio signal acquired by the first audio acquisition unit. Transmitting the video signal received from the second terminal via the network to the first display means and transmitting from the second terminal via the network to the second terminal. By outputting the received audio signal to the first audio output unit, the remote conference is executed by the first conference execution unit that executes the remote conference and the first conference execution unit. An operation receiving means for receiving a user operation instruction for the terminal installation base, an operation signal generating means for generating an operation signal according to the operation instruction received by the operation receiving means, and the operation signal generating means Operation signal transmitting means for transmitting the operation signal generated by the second terminal to the second terminal via the network, wherein the second terminal obtains the video signal and the second sound acquired by the second imaging means. An audio signal acquired by the means is transmitted to the first terminal via the network, while a video signal received from the first terminal via the network is output to a second display means, and the network A voice signal received from the first terminal via the first voice output means to the second voice output means to execute the remote conference. While the remote conference is being executed by the conference execution means and the second conference execution means, the operation signal receiving means for receiving the operation signal via the network, and the first for communicating with the terminal installation base A communication means; and a first communication control means for transmitting the operation signal received by the operation signal receiving means from the first communication means to the terminal installation base, wherein the terminal installation base is the second terminal. , A drive unit that changes the orientation of the second terminal installed on the pedestal, a second communication unit that communicates with the first communication unit, and the second communication unit Drive control means for causing the drive means to change the orientation of the second terminal according to the operation signal when the operation signal is received by the control means.

  According to the first aspect, when the first terminal receives a user operation instruction for the terminal installation base, an operation signal corresponding to the operation instruction is transmitted to the second terminal. In the second terminal, the operation signal received from the first terminal is transmitted to the terminal installation base. In the terminal installation stand, the orientation of the second terminal installed on the pedestal is changed according to the operation signal received from the second terminal. Therefore, since the user on the first terminal side can change the orientation of the second terminal by remote operation, it is possible to realize a remote conference with a higher realistic sensation at a lower cost than before.

  That is, the user on the first terminal side can change the orientation of the second display means, the second imaging means, and the like by changing the orientation of the second terminal by remote control. Therefore, the user on the first terminal side can accurately grasp the state of the conference being held on the second terminal side, and a sense of presence that actually participates in the conference can be obtained. Further, the user on the second terminal side can detect what the user on the first terminal side is viewing based on the movement of the second display means, the second imaging means, and the like. Therefore, the user on the second terminal side can strongly feel the presence of the user on the first terminal side, and can obtain a sense of realism that the user on the first terminal side is actually participating in the conference.

  In the first aspect, the drive control means may cause the drive means to change the orientation of the second terminal to an initial direction at a predetermined timing. In this case, for example, at the start of a video conference, the user can save time and effort to change the orientation of the second terminal to the initial direction.

  In the first aspect, the driving means includes pan changing means for changing a horizontal direction of the second terminal installed on the pedestal, and the driving control means instructs the pan adjustment by the operation signal. When the first signal is included, the pan changing unit may change the direction of the second terminal. In this case, it is possible to perform pan adjustment of the second imaging means provided in the second terminal by changing the horizontal direction of the second terminal by remote control.

  In the first aspect, the pedestal may be rotatable about an axis extending in a vertical direction, and the pan changing means may rotate the pedestal at a rotation angle corresponding to the first signal. In this case, the horizontal direction of the second terminal can be accurately changed by rotating the pedestal at a rotation angle corresponding to the first signal.

  In the first aspect, the driving means includes first tilt changing means for changing a vertical direction of the second terminal installed on the pedestal, and the drive control means is configured to adjust the tilt of the operation signal. When the second signal to be instructed is included, the first tilt changing means may change the direction of the second terminal. In this case, the tilt adjustment of the second imaging means provided in the second terminal can be executed by changing the vertical direction of the second terminal by remote control.

  1st aspect WHEREIN: The movable part which can be moved up and down is supported, supporting the one edge part of the front-back direction in the lower surface of the said 2nd terminal installed in the said base, The said drive control means is a said 2nd terminal, The movable portion may be moved up and down by the first tilt changing means so that the inclination angle according to the second signal is obtained. In this case, the vertical direction of the second terminal can be accurately changed by moving the movable part up and down so that the second terminal has an inclination angle corresponding to the second signal.

  In the first aspect, the second imaging means is provided on the terminal installation base and is rotatable about an axis extending in the horizontal direction, and the driving means rotates the second imaging means. And a second tilt changing means for causing the second image pickup means to respond to the second signal when the operation signal includes a second signal for instructing tilt adjustment. It may be rotated at a different rotation angle. In this case, the tilt adjustment of the second image pickup means can be executed by rotating the second image pickup means provided on the terminal installation base at a rotation angle corresponding to the second signal.

  In the first aspect, the second terminal is configured to install an audio signal receiving unit that receives an audio signal via the network, and the audio signal received by the audio signal receiving unit from the first communication unit to the terminal. A second communication control means for transmitting to the base, and the second voice output means is provided on the terminal installation base, and the voice signal is received when the voice signal is received by the second communication means. You may output the sound based on. In this case, by making the second audio output means provided on the terminal installation base output the audio signal transmitted from the second terminal, the user on the second terminal side can reliably receive the audio acquired by the first terminal. Can be heard.

  In the first aspect, when the operation instruction received by the operation receiving unit is a specific operation pattern, the first terminal associates the operation pattern with pattern information indicating a generation order of the plurality of operation signals. A pattern specifying unit that specifies the pattern information according to the operation pattern, and the operation signal generating unit is specified by the pattern specifying unit. The operation signals may be generated in time series at predetermined timings in the generation order indicated by the pattern information. In this case, when an operation instruction indicating a specific operation pattern is input at the first terminal, a plurality of operation signals are generated in time series, so that the remote operation of the user can be simplified.

  A terminal installation base according to a second aspect of the present invention is a base on which a second terminal capable of performing bidirectional communication with a first terminal via a network is installed, and the first installed on the base. A driving means for changing the orientation of the two terminals, a communication means for communicating with the second terminal installed on the pedestal, and an operation signal for instructing a change in the orientation of the second terminal by the communication means Is received, drive control means for causing the drive means to change the orientation of the second terminal in accordance with the operation signal. According to the second aspect, the orientation of the second terminal installed on the pedestal is changed according to the operation signal received from the second terminal. Therefore, since the user on the first terminal side can change the orientation of the second terminal by remote operation, it is possible to realize a remote conference with a higher realistic sensation at a lower cost than before.

  That is, the user on the first terminal side, for example, when the second terminal is provided with a display means, an imaging means, etc., changes the direction of the second terminal by remote operation, so that these display means, imaging means, etc. The direction of can also be changed. In this case, the user on the first terminal side can accurately grasp the state of the conference being held on the second terminal side, and a sense of reality as if actually participating in the conference can be obtained. Further, the user on the second terminal side can detect what the user on the first terminal side is viewing based on the movement of the display means, the imaging means, etc. provided in the second terminal. Therefore, the user on the second terminal side can strongly feel the presence of the user on the first terminal side, and can obtain a sense of realism that the user on the first terminal side is actually participating in the conference.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a video conference system 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a remote terminal 3. FIG. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the operation | movement corresponding | compatible table 90. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a conference side terminal 5. FIG. FIG. 3 is an external view of the conference side terminal 5 installed on the terminal installation table 10 from obliquely above. FIG. 4 is a left side view of the conference side terminal 5 installed on the terminal installation base 10. 3 is an external view of the terminal installation base 10 from obliquely above. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a pedestal 11. FIG. It is a bottom view of the pedestal 11. It is the II sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is an external view from diagonally upward of the support part 12. FIG. It is a left view of the support part 12. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the terminal installation base 10. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a remote conference process of a remote terminal 3; It is a flowchart which shows the remote conference process of the meeting side terminal 5. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing main processing of the terminal installation base 10. It is a figure which shows the state after the movable body 72 rotates in FIG. It is a figure which shows the state after the movable body 72 and the board | substrate 70 rotated in FIG. It is an external view from the diagonal upper direction of the meeting side terminal 5 installed in the terminal installation stand 100. FIG. 4 is a left side view of the conference side terminal 5 installed on the terminal installation base 100. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a pedestal 110. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a terminal installation base 100. FIG.

  Hereinafter, a video conference system and a terminal installation base according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings to be referred to are used for explaining technical features that can be adopted by the present invention. The configuration of the apparatus, the flowcharts of various processes, and the like described in the drawings are not intended to be limited to these, but are merely illustrative examples.

  With reference to FIGS. 1-18, the video conference system 1 and the terminal installation base 10 which concern on 1st Embodiment are demonstrated. In 1st Embodiment, the case where the user of the remote side terminal 3 adjusts the direction of the vertical direction of the conference side terminal 5 installed in the terminal installation stand 10 and a horizontal direction by remote operation is illustrated. The direction of the conference side terminal 5 in the vertical direction is the direction of the front side of the conference side terminal 5 when the conference side terminal 5 is rotated about the horizontal axis. The horizontal direction of the conference side terminal 5 is the direction of the front side of the conference side terminal 5 when the conference side terminal 5 is rotated about the vertical axis.

  The overall configuration of the video conference system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In the video conference system 1, terminal devices respectively provided at a plurality of bases where users exist are connected via a network 2. In the present embodiment, a terminal device installed at a site where a conference is held (hereinafter referred to as a conference site) and a terminal device installed at a site different from the conference site (hereinafter referred to as a remote site). A case where a video conference is executed between the two is illustrated. Hereinafter, a terminal device installed at a remote site is referred to as a remote terminal 3. The terminal device installed at the conference base is referred to as a conference terminal 5.

  In the video conference system 1, when a video conference is started between the remote side terminal 3 and the conference side terminal 5, video data and audio data respectively acquired by the remote side terminal 3 and the conference side terminal 5 are stored in the network 2. Are transmitted to and received from each other. The remote terminal 3 outputs the video data and audio data acquired by the conference terminal 5 (that is, video data and audio data of the user existing at the conference base). The conference side terminal 5 outputs video data and audio data acquired by the remote side terminal 3 (that is, video data and audio data of a user existing at a remote site). In this way, the remote terminal 3 and the conference terminal 5 each output video data and audio data of the user existing at the other party's base in real time, and the video conference proceeds.

  In the present embodiment, a video conference proceeds between the remote side terminal 3 and the conference side terminal 5 with the conference side terminal 5 installed on the terminal installation base 10. Therefore, the conference side terminal 5 is a terminal device having a shape, size and weight that can be installed on the terminal installation base 10, and more preferably a thin and light general-purpose computer (for example, a notebook PC or a tablet PC). It is. A user at a remote site can remotely operate the terminal installation base 10 using the remote terminal 3, details of which will be described later.

  The electrical configuration of the remote terminal 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The remote terminal 3 is a general-purpose notebook PC. That is, the remote terminal 3 includes a CPU 30, ROM 31, RAM 32, HDD 33, video controller 34, key controller 35, communication device 36, USB interface 37, CD-ROM drive 38, display 41, keyboard 42, microphone 43, and speaker. 44. The ROM 31, RAM 32, and I / O interface 40 are connected to the CPU 30. The video controller 34, key controller 35, communication device 36, USB interface 37, and CD-ROM drive 38 are connected to the I / O interface 40. The display 41 is connected to the video controller 34. The keyboard 42 is connected to the key controller 35.

  The USB interface 37 is a controller that is connected to an external device via a universal serial bus, and a mouse 45 and a camera 46 are connected by a USB cable. The camera 46 of this embodiment is a small and lightweight general-purpose camera (so-called WEB camera) that can output captured video data to the network 2 in real time. The communication device 36 is a controller that transmits and receives data via the network 2. In the present embodiment, the communication device 36 transmits and receives audio data and video data to and from the conference-side terminal 5 when performing a video conference. A remote operation command to be described later is also transmitted to the conference side terminal 5 by the communication device 36.

  The HDD 33 is a large-capacity hard disk drive, and various data for executing a video conference (for example, video data / audio data acquired by the remote terminal 3 and video data / audio data received from the conference terminal 5). And interrupt programs are stored. A conference processing program for executing a remote conference process (see FIG. 14) described later and an operation correspondence table 90 (see FIG. 3) are also stored in the HDD 33. A CD-ROM 49 inserted into the CD-ROM drive 38 stores a conference processing program, an operation correspondence table 90, and the like. The remote terminal 3 may set up these programs and data in the HDD 33 by reading the CD-ROM 49 from the CD-ROM drive 38.

  The data structure of the operation correspondence table 90 will be described with reference to FIG. The operation correspondence table 90 defines the correspondence between operation contents, operation names, and remote operation commands. The operation content indicates an input operation performed by the user on the remote terminal 3 in order to perform the remote operation of the terminal installation base 10 during the video conference. The operation content indicates an operation to be executed by the terminal installation base 10 when a corresponding input operation is performed. The remote operation command is a command for causing the terminal installation base 10 to execute the corresponding operation content, and includes a pan adjustment command, a tilt adjustment command, and a zoom adjustment command in the present embodiment.

  The pan adjustment command is an instruction to cause the terminal installation base 10 to perform pan adjustment (that is, change in the horizontal direction) of the conference side terminal 5, and a rotation angle about the vertical axis of the conference side terminal 5. Indicates. The tilt adjustment command is an instruction to cause the terminal installation base 10 to perform tilt adjustment (that is, change in the vertical direction) of the conference side terminal 5, and the rotation angle about the vertical axis of the conference side terminal 5. Indicates. The zoom adjustment command is an instruction to execute zoom adjustment (that is, change of zoom magnification) of the camera 66 (see FIG. 4) connected to the conference side terminal 5, and indicates a zoom magnification enlargement ratio or reduction ratio.

  Specifically, in the example illustrated in FIG. 3, when the “↑” key of the keyboard 42 is input during the video conference between the remote terminal 3 and the conference terminal 5, the conference terminal 5 is The tilt adjustment command “+10” is specified as the remote operation command for “upward”. When the “→” key of the keyboard 42 is input, the pan adjustment command “+20” is specified as the remote operation command for turning the conference side terminal 5 “to the right”. When the “+” key of the keyboard 42 is input, the zoom adjustment command “+10” is specified as a remote operation command for executing “zoom-in” of the camera 66 (see FIG. 4).

  In addition, when the “Y” key of the keyboard 42 is input, twelve consecutive tilt adjustment commands are specified as commands for causing the conference side terminal 5 to execute the “agreement” operation. When the “N” key of the keyboard 42 is input, twelve consecutive pan adjustment commands are specified as commands for causing the conference side terminal 5 to execute the “reject” operation. As described above, in the operation correspondence table 90, when the operation content is associated with a specific operation pattern, a plurality of continuous remote operation commands are specified.

  The electrical configuration of the conference side terminal 5 will be described with reference to FIG. The conference-side terminal 5 is a general-purpose notebook PC, like the remote-side terminal 3. Therefore, a CPU 50, a ROM 51, a RAM 52, an HDD 53, a video controller 54, a key controller 55, a communication device 56, a USB interface 57, a CD-ROM drive 58, a display 61, a keyboard 62, a microphone 63, and a speaker 64 are provided. In the present embodiment, the communication device 56 transmits and receives audio data and video data to and from the remote terminal 3 when the video conference is executed. A remote operation command to be described later is also received from the remote terminal 3 by the communication device 56. The camera 66 is a WEB camera similar to the camera 46.

  Similar to the HDD 33, the HDD 53 stores various data and interrupt programs for executing a video conference, a conference processing program for executing a remote conference process (see FIG. 15) described later, and the like. These data and programs may be set up in the HDD 53 by reading the CD-ROM 69 from the CD-ROM drive 58. Further, a BT interface 59 is connected to the I / O interface 40. The BT interface 59 is a controller that performs Bluetooth wireless communication with an external device. In the present embodiment, the BT interface 59 transmits the remote operation command and voice data received by the communication device 56 to the terminal installation base 10.

  The physical structure of the conference terminal 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. The conference-side terminal 5 is, for example, an A4 size notebook PC, and includes a housing upper part 5A on which the display 61 is disposed on the surface and a housing lower part 5B on which the keyboard 62 is disposed on the surface. When the conference side terminal 5 is installed on the terminal installation base 10, the lower case part 5 </ b> B supports the upper case part 5 </ b> A on the terminal installation base 10. Since the case upper part 5A and the case lower part 5B are connected by a hinge mechanism (not shown), the case upper part 5A can be freely opened and closed with respect to the case lower part 5B. That is, the inclination angle of the housing upper part 5A with respect to the housing lower part 5B can be freely adjusted. A protrusion 5C that slightly lifts the rear end side of the housing lower part 5B in a state where the conference side terminal 5 is installed is provided along the rear edge of the bottom surface of the housing lower part 5B.

  The camera 66 includes a fixed leg 66A for fixing to the housing upper part 5A. For example, the user at the conference base fixes the camera 66 to the upper edge of the housing upper part 5 </ b> A, and makes the shooting direction of the camera 66 substantially coincide with the front direction of the display 61. Thereby, at least the face of the user viewing the display 61 from the front side can be contained within the shooting range of the camera 66. Further, the shooting range of the camera 66 can be adjusted in the vertical direction by adjusting the inclination angle of the housing upper part 5A with respect to the housing lower part 5B. The same applies to the remote terminal 3 and the camera 46.

  A physical structure of the terminal installation base 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the lower left direction, upper right direction, upper left direction, and lower right direction in FIGS. 5 and 7 are the front side, the rear side, the left side, and the right side of the terminal installation base 10. In FIG. 10, the conference side terminal 5 is indicated by a virtual line (the same applies to FIG. 17 described later). As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the terminal installation base 10 has a substantially bottomed cylindrical outer shape with a small vertical length (that is, height), and a base 11 on which the conference-side terminal 5 is installed. And a support portion 12 that supports the base 11 from below.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the pedestal 11 includes a circular substrate 70 in plan view. A shaft hole 70 </ b> A that penetrates the substrate 70 in the vertical direction is provided in the center of the substrate 70 in the plane. A slit-like opening 71 that penetrates the substrate 70 in the vertical direction is provided from the slightly front side of the shaft hole 70A toward the front (downward in FIG. 8). Inside the opening 71, a movable body 72, which is a substantially fan-shaped plate-like body that is movable in the vertical direction, is provided. Speaker holes 77 which are a plurality of small diameter holes penetrating the substrate 70 in the vertical direction are provided on both the left and right sides of the front end side of the opening 71. A regulating portion 73, which is a plate-like body that is long in the left-right direction, is fixed to the rear surface of the shaft hole 70 </ b> A on the upper surface of the substrate 70 (upward in FIG. 8).

  In a state in which the conference side terminal 5 is properly installed on the terminal installation base 10, the front-rear direction of the conference side terminal 5 substantially coincides with the front-rear direction of the terminal installation base 10, and the housing lower part 5 B is a substantially flat surface of the pedestal 11. Supported in the center (see FIGS. 5 and 6). At this time, it is preferable that the housing lower part 5 </ b> B fits in the installation space of the base 11 (that is, the upper surface of the substrate 70) in plan view. In the present embodiment, the radius of the substrate 70 is defined so that an A4 size notebook PC, which is frequently used in a video conference, fits within the installation space of the base 11 in plan view.

  Further, the distance (that is, the length in the front-rear direction) L1 between the rear end portion of the restricting portion 73 and the front end portion of the opening 71 is defined in accordance with the depth (that is, the length in the front-rear direction) of the A4 size notebook PC. Has been. The width (that is, the length in the left-right direction) L2 of the restricting portion 73 is defined in accordance with the width (that is, the length in the left-right direction) of the A4 size notebook PC. As an example, assuming that the notebook PC installed on the terminal installation base 10 has a depth of 27 cm and a width of 34 cm, the radius of the substrate 70 is 22 cm, the distance L1 is 27 cm, and the width L2 is 34 cm.

  In a state where the conference side terminal 5 is properly installed on the terminal installation base 10, the restricting portion 73 comes into contact with the protrusion 5C on the rear side, and the movable body 72 covers the front side portion on the bottom surface of the housing lower portion 5B. Support from below. In the example shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the movable body 72 is located on the front side of the casing lower part 5 </ b> B so that the casing lower part 5 </ b> B is inclined from the front side toward the rear lower side (in FIG. 6, from the right side toward the lower left direction). The part is lifted to a predetermined height. In this state, the lower part 5B of the casing slides backward along the inclined surface of the movable body 72. However, since the protrusion 5C describes the backward movement of the restricting portion 73, the backward movement of the housing lower part 5B is also restricted.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, on the bottom surface of the substrate 70, rollers 74 for assisting the rotation of the pedestal 11 are provided at front, rear, left and right positions along the inner peripheral edge of the substrate 70. Directly below the speaker holes 77 on the bottom surface of the substrate 70, the speakers 17 that output sound from the speaker holes 77 are provided. A tilt motor 16 that rotates the movable body 72 is provided on the right side of the opening 71 on the bottom surface of the substrate 70. A shaft hole 72 </ b> A that penetrates the movable body 72 in the left-right direction is provided at a position deviated from the center of gravity position of the movable body 72 toward one end side in the longitudinal direction (lower right side in FIG. 10). A horizontal rotating shaft 16A extending leftward from the tilt motor 16 is fixed to the movable body 72 in a state of being inserted into the shaft hole 72A.

  When the tilt motor 16 rotates the rotary shaft 16A in the clockwise direction when viewed from the left side, the movable body 72 also rotates in the clockwise direction, and the protruding height of the movable body 72 from the opening 71 increases. Along with this, the movable body 72 pushes up the front portion of the housing lower part 5B upward, so that the conference-side terminal 5 tilts upward. On the other hand, when the tilt motor 16 rotates the rotary shaft 16A counterclockwise as viewed from the left side, the movable body 72 also rotates counterclockwise, and the protruding height of the movable body 72 from the opening 71 is small. Become. Accordingly, the front side portion of the housing lower part 5B supported by the movable body 72 moves downward, so that the conference side terminal 5 tilts downward.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the support portion 12 includes a main body portion 80 including a roller receiving surface 81, a tubular portion 82, and a bottom wall 83. The bottom wall 83 is a circular wall portion in plan view that constitutes the bottom surface of the support portion 12, and is an installation surface of the terminal installation table 10. The cylindrical portion 82 is a cylindrical side wall extending upward to a predetermined height along the entire circumference of the bottom wall 83. The roller receiving surface 81 is a flange-like wall portion that extends outward from the upper end of the tubular portion 82. The outer peripheral shape and size of the roller receiving surface 81 substantially coincide with the planar shape and size of the substrate 70 in plan view.

  A pan motor 15 that rotates the pedestal 11 is provided on the bottom wall 83. Although not shown in FIG. 11, a control unit 13, a BT interface 14, and a power supply unit 19 (see FIG. 13) described later are provided on the bottom wall 83. A vertical rotation shaft 15 </ b> A extending upward from the pan motor 15 protrudes above the height position of the roller receiving surface 81. When the pedestal 11 is assembled to the support portion 12, the rotating shaft 15A is fixed to the substrate 70 in a state of being inserted into the shaft hole 70A. At this time, the four rollers 74 provided on the bottom surface of the substrate 70 are disposed on the roller receiving surface 81.

  When the pan motor 15 rotates the rotation shaft 15A in the clockwise direction in plan view, the pedestal 11 also rotates in the clockwise direction. Accordingly, the conference side terminal 5 installed on the pedestal 11 is inclined leftward. On the other hand, when the pan motor 15 rotates the rotary shaft 15A in the counterclockwise direction in plan view, the pedestal 11 also rotates in the counterclockwise direction. Along with this, the conference terminal 5 installed on the pedestal 11 is inclined rightward. As the pedestal 11 rotates, the four rollers 74 rotate between the substrate 70 and the roller receiving surface 81, respectively. Thereby, the sliding load which arises between the base 11 and the support part 12 is suppressed, and the base 11 rotates smoothly.

  With reference to FIG. 13, the electrical configuration of the terminal installation base 10 will be described. As described above, the pedestal 11 is provided with the tilt motor 16 and the speaker 17. The support unit 12 is provided with a control unit 13, a BT interface 14, a pan motor 15, and a power supply unit 19. The power supply unit 19 is connected to an AC power source (not shown) and supplies power to the control unit 13, the BT interface 14, the pan motor 15, the tilt motor 16, and the speaker 17. The control unit 13 is a microcomputer that controls the BT interface 14, the pan motor 15, the tilt motor 16, and the speaker 17.

  Similar to the BT interface 59, the BT interface 14 is a controller that performs Bluetooth wireless communication with an external device. In the present embodiment, the BT interface 14 performs Bluetooth wireless communication with the BT interface 59 and receives voice data and a remote operation command from the conference side terminal 5. The operation control of the terminal installation base 10 based on the voice data and the remote operation command will be described later separately.

  With reference to FIGS. 14-16, the process regarding the video conference performed with the video conference system 1 is demonstrated. At the time of execution of the video conference, the remote terminal 3, the conference terminal 5, and the terminal installation base 10 each execute processing described below.

  With reference to FIG. 14, the remote conference process of the remote terminal 3 will be described. This processing is executed by the CPU 30 based on a conference processing program stored in the HDD 33 when an input operation for instructing the start of the video conference is received at the remote terminal 3.

  In the remote conference process of the remote terminal 3, a conference participation request is first transmitted to a conference server (not shown) (S1). The conference participation request is a command for requesting participation in a video conference executed by the video conference system 1. In the present embodiment, the video conference “Meeting A” scheduled to be executed between the remote terminal 3 and the conference terminal 5 is registered in the conference server. In step S1, a conference participation request for the video conference “Meeting A” is transmitted.

  When the conference server receives the conference participation request via the network 2, the conference server performs user authentication based on the authentication information included in the conference participation request. If the user authentication is successful, a permission for participation is returned to the requesting terminal device. The participation permission is a command for permitting participation in a video conference that has received a conference participation request. When user authentication fails, a rejection of participation is returned to the requesting terminal device. The participation refusal is a command for refusing participation in a video conference that has received a conference participation request. In this embodiment, permission to participate in the video conference “Meeting A” is returned from the conference server to the remote terminal 3.

  After executing step S1, it is determined whether or not participation permission has been acquired (S3). When participation refusal is received from the conference server, it is determined that participation permission has not been acquired (S3: NO). In this case, the teleconference process (FIG. 14) is terminated without starting the video conference. When participation permission is received from the conference server, it is determined that participation permission has been acquired (S3: YES). In this case, an interrupt program is started from the HDD 33 (S5).

  Based on the interrupt program activated in step S5, the CPU 30 performs data processing (specifically, video data transmission processing, audio data transmission processing, video data reception processing, audio data reception processing) during the video conference. Specifically, in the video data transmission process, the video data acquired by the camera 46 is transmitted to the conference side terminal 5. In the audio data transmission process, the audio data acquired by the microphone 43 is transmitted to the conference side terminal 5. In the video data reception process, video data is received from the conference side terminal 5 and output to the display 41. In the audio data reception process, audio data is received from the conference side terminal 5 and output to the speaker 44. Thereby, in the remote side terminal 3, a user's image and audio | voice which exist in a conference base are output, and a video conference advances.

  After execution of step S5, it is determined whether there is a key input (S7). For example, when an input operation of the keyboard 42 or the mouse 45 is received, it is determined that there is a key input (S7: YES). In this case, it is determined whether or not the key input detected in step S7 is a remote operation of the terminal installation base 10 (S9). In step S9, if the key input detected in step S7 matches the operation content defined in the operation correspondence table 90, it is determined that the terminal installation base 10 is a remote operation (S9: YES).

  In this case, referring to the action correspondence table 90, a remote operation command corresponding to the key input detected in step S7 is generated (S13). For example, when the user presses the “↑” key of the keyboard 42 during the video conference, the operation content “upward” corresponding to the operation content “↑” key of the operation correspondence table 90 is specified. A tilt adjustment command “+10” is generated as a remote operation command for executing this operation content.

  The remote operation command (any one of pan adjustment command, tilt adjustment command, and zoom adjustment command) generated in step S13 is packetized and transmitted to the conference side terminal 5 (S15). Hereinafter, the packet transmitted in step S15 is referred to as a remote operation packet. After execution of step S15, it is determined whether the video conference has ended (S17). For example, when an input operation for instructing the end of the video conference is accepted at the remote terminal 3 or a command for instructing the end of the video conference is received from the conference server, it is determined that the video conference has ended (S17). : YES) In this case, the interrupt program started in step S5 is terminated (S19), and the remote conference process (FIG. 14) is terminated. That is, transmission / reception of audio data and video data to / from the conference-side terminal 5 is interrupted, and the video conference ends.

  On the other hand, when there is no key input (S7: NO), when it is not remote operation of the conference side terminal 5 (S9: NO), and when the video conference is not ended (S17: NO), the process returns to step S7. As described above, in this embodiment, steps S7 to S17 are repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals (for example, a cycle of several milliseconds) from the start to the end of the interrupt program (that is, during execution of the video conference). Therefore, for example, while the user keeps pressing the “↑” key of the keyboard 42, the remote operation packet of the tilt adjustment command “+10” is continuously output.

  For example, when the user presses the “Y” key of the keyboard 42, the operation content “agreement” corresponding to the operation content “Y” key of the operation correspondence table 90 is specified. As remote operation commands for executing this operation content, twelve consecutive tilt adjustment commands “−10”, “−10”, “+10”, “+10”, “+10”, “+10”, “−10”, “−10”, “ “−10”, “−10”, “−10”, “+10”, and “+10” are generated and transmitted one command at a predetermined interval (for example, a period of several milliseconds) (S13, S15).

  With reference to FIG. 15, the remote conference process of the conference side terminal 5 in 1st Embodiment is demonstrated. This process is executed by the CPU 50 based on a conference processing program stored in the HDD 53 when an input operation for instructing the start of a video conference is accepted at the conference side terminal 5.

  In the remote conference processing of the conference side terminal 5, first, the same processing as the above-described steps S1 to S5 is performed. That is, a conference participation request is transmitted to the conference server (S51). When the participation permission is received from the conference server (S53: YES), the interruption program is started from the HDD 53 (S55). In the present embodiment, a conference participation request for the video conference “Meeting A” is transmitted to the conference server (S51). If the user authentication with the conference server is successful, permission to participate in the video conference “Meeting A” is received from the conference server (S53: YES).

  Based on the interrupt program activated in step S55, the CPU 50 performs data processing (specifically, video data transmission processing, audio data transmission processing, video data reception processing, audio data reception processing) during the video conference. Specifically, in the video data transmission process, the video data acquired by the camera 66 is transmitted to the remote terminal 3. In the audio data transmission process, the audio data acquired by the microphone 63 is transmitted to the remote terminal 3. In the video data reception process, video data is received from the remote terminal 3 and output to the display 61. In the audio data reception process, audio data is received from the remote terminal 3 and output to the speaker 64. Thereby, in the conference side terminal 5, a user's image and audio | voice which exist in a remote base are output, and a video conference advances.

  After execution of step S55, the audio data received in the audio data reception process is transferred to the BT interface 59 (S57). Audio data is wirelessly transmitted to the terminal installation base 10 by the BT interface 59. After execution of step S57, it is determined whether a remote operation packet has been received (S59). If a remote operation packet has been received (S59: YES), it is determined whether or not the remote operation command included in the remote operation packet is a tilt adjustment command (S61). If the remote operation command is a tilt adjustment command (S61: YES), the tilt adjustment command is transferred to the BT interface 59 (S63).

  If the remote operation command is not a tilt adjustment command (S61: NO), it is determined whether or not the remote operation command is a pan adjustment command (S65). When the remote operation command is a pan adjustment command (S65: YES), the remote operation command is transferred to the BT interface 59 (S67). The tilt adjustment command or pan adjustment command transferred to the BT interface 59 is transmitted to the terminal installation base 10 by the BT interface 59.

  If the remote operation command is not a pan adjustment command (S65: NO), it is determined whether or not the remote operation command is a zoom adjustment command (S69). If the remote operation command is a zoom adjustment command (S69: YES). A zoom control signal is generated (S71). The zoom control signal is a signal that drives a motor (not shown) that adjusts the zoom magnification of the camera 66 in accordance with the zoom magnification enlargement ratio or reduction ratio instructed by the zoom adjustment command.

  The zoom control signal generated in step S71 is transferred to the USB interface 57 (S73). A zoom control signal is transmitted to the camera 66 by the USB interface 57. In the camera 66, the zoom magnification is changed according to the zoom control signal received from the conference side terminal 5. As a result, the video displayed on the display 41 of the remote terminal 3 is enlarged or reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the external device (camera 66 in the above example) of the terminal installation base 10 or the conference side terminal 5 is determined as the command transfer destination according to the type of the remote operation command (steps S61 to S73). . When the command transfer destination is an external device of the conference side terminal 5, a control signal (in the above example, a zoom control signal) for driving the external device at the conference side terminal 5 is generated. Therefore, the user of the remote terminal 3 can remotely operate not only the terminal installation base 10 but also the external device of the conference terminal 5.

  If no remote operation packet has been received (S59: NO), or if the remote operation command is not a zoom adjustment command (S69: NO), it is determined whether or not the video conference has ended, as in step S17 described above. (S75). When the video conference ends (S75: YES). In this case, the interrupt program started in step S55 is terminated (S77), and the remote conference process (FIG. 15) is terminated. That is, transmission / reception of audio data and video data to / from the remote terminal 3 is interrupted, and the video conference ends.

  On the other hand, after execution of any of steps S63, S67, and S73, or when the video conference has not ended (S75: NO), the process returns to step S57. As described above, in this embodiment, steps S57 to S73 are repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals (for example, a cycle of several milliseconds) from the start to the end of the interrupt program. Therefore, during the video conference, the voice data and the remote operation command received from the remote terminal 3 are transferred to the terminal installation base 10.

  With reference to FIG. 16, the main process of the terminal installation base 10 is demonstrated. This process is executed by the control unit 13 when the terminal installation base 10 is powered on. In the main process of the terminal installation base 10, the origin detection process of the pan motor 15 and the tilt motor 16 is first executed (S101). In the origin detection process of the pan motor 15, the pan motor 15 rotates the substrate 70 to the initial rotational position. In the origin detection process of the tilt motor 16, the tilt motor 16 rotates the movable body 72 to the initial rotational position.

  In the present embodiment, for example, a user at the conference base places the conference-side terminal 5 on the pedestal 11 with the substrate 70 and the movable body 72 rotated to the initial rotation position. The orientation of the conference side terminal 5 installed on the terminal installation base 10 set to the initial state in the origin detection process (step S101) is referred to as the initial direction of the conference side terminal 5. Step S101 can save the user from changing the orientation of the conference side terminal 5 to the initial direction at the start of the video conference. Further, when the movable body 72 is rotated to the initial rotational position, the upper end of the movable body 72 protrudes several centimeters upward from the opening 71 (see FIGS. 6 and 10). Thus, by adjusting the rotational position of the movable body 72, the conference terminal 5 can be tilted not only upward from the initial direction but also downward from the initial direction.

  Note that the rotation position of the substrate 70 in the initial state is preferably a substantially intermediate position of the rotation angle (that is, the movable range) at which the pan motor 15 can rotate the substrate 70. Similarly, it is preferable that the rotation position of the movable body 72 in the initial state is a substantially intermediate position of the rotation angle (that is, the movable range) at which the tilt motor 16 can rotate the movable body 72. Thereby, the movable range of the conference side terminal 5 installed on the terminal installation base 10 in the initial state (that is, the movable range from the initial direction of the conference side terminal 5) can be largely ensured.

  After execution of step S101, it is determined whether data reception has been performed by the BT interface 14 (S103). When data reception has been performed (S103: YES), it is determined whether the received data is audio data (S105). When the received data is audio data (S105: YES), an audio output signal is generated (S107). The audio output signal is a signal obtained by analog conversion of audio data of digital data. The audio output signal generated in step S107 is output to the speaker 17 (S109). Thereby, in this embodiment, the voice data acquired by the microphone 43 of the remote terminal 3 is output as voice from the terminal installation base 10. Therefore, the user at the conference base can be surely heard the voice of the user at the remote base.

  If the received data is not audio data (S105: NO), it is determined whether or not the received data is a tilt adjustment command (S111). If the received data is a tilt adjustment command (S111: YES), a tilt control signal is generated (S113). The tilt control signal is a signal for rotationally driving the tilt motor 16 in accordance with the rotation angle designated by the tilt adjustment command. The tilt control signal generated in step S113 is output to the tilt motor 16 (S115).

  The tilt motor 16 changes the height position of the front portion of the conference terminal 5 supported by the movable body 72 by rotating the movable body 72 according to the tilt control signal. Thereby, the vertical direction of the conference side terminal 5 installed on the base 11 is adjusted downward or upward. Therefore, even if the user at the conference base does not adjust the tilt angle of the upper housing 5A or the vertical tilt of the camera 66, the user at the remote base can remotely adjust the tilt of the camera 66.

  If the received data is not a tilt adjustment command (S111: NO), it is determined whether or not the received data is a pan adjustment command (S117). If the received data is a pan adjustment command (S117: YES), a pan control signal is generated (S119). The pan control signal is a signal for rotationally driving the pan motor 15 in accordance with the rotation angle designated by the pan adjustment command. The pan control signal generated in step S119 is output to the pan motor 15 (S121).

  The pan motor 15 rotates the board 70 in response to the pan control signal to rotate the conference terminal 5 installed on the base 11 in the horizontal direction. Thereby, the horizontal direction of the conference side terminal 5 is adjusted rightward or leftward. Therefore, even if the user at the conference base does not adjust the horizontal direction of the conference-side terminal 5 or the horizontal tilt of the camera 66, the user at the remote base uses the remote-side terminal 3 to tilt the camera 66. Adjustment can be performed remotely.

  If no data is received (S103: NO), or if the received data is not a pan adjustment command (S117: NO), it is determined whether an end instruction has been issued (S123). For example, when the terminal installation base 10 is powered off, it is determined that there is an end instruction (S123: YES). In this case, the main process (FIG. 16) is terminated.

  On the other hand, after execution of any of steps S109, S115, and S121, or when there is no end instruction (S123: NO), the process returns to step S103. Thus, in this embodiment, steps S103 to S121 are repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals (for example, a cycle of several milliseconds) during execution of the main process (FIG. 16). Therefore, during the video conference, the voice output and the remote operation of the terminal installation base 10 are executed based on the audio data and the remote operation command received from the conference side terminal 5.

  Specifically, in the example shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, the user at the conference base places the conference-side terminal 5 on the terminal installation base 10 in the initial state before the start of the video conference, and the shooting direction A is horizontal. Thus, the camera 66 is fixed to the conference side terminal 5. If the user at the remote site wants to tilt the shooting direction A of the camera 66 downward after the start of the video conference, the “↓” key on the keyboard 42 is pressed. Then, a tilt adjustment command for turning the conference side terminal 5 “downward” is transmitted to the terminal installation base 10.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 17, the tilt motor is used until the conference side terminal 5 installed on the terminal installation base 10 is tilted by “−10 °”, that is, until the conference side terminal 5 is tilted downward by “10 °”. 16 makes the protrusion height of the movable body 72 small. As a result, the shooting direction A of the camera 66 is also tilted downward from the horizontal direction, so that the shooting range displayed on the display 41 of the remote terminal 3 is also moved downward.

  Furthermore, in the state shown in FIG. 17, when a user at a remote site wants to tilt the shooting direction A of the camera 66 to the right, the user presses the “→” key on the keyboard 42. Then, a pan adjustment command for turning the conference side terminal 5 “to the right” is transmitted to the terminal installation base 10. In this case, as shown in FIG. 18, the pan motor 15 is operated until the conference terminal 5 installed on the terminal installation base 10 is tilted “+ 20 °”, that is, until the conference terminal 5 is tilted “20 °” to the right. The substrate 70 is rotated counterclockwise in plan view. As a result, the shooting direction A of the camera 66 also tilts to the right of the front-rear direction, so that the shooting range displayed on the display 41 of the remote terminal 3 also moves to the right.

  When the user at the remote site presses the “Y” key on the keyboard 42, a remote operation command (specifically, 12 consecutive tilt adjustment commands) that causes the conference side terminal 5 to execute the “agree” operation. Is transmitted to the terminal installation base 10. In this case, the tilt motor 16 rotates the movable body 72 so that the conference terminal 5 tilts in the vertical direction at a constant speed in the order of “−20”, “+40”, “−40”, and “+20”. Thereby, since the conference side terminal 5 alternately repeats “upward” and “downward”, it is possible to give the user at the conference base an impression that the user at the remote base shown on the display 61 is positive.

  Similarly, when the user of the remote side terminal 3 presses the “N” key on the keyboard 42, a remote operation command (specifically, 12 consecutive panning commands) that causes the conference side terminal 5 to execute the “reject” operation. Adjustment command) is transmitted to the terminal installation base 10. In this case, the pan motor 15 rotates the substrate 70 so that the conference side terminal 5 is inclined in the horizontal direction at a constant speed in the order of “−40”, “+80”, “−80”, and “+40”. Thereby, since the conference side terminal 5 repeats “leftward” and “rightward” alternately, it is possible to give the user at the conference base an impression that the user at the remote base projected on the display 61 is shaking his / her head. it can.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the remote side terminal 3 accepts a user operation instruction for the terminal installation base 10, a remote operation command corresponding to the operation instruction is transmitted to the conference side terminal 5. The In the conference side terminal 5, the remote operation command received from the remote side terminal 3 is transmitted to the terminal installation base 10. In the terminal installation base 10, the orientation of the conference side terminal 5 installed on the pedestal 11 is changed according to the remote operation command received from the conference side terminal 5.

  Thereby, the user of a remote base can change direction of the meeting side terminal 5 by remote operation, without going through the user of a conference base. A user at a remote site can easily point the conference-side terminal 5 toward a specific user (for example, a user who is speaking at a video conference) existing at the conference site. Moreover, the remote terminal 3, the conference terminal 5, and the external devices connected to these are all general-purpose devices. For this reason, it is possible to realize a video conference with a high level of realism at a lower cost than in the past, and as a result, it is possible to enhance the presence of users who join the conference body from a remote location.

  More specifically, the user at the remote site can change the orientation of the display 61 and the camera 66 by changing the orientation of the conference terminal 5 by remote control. Therefore, the user at the remote site can accurately grasp the state of the conference being held at the remote site, and the user can feel as if he / she is actually participating in the conference. In addition, the user at the conference base can detect what the user at the remote base is looking at based on the movement of the display 61 and the camera 66. Therefore, the user at the conference base can strongly feel the presence of the user at the remote base, and can get a sense of reality as if the user at the remote base is actually participating in the conference.

  Further, by changing the horizontal and vertical directions of the conference side terminal 5 by remote control, pan adjustment and tilt adjustment of the camera 66 provided in the conference side terminal 5 can be executed. Therefore, the user at the remote site can adjust the zoom and shooting range of the video displayed on the display 41 by remote operation without using the user at the conference site. Further, the user at the remote site can cause the conference side terminal 5 to execute an anthropomorphic operation indicating, for example, “consent” or “denial” by a simple operation. By the personification operation of the conference side terminal 5, it is possible to further enhance the presence of users who join the conference body from a remote location.

  With reference to FIGS. 19-22, the video conference system and the terminal installation stand 100 which concern on 2nd Embodiment are demonstrated. In the second embodiment, the user of the remote terminal 3 remotely controls the horizontal direction of the conference side terminal 5 installed on the terminal installation table 100 and the vertical direction of the camera 75 included in the terminal installation table 100. The case where adjustment is performed is illustrated. Below, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same structure as 1st Embodiment, and only a different point from 1st Embodiment is demonstrated.

  Although not shown, the video conference system according to the second embodiment is the same as the video conference system 1 described above. However, the camera 66 (see FIG. 5) is not attached to the conference side terminal 5 (see FIG. 19). On the other hand, a camera 75 (to be described later) is connected to the USB interface 57 (see FIG. 4) of the conference side terminal 5 with a USB cable.

  As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the terminal installation table 100 includes a pedestal 110 and a support unit 120, as with the terminal installation table 10 described above. The substrate 170 of the pedestal 110 is basically the same as the substrate 70 described above, but a mechanism for adjusting the vertical direction of the conference terminal 5 (specifically, the tilt motor 16, the opening 71, the movable body 72). ) Is not provided. On the other hand, the front end edge of the substrate 170 is provided with a camera 75 that can rotate around a rotation shaft 75A extending in the horizontal direction, and a tilt motor 18 that rotates the camera 75. Although not shown, a horizontal rotation shaft extending rightward from the tilt motor 18 is fixed to the camera 75.

  As shown in FIG. 20, in the initial state, the shooting direction of the camera 75 coincides with the horizontal direction. When the tilt motor 18 rotates the camera 75 in the clockwise direction as viewed from the left side, as the camera 75 tilts downward, the shooting direction also tilts downward with respect to the horizontal direction. On the other hand, when the tilt motor 18 rotates the camera 75 counterclockwise as viewed from the left side, as the camera 75 tilts upward, the shooting direction also tilts upward with respect to the horizontal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the terminal installation table 100 includes a control unit 13, a BT interface 14, a pan motor 15, a speaker 17, and a power supply unit 19, similar to the terminal installation table 10 described above. Further, the tilt motor 18 provided on the base 11 is supplied with electric power from the power supply unit 19 and is controlled by the control unit 13. Note that the video data acquired by the camera 75 is transmitted to the conference terminal 5 via the USB cable.

  Processing related to the video conference according to the second embodiment is basically the same as that of the first embodiment (see FIGS. 14 to 16), but differs in the following points. In the main process of the terminal installation stand 100, steps S101 to S121 are executed as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 15). However, in step S101, origin detection processing of the pan motor 15 and the tilt motor 18 is executed. In the origin detection process of the tilt motor 18, the tilt motor 18 rotates the camera 75 to an initial rotation position (that is, a position where the shooting direction coincides with the horizontal direction).

  In the present embodiment, the user installs the conference-side terminal 5 on the pedestal 11 with the substrate 70 and the camera 75 rotated to the initial rotation position. In this case, unlike the first embodiment, the conference-side terminal 5 is in a state where the housing lower part 5B is horizontally installed on the pedestal 11 (see FIG. 20). That is, the vertical direction of the conference terminal 5 installed on the pedestal 11 is constant regardless of the rotation position of the board 70 and the camera 75 as long as the inclination of the housing upper part 5A is not changed by the user.

  In step S113, a tilt control signal for rotating the tilt motor 18 is generated. In step S115, the tilt control signal generated in step S113 is output to the tilt motor 18. The tilt motor 18 changes the vertical direction of the camera 75 by rotating the camera 75 according to the tilt control signal. Therefore, even if the user at the conference base does not adjust the tilt angle of the upper housing 5A or the vertical tilt of the camera 75, the user at the remote base can remotely adjust the tilt of the camera 75. Note that the pan adjustment of the camera 75 is realized by rotating the conference side terminal 5 installed on the base 11 as in the first embodiment (S117 to S121).

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the user at the remote site can change the orientation of the conference side terminal 5 by remote operation without going through the user at the conference site. A user at a remote site can easily point the conference-side terminal 5 toward a specific user (for example, a user who is speaking at a video conference) existing at the conference site. Moreover, the remote terminal 3, the conference terminal 5, and the external devices connected to these are all general-purpose devices. For this reason, it is possible to realize a video conference with a high level of realism at a lower cost than in the past, and as a result, it is possible to enhance the presence of users who join the conference body from a remote location.

  Furthermore, the tilt adjustment of the camera 75 can be executed by changing the vertical direction of the camera 75 provided in the terminal installation base 100 by remote control. By changing the horizontal direction of the conference side terminal 5 by remote control, the pan adjustment of the camera 75 can be executed. Therefore, the user at the remote site can adjust the zoom and shooting range of the video displayed on the display 41 by remote operation without using the user at the conference site.

  In the above embodiment, the remote terminal 3 corresponds to the “first terminal” of the present invention, the conference terminal 5 corresponds to the “second terminal” of the present invention, and the video conference system 1 corresponds to the “conference system” of the present invention. Is equivalent to. The camera 46 corresponds to the “first imaging unit” of the present invention, the microphone 43 corresponds to the “first sound acquisition unit” of the present invention, the display 41 corresponds to the “first display unit” of the present invention, and the speaker. 44 corresponds to the “first audio output means” of the present invention. The CPU 30 that executes the interrupt program started in step S5 corresponds to the “first meeting execution unit” of the present invention. The cameras 66 and 75 correspond to the “second imaging unit” of the present invention, the microphone 63 corresponds to the “second voice acquisition unit” of the present invention, and the display 61 corresponds to the “second display unit” of the present invention. The speakers 17 and 64 correspond to the “second audio output means” of the present invention, respectively. The CPU 50 that executes the interrupt program activated in step S55 corresponds to the “second meeting execution unit” of the present invention.

  The keyboard 42 corresponds to the “operation receiving unit” of the present invention. The CPU 30 that executes step S13 corresponds to the “operation signal generation means” of the present invention. The communication device 36 corresponds to the “operation signal transmission unit” of the present invention. The communication device 56 corresponds to the “operation signal receiving means” of the present invention. The BT interface 59 corresponds to the “first communication unit” of the present invention. The CPU 50 executing steps S63 and S67 corresponds to the “first communication control means” of the present invention. The pan motor 15 and the tilt motors 16 and 18 correspond to “driving means” of the present invention, respectively. The BT interface 14 corresponds to “communication means” and “second communication means” of the present invention. The control unit 13 corresponds to the “drive control unit” of the present invention.

  The pan motor 15 corresponds to the “pan changing means” of the present invention. The tilt motor 16 corresponds to the “first tilt changing means” of the present invention. The movable body 72 corresponds to the “movable part” of the present invention. The CPU 50 that executes step S57 corresponds to the “second communication control means” of the present invention. The tilt motor 18 corresponds to the “second tilt changing means” of the present invention. The communication device 56 corresponds to the “voice signal receiving means” of the present invention. The CPU 30 executing step S13 corresponds to the “pattern specifying means” of the present invention.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, The change in the range which does not change the summary of invention is possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the remote operation command is generated at the remote terminal 3, but the remote operation command may be generated at the conference terminal 5. For example, operation information (for example, input key value) is transmitted from the remote terminal 3 to the conference terminal 5. In the conference side terminal 5, a remote operation command corresponding to the operation information of the remote side terminal 3 is generated with reference to the operation correspondence table 90 stored in the HDD 53 and transmitted to the terminal installation bases 10 and 100.

  Further, a remote operation command may be generated by the terminal installation bases 10 and 100. For example, the operation information is transmitted from the remote terminal 3 to the terminal installation bases 10 and 100 via the conference terminal 5. In the terminal installation bases 10 and 100, referring to the operation correspondence table 90 stored in the control unit 13, a remote operation command corresponding to the operation information of the remote terminal 3 is generated, and various control commands are further generated. .

  In the above embodiment, various control signals for driving the pan motor 15 and the tilt motors 16, 18 are generated by the terminal installation bases 10, 100. These control signals are generated by the remote terminal 3 or the conference terminal 5. May be generated. That is, if the user at the remote site can remotely operate the terminal installation bases 10 and 100, the remote operation command and control signal generation device can be freely changed.

  Moreover, the conference side terminal 5 or the terminal installation bases 10 and 100 may specify the user who is speaking, for example by providing the array microphone which can specify an audio | voice direction. The terminal installation bases 10 and 100 may automatically adjust the orientation of the conference side terminal 5 so as to face the identified user. In this case, the user at the remote site does not need to remotely operate the conference side terminal 5 in order to search for a user who is speaking. As a result, users at remote sites can concentrate on the content of the conference, and the conference progresses smoothly.

  Further, at the conference base, another terminal device different from the conference side terminal 5 may be used for the presentation or the like. Therefore, video data output from other terminal devices may be transferred to the remote terminal 3 via the network 2 by connecting another terminal device to the conference side terminal 5. In this case, an image corresponding to the display output of another terminal device used at the conference base is displayed on the display 41. Therefore, a user at a remote site can accurately grasp an image being displayed on another terminal device used at the conference site.

  Further, any one of the remote side terminal 3, the conference side terminal 5, and the terminal installation bases 10 and 100 shows the pattern of the direction of the conference side terminal 5 (that is, the rotational position of the substrate 70, the movable body 72, the camera 75, etc.). The template may be stored in advance. When a template is specified from the remote terminal 3 or the conference terminal 5, the terminal installation bases 10 and 100 may adjust the orientation of the conference terminal 5 according to the specified template. The template includes the orientation of the conference terminal 5 when the terminal installation tables 10 and 100 are not operated for a certain period of time, the orientation of the conference terminal 5 set according to the table size of the conference base and the number of users, and the like. Can be used. In this case, the conference side terminal 5 can be set in an optimum direction with a simple operation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Video conference system 2 Network 3 Remote side terminal 5 Conference side terminal 10 Terminal installation stand 11 Base 12 Support part 13 Control part 14 BT interface 15 Pan motor 16 Tilt motor 17 Speaker 18 Tilt motor 30 CPU
33 HDD
36 Communication Device 41 Display 42 Keyboard 43 Microphone 44 Speaker 46 Camera 50 CPU
53 HDD
56 Communication Device 59 BT Interface 61 Display 62 Keyboard 63 Microphone 64 Speaker 66 Camera 72 Movable Body 75 Camera 90 Operation Correspondence Table 100 Terminal Installation Base 110 Base 120 Supporting Unit

Claims (10)

A first terminal and a second terminal connected to each other via a network; and a terminal installation base on which the second terminal is installed; and remote conference by bidirectional communication between the first terminal and the second terminal A conference system for executing
The first terminal is
The video signal acquired by the first imaging unit and the audio signal acquired by the first audio acquisition unit are transmitted to the second terminal via the network and received from the second terminal via the network. First conference execution means for executing the remote conference by outputting a video signal to the first display means and outputting an audio signal received from the second terminal via the network to the first audio output means. When,
Operation accepting means for accepting a user's operation instruction for the terminal installation base while the remote conference is being executed by the first meeting executing means;
An operation signal generating means for generating an operation signal according to the operation instruction received by the operation receiving means;
An operation signal transmitting means for transmitting the operation signal generated by the operation signal generating means to the second terminal via the network;
The second terminal is
The video signal acquired by the second imaging means and the audio signal acquired by the second audio acquisition means are transmitted to the first terminal via the network and received from the first terminal via the network. Second conference execution means for executing the remote conference by outputting the video signal to the second display means and outputting the audio signal received from the first terminal via the network to the second audio output means. When,
Operation signal receiving means for receiving the operation signal via the network while the remote conference is being executed by the second conference execution means;
First communication means for communicating with the terminal installation base;
First communication control means for transmitting the operation signal received by the operation signal receiving means from the first communication means to the terminal installation base;
The terminal installation stand is
A pedestal on which the second terminal is installed;
Drive means for changing the orientation of the second terminal installed on the pedestal;
Second communication means for communicating with the first communication means;
A conference system comprising: drive control means for causing the drive means to change the direction of the second terminal according to the operation signal when the operation signal is received by the second communication means.   The conference system according to claim 1, wherein the drive control unit causes the drive unit to change the direction of the second terminal to an initial direction at a predetermined timing. The driving means includes pan changing means for changing a horizontal direction of the second terminal installed on the pedestal,
3. The conference according to claim 1, wherein, when the operation signal includes a first signal instructing pan adjustment, the drive control unit causes the pan changing unit to change the direction of the second terminal. 4. system. The pedestal is pivotable about an axis extending in the vertical direction,
The conference system according to claim 3, wherein the pan changing unit rotates the pedestal at a rotation angle corresponding to the first signal. The driving means includes first tilt changing means for changing a vertical direction of the second terminal installed on the pedestal,
5. The drive control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the operation signal includes a second signal for instructing tilt adjustment, the drive control unit causes the first tilt changing unit to change the orientation of the second terminal. The conference system described in Crab. A movable part capable of moving up and down while supporting one edge part in the front-rear direction on the lower surface of the second terminal installed on the base;
The said drive control means makes the said 1st tilt change means move the said movable part up and down so that the said 2nd terminal may become the inclination | tilt angle according to the said 2nd signal. Conference system. The second imaging means is provided on the terminal installation base and is rotatable about an axis extending in the horizontal direction,
The driving means includes second tilt changing means for rotating the second imaging means,
When the operation signal includes a second signal for instructing tilt adjustment, the drive control unit causes the second tilt changing unit to rotate the second imaging unit at a rotation angle corresponding to the second signal. The conference system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The second terminal is
Audio signal receiving means for receiving audio signals via the network;
Second audio control means for transmitting the audio signal received by the audio signal receiving means from the first communication means to the terminal installation base;
The said 2nd audio | voice output means is provided in the said terminal installation stand, and when the said audio | voice signal is received by the said 2nd communication means, the audio | voice based on the said audio | voice signal is output. The conference system according to any one of 1 to 7. The first terminal is
Storage means for storing an action correspondence table defining correspondence between the action pattern and pattern information indicating the generation order of the plurality of operation signals when the operation instruction received by the operation accepting means is a specific action pattern. The pattern specifying means for specifying the pattern information according to the operation pattern,
9. The operation signal generation unit according to claim 1, wherein the operation signal generation unit generates the operation signal in time series at a predetermined timing in a generation order indicated by the pattern information specified by the pattern specification unit. The conference system described in 1. A pedestal on which a second terminal capable of bidirectional communication with the first terminal via the network is installed;
Drive means for changing the orientation of the second terminal installed on the pedestal;
A communication means for communicating with the second terminal installed on the pedestal;
Drive control means for causing the drive means to change the orientation of the second terminal according to the operation signal when an operation signal instructing change of the orientation of the second terminal is received by the communication means. Terminal installation stand characterized by

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