JP2012209626A - Conference device, program for conference device and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conference device, a program for the conference device and a control method, in a conference system to communicate with a distant place, which prevent pointer light of a laser pointer from entering an eye of a user of a conference partner side due to erroneous operation of the laser pointer by an operator.SOLUTION: When a face determination section determines that a face is reflected in a predetermined region, projection of pointer light from a pointer light projection section is stopped. Thus, even when an operator of an operation device erroneously operates the pointer light, the pointer light is prevented from being projected toward the face of a user of a conference device.

Description

  The present invention relates to a conference device, a program for the conference device, and a control method.

  Conventionally, a conference system for communicating with a remote user is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a conference system that can remotely operate a laser pointer mounted on a conference device of the other party. An operator who operates the laser pointer can switch the projection and stop of the projection of the pointer light projected by the laser pointer or change the projection direction by operating the operation device installed at the site.

JP 2004-110769 A

  However, if the operator misoperates the laser pointer, the pointer from the laser pointer may enter the eyes of the other user. Generally, a pointer light such as a laser pointer that does not damage the eyes even if it enters the eyes is used. However, it is unpleasant that the pointer light is projected to one's eyes from the user's standpoint. . Further, as an operator, there is a problem that remote operation of the laser pointer is difficult to use in order to avoid making the other user's unpleasant feeling unpleasant.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the invention described in claim 1 is a conference apparatus that is connected to an operating device installed at a remote place via a network and transmits an image captured at the local site to the operating device. A communication unit that communicates with the operation device via the network, a photographing unit that captures an image to be reproduced by the operation device, a pointer light projection unit that projects a predetermined pattern of pointer light, and A reception determination unit that determines whether or not a pointer light projection instruction has been received from the operation device by the communication unit, and a determination of whether or not a human face is reflected in a predetermined area of the image captured by the imaging unit If the face determination unit determines that a face is reflected in a predetermined area when the reception determination unit determines that the pointer light projection instruction has been received, the pointer light projection unit Projection control for performing pointer light projection control for projecting pointer light from the pointer light projection unit when the face determination unit determines that the face is not reflected in a predetermined area. And a section.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the feature of the first aspect of the invention, a motor for changing the photographing direction by changing the posture of the photographing unit, and the driving speed of the motor are such that the pointer light A drive speed determination unit that determines whether or not the stop speed is to stop projection, the light projection control unit determines that the face is not reflected in a predetermined area, and When the drive speed determination unit determines that the stop speed is the stop speed, the projection of the pointer light from the pointer light projection unit is stopped, the face determination unit determines that no face is reflected in a predetermined area, and When the drive speed determination unit determines that the stop speed is not reached, the pointer light is projected from the pointer light projection unit.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the feature of the first aspect of the invention, the photographing unit is housed in a posture changing unit capable of changing a posture, and the pointer light projection unit is operated by the operation. According to an instruction from the apparatus, a projection direction changing unit that changes a projection direction of the pointer light within a shooting range of the shooting unit is provided, and the pointer light projection unit is attached to the posture changing unit. .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the features of the first aspect of the invention, an autofocus unit that performs focusing of the photographing unit, and whether or not focusing is being performed by the autofocus unit are determined. An autofocus determination unit, and the projection control unit determines that the face determination unit does not show a face in a predetermined area, and determines that the autofocus determination unit is performing focusing. When the projection of the pointer light from the pointer light projection unit is stopped, the face determination unit determines that a face is not reflected in a predetermined area, and the autofocus determination unit is not performing focusing. When it is determined, the pointer light is projected from the pointer light projection unit.

  According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in addition to the feature of the first aspect of the invention, a magnification changing unit that changes a photographing magnification of the photographing unit, and whether or not a magnification change is being executed by the magnification changing unit. A magnification change determination unit that determines whether the face determination unit determines that no face is reflected in a predetermined area, and the magnification change determination unit is executing a change in magnification. When it is determined that the pointer light projection from the pointer light projection unit is stopped, the face determination unit determines that no face is reflected in a predetermined area, and the magnification change determination unit determines the magnification. When it is determined that the change is not being executed, the pointer light is projected from the pointer light projection unit.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the feature of the first aspect, a motor for changing the photographing direction by changing the posture of the photographing unit and a preset photographing direction of the user are preset. The preset information storage unit storing information, and the attitude of the photographing unit is changed based on preset information selected by an operator from at least one preset information stored in the preset information storage unit. A motor control unit that performs preset control for operating the motor; and a preset control determination unit that determines whether or not the motor control unit is executing preset control. The projection control unit includes a predetermined face determination unit. And when the preset control determination unit determines that the preset control is being executed, the pointer light projection unit When the face determination unit determines that no face is reflected in a predetermined area and the preset control determination unit determines that preset control is not being performed, the pointer light is stopped. Projection of pointer light from the projection unit is performed.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the feature of the first aspect of the present invention, a projection position detection unit that detects a projection position of pointer light is provided, and the face determination unit uses the projection as the predetermined area. It is characterized in that it is determined whether or not a human face is reflected in an area in the vicinity of the pointer light projection position detected by the position detection unit.

  The invention according to claim 8 is a conference device that is connected to an operation device installed in a remote place via a network and transmits a video taken at its own location to the operation device, the operation device and the network A computer of a conference apparatus comprising: a communication unit that performs communication via a communication unit; a photographing unit that captures an image to be played back by the operation device; and a pointer light projection unit that projects a predetermined pattern of pointer light. A reception determination step of determining whether or not a pointer light projection instruction has been received from the operating device by the communication unit; and whether or not a human face is reflected in a predetermined region of the video imaged by the imaging unit. When it is determined that the pointer light projection instruction is received by the face determination step and the reception determination step, the face is reflected in a predetermined area by the face determination step When it is determined, the projection of the pointer light from the pointer light projection unit is stopped, and when it is determined by the face determination step that no face is reflected in the predetermined area, the projection of the pointer light from the pointer light projection unit And a projection control step for performing the projection control of the pointer light for performing the program.

  The invention according to claim 9 is a conference device that is connected to an operation device installed at a remote place via a network and transmits a video taken at its own location to the operation device, the operation device and the network And a pointer light projection unit for projecting a predetermined pattern of pointer light. A control method for controlling the projection of pointer light, wherein the communication unit determines whether or not a pointer light projection instruction has been received from the operating device, and a predetermined image of the image captured by the imaging unit. A face judging step for judging whether or not a person's face is reflected in the region, and the face judging step when judging that the pointer light projection instruction is received by the receiving judging step; When it is determined that the face is reflected in the predetermined area by the disconnecting step, the projection of the pointer light from the pointer light projection unit is stopped, and it is determined that the face is not reflected in the predetermined area by the face determining step. And a projection control step of performing pointer light projection control for projecting pointer light from the pointer light projection unit.

  According to the conference apparatus according to claim 1, when the face determination unit determines that a face is reflected in a predetermined area, projection of the pointer light from the pointer light projection unit is stopped. Even if the operator operates the pointer light by mistake, the pointer light can be prevented from being projected toward the face of the user of the conference apparatus.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect produced by the first aspect of the invention, when the drive speed determination unit determines that the stop speed is the stop speed, the pointer light from the pointer light projection unit Since the projection is stopped, the face determination unit cannot accurately determine whether or not the face is reflected in the predetermined area (an example of the stop speed) or an image of the human being taken from the image taken by the operator. Even if the operator of the operating device mistakenly operates the pointer light when the shooting direction is changed at a speed higher than a predetermined value (an example of a stop speed) that cannot accurately determine the position of the face, It is possible to prevent the pointer light from being projected toward the face of the user of the apparatus.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the invention, when the autofocus determination unit determines that the focus is being executed, the pointer from the pointer light projection unit Since the light projection is stopped, the face determination unit cannot accurately determine whether or not the face is reflected in the predetermined area because the focus is not in focus, or the human face from the video taken by the operator Even if the operator of the controller device erroneously operates the pointer light when the position cannot be accurately determined, the pointer light can be prevented from being projected toward the face of the user of the conference device.

  According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the invention, when the magnification change determining unit determines that the change of the magnification is being executed, the pointer light projection unit Since the projection of the pointer light is stopped, the magnification change is in progress and the focus is not fixed, and the face determination unit cannot accurately determine whether the face is reflected in the predetermined area, or the operator Even if the operator of the operating device operates the pointer light incorrectly when the position of the human face cannot be accurately determined from the captured video, the pointer light is directed toward the user's face of the conference device. It can prevent being projected.

  According to the sixth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the invention, when the preset control determining unit determines that the preset control is being executed, the pointer light projecting unit Since the projection of the pointer light is stopped, it can be prevented in advance that the pointer light is projected toward the face to the user selected by the operator.

  According to the seventh aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the invention, even if a face is reflected in the captured image, the projection position of the pointer light is separated from the position of the face. In this case, the operator can freely operate the pointer light.

It is a lineblock diagram of conference system 1 in a 1st embodiment. It is an external view of the conference apparatus 500 in 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the conference apparatus 500 in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the main process in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the command control process in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the pointer light control process in the first embodiment. It is a flowchart of the camera control process in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the preset setting process in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the projection process in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the projection process in 2nd Embodiment.

<Description of First Embodiment>
A conference apparatus 500 of the video conference system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

<General description of the video conference system 1>
The overall configuration of the video conference system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The video conference system 1 includes a conference device 500A installed at a site A, a display 600A connected to the conference device 500A via a cable 400A, a conference device 500 installed at the site B, a conference device 500, and a cable 400. And a display device 600 connected via the network. The conference apparatus 500 </ b> A and the conference apparatus 500 </ b> B are connected via the network 200. Note that the conference device 500A and the conference device 500B, the cable 400A and the cable 400B, and the display 600A and the display 600B are the same components each composed of the same components. However, in the description of the present embodiment, when the two are distinguished from each other, A or B is added to the end of the reference number of each component. If it is not necessary to distinguish between the two, A or B is omitted.

  When the video conference apparatus is started between the conference apparatus 500A and the conference apparatus 500B, video data and audio data respectively acquired by the conference apparatus 500A and the conference apparatus 500B are transmitted and received via the network 200.

  The conference apparatus 500A transmits the video data and audio data of the site A to the conference apparatus 500B. The conference apparatus 500B outputs the received video data from the display 600B, and outputs the received audio data from the speaker 58A (see FIG. 3).

  The conference apparatus 500B transmits the video data and audio data of the site B to the conference apparatus 500A. The conference apparatus 500A causes the received video data to be output from the display 600A, and causes the received audio data to be output from the speaker 58A (see FIG. 3). As a result, the users B1, B2, and B3 at the site B can recognize the video and audio at the site A.

  In the video conference system 1, video data and audio data of the other party's base are output in real time. Thereby, a video conference can be advanced among users A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, and B3. Note that the users A1, A2, and A3 can remotely control the conference apparatus 500B using the conference apparatus 500A. Further, the users B1, B2, and B3 can remotely control the conference apparatus 500A using the conference apparatus 500B.

  The structure of the conference apparatus 500 will be described with reference to FIG. The conference apparatus 500 includes an attitude change unit 520, a laser pointer 530, a main unit 540, a rotation plate 550, a support unit 560, and a support unit 570. The conference apparatus 500 can change the shooting direction by controlling the pan angle and tilt angle of the posture change unit 520.

  The main unit 540 is a unit that houses the main base of the conference apparatus 500. A rotating plate 550 is rotatably attached to the upper part of the main unit 540. The rotating plate 550 rotates using the pan motor 80 shown in FIG. 3 as a drive source. The conference apparatus 500 can adjust the pan angle of the posture changing unit 520 by rotating the rotating plate 550 by operating the pan motor 80.

  A support portion 560 that supports the posture change unit 520 and a support portion 570 are attached to the rotating plate 550. Posture change unit 520 is arranged so as to be sandwiched between support portion 560 and support portion 570. The posture change unit 520 is provided with a support shaft that protrudes toward the posture change unit 520 at the upper end of the support portion 560. The support portion 560 supports the posture changing unit 520 with the support shaft. In addition, a support shaft that protrudes toward the posture changing unit 520 is also provided at the upper end portion of the support portion 567. The support portion 570 supports the posture changing unit 520 with the support shaft. The posture changing unit 520 is pivotally supported by a tilt motor 90 shown in FIG. Note that the tilt motor 90 may be housed inside the posture changing unit 520, or may be housed inside either the support portion 560 or the support portion 570. The conference apparatus 500 can adjust the tilt angle of the posture changing unit 520 by rotating the posture changing unit 520 by operating the tilt motor 90. The attitude control unit 520 rotates about the support shaft as a rotation axis.

  The conference device 500A can change the pan angle and tilt angle of the posture change unit 520A according to the command received from the conference device 500B. Further, the conference apparatus 500B can change the pan angle and tilt angle of the posture change unit 520B in accordance with the command received from the conference apparatus 500A. The posture change unit 520 includes a camera module 510 described later, and the conference apparatus 500 can change the shooting direction by changing the pan angle or the tilt angle of the posture change unit 520.

  In addition, a laser pointer 530 is attached to the posture change unit 520. The laser pointer 530 is a light source for projecting pointer light. The laser pointer 530 can project pointer light in accordance with an instruction from a CPU 50 (see FIG. 3) described later. In the present embodiment, the laser pointer 530 can change the projection direction of the pointer light in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 50. The laser pointer 530 includes a plurality of movable mirrors 531 disposed on the optical axis from the semiconductor element of the light source. The laser pointer 530 includes a plurality of movable mirrors in order to control the projection direction of the pointer light. The laser pointer 530 can change the projection direction of the pointer light by changing the tilt of the movable mirror. The laser pointer 530 can change the projection direction of the pointer light in the image capturing range of the conference apparatus 500.

  With reference to FIG. 3, the hardware configuration of the conference apparatus 500 will be described. The conference device 500 includes a CPU 50, ROM 51, RAM 52, HDD 53, display controller 54, communication device 56, microphone 57, speaker 58, motor controller 70, pan motor 80, tilt motor 90, camera module 510, laser pointer 530, and infrared light receiver 340. A remote controller 341 is provided.

  The ROM 51, RAM 52, and I / O interface 60 are connected to the CPU 50, respectively. The I / O interface 60 is connected to the HDD 53, the display controller 54, the communication device 56, the microphone 57, the speaker 58, the motor controller 70, the camera module 510, the laser pointer 530, and the infrared light receiving unit 340, respectively. The motor controller 70 is connected to the pan motor 80 and the tilt motor 90, respectively. The camera module 510 includes a motor controller 517, an AF motor 518, and a zoom motor 519. The motor controller 517 is connected to the AF motor 518 and the zoom motor 519, respectively.

  The communication device 56 is a controller that transmits and receives data via the network 200. In the present embodiment, the communication device 56 transmits and receives video data and audio data to and from the conference device 500 installed at another base when performing a video conference. Various commands for the user to operate the conference device 500 are also received by the communication device 56. The RAM 52 functions as a frame buffer for video data and audio data.

  The HDD 53 is a large-capacity hard disk drive. Various data for executing a video conference, a program of the video conference system 1, and the like are stored. The conference apparatus 500 executes the operation described later according to the program stored in the HDD 53.

  The motor controller 70 is a controller that controls the operations of the pan motor 80 and the tilt motor 90, and drives the pan motor 80 and the tilt motor 90 in accordance with instructions from the CPU 50. The CPU 50 controls the driving speeds of the pan motor 80 and the tilt motor 90 in accordance with a program stored in the HDD.

  The display controller 54 is a controller that controls output of an image signal to the display device 600 connected by the cable 400. As the display controller 54, one capable of HDMI output, one capable of DVI output, or one capable of analog output can be used.

  The motor controller 70 controls the pan motor 80 and the tilt motor 90. The motor controller 70 includes a microcomputer and a motor driver. The motor controller 70 generates a motor drive signal for rotating each motor by a predetermined angle based on a command from the CPU 50.

  The pan motor 80 is a motor for adjusting the pan angle of the posture changing unit 520. Specifically, a DC motor or a stepping motor may be used.

  The tilt motor 90 is a motor for adjusting the tilt angle of the posture changing unit 520. Specifically, like the pan motor 80, a DC motor, a stepping motor, or the like may be used.

  The camera module 510 is a camera module that includes an image sensor such as a CCD. The camera module 510 includes an AF lens and a zoom lens, and has an autofocus function and a zoom function. The AF lens is a lens whose position is adjusted to adjust the focal position. The zoom lens is a lens whose position is adjusted in order to adjust the magnification of the captured image. The camera module 510 includes an AF motor 518 for adjusting the position of the AF lens and a zoom motor 519 for adjusting the position of the zoom lens. The operations of the AF motor 518 and the zoom motor 519 are controlled by a motor controller 517. When receiving an instruction to change the magnification from the CPU 50, the camera module 510 drives the zoom motor 519 to change the magnification of the captured image. In addition, the camera module 510 performs an operation of driving the AF motor 518 and focusing the captured image at a timing of a predetermined instruction from the CPU 50.

  The infrared light receiving unit 340 notifies the CPU 50 of a user operation signal transmitted by infrared from the remote controller 341.

  The remote controller 341 includes a plurality of keys such as a cross key for changing the shooting direction or the projection direction of the pointer light, and a zoom key for changing the shooting magnification. The remote controller 341 transmits an operation signal corresponding to the user's key operation to the infrared light receiving unit 340 using infrared rays.

  Next, the operation of the video conference system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the operation of the conference apparatus 500 will be described with reference to FIG. The operations of the conference apparatus 500A and the conference apparatus 500B are the same, but in the following description, the operation is described as the operation of the conference apparatus 500A.

  When the conference apparatus 500A is turned on by the user and the conference apparatus 500A is activated, the conference apparatus 500A starts the main process shown in FIG. The main process shown in FIG. 4 is performed by the CPU 50 executing each command of the program stored in the HDD 53. The power supply of the conference apparatus 500A is turned on when a power key provided on the remote controller 341 is pressed. In addition, the conference apparatus 500A may be turned on based on a connection request from another conference apparatus 500B installed in a remote place.

  First, when the main process is started, the conference apparatus 500A connects to the conference apparatus 500B installed at another base (S100). Specifically, conference apparatus 500A transmits a connection request to conference apparatus 500B at another base. When receiving the connection permission response from the conference apparatus 500 that has transmitted the connection request, the conference apparatus 500 </ b> A transmits and receives various setting information necessary for video conference communication with the conference apparatus 500. Then, by storing the video conference setting information in the RAM 52, the connection with the conference device 500B is completed.

  When the power of the conference apparatus 500A is turned on based on the connection request of the conference apparatus 500B, a connection permission response is transmitted to the conference apparatus 500B that has transmitted the connection request. The conference apparatus 500A transmits and receives various setting information necessary for video conference communication with the conference apparatus 500B. Then, by storing the video conference setting information in the RAM 52, the connection with the conference device 500B is completed. When the connection with the conference apparatus 500B is completed, the conference apparatus 500A activates various subprograms (S101). These subprograms are executed in a separate task from the main process. Conference information transmission processing for transmitting video and audio acquired at its own site to other sites by the subprogram activated at S101, conference information output processing for outputting video and audio acquired at its own site and other sites, and details The projection process etc. which are mentioned later are performed. By the conference information transmission process, the conference apparatus 500A acquires the video data and audio data of the base A, and transmits the acquired video data and audio data of the base A to the conference apparatus 500B. In addition, by the conference information output process, the conference apparatus 500A displays the video data and audio data of the base A acquired by the conference apparatus 500A and the video data and audio data of the base B received from the conference apparatus 500B on the display device 600. And output from the speaker 58. The conference apparatus 500A repeatedly executes these processes until the video conference ends.

  Next, the conference apparatus 500A determines whether or not a predetermined operation is input by the user (S102). The user can input a desired operation using the remote controller 341.

  When there is no input of a predetermined operation from the user (S102: No), the conference apparatus 500A performs the process of S110 described later.

  When it is determined that a predetermined operation has been input from the user (S102: Yes), it is determined whether the operation input by the user is an end operation (S103). The end operation is an operation performed by the user to end the video conference. By performing this operation, the user can turn off the power of the conference apparatus 500A and the conference apparatus 500B.

  If it is determined that the end operation has been performed (S103: Yes), the conference apparatus 500A ends the activated subprogram, and ends the above-described conference information transmission process, conference information output process, and projection process (S104).

  After terminating the subprogram, the conference apparatus 500A disconnects communication with the conference apparatus 500B (S105). Specifically, the conference apparatus 500A transmits a disconnection request to the conference apparatus 500B, receives a disconnection permission response from the conference apparatus 500B, and then deletes setting information for communication with the conference apparatus 500B from the RAM 52. . Then, the power supply of the conference apparatus 500A is turned off.

  In S103, when it is determined that the operation input by the user is not an end operation (S103: No), the conference apparatus 500A determines whether the input operation is a remote operation (S106). The remote operation is an operation performed when the user operates the conference apparatus 500B. There are multiple remote operations that a user can input. A plurality of remote operations can be broadly classified into three types of remote operations: a pointer light control operation, a camera control operation, and other operations.

  The pointer light control operation is an operation that a user inputs when controlling the pointer light projected from the laser pointer 530. The pointer light control operation can be classified into three operations: a projection start operation, a projection stop operation, and a projection direction change operation. The projection start operation is an operation input by the user when starting projection of pointer light from the laser pointer 520. The projection stop operation is an operation input by the user when stopping the projection of the pointer light started by the projection start operation. The projection direction change operation is an operation input by the user when changing the projection direction of the pointer light.

  The camera control operation is an operation for controlling an operation related to shooting of the video of the base B by the conference apparatus 500B. The camera control operation can be classified into five operations including a tilt angle changing operation, a pan angle changing operation, a magnification changing operation, a preset setting operation, and a preset designation operation. The tilt angle changing operation is an operation performed by the user when changing the tilt angle of the posture changing unit 520. The pan angle changing operation is an operation performed by the user when changing the tilt angle of the posture changing unit 520. The magnification change operation is an operation performed by the user when changing the magnification of the video shot by the conference apparatus 500B. The preset setting operation is an operation performed by the user when causing the conference apparatus 500B to execute a preset setting process described later. The preset designation operation is an operation performed by the user at the site A when designating the user at the site B set by the preset setting process. When a preset setting process described later is performed, the conference apparatus 500B associates and stores the face image of the user at the site B and the shooting conditions such as the shooting direction and shooting magnification of the user. After the preset setting process, the face image of the user at the site B in which the shooting conditions are stored is displayed on the display device 600 connected to the conference device 500A. The user at the site A can easily photograph the face of the user at the site B by designating the face image of the user at the site B displayed on the screen after the preset setting process.

  Other operations are operations other than the pointer light control operation and the camera control operation described above. For example, an operation for adjusting the volume of the microphone 57 or the speaker 58 of the conference apparatus 500B.

  If it is determined in S106 that any of the remote operations described above has been performed (S106: Yes), the conference device 500A generates an operation command corresponding to the type of remote operation performed by the user (S107). Specifically, when a projection start operation is performed, a projection start command is generated. When a projection stop operation is performed, a projection stop command is generated. When a projection direction change operation is performed, a projection direction change command is generated. When the tilt angle changing operation is performed, a tilt angle changing command is generated. When a pan angle change operation is performed, a pan angle change command is generated. When a magnification change operation is performed, a magnification change command is generated. When a preset setting operation is performed, a preset setting command is generated. When a preset designation operation is performed, a preset designation command is generated.

  Thus, after generating the command corresponding to the operation, the conference apparatus 500A transmits the generated command to the conference apparatus 500B (S108), and returns to S102.

  If the operation by the user is not a remote operation (S106: No), other processing is performed (S109), and the process returns to S102. Other processes include an operation of changing the size of the display area of the captured video on the display 343, and an operation of changing the volume of the speaker 58.

  As described above, based on the remote operation input by the user, the conference apparatus 500A transmits a command corresponding thereto to the conference apparatus 500B. Thereby, the user can operate the conference apparatus 300B from a remote place.

  When it is determined in S102 described above that there is no input from the user (S102: No), the conference apparatus 500A determines whether a command is received from the conference apparatus 500B (S110). When the command from the conference apparatus 500B has not been received (S110: No), the conference apparatus 500A returns to the process of S102.

  When a command is received from the conference apparatus 500B (S110: Yes), the conference apparatus 500A performs a command control process (S111) and returns to S102.

  The command control process will be described with reference to FIG. When the command control process is started, the conference apparatus 500A determines whether or not the received command is a disconnection request (S204).

  If it is determined that the disconnect request has been received (S204: Yes), the conference apparatus 500A ends the active subprogram, and ends the above-described conference information transmission process, conference information output process, and projection process (S205).

  After terminating the subprogram, the conference apparatus 500A disconnects communication with the conference apparatus 500B (S206). Specifically, conference apparatus 500A deletes the setting information for communication with conference apparatus 500B from RAM 52 after transmitting a disconnection permission response to conference apparatus 500B.

  If it is determined in S204 that a disconnection request has not been received (S204: No), the conference apparatus 500A determines whether the received command is any one of a projection start command, a projection stop command, and a projection direction change command. Is determined (S207).

  When the received command is any one of a projection start command, a projection stop command, and a projection direction change command (S207: Yes), the conference device 500A performs a pointer light control process (S208), and returns to S102. Details of the pointer light control process will be described later.

  When the received command is not any of the projection start command, the projection stop command, and the projection direction change command (S207: No), the conference device 500A determines that the received command is a tilt angle change command, a pan angle change command, and a magnification. It is determined whether the command is a change command, a preset setting command, or a preset designation command (S209).

  When the received command is one of a tilt angle change command, a pan angle change command, a magnification change command, a preset setting command, and a preset designation command (S209: Yes), the conference apparatus 500A performs a camera control process. (S210), the process returns to S102. Details of the camera control process will be described later.

  If the received command is neither a tilt angle change command, a pan angle change command, a magnification change command, a preset setting command, or a preset designation command (S209: No), the conference apparatus 500A is based on the other received commands. Then, other processing is performed (S211), and the process returns to S102.

  Next, the pointer light control process will be described with reference to FIG. When the pointer light control process is started, the conference apparatus 500A determines whether or not the received command is a projection start command (S300). If the received command is a projection start command (S300: Yes), the projection flag is set to 1 (S301), and the process returns to the main process.

  When the received command is not a projection start command (S300: No), the conference apparatus 500A determines whether or not the received command is a projection stop command (S302). If the received command is a projection stop command (S302: Yes), the projection flag is set to 0 (S303), and the process returns to the main process.

  The projection flag is stored in the RAM 52. The projection flag is used when determining whether or not to project pointer light in projection processing described later.

  When the received command is not a projection stop command, that is, when the received command is a projection direction change command (S302: No), the conference apparatus 500A determines the pointer light of the laser pointer 530 according to the received projection change command. The projection direction is changed (S304), and the process returns to the main process. The users B1, B2, and B3 of the conference apparatus 500B can specify the direction in which the pointer light is projected by operating the cross key or the like of the remote controller 341B of the conference apparatus 500B. Information indicating the projection direction designated by the user is included in the direction change command, and the conference device 500A can change the projection direction of the pointer light according to the information indicating the projection direction. The laser pointer 530 operates the movable mirror 531 according to an instruction from the CPU 50 to change the projection direction of the pointer light.

  Next, camera control processing will be described with reference to FIG. When starting the camera control process, the conference apparatus 500A first determines whether or not the received command is a tilt angle change command (S400).

  When the received command is a tilt angle change command (S400: Yes), the conference apparatus 500A changes the tilt angle according to the received tilt angle change command. The conference device 500A drives the tilt motor 90 to change the tilt angle of the posture change unit 520. The users B1, B2, and B3 of the conference apparatus 500B can specify the changed tilt angle by operating the cross key or the like of the remote controller 341B. Information indicating the tilt angle designated by the user is included in the tilt angle change command, and the conference device 500A can change the tilt angle of the posture change unit 520 according to the information indicating the tilt angle.

  Next, the conference apparatus 500A performs an AF operation (S402) and returns to the main process. The AF operation is an operation for focusing the captured image, and the conference apparatus 500A can perform the focusing by driving the AF motor 518. The AF operation is performed when at least one of the shooting conditions of tilt angle, pan angle, and magnification is changed.

  If it is determined in S400 that the received command is not a tilt angle change command (S400: No), the conference apparatus 500A determines whether or not the received command is a pan angle change command (S403).

  When the received command is a pan angle change command (S403: Yes), the conference apparatus 500A changes the pan angle according to the received pan angle change command. The conference apparatus 500 </ b> A drives the pan motor 80 to change the pan angle of the posture change unit 520. The users B1, B2, and B3 of the conference apparatus 500B can specify the changed pan angle using the cross key or the like of the remote controller 341B. Information indicating the pan angle specified by the user is included in the pan angle change command, and the conference device 500A can change the pan angle of the posture change unit 520 in accordance with the information indicating the pan angle. After changing the pan angle, the conference apparatus 500A performs the process of S402 and returns to the main process.

  If it is determined in S403 that the received command is not a pan angle change command (S403: No), the conference apparatus 500A determines whether the received command is a magnification change command (S405).

  When the received command is a magnification change command (S405: Yes), the conference apparatus 500A changes the image shooting magnification according to the received magnification change command. The conference apparatus 500 </ b> A can change the magnification by driving the zoom motor 519. Users B1, B2, and B3 of the conference apparatus 500B can specify the changed magnification by using the zoom key or the like of the remote controller 341B of the conference apparatus 500B. Information indicating the magnification specified by the user is included in the magnification change command, and the conference apparatus 500A can change the shooting magnification of the video according to the information indicating the magnification. After changing the magnification, the conference apparatus 500A performs the process of S402 and returns to the main process.

  If it is determined in S405 that the received command is not a magnification change command (S405: No), the conference device 500A determines whether or not the received command is a preset designation command (S407).

  When the received command is a preset designation command (S407: Yes), the user zooms in on the face of the user at the site B designated by the user at the site A (S408). Specifically, the pan angle, the tilt angle, and the magnification are changed in order to photograph the face of the user at the base B designated by the user with a predetermined size. The users B1, B2, and B3 of the conference apparatus 500B can specify the user of the base B to zoom in using the remote controller 341B of the conference apparatus 500B. The preset designation command includes a preset ID, which will be described later, and the conference apparatus 500A can change the shooting conditions of the pan angle, the tilt angle, and the magnification according to the preset ID. Note that the shooting conditions for each user at the site B are stored in advance in the conference apparatus 500A in association with a preset ID by a preset process described later. Therefore, the conference apparatus 500A can specify the shooting conditions of the user at the base A designated as the users B1, B2, or B3 only by acquiring the preset ID from the conference apparatus 500B.

  After zooming in on the face of the user at the base A designated by the user at the base B, the conference apparatus 500A performs S402 and returns to the main processing.

  If it is determined in S407 that the received command is not a preset designation command, that is, if the received command is a preset designation command (S407: No), a preset process described later is performed (S409), and the process returns to the main process. The preset process is a process for storing the shooting conditions of each user at the site B.

  Next, preset setting processing will be described with reference to FIG. The preset setting process is a process of detecting a face to be photographed within a tilt angle driving range and storing photographing conditions when the detected face is zoomed in.

  When the preset setting process is started, the conference apparatus 500 prepares for scanning start A (S500). Here, it is assumed that the drive range of the tilt angle of the posture changing unit 520 is ± α °. Specifically, in preparation for the start of scanning, the conference apparatus 500A drives the pan motor 80 so that the pan angle becomes −α °. Further, the conference apparatus 500 drives the tilt motor 90 and the zoom motor 519 so that the tilt angle and the magnification become predetermined values as setting values when performing the scanning operation. When performing the scanning operation, it is desirable that the entire meeting situation at the site B can be photographed. Therefore, the tilt angle is desirably adjusted to an angle that makes the photographing direction horizontal, and the magnification shows the entire picture of the site A. It is desirable to adjust to a low magnification. The conference apparatus 500A performs the AF operation in the same manner as S402 described above after changing the pan angle, tilt angle, and magnification. The conference apparatus 500A stores the pan angle, tilt angle, and magnification before change in the RAM 52 as return conditions. The conference apparatus 500A can restore the shooting conditions according to the return conditions after the scan operation is completed.

  The conference apparatus 500A starts the face detection after preparing for the scan start (S501). The conference apparatus 500A detects a face according to a known face detection algorithm known from an image processing library such as OpenCV.

  After starting the face detection, the conference apparatus 500A starts a scanning operation (S502). The scanning operation is an operation in which the conference apparatus 500A drives the pan motor 80 at a low speed that allows face detection in a direction in which the pan angle is from −α ° to + α °.

  After starting the scanning operation, the conference apparatus 500A determines whether or not a face is detected from the image captured by the camera module 510 (S503).

  When it is determined that no face is detected (S503: No), the conference apparatus 500A determines whether or not to end the scanning operation (S504). When the conference apparatus 500 determines that the pan angle has reached + α °, the conference apparatus 500 determines to end the scanning operation.

  If the conference apparatus 500 determines that the scan operation is to be terminated (S504: Yes), the panning angle, tilt angle, and magnification shooting conditions are changed to the return condition values stored in S500 (S505), and the process returns to the main process. .

  If it is determined that the pan angle has not yet reached + α ° and the scanning operation is not terminated (S504: No), the conference device 500A returns to the processing of S503, and continues the face detection and scanning operation.

  If it is determined in S503 described above that a face has been detected (S503: Yes), the conference apparatus 500A stops the scanning operation (S506). Specifically, the conference apparatus 500 stops driving the pan motor 80. At this time, the conference apparatus 500 </ b> A stores a stop angle, which is a pan angle when the pan motor 80 is stopped, in the RAM 52. When starting the scanning operation again, the scanning operation can be resumed from the stop angle stored in the RAM 52.

  After stopping the scanning operation, the conference apparatus 500A zooms in on the detected face (S507). Specifically, the pan angle, tilt angle, and magnification are changed so that the detected face can be photographed with a predetermined size. The conference apparatus 500A drives the pan motor 80, the tilt motor 90, and the zoom motor 519 to change the shooting conditions, and then performs the AF operation as in S402.

  Next, the conference apparatus 500A captures a zoomed-in face image and stores the captured image as a still image (S508). The photographed face image is stored in the HDD 53 in association with the preset ID. The preset ID is a serial number generated by the conference apparatus 500A. In S508, the combination of the captured face image and the preset ID is transmitted to the conference apparatus 500B. Thereby, the conference apparatus 500B can display the face image of the user at the site A so that the users B1, B2, or B3 at the site B can select.

  Next, the conference apparatus 500 stores the shooting conditions of the face image shot in S508 (S509). Specifically, the pan angle, tilt angle, and magnification values are stored. These shooting conditions are also stored in the HDD 53 in association with the preset ID used in S508. When a preset designation operation is performed in the conference apparatus 500B, the conference apparatus 500B transmits a preset designation command including this preset ID. Since the shooting conditions corresponding to the preset ID included in the preset designation command are stored in the HDD 53, the conference apparatus 500A can change the shooting conditions in S408 described above.

  After storing the shooting conditions, the conference apparatus 500A performs zoom-out (S510). Specifically, the conference apparatus 500A drives the tilt motor 90 and the zoom motor 519 so that the photographing conditions of the tilt angle and the magnification become predetermined values as setting values when performing the scanning operation. Then, the pan motor 80 is driven so that the pan angle becomes the stop angle stored in the RAM 52 in S506. In this way, the conference apparatus 500A returns the shooting condition to the state immediately after stopping the scanning operation in S506, returns to S502, and restarts the scanning operation.

  By repeating the series of operations from S502 to S510 described above, the conference apparatus 500A can store shooting conditions for all users participating in the conference at the site A.

  Next, a projection process executed according to the subprogram activated in S202 described above will be described with reference to FIG. The projection process is a process for controlling whether or not the pointer light is projected from the laser pointer 530. In the projection processing of the present embodiment, the projection flag is 1, the preset function is not used, the face is not detected, the pan / tilt speed is less than the threshold, the autofocus is not being performed, zoom Pointer light is projected only when all the six conditions are satisfied. On the other hand, when at least one of the above six conditions is not satisfied, the projection of the pointer light is stopped.

  When the projection process is started, the conference apparatus 500A first determines whether or not the projection flag is 1 as a first condition (S600). As described above, the projection flag is set to 1 when any of the users A1, A2, and A3 at the base A performs a projection start operation, and any of the users A1, A2, and A3 at the base A is selected. When the crab projection stop operation is performed, 0 is set.

  When it is determined that the projection flag is 1 (S600: Yes), as a second condition, the conference device 500A determines whether or not the preset function is being used (S601). As described above, when the preset designation operation is performed by the user B1, B2, or B3, the conference apparatus 500A zooms in on the face of the user at the base A designated by the user B1, B2, or B3. Therefore, the pan motor 80, the tilt motor 90, and the zoom motor 519 are driven. If at least one of the pan motor 80, the tilt motor 90, and the zoom motor 519 is being driven based on the preset designation operation, the conference apparatus 500A determines that the preset function is being used. On the other hand, if none of the pan motor 80, the tilt motor 90, and the zoom motor 519 is being driven based on the preset designation operation, the conference apparatus 500A determines that the preset function is not being used.

  If it is determined that the preset function is not being used (S601: Yes), the conference apparatus 500A determines, as a third condition, whether or not a human face is detected from the image being captured by the camera module 510 (S601). ). Specifically, the conference apparatus 500A detects a face according to a known face detection algorithm known from an image processing library such as OpenCV.

  If the human face is not detected as a result of the face detection (S602: Yes), the conference apparatus 500A determines whether the pan / tilt speed is less than the threshold value as a fourth condition (S603). When changing the pan angle, the CPU 50 drives the pan motor 80 so that the drive speed increases as the difference between the pan angle before the change and the pan angle after the change increases. Similarly, when changing the tilt angle, the CPU 50 drives the tilt motor 90 so that the drive speed increases as the difference between the tilt angle before the change and the tilt angle after the change increases. When the CPU 50 drives the pan motor 80 at a driving speed below the threshold and drives the tilt motor 90 at a driving speed below the threshold, the conference apparatus 500 determines that the pan / tilt speed is below the threshold. On the other hand, when the CPU 50 is driving the pan motor 80 at a driving speed exceeding the threshold or driving the tilt motor 90 at a driving speed exceeding the threshold, the conference apparatus 500A has a pan / tilt speed less than the threshold. Judge that it is not.

  When the pan / tilt speed is less than the threshold value (S603: Yes), the conference apparatus 500A determines whether or not autofocusing is in progress as a fifth condition (S604). The conference apparatus 500A determines that the autofocus is being performed when the AF motor 518 is being driven as in S402 described above, and determines that the autofocus is not being performed when the AF motor 518 is not being driven.

  When the auto focus is not in progress (S604: Yes), the conference apparatus 500A determines whether the zoom is not in progress as a sixth condition (S605). The conference apparatus 500A determines that the zoom is being performed when the zoom motor 519 is being driven as in S406, and determines that the zoom is not being performed when the zoom motor 519 is not being driven.

  When the zoom is not being performed (S605: Yes), the conference device 500A projects a pointer light (S606). In S <b> 606, the conference apparatus 500 </ b> A starts projection of pointer light from the laser pointer 530 when pointer light is not yet being projected. Further, the conference apparatus 500A continues to project the pointer light from the laser pointer 530 when the pointer light is already being projected.

  On the other hand, when at least one of the above six conditions is not satisfied (S600: No, S601: No, S602: No, S603: No, S604: No, or S605: No), The conference device 500A stops the projection of the pointer light (S607). Specifically, the conference apparatus 500A stops the projection of the pointer light from the laser pointer 530 when the pointer light is being projected. In addition, when the projection of the pointer light is already stopped, the conference apparatus 500 continues the state where the projection of the pointer light from the laser pointer 530 is stopped.

  After the projection of the pointer light in S606 or the projection of the pointer light in S607, the conference device 500A returns to the operation of S600. The conference device 500A performs control of the projection of the pointer light and the stop of the projection of the pointer light by repeating S600 to S607 while continuing the video conference.

Correspondence between each component in the first embodiment and each component described in the claims is as follows. The conference device 500 corresponds to a conference device. The communication device 54 corresponds to a communication unit. The camera module 510 corresponds to a photographing unit. The laser pointer 530 corresponds to a pointer light projection unit. The CPU 50 that performs S600 corresponds to a reception determination unit. The CPU 50 that performs S602 corresponds to a face determination unit. The CPU 50 that performs S606 and S607 corresponds to a projection control unit. The pan motor 80 or the tilt motor 90 corresponds to the motor. The CPU 50 that performs S603 corresponds to a drive speed determination unit. The posture change unit 520 corresponds to a posture change unit. The movable mirror 531 corresponds to a projection direction changing unit. The AF motor 518 corresponds to an autofocus unit. The CPU 50 that performs S604 corresponds to an autofocus determination unit. The zoom motor 519 corresponds to a magnification changing unit. The CPU 50 that performs S605 corresponds to a magnification change determination unit. The HDD 53 that stores the shooting conditions corresponding to the preset ID in S509 corresponds to the preset information storage unit. The CPU 50 that performs S408 corresponds to the motor control unit. The CPU 50 that performs S601 corresponds to a preset control determination unit.
<Second Embodiment of the Present Invention>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, since it is the same about the physical structure of 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment, it demonstrates using the same code | symbol. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in the projection processing performed by the conference apparatus 500. Therefore, descriptions other than the projection processing are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  With reference to FIG. 10, the projection process in 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated. The projection process is a process for controlling whether or not the pointer light is projected from the laser pointer 530. In the projection processing of the second embodiment, the projection flag is 1, no face is detected in the vicinity of the pointer light, the pan / tilt speed is less than the threshold, autofocus is not being performed, and zoom is not being performed. The pointer light is projected only when all the five conditions are satisfied. On the other hand, when at least one of the above five conditions is not satisfied, the projection of the pointer light is stopped.

  When the projection process is started, the conference apparatus 500A first determines whether or not the projection flag is 1 as a first condition (S700). As described above, the projection flag is set to 1 when the projection start operation is performed on the user B1 or the like at the base B, and is set to 0 when the projection stop operation is performed on the user B1 or the like at the base B. Is set.

  When it is determined that the projection flag is 1 (S700: Yes), it is determined as a second condition whether or not a human face is detected in the vicinity of the pointer light (S701). Specifically, the conference apparatus 500A detects the pointer light and the person's face, and determines whether or not the positions of both are close. The conference apparatus 500A detects a face according to a known face detection algorithm known from an image processing library such as OpenCV. From the photographed image, an area having a shape similar to the projected shape of the pointer light stored in advance by the conference apparatus 500A and having a predetermined luminance or more is detected as the pointer light. If the detected face and the pointer light are arranged close to each other in the captured image, the conference device 500A determines that a human face has been detected in the vicinity of the pointer light. On the other hand, either the detected face and the pointer light are arranged at a distant position in the photographed image, the human face is not detected, or the pointer light is not detected. In such a case, the conference apparatus 500A determines that no human face is detected in the vicinity of the pointer light.

  If no human face is detected in the vicinity of the pointer light (S701: Yes), the conference apparatus 500A determines whether the pan / tilt speed is less than a threshold value as a third condition (S702). As in the first embodiment, when changing the pan angle, the CPU 50 drives the pan motor 80 so that the drive speed increases as the difference between the pan angle before the change and the pan angle after the change increases. Similarly, when changing the tilt angle, the CPU 50 drives the tilt motor 90 so that the drive speed increases as the difference between the tilt angle before the change and the tilt angle after the change increases. When the CPU 50 drives the pan motor 80 at a driving speed below the threshold and drives the tilt motor 90 at a driving speed below the threshold, the conference apparatus 500A determines that the pan / tilt speed is below the threshold. On the other hand, when the CPU 50 is driving the pan motor 80 at a driving speed exceeding the threshold or driving the tilt motor 90 at a driving speed exceeding the threshold, the conference apparatus 500 has a pan / tilt speed less than the threshold. Judge that it is not.

  If the pan / tilt speed is less than the threshold value (S702: Yes), the conference apparatus 500A determines whether or not autofocus is in progress as a fourth condition (S703). When the conference apparatus 500A is driving the AF motor 518 as in S402 described in the description of the first embodiment, the conference apparatus 500A determines that the autofocus is being performed, and when the AF motor 518 is not being driven. , Judge that it is not autofocus.

  When the auto focus is not in progress (S703: Yes), the conference apparatus 500A determines whether the zoom is not in progress as the fifth condition (S704). When the conference apparatus 500A is driving the zoom motor 519 as in S406 described in the description of the first embodiment, the conference apparatus 500A determines that the zoom is being performed, and when the zoom motor 519 is not driven, Judge that it is not zooming.

  When the zoom is not being performed (S704: Yes), the conference device 500A projects a pointer light (S705). In step S <b> 705, the conference apparatus 500 </ b> A starts projection of pointer light from the laser pointer 530 when pointer light is not yet being projected. Further, the conference apparatus 500A continues to project the pointer light from the laser pointer 530 when the pointer light is already being projected.

  On the other hand, when at least one of the above five conditions is not satisfied (S700: No, S701: No, S702: No, S703: No, or S704: No), the conference device 500A Then, the projection of the pointer light is stopped (S706). Specifically, the conference apparatus 500A stops the projection of the pointer light from the laser pointer 530 when the pointer light is being projected. When the projection of the pointer light is already stopped, the conference apparatus 500A continues the state where the projection of the pointer light from the laser pointer 530 is stopped.

  After projecting the pointer light in S705 or stopping the projection of the pointer light in S706, the conference apparatus 500A returns to the operation of S700. The conference apparatus 500A performs the control of the projection of the pointer light and the stop of the projection of the pointer light by repeating S700 to S706 while continuing the video conference.

  Correspondence between each component in the second embodiment and each component described in the claims is as follows. The CPU 50 that performs S701 corresponds to a projection position detection unit and a face determination unit.

<Modification>
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the laser pointer 530 is used as the pointer light projection unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a small projector may be used as the pointer light projection unit.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the pointer light has been described as being capable of changing the projection direction by the movable mirror 531, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the laser pointer 530 attached to the posture change unit 520 may be attached so that the posture can be changed.

  In the first embodiment described above, the projection flag is 1, the preset function is not being used, the face is not detected, the pan / tilt speed is less than the threshold, the auto focus is not being performed, Although it has been described that the pointer light is projected only when all the six conditions of not being zoomed are satisfied, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the determination as to whether or not the four conditions of the preset function being used, the pan / tilt speed is less than the threshold value, the auto focus is not being performed, and the zoom is not being performed is appropriately omitted. Also good.

In the second embodiment described above, the projection flag is 1, no face is detected in the vicinity of the pointer light, the pan / tilt speed is less than the threshold, autofocus is not being performed, and zoom is not being performed. In the above description, the pointer light is projected only when all the five conditions are satisfied. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The determination as to whether or not the three conditions of the pan / tilt speed are less than the threshold value, the auto focus is not being performed, and the zoom is not being performed may be appropriately omitted.
<Disclosure of inventions other than those described in the scope of claims at the beginning of application>
The first disclosed invention to the fourth disclosed invention other than the invention described in the scope of claims at the beginning of the application will be disclosed below. The first to fourth disclosed inventions are described in sufficient detail in the first or second embodiment described above.

  In the first to fourth disclosed inventions shown below, the determination of the condition that “a face is not detected” in the first embodiment described above, and the second disclosed embodiment described above. The determination of the condition that “a face is not detected near the pointer light” is not an indispensable configuration.

  A first disclosure invention is a conference device that is connected to an operation device installed at a remote location via a network and transmits a video imaged at the local site to the operation device, the conference device including the operation device and the network. A communication unit that performs communication, a motor for changing the shooting direction by changing the posture of the shooting unit, a shooting unit for shooting an image to be played back by the operation device, and a predetermined pattern of pointer light A pointer light projection unit, a reception determination unit that determines whether or not a pointer light projection instruction is received from the operation device by the communication unit, and a stop speed at which the driving speed of the motor stops the projection of the pointer light A driving speed determining unit that determines whether or not the driving speed determining unit has received a pointer light projection instruction, the driving speed determining unit determines that the driving speed determining unit is a stop speed. The pointer light projection from the pointer light projection unit is stopped, and when the drive speed determination unit determines that the pointer light projection unit is not at the stop speed, the pointer light projection control is performed to project the pointer light from the pointer light projection unit. And a projection control unit for performing a conference.

  According to the first disclosed invention, when the shooting direction is changed at a speed (an example of a stop speed) equal to or higher than a predetermined value at which the operator cannot accurately determine the position of the human face from the shot video. Even if the operator of the operating device operates the pointer light by mistake, the pointer light can be prevented from being projected toward the face of the user of the conference device.

  A second disclosed invention is a conference device that is connected to an operating device installed at a remote location via a network and transmits a video taken at the local site to the operating device, the conference device via the operating device and the network A communication unit that performs communication, a photographing unit that captures an image to be reproduced by the operation device, a pointer light projection unit that projects pointer light of a predetermined pattern, and pointer light projection from the operation device by the communication unit. A reception determination unit that determines whether or not an instruction has been received, an autofocus unit that performs focusing of the photographing unit, an autofocus determination unit that determines whether or not focusing is being performed by the autofocus unit, When the reception determination unit determines that the pointer light projection instruction has been received, the autofocus determination unit determines that focus is being performed. The pointer light projection from the pointer light projection unit is stopped, and when the autofocus determination unit determines that the focus is not being executed, the pointer light is projected from the pointer light projection unit. And a projection control unit that performs projection control.

  According to the second disclosed invention, when the operator cannot accurately determine the position of the person's face from the video imaged because the subject is out of focus, the operator of the operating device emits the pointer light. Even if it is operated by mistake, it is possible to prevent the pointer light from being projected toward the face of the user of the conference apparatus.

  A third disclosure invention is a conference device that is connected to an operation device installed in a remote place via a network and transmits an image captured at the local site to the operation device, the conference device including the operation device and the network. A communication unit that performs communication, a photographing unit that captures an image to be reproduced by the operation device, a pointer light projection unit that projects pointer light of a predetermined pattern, and pointer light projection from the operation device by the communication unit. A reception determination unit that determines whether or not an instruction has been received; a magnification change unit that changes a shooting magnification of the shooting unit; and a magnification change determination that determines whether or not the magnification change is being executed by the magnification change unit. And when the magnification change determination unit determines that the magnification change is being performed, the pointer determination unit determines that the pointer light projection unit receives the pointer light projection instruction. When the projection of the pointer light is stopped, and when the magnification change determination unit determines that the magnification change is not being executed, the projection control unit performs the projection control of the pointer light for projecting the pointer light from the pointer light projection unit, and A conference apparatus characterized by comprising:

  According to the third disclosed invention, when the magnification change is being performed and the focus is not fixed, and the operator cannot accurately determine the position of the person's face from the captured image, the operation of the operation device is performed. Even if a person operates the pointer light by mistake, the pointer light can be prevented from being projected toward the face of the user of the conference apparatus.

  A fourth disclosed invention is a conference device that is connected to an operation device installed at a remote location via a network and transmits an image captured at the local site to the operation device, the conference device including the operation device and the network. A communication unit that performs communication, a photographing unit that captures an image to be reproduced by the operation device, a pointer light projection unit that projects pointer light of a predetermined pattern, and pointer light projection from the operation device by the communication unit. A reception determination unit for determining whether or not an instruction has been received; a motor for changing the shooting direction by changing the posture of the shooting unit; and preset information storing preset information of a shooting direction of a preset user Based on preset information selected by the operator from at least one or more preset information stored in the storage unit and the preset information storage unit, the photographing unit A motor control unit that performs preset control to operate the motor so as to change an attitude; and a preset control determination unit that determines whether the motor control unit is executing preset control, wherein the reception determination unit is a pointer When it is determined that the light projection instruction has been received, when the preset control determination unit determines that the preset control is being executed, the projection of the pointer light from the pointer light projection unit is stopped, and the preset control determination is performed. A projection control unit that performs pointer light projection control for projecting pointer light from the pointer light projection unit when the unit determines that preset control is not being performed. .

  According to the fourth disclosure invention, since the projection of the pointer light from the pointer light projection unit is stopped, it is possible to prevent the pointer light from being projected toward the face to the user selected by the operator in advance.

50 CPU
51 ROM
52 RAM
53 HDD
54 communication device 80 pan motor 90 tilt motor 300 operation device 500 conference device 510 camera module 530 laser pointer 531 movable mirror 518 AF motor 519 zoom motor

Claims (9)

A conference device that is connected via a network to an operating device installed at a remote location, and that transmits a video taken at its own location to the operating device,
A communication unit that communicates with the operation device via the network;
A photographing unit for photographing video for reproduction by the operation device;
A pointer light projection unit that projects pointer light of a predetermined pattern;
A reception determination unit that determines whether or not a pointer light projection instruction is received from the operation device by the communication unit;
A face determination unit for determining whether or not a human face is reflected in a predetermined area of the video imaged by the imaging unit;
When it is determined that the reception determination unit has received the pointer light projection instruction, when the face determination unit determines that a face is reflected in a predetermined area, the pointer light projection unit projects the pointer light. And a projection control unit that performs projection control of pointer light that projects pointer light from the pointer light projection unit when the face determination unit determines that the face is not reflected in a predetermined area. A conference apparatus characterized by that. A motor for changing the orientation of the imaging unit to change the imaging direction;
A drive speed determination unit that determines whether the drive speed of the motor is a stop speed at which the projection of the pointer light is stopped;
The light projection control unit determines that the face determination unit determines that the face is not reflected in a predetermined area, and when the driving speed determination unit determines that the stop speed is reached, the light projection control unit When the projection of the pointer light is stopped, the face determination unit determines that no face is reflected in a predetermined area, and the drive speed determination unit determines that the face is not at the stop speed, the pointer light projection unit The conference apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pointer light is projected. The photographing unit is housed in a posture changing unit capable of changing a posture,
The pointer light projection unit includes a projection direction change unit that changes the projection direction of the pointer light within the photographing range of the photographing unit in accordance with an instruction from the operation device,
The conference apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pointer light projection unit is attached to the posture changing unit. An autofocus unit for focusing the photographing unit;
An autofocus determination unit that determines whether or not focusing is being performed by the autofocus unit;
When the face determination unit determines that the face is not reflected in a predetermined area and the autofocus determination unit determines that the focus is being executed, the projection control unit determines from the pointer light projection unit. When the face determination unit determines that the face is not reflected in a predetermined area and the autofocus determination unit determines that focus is not being performed, the pointer light projection is stopped. The conference apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pointer light is projected from the unit. A magnification changing unit for changing a photographing magnification of the photographing unit;
A magnification change determination unit that determines whether or not a magnification change is being executed by the magnification change unit;
The projection control unit determines that the face determination unit determines that no face is reflected in a predetermined area, and the magnification change determination unit determines that the magnification change is being performed. When the projection of the pointer light from the unit is stopped, the face determination unit determines that no face is reflected in a predetermined area, and the magnification change determination unit determines that the magnification change is not being executed, The conference apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pointer light is projected from the pointer light projection unit. A motor for changing the orientation of the imaging unit to change the imaging direction;
A preset information storage unit that stores preset information on a preset shooting direction of the user;
Motor control for performing preset control for operating the motor to change the posture of the photographing unit based on preset information selected by an operator from at least one preset information stored in the preset information storage unit And
A preset control determination unit that determines whether the first motor control unit is performing preset control;
When the projection control unit determines that the face is not reflected in a predetermined area and the preset control determination unit determines that the preset control is being performed, the pointer light projection unit When the face determination unit determines that the face is not reflected in a predetermined area, and the preset control determination unit determines that the preset control is not being performed, the pointer is stopped. The conference apparatus according to claim 1, wherein pointer light is projected from the light projection unit. A projection position detector for detecting the projection position of the pointer light;
The face determination unit determines whether or not a human face is reflected in an area near the projection position of the pointer light detected by the projection position detection unit as the predetermined area. The conference apparatus according to 1. A conference device that is connected via a network to an operating device installed at a remote location, and that transmits a video taken at its own location to the operating device,
A communication unit that communicates with the operation device via the network;
A photographing unit for photographing video for reproduction by the operation device;
A pointer light projection unit for projecting a predetermined pattern of pointer light;
A reception determination step of determining whether or not a pointer light projection instruction is received from the operation device by the communication unit;
A face determination step of determining whether or not a human face is reflected in a predetermined area of the video imaged by the imaging unit;
When it is determined that the pointer light projection instruction has been received in the reception determination step, when it is determined that the face is reflected in a predetermined area by the face determination step, the pointer light projection from the pointer light projection unit is performed. When it is determined that the face is not reflected in the predetermined area by the face determination step, a projection control step for performing pointer light projection control for projecting pointer light from the pointer light projection unit is executed. A conference apparatus program characterized by the above. A conference device that is connected via a network to an operating device installed at a remote location, and that transmits a video taken at its own location to the operating device,
A communication unit that communicates with the operation device via the network;
A photographing unit for photographing video for reproduction by the operation device;
A pointer light projection unit for projecting a predetermined pattern of pointer light, and a control method for controlling the projection of pointer light executed in a conference apparatus,
A reception determination step of determining whether or not a pointer light projection instruction is received from the operation device by the communication unit;
A face determination step of determining whether or not a human face is reflected in a predetermined area of the video imaged by the imaging unit;
When it is determined that the pointer light projection instruction has been received in the reception determination step, when it is determined that the face is reflected in a predetermined area by the face determination step, the pointer light projection from the pointer light projection unit is performed. When it is determined that the face is not reflected in the predetermined area by the face determination step, a projection control step for performing pointer light projection control for projecting pointer light from the pointer light projection unit is executed. A control method characterized by that.

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