JP6244735B2 - Information sharing apparatus and information sharing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information sharing apparatus and an information sharing system.

  In recent years, a so-called “electronic information board” in which a touch panel function is mounted on a display is used in an office meeting scene or the like.

  In the case of an electronic information board, by connecting an image supply device such as a personal computer, a display image supplied by the image supply device can be displayed greatly. In addition, by using the touch panel function, the user can superimpose handwritten characters on a display screen on which a display image is displayed, or can operate a display screen on which various operation buttons are displayed. can do.

  In general, in an electronic information board, in the course of a conference, a display screen on which a display image is displayed (and handwritten characters are superimposed) may be saved as a still image as needed. (This still image is referred to as a “snapshot image” below). By saving the snapshot image, it is possible to review the contents of the meeting and create the minutes after the meeting. Further, during a meeting, the display screen on which the display image is displayed can be easily returned to a desired state in the past.

  In addition, by preparing multiple electronic information boards (or information terminals) and connecting electronic information boards (or electronic information boards and information terminals) via a network, remote meetings are possible. Can be constructed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Here, in such a system, the stored snapshot image is transmitted to and stored in another electronic information board (or information terminal or the like). In addition, drawing information such as handwritten characters superimposed on the display image, events generated by operating various operation buttons displayed on the display screen, etc. are also sequentially transferred to other electronic information boards (or information terminals, etc.) ) Will be sent to. That is, various information is shared in such a system.

  For this reason, it can be said that the electronic information board (or information terminal) constituting the system has a function as an “information sharing apparatus” for sharing various information.

  However, in this system, when an information sharing device such as an electronic information board or information terminal is newly connected, a certain amount of time is required for the information sharing device to share various information shared by the system. There is a problem that it becomes necessary.

  On the other hand, in a system that shares various types of information, it is desirable that the various types of information be shared smoothly regardless of the connection timing to the system.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable various types of information to be shared smoothly in an information sharing system that shares various types of information.

An information sharing system according to an embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration. That is,
Screen information generated by combining the first image displayed on the display screen of the first information sharing apparatus and the second image drawn on the display screen based on the user's instruction an information sharing system for transmitting for the information sharing apparatus,
Of the screen information generated by the first information sharing apparatus, the screen information of the target screen is a display screen being displayed in the first information sharing apparatus when said second information sharing devices are connected An identification means for identifying;
Of the screen information generated by the first information sharing apparatus, the transmission order of non-interest display screen information which is a display screen other than the noticed screen after transmitting the screen information of the target screen, the noted screen Management means for managing according to the generation time of the screen information and the generation time of the screen information of the non-attention screen ,
Transmission means for transmitting the screen information generated by the first information sharing apparatus to the second information sharing apparatus based on the transmission order.

  According to each embodiment of the present invention, various information can be shared smoothly in an information sharing system that shares various information.

It is a figure for demonstrating the information sharing apparatus (host side) which concerns on embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of an information sharing system according to an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the information sharing apparatus (host side) which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen displayed on the display part of the information sharing apparatus (host side) which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen information management table managed in the repository management part of the information sharing apparatus (host side) concerning embodiment. It is a figure which shows the data format of the data transmitted / received in the communication part of the information sharing apparatus (host side) which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen switched by the attention screen switching part of the information sharing apparatus (host side) which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the information sharing apparatus (participation side) which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the participation screen displayed before participation in the information sharing apparatus (participation side) which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the participation screen displayed before participation in the information sharing apparatus (participation side) which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the participation screen displayed before participation in the information sharing apparatus (participation side) which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the synchronous screen information management table managed in the synchronous management part of the information sharing apparatus (participation side) which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the information sharing process in the information sharing apparatus (host side) which concerns on embodiment. It is another flowchart which shows the flow of the information sharing process in the information sharing apparatus (host side) which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the information sharing process in the information sharing apparatus (participation side) which concerns on embodiment. It is another flowchart which shows the flow of the information sharing process in the information sharing apparatus (participation side) which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen displayed in the display part of each information sharing apparatus of the information sharing system which concerns on embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, the duplicate description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

[First Embodiment]
<Description of information sharing device>
First, the information sharing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an electronic information board 110 as an example of an information sharing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  The electronic information board 110 receives display images from the user PCs 120 and 130 which are “image supply devices” that supply display images, and causes the display unit 111 to display the supplied display images. In addition, a drawing image input by handwriting by the user is displayed on the display screen on which the display image is displayed on the display unit 111 of the electronic information board 110. In addition to the display screen on which the display image screen is displayed, various operation buttons for inputting instructions to the electronic information board 110 are displayed.

  The electronic information board 110 that is an information sharing device and the user PCs 120 and 130 that are image supply devices are connected via cables 140 and 150, respectively.

  The electronic information board 110 accepts connections from other information sharing apparatuses (not shown in FIG. 1). In the following description, an information sharing apparatus that accepts connections from a plurality of other information sharing apparatuses, such as the electronic information board 110, is referred to as an “organization side information sharing apparatus”. The information sharing device connected to the sponsor side information sharing device (electronic information board 110) is referred to as "participating side information sharing device".

  The user PCs 120 and 130 are image supply devices, which store display images to be displayed on the electronic information board 110, and are connected at a predetermined rate (for example, 30 frames per second) via an interface that outputs the display images as image signals. ) To the electronic information board 110.

  In this embodiment, the user PCs 120 and 130 have VGA output terminals (not shown in FIG. 1) as interfaces, and send VGA signals as image signals to the electronic information board via cables 140 and 150 such as VGA cables. 110 to be supplied.

  However, the connection between the user PCs 120 and 130 and the electronic information board 110 is not limited to the wired connection by the cables 140 and 150, and the image signal is transferred to the electronic information board 110 by wireless connection complying with various wireless communication protocols. It is good also as a structure to supply.

  In this embodiment, the user PCs 120 and 130 use notebook PCs, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, any information processing apparatus capable of supplying a display image, such as a desktop PC, a tablet PC, a PDA, a digital video camera, or a digital camera, may be used.

<System configuration of information sharing system>
Next, a system configuration of an information sharing system that allows various information to be shared by newly connecting a participating information sharing apparatus to the sponsor information sharing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 shows the sharing of various information by connecting the electronic information board 210 and the user PC 230, which are information sharing apparatuses on the participation side, to the electronic information board 110, which is the information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side, according to the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the information sharing system 100 which becomes possible.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the information sharing system 100, a new electronic information board 210 and a user PC 230 that are information sharing apparatuses on the participation side are newly connected via the network 200 to the electronic information board 110 that is the information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side. Connected to.

  The electronic information board 210 is further connected to a user PC 220 that is an image supply device that supplies a display image to the electronic information board 210 via a cable 240.

  The network 200 is a network such as a LAN or the Internet, and communicates various types of information (for example, snapshot images, drawing information, event information, etc.) between the electronic information board 110, the electronic information board 210, and the user PC 230. .

  Note that the electronic information board 110, the electronic information board 210, and the user PC 230 are not limited to being connected via the network 200, and may be connected in a star shape or the like without using the network 200. May be connected directly.

<Description of the information sharing device on the organizer>
Next, the configuration of the information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the electronic information board 110 which is an information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the electronic information board 110 includes an image input interface 332. The image input interface 332 is an interface that receives display images supplied from the user PCs 120 and 130 as image signals. In the present embodiment, a DVI connector formed by a DVI (Digital Visual Interface) terminal is used as the image input interface 332. The image input interface 332 receives VGA signals from the user PCs 120 and 130 via cables 140 and 150 such as VGA cables, and supplies the VGA signals to the image acquisition unit 306 provided in the electronic information board 110.

  In the present invention, the image input interface 332 is not limited to a DVI connector. For example, a VGA (Video Graphics Array) connector, an HDMI (registered trademark, High-Definition Multimedia Interface) connector, a Displayport connector, or the like may be used. Alternatively, a wireless communication connector compliant with a wireless communication protocol such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or WiFi may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the electronic information board 110 that is an information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side includes a processor 300, a ROM 302, and a RAM 304 as a computer. Further, the image acquisition unit 306, the coordinate detection unit 324, the contact detection unit 326, the display unit 111, the communication control unit 350, the communication unit 352, and the storage device 330 are included.

  The processor 300 is a processing arithmetic device such as a CPU or MPU, and operates an OS such as Windows (registered trademark) series, UNIX (registered trademark), LINUX (registered trademark), TRON, ITRON, or μITRON. Further, the program of the present invention described in a program language such as assembler, C, C ++, Java (registered trademark), JavaScript (registered trademark), PERL, RUBY, or PYTHON is executed under the management of these OSs. The ROM 302 is a non-volatile memory in which a boot program such as BIOS or EFI is stored.

  A RAM 304 is a main storage device such as a DRAM or an SRAM, and provides an execution space for executing the program of the present invention. The processor 300 reads out the program of the present invention from a hard disk device (not shown) for continuously storing the program, various data, and the like, expands it in the RAM 304, and executes it.

  The program of the present invention includes an event processing unit 310, an application image generation unit 312, a layout management unit 314, a drawing generation unit 316, a synthesis unit 318, and a display control unit 320, which are program modules. Further, a snapshot generation unit 322, a snapshot storage unit 336, a snapshot transmission unit 338, a repository management unit 328, an attention screen switching unit 361, an attention screen management unit 362, and a non-attention screen management unit 363 are included.

  The image acquisition unit 306 acquires image signals from the user PCs 120 and 130. When receiving an image signal from the user PC 120 or 130 via the image input interface 332, the image acquisition unit 306 analyzes the image signal. Then, image information such as the resolution of the image frame that is the display image of the user PC 120 or 130 formed by the image signal and the update frequency of the image frame is derived and transmitted to the application image generation unit 312.

  In addition, the image acquisition unit 306 forms an image frame that is a display image of the user PCs 120 and 130 using the image signal, and overwrites each of the video RAM 308 that is a storage unit that can temporarily store the image frame. save.

  The application image generation unit 312 generates various display screens to be displayed on the display unit 111. The display screen includes a display screen that displays an image frame that is a display image of the user PCs 120 and 130, and a display screen that displays a drawing image generated when the user inputs handwritten characters or the like. Furthermore, an operation button for performing various settings on the electronic information board 110, a display screen for displaying various objects such as a menu bar, a display screen for a file viewer, a Web browser, and the like are included. The application image generation unit 312 draws these display screens on an image layer on which the display screen is to be drawn.

  The layout management unit 314 draws the display images of the user PCs 120 and 130 on each display screen generated by the application image generation unit 312. When the layout management unit 314 acquires a display image from the image acquisition unit 306, the layout management unit 314 acquires an image frame stored in the video RAM 308. Then, using the display image, the size of the image frame is changed to match the size of the display screen generated by the application image generation unit 312 and the image frame is drawn on the image layer to be drawn.

  The contact detection unit 326 detects contact of an object such as the drawing device 340 with respect to the display unit 111. In the present embodiment, a coordinate input / detection device using an infrared ray blocking method is used as the contact detection unit 326. In such a coordinate input / detection device, two light emitting / receiving devices installed at both lower ends of the display unit 111 emit a plurality of infrared rays in parallel with the display unit 111 and are provided around the display unit 111. Light reflected by the reflecting member on the same optical path is received. The contact detection unit 326 notifies the coordinate detection unit 324 of infrared identification information emitted by the two light emitting and receiving devices blocked by the object, and the coordinate detection unit 324 is a coordinate that is the contact position of the object on the display unit 111. Identify the location.

  In other embodiments, a capacitive touch panel that identifies a contact position by detecting a change in capacitance, a resistive film type touch panel that identifies a contact position based on a voltage change between two opposing resistance films, and the like. A coordinate input / detection device may be employed. Alternatively, a coordinate input / detection device such as an electromagnetic induction type touch panel that detects electromagnetic induction caused by contact of a contact object with the display unit 111 and identifies a contact position may be employed.

  The coordinate detection unit 324 calculates a coordinate position that is a position where the object touches the display unit 111 and issues various events. In the present embodiment, the coordinate detection unit 324 calculates the coordinate position, which is the contact position of the object, using the blocked infrared identification information notified by the contact detection unit 326. The coordinate detection unit 324 issues various events to the event processing unit 310 together with the coordinate position that is the contact position.

  The event issued by the coordinate detection unit 324 includes an event (TOUCH) for notifying that the object has touched or approached the display unit 111, and the contact point or approach point has moved while the object has touched or approached the display unit 111. An event (MOVE) for notifying this is included. Furthermore, an event (RELEASE) for notifying that the object has left the display unit 111 is included. Note that these events include coordinate position information that is the coordinate position of the contact position and the coordinate position of the approach position.

  The drawing device 340 is a device that draws in contact with the display unit 111 of the electronic information board 110. The drawing device 340 has a pen shape including a contact detection device that detects contact of an object at the tip, and when the contact detection device comes into contact with the object, a contact signal indicating that the contact has been made is sent to the drawing device 340. Is transmitted to the coordinate detection unit 324 together with the identification information.

  The drawing device 340 has a function of deleting the drawn drawing image. Specifically, a mode changeover switch for switching from the drawing mode to the erasing mode is provided on the side or rear end. When the contact detection device touches an object in the erasing mode, a signal indicating contact and a signal in the erasing mode are transmitted to the coordinate detection unit 324 together with the identification information of the drawing device 340.

  Furthermore, the drawing device 340 is used when the user selects objects such as various operation buttons and menu bars displayed on the display unit 111.

  For example, when the drawing device 340 is brought into contact with the electronic information board 110 while the user presses the erasing mode switch, the drawing device 340 indicates the erasing mode together with the contact signal and the identification information of the drawing device. A mode type signal is transmitted. When the drawing device 340 is brought into contact with the electronic information board 110 without the user pressing the erase mode switch, the drawing device 340 transmits a contact signal and an identification signal of the drawing device.

  In the present embodiment, when infrared identification information is received from the contact detection unit 326, the coordinate detection unit 324 calculates a coordinate position that is a contact position of an object, and then receives a contact signal from the drawing device 340, thereby causing various events. Issue. At this time, the coordinate detection unit 324 notifies the event processing unit 310 of information indicating the mode type (hereinafter referred to as “mode type information”) together with the event.

  In this embodiment, various signals are transmitted by near field communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). In other embodiments, various signals can be transmitted by wireless communication using ultrasonic waves or infrared rays.

  The event processing unit 310 processes an event issued by the coordinate detection unit 324. When the event processing unit 310 receives an event from the coordinate detection unit 324, the event processing unit 310 selects a drawing operation event, an deletion instruction event, or an object such as various operation buttons and a menu bar displayed on the display unit 111. Identify the event. And the function corresponding to each event is implemented.

  The drawing instruction event is an event that instructs the electronic information board 110 to perform drawing. The erasure instruction event is an event for erasing a drawn image drawn on the electronic information board 110. The drawing instruction event and the erasure event are issued when the drawing device 340 contacts the display unit 111 (specifically, the display screen on which the display image is displayed).

  The selection notification event is an event indicating that an object has been selected on a display screen on which various objects such as various operation buttons and a menu bar are displayed on the display unit 111. The selection notification event is issued due to the drawing device 340 contacting an object on the display unit 111. The event processing unit 310 issues a selection notification event when the coordinate position information included in the event issued by the coordinate detection unit 324 is within the coordinate area of the object.

  In the present embodiment, identification information is assigned to each of the drawing instruction event and the erasure instruction event, and each unit of the electronic information board 110 that operates using these events as a trigger performs various processes with reference to the identification information. Execute. In addition, identification information of the selected object is added to the selection notification event, and each unit of the electronic information board 110 that operates with the selection notification event as a trigger performs various processes with reference to the identification information of the object. Run.

  The drawing generation unit 316 uses the drawing device 340 to generate a drawing image based on an operation performed on the display screen on which the display image is displayed on the display unit 111. The drawing generation unit 316 generates an image layer in which the color of the coordinate position indicated by the coordinate position information is changed to a specific color. The drawing generation unit 316 stores the coordinate position in the drawing information storage area of the RAM 304 as drawing information of the drawing image.

  The combining unit 318 combines various images. The composition unit 318 includes an image layer (hereinafter referred to as “application image layer”) on which the application image generation unit 312 should draw an image, and an image layer (on which the layout management unit 314 should draw a display image of the user PCs 120 and 130). (Hereinafter referred to as “image capture layer”). Further, the drawing generation unit 316 synthesizes an image layer on which an image is to be drawn (hereinafter referred to as “handwriting layer”).

  The display control unit 320 controls the display unit 111. The display control unit 320 causes the display unit 111 to display the combined image generated by the combining unit 318. In the present embodiment, the synthesis unit 318 calls the display control unit 320 and causes the display unit 111 to display a synthesized image. In another embodiment, the synthesizing unit 318 and the display control unit 320 synthesize the image layers on the display unit 111 with the same frequency as the update frequency of the image frames included in the display images of the user PCs 120 and 130.

  The snapshot generation unit 322 generates a snapshot image for a composite image of the display image of the user PC 120 or 130 and the drawing image generated by the drawing generation unit 316. The snapshot generation unit 322 operates by receiving a selection notification event indicating that a snapshot button (not shown) instructing acquisition of the composite image displayed on the display unit 111 as a snapshot image is selected. To do. Specifically, a snapshot image is generated by combining an image capture layer and a handwriting layer.

  When generating the snapshot image, the snapshot generation unit 322 instructs the repository management unit 328 to save the snapshot image in the storage device 330. Further, an object indicating that a snapshot image has been generated is displayed on the display screen of the display unit 111. Further, the information sharing apparatus on the participating side is notified via the communication control unit 350 that a snapshot image has been generated (a screen identifier corresponding to the snapshot image is transmitted). As a result, an object indicating that the snapshot image has been generated is also displayed on the participating information sharing apparatus.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a display screen displayed on the display unit 111. As shown in FIG. 4, the display screen displayed on the display unit 111 includes a display screen that displays the composite image 400 and a display screen that displays objects 410 to 413 indicating that the snapshot image has been generated. included. The objects 410 to 413 have a switching function of being switched to a corresponding snapshot image when pressed by the user. That is, the objects 410 to 413 are switching buttons for inputting a screen switching instruction for switching to a snapshot image to be displayed.

  In the example of FIG. 4, a state in which the object 410 is pressed is illustrated, and a snapshot image corresponding to the object 410 is displayed in the composite image 400. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, when the object 411 is pressed, the composite image 400 is switched to an image corresponding to the object 411.

  Hereinafter, a snapshot image corresponding to the pressed object (that is, a snapshot image being displayed) will be referred to as a “screen of interest”. A snapshot image corresponding to an object other than the pressed object (objects 411 to 413 that are not pressed in the example of FIG. 4) is referred to as a “non-attention screen”.

  Returning to the description of FIG. The snapshot storage unit 336 stores the snapshot image stored in the storage device 330 through the repository management unit 328 in an external storage device such as the USB memory 342 through the data output interface 334. The snapshot storage unit 336 operates when a snapshot storage button (not shown) for instructing storage of the composite image displayed on the display unit 111 is selected and a selection notification event is received. Specifically, a snapshot image stored in the storage device 330 is acquired through the repository management unit 328, and the snapshot image is output to an external storage device (USB memory 342) connected to the data output interface 334.

  The snapshot transmission unit 338 transmits the snapshot image stored in the storage device 330 through the repository management unit 328 to the information sharing device (electronic information board 210, user PC 230) on the participating side through the communication control unit 350.

  The snapshot transmission unit 338 operates when a snapshot transmission button (not shown) for instructing transmission of a snapshot image displayed on the display unit 111 is selected and a selection notification event is received. Specifically, the snapshot image stored in the storage device 330 is acquired, and the snapshot image is output to the communication control unit 350. The communication control unit 350 transmits the snapshot image to the participating information sharing apparatus (electronic information board 210, user PC 230) via the communication unit 352 using a predetermined communication protocol such as FTP or SMTP.

  The repository management unit 328 controls the storage device 330 that stores the snapshot image. As described above, the repository management unit 328 stores the snapshot image in the storage device 330 according to the instruction from the snapshot generation unit 322. Further, the repository management unit 328 acquires a snapshot image from the storage device 330 according to an instruction from the snapshot storage unit 336 or the snapshot transmission unit 338, and transmits the snapshot image to the data output interface 334 or the communication control unit 350.

  Further, the repository management unit 328 manages screen information of snapshot images. The screen information of each snapshot image managed by the repository management unit 328 is identified and managed by a screen identifier as shown in the screen information management table of FIG. The “screen information” includes a file name of the snapshot image and an identifier of the annotation. “Generation time” is information corresponding to the time when each snapshot image is generated. Note that the screen identifier may be an index number in the generation order or a UUID (RFC 4122).

  The data output interface 334 is a physical interface that outputs a snapshot image to an external storage device (USB memory 342). In this embodiment, a USB socket is used as the data output interface 334.

  The communication control unit 350 controls communication with the participating information sharing apparatus (in this embodiment, the electronic information board 210 and the user PC 230) via the network 200. The communication control unit 350 communicates information such as screen information, drawing information, and events of the snapshot image via the communication unit 352. Note that authentication information is communicated via the communication unit 352 when the information sharing apparatus on the participating side connects to the information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side to perform authentication processing.

  The communication unit 352 is a network interface for communicating with a participating side information sharing apparatus (in this embodiment, the electronic information board 210 and the user PC 230) via the network 200.

  6A is communicated between the information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side and the information sharing apparatus on the participating side (between the electronic information board 110 and the electronic information board 210 or the user PC 230) via the network 200. FIG. It is a figure which shows the data format of the data.

  In FIG. 6A, “To” and “From” include a destination address and a source address, respectively. The destination address and the source address may be an IP address, URI (RFC2396), URL (RFC1738), XMPP Address (RFC6122), or UUID (RFC4122).

  “Sequence-Number” is an ID for uniquely identifying a message. “Reference” refers to “Sequence-Number”. “Body” includes contents such as drawing information (for example, a stroke) and a snapshot image. Further, it includes a screen identifier of the snapshot image, the total number of snapshot images, the size of the conference content, bandwidth information (bit / second), and the like. The snapshot image is communicated in a JPEG (Joint Photograph Expert Group) format. “Body” may be a text format such as XML or JSON, or may be a binary format.

  FIG. 6B shows an example of “Body” when expressed in XML, and FIG. 6C shows an example of “Body” when expressed in JSON.

  Returning to the description of FIG. The attention screen switching unit 361 receives a screen switching instruction of the attention screen from the user, identifies the attention screen, and notifies the attention screen management unit 362 of the screen identifier of the identified attention screen. FIG. 7 shows a state in which a screen switching instruction for a screen of interest is input when the user presses the objects 410 to 413, and the screen of attention screen is switched by the screen of interest switching unit 361.

  As shown in FIG. 7, during the period from when a screen switching instruction is input until the next screen switching instruction is input, the attention screen switching unit 361 is displayed by inputting the screen switching instruction first. Identify the snapshot image as the screen of interest.

  The attention screen management unit 362 holds a screen identifier. In addition, the communication unit 352 monitors whether or not it has received a participation request (an event that requires a new information sharing device to be connected to the sponsor information sharing device). When the communication unit 352 determines that the participation request has been received, the screen information corresponding to the screen identifier of the screen of interest and all screen identifiers are acquired from the repository management unit 328. Further, the screen information of the screen of interest and all screen identifiers are transmitted to the information sharing apparatus (in this embodiment, the electronic information board 210 and the user PC 230).

  The non-attention screen management unit 363 calculates the transmission order of the screen information of the non-attention screen. Further, the screen information of the non-attention screen is transmitted to the communication unit 352 in accordance with the calculated transmission order.

  As a method for calculating the transmission order, for example, the order in which the absolute value of the difference in generation time is small (in the case where the absolute values are the same, the order in which the sign of the difference becomes smaller) is listed. The absolute value Di of the difference is obtained by Expression (1), where tf is the generation time of the screen of interest and ti is the generation time of the i-th non-target screen.

例えば、主催側の情報共有装置である電子情報ボード１１０が有するスナップショット画像が、それぞれ、図５の画面情報管理テーブルに示す生成時刻に生成されていた場合について説明する。この場合、注目画面の画面識別子が"３"であれば、送信順序は、画面識別子"４"の画面情報→画面識別子"２"の画面情報→画面識別子"１"の画面情報となる。かかる送信順序によれば、注目画面に近い順に、参加側の情報共有装置である電子情報ボード２１０に対して非注目画面の画面情報が送信されることとなる。この結果、注目画面の近傍の非注目画面に切り換えられた場合に、同期待ちが発生する頻度を減らすことが可能となる。

For example, a case will be described in which snapshot images included in the electronic information board 110 that is an information sharing device on the sponsor side are each generated at the generation time shown in the screen information management table of FIG. In this case, if the screen identifier of the screen of interest is “3”, the transmission order is the screen information of the screen identifier “4” → the screen information of the screen identifier “2” → the screen information of the screen identifier “1”. According to such a transmission order, the screen information of the non-attention screen is transmitted to the electronic information board 210 that is the information sharing apparatus on the participating side in the order close to the attention screen. As a result, it is possible to reduce the frequency of occurrence of synchronization waiting when the screen is switched to a non-target screen near the screen of interest.

  Note that the transmission order may be the order in which the number of strokes included in the snapshot image is large (however, in the same case, the one with the newest generation time is transmitted first). Due to this transmission order, snapshot images with a lot of writing will be preferentially transmitted to the information sharing device on the participating side, and when waiting to look back and display snapshot images that have been discussed extensively at meetings, etc. Can reduce the frequency of occurrences.

<Description of Participant Information Sharing Device>
Next, the configuration of the information sharing apparatus on the participating side will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic information board 210 that is an information sharing apparatus on the participation side.

  In addition, about the structure similar to the electronic information board 110 by the side of sponsor, the same reference number is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted here. Hereinafter, the difference from FIG. 3 will be mainly described.

  In FIG. 8, a participation operation unit 801 receives an operation of participating in the electronic information board 110 that is an information sharing device on the sponsor side from the user. Specifically, when the user selects the start button 901 on the menu bar 900 (FIG. 9) displayed on the display unit 111 of the electronic information board 210 that is the participating information sharing apparatus, the selection window 910 is displayed. indicate. Then, when the user presses the JOIN button 911 in the displayed selection window 910, the participation operation is accepted.

  Further, the participation operation unit 801 that has accepted the participation operation accepts designation of the participation destination from the user. Specifically, the connection destination selection window 1000 shown in FIG. 10 is displayed so that the user can designate the electronic information board 110 that is the information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side as the connection destination. When a connection destination is selected by the user in the contact list 1001 of the displayed connection destination selection window 1000, the participation operation unit 801 recognizes this. Thereafter, when the connection button 1002 is pressed by the user, the participation operation unit 801 transmits a participation request to the connection destination via the communication unit 352.

  In addition, the designation method of the participation destination by a user is not limited to this, The structure which inputs the IP address of a connection destination directly may be sufficient. Specifically, the connection destination input window 1100 of FIG. 11 is displayed so that the electronic information board 110 which is the information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side is designated as the connection destination. Subsequently, in the displayed connection destination input window 1100, when the user directly inputs an IP address into the IP address input field 1101 and presses the input button 1102, the participation operation unit 801 recognizes this. Thereafter, when the user presses the connection button 1103, the participation operation unit 801 transmits a participation request to the connection destination via the communication unit 352.

  Returning to the description of FIG. The attention screen switching unit 803 receives a screen switching instruction of the attention screen from the user, identifies the attention screen, and notifies the synchronization management unit 802 of the screen identifier of the identified attention screen.

  The synchronization management unit 802 manages whether or not synchronization is possible based on a screen identifier transmitted from the electronic information board 110 that is an information sharing device on the sponsor side. Specifically, when a participation request is transmitted to the electronic information board 110 by the participation operation unit 801, a screen identifier managed by the electronic information board 110 is transmitted from the electronic information board 110. The synchronization management unit 802 manages whether to synchronize screen information based on the transmitted screen identifier.

  FIG. 12 is a synchronization screen information management table that is managed by the synchronization management unit 802 and indicates whether or not each screen information can be synchronized. As shown in FIG. 12, in the synchronization management unit 802, if screen information has already been received for each screen identifier, the synchronization availability is managed as “Yes”, and if screen information has not yet been received, The synchronization availability is managed as “No”.

  As will be described later, the synchronized screen information management table (FIG. 12) is generated when the participating information sharing apparatus is newly connected to the sponsor information sharing apparatus. In the generated synchronized screen information management table, each time a snapshot image is newly generated and a screen identifier corresponding to the snapshot image is received, the “screen identifier” column is updated. In addition, every time the screen information is received, the “screen information” column and the “synchronization availability” column are updated.

<Flow of information sharing process when information sharing device on participating side is connected>
Next, when the information sharing apparatus on the participating side newly connects to the information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side, the information sharing process flow is a process for causing the information sharing apparatus on the participating side to share the snapshot image Will be described with reference to FIGS. 13A and 14A.

<Flow of information sharing processing in the information sharing device on the sponsor side>
First, the flow of information sharing processing in the information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side will be described. FIG. 13A is a flowchart showing a flow of information sharing processing in the electronic information board 110 which is an information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side.

  In step S1301, the screen-of-interest management unit 362 monitors whether or not a participation request has been received by the communication unit 352. If it is determined in step S1301 that the participation request has not been received, the process waits until it is received.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1301 that a participation request has been received, the process proceeds to step S1302. In step S <b> 1302, the target screen management unit 362 acquires screen information corresponding to the screen identifier of the target screen and all screen identifiers from the repository management unit 328. In step S1303, the communication control unit 350 transmits the acquired screen information of the screen of interest and all screen identifiers to the participation-side information sharing apparatus that has transmitted the participation request.

  In step S1304, the non-attention screen management unit 363 acquires screen information corresponding to a screen identifier other than the target screen (that is, the screen identifier of the non-attention screen) from the repository management unit 328. Further, in step S1305, the non-attention screen management unit 363 determines the transmission order of the acquired screen information of the non-attention screen according to a predetermined rule, and sorts the screen information according to the determined transmission order. Furthermore, in step S1306, the communication control unit 350 transmits the screen information of the non-attention screen to the participating information sharing apparatus that has transmitted the participation request in the sort order, and the information sharing process is terminated.

<Flow of information sharing process in participating information sharing device>
Next, the flow of information sharing processing in the information sharing apparatus on the participating side will be described. FIG. 14A is a flowchart showing a flow of information sharing processing in the electronic information board 210 which is an information sharing apparatus on the participation side.

  In step S1401, the participation operation unit 801 determines whether or not the participation operation is completed when the user performs the participation operation and presses the connection button 1002. If it is determined in step S1401 that the participation operation has been completed, the process proceeds to step S1402.

  In step S1402, the participation operation unit 801 transmits a participation request to the sponsor side information sharing apparatus via the communication unit 352. In step S1403, the communication unit 352 receives the screen information of the screen of interest and all screen identifiers transmitted from the information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side in response to the transmission of the participation request.

  In step S1404, based on all screen identifiers received in step S1403, the synchronization management unit 802 generates a synchronization screen information management table (FIG. 12).

  In step S1405, the display control unit 320 causes the display unit 111 to display a snapshot image included in the received screen information of the screen of interest. Further, the repository management unit 328 stores the screen information of the screen of interest in the storage device 330. In step S1406, the synchronization management unit 802 updates the availability of synchronization for the screen of interest in the synchronization screen information management table.

  In step S1407, the communication unit 352 receives the screen information of the non-attention screen that is sequentially transmitted from the information sharing device on the sponsor side in response to the transmission of the participation request. Further, the repository management unit 328 saves the snapshot image included in the received screen information of the non-attention screen in the storage device 330.

  In step S1408, based on the screen information of the non-attention screen that is sequentially received and stored in step S1406, the synchronization management unit 802 updates the availability of synchronization for the non-attention screen in the synchronous screen information management table (FIG. 12). To go. When the synchronization availability update is completed, the information sharing process is terminated.

<Flow of information sharing process when screen switching instruction is input>
Next, FIG. 13B shows the flow of information sharing processing, which is processing for causing a participating information sharing apparatus to share a snapshot image when a screen switching instruction for switching the screen of interest is input. And it demonstrates using FIG. 14B.

<Flow of information sharing processing in the information sharing device on the sponsor side>
First, the flow of information sharing processing in the information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side will be described. FIG. 13B is a flowchart showing a flow of information sharing processing in the electronic information board 110 which is an information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side.

  In step S1311, the screen-of-interest management unit 362 monitors whether a screen acquisition request (an event for requesting acquisition of screen information) has been received by the communication unit 352. If it is determined in step S1311 that a screen acquisition request has not been received, the process waits until it is received.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1311 that a screen acquisition request has been received, the process advances to step S1312. In step S1312, the attention screen management unit 362 determines whether the attention screen is included in the screen acquisition request received in step S1311. If it is determined in step S1312 that the screen of interest is not included, the process proceeds to step S1315.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the screen of interest is included, the process proceeds to step S1313. In step S1313, the screen-of-interest management unit 362 acquires screen information corresponding to the screen identifier of the screen of interest from the repository management unit 328. Further, in step S1314, the communication control unit 350 transmits the acquired screen information of the screen of interest to the participating information sharing apparatus that has transmitted the screen acquisition request.

  In step S1315, the non-attention screen management unit 363 determines the screen identifier of the non-attention screen included in the screen acquisition request received at step S1311, and stores the screen information corresponding to the screen identifier of the non-attention screen in the repository management unit. From 328.

  In step S1316, the non-attention screen management unit 363 determines the transmission order according to a predetermined rule for the screen information of the non-attention screen acquired in step S1315, and sorts it according to the determined transmission order. Furthermore, in step S1317, the communication control unit 350 transmits the screen information of the non-attention screens to the participating information sharing apparatus that transmitted the screen acquisition request in the sort order, and the information sharing process ends.

<Flow of information sharing process in participating information sharing device>
Next, the flow of information sharing processing in the information sharing apparatus on the participating side will be described. FIG. 14B is a flowchart showing the flow of information sharing processing in the electronic information board 210 which is the information sharing apparatus on the participating side.

  In step S1411, the screen-of-interest switching unit 803 monitors whether a screen switching instruction has been input by the user. If it is determined in step S1411 that no screen switching instruction has been input, the process waits until it is determined that a screen switching instruction has been input.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that a screen switching instruction has been input, the process proceeds to step S1412. In step S1412, the synchronization management unit 802 determines whether all screen information is synchronized by referring to the synchronization screen information management table (FIG. 12).

  If it is determined in step S1412 that all screen information is synchronized, the process advances to step S1413. In step S <b> 1413, the display control unit 320 causes the display unit 111 to display a snapshot image that has newly become a screen of interest by inputting a screen switching instruction in step S <b> 1411.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1412 that there is screen information that is not synchronized, the process proceeds to step S1414. In step S1414, the synchronization management unit 802 refers to the synchronization screen information management table (FIG. 12) to determine whether the screen information of the screen of interest is synchronized.

  If it is determined in step S1414 that the screen information of the target screen is synchronized, the process proceeds to step S1415, and the display control unit 320 causes the display unit 111 to display a snapshot image of the target screen.

  In step S1416, a screen acquisition request including the screen identifier of the screen information of the non-focused screen that is not synchronized among the non-focused screens is transmitted to the information sharing device on the sponsor side.

  In step S1417, in response to the transmission of the screen acquisition request in step S1416, the communication unit 352 receives the screen information of the non-attention screens sequentially transmitted from the information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side. Further, the repository management unit 328 saves the snapshot image included in the received screen information of the non-attention screen in the storage device 330.

  In step S1418, based on the screen information of the non-attention screen that is sequentially received and stored in step S1417, the synchronization management unit 802 updates the synchronization availability in the synchronization screen information management table (FIG. 12).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1414 that the screen information of the screen of interest is not synchronized, the process proceeds to step S1419, and the display control unit 320 causes the display unit 111 to display a standby screen.

  FIG. 15 shows that the information sharing device (the electronic information board 210 and the user PC 230) on the participating side does not have the screen information of the screen of interest because the screen switching instruction of the screen of interest is input. It is a figure which shows a mode that the screen was displayed.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the attention screen is displayed on the information sharing apparatus (electronic information board 110) on the sponsor side. On the other hand, a standby screen is displayed on the information sharing apparatuses (electronic information board 210 and user PC 230) on the participating side until the screen information of the attention screen is received from the information sharing apparatus (electronic information board 110) on the sponsor side. Will be.

  Returning to FIG. In step S1420, the synchronization management unit 802 transmits a screen acquisition request including screen identifiers of the screen of interest and the asynchronous screen that are not synchronized to the information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side.

  In step S1421, in response to the transmission of the screen acquisition request in step S1420, the communication unit 352 receives the screen information of the screen of interest transmitted from the information sharing device on the sponsor side. Further, the repository management unit 328 saves the snapshot image included in the received screen information of the screen of interest in the storage device 330. In step S <b> 1422, the display control unit 320 causes the display unit 111 to display a snapshot image included in the received image information of the screen of interest.

  In step S <b> 1423, the communication unit 352 receives the screen information of the non-attention screen that is sequentially transmitted from the information sharing device on the sponsor side in response to the transmission of the screen acquisition request. Further, the repository management unit 328 saves the snapshot image included in the received screen information of the non-attention screen in the storage device 330.

  In step S1424, the synchronization management unit 802 updates the synchronization screen information management table (FIG. 12) to determine whether or not synchronization is possible based on the screen information of the screen of interest and the screen of non-attention that was sequentially received and stored in steps S1421 and S1423. Go. When the synchronization availability update is completed, the information sharing process is terminated.

<Summary>
As is clear from the above description, in the information sharing system according to this embodiment,
A configuration in which when the participating information sharing apparatus connects to the information sharing system, the screen information held by the sponsor information sharing apparatus is transmitted to the participating information sharing apparatus so that the participating information sharing apparatus can share the screen information. It was.
-At the time of transmission, the screen of interest is identified, and the screen information of the screen of interest is transmitted first.
-When transmitting screen information of non-focused screens, the screen information of non-focused screens is sorted according to a predetermined rule so as to suppress the occurrence of synchronization waiting, and transmitted in the sort order.
-After connecting to the information sharing system, the information sharing device on the participating side monitors the input of the screen switching instruction for the screen of interest. In this configuration, it is determined whether or not all screen information is synchronized.
-When there is unsynchronized screen information, a screen acquisition request is transmitted to the sponsor side information sharing device, and the host side information sharing device transmits screen information corresponding to the screen acquisition request It was.
-When a screen acquisition request includes a screen of interest at the time of transmission, the screen information of the screen of interest is transmitted first. In addition, when transmitting the screen information of the non-focused screen, the screen information of the non-focused screen is sorted according to a predetermined rule so as to suppress the occurrence of synchronization waiting, and transmitted in the sort order.

  As a result, the user of the information sharing apparatus on the participating side browses the screen information of the attention screen on the information sharing apparatus on the participating side immediately after connecting the information sharing apparatus on the participating side to the information sharing apparatus on the sponsoring side. It becomes possible to do. In addition, immediately after inputting the screen switching instruction, it is possible to view the screen information of the screen of interest on the information sharing apparatus on the participating side.

  In addition, after the screen information of the attention screen is displayed, the screen information of the non-attention screen can be synchronized while the user performs various operations on the attention screen. There is no need to be aware of the processing time for sharing information.

  Furthermore, when synchronizing the screen information of the non-attention screen, the screen information of the non-attention screen that is likely to be input next as the attention screen is sent first, so a synchronization wait occurs. It becomes possible to suppress the frequency of doing.

  As a result, the user can share screen information smoothly.

  The information sharing system according to the present embodiment is considered to be particularly effective in, for example, an office meeting scene. For example, in order to allow a newly connected information sharing device to share a snapshot image that has been stored in the information sharing system by joining a meeting later, the snapshot image is transmitted to the information sharing device. In the past, it took a certain amount of time. In particular, in a situation where the conference has progressed to some extent, the amount of information of the snapshot image to be transmitted increases, so the time taken to display the currently displayed snapshot image tends to increase. .

  On the other hand, if the information sharing system according to the present embodiment is used, the snapshot image can be shared smoothly regardless of the connection timing to the system. That is, in the information sharing system for sharing various information, the screen information on the display screen can be shared smoothly.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, in an information sharing system including an electronic information board and an information terminal, the electronic information board 110 is an information sharing device on the sponsor side, and the electronic information board 210 and the user PC 230 are information sharing devices on the participating side. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in an information sharing system including a plurality of information terminals, one information terminal having the function shown in FIG. 3 is configured as an information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side, and another information terminal having the function shown in FIG. You may comprise as an information sharing apparatus.

  In the first embodiment, the information sharing apparatus on the sponsor side and the information sharing apparatus on the participation side are separated from each other and have different functions. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an information sharing system may be configured by connecting a plurality of information sharing apparatuses having both the function shown in FIG. 3 and the function shown in FIG.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown here, such as a combination with other elements in the configuration described in the above embodiment. These points can be changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and can be appropriately determined according to the application form.

100: Information sharing system 110: Electronic information board (information sharing device on the sponsor side)
111: Display unit 120: User PC (image supply device)
130: User PC (image supply device)
140: Cable 150: Cable 200: Network 210: Electronic information board (information sharing device on the participating side)
220: User PC (image supply device)
230: User PC (information sharing apparatus on the participating side)
240: cable

JP 07-322230 A

Claims (5)

Screen information generated by combining the first image displayed on the display screen of the first information sharing apparatus and the second image drawn on the display screen based on the user's instruction an information sharing system for transmitting for the information sharing apparatus,
Of the screen information generated by the first information sharing apparatus, the screen information of the target screen is a display screen being displayed in the first information sharing apparatus when said second information sharing devices are connected An identification means for identifying;
Of the screen information generated by the first information sharing apparatus, the transmission order of non-interest display screen information which is a display screen other than the noticed screen after transmitting the screen information of the target screen, the noted screen Management means for managing according to the generation time of the screen information and the generation time of the screen information of the non-attention screen ,
An information sharing system comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit screen information generated by the first information sharing device to the second information sharing device based on the transmission order. The management unit manages the transmission order so that an absolute value of a difference between a generation time of the screen information of the attention screen and a generation time of the screen information of the non- attention screen is in ascending order. 1. The information sharing system according to 1. The management unit manages the transmission order in response to a request transmitted from the second information sharing apparatus when the second information sharing apparatus is connected to the first information sharing apparatus. The information sharing system according to claim 1 . The second information sharing device is
Determining screen information not shared among the screen information generated by the first information sharing device in response to the screen switching instruction of the screen of interest being input; and
For the screen information determined not to be shared, when an acquisition request is transmitted to the first information sharing device,
Said management means, information sharing system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that managing the transmit order. It transmits the second image drawn in the first image and the display screen displayed on the display screen, for the screen information generated by synthesizing based on the user's instruction to other information sharing device An information sharing device,
Identification means for identifying screen information of a screen of interest that is a display screen being displayed when the other information sharing device is connected among the generated screen information;
Of the generated screen information, the transmission order of non-interest display screen information which is a display screen other than the noticed screen after transmitting the screen information of the target screen, generation time and non-screen information of the target screen Management means for managing according to the generation time of the screen information of the screen of interest ;
An information sharing apparatus comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit the generated screen information to the other information sharing apparatus based on the transmission order.

Images