JP2010085554A - Display control device and video conference system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display control device and a video conference system which do not reduce substantial display areas in a display device when an operation right for operating display information displayed on the display device is smoothly shifted from a user who has the operation right to other user. <P>SOLUTION: Pointer coordinate values are read from a remote control information data table (S11). Then, relative distance between a pointer coordinate value corresponding to a remote controller having the operation right and other pointer coordinate values is calculated (S12), and whether there is a pointer group below predetermined distance is determined (S14). In a state that it is determined that there is the pointer group below the predetermined distance, whether or not operation information by a decision button is acquired from the remote controller having the operation right is determined (S15), and when it is determined that the decision button is depressed (S15: YES), operation right granting processing for granting the operation right to remote controllers corresponding to other pointers is executed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a display control device that receives instructions from a plurality of remote controllers and controls a display device, and a video conference system.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a video conference system (see Patent Document 1) that performs a so-called multipoint conference by transferring video, audio, and data with a plurality of parties via a communication network is known. In the video conference apparatus at each point of such a video conference system, a shared screen is provided in which a conference video at each point is displayed and accessible by a plurality of conference participants. In the video conference apparatus, the conference participants operate the remote controllers associated with the conference participants to control the pointers that indicate specific locations on the shared screen.

  In general, in this type of video conference system, an operation right that can operate the shared screen by using the display position of the pointer is limited to one of the conference participants (users), thereby giving a plurality of privileges. Confusion caused by simultaneous user operations is prevented, and the shared screen is operated smoothly.

In the system of Patent Document 1, the menu screen is displayed in addition to the shared screen, and the user operates the menu screen within a predetermined time after the user is talking or the last voice is emitted. By doing so, the operation right can be acquired. As a result, its own pointer is displayed on the shared screen, and data can be input to the shared screen, data can be corrected, and the like.
JP-A-8-163122 (paragraphs 0024 to 0027)

  However, in the system of the above-mentioned patent document 1, when a plurality of users are in conversation, a plurality of users may freely acquire an operation right at the same time using a menu screen, and the operation of the shared screen is only complicated. Not only that, it will be difficult for users to understand. Further, since the menu screen is displayed in addition to the shared screen, there is a problem that a display area usable in the display device is narrowed.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and smoothly transfers the operation right from the user having the operation right to operate the display information displayed on the display device to another user, and displays it. An object of the present invention is to provide a display control device and a video conference system that do not reduce a substantial display area in the device.

In order to achieve the above object, a display control device according to a first aspect of the present invention displays pointers corresponding to a plurality of remote controls for basic display information displayed on a display device, and at least one of the plurality of remote controls. In the display control device that receives instructions from one and controls the basic display information, obtains pointer indication coordinate information for displaying each pointer corresponding to each remote controller on the display device and remote control information including remote control identification information Remote control information acquisition means, display data creation means for creating display data for displaying the pointers on the display device based on the remote control information obtained by the remote control information acquisition means, and the display data creation means Display data output means for outputting the display data created by the display device to the display device, and the plurality of remote controllers Operating right granting means for giving an operating right to operate basic display information displayed on the display device to at least one remote control, operating means provided on the remote control for outputting operation information, and the pointer Pointer display state determination means for calculating a relative distance between the display positions of the plurality of pointers in the display device based on the indicated coordinate information and determining whether the relative distance is greater than or less than a predetermined distance; The operation right granting means is determined that there is another pointer in a state where a relative distance from a pointer corresponding to the remote controller to which the operation right is given is a predetermined distance or less by the pointer display state determination means, And when the operation information is acquired from the operation means, an operation right is given to a remote controller corresponding to the other pointer.

  Here, the operation information may be acquired from the operation means either before the distance between the plurality of pointers is equal to or less than a predetermined distance or after the distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance.

  In addition to the configuration of the invention according to claim 1, the display control device according to claim 2 acquires at least operation information from the operation means provided in the remote controller to which the operation right is given. Pointer display position fixing means for fixing the display position of one pointer within the display device for a predetermined time is further provided, and the operation right granting means corresponds to the pointer in the fixed state in the state of the predetermined distance or less. The operation right is given to a remote controller.

  Here, the operation information from the operating means includes 1) to fix the display position of the pointer for a predetermined time, and then 2) to the remote controller corresponding to another pointer when the distance between the plurality of pointers is less than the predetermined distance. It may control a series of operations for giving an operation right. Further, one piece of operation information from the operation means may be used only for the above 1), and the operation of 2) may be performed using new operation information.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect of the invention, the pointer display position fixing means is provided from the operation means provided on the remote controller to which the operation right is given. When the operation information is acquired, the display positions of the pointers corresponding to all remote controllers to which the operation right is not given are fixed for a predetermined time.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect of the invention, the pointer display position fixing means is provided from the operation means provided in a remote controller to which the operation right is not given. When the operation information is acquired, the display position of the pointer corresponding to the remote controller is fixed for a predetermined time.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect of the present invention, the pointer display position fixing means is provided in a remote controller to which an operation right is given. While the operation information is acquired from the operation means, the display position of the pointer is fixed.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, the pointer that has been determined by the pointer display state determination means to be in a state of a predetermined distance or less is provided. When there is a plurality, the operation right granting unit gives the operation right to the remote control corresponding to the pointer having the smallest relative distance from the pointer corresponding to the remote control to which the operation right is given.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display control apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, in addition to user information storage means for storing information about a user, the user information, and the remote control identification information. Remote control user identification information storage means for storing remote control user identification information in association with each other, wherein the display data creation means creates display data including the remote control user identification information.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the seventh aspect of the invention, the remote control user identification information storage means stores remote control user identification information including a user name, and the display data creation means includes Display data including the user name is created.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, when the operation right is newly given to the remote controller by the operation right giving means, the display control device The data creating means creates display data for changing a display state of a pointer corresponding to the remote controller to which the operation right is given.

  In a video conference system according to a tenth aspect of the present invention, a terminal device connected to a remote controller and a display device is provided at a plurality of bases, and the terminal is connected to the display device via a network. Based on the remote control information acquisition means for acquiring remote control information including pointer indication coordinate information for displaying each pointer corresponding to each remote control and remote control identification information, and the remote control information acquired by the remote control information acquisition means, Display data creating means for creating display data of the pointer including identification information corresponding to the remote control identification information in the display device, and outputting the display data created by the display data creating means to the display device To display data output means and at least one remote control among the plurality of remote controls Based on the pointer indication coordinate information, an operation right granting unit for giving an operation right to operate the basic display information displayed on the display device, and a relative distance between the display positions of the pointers in the display device. A pointer display state determination unit that calculates and determines whether the relative distance is greater than or less than a predetermined distance, and the operation right granting unit includes a pointer corresponding to the remote controller to which the operation right is granted. When it is determined by the pointer display state determination means that there is another pointer in a state where the relative distance is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, and operation information is acquired from the operation means, the operation right is transferred to the remote controller corresponding to the other pointer. It is characterized by giving.

  The display control device according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the invention according to the tenth aspect, at least when the operation information is acquired from the operation means provided in each remote controller to which the operation right is granted. Pointer display position fixing means for fixing the display position of one pointer within the display device for a predetermined time is further provided, and the operation right granting means corresponds to the pointer in the fixed state in the state of the predetermined distance or less. The operation right is given to a remote controller.

  A display control apparatus according to a twelfth aspect of the invention includes a user information storage unit that stores information about a user, the user information, and the remote control identification information in addition to the configuration of the invention according to any one of the tenth to eleventh aspects. Remote control user identification information storage means for storing remote control user identification information in association with each other, wherein the display data creation means creates display data including the remote control user identification information.

  In addition to the configuration of the invention according to claim 12, the display control apparatus according to claim 13 is given to the user information storage means only to some of the users participating in the video conference system. Chairmanship information related to the chairmanship is stored in correspondence with the user information, and the operation right granting unit is connected to the remote controller stored in the remote controller user identification information storage unit corresponding to the chairmanship information. It is characterized by granting rights at all times.

  A display control apparatus according to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the display control device according to the thirteenth aspect, wherein the remote control user identification information storage means is provided in a remote controller stored corresponding to the chairmanship information. When the operation information is acquired from the operation means, the pointer display position fixing means fixes the display positions of all the other pointers, and further, the pointer indicated by the remote control corresponding to the chairperson right information by the pointer display state determination means If there is a pointer corresponding to the remote controller to which the operation right is granted among the pointers determined to be in a state where the relative distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance, the remote control of the remote control to which the operation right is granted An operation right releasing means for releasing the operation right is provided.

  In the display control device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the relative distance between the plurality of pointers in the display device is calculated, and the relative distance between the pointer corresponding to the remote controller to which the operation right is given and the other pointer is predetermined. When it is determined whether or not the distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance, and it is determined that the distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance and the operation information is acquired from the operation means, the operation right can be given to the remote controller corresponding to another pointer. Therefore, the user can operate the basic display information in the display device by bringing the pointer of the user having the operation right close to the pointer of the other user to whom the operation right is to be given. . Further, in order to give an operation right to other users, an extra space such as a dedicated menu screen is not required in the display device, and the operation right can be easily given by operating the pointer.

  In the display control device according to the second aspect, when the operation information is acquired from the remote controller to which the operation right is given, the display position of the other pointer can be fixed for a predetermined time. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the remote control user who is given the operation right can accurately bring his / her pointer close to another fixed pointer. An operation right can be easily granted.

  In the display control device according to the third aspect, when the operation information is acquired from the remote controller to which the operation right is given, the display positions of all other pointers can be fixed for a predetermined time. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 2, the remote control user who is given the operation right does not interfere with the operation of other pointers, and accurately moves to the pointer corresponding to the remote control to which the operation right is to be given. Since the user's own pointer can be brought closer, the operation right can be given to other users more easily.

  In the display control device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when operation information is acquired from a remote controller to which no operation right is given, the display position of the pointer corresponding to the remote controller can be fixed. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 2, the remote control user who is not given the operation right can make an intention to give the operation right to the remote control user who is given the operation right. .

  In the display control device according to the fifth aspect of the invention, the display position of the pointer can be fixed while the operation information is acquired from the remote controller to which the operation right is given. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 2 to 4, the remote control user who is given the operation right can more reliably give the operation right to another user.

  In the display control device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when there are a plurality of pointers determined to be in a state equal to or less than the predetermined distance in the display device, the pointer is relative to the pointer corresponding to the remote control to which the operation right is given. An operation right can be given to a remote controller corresponding to a pointer with a small distance. Therefore, in addition to the effects of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the remote control user who is given the operation right surely transfers the operation right to the remote control user corresponding to the pointer closest to the own pointer. can do.

  In the display control device according to the seventh aspect of the invention, the display data can be created by associating the user information with the remote control identification information. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the remote control user can know which user each pointer belongs to on the display screen. There is no, and the operation right can be transferred accurately.

  In the display control apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the invention, display data including the user name and the user information can be created. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 7, since the remote controller user can know the user name from the display data, the user can be specified more accurately without making a mistake with other users.

  In the display control device according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, when the operation right is newly given to the remote control, display data for changing the display state of the pointer corresponding to the remote control to which the operation right is given can be created. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the remote control user can confirm that the operation right is surely given by viewing the display state of the display data.

  In the video conference system of the invention according to claim 10, the relative distances between the pointers corresponding to the remote controller to which the operation right is given are calculated by calculating the relative distances of the plurality of pointers in the display device, respectively. When it is determined whether or not the distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance, and when it is determined that the distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance and the operation information is acquired from the operation means, the operation right can be given to the remote controller corresponding to another pointer. Therefore, the user can operate the basic display information in the display device by bringing the pointer of the user having the operation right close to the pointer of the other user to whom the operation right is to be given. . Further, in order to give an operation right to other users, an extra right space such as a dedicated menu screen is not required in the display device even during a meeting, and the operation right can be easily given by operating a pointer.

  In the video conference system according to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, when the operation information is acquired from the remote controller to which the operation right is given, the display position of the other pointer can be fixed for a predetermined time. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 10, the remote control user who is given the operation right can accurately bring his / her pointer close to other fixed pointers. Operation rights can be granted.

  In the video conference system according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, display data can be created by associating user information with remote control identification information. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 10 to 11, the remote control user can know which user each pointer is on the display screen. The operation right can be given accurately.

  In the video conference system according to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, chair right information relating to the chair right given only to some of the users participating in the video conference system is stored in association with the user information, and the chair right An operation right can always be given to the remote controller stored corresponding to the information. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 12, the remote control user having the chairperson right always controls the basic display information in the display device even when there is another remote control user to which the operation right is given. be able to.

  In the video conference system according to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, when the operation information is acquired from the remote controller stored corresponding to the chairmanship information, the display positions of all other pointers are fixed, and the remote controller corresponding to the chairmanship information If there is a pointer corresponding to the remote control to which the operation right is given among the pointers determined to be in a state where the relative distance from the pointer indicated by is not more than the predetermined distance, the operation right is given. The right to operate the remote control can be canceled. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 13, the remote control user having the chairperson's right can operate the basic display information in the display device more than necessary by another remote control user who is given the operation right. Can be prevented.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings to be referred to are used for explaining the technical features that can be adopted by the present invention, and the configuration of the apparatus described, the flowchart of various processes, etc., unless otherwise specified. It is not intended to be limited to that, but merely an illustrative example.

  First, the overall configuration of the video conference system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the video conference system 100 includes a display control device 10 that is a server, a multipoint connection device 40, and a television (TV) conference terminal device 50 provided at a base 30, all of which are networked. 20 is connected. As the network 20, for example, a network such as IP (Internet Protocol) or ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) can be adopted. In FIG. 1, only one base 30 is shown, but there are actually a plurality of bases 30. For example, a plurality of bases 30 may exist in the same site of a certain company, or may exist in different offices or in different regions or countries.

  The display control device 10 is a known personal computer, for example, and is a general-purpose device. The display control apparatus 10 performs various processes related to a TV conference (hereinafter simply referred to as a conference) that is performed using the TV conference terminal device 50 between a plurality of bases 30 connected via the network 20. Details of the configuration of the display control device 10 and various processes performed by the display control device 10 will be described later.

  Although the present embodiment employs a client-server configuration, it may employ a P2P (peer to peer) configuration.

  The multipoint connection device 40 is connected to the TV conference terminal device 50 provided in the plurality of bases 30 via the network 20, and relays images, sounds, data, etc. from the terminal device 50, thereby This is a device for realizing a TV conference. Hereinafter, the multipoint control unit 40 is abbreviated as MCU 40.

  As the TV conference terminal device 50, a well-known TV which incorporates a codec capable of compressing and transmitting image and audio data and decoding and outputting the received compressed and encoded image and audio data. A conference terminal device can be employed. The video conference terminal device 50 includes a display device 51 that displays an image transmitted from the MCU 40, a camera 52 that captures conference participants at the site 30, a microphone 53 that inputs audio, a speaker 54 that outputs audio, a keyboard, and the like. An input device 56 is connected, and a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as “remote controller”) 6 (601 to 602) for a conference participant to instruct the display device 51 to display a pointer is connected via the remote control communication device 55. ing.

The remote control 6 transmits the remote control information including the pointer instruction coordinate information and the remote control ID (identification information for identifying the remote control) on the infrared communication to the remote control communication device 55. The remote control communication device 55 is provided with an infrared receiving circuit and receives a signal transmitted from the remote control 6. For communication between the remote controller 6 and the remote controller communication device 55, a signal line, radio, or the like can be used in addition to the infrared rays. The terminal device 50 outputs the remote control information acquired by the remote control communication device 55 to the display control device 10 periodically (for example, every 20 milliseconds). Then, the display control device 10 creates display data based on the remote control information received from the plurality of bases 30 and displays a pointer on the display device 51 via the terminal device 50 at each base 30.
Details of the pointer display state on the display device 51 will be described later.

  Next, the electrical configurations of the display control device 10 and the remote controller 6 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the display control device 10 includes a CPU 11 and a ROM 12 and a RAM 13 connected to the CPU 11. In addition, an input / output (I / O) interface 14 is connected to the CPU 11. Connected to the I / O interface 14 are a recording device (hereinafter referred to as “HDD”, such as a hard disk device (HDD)) 15, a mouse controller 16, a video controller 17, a key controller 18, and a communication device 19.

  The CPU 11 governs overall control of the display control device 10. The ROM 12 stores various programs including the BIOS for operating the display control apparatus 10 and set values for the programs. The CPU 11 controls the operation of the display control device 10 according to a program stored in the ROM 12 or an HDD 15 described later. The RAM 13 is a storage device for temporarily storing various data. A mouse 161, a display device 171, and a keyboard 181 are connected to the mouse controller 16, video controller 17, and key controller 18, respectively. The communication device 19 is connected to the network 20 and transmits / receives data to / from an external device such as the conference terminal device 50.

  Here, details of the HDD 15 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the HDD 15 includes a plurality of storage areas including a user database (DB) storage area 151 and a program storage area 152.

A user DB 1510 (see FIG. 4) is stored in the user DB storage area 151 (see FIG. 2). The user DB 1510 stores information related to users who use the remote control 6 at each site 30 (hereinafter referred to as user information). The user information is created for each user, and includes, for example, a user ID, a user name, an affiliation and a login state, and an operation right presence / absence state as shown in FIG. The user ID is a unique identification code given to each user. The user name is the name of the user, and is stored in a name and a surname. Affiliation is the name of the company or organization to which the user belongs. As such information, information previously input by the user may be registered. The login state is stored as ON when participating in the conference, and is stored as OFF when not participating. When a user participates in a conference at each site 30, if his / her ID is registered in the terminal device 50, the login state of the user is stored as ON. When the conference ends or when the user inputs to the terminal device 50 that the user exits during the conference, the login state of the user is updated and stored as OFF.
Further, the operation right presence / absence state is stored as ON indicating that the right to operate the basic display information displayed on the display device 51 of each base using the remote controller 6 is given. Only a user who uses a remote controller to which an operation right is given can operate basic display information such as icons displayed on the display screen, screen document data, graphic data, and the like. Further, which user is given the operation right to the remote controller used at the beginning of the conference may be set in the terminal device 50 in advance by discussion between the users, or to the terminal device 50 in order for the user to participate in the conference. It may be determined in the order of ID registration.

  The user information may include other information related to the user, such as the user's telephone number, e-mail address, job title, and the like. In FIG. 4, only user information for five people is shown for convenience of explanation, but the number of user information stored in the user DB 1510 is not limited to this.

  Although not shown in detail, the program storage area 152 shown in FIG. 2 stores various programs for causing the display control apparatus 10 to execute various processes. For example, those programs stored in a CD-ROM are installed via a CD-ROM drive (not shown) and stored in the program storage area 154. Alternatively, a program downloaded via the network 20 may be stored in the program storage area 154. In addition, the HDD 15 stores setting values used in various processes.

Next, the electrical configuration of the remote controller 6 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the remote controller 6 includes a CPU 61, a RAM 60, a ROM 62 and an input / output (I / O) interface 68 that control the remote controller 6, and these are connected to each other by a bus 67. . The I / O interface 68 is connected to a light receiving unit 63, a signal transmitting / receiving unit 64, and a determination button 66, and these operate as follows under the control of the CPU 61, RAM 60, and ROM 62.

  The decision button 66 is an operation means of the remote controller 6. When the remote control user presses the enter button 66, the signal transmission / reception unit 64 transmits a signal as operation information to the remote control communication device 55. Note that the determination button 66 does not have to be provided in all the remote controllers 6, and may be provided only in some predetermined remote controllers in order to give an operation right to be described later to the remote controllers.

  The remote controller 6 instructs to display a pointer on the display screen of the display device 51 as a so-called pointing device. For example, the light receiving unit 63 detects light emitted from a light emitting unit (not shown) provided around the display of the display device 51, and based on this, the CPU 61, RAM 60, and ROM 62 determine the position of the light source, That is, the position on the display of the display device 51 indicated by the remote controller 6 is analyzed, and pointer indication coordinate information is created. The signal transmitting / receiving unit 64 transmits the pointer instruction coordinate information to the remote control communication device 55 on infrared rays. Further, the pointer instruction coordinate information can be similarly generated by detecting light emitted from the remote controller 6 on the display device 51 side.

  Further, if the remote controller 6 is a device operated by the user, the remote controller 6 can be configured in the same way as a general-purpose mouse, trackball, and joystick, and the terminal device 50 designates a pointer based on the direction of movement and the amount of movement. Coordinate information can also be created. In addition, in a meeting, a user who is given an operation right can operate basic display information such as document data and graphic data on the screen with the above pointing devices, but a keyboard or the like can also be used as a remote control. Can do.

  Next, various processes performed in the display control apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, referring to FIG. 6, the display state of pointers (601a, 602b, 603c, 604d) displayed on the display device 51 (511.512) of each base (hereinafter referred to as base 301, base 302). explain.

  The base 301 and the base 302 correspond to the base 30 in FIG. 1, are installed at locations separated from each other, and are connected to the display control apparatus 10 via the network 20. At the base 301, a user 3011 and a user 3012 are participating in the conference. Further, the user 3011 operates a remote controller 601 corresponding to the remote controller 6 in FIG. 1 to point the pointer 601 a on the screen of the display device 511. The user 3012 operates the remote controller 602 to indicate the pointer 602b. Similarly, at the base 302, the user 3021 and the user 3022 are participating in the conference, and the user 3021 operates the remote controller 603 to point the display device 512 with the pointer 603c. In addition, the user 3022 operates the remote controller 604. However, since the user 3022 does not point the remote controller 604 toward the display device 512, the pointer 604d corresponding to the remote controller 604 is fixedly displayed at a predetermined position.

  Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the user name of the remote control is displayed near the pointer, so it is possible to identify which user is instructing. This can be done by registering which remote controller to use when the user inputs the user ID to the terminal device 50 at each site when participating in the conference, and associating the remote controller with the user ID. Each pointer (601a, 602b, 603c, 604d) has a displayed shape (in this embodiment, 601a: circular, 602b: square, 603c: pentagon, 604d: triangle) or color as shown in FIG. Since one or both of them are different from each other, even if the remote control and the user ID are not associated with each other, it is not necessary to display the user name if there is an agreement in advance between the users who designates which pointer. Also good. Further, only the user name may be used as the pointer.

  Further, pointers 603c and 604d operated at the base 302 are also displayed on the display device 511 at the base 301, and pointers 601a and 602b operated at the base 301 are also displayed on the display device 512 at the base 302. Therefore, the remote control operation status of the user can be grasped even at a remote place. Although not shown in FIG. 5, the base 301 and the base 302 are also provided with the terminal device 50, the camera 52, the microphone 53, and the speaker 54 shown in FIG. It goes without saying that the conference can proceed while using the video and audio of each site (301, 302).

  Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the pointer generation process performed in the display control apparatus 10 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of pointer generation processing performed in the display control apparatus 10. The pointer generation process is started when the power of the display control device 10 is turned on, and is repeatedly started after a predetermined time has elapsed from the end of the process while the power is on. First, it is determined whether remote control information has been acquired from the terminal device 50 at each site 30 (S1). Specifically, after the terminal device 50 at the base 30 is turned on and connected to the display control device 10 via the network 20, the remote control information of the remote controller participating in the conference is transmitted from the terminal device 50. Then, the CPU 11 determines that the remote control information can be acquired (S1: YES), but if it cannot be acquired (S1: NO), the CPU 11 is in a standby state until it can be acquired. Next, when the remote control information can be acquired (S1: YES), it is determined whether or not pointer instruction coordinate information is included (S2). If it is included (S2: YES), it is determined whether there is a pointer display fixing instruction (S300). Details of the display fixing instruction will be described later. If it is determined in step S300 that there is no display fixing instruction (S300: NO), a remote control information data table 1310 is created and updated and stored in the RAM 13 (S3). When it is determined that there is a display fixing instruction in the process of S300 (S300: YES), the display data creation process (S5) is executed without updating the remote control information data table 1310. Therefore, while it is determined that there is a display fixing instruction, the corresponding pointer coordinate value in the remote control information data table is not updated and stored, so the display position of the pointer in the display device is fixed. If the winter instruction coordinate information is not included (S2: NO), a predetermined pointer coordinate value in the display device 51 is stored in the remote control information data table 1310 (S4). The case where the pointer instruction coordinate information is not included in the remote control information is a state in which the user does not point the remote control 6 toward the display device 51, so that the corresponding pointer is displayed even in this state. A predetermined pointer coordinate value is stored. The predetermined position is preferably a position as close as possible to the outline of the screen of the display device 51 so as not to hinder the progress of the conference, and is set in advance, but the setting can be changed at the terminal device 50 at the base 30. Shall.

  Therefore, the remote control information data table 1310 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The remote control information data table 1310 is information at a certain timing acquired from the remote controllers used at the bases 301 and 302 in FIG. The remote control ID is an ID for identifying the remote control 6 used at each site. The user ID is an ID input by the user at the terminal device 50 at each site when the user joins the conference, and is associated with the remote control ID when the user ID is input. For example, the remote control ID: R001 is associated with the user ID: Y001, and the remote control ID: R002 is stored in association with the user ID: Y002.

  The pointer coordinate value is decomposed into an X coordinate value in the X direction and a Y coordinate value in the Y direction in order to determine to which position of the display device 51 the user points the remote controller 6 at each base 30. Coordinate value. With respect to the X coordinate value, the display device 511 at the base 301 uses the reference point 511C at the center of the screen as a reference (X coordinate value: 0), and the coordinate value is stored with the + sign on the right side and the minus sign on the left side. . Similarly, the Y-coordinate value is a coordinate value stored with the reference point 511C as a reference (Y-coordinate value: 0) with a sign of + on the upper side and a sign of-on the lower side. Similarly, at the base 302, the coordinate value is determined using the reference point 512C as the pointer coordinate reference point. Since the remote control information is periodically transmitted, the pointer coordinate value is updated and stored each time.

  For example, the remote controller ID: R001 acquires information of the pointer coordinate value X coordinate: −100, Y coordinate +250, and the remote controller ID: R002 acquires information of the X coordinate value: +80 and the Y coordinate value: −50. The remote controller ID: R004 has an X coordinate value: +500 and a Y coordinate value: -500, and it is determined that the pointer instruction coordinate information is not included in the remote control information in the process of S2. In the case (S2: NO), a predetermined coordinate value is stored (S4).

  Each pointer shape and color is stored in the remote control information data table 1310 of the RAM 13 in advance in correspondence with the remote control ID, and the user name in FIG. These shapes, colors, names, and the like can be set and changed at the terminal device 50 at each base 30 and can be changed as appropriate.

  In addition, the operation right is stored in association with the remote controller ID and the user ID stored in the user DB 1510 (FIG. 4) where the operation right presence / absence state is ON, and is stored as 1 in the remote control having the operation right. The

  Subsequently, the CPU 11 performs display data creation processing (S5) based on the remote control information data table 1310 stored in the RAM 13. The display data is data for displaying a pointer image on the display device 51 at each site 30, and a creation process is periodically performed based on each data stored in the remote control information data table 1310 of the RAM 13. .

  Next, display data output processing (S7) is executed, and display data is output to the display device 51 at each site 30.

With the above pointer generation processing, it is possible to display each pointer designated by all remote controllers at each site. In the base 301 in FIG. 5, the user 3011 (user ID: Y001) operates the remote controller 601 (remote controller ID: R001) toward the display device 511 to point the pointer 601a. Similarly, the user 3012 (user ID: Y002) operates the remote controller 602 (remote controller ID: R002) to point the pointer 602b. At the base 302, the user 3012 (user ID: Y003) points to the pointer 603c, but the user 3022 (user ID: Y004) operates the remote controller 604 (remote controller ID: R004) toward the display device 512. Since it is not in the state, the corresponding pointer 604d is displayed at a predetermined position closer to the outline.
In addition, since all pointers are displayed on the respective display devices (511, 512) at the base 301 and the base 302, the user participating in the conference is checking the remote controller operation status of other users. Can operate the remote control.

  Next, referring to FIG. 12, a user using a remote control to which an operation right is given moves close to a pointer of another user while looking at the display device during the conference. A process for giving an operation right to the remote controller that indicates the approaching pointer will be described.

  Note that a user using a remote control to which an operation right is given operates the remote control to move his / her pointer to a free position on the screen to switch the display on the screen, or to display one document or graphic data. The part can be specified and corrected. However, a user using a remote controller without an operation right can move the pointer to a free position on the screen and point to a part of the document or graphic data, but cannot correct it. That is, the display control device 10 controls basic display information on each display device 51 based on the operation of the remote controller to which the operation right is given.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an operation right grant process for assigning an operation right, which is repeated continuously in a state where the pointer generation of FIG. 7 has been completed. Since the remote control information data table 1310 is created in the RAM 13 by the processing of FIG. 7, pointer coordinate values are read from the remote control information data table 1310 (S11). Then, the relative distance between the pointer coordinate value corresponding to the remote controller ID having the operation right in the remote control information data table 1310 and the other pointer coordinate values is calculated (S12).

Therefore, a pointer relative distance calculation method will be described. The relative distance is a distance between the pointers on the display screen, and a Pythagorean three-square theorem, which is a general theorem, may be used as a calculation method. For example, the relative distance in the case of the remote control IDs R001 and R002 in the remote control information data table 1310 is
Relative distance = √ {(100 + 80) ^ 2 + (250 + 50) ^ 2} = 348.9
It becomes. Similarly, in the case of remote control IDs: R001 and R003,
Relative distance = √ {(300−100) ^ 2 + (280−250) ^ 2} = 202.2.
It becomes.

  9 is stored in the RAM 13 after this processing is performed for the combination of the remote control ID: R001 having the operation right and another remote control.

  Then, it is determined whether or not there is a pointer set within a predetermined distance in the relative distance data 1311 (S14). The predetermined distance here is a set value stored in the ROM 12 in advance. In this embodiment, the set value of the predetermined distance is set to a predetermined distance: 50.

  An appropriate value for this set value is to set a distance when the user brings the pointer close enough to overlap another user's pointer on the display screen. In addition, the set value of the predetermined distance can be appropriately changed by the terminal device 50 at the base 30 or the display control device 10.

  If there is no set of the predetermined distance: 50 or less in the relative distance data 1311 in FIG. 9, that is, there is no overlapping pointer as shown in FIG. 5 (S14: NO), the process returns to S11.

  In FIG. 6, the user 3011 at the site 301 brings his pointer 601 a closer to the pointer 603 c indicated by the user 3021 from the state of FIG. 5. The remote control information data table 1312 of the RAM 13 in this state is as shown in FIG. As described above, pointer coordinate values are read from this table 1312 (S11). Then, the relative distance between the pointer coordinate value corresponding to the remote controller ID having the operation right in the remote control information data table 1312 and the other pointer coordinate values is calculated (S12), and the relative distance data 1313 in FIG. The

  Then, it is determined whether or not there is a pointer set having a predetermined distance of 50 or less in the relative distance data 1313 (S14).

  In FIG. 6, 3011 participating in the base 301 operates the remote controller 601 (ID: R001) while pointing the pointer 601a, and the pointer 603c of the remote controller 603 (ID: R003) operated by the user 3021 at the base 302. In the relative distance data 1313 processed in the state of FIG. 6, only the combination of the remote controller IDs: R001 and R003 is a predetermined distance: 50 or less. That is, it is determined that there is a pointer set equal to or less than the predetermined distance in the process of S14 (S14: YES).

  Further, when there are a plurality of pointers having a predetermined distance or less in the process of S14, a pointer set having the smallest relative distance is determined and processed.

  Further, in a state where it is determined that there is a pointer set equal to or less than the predetermined distance, it is determined whether or not the operation information by the enter button is acquired from the remote control ID: R001 having the operation right (S15). When not acquiring (S15: NO), it returns to the process of S11. In addition, when the user having the operation right wants to give the operation right to the user who uses another remote controller, it is determined that the operation information has been acquired by pressing the enter button (S15: YES), and the pointer is within a predetermined distance. The CPU 11 executes an operation right granting process for assigning an operation right to the remote controller ID: R003 corresponding to another pointer determined to be present, and ends.

  When the operation right granting process is executed, as shown in the remote control information data table 1312 (FIG. 10), 1 indicating that the user ID: Y003 operating the remote control ID: R003 has the operation right is stored. From the user ID: Y001 operating the remote control ID: R001, 0 indicating that the operation right has been released is stored and updated.

  Therefore, when a remote control user who has the operation right wants to give the operation right to another user, the operation right can be given by putting the pointer and pressing the decision button as described above, so that the display is given to give the operation right. No extra space such as a dedicated menu screen is required in the apparatus, and the right to operate the remote control can be easily transferred by operating the pointer.

  Further, even when an operation right is given to a user who does not point the remote controller 604 in the direction of the display device 512, such as the user 3022 at the base 302 (FIG. 6), the pointer 604d stops at a predetermined position near the screen outline. Thus, the user who is given the operation right can give the operation right to the corresponding remote controller 604 by bringing the pointer operated by the user closer to the stopped pointer 604d.

  Therefore, the operation right can be given to a user who is placing the remote control on a desk or the like, or a user who is holding the remote control but not facing the display device.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 13, a modified embodiment of the operation right grant process will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the operation right grant process 2 according to a modified embodiment. First, it is determined whether or not operation information obtained by the enter button is acquired from the remote controller 6 (S111). If not acquired (S111: NO), the determination process of S111 is continued until it is acquired. If it is determined that the operation information by the determination button has been acquired (S111: YES), it is next determined whether or not the remote control is granted the operation right (S112). If it is determined from the remote controller to which the operation right is given (S112: YES), display fixing processing for fixing display data of other pointers in the display device is performed (S113). Further, when the operation information acquisition by the enter button in S111 is acquired from other than the remote controller to which the operation right is given (S112: NO), the display fixing process of fixing the display data of the pointer corresponding to the remote controller that transmitted the operation information. Is executed (S123). The processing in S113 or S123 corresponds to the display fixing instruction (S300) in FIG.

  Next, after resetting the timer for measuring the elapsed time, start processing is executed (S125), and pointer coordinate value reading processing is started (S114). Next, the relative distance between the pointer coordinate value corresponding to the remote control ID having the operation right in the remote control information data table 1310 and the other pointer coordinate values is calculated (S115). Then, it is determined whether or not there is a pointer set within a predetermined distance in the relative distance data 1311 (S117). If it is determined in S117 that there is no pointer less than the predetermined distance (S117: NO), it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed (S126), and if it has not elapsed (S126: NO), the process of S114. Return to. If it is determined that a predetermined time has elapsed in S126 (S126: YES), the process is terminated.

  When it is determined in the process of S117 that there is a pointer that is equal to or less than the predetermined distance (S117: YES), it is determined whether or not the operation information by the enter button is acquired from the remote controller having the operation right (S118). When not acquiring (S118: NO), it returns to the process of S126.

  If the user who has the operation right wants to give the operation right to the user who uses another remote controller, it is determined that the operation information has been acquired by pressing the enter button (S118: YES), and the pointer is less than the predetermined distance. The CPU 11 executes an operation right granting process for assigning an operation right to the remote controller corresponding to another pointer determined to be present, and ends.

  The display fixing process is a process for fixing the position of the pointer on the screen at the time when the operation information by the determination button is acquired regardless of the operation of the remote controller corresponding to the pointer. Further, in the display fixing process, the fixing process is released after the operation right granting process in step S119 is completed or after it is determined that a predetermined time has elapsed in the process in step S126 (S126: YES).

  As described above, if the operation right granting process 2 is performed, a user who operates the remote controller to which the operation right is given during the conference is granted the operation right when the user wants to transfer the operation right to another user. When the user presses the enter button on the remote controller, the display data of other pointers displayed in the display device can be fixed for a predetermined time. Therefore, the user who is given the operation right can easily give the operation right by bringing the pointer closer to the pointer operated by the user who wants to give the operation right and pressing the enter button (S118).

  In addition, when a user of a remote controller who has not been given an operation right during a conference desires an operation right, when the user presses a determination button on the remote control, the display data of the pointer corresponding to his / her remote control is fixed for a predetermined time ( S123). Therefore, the user who is given the operation right can easily check which user wants the operation right, and it is easy by pressing the decision button close to the pointer of the user who wants the operation right. Operation rights can be granted to. In this case, the intention display that desires the operation right may be emphasized by blinking the pointer display.

  Further, the pointer display fixing process in steps S113 and S123 is performed while the operation information acquired in S111 is acquired, that is, while the determination button 66 of the remote controller is being pressed, the pointer is displayed on the display device. Processing may be fixed. In this case, the remote control user can maintain the display fixation of another pointer in the display device or the own pointer by holding down the determination button, and can more reliably give the operation right.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 14 to 17, a modified embodiment of the operation right grant process will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the operation right granting process 3. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of the user DB 1610 in this modified embodiment, and FIGS. 16 and 17 are explanatory diagrams of the remote control information data tables 1611 and 1612.

  First, in this modified embodiment, it is possible to set a chairperson right to which an operation right is always given in a meeting, for example, for only one of the users participating in the meeting. Since the remote controller 6 corresponding to the user having the chairperson right is in a state in which the operation right is always given, the basic display information displayed on the display device 51 can be constantly controlled during the meeting. The chairperson right may be set when the user registers ID in the terminal device 50 before the start of the conference, and the user DB 1610 (FIG. 15) is stored. The user DB 1610 in FIG. 15 is a user DB in which the chairman right presence / absence state is added to the user DB 1510 in FIG. 4.

  In FIG. 15, since the chairperson right is set to the user with the user ID Y001, the chairperson right presence / absence state is stored as ON, and the other users are stored as OFF. Since there is only one chairmanship per meeting, once the chairmanship is set at that meeting, other users cannot set the chairmanship thereafter.

Next, a flowchart of the operation right grant process 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
First, it is determined whether or not operation information obtained by the enter button is acquired from the remote controller 6 (S211). If not acquired (S211: NO), the determination process of S211 is continued until it is acquired. When it is determined that the operation information by the determination button has been acquired (S211: YES), it is then determined whether or not the operation information has been acquired from the remote controller 6 to which the chairperson right has been granted (S212). If it is determined that the remote control (remote control ID: R001) to which the chairmanship has been granted (S212: YES), pointer display data corresponding to the other remote controls (remote control IDs: R002 to R004) is stored in the display device. In step S213, the display fixing process is fixed. If the operation information acquisition by the decision button 66 is acquired from other than the remote control 6 to which the chairperson right is given in S211 (S212: NO), the pointer display data corresponding to the remote control 6 that transmitted the operation information is fixed. The display fixing process (S223) is executed. The process of S213 or S223 corresponds to the display fixing instruction (S300) of FIG.

  Next, after resetting the timer for measuring the elapsed time, start processing is executed (S225), and pointer coordinate value reading processing is started (S214).

  Next, the relative distance between the pointer coordinate value corresponding to the remote control ID having the chairmanship in the remote control information data table 1611 and the other pointer coordinate values is calculated (S215). Then, it is determined whether or not there is a pointer set within a predetermined distance in the relative distance data 1311 (S217). When it is determined that there is no pointer of a predetermined distance or less in the process of S217 (S217: NO), it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed (S226), and when it has not elapsed (S226: NO), the process of S214 Return to. If it is determined in step S226 that the predetermined time has elapsed (S226: YES), the pointer display fixing process is canceled and the process ends.

  The remote control information data table 1611 (FIG. 16) in the present modified embodiment is information at a certain timing acquired from the remote control used at the base 301 and the base 302 in FIG. 5, and the relative distance data of the pointer corresponding thereto. Is the same as the relative distance data 1313 of FIG.

  Therefore, in the process of S217, it is determined that the relative distance between the pointer corresponding to the remote controller ID: R001 to which the chairmanship is granted and the pointer corresponding to the remote controller ID: R003 is a predetermined distance or less.

  Subsequently, when it is determined that there is a pointer corresponding to the remote controller 6 to which the chairmanship is granted and a pointer within a predetermined distance (S217: YES), an operation is then performed from the remote controller 6 to which the chairperson is granted. It is determined whether information has been acquired (S218). When the operation information is not acquired from the remote controller 6 to which the chairmanship is granted (S218: NO), the process returns to S226. If it is determined that the operation information has been acquired from the remote control to which the chairmanship is granted (remote control ID: R001), the remote control corresponding to the pointer determined to be within the predetermined distance in the process of S217 is included. Then, it is determined whether or not there is a remote controller 6 to which an operation right is given (S219).

  In the remote control information data table 1611 of FIG. 16, the remote controller 6 for which the relative distance to the pointer corresponding to the remote controller to which the chairperson right is granted is determined to be equal to or less than the predetermined distance is only the remote controller ID: R003, and the operation right is granted. In step S219, it is determined that there is no other remote controller to which the operation right is given (S219: NO).

  As described above, when it is determined in step S219 that there is no remote controller 6 to which an operation right is given (S219: NO), an operation right granting process for giving an operation right to the remote control 6 (remote control ID: R003). Is executed, the pointer display fixing process is canceled, and the operation right giving process 3 ends.

  When the above operation assignment process is executed, the operation right of the remote control ID: R003 is updated and stored in the remote control information data table 1612 of FIG. In this modified embodiment, since the chairperson right is assigned to the remote controller ID: R001, the operation right state of the remote controller ID: R001 remains unchanged.

  If it is determined in step S219 that there is a remote controller 6 to which an operation right is granted (S219: YES), an operation right release process for releasing the operation right from the remote control is executed (S220), and the pointer The display fixing process is canceled, and the operation right granting process 3 ends.

  Therefore, in the above embodiment, a user who has been granted the chairman's right adds the operation right to another user while maintaining his own operation right, or from another user who has been given the operation right. Since the operation right can be canceled, the conference can proceed smoothly.

  Although not shown, in all the above embodiments, when the operation right granting process is executed, the display state of the pointer corresponding to the remote controller to which the operation right is newly given, for example, the color is changed. The user can surely confirm that the operation right has been newly granted by changing the pointer size or the like.

  Further, S118 in FIG. 13 and S218 in FIG. 14 may be omitted. In this case, the operation right can be given only by pressing the enter button in advance (S111, S211) to display the intention to give the operation right and then moving the pointer closer.

  In the present embodiment, the display control device 10 corresponds to the “display control device” in claim 1, and the portion of the CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 of the display control device 10 that executes the processing of S 1 in FIG. "Acquisition means", the part that executes the process of S5 is "display data creation means", the part that executes the process of S7 is "display data output means", and the part that executes the processes of S12 to S14 in FIG. The part for executing the process of “state determination means”, S16 is “operation right granting means”, the processes of S113 and S114 of FIG. 13 are “pointer display position fixing means” of claim 2, and the process of S220 is of claim 14. This corresponds to “operation right release means”.

  Further, the user DB storage area 151 stored in the HDD 15 of the display control device 10 corresponds to the “user information storage means” of the present invention, and the remote control information data tables of FIGS. 1 corresponds to “remote control information”, and the RAM 13 of the display control device 10 corresponds to “remote control user identification information storage means”.

  It should be noted that the configurations and processes shown in the above-described embodiments are examples, and it goes without saying that various processes can be modified. For example, the video conference system 100 according to the present embodiment employs a client-server type configuration, but may adopt a P2P (peer to peer) type configuration, and in this case, various processes processed by the display control apparatus 10. May be processed by the terminal device 50 at the site 30.

1 is a system configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of a video conference system 100. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the display control device 10. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a remote controller 6. FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the user database storage area 1510. FIG. It is a display state explanatory drawing of a pointer. It is a display state explanatory drawing of a pointer. 4 is a flowchart of pointer generation processing performed in the display control device 10. It is explanatory drawing of the remote control information data table 1310. FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the pointer relative distance data. It is explanatory drawing of the remote control information data table. It is explanatory drawing of the pointer relative distance data. 4 is a flowchart of an operation right grant process performed in the display control apparatus 10. It is a flowchart about the operation right provision process 2 of deformation | transformation embodiment. It is a flowchart about the operation right provision process 3 of deformation | transformation embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the user database storage area 1610. FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the remote control information data table. It is explanatory drawing of the remote control information data table.

Explanation of symbols

6 Remote control 10 Display control device 15 HDD
30 bases 50 terminal devices 51 display devices 1310 remote control information data table 1311 pointer relative distance data 1510 user database

Claims (14)

In the display control device that displays the pointers corresponding to the plurality of remote controls for the basic display information displayed on the display device, receives instructions from at least one of the plurality of remote controls, and controls the basic display information.
Remote control information acquisition means for acquiring remote control information including pointer indication coordinate information for displaying each pointer corresponding to each remote control on the display device, and remote control identification information;
Display data creating means for creating display data for displaying each pointer on the display device based on the remote control information obtained by the remote control information obtaining means;
Display data output means for outputting the display data created by the display data creation means to the display device;
Operation right giving means for giving an operation right to operate basic display information displayed on the display device to at least one remote control of the plurality of remote controls;
An operating means provided on the remote control for outputting operation information;
Pointer display state determination means for calculating a relative distance between the display positions of the plurality of pointers in the display device based on the pointer instruction coordinate information and determining whether the relative distance is greater than or less than a predetermined distance. And
The operation right giving means determines that there is another pointer in a state where a relative distance from a pointer corresponding to the remote controller to which the operation right is given is a predetermined distance or less by the pointer display state determination means, and A display control device, wherein when the operation information is acquired from the operation means, an operation right is given to a remote controller corresponding to the other pointer. Pointer display position fixing means for fixing a display position of at least one of the pointers for a predetermined time in the display device when operation information is acquired from the operation means provided in the remote controller to which the operation right is given Prepared,
The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation right granting unit gives the operation right to a remote controller corresponding to the pointer that is in the fixed distance or less in the fixed state.   When the pointer display position fixing unit acquires operation information from the operation unit provided in the remote controller to which the operation right is granted, the pointer display position fixing unit displays pointers corresponding to all remote controllers to which the operation right is not given. The display control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the position is fixed for a predetermined time.   The pointer display position fixing means fixes the display position of the pointer corresponding to the remote control for a predetermined time when the operation information is acquired from the operation means provided in the remote control to which the operation right is not given. The display control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:   The pointer display position fixing unit fixes the display position of the pointer while acquiring operation information from the operation unit provided in a remote controller to which an operation right is given. The display control apparatus according to any one of 2 to 4.   When there are a plurality of pointers determined by the pointer display state determination means to be in a state of a predetermined distance or less, the remote controller corresponding to the pointer having the smallest relative distance from the pointer corresponding to the remote controller to which the operation right is given The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation right granting unit grants the operation right. User information storage means for storing information about the user;
Remote control user identification information storage means for storing remote control user identification information in association with the user information and the remote control identification information;
The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display data creating unit creates display data including the remote control user identification information. The remote control user identification information storage means stores remote control user identification information including a user name,
The display control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the display data creating unit creates display data including the user name.   When the operation right is newly given to the remote control by the operation right giving means, the display data creating means creates display data for changing the display state of the pointer corresponding to the remote control to which the operation right is given. The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: In a video conference system comprising a terminal device connected to a remote controller and a display device at a plurality of bases, and connecting the plurality of terminals via a network,
Remote control information acquisition means for acquiring remote control information including pointer indication coordinate information and remote control identification information for displaying each pointer corresponding to each remote control on the display device;
Display data creation means for creating display data of the pointer including identification information corresponding to the remote control identification information in the display device based on the remote control information obtained by the remote control information obtaining means;
Display data output means for outputting the display data created by the display data creation means to the display device;
Operation right giving means for giving an operation right to operate basic display information displayed on the display device to at least one remote control of the plurality of remote controls;
Pointer display state determination means for calculating a relative distance between display positions of the plurality of pointers in the display device based on the pointer instruction coordinate information and determining whether the relative distance is greater than or less than a predetermined distance; With
The operation right giving means determines that there is another pointer in a state where a relative distance from a pointer corresponding to the remote controller to which the operation right is given is a predetermined distance or less by the pointer display state determination means, and An operation right is given to a remote controller corresponding to the other pointer when operation information is acquired from an operation means. Pointer display position fixing means for fixing a display position of at least one of the pointers for a predetermined time in the display device when operation information is acquired from the operation means provided in each remote controller to which the operation right is given Prepared,
11. The video conference system according to claim 10, wherein the operation right granting unit gives the operation right to a remote controller corresponding to the pointer that is not more than the predetermined distance in the fixed state. User information storage means for storing information about the user;
Remote control user identification information storage means for storing remote control user identification information in association with the user information and the remote control identification information;
The video conference system according to any one of claims 10 to 11, wherein the display data creating means creates display data including the remote control user identification information.   The user information storage means stores chairmanship information related to the chairmanship that is given only to some of the users participating in the video conference system, in association with the user information, and the remote control user identification 13. The video conference system according to claim 12, wherein the operation right granting unit always gives the operation right to a remote controller stored in correspondence with the chairperson right information in the information storage unit.   When the operation information is acquired from the operation means provided in the remote controller stored in correspondence with the chairperson right information in the remote control user identification information storage means, the pointer display position fixing means displays all other pointers. The operation right is fixed among the pointers determined to be in a state in which the position is fixed and the relative distance from the pointer indicated by the remote controller corresponding to the chairperson right information is a predetermined distance or less by the pointer display state determination means. 14. The video conference according to claim 13, further comprising operation right release means for releasing the operation right of the remote controller to which the operation right is granted when there is a pointer corresponding to the assigned remote control. system.

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