JP2011066794A - Meeting management device, and meeting management method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To support smooth progress of a meeting by exactly determining progress situations of the meeting, and notifying meeting section participants of result of determination. <P>SOLUTION: A meeting management device is provided with: a voice recognition section which acquires and analyzes remarks of the meeting participants; an output section which outputs meeting materials, images and voice of the meeting participants to an external terminal for the meeting participants; a keyword storage section which preliminarily stores affirmative keywords or key phrases specified as the ones expressing the smooth progress of the meeting, and negative keywords or key phrases specified as the ones expressing disputed progress; a keyword extraction section which extracts phrases matched with or similar to any of the keywords or key phrases from the analyzed remarks; and a totalizing section which classifies the extracted phrases into the ones belonging to the affirmative keywords or key phrases and the ones belonging to the negative keywords or key phrases to be totalized, and determines whether or not the progress of the meeting is smooth on the basis of the results of classification and totalization, wherein the output section outputs determination by the totalizing section to the external terminal as images or voice. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a conference management apparatus and a conference management method for determining the progress of a conference and outputting the determination result to notify a conference participant.

  In recent years, conference systems that save electronic paper and enhance the presentation effect by displaying conference data converted to electronic data at the hands of conference participants or displaying them on a large screen display device installed in the conference room have become widespread. I am doing. In addition, a so-called video conference system in which a person in a remote place exchanges video and audio via communication is becoming widespread. The purpose of such a conference system is to make the progress of the conference more efficient, and to improve the efficiency by omitting the traffic movement time of those who should participate in the conference. In order to support smoother progress of the conference, some proposals regarding the conference system have been made.

For example, in a conference system that electronically records the contents of a conference, if there is a notice that should be noted, the conference participants can insert an electronic “bookmark” into the recorded data for convenience during recording and playback. In addition, a conference management method for managing whether the conference is actively progressing or stagnant by monitoring the insertion state of the bookmark has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Also proposed is a video conference device that recognizes a voice keyword from received audio instead of or together with a normal video of a video conference system, and displays a specific image such as a drawing corresponding to the recognized voice keyword. (See, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2005-109929 A JP 11-355747 A

However, in the conventional conference system, for example, it is possible to determine whether the discussion of the conference is active or stagnant, but whether the discussion of the conference is proceeding smoothly, whether it is confused or derailed, etc. I didn't know that.
Furthermore, it was not possible to determine the level of interest and understanding of the conference participants about the theme and content of the conference.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and can determine the progress of the conference in detail and accurately, and inform the conference participants of the result to support smooth progress of the conference. A conference management apparatus and a conference management method are provided.

  The present invention provides a speech recognition unit that acquires and analyzes speech of a conference participant as an audio signal, and outputs conference materials and / or images and / or audio of any conference participant to an external terminal for the conference participant Output keyword, a positive keyword and / or key phrase defined as representing smooth progress of the meeting, and a negative keyword and / or key phrase defined as representing misleading progress A keyword storage unit that preliminarily stores the keyword, a keyword extraction unit that extracts a phrase that matches or resembles any one of the keyword and / or key phrase from the analyzed utterance, a positive keyword and / or the extracted phrase Categorized and aggregated into key phrases and negative keywords and / or key phrases A counting unit that determines whether or not the progress of the meeting is smooth based on the counting, and the output unit outputs the determination by the counting unit to the external terminal as an image and / or sound. A conference management apparatus is provided.

  Also, from a different point of view, the present invention provides a computer in which the speech of the conference participant is acquired and analyzed as a speech signal using the speech recognition unit, and the conference material and the external terminal for the conference participant are output using the output unit Output the image and / or audio of any conference participant and represent positive keywords and / or key phrases defined as representing the smooth progress of the conference and misleading progress Refer to the phrase data stored in the keyword storage unit in advance as a specified negative keyword and / or key phrase, extract a phrase that matches or is similar to the phrase data from the analyzed utterance, and extract the extracted phrase Those belonging to positive keywords and / or key phrases and those belonging to negative keywords and / or key phrases A conference management method, comprising: determining whether or not the progress of the conference is smooth based on the total and controlling to output the determination as an image and / or sound to the external terminal I will provide a.

  The conference management apparatus of the present invention classifies and aggregates the words and phrases extracted by the aggregation unit into those belonging to positive keywords and / or key phrases and those belonging to negative keywords and / or key phrases, It is determined whether or not the progress of the conference is smooth from the aggregation, and the output unit outputs the determination by the determination unit to the external terminal as an image and / or sound, so that the conference is confused or derailed from the content of the statement. When it is determined that the conference is in progress, it is possible to notify the participants of the fact and to promote cooperation in the smooth progress of the conference. It is possible to objectively grasp the progress of the conference participants who have been notified, especially those who are responsible for the progress of the conference (moderators, etc.), and contribute to appropriate measures and judgments regarding the progress of the conference.

In this invention, the voice recognition unit performs voice recognition processing by receiving a voice signal from, for example, a sound collecting microphone provided in each conference participant external terminal in order to pick up the voice of the conference participant. The specific mode is, for example, an electronic circuit using a so-called voice recognition chip or a digital signal processor for non-specific speaker voice recognition. Alternatively, it may be realized by software processing by a computer.
The output unit is an interface circuit for sending an image signal and an audio signal to an external terminal. A specific aspect of the external terminal is a computer display provided for each conference participant or a large display device visible from each conference participant in the same room. In an embodiment described later, the output unit corresponds to, for example, a signal generation circuit and a signal output circuit that generate and send a video signal and an image signal to a large display device for presentation.

Furthermore, the keyword storage unit is a storage means for storing keyword and / or key phrase data in advance, and a specific mode thereof is, for example, a nonvolatile RAM or a hard disk drive device.
The keyword extraction unit is a processing unit that extracts, from the data recognized by the voice recognition unit, a phrase that matches or is similar to the keyword and / or key phrase stored in the keyword storage unit. An example of the specific mode is realized by a computer executing a processing program stored in advance in a storage unit such as a nonvolatile memory element.

  In addition, the tabulation unit tabulates the words extracted by the keyword extraction unit belonging to positive keywords and / or key phrases as such classes, and those belonging to negative keywords and / or key phrases as such classes. And a processor that determines whether or not the progress of the conference is smooth based on the total. An example of the specific mode is realized by a computer executing a processing program stored in advance in a storage unit such as a nonvolatile memory element.

It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure as a meeting management apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process which CPU of the conference server as a conference management apparatus of this invention performs in the progress stage of a presentation. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed process sequence of the interest level determination process in step S103 of the flowchart of FIG. In this invention, it is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of the writing input which a conference participant performs to the material currently displayed on the external terminal. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed process sequence of the understanding level determination process in step S102 of the flowchart of FIG. In this invention, it is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of the meeting material which a meeting participant can display on an external terminal. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process which CPU of the conference server as a conference management apparatus of this invention performs in the step of question-and-answer / discussion. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed procedure of the determination process of smoothness in step S205 of the flowchart of FIG. In this invention, it is explanatory drawing for showing the specific example of smoothness determination.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described.
In the conference management device of the present invention, the conference management apparatus further includes a writing analysis unit that acquires and analyzes input of characters, symbols, and images to the external terminal by a conference participant, and the counting unit is acquired by the writing analysis unit The input amount of characters, symbols and images and / or the speech amount of the conference participant acquired by the voice recognition unit is aggregated, and it is determined whether the conference participant is highly interested in the conference based on the aggregation. The output unit may output the determination to the external terminal. In this way, it is possible to objectively determine and report the degree of interest of the conference participant based on the input amount of characters and the like by the conference participant and the amount of speech. Thus, for example, a moderator or presenter who has been notified that the level of interest of a conference participant is low, can proceed with the agenda, focus on the topic of interest to other conference participants, Appropriate measures can be taken, such as raising the motivation by making a speech that attracts the interests of other conference participants, and can promote a beneficial conference progress.

  The operation analysis unit further acquires and analyzes an operation from the external terminal that refers to the conference material, and the operation analysis unit totals the operation amount related to the reference of the conference material, and based on the total It may be determined whether the degree of understanding of the conference is high, and the output unit may output the determination to the external terminal. In this way, it is possible to objectively determine and report the degree of understanding of the proceedings of the conference participants based on the amount of operation referring to the conference material. Thus, for example, a presenter or moderator who has been notified that the amount of operation is very large may supplement the explanation so that other meeting participants can fully understand the meeting material, or delay the pace of explanation. The other conference participants can follow the explanation, and the motivation of the entire conference can be increased, and the beneficial conference progress can be promoted without waste as a whole.

  Further, the operation analysis unit may total the amount of page feed and / or page backward operation of the conference material as the amount of operation related to the reference of the conference material. For example, if there are many operations that refer back to the page, it can be determined that other conference participants have not followed the explanation, or that the proceeding agenda is not fully understood. On the other hand, when there are many operations that refer to the previous page, it is possible to determine that the explanation is redundant and to simplify the process and to proceed with the proceedings.

  The output unit may output images and / or sounds to a plurality of external terminals, and at least one of the external terminals may be installed in a separate room or a remote place. That is, the conference management apparatus according to the present invention may relate to a so-called video conference system in which persons in different rooms and remote locations hold a conference.

  In addition, the output unit may output a determination related to the conference participant corresponding to the external terminal to each external terminal individually provided for the plurality of conference participants. In this way, each conference participant can objectively know their contribution and attitude to the conference progress, thereby encouraging each participant to participate more actively in the conference progress. .

  Furthermore, the output unit may output a determination relating to the entire conference participant to each external terminal provided individually for the plurality of conference participants. In this way, each conference participant can objectively know the status of the entire conference progress, thereby encouraging each conference participant to participate more actively in the conference progress. In addition, when outputting judgments regarding all conference participants and decisions regarding each conference participant to each external terminal, it is possible to objectively know the contribution and attitude of each conference participant to the average of all conference participants. This can encourage more active participation of each conference participant in the progress of the conference.

Or the said output part may provide the judgment by the said totaling part only to the external terminal provided for the meeting advancers among several meeting participants. In this way, even if it is thought that if you inform each conference participant that you cannot concentrate on the proceedings, the conference organizer who is responsible for proceeding with the conference can objectively grasp the progress and take appropriate measures. , Can promote beneficial meeting progress.
The various preferable aspects shown here can also be combined.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the following description is an illustration in all the points, Comprising: It should not be interpreted as limiting this invention.
≪Functional configuration of conference management device≫
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the conference management apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, a conference server 1 is a device corresponding to the conference management device of the present invention. The conference server 1 is input with audio signals, letters, symbols, writing related to input of conference materials, input information relating to input of conference materials, operation information related to operations of referring to conference materials, and the like from conference terminals 5a, 5b, 5c as external terminals. The The conference terminals 5a, 5b, and 5c are terminals used by the conference participants 3a, 3b, and 3c, respectively, during the conference.

The conference terminals 5a, 5b, and 5c include a display unit that displays images of conference materials and the like on the conference participants 3a, 3b, and 3c, a sound collection microphone that collects the speech of the conference participants 3a, 3b, and 3c, and a conference participant 3a, 3b, and 3c are provided with a keyboard, mouse, and / or tablet for inputting characters, symbols, and images as notes to the conference material.
Further, the conference server 1 outputs an image signal and / or an audio signal to a conference terminal (a conference terminal for conference participants, a large display device for presentation, etc.). The contents of the image signal and / or the audio signal include determination of the progress of the conference by a counting unit described later. A CPU (not shown) of the conference server 1 controls the operation of each block shown in FIG. 1 in accordance with a processing program prepared in advance. The functions of some of the blocks in FIG. 1, for example, the keyword extraction unit 17, the totaling unit 19, the writing analysis unit 21, and the operation analysis unit 23 are realized by the CPU executing the processing program. The

The voice recognition unit 11 in FIG. 1 receives a voice signal from a sound collecting microphone (not shown) provided in the conference terminals 5a, 5b, and 5c for the conference participants. The voice recognition unit 11 performs voice recognition processing on the voice signal and outputs phrase data related to the utterance to the keyword extraction unit 17. The speech recognition unit 11 in FIG. 1 is a circuit block that performs unspecified speaker speech recognition using a digital signal processor. Also,
The keyword storage unit 15 is a flash memory element that stores in advance keyword and / or key phrase data to be collated with the phrase data output from the speech recognition unit 11.

The keyword extraction unit 17 collates the phrase data output from the speech recognition unit 11 with the keyword and / or key phrase stored in the keyword storage unit 15 and matches the keyword and / or key phrase included in the phrase data. Alternatively, similar phrases are extracted.
On the other hand, when characters, symbols, and images are input to the conference material by the conference participants at the conference terminals 5a, 5b, and 5c, these writings are input to the writing analysis unit 21. The input may be handwritten input using a tablet or the like, or may be input performed using a keyboard or a mouse, or may be in another form. The writing analysis unit 21 analyzes the contents of writing from each conference terminal. If the input is handwritten character input, character recognition is performed.

  Furthermore, when the conference terminal 5a, 5b, and 5c performs operations related to the reference of the conference material by the conference participants, the operation information related to those operations is input to the operation analysis unit 23. An example of the operation information is, for example, an operation in which each conference participant refers to the conference material or an operation of repeating the page of the conference material to be referred to. The operation analysis unit 23 analyzes the contents of operations performed on the conference terminals 5a, 5b, and 5c by each conference participant. The operation may be performed using a keyboard or a mouse, or may be a specific operation instruction called a gesture when the tablet for handwriting input is used.

  The word data output from the keyword extraction unit 17 is input to the totaling unit 19. Further, as a result of collation by the keyword extraction unit 17 in the phrase data, information on a phrase that matches or is similar to the keyword and / or key phrase stored in the keyword storage unit 15 is input. Further, the contents of the writing analyzed by the writing analysis unit 21 are input to the totaling unit 19. Furthermore, the contents of the operation information analyzed by the operation analysis unit 23 are input to the totaling unit 19. The totaling unit 19 determines whether the progress of the meeting is smooth or not based on all or part of the input keyword and / or key phrase information, the written content, and the operation information content. Further, an interest level score, a smoothness score, and an understanding level score representing the degree of interest of each conference participant, the degree of smoothness of progress, and the level of understanding of each conference participant may be totaled.

The data storage unit 25 is a storage unit that stores various data related to the conference in addition to the data of the conference material. Specifically, for example, the data storage unit 25 is realized by a storage device such as a hard disk drive. The result totaled by the totaling unit 19 is also stored in the data storage unit. Aggregation stored in the aggregation result storage unit may be updated sequentially, and the aggregation updated sequentially may store recent aggregations of a predetermined capacity in a first-in first-out buffer. Alternatively, the totals from the start of the conference may be stored cumulatively.
The output unit 13 outputs conference materials and / or images and / or sounds of any conference participants to the conference terminal. In addition, the output unit 13 outputs the interest level score, smoothness score, and understanding level score to the conference terminals 5a, 5b, and 5c and the presentation display 7 as a result of the aggregation by the aggregation unit 19.

Next, processing executed by the conference processing apparatus according to the present invention along with the progress of the conference will be described with reference to a flowchart. In this embodiment, as a typical pattern of conference progress, a presentation by a presenter is performed first, and then a question and answer regarding the presentation is performed. In this case, the conference processing apparatus only needs to execute the presentation process and the question-and-answer process in series, which simplifies the description.
However, in actual meetings, presentations and question-and-answer sessions are not always performed in chronological order. However, in the case of a conference in which a presentation and a question-and-answer session are mixed, the conference processing device may perform a presentation process and a question-and-answer process in parallel. Such parallel processing can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art from the description of serial processing. In the following, for simplicity of explanation, only the case where the presentation and the question-and-answer session are performed in time series will be described.

≪Presentation stage processing procedure≫
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing executed in the presentation stage by the CPU of the conference server 1 as the conference management apparatus of the present invention.
While the presentation is in progress, the CPU monitors whether or not the conference terminal 5a, 5b, 5c has been operated by the conference participant to refer to the conference material (step S101). The conference material is stored as data in the data storage unit 25. When an operation for referring to the conference material is performed, control is performed so that the data of the conference material corresponding to the operation is output to the conference terminal on which the operation is performed. For example, when an operation to go back the page of the conference material is performed, control is performed so that the data of the page going back from the current reference page of the conference material is output to the conference terminal on which the operation is performed. Then, based on the operation, a process for determining the understanding level of each conference participant is performed (step S102).

  At the same time, it is monitored whether or not the conference participants 5a, 5b, and 5c have input memos such as characters, symbols, and images, that is, “write” (step S101). When there is an input, the contents of the input write are analyzed to generate write data. The write data is stored in the data storage unit 25. And based on the input, the process which determines the interest level of each meeting participant is performed (step S103). Then, the CPU outputs and displays the determined degree of understanding and interest on each conference terminal or the like (step S105).

  Here, memo input refers to information that a conference participant displays on the conference terminal, information that takes notes as a memorandum instead of paper notes, or information that is displayed to convey information to other participants It is written on or marked with important parts. Since each conference terminal has communication means, the written information may be shared among participants. The contents written as the memo input include, for example, the content of the presenter's remarks that are not described in the material displayed on the terminal, the marking of important parts in the material displayed on the terminal (circled, underlined, etc. ), Pointed-out matters (corrected items and supplementary items) for the conference materials used in the presentation, and unclear points in the content of the materials displayed on the terminal (for questions during the Q & A session or after the conference) For example).

  When handwritten input is made as a memo, the writing analysis unit 21 converts the content into image data (JPEG, BMP, etc.) or performs character recognition to convert it into text data. The processed input data is stored in the data storage unit 25, managed by the CPU, and read out and used according to an instruction from the operation analysis unit 23. As a mode of use, for example, a mode in which the content written in the conference material is shared between the participants during the conference to improve understanding is conceivable. In addition, there may be a mode in which a conference participant or a related person who has not been able to participate in the conference can review the conference materials with written data stored in the server after the conference is finished. In addition, after the conference is over, the presenter can check the conference materials with written data stored on the server and examine the indications written by the participants, or refer to the creation of the materials at the next presentation. .

  Further, the CPU monitors the speech of the conference participants 3a, 3b, and 3c (step S104). When there is an utterance, the speech recognition unit 11 extracts from the phrase data obtained from the utterance a word that matches or resembles a keyword and / or key phrase that means the end of the presentation (step S107). The keywords and / or key phrases are stored in the keyword storage unit 15 in advance.

≪Decision of interest and interest score≫
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the CPU of the conference server as the conference management apparatus according to the present invention in the presentation progress stage. In the flowchart of FIG. 2, it is assumed that the conference participant 3a inputs writing to the material displayed on the conference terminal 5a. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of the writing input performed by the conference participant 3a on the material being displayed on the conference terminal 5a in the present invention. “Important”, arrow, and circle shown by reference numeral 31 in FIG. “Writing” as used herein refers to marking or memorandums on meeting materials, notes on unclear points in the meeting, and the like.
When writing is input during the presentation (step S101 in FIG. 2), the routine branches to “with writing”, and the interest level is determined (step S103). Note that the writing input can be performed not only at the presentation stage but also at the question and answer / discussion stage after the presentation, which will be described later. Also in this case, the CPU executes the process of FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a detailed processing procedure of the interest level determination processing in step S103 of the flowchart of FIG. The data storage unit 25 holds interest level scores representing the interest levels of the conference participants 3a, 3b, and 3c. These interest level scores take zero and positive values, and a large value indicates a high interest level. The initial value at the start of the conference is zero.

  In FIG. 3, the CPU determines that the conference participant is interested in the current agenda in response to the input (step S108). For example, when the conference participant 3a inputs a memo to the conference material related to the presentation, it is determined that the conference participant 3a is interested in the presentation. Then, +1 (addition) is added to the interest score of the conference participant 3a (step S109). The CPU adds the interest score of each conference participant every time each conference participant inputs during a period from the start to the end of the presentation or within a predetermined period during the presentation.

  After the elapse of the period, the interest level score of each conference participant accumulated during the period or the total thereof is compared with a preset threshold (interest degree threshold) (step S110). When the interest level score of each conference participant accumulated during the period or the sum thereof is lower than the interest level threshold, the CPU determines that the interest level or the overall interest level of each conference participant is low (step S112). ). On the other hand, when the interest level score of each conference participant or the sum thereof is equal to or greater than the interest level threshold, it is determined that the participant is highly interested (S111).

  The CPU outputs the determination result to the conference terminal. For example, the interest score for each conference participant may be displayed only on the conference terminal for the conference participant. Alternatively, the total interest level score of each participant may be set as a total interest level score, and the total interest level score may be displayed on each conference terminal or the presentation display 7. The interest level score and / or the overall interest level score for each conference participant may be displayed only on the terminal of the conference participant responsible for the conference progress.

Examples of output include character string output such as “participant's interest level is high” and “participant's interest level is low”, but is not limited to this. May be. The interest score may be expressed in a graph in time series. In this way, it is possible to know at what point in time the presentation attracted the participants' interest.
Similar to the degree of interest, various output modes as described above can be considered for the degree of understanding and the smoothness of progress described later.

≪Understanding and judgment score≫
In the flowchart of FIG. 2, it is assumed that the conference participant 3a performs an operation for referring to the conference material on the conference terminal 5a. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of conference material that can be displayed on the conference terminal 5a by the conference participant 3a in the present invention. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the conference material consists of four pages in total. The conference terminal 5a cannot display a plurality of pages at the same time due to restrictions on the size of the display area, and is displayed for each page. In order to display the previous page of the conference material, an operation of going back the page is performed.

  A case where an operation for referring to the conference material during the presentation, for example, an operation for going back to the page is performed will be described. Now, it is assumed that the conference participant 3b performs a page backward operation of the material displayed on the conference terminal 5b during the presentation by the presenter. In this case, in the determination of step S101 in FIG. 2, the routine branches to “with page backward operation”, and the degree of understanding is determined (step S102).

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a detailed processing procedure of understanding level determination processing in step S102 of the flowchart of FIG. The data storage unit 25 holds an understanding level score representing the understanding level of each of the conference participants 3a, 3b, and 3c. These comprehension scores take zero and negative values, and a negative value with a large absolute value indicates a low comprehension level. The initial value at the start of the conference is zero. In FIG. 5, the CPU determines that the conference participant 3b is suffering from an understanding in response to the page backward operation being performed at the conference terminal 5b (step S113). Then, the conference participant's 3b comprehension score is -1 (that is, the score is subtracted) (step S114).

The CPU subtracts the comprehension score of each conference participant each time a conference participant performs a page-back operation during the period from the start to the end of the presentation or within a predetermined period during the presentation. After the elapse of the period, the comprehension score of each conference participant accumulated during the period or the sum thereof is compared with a preset threshold (understandability threshold) (step S115). When the comprehension score of each conference participant accumulated during the period or the sum thereof is lower than the comprehension threshold (the absolute value of the negative value is large), the CPU understands the comprehension or comprehensive understanding of each conference participant. It is determined that the degree is low (step S117). On the other hand, if the comprehension score of each conference participant or the sum thereof is equal to or greater than the comprehension threshold, it is determined that the comprehension level of the participant is high (S116).
The CPU outputs the determination result to the conference terminal. As for the output destination and the output mode, various methods can be used as in the degree of interest.

≪Transition of processing to Q & A and discussion stage≫
The CPU repeats the above processing until there is a cue (utterance) of the presentation end by the presenter or the display of the last page of the presentation is completed. The CPU monitors the remarks of the conference participants 3a, 3b, 3c (step S104 in FIG. 2). The process of the presenter presentation stage (FIG. 2) is terminated, and the process proceeds to the question and answer / discussion stage process (FIG. 7). Here, examples of keywords and key phrases for determining the end of the presentation are phrases such as “End” and “End”.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure executed by the CPU of the conference server 1 as the conference management apparatus of the present invention at the question and answer / discussion stage.
As described above, the conference server autonomously determines whether to move to the Q & A / discussion stage, and the conference moderator etc. operates from the conference terminal to explicitly ask / answer / discuss A transition of processing to a stage may be instructed.

≪Q & A / Discussion stage procedures≫
During the question-and-answer / discussion after the presentation, the CPU monitors whether or not the conference participants 5a, 5b, and 5c have entered notes such as characters, symbols, and images to the conference terminals 5a, 5b, and 5c. (Step S201). When there is a write, the contents of the input write are analyzed to generate write data. The write data is stored in the data storage unit 25. And based on the input, the process which determines the interest level of each meeting participant is performed (step S204).

  Further, the CPU monitors the speech of the conference participants 3a, 3b, and 3c (step S202). When there is a utterance, the speech recognition unit 11 recognizes the utterance, and extracts from the phrase data obtained as a recognition result, a phrase that matches or resembles a keyword and / or key phrase that means the completion of a question and answer / discussion. (Step S203). The keywords and / or key phrases are stored in the keyword storage unit 15 in advance. Furthermore, the CPU extracts words / phrases that match or are similar to the keywords and / or key phrases for determining the smoothness of the conference from the phrase data obtained from the speeches of the conference participants 3a, 3b, 3c (step S203). . The keywords and / or key phrases are stored in the keyword storage unit 15 in advance. And the process which determines the degree of smoothness (smoothness) of a conference progress based on those statements is performed (step S205). Then, the CPU outputs and displays the determined degree of understanding and interest on each conference terminal or the like (step S206).

≪Decision of interest and interest score≫
In the flowchart of FIG. 7, when writing is input at the question and answer / discussion stage (step S201), the routine branches to “with writing”, and the interest level is determined (step S204). The interest level determination process is the same as in the presentation stage, and a detailed processing procedure is shown in FIG. According to the flowchart of FIG. 3, each time a conference participant inputs during the period from the start to the end of question-and-answer / discussion or within a predetermined period between them, the interest score of the conference participant is displayed. Update. After the elapse of the period, the interest level score of each conference participant accumulated during the period or the sum thereof is compared with a preset threshold value (interest degree threshold value), and the determination result is output.

≪Smoothness judgment and smoothness score≫
The CPU monitors the speech of each conference participant, and when there is a speech, the speech recognition unit 11 recognizes the speech and generates word data related to the speech (step S202). Then, the CPU collates the output phrase data with the keywords and / or key phrases stored in advance in the keyword storage unit 15. First, the phrase data is collated with a keyword and / or key phrase stored in advance in the keyword storage unit 15 as meaning the end of question-and-answer / discussion (step S203). As a result of the collation, when a keyword and / or a phrase that matches or resembles a key phrase that means the end of question-and-answer / discussion is extracted, the process in the question-and-answer / discussion stage ends (Yes in step S203). On the other hand, when the word meaning the end of the question-and-answer / discussion is not extracted (No in step S203), the routine proceeds to step S205, and performs a process of determining the smoothness of the conference progress (step S205).

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of the smoothness determination process in step S205 of the flowchart of FIG. In the data storage unit 25, keywords and / or key phrases relating to determination of the smoothness of the conference progress are registered in advance. In addition, a smoothness score indicating the smoothness of the conference progress is held. The smoothness score is a numerical value that can take zero and positive and negative values. The smoothness score is prepared for each of the conference participants 3a, 3b, and 3c to maintain the degree of contribution to the smooth progress of the conference. The initial value when starting Q & A / Discussion is zero. When each conference participant makes a speech (positive speech) that contributes to the smooth progress of the conference, the smoothness score of the conference participant is incremented by 1 (added). On the contrary, when each conference participant makes a statement (negative speech) that hinders the smooth progress of the conference, the smoothness score of the conference participant is -1 (subtracted). Examples of keywords and / or key phrases that belong to positive utterances include “Yes”, “Good”, “Let's do it”, “Let's do it”, “That ’s right”, etc. On the other hand, examples of keywords and / or key phrases belonging to negative statements are “I think it is different”, “I don't think so”, “I don't think so”, “I do n’t think it ’s good”, “I do n’t think it ’s good”, etc. .

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for showing a specific example of smoothness determination in the present invention. In FIG. 9, the conference participant 3a, for example, says, “Recent hybrid cars are getting cheaper.” In contrast, the conference participant 3b says “Yes. Price competition is intensifying. ".

  When such a remark is made, the CPU monitoring a remark by a conference participant causes the speech recognition unit 11 to perform speech recognition of the remark in step S202 of FIG. If it is determined that the phrase data output by speech recognition of those comments is not a phrase meaning the end of the question-and-answer / discussion, the routine proceeds to the smoothness determination process in step S205. In FIG. 8 showing the details of the smoothness determination process, the CPU determines whether or not a positive utterance has been extracted from the phrase data obtained from the utterance (step S213). If a positive statement has been extracted, the routine proceeds to step S215. On the other hand, if a positive utterance has not been extracted from the phrase data, the routine proceeds to step S214, and determines whether a negative utterance has been extracted from the phrase data (step S216). If the phrase data does not correspond to either a positive statement or a negative statement, the routine proceeds to step S218.

  In the example of FIG. 9, keywords and key phrases related to the determination of smoothness are not extracted from the speech of the conference participant 3a “Recent hybrid cars are getting cheaper” (neutral speech). Therefore, the routine proceeds to step S218 via No in step S213 and No in step S214.

  On the other hand, among the remarks of the following conference participant 3b “Yes, price competition is intensifying”, “Yes” is extracted as a keyword related to positive statements. Negative keywords are not extracted. Therefore, the statement is determined to be a positive statement, and the routine proceeds to step S215 via Yes in step S213. Here, the CPU determines that the conference participant 3b contributed to the smooth progress of the conference. Then, +1 is added to the smoothness score of the conference participant 3b (step S217). The routine then proceeds to step 218.

  As a different example, in FIG. 9, the conference participant 3 a remarks, “Recent hybrid cars are getting cheaper,” while the conference participant 3 c “No, I don't think so.” Say. In this case, as in the previous example, the speech of the conference participant 3a is determined as a neutral speech. On the other hand, “I do not think so” of the speech of the conference participant 3c is extracted as a keyword related to the negative speech. Positive keywords are not extracted. Therefore, the statement is determined as a negative statement, and the routine proceeds to step S216 via No in step S213 and Yes in step S214. Here, the CPU determines that the conference participant 3b has prevented smooth progress of the conference. Then, the smoothness score of the conference participant 3c is decremented by 1 (step S217). Thereafter, the routine proceeds to step S218.

However, based on this determination, a person who always affirms another person's remarks has a high degree of smoothness, and trying to express his / her opinion on another person's remarks may result in a low smoothness. Therefore, as will be described later, when the smoothness is near zero, no special evaluation is performed, and it is evaluated that the conference progress is smooth or confusing only when a positive / negative threshold is exceeded.
In addition, when a positive statement part and a negative keyword part are included in one statement, for example, a statement such as "Yes, but some people may not think so" is neutral. As with, smoothness is not increased or decreased.

  In step S218 described above, each time a conference participant makes a speech during the period from the start to the end of the question / answer / discussion, or within a predetermined period during the question / answer / discussion, the CPU Determines whether or not belongs to a positive or negative statement. If the statement belongs to a positive statement or a negative statement, the smoothness score is updated. After the period has elapsed, the smoothness score of each conference participant accumulated during the period or the total thereof is compared with a preset positive threshold (smoothness threshold) (step S218). If the smoothness score of each conference participant accumulated during the period or the sum thereof is higher than the smoothness threshold, the CPU determines that the smoothness or overall smoothness of each conference participant is high (step S219). ). That is, it is determined that the degree of contribution of each conference participant to the smooth conference progress is high, or the conference progress as a whole is smooth.

On the other hand, when the smoothness score of each conference participant or the sum thereof is equal to or less than the smoothness threshold value, the CPU calculates the smoothness score of each conference participant accumulated during the period or the sum thereof and a preset negative threshold value. (Frequency threshold) is compared (step S220). When the smoothness score or the total of each conference participant accumulated during the period is lower than the confidence threshold, the CPU is each conference participant. That is, it is determined that the degree of contribution of each conference participant to the smooth conference progress is low, or the conference progress as a whole is inconsistent (step S221).
When it is determined that the conference progress is smooth or confusing, the CPU outputs the determination result to the conference terminal or the like (step S206 in FIG. 7).

  In addition to the embodiments described above, there can be various modifications of the present invention. These modifications should not be construed as not belonging to the scope of the present invention. The present invention should include the meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims and all modifications within the scope.

1: Conference servers 3a, 3b, 3c: Conference participants 5a, 5b, 5c: Conference terminal 7: Presentation display 11: Speech recognition unit 13: Output unit 15: Keyword storage unit 17: Keyword extraction unit 19: Totaling unit 21 : Write analysis unit 23: Operation analysis unit 25: Data storage unit 31: Write

Claims (9)

A speech recognition unit that acquires and analyzes speeches of conference participants as speech signals;
An output unit capable of outputting meeting materials and / or images and / or sounds of any meeting participants to an external terminal for meeting participants;
Keyword storage for storing positive keywords and / or key phrases defined as representing smooth progress of the conference and negative keywords and / or key phrases defined as representing confusing progress in advance And
A keyword extraction unit that extracts a phrase that matches or is similar to any of the keyword and / or key phrase from the analyzed statement;
The extracted phrases are classified and aggregated into those that belong to positive keywords and / or key phrases and those that belong to negative keywords and / or key phrases, and whether or not the meeting proceeds smoothly based on the aggregation. And a counting section that determines whether
The said output part outputs the judgment by the said total part to the said external terminal as an image and / or a sound, The meeting management apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. A writing analysis unit for acquiring and analyzing input of characters, symbols, and images to the external terminal by a conference participant;
The totaling unit totals the input amount of characters, symbols, and images acquired by the writing analysis unit and / or the speech amount of the conference participant acquired by the voice recognition unit, and based on the totalization, Determine if you are interested in the meeting,
The conference management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs the determination to the external terminal. An operation analysis unit that acquires and analyzes an operation from the external terminal that refers to the conference material;
The operation analysis unit totals the operation amount related to the reference of the conference material, and determines whether the understanding level of the conference is high based on the totalization,
The conference management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs the determination to the external terminal.   The conference management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operation analysis unit totals an operation amount of page feed and / or page backward of the conference material as an operation amount related to the reference of the conference material.   The output unit outputs images and / or sounds to a plurality of external terminals, and at least one of the external terminals is installed in a separate room or a remote place from the other. The meeting management device described in 1.   The said output part outputs the judgment which concerns on the meeting participant corresponding to the external terminal to each external terminal provided individually with respect to the some meeting participant. Conference management device.   The said output part is a meeting management apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-6 which output the judgment which concerns on the whole meeting participant to each external terminal provided with respect to the several meeting participant separately.   The said output part is a meeting management apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-5 which outputs the judgment by the said totaling part only to the external terminal provided for meeting advancers among several meeting participants. Computer
The speech of the conference participants is acquired and analyzed as a speech signal using the speech recognition unit,
Use the output unit to output meeting materials and / or images and / or audio of any meeting participant to an external terminal for meeting participants,
A positive keyword and / or key phrase defined as representing the smooth progress of the meeting, and a negative keyword and / or key phrase defined as representing the confusing progress are stored in the keyword storage unit in advance. Refer to the stored phrase data, extract a phrase that matches or is similar to the phrase data from the analyzed utterance,
Categorize the extracted words by classifying them into positive keywords and / or key phrases and negative keywords and / or key phrases,
Judging whether the progress of the meeting is smooth from the aggregation,
A conference management method comprising: controlling the determination to be output to the external terminal as an image and / or sound.

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