JP2023015877A - Conference control device, conference control method, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

To make it possible to easily confirm the status of other participants in a conference held via a network.SOLUTION: A conference control device according to one aspect of the present invention includes, a display information generation unit that performs image processing so as to approach a predetermined standard for an image of a user participating in a conference held over a network, generates display information including the user's image that has undergone image processing, and transmits the display information to a user terminal used by another user, and an audio control unit that controls audio in the conference.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to technology for supporting online conversations.

Conventionally, systems for holding conferences over networks have been proposed. In recent years, in particular, a mechanism has become widespread in which each participant uses a camera to hold a conference while sharing an image including his or her own face with others (see Patent Document 1, for example).

JP 2015-154315 A

However, due to various factors such as the situation of the conference and the usage environment of each participant's camera, it has sometimes become difficult to check the situation of other participants.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the circumstances described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology that makes it possible to more easily check the status of other participants in a conference held via a network.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an image of a user participating in a conference held via a network is subjected to image processing so as to approach a predetermined standard, and display information including the image of the user subjected to the image processing. and transmits the display information to user terminals used by other users; and a voice control unit that controls voice in the meeting.

An aspect of the present invention is the conference control device described above, wherein the predetermined standard is a standard relating to the size of the image of the user's face.

An aspect of the present invention is the conference control device described above, wherein the predetermined criterion is a criterion relating to white balance or contrast of the image of the user's face.

One aspect of the present invention is the conference control device described above, further comprising an estimation unit that estimates the user's emotional state based on the image of the user, wherein the display information generation unit generates an estimation result of the estimation unit. performing image processing on the image according to the emotional state of the image.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an image of a user participating in a conference held via a network is subjected to image processing so as to approach a predetermined standard, and display information including the image of the user subjected to the image processing. and transmitting the display information to user terminals used by other users; and an audio control step of controlling audio in the conference.

One aspect of the present invention is a computer program for causing a computer to function as the conference control device.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, it becomes possible to easily check the status of other participants in a conference held via a network.

1 is a schematic block diagram showing the system configuration of a conference system 100 of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the user terminal 10; FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of a conference control device 20; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of an image displayed on a user terminal according to conventional technology; 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of an image displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of an image displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of an image displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of an image displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of an image displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10; FIG. 4 is a sequence chart showing a specific example of the flow of processing of the conference system 100;

Hereinafter, specific configuration examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the concept of a virtual connection between two or more users speaking to others is called a conference room. Therefore, the name of the conference room in the following explanation does not necessarily have to be a conference room. On the other hand, any virtual place for speaking corresponds to the conference room in the following description. For example, a virtual connection in which a specific user (e.g. lecturer) speaks unilaterally to a plurality of others (including a large number such as 50 or 100 people) or a presentation is held. Included in the conference room in

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the system configuration of a conference system 100 of the present invention. The conference system 100 is a system for users who operate the user terminals 10 to have a conference via the network 40 . A conference system 100 includes a plurality of user terminals 10 and a conference control device 20 . A plurality of user terminals 10 and conference control devices 20 are communicably connected via a network 30 . The network 30 may be a network using wireless communication or a network using wired communication. Network 30 may be configured by combining a plurality of networks.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the user terminal 10. As shown in FIG. The user terminal 10 is configured using information equipment such as a smart phone, tablet, personal computer, portable game machine, stationary game machine, and dedicated equipment. The user terminal 10 includes a communication section 11 , an operation section 12 , a display section 13 , an audio input section 14 , an audio output section 15 , a storage section 16 and a control section 17 .

The communication unit 11 is a communication device. The communication unit 11 may be configured as a network interface, for example. The communication unit 11 performs data communication with other devices via the network 30 under the control of the control unit 17 . The communication unit 11 may be a device that performs wireless communication, or may be a device that performs wired communication.

The operation unit 12 is configured using existing input devices such as a keyboard, pointing device (mouse, tablet, etc.), buttons, touch panel, and the like. The operation unit 12 is operated by the user when inputting user instructions to the user terminal 10 . The operation unit 12 may be an interface for connecting an input device to the user terminal 10 . In this case, the operation unit 12 inputs to the user terminal 10 an input signal generated according to the user's input in the input device. The operation unit 12 may be configured using a microphone and a voice recognition device. In this case, the operation unit 12 performs voice recognition of the words uttered by the user, and inputs the character string information of the recognition result to the user terminal 10 . In this case, the operation unit 12 may be configured integrally with the voice input unit 14 . The operation unit 12 may be configured in any way as long as it is configured to allow the user's instructions to be input to the user terminal 10 .

The display unit 13 is an image display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The display unit 13 displays image data used when holding a conference. The display unit 13 may be an interface for connecting an image display device to the user terminal 10 . In this case, the display unit 13 generates a video signal for displaying image data, and outputs the video signal to an image display device connected thereto.

The voice input unit 14 is configured using a microphone. The voice input unit 14 may be configured as a microphone itself, or may be configured as an interface for connecting a microphone as an external device to the user terminal 10 . A microphone picks up the speech voice of the user who conducts the conference. The voice input unit 14 outputs voice data acquired by the microphone to the control unit 17 .

The audio output unit 15 is configured using an audio output device such as a speaker, headphones, or earphones. The audio output unit 15 may be configured as an audio output device itself, or may be configured as an interface for connecting an audio output device as an external device to the user terminal 10 . It is desirable for the audio output device to output audio so that the conference users can hear the audio. The audio output unit 15 outputs audio according to the audio signal output by the control unit 17 .

The storage unit 16 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 16 stores data used by the control unit 17 . The storage unit 16 may function as the user information storage unit 161 and the speech information storage unit 162, for example.

The user information storage unit 161 stores information about the user who operates the user terminal 10 (hereinafter referred to as “user information”). User information may include user identification information and attribute information, for example. Attribute information may include, for example, information on the user's age, gender, and the like.

The control unit 17 is configured using a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. The control unit 17 functions as a display control unit 171, a conference control unit 172, and an audio control unit 173 by the processor executing programs. All or part of each function of the control unit 17 may be implemented using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, semiconductor storage devices (such as SSD: Solid State Drives), hard disks and semiconductor storage built into computer systems. It is a storage device such as a device. The above program may be transmitted via telecommunication lines.

The display control unit 171 receives display information from the conference control device 20 via the communication unit 11 . The display control unit 171 generates an image signal based on the acquired display information, and causes the display unit 13 to display the image signal. The display information may be, for example, image data representing the displayed image itself. In this case, the main body (image data generation unit) that generates image data is the conference control device 20 . The display information may be, for example, data indicating information needed to generate the displayed image (eg, information about participating users). In this case, the display control unit 171 generates image data to be displayed on the display unit 13 based on the display data. In this case, it is the display control unit 171 that generates the image data (image data generating unit).

The conference control unit 172 controls a virtual conference provided in the conference control device 20 . For example, when the user instructs to log in to the conference service provided by the conference control device 20 by operating the operation unit 12, the conference control unit 172 performs processing for login. For example, when the user instructs to set up a new conference room by operating the operation unit 12, the conference control unit 172 performs processing for setting up a new conference room. For example, when the user instructs to enter the conference room by operating the operation unit 12, the conference control unit 172 performs processing for entering the instructed conference room. Entry into the conference room may be performed in any manner. For example, on a screen on which one or a plurality of characters, buttons, or icons indicating conference rooms are displayed, entry into the conference room may be performed by operating any of the characters, buttons, or icons. A user may enter a conference room by accessing an address assigned to each conference room (for example, a specific identification number, ULR (Uniform Resource Locator), or the like).

The voice control unit 173 controls voice exchanged with users of other user terminals 10 . When entering a conference room, voice transmission/reception is performed with other users who are in the conference room. The voice control unit 173 transmits, for example, voice data input from the voice input unit 14 to the conference control device 20 via the communication unit 11 . When voice data is received from the conference control device 20 , the voice control section 173 outputs the received voice data from the voice output section 15 .

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the conference control device 20. As shown in FIG. The conference control device 20 is configured using an information processing device such as a personal computer or a server device, for example. The conference control device 20 includes a communication section 21 , a storage section 22 and a control section 23 .

The communication unit 21 is a communication device. The communication unit 21 may be configured as a network interface, for example. The communication unit 21 performs data communication with other devices via the network 30 under the control of the control unit 23 . The communication unit 21 may be a device that performs wireless communication or a device that performs wired communication.

The storage unit 22 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. Storage unit 22 stores data used by control unit 23 . The storage unit 22 may function as a user information storage unit 221, a conference room information storage unit 222, and an emotional state information storage unit 223, for example. The user information storage unit 221 stores information (user information) about multiple users who operate the user terminal 10 .

The conference room information storage unit 222 stores information about conference rooms (hereinafter referred to as “conference room information”). A conference room is a virtual room set up for a user to hold a conference in the conference system 100 . The conference room information may include, for example, the ID of the conference room, information indicating the name set for the conference room, information indicating the date and time of reservation for setting up the conference room, and information regarding attributes of the conference room. The information about the attributes of the conference room may include, for example, information indicating the number of people who can enter the conference room and the users who can enter the conference room.

The emotional state information storage unit 223 stores information indicating the emotional state of each user (each participant) estimated by the estimation unit 235 of the control unit 23 (hereinafter referred to as “emotional state information”). For example, the emotional state information storage unit 223 may store emotional state information for each meeting. In this case, the emotional state information may represent the estimation result of the emotional state of each participant who participated in the conference at predetermined timings (for example, every 1 second, every 5 seconds, every 1 minute, etc.).

The control unit 23 is configured using a processor such as a CPU and a memory. The control unit 23 functions as a user control unit 231, a conference room control unit 232, a display information generation unit 233, an audio control unit 234, an estimation unit 235, and an evaluation unit 236 by the processor executing programs. All or part of each function of the control unit 23 may be realized using hardware such as ASIC, PLD, FPGA, or the like. The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, semiconductor storage devices (such as SSD), and storage devices such as hard disks and semiconductor storage devices built into computer systems. It is a device. The above program may be transmitted via telecommunication lines.

The user control unit 231 performs control processing related to users. For example, the user control unit 231 may perform login processing (for example, authentication processing) for the user terminal 10 accessing the conference control device 20 . The user control section 231 may register the user information received from the user terminal 10 in the user information storage section 221 .

The conference room control unit 232 performs control processing related to the conference room. For example, when the conference room control unit 232 receives an instruction to set up a new conference room from the user terminal 10, the conference room control unit 232 generates conference room information based on the received information, and the conference room information storage unit 222 may be registered with. Further, when the timing for setting up a conference room comes, the conference room control unit 232 virtually sets up the conference room. The timing of setting up a conference room is, for example, when the user terminal 10 instructs to set up a new conference room immediately, or when a reservation for setting up a conference room has been registered in advance. The time has come. When the user performs a predetermined operation for joining the conference room and a predetermined condition is satisfied, the conference room control unit 232 performs processing for allowing the user to participate in the conference room. For example, the conference room control unit 232 updates the conference room information storage unit 222 to register that a new user has joined the conference room.

The display information generation unit 233 generates information (display information) necessary for generating an image displayed on the user terminal 10 . The display information may include, for example, information about the currently installed conference room and information about the user of each user terminal 10 who has entered each conference room. The display information may include information indicating the result estimated by the estimation unit 235 regarding the emotional state of the user of each user terminal 10 .

The display information may include face image data of each user. The display information generator 233 determines whether or not the face image of each user satisfies a predetermined appropriate standard regarding image quality. The predetermined standard regarding image quality may be, for example, a standard regarding the size of the face (for example, a standard indicating that the size of the face is within an appropriate predetermined range). The predetermined standard for image quality may be, for example, a standard for appropriate white balance (brightness) of the face (for example, a standard indicating brightness of the face or strength of edges). The predetermined criterion for image quality may be, for example, a criterion for appropriate contrast of the face (for example, a criterion indicating the contrast of the face). The display information generation unit 233 performs predetermined image processing so that the image quality of an image that does not satisfy a predetermined standard regarding image quality approaches an appropriate standard. Then, the display information generation unit 233 generates display information using the image that has undergone the image processing. The display information generator 233 transmits the generated display information to the user terminal 10 .

The voice control unit 234 receives voice data from the user terminal 10 . The audio control unit 234 generates audio data to be output to each user terminal 10 (hereinafter referred to as “conference audio data”) and transmits the conference audio data to each user terminal 10 . The audio control unit 234 may transmit, for example, conference audio data in the conference room in which the user is in, to each user terminal 10 .

The estimation unit 235 estimates the emotional state of each user participating in each conference room. The estimation unit 235 estimates what kind of emotional state each user is in, for example, based on the face image. The estimated emotional state may be, for example, one of joy, anger, sorrow, and comfort, or may be one of joy, anger, surprise, sadness, and normal. The estimated emotional state may be, for example, the degree of interest in the content of speech being played in a conference room. The emotional state may be estimated by image recognition based on a predetermined feature amount representing the expression in the face image. The estimation unit 235 records the estimation result in the emotional state information storage unit 223 in chronological order. Such image recognition may be performed using a trained model obtained by performing machine learning in advance using a teacher image or the like, for example.

The emotional state may be estimated, for example, based on the size of the facial image. In the case of estimation based on the size of the face image, for example, it is estimated that the larger the face image is, the closer the person is to the screen, and thus the greater the interest may be inferred. In the case of estimation based on the size of the face image, for example, it is estimated that the smaller the face image is, the further away the person is looking from the screen, so it may be estimated that the person has less interest.

The emotional state may be estimated based on each user's movements. For example, by using a trained model obtained by performing machine learning in advance using teacher images, etc., it detects each user's nodding motion, and based on the number of nods per unit time and the magnitude, etc. A state may be estimated. For example, it may be estimated that the greater the number of nods per unit time, the greater the interest. For example, it may be inferred that the larger the size of the nod, the greater the interest. It may be estimated based on the number of times per unit time and the magnitude.

Although some specific examples of the emotional state estimation process have been described, the emotional state may be estimated by processes other than those described above.

The evaluation unit 236 evaluates the content of the conference. For example, the evaluation unit 236 may evaluate the contents of the meeting based on the emotional state information stored in the emotional state information storage unit 223. For example, the evaluation unit 236 may evaluate the conference as good as the statistical value of the values indicating the degree of interest of each user indicates that the user is interested in the conference. . The evaluation unit 236 may perform an evaluation indicating that the meeting was good as more people showed joy or surprise and fewer people showed anger/sadness.

The evaluation unit 236 may evaluate the attendance attitude of each participant based on the emotional state information stored in the emotional state information storage unit 223 . For example, an evaluation may be made indicating that the longer the emotional information is acquired, the better the attendance attitude. Acquisition of emotional information indicates that the face was positioned facing the monitor in front of the monitor, and it can be assumed that the participant attended the meeting properly.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of an image displayed on a user terminal according to conventional technology. Each user area 91 displays an image of a user who has entered the conference room. Each user's image displayed in the user area 91 is a moving image taken by a camera connected to each user's user terminal. The user's facial image on the upper left is displayed with a moderate size and a moderate white balance.

The face image of the user in the upper right is too large. Therefore, part of the face image protrudes from the user area 91 . In addition, the user's facial image on the upper right is shot with an inappropriate white balance due to factors such as the shooting environment being too bright and the camera parameter settings being inappropriate. As a result, the face image becomes too white (a so-called "overexposed" state). As a result, the face image of the user in the upper right is difficult to see.

The face image of the user in the lower left is slightly smaller in size. In addition, the user's face image in the lower left is shot with an inappropriate white balance due to factors such as the shooting environment being too dark and the camera parameter settings being inappropriate. As a result, the face image is too dark (a state of so-called "blackout"). As a result, the face image of the user in the lower left is difficult to see.

The user's face image on the bottom right is rather small in size. As a result, the face image of the user in the lower right is difficult to see.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of an image displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows a specific example of an image displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10 of the present invention in the same situation as in FIG. In FIG. 5, the display unit 13 displays a conference room screen. The conference room screen is an image displayed while the user is entering the conference room. On the conference room screen, images of some or all of the users who have entered the conference room are displayed. A displayed screen is formed of one or more user areas 51 . Each user area 51 displays an image of a user who has entered the room. The image of each user displayed in the user area 51 may be a moving image captured by a camera connected to the user terminal 10 of each user, or may be a still image (for example, an icon image). . The image displayed in each user area 51 is generated by the display information generator 233 .

The image of the user's face on the upper left is an image captured with an appropriate size, appropriate white balance, and appropriate contrast. That is, in the image data of the user's facial image on the upper left, the size of the user's facial image is within a predetermined range. In addition, in the image data of the user's face image on the upper left, the image quality of the user's face image satisfies predetermined conditions regarding white balance and contrast. Therefore, image processing does not have to be performed on the upper left user's face image.

The face image of the upper right user was too large when it was captured and received by the conference control device 20 . Therefore, the display information generation unit 233 reduces the upper right face image of the user so that the face size becomes a predetermined size. Also, the face image of the user on the upper right was blown out. Therefore, the display information generation unit 233 reduces overexposure by executing image processing such as lowering the brightness of the face image of the user on the upper right. The face image data after such image processing is transmitted to each user terminal 10 as the face image data of the upper right user.

The face image of the lower left user was slightly smaller in size when it was captured and received by the conference control device 20 . Therefore, the display information generator 233 enlarges the lower left face image of the user so that the size of the face becomes a predetermined size. In addition, the face image of the user in the lower left was blacked out. Therefore, the display information generation unit 233 reduces blocked-up shadows by executing image processing such as increasing the brightness of the face image of the user on the lower left. The face image data after such image processing is transmitted to each user terminal 10 as the face image data of the lower left user.

The face image of the user on the lower right was rather small when it was captured and received by the conference control device 20 . Therefore, the display information generation unit 233 enlarges the face image of the user in the lower right such that the size of the face becomes a predetermined size. The face image data after such image processing is transmitted to each user terminal 10 as the face image data of the lower right user.

In this manner, the display information generation unit 233 performs image processing on each user's image so that the size of the face displayed in each user area 51 is a predetermined size (substantially the same size). In addition, the display information generation unit 233 creates an image of each user so that the brightness of the face displayed in each user area 51 is a predetermined brightness (for example, the average brightness in the face area is approximately the same). process.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of an image displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10. As shown in FIG. In the image shown in FIG. 6, image processing is performed on the face image of each user area 51 shown in FIG. Specifically, image processing is performed according to the emotional state of each user estimated by the estimation unit 235 . For example, a dashed circle surrounding the face image is superimposed on the face image of the user estimated to be happy (upper left face image). For example, the face image of the user estimated to be angry (upper right face image) is superimposed with a dashed-dotted line circle surrounding the face image. For example, a dotted-line circle surrounding the face image is superimposed on the face image of the user estimated to be sad (lower left face image). For example, the user's face image (lower right face image) estimated to be surprised is superimposed with a two-dot chain line circle surrounding the face image. In addition, the display mode of each circle mentioned above is only a specific example. In this way, the line types of the circles may be different, and the thickness and color of the lines may be different. Also, the geometric figure surrounding each face image need not be limited to a circle. For example, it may be rectangular, elliptical, polygonal, or different shapes. Also, the image superimposed on each face image need not be a geometric figure such as a circle as described above, and may be superimposed with pictograms or characters indicating each emotional state.

Further, in the image processing according to the emotional state, image processing such as changing the color of the background may be performed, or image processing such as changing the color or pattern of the entire user area 51 may be performed. good. At this time, the image processing may be performed to such an extent that the user's face image is not displayed in a visible state. For example, the user area 51 may be filled with colors or patterns according to each emotional state. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a specific example of an image displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, user areas 51 for 48 users are displayed. Each user area 51 is classified into one of joy, anger, surprise, sadness, and normal based on the user's image, and is filled with a pattern corresponding to the classified emotional state.

When a normal display device is used, it is difficult to read the facial expressions of each user because the size of each user area 51 becomes small when the face images of as many as 48 people are displayed. be. In such a situation, if each user area 51 is displayed with colors and patterns corresponding to the emotional state, the user can more easily recognize the emotional state of each user. In addition, the amount of data required for communication can be reduced by communicating an image filled with colors or patterns as compared to communicating a face image. Therefore, it is possible to more stably implement a conference over the network. In addition, by suppressing the amount of data, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of problems such as processing failures even when a device such as an inexpensive smartphone that does not have high drawing ability is used as the user terminal 10. Become.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example of an image displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, the number of emotional states of users participating in the same conference room is displayed in a bar graph. The display information generator 233 may generate display information to display information indicating the number of users classified into each emotional state, as shown in FIG. Such display information may be generated to be displayed with the images shown in FIGS. 5-7.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a specific example of an image displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 9, the number of emotional states of users participating in the same meeting room is displayed in a line graph showing changes over time. The display information generation unit 233 may generate display information so as to display information indicating a time series change in the number of users classified into each emotional state as shown in FIG. Such display information may be generated to be displayed with the images shown in FIGS. 5-7. In the display information of FIG. 9, information indicating the progress of the conference (for example, greetings, first part, second part, and Q&A) may be shown on the horizontal axis that shows changes over time. In the display information of FIG. 9, information indicating a predetermined event (for example, a new product announcement) may be displayed at a position corresponding to the time when the event occurred on the horizontal axis indicating the time change.

FIG. 10 is a sequence chart showing a specific example of the processing flow of the conference system 100. As shown in FIG. First, the user terminal 10 captures an image of the user (attendee) at a predetermined timing and transmits the image to the conference control device 20 (step S101).

Upon receiving the image of each user, the conference control device 20 executes image correction processing (step S102). In the image correction process, the conference control device 20 performs image processing such as image processing to make the sizes of faces substantially the same, image processing to make the brightness of faces substantially the same, and the like. The conference control device 20 executes processing for estimating the user's emotional state based on the user's image (step S103). The conference control device 20 generates display information according to the estimated emotional state (step S104). The conference control device 20 then transmits the generated display information to the user terminal 10 (step S105). The user terminal 10 displays images and characters on the display unit 13 based on the received display information (step S106).

According to the conferencing system 100 configured in this manner, it is possible to more easily check the status of other participants in a conference held via a network. More specifically, it is as follows. In the conference system 100, image processing is performed so that each user's face image approaches an appropriate standard. For example, image processing is performed so that the face size, white balance, and contrast approach appropriate standards. Therefore, it is possible to more easily confirm the facial expression and state of each participant. Also, in the conference system 100, the emotional state of each user is estimated, and image processing is performed according to the estimation result. Such processing also makes it possible to more easily confirm the status of each participant.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design and the like are included within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100... Conference system 10... User terminal 20... Conference control apparatus 11... Communication part 12... Operation part 13... Display part 14... Voice input part 15... Voice output part 16... Storage part 161... User information storage unit 17 Control unit 171 Display control unit 172 Conference control unit 173 Audio control unit 21 Communication unit 22 Storage unit 221 User information storage unit 222 Conference room information Storage unit 223 Emotional state information storage unit 23 Control unit 231 User control unit 232 Conference room control unit 233 Display information generation unit 234 Voice control unit 235 Estimation unit 236 Evaluation part, 51 ... user area

Claims (6)

An image of a user participating in a conference held via a network is subjected to image processing so as to approach a predetermined standard, and display information including the image of the user subjected to the image processing is generated, and the display information to a user terminal used by another user; and
an audio control unit that controls audio in the conference;
A conference control device comprising: 2. The conference control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined standard is a standard relating to the size of said user's face image. 2. The conference controller according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined criterion is a criterion relating to white balance or contrast of said user's facial image. further comprising an estimation unit for estimating the emotional state of the user based on the image of the user;
The conference control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the display information generation section performs image processing on the image according to the emotional state of the estimation result of the estimation section. An image of a user participating in a conference held via a network is subjected to image processing so as to approach a predetermined standard, and display information including the image of the user subjected to the image processing is generated, and the display information to a user terminal used by another user;
a voice control step of controlling voice in the conference;
A conference control method comprising: A computer program for causing a computer to function as the conference control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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