Virtual office support system

Abstract

To provide a virtual office support system by which casual communication can happen even when users are in locations far from an office.SOLUTION: A system comprises: a sensor for detecting movements of an office user; a position information estimation unit for estimating position coordinates of the office user from sensor information of the sensor and sets it as first position coordinates; a remote user terminal for detecting operation information of a remote user who locates in a remote area; a remote user position information determination unit for converting the operation information of the remote user terminal into position coordinates in an office of the remote user and sets it as second position coordinates; a position information conversion unit for converting the first and second position coordinates into third and fourth position coordinates in a virtual office, respectively; a proximity determination unit for determining proximity between users based on the third and fourth position coordinates; a proximity information output unit for outputting the proximity between users; and an output device for notifying the proximity between users based on output from the proximity information output unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a virtual office support system that supports communication with users in remote locations. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, communication systems have been developed that utilize communication tools to enable communication between different locations over a network. For example, a communication system disclosed in Patent Document 1 allows users to make a call by checking the schedule and availability of the other party. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5177146 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional communication systems only support "spontaneous communication" such as meetings and telephone calls, and do not support "accidental communication" that occurs when passing by or meeting someone.

[0005] As remote work continues, many people feel that the distance between people is getting greater, and one of the reasons for this is thought to be the decrease in accidental communication. For example, greetings when arriving at work are an example of accidental communication that occurs when you recognize the presence of someone, and other accidental communication includes conversations that occur as you pass someone in the hallway.

[0006] This kind of spontaneous communication does not occur in conventional communication systems, which creates the problem of a sense of distance between people.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a virtual office support system that enables accidental communication to occur even when a user is located away from the office. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The virtual office support system according to the present disclosure includes a sensor that detects the movement of an office user in an office, a position information estimation unit that estimates the position coordinates of the office user from the sensor information of the sensor and sets the position coordinates as first position coordinates, a remote user terminal that detects operation information of a remote user in a remote location, a remote user position information determination unit that converts the operation information of the remote user terminal into the position coordinates of the remote user in the office and sets the position coordinates as second position coordinates, a position information conversion unit that converts the first position coordinates of the office user and the second position coordinates of the remote user into third and fourth position coordinates in a virtual office, respectively, a proximity determination unit that determines approach of users based on the third and fourth position coordinates converted by the position information conversion unit, a proximity information output unit that outputs a determination result of the approach of the users, and an output device that notifies the approach of the users based on the output from the proximity information output unit, wherein the remote user position information determination unit converts the operation information into the second position coordinates in the office based on a predefined logic. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the virtual office support system of the present disclosure, the movements of the remote user and the office user in the real office are reflected in the virtual office without the remote user and the office user being aware of their own movements in the virtual office, and the results of the determination of the proximity of users to each other are fed back to the virtual office, so that accidental communication can occur even when the users are in locations far away from the office. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a virtual office support system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of equipment layout in an office when position estimation is performed using camera images. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a user terminal used by a remote user. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a sequence of location estimation for an office user. [Diagram 5] A diagram showing a sequence of estimating the position of a remote user. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a sequence up to reflecting an office user and a remote user in a virtual office and outputting proximity information. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a sequence for transmitting proximity information to a user. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a virtual office support system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of equipment layout in an office when position estimation is performed using a BLE beacon. [Figure 10] 11 is a flowchart showing a flow for converting the location coordinates of a remote user into the coordinates of a virtual office. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating movement in a real office. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a virtual office support system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a sequence for reflecting a communication availability state on a virtual office. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart showing a flow of using a communication availability state in a proximity information output unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] <Embodiment 1> Fig. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a virtual office support system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 1, the virtual office support system 100 includes a sensor 1 installed in a real office, a position information estimation unit 2, a remote user terminal 3, a remote user position information determination unit 4, a position information conversion unit 5, a proximity determination unit 6, a proximity information output unit 7, and an output device 8.

[0012] A user in the office, i.e., an office user, is detected by a sensor 1 installed in the office, and the detected data is input to a position information estimation unit 2 and used to identify the user and calculate coordinate information in the office. For a user in a remote location, i.e., a remote user, operation information of a remote user terminal 3 used by the user is input to a remote user position information determination unit 4, and is converted into position information in the office based on a predefined logic.

[0013] Here, the predefined logic means that each remote user is assigned a seat in the office in the virtual space, and when they start working, they are moved from the entrance of the virtual office to their seat. Also, when they are working in front of their computer, they are assumed to be working in a designated location in the virtual office. Another example of the logic is that if they leave their computer for more than five minutes, it is converted to indicate that they have moved to the break space in the virtual office. Also, if the information from the remote user terminal 3 indicates that they have been away from their desk for more than 30 minutes, it is assumed that they have moved outside the virtual office, and the information is converted to location information outside the virtual office, and they are not in the virtual office.

[0014] The location information conversion unit 5 combines information from the office and information from remote locations to update the location information of users in the virtual office. When the location information conversion unit 5 updates the location information, the proximity determination unit 6 determines whether or not approaching of users has occurred, and if approach between an office user and a remote user or approach between remote users has occurred, the proximity information output unit 7 is notified of information of the users in proximity.

[0015] The proximity information output unit 7 notifies the proximity information to output devices 8 held by nearby users in such a way that the output method preset by the user is performed, for example, by outputting audio guidance or displaying a pop-up on a display screen. The users can recognize each other's proximity by receiving the notification via the output device 8.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of equipment arrangement in an office when position estimation is performed using camera images. As shown in FIG. 2, multiple surveillance cameras 101 are arranged in the office as sensors 1. The surveillance cameras 101 are arranged so that all positions in the office can be photographed by three or more surveillance cameras 101. In addition, an approach display display 801 (display device) with a speaker function is arranged in the office as an output device 8 for office users 9. One or more approach display displays 801 are arranged in each area where approach determination is performed, taking into consideration the layout of the office, and are hung on the wall of the office or suspended from the ceiling of the office so that multiple office users 9 can see them and do not get in the way. The approach display display 801 displays an image of the virtual office, and when a user is approaching, an audio message is transmitted.

[0017] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a remote user terminal 3 used by a remote user. The remote user terminal 3 has a display 301 that displays a virtual office, a keyboard 302 and a mouse 303 with which the remote user operates the terminal. In addition, the remote user terminal 3 has a camera 304 that photographs the remote user and a microphone 305 that detects voice as external inputs, and a speaker 306 that transmits a voice message in the vicinity of the user as an external output.

[0018] 4 is a diagram showing a sequence of position estimation of an office user who uses an office, in the position information estimation unit 2. User individual information D1 of the office user 9 and surveillance camera arrangement information D2 are registered in advance in the position information estimation unit 2. Necessary information corresponding to the user identification method is registered as the user individual information D1. For example, if the user identification method is face recognition, face information is registered; if the user identification method is skeletal recognition, gait information is registered; if the user identification method is gait recognition, gait information is registered.

[0019] Moreover, the surveillance camera arrangement information D2 includes office layout information and the installation positions of the surveillance cameras 101.

[0020] The surveillance camera 101 transmits the imaging data to the position information estimation unit 2. The position information estimation unit 2 detects the movement of the person from the received imaging data, and identifies the office user 9 based on the user individual information. Next, the position coordinates (first position coordinates) of the office user in the office are estimated from the imaging data of the multiple surveillance cameras 101 that show the same person at the same time and the surveillance camera arrangement information D2. An example of a method for estimating the position coordinates is as follows. The video data of the surveillance camera 101 is converted into an RGB image that expresses an image using the three primary colors of light, and a depth image that expresses an image by arranging distance values, and the skeletal coordinates of the detection target are calculated from the RGB image, and the skeletal position of the detection target is obtained from the depth image. By adding the installation coordinates of the surveillance camera 101 and information on the imaging range, the coordinates in space can be calculated. Such a method for calculating the position coordinates of the detection target by a surveillance camera is publicly known.

[0021] After estimating the position coordinates of the office user, the identified user information and user position information including the coordinate information are transmitted to the position information conversion unit 5 .

[0022] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a sequence of estimating the position of a remote user in a remote location in the remote user position information determination unit 4. Since the remote user is at home or away from home, it is not possible to use the detection information of the sensor 1 as in the office in FIG. 2. Therefore, the operation information of a remote user terminal 3 used for work, such as a personal computer or a smartphone, is used to estimate the position of the remote user. The operation information includes the connection state of a VPN (Virtual Private Network), the operation of the personal computer, and image data of a camera attached to the personal computer. User information to be used by the remote user position information determination unit 4 is registered in the remote user terminal 3. The user information includes the source IP address and user ID of the operation information, and is information that allows the remote user position information determination unit 4 to identify which user the operation information is.

[0023] Moreover, the remote user position information determination unit 4 registers the behavior determination information D3 and the behavior coordinate information D4 in advance. The behavior determination information D3 is information that associates a determination criterion for determining behavior from operation information. For example, when the VPN connection status changes from disconnected to connected, it is determined that the user has started working, and when no person is captured on the camera and no computer operation continues for 5 minutes or more, it is determined that the user is taking a break.

[0024] The behavior coordinate information D4 is coordinate information for each behavior defined in the behavior determination information. For example, if the coordinate information during rest is defined as the living room at home, it is converted into the position coordinate (second position coordinate) in the office based on a predefined logic. Desk work at home can be easily defined by converting it to one's own desk in the office, but since accidental communication often occurs while moving, the behavior coordinate information D4 is used to convert temporary rests and lunch breaks into actions in the office.

[0025] The remote user terminal 3 transmits the user information and the operation information to the remote user position information determination unit 4. The remote user position information determination unit 4 determines the action of the remote user from the received operation information and the action determination information D3. If the action is different from the previous action as a result of determining the action, the unit acquires action coordinate information D4 corresponding to the determined information, and transmits the user information and the user position information including the position coordinates to the position information conversion unit 5, thereby making it possible to estimate the position of the remote user.

[0026] 6 is a diagram showing a sequence up to reflecting an office user and a remote user in a virtual office and outputting proximity information. The position information conversion unit 5 receives user position information from the position information estimation unit 2 and the remote user position information determination unit 4, and converts the first position coordinates and the second position coordinates into coordinates on the virtual office.

[0027] 6 shows a schematic diagram of coordinate conversion by the position information conversion unit 5. The position information estimation unit 2 transmits a first coordinate (10, 40) which is the position information of user A who is in the actual office, and the position information conversion unit 5 converts it to a third position coordinate (11, 41) of the virtual office and displays user A in the virtual office. The remote user position information determination unit 4 transmits coordinates (60, 20) which is the second position information of user C who is in a remote office, and the position information conversion unit 5 converts it to a fourth position coordinate (61, 21) of the virtual office and displays user C in the virtual office.

[0028] Proximity determination conditions are registered in advance in the proximity determination unit 6. In an office, even if the straight-line distance is close, it may not be the distance at which a conversation can occur due to the layout of fittings and furniture, so the proximity determination conditions are set by defining a distance threshold value for each area information. For example, in an area where desks are located, if 5 m is defined as the proximity determination condition, it is determined that the users are in proximity when the distance between them is within 5 m. In this way, the proximity determination distance is defined for each area, and it is determined that the users are in proximity when they are closer than the proximity determination distance.

[0029] When the proximity determination unit 6 detects proximity between an office user and a remote user, or between remote users, based on the proximity determination conditions, it transmits proximity information including coordinate information and the approaching user to the proximity information output unit 7.

[0030] 6 is a schematic diagram showing the proximity determination process performed by the proximity determination unit 6. The position information estimation unit 2 transmits the position coordinates (80, 10) of user B who has newly joined the actual office to the position information conversion unit 5. The position information conversion unit 5 converts these into virtual office coordinates (81, 11) and displays user B in the virtual office. The proximity determination unit 6 determines the proximity of user C and user B based on the proximity determination conditions. When it is determined from the proximity determination conditions that user C and user B are in close proximity to each other, it transmits proximity information indicating that user C is approaching user B and proximity information indicating that user B is approaching user C to the proximity information output unit 7.

[0031] 7 is a diagram showing a sequence for transmitting the proximity information transmitted from the proximity determination unit 6 to the proximity information output unit 7 to a user. Based on the proximity information, the proximity information output unit 7 identifies the approach display display 801 in the area where the approach occurred, and transmits audio data and a notification pop-up to the approach display display 801 notifying the approach of the remote user C. The approach display display 801 plays the received audio data and displays a notification pop-up to notify office user B of the approach of remote user C.

[0032] Furthermore, when the user notified of the proximity information is a remote user, the proximity information output unit 7 transmits voice data and a notification pop-up notifying the remote user terminal 3 of the user of the approach of user B. The user terminal 3 displays the notification pop-up on the display 301 and plays back the voice data from the connected speaker 306, thereby notifying the remote user C of the approach of office user B.

[0033] In this way, in the virtual office support system 100 of the first embodiment, the action of a remote user is defined as movement to the office coordinates, and the action of the remote user can be converted to the office coordinates in the remote user position information determination unit 4, and the office user and the remote user are reflected in the virtual office by the position information conversion unit 5, making it possible to simulate proximity between users in distant locations, and to generate accidental communication. Also, the office user is notified of approaching users by the approach indication display 801, so that they can have an opportunity to communicate without having to carry anything.

[0034] <Embodiment 2> In the virtual office support system 100 according to the first embodiment described above, the office users are detected by the surveillance camera 101 installed in the office, but a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacon can be used to detect the office users. Note that Bluetooth is a registered trademark.

[0035] Fig. 8 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a virtual office support system 200 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 8, the virtual office support system 200 has a portable device 12 instead of the position information estimation unit 2 and the output device 8 of the virtual office support system 100 shown in Fig. 1. Also, the sensor 1 uses a beacon device 102 instead of the surveillance camera 101.

[0036] The mobile device 12 has a function of receiving the BLE beacon 103 transmitted by the beacon device 102, a function of estimating the position of the office user in the office from the received BLE beacon, and a function of the output device 8. By registering user information to be used for each mobile device 12, the position estimation function of the mobile device 12 can link the coordinate information and the user information and transmit them to the position information conversion unit 5.

[0037] The mobile device 12 calculates the physical distance from the beacon device 102 based on the reception strength of the received BLE beacon 103. In addition, the beacon devices 102 are arranged so that the mobile device 12 can receive BLE beacons 103 from at least three beacon devices 102 at all coordinates in the office, and the information on the arrangement position coordinates of the beacon devices 102 is registered in advance in the mobile device 12 of the office user, so that the user coordinates of the office user can be calculated by three-point positioning.

[0038] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of equipment layout in an office when position estimation is performed using a BLE beacon. As shown in Fig. 9, a beacon device 102 that transmits a BLE beacon 103 is placed in the office as a sensor 1. The beacon devices 102 are placed so that all coordinates in the office can be detected by three or more beacon devices 102. In addition, an office user 9 always carries a mobile terminal 104 as a mobile device 12.

[0039] Since the portable device 12 has the function of the output device 8, it is not necessary to provide a proximity display 801 for the office users 9 in the office.

[0040] After the mobile device 12 calculates the user coordinates of the office user, it transmits user position information including the user information and the coordinate information to the position information conversion unit 5 .

[0041] 10 is a flow chart showing a flow of converting the remote user's location coordinates into virtual office coordinates in the location information conversion unit 5. In the virtual office support system 100 of the first embodiment, the remote user's location information has been described as a single coordinate, but it is also possible to set not only a single coordinate but also multiple coordinates and an area. The following describes coordinate conversion when the remote user's location information is a single coordinate, multiple coordinates, and an area.

[0042] When conversion to virtual office coordinates is started, the position information conversion unit 5 receives user position information from the remote user position information determination unit 4 (step S1).

[0043] Next, the type of coordinate information included in the received user position information is determined (step S2), and if it is determined that there are multiple coordinates, one coordinate is selected at random (step S3), and the user on the virtual office is moved from the current coordinate to the selected coordinate taking into account the office layout (step S4). When the movement of the coordinates is completed, the flow ends.

[0044] If it is determined in step S2 that the coordinates are a single coordinate, the user on the virtual office is moved from the current coordinates to the single coordinates while taking into consideration the layout of the office (step S4). When the movement of the coordinates is completed, the flow ends.

[0045] Furthermore, if the area is determined in step S2, a single coordinate within the area is randomly determined (step S5), and the user on the virtual office is moved from the current coordinate to the determined coordinate, taking into consideration the office layout (step S6). Once the coordinate movement is complete, it is confirmed whether new user position information for the user has been received (step S7). If new information has been received, the process from step S5 onwards is repeated to move to another coordinate within the area. On the other hand, if no new information has been received, it is determined that the user has finished their activities within the area, and the flow ends.

[0046] Here, the process of randomly selecting one coordinate in step S3 represents the selection of one coordinate (10,10) randomly selected from a group of coordinates consisting of multiple coordinates, for example {(10,10)(20,20)(25,10)}.

[0047] In addition, the process of randomly determining a single coordinate within an area in step S5 represents determining a single coordinate that satisfies the conditions of the given area, such as (x, y) = (100, 0), when the given area is defined by a range of x and y coordinates, where 100≦x≦200, 0≦y≦100.

[0048] By expressing the location information of a remote user as a single coordinate, multiple coordinates, and area, the behavior of the remote user can be made closer to that of an office user. That is, for an office user, since they work at their desk during work, it is represented as a single coordinate, and when they leave their desk, they move to different locations for purposes such as going to the toilet or the tea dispenser, so it is represented as multiple coordinates, and their behavior in a large place such as a cafeteria or break space is represented as an area. By expressing the behavior of a remote user as a single coordinate, multiple coordinates, and area accordingly, it is possible to make the behavior of the remote user closer to that of an office user.

[0049] For example, if the VPN connection status changes from disconnected to connected and the user starts working, and then the remote user is captured on camera and continues to operate the computer, the remote user location information determination unit 4 determines that the user is working at a remote location and sets a single coordinate of the remote work space as the user location information. On the other hand, if there is no computer operation for more than five minutes and the remote user is not captured on camera, it determines that the user is taking a temporary break or moving to a toilet, etc., and sets multiple coordinates corresponding to the movement as the user location information based on the coordinate information registered in the activity coordinate information D4 (Figure 2). Also, if the VPN changes from connected to disconnected and the remote user is not captured on camera, it determines that the user is taking a lunch break, and sets the area of ​​the cafeteria at the remote location as the user location information based on the coordinate information registered in the activity coordinate information D4.

[0050] Furthermore, when the position information conversion unit 5 converts the position coordinates of the remote user into the coordinates of the virtual office, instead of instantly moving the remote user to the coordinates of the virtual office, as explained in steps S3, S4 and S6, the remote user is made to walk along a path of movement that takes into account the office layout, thereby making it possible to more closely resemble the movements of an office user.

[0051] That is, the office user is converted into the virtual office coordinates based on the detection results of the sensor 1, and while the movement is linear because coordinate correction is repeated in a short time, the remote user moves as a point because the coordinate conversion is based on certain conditions. For this reason, for example, when work starts in the morning, the remote user suddenly appears at his / her desk, but in a real office, the movement is to enter from the entrance, walk through the corridor, and move to his / her desk, as shown in Figure 11. By reproducing the movement of moving from the entrance, through the corridor, and to his / her desk in this way, it is possible to more closely resemble the movement of an office user.

[0052] In this way, in the virtual office support system 200 of the second embodiment, the office user carries the portable device 12, and the location information conversion unit 5 makes the behavior of the remote user similar to that of the office user, which makes it easier for them to come into close proximity while moving or taking a break, and allows for accidental communication to occur. Also, it is possible to customize the method of notifying the proximity information for each user, making it possible to provide communication opportunities in a form preferred by the user.

[0053] <Embodiment 3> FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a virtual office support system 300 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 12, the virtual office support system 300 includes a communication feasibility determination unit 10 in addition to the configuration of the virtual office support system 100 shown in FIG. 1. In addition to the remote user terminal 3 used by the remote user for business, the system includes an office user terminal 3A used by the office user for business, and is provided with a function for acquiring the status of the user who is used together. The office user terminal 3A has the same configuration as the remote user terminal 3 shown in FIG. 3. The communication feasibility determination unit 10 can transmit the user status acquired by the remote user terminal 3 and the office user terminal 3A to the position information conversion unit 5 and the proximity information output unit 7.

[0054] The communication feasibility determination unit 10 has a function of determining the communication feasibility state of each user based on the user status acquired by the remote user terminal 3 and the office user terminal 3A, and a function of recording the communication feasibility state of each user.

[0055] The communicable state of each user is judged based on the detection of the posture of the remote user captured by the camera 304 (FIG. 3) of the remote user terminal 3, such as sitting up or looking down, and the amount of input / output work on the keyboard 302, etc. Similarly, for an office user, the communicable state is judged based on the detection of the posture of the office user by the camera of the office user terminal 3A, and the amount of input / output work on the keyboard 302, etc.

[0056] 13 is a diagram showing a sequence for reflecting a communication availability state on a virtual office. The remote user terminal 3 and the office user terminal 3A transmit the status of the user using them to the communication availability determination unit 10.

[0057] The communication feasibility determination unit 10 determines whether communication is possible from the received user status, compares it with the user's past communication feasibility status registered in communication feasibility information D5, and if there is a change in the user's communication feasibility, updates the user's communication feasibility status and transmits the user communication information to the position information conversion unit 5.

[0058] The location information conversion unit 5 reflects the communication availability status of the corresponding user on the virtual office in an icon based on the received user communication information. Fig. 13 shows a schematic diagram of a case where the location information conversion unit 5 reflects the icon of the communicable office user A on the virtual office when the communication availability determination unit 10 determines that the status of the office user A is communicable.

[0059] In this way, it becomes possible to check the communication availability status of other users by displaying the communication availability status of the user on the virtual office displayed on the remote user terminal 3 and the office user terminal 3A. Note that instead of the office user terminal 3A, the communication availability status of the user can also be displayed on the mobile terminal 104 described in the second embodiment, making it possible to check the communication availability status of other users via the mobile terminal 104.

[0060] 14 is a flowchart showing a flow in which the communication availability state is used by the proximity information output unit 7. In the virtual office support system 300 of the third embodiment, the proximity information output unit 7 outputs the proximity information according to the following flow.

[0061] When the creation of the proximity information output is started, first, the proximity information is received from the proximity determination unit 6 (step S11).

[0062] Next, the communication availability status of the notified user included in the received proximity information is confirmed (step S12).

[0063] If communication with the notified user is not possible, the process ends without outputting proximity information. On the other hand, if communication is possible, the communication availability state of the approaching user included in the received proximity information is checked (step S13).

[0064] If communication with the approaching user is possible, voice data and a notification pop-up are created and sent to the remote user terminal 3 if the notifying user is a remote user, or to the office user terminal 3A or mobile terminal 104 if the notifying user is an office user (step S14).

[0065] On the other hand, if communication is not possible, a notification pop-up is created and sent to the remote user terminal 3 if the notified user is a remote user, or to the office user terminal 3A or mobile terminal 104 if the notified user is an office user (step S15).

[0066] In this way, in the virtual office support system 300 of the third embodiment, by changing the notification contents depending on the user's communication availability, it is possible to create an environment that is closer to the occurrence of communication in the real world.

[0067] In addition, within the scope of the present disclosure, it is possible to freely combine the respective embodiments, and to appropriately modify or omit the respective embodiments.

[0068] The present disclosure described above will now be summarized as an appendix.

[0069] (Appendix 1) A sensor that detects the movement of an office user in the office; a location information estimation unit that estimates location coordinates of the office user from the sensor information of the sensor and sets the location coordinates as first location coordinates; a remote user terminal that detects operation information of a remote user at a remote location; a remote user position information determination unit that converts the operation information of the remote user terminal into position coordinates of the remote user in the office to obtain second position coordinates; a location information conversion unit that converts the first location coordinates of the office user and the second location coordinates of the remote user into third and fourth location coordinates in a virtual office, respectively; a proximity determination unit that determines whether users are approaching each other based on the third and fourth position coordinates converted by the position information conversion unit; a proximity information output unit that outputs a determination result of the proximity between the users; an output device that notifies the users of the proximity to each other based on the output from the proximity information output unit, The remote user location information determination unit A virtual office support system that converts the operation information into the second position coordinates in the office based on predefined logic.

[0070] (Appendix 2) The output device includes: A virtual office support system as described in Appendix 1, which is a display device to be placed in the office.

[0071] (Appendix 3) an office user terminal that detects operation information of the office user; a communication availability determination unit that determines whether the remote user and the office user are in a communication-available state based on a state of the remote user acquired by the remote user terminal and a state of the office user acquired by the office user terminal, and transmits the determined result as user communication information to the position information conversion unit and the proximity information output unit; The location information conversion unit reflecting a communication availability state of the remote user and the office user in the virtual office based on the received user communication information; The proximity information output unit is A virtual office support system as described in Appendix 1, which changes the output method of the proximity between the users depending on the communication availability state based on the received user communication information.

[0072] (Appendix 4) The sensor includes: It has multiple surveillance cameras, The plurality of surveillance cameras transmit imaging data to the position information estimation unit, The position information estimation unit A virtual office support system as described in Appendix 1, which detects the movement of the office user from the received imaging data and estimates the position coordinates.

[0073] (Appendix 5) A sensor that detects the movement of an office user in the office; a portable device carried by the office user, estimating position coordinates of the office user from sensor information of the sensor to set first position coordinates; a remote user terminal that detects operation information of a remote user at a remote location; a remote user position information determination unit that converts the operation information of the remote user terminal into position coordinates of the remote user in the office to obtain second position coordinates; a location information conversion unit that converts the first location coordinates of the office user and the second location coordinates of the remote user into third and fourth location coordinates in a virtual office, respectively; a proximity determination unit that determines whether users are approaching each other based on the third and fourth position coordinates converted by the position information conversion unit; a proximity information output unit that outputs a determination result of the proximity between the users, The portable device includes: notifying the users of the proximity to each other based on the output from the proximity information output unit; The remote user location information determination unit A virtual office support system that converts the operation information into the second position coordinates in the office based on predefined logic.

[0074] (Appendix 6) The sensor includes: It has multiple beacon devices that transmit BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacons, The portable device includes: A virtual office support system as described in Appendix 5, which receives the BLE beacon and estimates the location coordinates of the office user from the BLE beacon. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1 sensor, 2 location information acquisition unit, 3 remote user terminal, 3A office user terminal, 4 remote user location information determination unit, 5 location information conversion unit, 6 proximity determination unit, 7 proximity information output unit, 8 output device, 10 communication feasibility determination unit, 101 surveillance camera, 102 beacon device, 103 BLE beacon, 104 mobile terminal, 801 proximity display.

Claims

1. A sensor that detects the movement of an office user in the office; a location information estimation unit that estimates location coordinates of the office user from the sensor information of the sensor and sets the location coordinates as first location coordinates; a remote user terminal that detects operation information of a remote user at a remote location; a remote user position information determination unit that converts the operation information of the remote user terminal into position coordinates of the remote user in the office to obtain second position coordinates; a location information conversion unit that converts the first location coordinates of the office user and the second location coordinates of the remote user into third and fourth location coordinates in a virtual office, respectively; a proximity determination unit that determines whether users are approaching each other based on the third and fourth position coordinates converted by the position information conversion unit; a proximity information output unit that outputs a determination result of the proximity between the users; an output device that notifies the users of the proximity to each other based on the output from the proximity information output unit, The remote user location information determination unit A virtual office support system that converts the operation information into the second position coordinates in the office based on predefined logic.

2. The output device includes:

2. The virtual office support system according to claim 1, wherein the display device is disposed in the office.

3. an office user terminal that detects operation information of the office user; a communication availability determination unit that determines whether the remote user and the office user are in a communication-available state based on a state of the remote user acquired by the remote user terminal and a state of the office user acquired by the office user terminal, and transmits the determined result as user communication information to the position information conversion unit and the proximity information output unit; The location information conversion unit reflecting a communication availability state of the remote user and the office user in the virtual office based on the received user communication information; The proximity information output unit is 2. The virtual office support system according to claim 1, further comprising: a step of changing an output method of the proximity between the users in accordance with the communication availability state based on the received user communication information.

4. The sensor includes: It has multiple surveillance cameras, The plurality of surveillance cameras transmit imaging data to the position information estimation unit, The position information estimation unit 2. The virtual office support system according to claim 1, further comprising: detecting a movement of the office user from the received image data; and estimating the position coordinates.

5. A sensor that detects the movement of an office user in the office; a portable device carried by the office user, estimating position coordinates of the office user from sensor information of the sensor to set first position coordinates; a remote user terminal that detects operation information of a remote user at a remote location; a remote user position information determination unit that converts the operation information of the remote user terminal into position coordinates of the remote user in the office to obtain second position coordinates; a location information conversion unit that converts the first location coordinates of the office user and the second location coordinates of the remote user into third and fourth location coordinates in a virtual office, respectively; a proximity determination unit that determines whether users are approaching each other based on the third and fourth position coordinates converted by the position information conversion unit; a proximity information output unit that outputs a determination result of the proximity between the users, The portable device includes: notifying the users of the proximity to each other based on the output from the proximity information output unit; The remote user location information determination unit A virtual office support system that converts the operation information into the second position coordinates in the office based on predefined logic.

6. The sensor includes: The present invention has a plurality of beacon devices that transmit BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacons, The portable device includes: The virtual office support system according to claim 5 , further comprising: receiving the BLE beacon; and estimating the location coordinates of the office user from the BLE beacon.

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