Conference support control apparatus, program, and conference support method

Abstract

To aid in smooth advance of a conference when the conference is stagnant.SOLUTION: A conference support control apparatus 80 comprises: a situation detection unit 82 and a fusion unit 88A. The situation detection unit 82 extracts the states of the attendants of a plurality of conferences on the basis of images obtained by imaging the sites of the concurrently progressing conferences having a common theme and attended by the attendants, and voices collected at voice-collected sites, and detects the quality of a situation of each site of the conferences, based on the ratio of attendants being in a specific state to the entire attendants of each site of the conferences. The fusion unit 88A extracts a target conference based on the situation of each site detected by the situation detection unit 82, and fuses the extracted conference with another conference.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conference support control device, a program, and a conference support method. [Background technology]

[0002] Regarding a multipoint video conference system for holding video conferences among multiple conference rooms, a technology for holding video conferences and joining mid-conference has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).A technology for extracting frequently occurring keywords from the speech of conference participants and determining the degree of coherence of a discussion as a convergence level based on the trend of changes in the extracted frequently occurring keywords has also been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-032949 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-112545 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a meeting, progress may come to a standstill due to a stumbling block. The technology described in Patent Document 2 uses information acquired from the speech of the participants. Therefore, when a participant gets stuck in what to say, it is difficult to present appropriate information to the participant. As such, there is room for improvement in supporting the smooth progress of a meeting when it is stalled.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide support for smoothly progressing a meeting when the meeting is at a standstill. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the conference support control device of the present disclosure comprises a situation detection unit that extracts the status of the participants in a conference venue in which multiple participants are participating, having a common theme and proceeding simultaneously, from video footage of the venue and audio captured from the venue, and detects the quality of the situation of the venue for each conference based on the proportion of participants in a specified status among all participants at each venue, and a fusion unit that extracts a target conference based on the status of each venue detected by the situation detection unit and fuses the extracted conference with other conferences.

[0007] The program according to the present disclosure includes a situation detection step of extracting the status of participants in a conference venue in which multiple participants are participating and which has a common theme and is proceeding simultaneously from video footage of the venue and audio captured from the venue, and detecting whether the status of the venue for each conference is good or bad based on the proportion of participants in a specified status among all participants at each venue; and a fusion step of extracting a target conference based on the status of each venue detected by the situation detection step, and merging the extracted conference with other conferences, and is executed by a computer operating as a conference support control device.

[0008] The conference support method according to the present disclosure includes a situation detection step of extracting the status of participants in a conference held simultaneously by multiple participants with a common theme from video footage of the conference and audio captured from the conference, and detecting the quality of the situation at each conference venue based on the proportion of participants in a specified status among all participants at each conference venue; and a fusion step of extracting a target conference based on the status of each venue detected by the situation detection step and merging the extracted conference with other conferences, and is executed by a conference support control device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, when a meeting is at a standstill, assistance can be provided to help the meeting proceed smoothly. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a conference support system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information terminal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a conference support device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the transition over time of the quality of the situation for each meeting location. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the transition over time of the quality of the situation for each meeting location. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the transition over time of the quality of the situation for each meeting location. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the conference support method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a conference support device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a conference support method according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A conference support control device, a program, and a conference support method according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0012] [First embodiment] (Conference support system) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of a conference support system according to a first embodiment. The conference support system 1 includes one or more information terminal devices 10 used by participants in each conference room, in other words, each conference, and a server device 30. The conference support system 1 is used, for example, in a conference held face-to-face with multiple participants (hereinafter referred to as a "face-to-face conference"), a conference held online via a conference application (hereinafter referred to as a "web conference"), or a hybrid conference that combines these. A web conference includes a virtual space conference that is linked to a face-to-face conference and set up in a virtual space.

[0013] In this embodiment, the conference support system 1 extracts target conferences (hereinafter referred to as "target conferences") from multiple conferences based on the situation (atmosphere) of the venue detected from the status of the participants, and shares information about the extracted target conferences.

[0014] In virtual space, the meeting place is the virtual conference room. In real space, the meeting place is the real conference room (actual conference room).

[0015] The conference support system 1 is intended to be applied to multiple conferences with a high degree of agreement in the conference contents. Specifically, the conference support system 1 is intended to be applied to, for example, multiple conferences where a common conclusion is reached across multiple conferences, or multiple conferences or groups with a common theme, such as a workshop. This information is stored as conference setting information in the storage unit 25 of the server device 30, which will be described later.

[0016] (Information terminal device) 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information terminal device according to the first embodiment. Each information terminal device 10 starts a conference application to hold a face-to-face conference or a web conference with other information terminal devices 10 via a server device 30. The information terminal device 10 is, for example, an information terminal device such as a desktop or notebook personal computer, a smartphone, or a tablet device that is used by participants when participating in a face-to-face conference or a web conference.

[0017] In this embodiment, all participants use the information terminal device 10 in any of the face-to-face conference, the web conference, and the hybrid conference.

[0018] The information terminal device 10 includes a camera 11, a microphone 12, an audio output unit 13, an operation unit 14, a biometric sensor 15, a communication unit 18, a display unit 19, and a terminal control device 20. The biometric sensor 15 is not an essential component.

[0019] The camera 11 captures images of participants facing the information terminal device 10. The camera 11 captures images of participants using the information terminal device 10. The camera 11 is, for example, an in-camera provided on the display unit 19 side. The camera 11 may also be an external camera connected to the information terminal device 10. The camera 11 outputs the captured image to the imaging control unit 21 of the terminal control device 20.

[0020] The microphone 12 picks up the voices spoken by participants using the information terminal device 10. The microphone 12 is, for example, a built-in microphone arranged in the information terminal device 10. The microphone 12 may also be an external microphone connected to the information terminal device 10. The microphone 12 outputs voice information relating to the picked-up voices to the voice acquisition unit 22 of the terminal control device 20.

[0021] The audio output unit 13 is an audio output device that outputs the audio of the participant or other participants. The audio output unit 13 is, for example, a built-in speaker arranged in the information terminal device 10. The audio output unit 13 may also be an external speaker or headphones connected to the information terminal device 10.

[0022] The operation unit 14 is an input device capable of inputting various operations to the information terminal device 10. The operation unit 14 outputs an operation signal corresponding to the received input operation to the terminal control device 20. The operation unit 14 includes, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel arranged over the display unit 19, buttons, switches, etc. The operation unit 14 can receive, for example, a key input operation, a click operation, or a touch operation.

[0023] The biosensor 15 is a sensor capable of detecting, for example, the heart rate or the amount of sweat of a participant using the information terminal device 10. The biosensor 15 may be, for example, an external device such as a smart watch connected to the information terminal device 10 by wire or wirelessly. The biosensor 15 may be, for example, a camera 11 that captures facial expressions of a participant using the information terminal device 10. The biosensor 15 outputs the detected sensor data to the biosensor information acquisition unit 29 of the terminal control device 20.

[0024] The communication unit 18 is a communication unit for performing wired communication or wireless communication. The communication unit 18 performs communication using a communication method such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or a mobile phone line, and is connected to an intranet or the Internet. The communication of the communication unit 18 is controlled by the communication control unit 26 of the terminal control device 20. The communication unit 18 performs data communication with the server device 30. More specifically, the communication unit 18 transmits to the server device 30 the voices of the participants picked up by the microphone 12, the videos of the participants captured by the camera 11, and the biometric information detected by the biometric sensor 15. The communication unit 18 receives the video of the shared screen materials and the video and audio of the other participants from the server device 30.

[0025] The display unit 19 displays various types of video including text and images. The display unit 19 is, for example, a display including a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, etc. The display unit 19 displays a conference screen including videos of the participant and other participants, and shared materials.

[0026] (Terminal Control Device) The terminal control device 20 controls each component of the information terminal device 10. The terminal control device 20 includes, for example, a control device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and a storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory). The terminal control device 20 executes a program that controls the operation of the information terminal device 10 according to the present disclosure. The terminal control device 20 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The terminal control device 20 loads a stored program into memory and executes instructions included in the program. The terminal control device 20 includes an internal memory such as the RAM described above, and the internal memory is used for temporary storage of data in the terminal control device 20. The terminal control device 20 may be implemented by a combination of hardware and software.

[0027] The terminal control device 20 has, as functional blocks realized by circuits and executed programs, an imaging control unit 21, an audio acquisition unit 22, an audio output control unit 23, an operation control unit 24, a storage unit 25, a communication control unit 26, a display control unit 27, an application control unit 28, and a biometric information acquisition unit 29. The biometric information acquisition unit 29 is not an essential component.

[0028] The photographing control unit 21 controls the camera 11 to shoot video. The photographing control unit 21 acquires video data of the video shot by the camera 11. More specifically, the photographing control unit 21 acquires video data of the participants using the information terminal devices 10, which is shot by the camera 11. The video data acquired by shooting with the camera 11 is video data of moving images.

[0029] The voice acquisition unit 22 acquires voice information relating to the voice detected by the microphone 12. The voice acquisition unit 22 acquires voice information relating to the speech of the participant using the information terminal device .

[0030] The audio output control unit 23 controls the output of audio in the audio output unit 13. For example, the audio output control unit 23 controls the audio output unit 13 to output the audio of the participant and other participants.

[0031] The operation control unit 24 acquires an operation signal corresponding to an operation on the operation unit 14 from the operation unit 14. The operation control unit 24 outputs a control signal corresponding to the acquired operation signal to each unit.

[0032] The storage unit 25 stores information such as the calculation contents and programs of the terminal control device 20. The storage unit 25 is configured with, for example, a RAM, a main storage device such as a ROM, and a storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0033] The communication control unit 26 controls the communication unit 18 to control data communication between the information terminal device 10 and an external device. More specifically, the communication control unit 26 controls, for example, the communication unit 18 to control communication between the information terminal device 10 and the server device 30. The communication control unit 26 controls, for example, the communication unit 18 to transmit and receive information about a conference with another information terminal device 10 to and from the server device 30. More specifically, the communication control unit 26 controls the communication unit 18 to transmit to the server device 30 the voices of the participants picked up by the microphone 12, the videos of the participants captured by the camera 11, and the biometric information detected by the biometric sensor 15. The communication control unit 26 controls the communication unit 18 to receive from the server device 30 the video of the shared screen materials and the video and audio of the other participants.

[0034] The display control unit 27 controls the display of the video on the display unit 19. For example, the display control unit 27 controls the display unit 19 to display information (hereinafter referred to as a "conference screen") that is generated by executing a conference application.

[0035] The display control unit 27 may generate the conference screen and cause the display control unit 27 to display it on the display unit 19. The display control unit 27 may receive the conference screen generated by the server device 30 as video data and cause the display control unit 27 to display it on the display unit 19.

[0036] The application control unit 28 controls the operation of various applications running on the information terminal device 10. The application control unit 28 controls the operation of an application used for a conference, such as a conference tool. The application control unit 28 may run an application such as a conference tool on the server device 30. The application control unit 28 may cause the information terminal device 10 and the server device 30 to cooperate with each other to run an application such as a conference tool in a distributed manner. In other words, the application control unit 28 may be a functional block realized only in the information terminal device 10, a functional block realized only in the server device 30, or a functional block realized by cooperation between the information terminal device 10 and the server device 30.

[0037] The biometric information acquisition unit 29 acquires biometric information from the biometric sensor 15 .

[0038] (Server device) 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server device according to the first embodiment. The server device 30 is, for example, a server device installed by a company that provides conference tools. The server device 30 includes a communication unit 31 and a server control device 40.

[0039] The communication unit 31 is a communication unit for performing wired communication or wireless communication. The communication unit 31 performs communication using, for example, a communication method using Wi-Fi or a mobile phone line, and is connected to an intranet or the Internet. The communication of the communication unit 31 is controlled by the communication control unit 41 of the server control device 40. The communication unit 31 performs data communication with the information terminal device 10. More specifically, the communication unit 31 receives, from the information terminal device 10, the voices of the participants, images of the participants captured by the camera 11, and biometric information detected by the biometric sensor 15. The communication unit 31 transmits images of the materials shared on the screen, and images and voices of the other participants, to the information terminal device 10.

[0040] (Server control device) The server control device 40 controls each unit of the server device 30. The server control device 40 includes, for example, a conference support control device such as a CPU or an MPU, and a storage device such as a RAM or a ROM. The server control device 40 may be realized by, for example, an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA. The server control device 40 may be realized by a combination of hardware and software. The server control device 40 executes a program that controls the operation of the server device 30 according to the present disclosure.

[0041] The server control device 40 includes a communication control unit 41 and a storage unit 42 as functional blocks realized by circuits and programs to be executed.

[0042] The communication control unit 41 controls the communication unit 31 to control data communication between the server device 30 and the information terminal device 10. More specifically, the communication control unit 41 controls, for example, the communication unit 31 to control communication between the server device 30 and the information terminal device 10. The communication control unit 41 controls, for example, the communication unit 31 to receive from the information terminal device 10 the voices of the participants, images of the participants captured by the camera 11, and biometric information detected by the biometric sensor 15. The communication control unit 41 controls, for example, the communication unit 31 to transmit to the information terminal device 10 images of the materials whose screen is shared, and images and voices of the other participants.

[0043] The storage unit 42 stores information such as the calculation contents and programs of the communication control unit 41. The storage unit 42 is configured with, for example, a RAM, a main storage device such as a ROM, and a storage device such as an SSD or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

[0044] The storage unit 42 stores conference setting information related to a plurality of conferences. For example, the storage unit 42 stores conference setting information including information indicating the relationship between each conference body for a plurality of conferences in which a common conclusion is reached across the plurality of conferences, or a collection of a plurality of conferences or groups with a common theme, such as a workshop.

[0045] (Conference support equipment) 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a conference support device according to the first embodiment. The conference support device 70 extracts a target conference based on the situation of the conference detected from the states of the participants, and shares information with the extracted conference.

[0046] The conference support device 70 is a conceptual device realized by either the information terminal device 10 or the server device 30, or by the cooperation of the two devices. Either the information terminal device 10 or the server device 30 may be referred to as the conference support device 70, or the conference support system 1 configured with the information terminal device 10 and the server device 30 may be referred to as the conference support device 70. Each unit of the conference support device 70 is realized by either the information terminal device 10 or the server device 30, or by both devices.

[0047] The conference support device 70 includes a conference support control device (control unit) 80.

[0048] (Conference support control device) The conference support control device 80 extracts a target conference based on the situation of the venue detected from the status of the participants in the conference, and controls the sharing of information for the extracted conference. The conference support control device 80 is a conceptual device realized by either one of the terminal control device 20 and the server control device 40, or by the cooperation of the two devices. Either the terminal control device 20 or the server control device 40 may be referred to as the conference support control device 80, or the conference support system 1 configured by the terminal control device 20 and the server control device 40 may be referred to as the conference support control device 80. Each unit of the conference support control device 80 is realized by either the terminal control device 20 or the server control device 40, or by both devices.

[0049] The conference support control device 80 includes a situation detection unit 82 , a tendency acquisition unit 83 , an information extraction unit 85 , an information control unit 87 , and a memory control unit 89 .

[0050] The situation detection unit 82 detects whether the situation at each conference location is good or bad for multiple conferences with a common theme. More specifically, the situation detection unit 82 extracts the status of conference participants from video footage of multiple conference locations with a common theme and audio captured at the locations, and detects whether the situation at each conference location is good or bad based on the proportion of participants in a predetermined status at each conference location.

[0051] The process of extracting the status of the conference participants, the process of calculating the ratio of participants in a predetermined status for each conference location, and the process of detecting whether the status for each conference location is good or bad will be described below.

[0052] The process of extracting the status of conference participants will now be described. The status detection unit 82 extracts the status of each participant by a known method from the audio data, video data, or biometric information of the multiple participants acquired from the multiple information terminal devices 10. The status detection unit 82 causes the storage control unit 89 to store the status of each participant, whether it is good or bad, as status data of the conference participant.

[0053] A participant's condition is considered "good" when they are actively speaking in a meeting. For example, when audio data shows that the number of vocabulary words per given time is on the rise and that the number of affirmative statements is on the rise, the participant's condition is "good." For example, when audio data shows that the tone or volume of the voice does not change or is on the rise, the participant's condition is "good." For example, when audio data of multiple participants shows that the tone or volume of the voices of multiple participants matches, the participant's condition is "good." For example, when video of a participant shows that the facial expressions, gaze, and posture tilt of multiple participants do not change from the start of the meeting (steady state), the participant's condition is "good." For example, when video of multiple participants shows that the gaze movements of multiple participants match, the participant's condition is "good." For example, when biometric information shows that the heart rate, amount of sweat, etc. are on the rise and fall, the participant's condition is "good."

[0054] A participant's status is deemed "bad" when speech volume in a conference is decreasing. For example, when audio data indicates a decreasing trend in the number of vocabulary words per given time and an increasing trend in negative phrases, the participant's status is deemed "bad." For example, when video of a participant indicates a tendency for the inclination of the participant's gaze and posture to increase since the start of the conference (steady state), the participant's status is deemed "bad." For example, when biometric information indicates a tendency for little change in heart rate, sweating, etc., the participant's status is deemed "bad."

[0055] The extraction criteria for determining whether the condition of a participant is good or bad in the condition detection unit 82 are stored in the memory control unit 89.

[0056] The calculation process for the proportion of participants in a predetermined state for each conference location will now be described. The state detection unit 82 calculates the proportion of participants in a "bad" state from the total number of participants in the conference and the number of participants in each state calculated from the state data extracted by the state detection unit 82 and stored by the memory control unit 89.

[0057] The process of detecting whether the situation of each conference venue is good or bad will be described. For example, if the ratio of participants in a bad state to all participants calculated by the situation detection unit 82 is 50% or more, the situation detection unit 82 detects the situation of the venue as bad (bad). For example, if the ratio of participants in a bad state to all participants calculated by the situation detection unit 82 is less than 50%, the situation detection unit 82 detects the situation of the venue as good (good).

[0058] The situation detection unit 82 may detect a situation in which the conference venue is lively from the images and audio captured at a plurality of conference venues having a common theme. The situation detection unit 82 may detect a situation in which the conference venue is not lively from the images and audio captured at a plurality of conference venues having a common theme.

[0059] The trend acquisition unit 83 acquires, as trend information, a time transition of the good or bad status of each conference location based on the detection result of the status detection unit 82. For example, for each conference location, the trend acquisition unit 83 acquires trend information including a period during which the location status remains bad for a predetermined period of time or more. For example, for each conference location, the trend acquisition unit 83 acquires trend information including a period during which the location status remains good for a predetermined period of time or more. For example, for each conference location, the trend acquisition unit 83 acquires trend information including a time point at which the location status changed from bad to good. The trend acquisition unit 83 detects the status of the conference location in real time, and causes the memory control unit 89 to store the detected time transition of the location status as conference information.

[0060] Using Figures 5 to 7, we will explain the time transition of the good or bad status of each meeting situation. In Figures 5 to 7, when the proportion of participants in a bad status among all participants is 10%, the vertical axis is "5", when it is 20%, the vertical axis is "4", when it is 30%, the vertical axis is "3", when it is 40%, the vertical axis is "2", and when it is 50%, the vertical axis is "1". When the bad status is 50% or more, in other words, when the vertical axis is in the range of 0 to 1, the situation of the situation is considered bad.

[0061] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the time progression of the quality of the situation for each conference location. FIG. 5 shows the time progression of the quality of the situation for each conference location for the subject conference, the subject conference, other conference A, and other conference B. The horizontal axis represents the time elapsed since the first conference held that day. For each conference, the vertical axis, which is the starting point of the graph, is 0, which represents the start time of the conference. In FIG. 5, other conference B starts 5 minutes after the start of other conference A, and the subject conference starts 10 minutes after the start of other conference B. The subject conference, other conference A, and other conference B are held in real time.

[0062] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the time transition of the quality of the situation for each conference location. Fig. 6 shows the time transition of the quality of the situation for each conference location for the subject conference, other conferences C and D. In Fig. 6, other conference D starts 5 minutes after the start of other conference C, and the subject conference starts 10 minutes after the start of other conference D. The subject conference, other conferences C and D are held in real time.

[0063] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the time transition of the quality of the situation for each conference location. Fig. 7 shows the time transition of the quality of the situation for each conference location for the subject conference, other conferences E and F. In Fig. 7, the subject conference starts 25 minutes after the start of other conferences E and F. The subject conference and other conference E are being held in real time. Other conference F has already ended.

[0064] The information extraction unit 85 extracts a target conference based on the situation of each venue detected by the situation detection unit 82, and extracts predetermined information (described later) to be shared for the extracted target conference. More specifically, the information extraction unit 85 extracts a target conference based on the situation of each venue detected by the situation detection unit 82, and extracts predetermined information for each conference venue based on audio from multiple conference venues.

[0065] The information extraction unit 85 extracts, as a target conference, a conference in which a bad situation has continued for a predetermined time based on the trend information acquired by the trend acquisition unit 83, and extracts predetermined information about other conferences in which a good situation has continued for a predetermined time (hereinafter referred to as "other conferences in good situations") in order to share this information with the target conference. This is because, for example, if the target conference has been in a bad situation for a predetermined time, sharing predetermined information about other conferences in good situations can be useful for the development of the target conference.

[0066] If there are multiple other conferences in good conditions, the information extraction unit 85 may acquire specified information regarding the other conference in a better situation, or may acquire specified information regarding all applicable other conferences.

[0067] A better situation may be, for example, a situation in which a good state continues for a longer period of time. A better situation may be, for example, a situation in which the proportion of participants in a bad state is smaller, or a situation in which the state continues for a longer period of time.

[0068] The information extraction unit 85 extracts predetermined information about other conferences in good status that have a high degree of match between the conference content of the target conference and the other conferences in good status that are being held in real time with the target conference, in order to share the information with the extracted target conference.

[0069] In this embodiment, the degree of match between the contents of the target conference and other conferences is high. This is because the conference support system 1 is assumed to be applied to multiple conferences where a common conclusion is reached across all conferences, or multiple conferences or group gatherings with a common theme such as workshops. Conferences with a high degree of match between the contents of the target conference and other conferences are, for example, conferences with a common theme, conferences with the same materials, or conferences with the same conference name.

[0070] When there is no other conference being held in real time, having a high degree of match with the conference content, and having a good situation, the information extraction unit 85 may extract, from the conference information stored by the storage control unit 89, predetermined information about other conferences that were held in the past and have a high degree of match with the conference content of the target conference, in other words, other conferences that have already ended and are in a good situation. The information extraction unit 85 may extract, from the conference information stored by the storage control unit 89, other conferences that were held in the past, have similar frequently used vocabulary, and are in a good situation, and extract predetermined information about the extracted other conferences. In this case, the other conferences are not limited to those held on the same day as the target conference, but may also be other conferences held the day before or earlier.

[0071] The predetermined information is information that helps the meeting to proceed smoothly when the meeting is stalling. The predetermined information is, for example, information indicating, from the trend information acquired by the trend acquisition unit 83, frequently occurring vocabulary, words that interest participants, and methods used to present, combine, or develop ideas in a meeting when the situation changes from bad to good. The predetermined information is, for example, frequently occurring vocabulary and words in a meeting when the situation is lively. The predetermined information is, for example, frequently occurring vocabulary and words in a meeting when the situation is not lively.

[0072] The frequently occurring vocabulary is, for example, frequently occurring words among words extracted from speech data during a predetermined period, such as a few minutes including the time when the situation changes from bad to good.

[0073] Words that interest participants are those that participants look at the materials or screen for a large number of times or for a long period of time during a specified period, such as a few minutes that includes the point at which the situation changes from bad to good.

[0074] The information control unit 87 extracts a target conference based on the situation of each place detected by the situation detection unit 82, and shares predetermined information with the extracted target conference.

[0075] The information control unit 87 extracts, as a target conference, a conference in which a bad situation has continued for a predetermined time based on the trend information acquired by the trend acquisition unit 83, and shares predetermined information regarding other conferences with the target conference. More specifically, the information control unit 87 shares, with the target conference, predetermined information regarding other conferences in a good situation based on the extraction result of the information extraction unit 85. Based on the extraction result of the information extraction unit 85, the information control unit 87 shares, with the target conference, predetermined information regarding other conferences in a good situation whose conference content has a high degree of match with the target conference.

[0076] The information control unit 87 displays predetermined information on the display unit 19 of the information terminal device 10 of the participant of the target conference to share the information. For example, the information control unit 87 displays the predetermined information on the display unit 19 as a pop-up screen on the screen of the conference application. For example, the information control unit 87 may use a part of the screen of the conference application as a sidebar and display the predetermined information in the sidebar.

[0077] For example, the information control unit 87 may always display predetermined information. For example, the information control unit 87 may only display an icon image indicating that the predetermined information has been shared, and display details of the predetermined information when a participant performs a predetermined operation such as clicking on the icon image.

[0078] When there is a plurality of pieces of predetermined information, the information control unit 87 may display and share the pieces of predetermined information in descending order of priority or in descending order of relevance. When there is a plurality of pieces of predetermined information, the information control unit 87 may display and share the pieces of predetermined information in descending order of the period during which the corresponding field situation has been good.

[0079] For example, when the information control unit 87 extracts a meeting in which a negative situation has continued for a predetermined period of time based on trend information as a target meeting, the information control unit 87 may share predetermined information when the negative situation has continued for a period of time exceeding a threshold value in the target meeting in the negative situation.

[0080] The period threshold may be set for each conference. As an example, assume that multiple groups are simultaneously holding an idea generation conference. The information control unit 87 obtains information about the conference time schedule from the conference schedule information stored in the memory unit 42 of the server device 30 via the conference application. The information control unit 87 may share the specified information when 50% of the time for "idea generation" on the conference time schedule has elapsed. Alternatively, the information control unit 87 may be able to set in advance what percentage of the time allotted for "idea generation" on the conference time schedule has elapsed before sharing the specified information.

[0081] For example, if the information control unit 87 extracts a meeting that has been in a bad state for a predetermined period of time based on trend information as a target meeting, it may share specified information when the status of another meeting changes from bad to good.

[0082] For example, when the information control unit 87 extracts a meeting as a target meeting in which a bad situation has continued for a predetermined period of time based on trend information, if no other meeting is found in the past history of meeting information stored by the memory control unit 89 in which the situation has changed over time from bad to good, the information control unit 87 may detect it again after a predetermined period of time.

[0083] The storage control unit 89 stores, for example, the calculation contents of the conference support control device 80, information such as programs, etc. in the storage unit 25 or the storage unit .

[0084] The storage control unit 89 stores, for each of a plurality of conference locations, conference information such as frequently used vocabulary, the situation of the location, the progress of the quality of the situation over time, and participants. For example, the storage control unit 89 stores, for each of a plurality of conference locations, the situation of the location, the similarity of frequently used vocabulary, and trend information in association with each other as conference information. The storage control unit 89 may also store, for each of a plurality of conference locations, profile information of participants or non-participants in association with the conference information. The storage control unit 89 stores not only conference information for currently held conferences, but also conference information for previously held conferences as history.

[0085] (Meeting support method) 8 is a flowchart showing a conference support method according to the first embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 8 starts when the conference starts. When the conference starts, each information terminal device 10 starts displaying a conference screen.

[0086] The conference support control device 80 detects the situation of the venue (step S101). More specifically, the conference support control device 80 uses the situation detection unit 82 to extract the status of the participants from video footage of a conference venue attended by multiple participants and from the audio captured from the venue, and detects whether the situation of the venue is good or bad based on the proportion of participants in a predetermined state among all participants. The conference support control device 80 detects the situation of the venue as bad (bad) if, for example, the proportion of participants in a bad state among all participants is 50% or more using the situation detection unit 82. The conference support control device 80 proceeds to step S102.

[0087] The conference support control device 80 determines whether the unfavorable situation continues based on the detected situation of the venue (step S102). More specifically, the conference support control device 80 determines whether the unfavorable situation continues for a threshold period or longer based on the situation of the venue detected by the situation detection unit 82. Then, the conference support control device 80 acquires, via the trend acquisition unit 83, the time transition of the favorable or unfavorable situation of each conference venue as trend information. If the conference support control device 80 determines that the unfavorable situation continues (Yes in step S102), it proceeds to step S103. If the conference support control device 80 does not determine that the unfavorable situation continues (No in step S102), it proceeds to step S107.

[0088] If it is determined that the bad situation continues (Yes in step S102), the conference support control device 80 acquires information about other conferences (step S103). More specifically, the conference support control device 80 extracts a target conference based on the situation for each event detected by the situation detection unit 82 using the information extraction unit 85, and extracts predetermined information about the other conferences to be shared with the extracted target conference. The conference support control device 80 extracts, using the information extraction unit 85, a conference in which the bad situation has continued for a predetermined time based on the trend information as the target conference, and extracts predetermined information about other conferences in good situations to share with the target conference. The conference support control device 80 extracts, using the information extraction unit 85, predetermined information about other conferences in good situations that have a high degree of match between the target conference and the conference content and are being held in real time. Alternatively, the conference support control device 80 extracts, using the information extraction unit 85, predetermined information about other conferences in good situations that were held in the past and have a high degree of match between the target conference and the conference content, from the conference information stored in the storage control unit 89. The conference support control device 80 proceeds to step S104.

[0089] The conference support control device 80 determines whether there is another conference in real time whose content highly matches the target conference and whose status continues to be good (step S104). More specifically, the conference support control device 80 determines, from the extraction result of the information extraction unit 85, whether there is another conference in real time whose content highly matches the target conference and whose status continues to be good. If the conference support control device 80 determines that there is another conference in real time whose content highly matches the target conference and whose status continues to be good (Yes in step S104), the process proceeds to step S106. If the conference support control device 80 does not determine that there is another conference in real time whose content highly matches the target conference and whose status continues to be good (No in step S104), the process proceeds to step S105.

[0090] If it is not determined that there is another conference in real time that has a high degree of match with the conference content and has been in a good state for a long time (No in step S104), the conference support control device 80 determines whether there is another conference that has a high degree of match with the conference content and has been in a good state for a long time in the past (step S105). More specifically, the conference support control device 80 determines, from the extraction result of the information extraction unit 85, whether there is another conference that has been held in the past that has a high degree of match with the conference content and has been in a good state for a long time in the past. If the conference support control device 80 determines that there is another conference that has a high degree of match with the conference content and has been in a good state for a long time in the past (Yes in step S105), it proceeds to step S106. If the conference support control device 80 does not determine that there is another conference that has a high degree of match with the conference content and has been in a good state for a long time in the past (No in step S105), it proceeds to step S107.

[0091] If it is determined that there is another conference in real time that has a high degree of match with the conference content and has continued to be in good condition (Yes in step S104), or if it is determined that there is another conference that has a high degree of match with the conference content and has continued to be in good condition in the past (Yes in step S105), the conference support control device 80 shares information about the other conference (step S106). More specifically, the conference support control device 80 causes the information control unit 87 to share with the target conference predetermined information about a conference that has a high degree of match with the target conference and is in good condition. The conference support control device 80 causes the information control unit 87 to display predetermined information on the display unit 19 of the information terminal device 10 of the participant of the target conference. The conference support control device 80 proceeds to step S107.

[0092] The conference support control device 80 determines whether the conference has ended (step S107). More specifically, the conference support control device 80 determines that the conference has ended, for example, when the conference end time has passed or when the conference has ended due to an operation by a participant. If the conference support control device 80 determines that the conference has ended (Yes in step S107), it ends the processing of this flowchart. If the conference support control device 80 does not determine that the conference has ended (No in step S107), it executes the processing of step S101 again.

[0093] An example of information sharing between a target conference, i.e., the own conference, and another conference will be described with reference to Figure 5. In step S102, the trend acquisition unit 83 determines that the current situation of the own conference continues to be negative. In step S103, the information extraction unit 85 extracts other conferences A and B. In step S104, it is determined that there is another conference A whose content matches the own conference highly and is in a good state. In step S106, the information control unit 87 shares predetermined information, such as frequently used vocabulary in other conference A, with the own conference.

[0094] Another example of information sharing between a target conference, i.e., the own conference, and another conference will be described with reference to FIG. 6. In step S102, the tendency acquisition unit 83 determines that the own conference is currently continuing in a bad state. In step S103, the information extraction unit 85 extracts other conferences C and D. In step S104, it is determined that there is another conference C whose content matches the own conference highly and is in a good state. The other conference C changed from a bad state to a good state at the 25th minute. Therefore, in step S106, the information control unit 87 shares with the own conference predetermined information, such as frequently used vocabulary in the other conference C at the 25th minute, when the state of the other conference C became good.

[0095] Another example of information sharing between a target conference and another conference will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In step S102, the trend acquisition unit 83 determines that the target conference is currently continuing in a bad state. In step S103, the information extraction unit 85 extracts another conference F that has similar frequently occurring vocabulary and is in a good state from the conference information stored by the storage control unit 89. In step S104, it is determined that the other conference that has a high degree of match between the target conference and its content and is in a good state is not in real time, and in step S105, it is determined that the other conference that has a high degree of match between the target conference and its content and is in a good state exists in the past history. In step S106, the information control unit 87 shares with the target conference predetermined information, such as frequently occurring vocabulary in the other conference F at 10 minutes, when the state of the other conference F became good.

[0096] (effect) As described above, in this embodiment, information is shared for target meetings extracted based on the situation of each meeting venue. In this embodiment, by sharing information for the target meetings, it is possible to support the creation of new ideas and the coming up with new ways to combine or develop ideas. In this way, according to the situation of the meeting venue, such as when the meeting is stalled, it is possible to support the smooth progress of the meeting.

[0097] In this embodiment, predetermined information about other conferences in good conditions can be shared with a target conference in a bad situation. According to this embodiment, when a conference is stalled, information can be shared to help the conference proceed smoothly.

[0098] In this embodiment, predetermined information can be shared with other conferences that have a high degree of match between the content of the target conference and the other conferences in a good situation. According to this embodiment, more appropriate information can be shared with the target conference.

[0099] In this embodiment, when the situation of the target conference changes from bad to good, frequently used vocabulary information in the other conference can be shared with the target conference. According to this embodiment, more appropriate information can be shared with the target conference.

[0100] [Second embodiment] A conference support device 70A according to a second embodiment will be described using Figures 9 and 10. Figure 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the conference support device according to the second embodiment. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing a conference support method according to the second embodiment. In the following description, components similar to those in the conference support device 70 are given the same or corresponding reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. This also applies to the following embodiments. The conference support device 70A differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a situation detection unit 82A, a trend acquisition unit 83, a fusion unit 88A, and a memory control unit 89.

[0101] In this embodiment, the conference support system 1 extracts a target conference from multiple conferences that have a common theme and are running simultaneously, based on the situation detected from the status of the participants, and merges the extracted target conference with other conferences.

[0102] Meeting fusion involves merging meeting venues, trading some members between meetings, and inviting participants from past meetings with a high degree of fit to join.

[0103] In the case of a web conference with a predetermined number of participants or less, the conference may be automatically merged via the conference application. This may also be implemented by merging small conferences that have been divided using a function for grouping into multiple small conferences, such as a so-called conference breakout function or group function in the conference application.

[0104] The situation detection unit 82A extracts the status of the participants in a conference from video footage of the conference venue, which has a common theme and is taking place simultaneously and is attended by multiple participants, and from the audio recorded at the venue, and detects whether the status of the venue at each conference venue is good or bad based on the proportion of participants in a specified status among all participants at each conference venue.

[0105] The fusion unit 88A extracts a target conference based on the situation of each location detected by the situation detection unit 82A, and fuses the extracted target conference with other conferences. More specifically, the fusion unit 88A extracts a conference in which a negative situation has continued for a predetermined time based on the trend information as the target conference, and fuses it with other conferences that satisfy the fusion conditions.

[0106] The fusion unit 88A extracts target conferences in the same manner as the information extraction unit 85 in the first embodiment. The fusion unit 88A extracts target conferences based on the situation of each location detected by the situation detection unit 82. The fusion unit 88A extracts, as target conferences, conferences in which a negative situation has continued for a predetermined period of time based on trend information.

[0107] The fusion condition is set in advance. For example, the fusion condition is to fuse conferences with a high degree of match in conference content. For example, the fusion condition is to fuse conferences with poor situations. For example, the fusion condition is to fuse conferences with poor situations and conferences with good situations. The fusion condition may be a combination of these.

[0108] When there are multiple other conferences that satisfy the fusion condition, the fusion unit 88A may fuse the conference with the other conference that best meets the fusion condition, or may fuse all of the other conferences that meet the fusion condition.

[0109] The merging unit 88A merges the extracted target conference with other conferences that satisfy the merging conditions. The information extracting unit 85 merges the extracted target conference with other conferences that are being held in real time and that satisfy the merging conditions.

[0110] When a conference satisfying the fusion condition is not extracted from the conferences currently being held in real time, the fusion unit 88A may extract, from the conference information stored by the storage control unit 89, conferences held in the past that have a high degree of match in conference content and satisfy the fusion condition, and request participants of the extracted conference to participate. In this embodiment, when a conference with good trend information is not extracted from multiple conferences, the fusion unit 88A may extract, from the conference information stored by the storage control unit 89, conferences held in the past that have a high degree of match in conference content and have continued to be in good condition for a predetermined period of time, and request participants of the extracted conference to participate. In other words, when a conference with good trend information is not extracted from multiple conferences, the fusion unit 88A may extract, from the conference information stored by the storage control unit 89, conferences held in the past that have similar frequently used vocabulary and have continued to be in good condition for a predetermined period of time, and request participants of the extracted conference to participate. Note that the other conferences are not limited to those held on the same day as the target conference, but may be those held the day before or earlier.

[0111] The request for participation is made, for example, by displaying a message image requesting participation in the target conference on the display unit 19 of the information terminal device 10 used by the extracted conference participant.

[0112] When multiple conferences in which the negative situation has continued for a predetermined time based on the trend information acquired by the trend acquisition unit 83 are extracted, the merging unit 88A may issue a request to merge the extracted multiple conferences.

[0113] The merging request is made, for example, by displaying a message image requesting all participants of the extracted conference to participate in the target conference on the display unit 19 of the information terminal device 10 used by the participants. The message image requesting participation may also be displayed only to the representative of the extracted conference.

[0114] The merging unit 88A may present the conference information of the other conference to be merged on the display unit 19 of the information terminal device 10 of the conference participant so that the participant can choose whether to merge the other conference with the entire conference, in other words, including all participants, or to merge only specific participants of the other conference.

[0115] (Meeting support method) Next, a conference support method will be described with reference to Fig. 10. The processes of steps S111, S112, and S117 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 10 are the same as those of steps S101, S102, and S107 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 8. In the following description, an example will be given in which the method is used for a web conference.

[0116] If it is determined that the negative situation continues (Yes in step S112), the conference support control device 80A acquires information about other conferences (step S113). More specifically, the conference support control device 80A extracts a target conference based on the situation for each event detected by the situation detection unit 82 using the fusion unit 88A, and extracts information about other conferences to be merged with the extracted target conference. The conference support control device 80A extracts, as a target conference, a conference in which the negative situation has continued for a predetermined time based on trend information, and extracts information about other conferences that satisfy the fusion condition. The conference support control device 80A extracts, using the fusion unit 88A, information about other conferences in good situations that have a high degree of match between the target conference and the conference content and are being held in real time. Alternatively, the conference support control device 80A extracts, using the fusion unit 88A, information about other conferences in good situations that were held in the past and have a high degree of match between the target conference and the conference content, from the conference information stored in the storage control unit 89. The conference support control device 80A proceeds to step S114.

[0117] The conference support control device 80A determines whether there is another conference in real time whose content highly matches the target conference and whose status continues to be good (step S114). More specifically, the conference support control device 80A determines, from the extraction result of the fusion unit 88A, whether there is another conference in real time whose content highly matches the target conference and whose status continues to be good. If the conference support control device 80A determines that there is another conference in real time whose content highly matches the target conference and whose status continues to be good (Yes in step S114), the process proceeds to step S116. If the conference support control device 80A does not determine that there is another conference in real time whose content highly matches the target conference and whose status continues to be good (No in step S114), the process proceeds to step S115.

[0118] If it is not determined that there is another conference in real time that has a high degree of match with the conference content and has continued to be in good condition (No in step S114), the conference support control device 80A determines whether there is another conference that has a high degree of match with the conference content and has continued to be in good condition (step S115). More specifically, the conference support control device 80A determines, from the extraction result of the fusion unit 88A, whether there is another conference that was held in the past that has a high degree of match with the conference content and has continued to be in good condition (Yes in step S115). If the conference support control device 80A determines that there is another conference that has a high degree of match with the conference content and has continued to be in good condition (Yes in step S115), it proceeds to step S116. If the conference support control device 80A does not determine that there is another conference that has a high degree of match with the conference content and has continued to be in good condition (No in step S115), it proceeds to step S117.

[0119] If it is determined that there is another conference in real time whose content matches the target conference highly and whose status continues to be good (Yes in step S114), or if it is determined that there is another conference whose content matches the target conference highly and whose status continues to be good (Yes in step S115), the conference support control device 80A displays a participation / merger request on the information terminal device 10 of the participants of the other conference (step S116). More specifically, the conference support control device 80A merges the target conference with the other conference whose content matches highly and whose status is good, using the merging unit 88A. The conference support control device 80A merges the conference scenes of the target conference and the other conference via the conference application, and displays a participation request for the merged conference on the display unit 19 of each participant's information terminal device 10. The conference support control device 80A proceeds to step S117.

[0120] An example of merging a target conference, i.e., the own conference, with another conference will be described with reference to FIG. 5. In step S112, the tendency acquisition unit 83 determines that the own conference is currently continuing in a negative state. In step S113, the information extraction unit 85 extracts another conference A and another conference B. In step S114, it is determined that there is another conference A whose content matches the own conference highly and is in a good state. In step S116, the merging unit 88A causes the display unit 19 to display a merging request to merge the own conference with the other conference A.

[0121] Another example of merging of the subject conference with another conference will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In step S112, the trend acquisition unit 83 determines that the subject conference is currently continuing in a negative state. In step S114, it is determined that the subject conference has a high degree of match between its content and the subject conference and that the other conference is in a good state, and is not in real time. In step S115, it is determined that the subject conference has a high degree of match between its content and the subject conference and that the other conference F is in a good state and exists in the past history. In step S116, the merging unit 88A displays a participation request on the display unit 19 of the information terminal device 10 of the participant of the other conference F.

[0122] (effect) As described above, in this embodiment, the target conference extracted based on the situation of each conference venue is merged with other conferences. In this embodiment, by fusing the target conference with other conferences, it is possible to support the creation of new ideas and the coming up with new ways to combine or develop ideas. In this way, according to the situation of the conference venue, such as when the conference is stalled, it is possible to support the smooth progress of the conference.

[0123] In this embodiment, when multiple conference locations that have been in a bad state for a predetermined period of time are extracted based on the trend information, a request for merging can be made for the extracted multiple conferences. According to this embodiment, when a conference is stalled, it can be merging with another conference that is in a good state, thereby helping to ensure that the conference proceeds smoothly.

[0124] In this embodiment, if no other conference in a good state is extracted from multiple conferences, other conferences in a good state that were held in the past and have similar frequently used vocabulary can be extracted from the conference information stored by the storage control unit 89, and a request can be made to the participants of the extracted other conferences to participate. According to this embodiment, when a conference is stalled, merging it with another conference in a good state can help the conference proceed smoothly.

[0125] The components of the illustrated conference support system are conceptual and functional, and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown. In other words, the specific form of each device is not limited to that shown, and all or part of the devices may be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in any unit depending on the processing load and usage status of each device.

[0126] The configuration of each device in the conference support system is realized, for example, as software, by a program loaded into memory. In the above embodiment, these functional blocks are described as being realized by the cooperation of these hardware and software. In other words, these functional blocks can be realized in various forms, using only hardware, only software, or a combination of both.

[0127] The components described above include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the configurations described above can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configurations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0128] 1. Meeting support system 10 Information terminal device 11 Camera 12 microphones 13 Audio output section 14 Control section 15 Biometric sensors 18 Communications Department 19 Display section 20 Terminal control device 21 Imaging control unit 22 Voice acquisition unit 23 Audio output control unit 24 Operation control section 25 Memory section 26 Communication control section 27 Display control unit 28 Application control section 29 Biometric information acquisition unit 30 Server device 31 Communications Department 40 Server control device 41 Communication control unit 42 Storage section 70 Meeting support equipment 80 Conference support control device 82 Situation detection unit 83 Trend acquisition section 85 Information extraction part 87 Information Control Department 89 Memory control unit

Claims

1. a situation detection unit that extracts the status of participants in a conference from video footage of the conference venue, in which multiple participants are participating and which has a common theme and is proceeding simultaneously, and from audio captured from the venue, and detects whether the status of the venue for each conference is good or bad based on the ratio of participants in a predetermined status to all participants for each conference venue; a fusion unit that extracts a target conference based on the situation for each location detected by the situation detection unit and fuses the extracted conference with other conferences; A conference support control device comprising:

2. a trend acquisition unit that acquires, as trend information, a time transition of the quality of the situation of each of the meeting locations; Equipped with When a plurality of conferences in which a negative situation has continued for a predetermined time are extracted based on the trend information acquired by the trend acquisition unit, the fusion unit fuses the extracted plurality of conferences. The conference support control device according to claim 1 .

3. a storage control unit that associates the similarity of frequently used vocabulary with the tendency information for each of the plurality of conference locations and stores the association information as conference information; Equipped with When no conference with good trend information is extracted from the plurality of conferences, the fusion unit extracts, from the conference information stored by the storage control unit, other conferences that were held in the past, have similar frequently used vocabulary, and have continued to be in good state for a predetermined period of time, and requests participants of the extracted other conferences to participate. The conference support control device according to claim 2 .

4. a situation detection step of extracting the status of the participants in a conference from a video of the conference venue in which a plurality of participants are participating and which has a common theme and is proceeding simultaneously and from audio recorded at the venue, and detecting whether the status of the venue for each conference venue is good or bad based on the ratio of participants in a predetermined status to all participants for each conference venue; a merging step of extracting a target conference based on the situation for each location detected by the situation detection step, and merging the extracted conference with other conferences; and a program executed by a computer that operates as a conference support control device.

5. a situation detection step of extracting the status of the participants in a conference from a video of the conference venue in which a plurality of participants are participating and which has a common theme and is proceeding simultaneously and from audio recorded at the venue, and detecting whether the status of the venue for each conference venue is good or bad based on the ratio of participants in a predetermined status to all participants for each conference venue; a merging step of extracting a target conference based on the situation for each location detected by the situation detection step, and merging the extracted conference with other conferences; A conference support method executed by a conference support control device, comprising:

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