Remote communication systems, remote communication methods, and programs

Abstract

To provide a remote communication system that allows users to remotely specify who they want to share their attention with. [Solution] A remote communication system comprising: an imaging unit that images a target area; a light projection unit that projects light onto any of the target areas; a display unit that displays the image of the target area captured by the imaging unit; an attention area acquisition unit that acquires attention area information indicating an area within the target area that the user shares attention with; and a light projection control unit that controls the area onto which the light projection unit projects light based on the attention area information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a remote communication system, a remote communication method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Currently, remote communication using a web conference system that enables conversation among multiple people and presents the face images of speakers has become widespread. Furthermore, remote communication is not only used for consensus formation in meetings but also, for example, for remote work instructions using a glass device such as HoloLens (registered trademark), virtual accompaniment using a service robot that follows remote users, etc., and is beginning to be used when acting together.

[0003] When remotely instructing work or operations, it is necessary to specify the location and target. Patent Document 1 discloses an instruction system that uses a projection mapping system in which the optical axes of a projector and a camera are aligned using a half mirror, and annotates the location being viewed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the instruction system described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that it may be difficult to focus when the distance from the projector to the instruction target is not constant (for example, when the surface is diagonal to the projector, there are steps, or the projector or the instruction target moves).

[0006] This invention has been made in view of these circumstances and provides a remote communication system, a remote communication method, and a program that allow a user to remotely specify an object with which they wish to share their attention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one aspect of the present invention is a remote communication system comprising: an imaging unit that images a target area; a light projection unit that projects light onto any of the areas within the target area; a display unit that displays the image of the target area captured by the imaging unit; an attention area acquisition unit that acquires attention area information indicating an area within the target area that the user shares attention with; and a light projection control unit that controls the area onto which the light projection unit projects light based on the attention area information.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is the remote communication system described above, wherein the light projection control unit controls the color of the light projected by the light projection unit or the shape of the area onto which the light projection unit projects light, according to the user.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is the remote communication system described above, further comprising a warning information acquisition unit that acquires warning information indicating the degree of attention or the type of attention, wherein the light projection control unit controls the color, shape, waveform of brightness change, period of brightness change, amount of brightness change, or duty cycle of brightness change of the light projected by the light projection unit based on the warning information.

[0010] Another aspect of the present invention is the remote communication system described above, wherein the light projection control unit controls the light projected by the light projection unit based on the number of users who are on standby or the number of users who are on standby.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention is a remote communication method comprising: a first step of imaging a target area; a second step of displaying the image of the target area imaged in the first step; a third step of acquiring attention area information indicating an area within the target area that the user shares attention with; a fourth step of controlling an area within the target area from which light is projected based on the attention area information; and a fifth step of projecting light in accordance with the control in the fourth step.

[0012] Another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as a display unit that displays an image of a target area captured by an imaging device, an attention area acquisition unit that acquires attention area information indicating an area within the target area that the user shares attention with, and a light projection control unit that controls an area within the target area from which a light projection device projects light based on the attention area information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to this invention, a remote communication system, remote communication method, and program allow a user to remotely specify an object with which to share attention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a remote communication system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing a first configuration example of the light-emitting device 60 in the same embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing a second configuration example of the light-emitting device 60 in the same embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram showing a first example of the light-emitting area by the light-emitting device 60 in the same embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram showing a second example of the light-emitting area by the light-emitting device 60 in the same embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram showing a third example of the light-emitting area by the light-emitting device 60 in the same embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a graph showing a first example of the luminance change of the light projected by the light projecting device 60 in the same embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a graph showing a second example of the luminance change of the light projected by the light projecting device 60 in the same embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a graph showing a third example of the luminance change of the light projected by the light projecting device 60 in the same embodiment. [Figure 10] It is a graph showing an example of the luminance change and color change of the light projected by the light projecting device 60 in the same embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the user terminal device 70 in the same embodiment.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a remote communication system 1 according to an embodiment of this invention. The remote communication system 1 is used for communication between store employees, staff, workers, etc. in commercial facilities such as stores, museums, factories, viewing facilities, and work facilities, and users who are remote. For example, in the case of a store, the remote communication system 1 is used for presenting and explaining products to remote users, and specifying purchased products by remote users. Also, in the case of a museum, the remote communication system 1 is used for explaining exhibits to remote users. Also, in the case of a factory, the remote communication system 1 is used for instructing equipment operation, inspection points, etc. from remote users to workers in the factory, or for lectures and training for remote users. Hereinafter, the commercial facility, viewing facility, and work facility side may be referred to as the local area, and the other side may be referred to as the remote area.

[0016] The remote communication system 1 includes a microphone (microphone) 10, a speaker 20, a camera 30 (imaging unit, imaging device), a camera control device 40, a relay server 50, a light projection device 60 (light projection unit), and one or more user terminal devices 70. The microphone 10 is installed locally, picks up local sound, and converts it into an audio signal. This audio signal is input to the relay server 50. The speaker 20 is installed locally and emits remote sound according to a remote audio signal. This remote audio signal is transmitted from the user terminal device 70 and input via the relay server 50.

[0017] The camera 30 is installed locally and images a local target area. The camera control device 40 controls the imaging direction and field of view (angle of view) of the camera 30. In addition, the camera control device 40 encodes the video of the target area imaged by the camera 30 using HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), VVC (Versatile Video Coding), etc. to generate a video signal. The camera control device 40 transmits this video signal to the relay server 50.

[0018] The relay server 50 includes a relay unit 51 and a light projection control unit 52. The relay server 50 may be realized by one or more computers reading and executing a program. For example, the relay unit 51 and the light projection control unit 52 may be realized by the same computer reading and executing a program, or may be realized by separate computers reading and executing a program.

[0019] The relay unit 51 transmits the local video signal received from the camera control device 40 and the local audio signal input from the microphone 10 to each user terminal device 70. The relay unit 51 may transmit to the user terminal device 70 the video signal and audio signal received from another user terminal device 70, that is, the remote video signal and audio signal where the other user terminal device 70 is installed. In addition, the remote audio signal received from the user terminal device 70 is input to the speaker 20.

[0020] The light projection control unit 52 controls the area onto which the light projection device 60 projects light based on attention area information received from the user terminal device 70 via the relay unit 51. This attention area information indicates the area within the target area that the user shares attention in. The light projection control unit 52 may also control the color of the light projected by the light projection device 60, or the shape of the area onto which the light projection device 60 projects light, according to the user. Furthermore, the light projection control unit 52 may also control the color, shape, waveform of brightness change, period of brightness change, amount of brightness change, or duty cycle of brightness change of the light projected by the light projection device 60 based on attention information received from the user terminal device 70 via the relay unit 51. In addition, the light projection control unit 52 may control the area onto which the light projection device 60 projects light based on attention area information received from only one user terminal device 70 at a time, i.e., the attention area information of one user. In that case, the light projection control unit 52 may control the light projected by the light projection device 60 based on the number of users waiting for its attention area information to be used or on the number of users waiting.

[0021] The light projector 60 projects light onto one of the target areas. The light projector 60 can change the color and brightness of the projected light according to the control of the light projection control unit 52. The light projector 60 can also change the position, shape, and size of the area onto which light is projected (the light projection area) according to the control of the light projection control unit 52.

[0022] The user terminal device 70 is implemented by a computer, such as a personal computer, tablet terminal, or smartphone, located remotely, loading and executing a program. The user terminal device 70 includes a display unit 71, an audio input / output unit 72, a attention area acquisition unit 73, and a attention information acquisition unit 74. The user terminal device 70 may run a web browser and download data or programs for some or all of the functions of the display unit 71, audio input / output unit 72, attention area acquisition unit 73, and attention information acquisition unit 74 from another device such as a relay server 50.

[0023] The display unit 71 has display means such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The display unit 71 displays the image of the target area (image of the actual location) captured by the camera 30. This image is based on the video signal received from the relay unit 51.

[0024] The audio input / output unit 72 includes a microphone and a speaker. The microphone of the audio input / output unit 72 picks up remote sound and converts it into an audio signal. The audio input / output unit 72 transmits the audio signal to the relay unit 51. The audio input / output unit 72 also plays sound according to the local audio signal received from the relay unit 51. The audio input / output unit 72 may also play sound according to a remote audio signal (an audio signal from another user terminal device 70) received from the relay unit 51. Furthermore, the audio signal received from the relay unit 51 includes both local and remote audio, and the audio input / output unit 72 may play sound according to this audio signal.

[0025] The attention area acquisition unit 73 acquires attention area information that indicates the area within the target area that the user of the user terminal device 70 shares attention with. The attention area acquisition unit 73 transmits the acquired attention area information to the relay unit 51. The attention area acquisition unit 73 may be equipped with a pointing device such as a mouse, touch panel, or gaze detection device, and the user may use the pointing device to acquire information indicating an area specified in the video of the target area as attention area information.

[0026] The attention information acquisition unit 74 acquires attention information indicating the degree of attention the user has to the area indicated by the attention area information, or the type of attention to that area. The types of attention that can be indicated by the attention information may include objects or phenomena of interest, dangers that have occurred, expected dangers, and at least a part of the object of work. The attention information acquisition unit 74 transmits the acquired attention information to the relay unit 51. The attention information acquisition unit 74 may, for example, be equipped with a camera that photographs the user's face in the user terminal device 70, vital sensors that detect the user's pulse rate, amount of sweat, etc., and acquire attention information from the user's face image or the detection results of the vital sensors.

[0027] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a first configuration example of the light projection device 60 in this embodiment. The light projection device 60 comprises a lens 61, a liquid crystal filter 62, a light 63, a zoom control unit 64, and a direction control unit 65. The liquid crystal filter 62 and lens 61 are installed on the central axis of the light emitted by the light 63 (hereinafter referred to as the optical axis) so that the light projected from the light 63 passes through the liquid crystal filter 62 and then the lens 61 in that order. The lens 61 is driven in the direction of the optical axis of the light 63 by the zoom control unit 64. This controls the spread of the light projected by the light projection device 60. The liquid crystal filter 62 controls the color and shape of the light projected by the light projection device 60 according to the control of the light projection control unit 52. The liquid crystal filter 62 may also control the brightness of the light projected by the light projection device 60 according to the control of the light projection control unit 52.

[0028] Light 63 is a point light source, such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) light. Light 63 may control the brightness of its light emission according to the control of the light projection control unit 52. The zoom control unit 64 drives the lens 61 in the direction of the optical axis of Light 63 to control the spread of light projected by the light projection device 60, that is, the size of the area onto which the light projection device 60 projects light. The direction control unit 65 controls the orientation of Light 63, the liquid crystal filter 62 connected to Light 63, and the lens 61, that is, the direction of light emission, using a two-axis motor. This controls the position of the area onto which the light projection device 60 projects light.

[0029] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a second configuration example of the light projector 60 in this embodiment. In Figure 3, the same reference numerals are used for parts corresponding to the parts in Figure 2, and their descriptions are omitted. In the first configuration example of the light projector 60, the position of the area onto which the light projector 60 emits light was controlled by directly changing the direction of the light 63. In the second configuration example, the light projector 60 differs from the first configuration example in that it does not have a direction control unit 65, but instead has a mirror 66 and a direction control unit 65a. The direction control unit 65a controls the position of the area onto which the light projector 60 emits light by changing the direction of the mirror 66 using a two-axis motor. In the second configuration example, since only the direction of the mirror 66 needs to be changed, a motor with lower torque is required than that of the direction control unit 65 which changes the direction of the lens 61, liquid crystal filter 62, and light 63. The first configuration example allows for more optical freedom in the arrangement and miniaturization of the light projector 60 than the second configuration example.

[0030] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing a first example of the light-emitting area by the light-emitting device 60 in this embodiment. In the first example, the light-emitting area A11 is circular and uniform in color. The light-emitting control unit 52 may change the shape of the light-emitting area A11 to, for example, a rectangle or triangle, or change the color of the light-emitting area A11, depending on the user, the type of attention, or both. This allows on-site and remote users to understand which area the current light-emitting area is and what kind of attention it is receiving.

[0031] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing a second example of the light-emitting area by the light-emitting device 60 in this embodiment. In the second example, the light-emitting area A21 is circular, with a uniform color inside but a different color (different hue) at the edge A22. The light-emitting control unit 52 acquires on-site video via the relay unit 51, and if the background color of the light-emitting area (the color of objects in the light-emitting area) and the color of the projected light are similar, and the visibility of the light-emitting area is low, the edge may be made a different color from the inside. The light-emitting control unit 52 may calculate the light-emitting area in the on-site video based on the relative positions of the camera 30 and the light-emitting device 60, or it may flash the light-emitting device 60 and detect the light-emitting area from the changes in the on-site video corresponding to the flashing.

[0032] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing a third example of the light-emitting area by the light-emitting device 60 in this embodiment. In the third example, light-emitting area A31 and light-emitting area A32 have the same shape (rectangle) and the same color, but they are different in size. Light-emitting area A31 and light-emitting area A32 are light-emitting areas by the same user, but this is an example where the size of the area indicated by the attention area information acquired by the attention area acquisition unit 73 is different. That is, the light-emitting control unit 52 may change the size of the light-emitting area according to the size of the area indicated by the attention area information. The size of the area indicated by the attention area information may be the size of the area specified by the user by enclosing it in the image of the target area using a pointing device, or it may be the size specified by the user using a button, slider bar, etc., to specify the size of the area indicated by the attention area information.

[0033] Figure 7 is a graph showing a first example of the change in brightness of the light projected by the light projector 60 in this embodiment. In graph G11 of Figure 7, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the brightness of the light projected by the light projector 60. The light projector control unit 52 may control the light projector 60 so that the brightness of the light projected by the light projector 60 is a sine wave, as shown in Figure 7.

[0034] Figure 8 is a graph showing a second example of the change in brightness of the light projected by the light projector 60 in this embodiment. In graph G21 of Figure 8, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the brightness of the light projected by the light projector 60. The light projector control unit 52 may control the light projector 60 so that the brightness of the light projected by the light projector 60 is a triangular wave, as shown in Figure 8.

[0035] Figure 9 is a graph showing a third example of the change in brightness of the light projected by the light projector 60 in this embodiment. In graphs G31, G32, G33, and G34 of Figure 9, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the brightness of the light projected by the light projector 60. The light projector control unit 52 may control the light projector 60 so that the brightness of the light projected by the light projector 60 becomes a rectangular wave, as shown in Figure 9. Furthermore, the light projector control unit 52 may change the period (graphs G31 and G32), duty cycle (graphs G31 and G33), and brightness change amount (graphs G31 and G34) of the rectangular wave according to the attention information. In the case of a sine wave or a triangular wave, the light projector control unit 52 may also change the period and brightness change amount according to the attention information. For example, the higher the level of interest indicated by the attention information, the smaller the period, the higher the duty cycle, or the larger the brightness change amount.

[0036] Furthermore, the light projection control unit 52 may change the waveform of the brightness change of the light projected by the light projection device 60 depending on the application or the warning information. For example, the light projection control unit 52 may set the brightness change to a square wave when the value of a certain warning information exceeds a threshold that serves as a criterion for determining whether the level of interest is high or not, and to a sine wave or triangular wave when the threshold is not exceeded. The threshold may be a predetermined value. Also, if a remote user performs an operation on the user terminal device 70 to specify a warning to other users, such as a local user, the light projection control unit 52 may set the brightness change to a square wave, and if no such operation is performed, the brightness change may be a sine wave or triangular wave.

[0037] The light projection control unit 52 may control the brightness of the light projected by the light projection device 60 using any of the following: the light emission intensity of the light 63, the transmittance of the liquid crystal filter 62, or the lens position of the zoom control unit 64. When using the light emission intensity of the light 63 or the lens position of the zoom control unit 64, it is possible to prevent brightness reduction caused by the liquid crystal filter 62.

[0038] Figure 10 is a graph showing examples of brightness and color changes of the light projected by the light projector 60 in this embodiment. In graphs G41, G42, and G43 of Figure 10, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the brightness of the light projected by the light projector 60. The color of the rectangle shown above the rectangular wave indicates the color of the light in that rectangular wave. The light projector control unit 52 may control the color of the light projected by the light projector 60 to use not only the color C1 corresponding to the current user, but also the colors C2 and C3 of standby users periodically.

[0039] The current user is the user who has the authority to operate the projection light. In other words, the current user is the user whose area of ​​shared attention is the projection light area. The standby user is the user who, while another user has the authority to operate the projection light, performs an operation on the user terminal device 70 to request the authority to operate the projection light.

[0040] Graph G41 shows that there is one waiting user, and the wave of the waiting user's color C2 is periodically placed relative to the wave of the current user's color C1. If the waiting user performs an operation to the user terminal device 70 to request permission to operate the projection lights, the projection control unit 52 may shorten the period as shown in graph G42. Note that the projection control unit 52 may also change the waveform instead of the period. For example, the projection control unit 52 may use a sine wave or triangular wave graph for graph G41 and a square wave graph for graph G42.

[0041] Furthermore, if the number of waiting users increases from one to two, the light projection control unit 52 may periodically arrange waves of the waiting users' colors C2 and C3, as shown in graph G43. Alternatively, instead of the waiting users' colors, the light projection control unit 52 may periodically arrange waves of a specific color corresponding to the number of waiting users, or it may periodically arrange waves of a specific color when the number of waiting users exceeds a reference threshold.

[0042] Figure 11 shows an example of the display screen of the user terminal device 70 in this embodiment. The display screen example D1 in Figure 11 includes a video of the location V1, user face images V2 and V3, and a projection ON / OFF button B1. Furthermore, the user face image V3 is marked with a mark M1 indicating that the user has permission to operate the projection. The video of the location V1 is a portion of the video captured by the camera 30 that the user has specified. This specification may be done by dragging or swiping on the screen. Also, area A1 in the video of the location V1 is the projection area. The projection area may be specified by clicking or tapping on the screen. The user terminal device 70 may use coordinates in the overall video of the location (video captured by the camera 30) corresponding to the coordinates specified by the click or tap as attention area information, or it may use a value indicating the direction corresponding to those coordinates. The face images V2 and V3 may be videos captured by the user terminal device 70, or they may be images (still images) prepared for each user. Furthermore, in the example display screen D1, the frames around the user's face images V2 and V3 are colored according to the color of the light projected by the light projector 60 if the user has permission to operate the light projection.

[0043] The Floodlight ON / OFF button B1 is used to request or relinquish floodlight control privileges. If no one has floodlight control privileges, a user can obtain them by pressing the Floodlight ON / OFF button B1. If another user has floodlight control privileges, pressing the Floodlight ON / OFF button B1 will make the user a standby user. If the user with floodlight control privileges presses the Floodlight ON / OFF button B1, the floodlight control privileges will be transferred to the standby user.

[0044] The present invention may also be in the following embodiments. (1) One embodiment of the present invention is a remote communication system comprising: an imaging unit that images a target area; a light projection unit that projects light onto any of the areas within the target area; a display unit that displays the image of the target area captured by the imaging unit; an attention area acquisition unit that acquires attention area information indicating an area within the target area that the user shares attention with; and a light projection control unit that controls the area onto which the light projection unit projects light based on the attention area information.

[0045] This allows the remote communication system to remotely specify who a user will share their attention with.

[0046] (2) Another embodiment of the present invention is the remote communication system described in (1), wherein the light projection control unit controls the color of the light projected by the light projection unit or the shape of the area onto which the light projection unit projects light, according to the user.

[0047] This allows other users to identify the user who has designated a target for attention.

[0048] (3) Another embodiment of the present invention is a remote communication system as described in (1) or (2), further comprising a warning information acquisition unit that acquires warning information indicating the degree of warning or the type of warning, wherein the light projection control unit controls the color, shape, waveform of the brightness change, period of the brightness change, amount of the brightness change, or duty cycle of the brightness change of the light projected by the light projection unit based on the warning information.

[0049] This allows other users to identify the level or type of attention a user is paying attention to.

[0050] (4) Another embodiment of the present invention is a remote communication system according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the light projection control unit controls the light projected by the light projection unit based on a waiting user or the number of waiting users.

[0051] This allows each user to identify the number of users waiting or the number of users in their queue.

[0052] (5) Another embodiment of the present invention is a remote communication method comprising: a first step of imaging a target area; a second step of displaying the image of the target area imaged in the first step; a third step of acquiring attention area information indicating an area within the target area that the user shares attention with; a fourth step of controlling an area within the target area from which light is projected based on the attention area information; and a fifth step of projecting light in accordance with the control in the fourth step.

[0053] This allows remote communication methods to specify who a user will share their attention with remotely.

[0054] (6) Another embodiment of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as a display unit that displays an image of a target area captured by an imaging device, an attention area acquisition unit that acquires attention area information indicating an area in the target area from which the user shares attention, and a light projection control unit that controls an area in the target area from which a light projection device projects light based on the attention area information.

[0055] Alternatively, a program to implement at least some of the functions of the relay unit 51, light projection control unit 52, display unit 71, audio input / output unit 72, attention area acquisition unit 73, and attention information acquisition unit 74 in Figure 1 may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on this recording medium may be loaded into a computer system and executed to implement at least some of the functions of the relay unit 51, light projection control unit 52, display unit 71, audio input / output unit 72, attention area acquisition unit 73, and attention information acquisition unit 74. The term "computer system" here includes hardware such as the operating system and peripheral devices.

[0056] Furthermore, "computer system" shall also include the homepage provisioning environment (or display environment) if a WWW system is being used. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. Moreover, "computer-readable recording media" also includes those that dynamically hold programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs over networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, and those that hold programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside computer systems that act as servers or clients in such cases. In addition, the above-mentioned programs may be for the purpose of realizing some of the functions described above, and may also be able to realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with programs already recorded in the computer system.

[0057] While embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments and may include design modifications and the like that do not depart from the spirit of this invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1. Remote communication system 10 Microphones 20 speakers 30 Cameras 40 Camera control device 50 relay servers 51 Relay section 52 Light projection control unit 52 60 Floodlights 70 User terminal device 71 Display section 72 Audio Input / Output Section 73 Attention area acquisition part 74 Caution information acquisition unit

Claims

1. An imaging unit that images the target area, A light projector that projects light onto one of the aforementioned target areas, A display unit that displays the image of the target area captured by the imaging unit, A unit for acquiring attention areas that acquires attention area information indicating the area in which the user is focusing their attention among the aforementioned target areas, Based on the aforementioned attention area information, a light projection control unit controls the area from which the light projection unit projects light. A remote communication system equipped with [specific features / features].

2. The light projection control unit controls the color of the light projected by the light projection unit, or the shape of the area onto which the light is projected, according to the user. The remote communication system according to claim 1.

3. The system further includes a warning information acquisition unit that acquires warning information indicating the degree of warning or the type of warning, Based on the warning information, the light projection control unit controls the color, shape, waveform of the brightness change, period of the brightness change, amount of the brightness change, or duty cycle of the brightness change of the light projected by the light projection unit. The remote communication system according to claim 1.

4. The light projection control unit controls the light projected by the light projection unit based on the number of users in standby or the number of users in standby. The remote communication system according to claim 1.

5. The first step is to image the target area, A second step involves displaying the image of the target area captured in the first step, A third step involves acquiring attention area information that indicates the area in the aforementioned target area where the user shares attention, A fourth step involves controlling the area from which light is projected within the target area based on the aforementioned attention area information, A fifth step involves projecting light in accordance with the control performed in the fourth step. A sharp remote communication method.

6. Computers, A display unit that displays the image of the target area captured by the imaging device. A attention area acquisition unit acquires attention area information that indicates the area in which the user's attention is focused, from among the aforementioned target areas. Based on the aforementioned attention area information, the light projection control unit controls the area within the target area from which the light projection device projects light. A program designed to function as such.

Images