VIDEO COMMUNICATION DEVICE AND VIDEO DISPLAY METHOD

Abstract

To perform communication appropriately even when a camera video is not displayed.SOLUTION: A video communication device includes a communication unit that receives, from another terminal, a video taken by a camera of the other terminal and information that limits the video display, an analysis unit that recognizes a person from the video received by the communication unit and analyzes the movement or facial expression of the recognized person, an icon generation unit that generates an icon that reflects the analysis results of the analysis unit, and a display control unit that displays the video received by the communication unit on the display unit, and displays the icon generated by the icon generation unit on the display unit instead of the video when the communication unit receives the information that limits the video display.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a video communication device and a video display method. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Web conferencing devices that enable a user to hold a conference or the like with remote parties via a network are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-93315 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A WEB conference device allows participants to share video captured from the direction of the user's face, but the camera function may be turned off as necessary. For example, in a multi-person WEB conference, the camera function of all users other than the speaker may be turned off. In such cases, the speaker cannot see the facial expressions of other users and cannot understand their reactions to the content of the speech, which may result in communication not being smooth.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a video communication device and a video display method that enable smooth communication without displaying camera images. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The video communication device of the present invention comprises a communication unit that receives from another terminal an image captured by a camera of the other terminal and information restricting display of the image; an analysis unit that recognizes a person from the image received by the communication unit and analyzes the movements or facial expressions of the recognized person; an icon generation unit that generates an icon that reflects the analysis results of the analysis unit; and a display control unit that displays the image received by the communication unit on a display unit, and, when the communication unit receives information restricting display of the image, displays on the display unit the icon generated by the icon generation unit in place of the image.

[0007] The video display method of the present invention is performed by a video communication device, which performs the following steps: receiving from another terminal a video captured by the camera of the other terminal and information restricting the display of the video; recognizing a person from the received video and analyzing the movements or facial expressions of the recognized person; generating an icon reflecting the analysis results of the movements or facial expressions of the recognized person; and displaying the video received from the other terminal on a display unit, and when information restricting the display of the video is received, displaying on the display unit an icon reflecting the analysis results of the movements or facial expressions of the recognized person instead of the video. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, smooth communication can be carried out without displaying camera images. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a video communication device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a display image according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow of the video communication device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an image that the display control unit causes to be displayed on the display unit. [Diagram 5]FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining normal icons that the display control unit causes to be displayed on the display unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of an icon generated by the icon generating unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of an icon generated by the icon generating unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of an icon generated by the icon generating unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of an icon generated by the icon generating unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method in which the display control unit according to the first embodiment displays icons. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a method in which the display control unit according to the first embodiment displays icons. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a video communication device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the video communication device according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0011] [First embodiment] A video communication device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a video communication device according to the first embodiment.

[0012] 1, video communication device 10 includes camera 12, microphone 14, operation reception unit 16, communication unit 18, display unit 20, audio output unit 22, and control unit (video communication control device) 24. Video communication device 10 is a device such as a PC (Personal Computer), smartphone, tablet terminal, etc., that includes a display screen for displaying images and a camera located near the display screen and facing in the same direction as the display screen. Video communication device 10 is a device that can be used in, for example, a web conference to enable communication between participants in the web conference using images and audio.

[0013] Camera 12 captures an image of the periphery of video communication device 10. Camera 12 is disposed so as to capture an image in the direction in which display unit 20 faces, for example. Camera 12 captures continuous images in time series, so-called moving images, at a predetermined frame rate. Camera 12 outputs the captured images to video acquisition unit 30. Camera 12 may be an external camera connected to video communication device 10.

[0014] The microphone 14 picks up sounds around the video communication device 10. The microphone 14 picks up the sound of a person speaking toward the microphone 14. The microphone 14 outputs the picked up sound to the sound acquisition unit 32. The microphone 14 may be an external microphone connected to the video communication device 10.

[0015] The operation reception unit 16 receives various operations for the video communication device 10 by user operations. The operation reception unit 16 may include, for example, a touch panel, a switch, a button, etc. The operation reception unit 16 outputs operation information related to the operation received from the user or the like to the operation control unit .

[0016] The communication unit 18 is connected to a communication network such as the Internet (not shown) by wire or wirelessly. The communication unit 18 transmits and receives information to and from other external devices via the communication network. The communication unit 18 transmits and receives information to and from, for example, other video communication devices. The communication unit 18 transmits, for example, video captured by the camera 12 and audio picked up by the microphone 14 to the other video communication devices. The communication unit 18 receives, for example, video captured by the camera of the other video communication devices and audio picked up by the microphone. The communication unit 18 receives, for example, information restricting video captured by the camera of the other video communication devices from the other video communication devices. In the following description, when it is described that the communication unit 18 transmits video, etc. to the other video communication devices, it also includes the communication unit 18 transmitting video, etc. to an external server to which the other video communication devices are connected and from which the other video communication devices can refer to the video, etc. transmitted by the communication unit 18. In addition, when it is described that the communication unit 18 receives video, etc. from another video communication device, this also includes the communication unit 18 receiving video, etc. from an external server, etc. to which the other video communication device is connected and which can refer to video, etc. transmitted by the other video communication device.

[0017] The display unit 20 displays various information. For example, the display unit 20 displays an image of the user captured by the camera 12, an image of other users captured by other video communication devices participating in the WEB conference, etc. The display unit 20 displays, for example, a predetermined icon indicating the user of the video communication device 10, or an icon indicating the user of the other video communication devices participating in the WEB conference. The display unit 20 is, for example, a display including a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display.

[0018] The audio output unit 22 is a speaker, a headphone, or the like, which is provided in the video communication device 10, or an external speaker, a headphone, or the like connected to the video communication device 10. The audio output unit 22 outputs various types of audio. For example, the audio output unit 22 outputs audio uttered by other users transmitted from other video communication devices participating in the WEB conference.

[0019] The control unit 24 is a so-called video communication control device that controls the operation of each unit of the video communication device 10. The control unit 24 realizes various functions by, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro processing unit (MPU) executing a program stored in a storage unit (not shown) using a RAM or the like as a working area. For this reason, the control unit 24 executes the video display method according to the embodiment. The control unit 24 is a computer that runs the program according to the present invention. The control unit 24 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The control unit 24 may be realized by a combination of hardware and software.

[0020] The control unit 24 includes a video acquisition unit 30, an audio acquisition unit 32, an operation control unit 34, a communication control unit 36, a display control unit 38, an audio output control unit 40, an analysis unit 42, and an icon generation unit 44. In other words, the control unit 24 realizes the functions of the video acquisition unit 30, the audio acquisition unit 32, the operation control unit 34, the communication control unit 36, the display control unit 38, the audio output control unit 40, the analysis unit 42, and the icon generation unit 44.

[0021] The video acquisition unit 30 acquires the video output by the camera 12. The video acquisition unit 30 acquires, for example, the video captured by the camera 12, covering an area including the face of the user of the video communication device 10.

[0022] The voice acquiring unit 32 acquires the voice output by the microphone 14. The voice acquiring unit 32 acquires, for example, the voice uttered by the user of the video communication device 10, which is acquired by the microphone 14.

[0023] The operation control unit 34 acquires operation information related to the operation accepted by the operation acceptance unit 16 .

[0024] The communication control unit 36 ​​controls the communication unit 18. The communication control unit 36 ​​controls the communication unit 18 to transmit and receive various information to and from other external devices. The communication control unit 36 ​​controls, for example, the communication unit 18 to transmit and receive video and audio to and from other video communication devices.

[0025] The display control unit 38 causes various images to be displayed on the display unit 20. For example, the display control unit 38 causes images of the user of the video communication device 10 and users of other video communication devices participating in the WEB conference to be displayed. For example, when the communication unit 18 receives information restricting the video display, the display control unit 38 causes the display unit 20 to display icons generated by the icon generation unit 44 instead of the images of the other users.

[0026] The audio output control unit 40 causes the audio output unit 22 to output various sounds. For example, the audio output control unit 40 causes the audio output unit 22 to output the sounds of other users participating in the Web conference.

[0027] The analysis unit 42 analyzes video captured by a camera of the other video communication device and received by the communication unit 18. The analysis unit 42 analyzes audio picked up by a microphone of the other video communication device and received by the communication unit 18. The analysis unit 42 recognizes a person from a video captured by a camera of the other video communication device, for example. When the analysis unit 42 recognizes a person from a video captured by a camera of the other video communication device, for example, the analysis unit 42 analyzes at least one of the recognized actions and facial expressions.

[0028] The icon generating unit 44 generates various icons. For example, the icon generating unit 44 generates an icon according to the analysis result of the analysis unit 42.

[0029] [Display image] A display image according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a display image according to the first embodiment.

[0030] 2, the display image 20a displayed on the display unit 20 of the video communication device 10 includes a first display area 50, a second display area 52, a third display area 54, and a fourth display area 56. The display image 20a is an example of a screen that is displayed when, for example, four people including a user U1 of the video communication device 10 are holding a web conference. An image similar to the display image 20a is also displayed on the video communication devices of the other three users other than the user of the video communication device 10.

[0031] The first display area 50 displays, for example, information about a user U1 who is a first user of the four users. The second display area 52 displays, for example, information about a second user of the four users. The third display area 54 displays, for example, information about a third user of the four users. The fourth display area 56 displays, for example, information about a fourth user of the four users.

[0032] Video communication device 10 has a "video on mode" in which video captured by camera 12 is transmitted to other video communication devices for display. Video communication device 10 has a "video off mode" in which camera 12 does not capture video and does not transmit video to other video communication devices. Video communication device 10 has a "video restricted mode" in which video captured by camera 12 is transmitted to other video communication devices but the video is not displayed on the other video communication devices. In this embodiment, each user participating in a web conference can arbitrarily set the "video on mode", "video off mode", and "video restricted mode".

[0033] In the example shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the user U1 selects the "video on mode", and the second user, the third user, and the fourth user each select the "video off mode".

[0034] An image of user U1 and an icon I1 are displayed in the first display area 50. User U1 is displayed, for example, in the center of the first display area 50. Icon I1 is displayed in the upper right corner of the first display area 50. Icon I1 is an icon showing information about user U1. Icon I1 may display, for example, the initials of user U1's name, such as "YS."

[0035] An icon I2 is displayed in the center of the second display area 52. The icon I2 is an icon that indicates information about the second user. The icon I2 may display the initials of the second user's name, such as "RS."

[0036] An icon I3 is displayed in the center of the third display area 54. The icon I3 is an icon that indicates information about the third user. The icon I3 may display the initials of the third user's name, such as "KT."

[0037] An icon I4 is displayed in the center of the fourth display area 56. The icon I4 is an icon that indicates information about the fourth user. The icon I4 may display the initials of the fourth user's name, such as "CJ."

[0038] When any of the second user, the third user, and the fourth user has set the "video restriction mode," the video communication device 10 according to the present embodiment changes the display form of the icon indicating the information of the user who has set the "video restriction mode" among the icons I2, I3, and I4, according to the action or facial expression of the user who has set the "video restriction mode." By changing the display form of the icon of the user who has set the "video restriction mode," the video communication device 10 according to the present embodiment can properly grasp the reaction of other users participating in the WEB conference even in a state where the camera image is not displayed, thereby enabling smooth communication.

[0039] [Video communication device processing] The process of the video communication device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the process of the video communication device according to the first embodiment.

[0040] The process in Fig. 3 is started, for example, when a WEB conference is started. When the process in Fig. 3 is started and communication with other participants in the WEB conference is started by the communication unit 18, the control unit 24 determines whether or not video has been acquired from another video communication device (step S10). Specifically, the communication control unit 36 ​​determines whether or not video has been acquired from another video communication device via the communication unit 18. If it is determined that video has been acquired from another video communication device (step S10; Yes), the process proceeds to step S12. If it is not determined that video has been acquired from another video communication device (step S10; No), the process proceeds to step S16.

[0041] If the result of the determination in step S10 is Yes, the control unit 24 determines whether or not the acquired video has a display restriction (step S12). The acquired video has a display restriction when a "video restriction mode" is set in the other video communication device. Specifically, the communication control unit 36 ​​determines whether or not display restriction information regarding the acquired video from the other video communication device has been acquired via the communication unit 18. If it is determined that the acquired video does not have a display restriction (step S12; No), the process proceeds to step S14. If it is determined that the acquired video has a display restriction (step S12; Yes), the process proceeds to step S18.

[0042] If it is determined that the result of step S12 is No, the control unit 24 displays the acquired video (step S14). Specifically, the display control unit 38 causes the display unit 20 to display the video acquired in step S10. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the video that the display control unit 38 causes the display unit 20 to display. In the process of FIG. 3, an example of displaying the video or icon of the second user is described, but the same applies to the third user and the fourth user. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the display control unit 38 causes the second display area 52 to display a video of the second user U2 as a video acquired from the video communication device of the second user, and causes the icon I2 showing the initials of the name of the second user to be displayed in the upper right corner of the second display area 52. Then, the process proceeds to step 26.

[0043] If it is determined as No in step S10, the control unit 24 displays a normal icon (step S16). If it is determined as No in step S10, it means that the "video off mode" is set in the other video communication device. Specifically, the display control unit 38 causes the display unit 20 to display a normal icon showing the initials of the name of the user who uses the other video communication device. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the normal icon that the display control unit 38 causes the display unit 20 to display. For example, if the display control unit 38 does not acquire video from the video communication device of the second user, the display control unit 38 causes the second display area 52 to display the icon I2 corresponding to the second user. Then, the process proceeds to step S26.

[0044] If it is determined as Yes in step S12, the control unit 24 determines whether or not a person has been detected from the video acquired in step S10 (step S18). Specifically, the analysis unit 42 executes a person recognition process on the video acquired in step S10, for example, using dictionary data for recognizing people (not shown), to determine whether or not a person is included in the video. If it is determined that a person has been detected (step S18; Yes), the process proceeds to step S20. If it is not determined that a person has been detected (step S18; No), the process proceeds to step S16.

[0045] If it is determined that the result of step S18 is Yes, the control unit 24 determines whether or not a movement or facial expression of the detected person has been detected (step S20). Specifically, the analysis unit 42 detects at least one of the movement and facial expression of the person by using a well-known moving object detection process, such as an AI function using dictionary data (not shown) for recognizing facial expressions, for the detected person. If it is determined that a movement or facial expression of the person has been detected (step S20; Yes), the process proceeds to step S22. If it is not determined that a movement or facial expression of the person has been detected (step S20; No), the process proceeds to step S16.

[0046] The movement or facial expression of the person detected in step S20 may be said to be detection of a change in the movement or facial expression of the person. For example, when the facial expression of the detected person changes to a smile, a nodding movement, a shaking movement, or the like, it is detected.

[0047] If the answer to step S20 is Yes, the control unit 24 generates an icon based on the analysis result (step S22). Specifically, the icon generation unit 44 generates an icon according to the analysis result of the action or display of the person detected by the analysis unit 42. The icon according to the analysis result is, for example, an icon that is deformed so as to represent the action or facial expression of the person detected by the analysis unit 42, as compared with a normal icon as shown in Fig. 5. The icon according to the analysis result has at least one of the shape, configuration, and movement changed so as to represent the analysis result.

[0048] The icons generated by the icon generating unit 44 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6, Fig. 7, Fig. 8, and Fig. 9. Fig. 6 to Fig. 9 are diagrams for explaining an example of an icon generated by the icon generating unit 44 according to the first embodiment.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 6, for example, when the analysis unit 42 detects a nodding motion of the second user, the icon generation unit 44 generates an icon I2A by tilting the icon I2 shown in FIG. 5 as if nodding. As shown in FIG. 7, for example, when the analysis unit 42 detects a motion of the second user turning to the right, the icon generation unit 44 generates an icon I2B by tilting the icon I2 shown in FIG. 5 to turn to the right. As shown in FIG. 8, for example, when the analysis unit 42 detects a motion of the second user turning to the left, the icon generation unit 44 generates an icon I2C by tilting the icon I2 shown in FIG. 5 to turn to the left. That is, the icon generation unit 44 generates an icon according to the analysis result of the motion of the other participants in the WEB conference by the analysis unit 42.

[0050] 9, for example, when the analysis unit 42 detects a smile of the second user, the icon generation unit 44 generates an icon I2D indicating a smile. That is, the icon generation unit 44 can generate an icon according to the analysis result of the analysis unit 42 of the facial expressions of other participants in the WEB conference.

[0051] Returning to Fig. 3, the control unit 24 displays the generated icon (step S24). Specifically, the display control unit 38 causes the display unit 20 to display, for example, icons such as those shown in Figs.

[0052] A method in which the display control unit 38 according to the first embodiment displays icons will be described with reference to Fig. 10 and Fig. 11. Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 are diagrams for explaining a method in which the display control unit 38 according to the first embodiment displays icons.

[0053] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method of displaying an icon reflecting a nodding motion. In this case, first, the display control unit 38 displays, for example, an icon I2 of a normal second user in the second display area 52 (step S1). Next, the display control unit 38 displays, for example, an icon I2A indicating that the second user is nodding in the second display area 52 (step S2). The display control unit 38 reflects the nodding motion of other participants in the WEB conference by, for example, switching the display between the state of step S1 and the state of step S2 every second. That is, when other participants in the WEB conference are nodding, the display control unit 38 displays the icons of the other participants who are nodding in the manner shown in FIG. 10.

[0054] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a method of displaying an icon reflecting a motion of shaking the face from side to side. First, the display control unit 38 displays, for example, an icon I2B indicating that the second user is facing right in the second display area 52 (step S3). Next, the display control unit 38 displays, for example, an icon I2C indicating that the second user is facing left in the second display area 52 (step S4). The display control unit 38 gives the icon a motion of shaking the head from side to side by, for example, switching the display between the state of step S3 and the state of step S4 every second, thereby reflecting the motion of shaking the second user's face from side to side. In other words, when another participant of the WEB conference is shaking his face from side to side, the display control unit 38 displays the icon of the other participant shaking his face from side to side in a motion as shown in FIG. 11.

[0055] In addition, when the display control unit 38 displays the smiles of other participants in the WEB conference in an icon, the display control unit 38 reflects the smiles of the other participants in the WEB conference by continuing to display the icon I2D shown in Figure 9 on the display unit 20 while the smile is detected.

[0056] Returning to Fig. 3, after the control unit 24 displays the generated icon, the process proceeds to step S26.

[0057] After step S14, step S16, or step S24, the control unit 24 judges whether or not to end the process of FIG. 3 (step S26). For example, when the operation reception unit 16 receives an operation to end the process of FIG. 3 and an operation to turn off the power, the control unit 24 judges to end the process of FIG. 3. If it is judged to end the process (step S26; Yes), the control unit 24 ends the process of FIG. 3. If it is not judged to end the process (step S26; No), the control unit 24 proceeds to step S10. The end of the process judged in step S26 is, for example, the end of the WEB conference. Also, even if the WEB conference has not ended, if some users have terminated the connection to the WEB conference, the control unit 24 ends the process of FIG. 3 for those users.

[0058] As described above, in the first embodiment, when video display is restricted in a web conference or the like, the icon of the user whose video display is restricted is displayed with the user's actions or facial expressions reflected. As a result, in the first embodiment, even if other users participating in the web conference do not display camera video, the reactions of the users can be properly understood, and communication can be facilitated.

[0059] [Second embodiment] The configuration of the video communication device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the video communication device according to the second embodiment.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 12, a video communication device 10A according to the second embodiment differs from the video communication device 10 shown in FIG.

[0061] The determination unit 46 determines the emotions of the users of the other video communication devices participating in the WEB conference. The determination unit 46 determines whether the actions or expressions of the other users included in the analysis results of the analysis unit 42 are positive actions or expressions. A positive action or expression may mean, for example, a positive reaction to a certain statement. Specifically, the determination unit 46 determines that the actions or expressions are positive when the analysis unit 42 detects that the users of the other video communication devices participating in the WEB conference nod or smile. The determination unit 46 may determine whether the actions or expressions of the users of the other video communication devices participating in the WEB conference are positive, based on the analysis results of the audio by the analysis unit 42 in addition to the analysis results of the video by the analysis unit 42.

[0062] When the user's action or facial expression is a positive action or facial expression, video communication device 10A generates an icon that reflects the action or facial expression, and displays the icon on display unit 20.

[0063] The process of the video communication device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of the process of the video communication device according to the second embodiment.

[0064] The processes from step S30 to step S40 and from step S44 to step S48 are the same as the processes from step S10 to step S20 and from step S22 to step S26, respectively, and therefore will not be described.

[0065] If the result of the determination in step S40 is Yes, the control unit 24 determines whether the detected movement or facial expression is a positive movement or facial expression (step S42). Specifically, the determination unit 46 determines whether the movement or facial expression is a positive movement or facial expression based on whether the detected movement or facial expression matches a predetermined positive movement or facial expression. If the movement or facial expression is determined to be a positive movement or facial expression (step S42; Yes), the process proceeds to step S44. If the movement or facial expression is not determined to be a positive movement or facial expression (step S42; No), the process proceeds to step S36.

[0066] As described above, in the second embodiment, when video display is restricted in a web conference or the like, if the actions or expressions of other users participating in the web conference are positive, the actions or expressions of the user who is restricted in video display are reflected in the icon of the user. As a result, in the second embodiment, even if the other users participating in the web conference are not displaying camera images, the positive reactions of the users can be properly understood, making communication smoother.

[0067] For this reason, when there are many participants in a WEB conference and many images of the faces of other users participating in the WEB conference are displayed on the display screens of the video communication devices of the other participants in the WEB conference, it is difficult for the speaker to grasp the overall reactions of the other users. In such cases, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the reactions or positive reactions of other users as seen by the speaker are displayed as simple icons rather than images, so that the speaker can properly grasp the overall reactions.

[0068] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the contents of these embodiments. The above-described components include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the so-called equivalent range. Furthermore, the above-described components can be appropriately combined. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the above-described embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 10,10A Video communication equipment 12 Camera 14 Microphones 16 Operation reception section 18 Communications Department 20 Display section 22 Audio output section 24, 24A Control unit (video communication control device) 30 Video Acquisition Unit 32 Voice Acquisition Unit 34 Operation control section 36 Communication control section 38 Display control section 40 Audio output control unit 42 Analysis Department 44 Icon Generation Section 46 Judgment Department

Claims

1. a communication unit that receives, from another terminal, an image captured by a camera of the other terminal and information for restricting image display; an analysis unit that recognizes a person from the video image received by the communication unit and analyzes a movement of the recognized person; an icon generating unit that generates an icon in response to an analysis result of the analysis unit; a display control unit that displays the image on a display unit when the communication unit receives the image, and displays a predetermined first icon on the display unit when the communication unit does not receive the image; Equipped with When the analysis unit recognizes a person and detects a movement of the recognized person, the icon generation unit generates a second icon by tilting the first icon in accordance with the movement of the recognized person, The display control unit causes the generated second icon to be displayed on the display unit. Video communication equipment.

2. A communication unit that receives from another terminal an image captured by a camera of the other terminal and information for restricting image display; an analysis unit that recognizes a person from the video image received by the communication unit and analyzes a movement of the recognized person; an icon generating unit that generates an icon in response to an analysis result of the analysis unit; a display control unit that displays the image on a display unit when the communication unit receives the image, and displays a predetermined first icon on the display unit when the communication unit does not receive the image; Equipped with When the analysis unit recognizes a person and detects a movement of the recognized person, the icon generation unit generates a second icon by tilting the first icon in accordance with the movement of the recognized person, When the communication unit receives information restricting the video display, the display control unit causes the generated second icon or the generated first icon to be displayed on the display unit. Video communication equipment.

3. The icon generating unit generates an icon tilted forward and backward when the analysis unit detects a nodding motion of the person, and generates an icon tilted left and right when the analysis unit detects a motion of the person turning left and right.

3. A video communication device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A determination unit that determines whether the action or facial expression of the person analyzed by the analysis unit is a positive action or facial expression, The icon generating unit generates an icon reflecting an analysis result when the determining unit determines that the action or expression is positive.

4. A video communication device according to claim 1.

5. receiving, from the other terminal, an image captured by a camera of the other terminal and information for restricting image display; Recognizing a person from the received video and analyzing the behavior of the recognized person; generating an icon in response to the analysis; a step of displaying the image on a display unit when the image is received, and displaying a predetermined first icon on the display unit when the image is not received; A video display method executed by a video communication device, comprising: When a person is recognized and a motion of the recognized person is detected, a second icon is generated by tilting the first icon in accordance with the motion of the recognized person, and the generated second icon is displayed on the display unit.

13. A video display method comprising:

Images