COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, OUTPUT DEVICE, COMMUNICATION METHOD, OUTPUT METHOD, AND OUTPUT PROGRAM

Abstract

In the present invention, a participant terminal 80 includes: an imaging means 81 for capturing video of a participant who uses the participant terminal 80; a frequency measurement means 82 for measuring, from the video, the number of times the participant nodded; and a behaviour information transmission means 83 for transmitting, to a server 70, behaviour information in which information about the participant and the number of nods are associated with each other. The server 70 includes a transmission means 71 for transmitting the behaviour information to a presenter terminal 90. The presenter terminal 90 includes a participant output means 91 for outputting the information about the participant, in an order that is in accordance with the number of nods included in the behaviour information.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication system and a communication method for communicating with a partner via video, as well as an output device, an output method, and an output program for outputting information about the partner. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, distance lectures and remote conferences (hereinafter sometimes referred to as distance lectures / conferences) using communication lines have become commonplace in order to enable communication with other parties regardless of location. In distance lectures / conferences, two-way communication is achieved using transmitted and received video and audio. Various methods for holding such distance lectures / conferences have been proposed.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a remote lecture system that uses a communication network. The system described in Patent Document 1 monitors changes in information used for nomination order calculation processing, such as students entering and leaving the lecture room, raising their hands, etc., and updates the nomination order list based on the change information received when a change occurs.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes a system for investigating and evaluating audience reactions. The system described in Patent Document 2 recognizes the reactions of people in a video, and recognizes the reactions of people by detecting a stable still state and an active state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-139667 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2001-67482 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Like in-person lectures and meetings, distance lectures and meetings are also required to proceed according to the understanding of the participants. In a group lecture or meeting, the presenter can look around the classroom or meeting room and gauge the participants' reactions to the content they have explained and their level of understanding from their facial expressions and behavior. However, in the case of remote lectures and meetings, it is expected that the number of participants will be large, so it is practically difficult to read the facial expressions of everyone displayed on the screen and gauge their reactions and level of understanding, as it takes time and effort.

[0007] Furthermore, when presenters or presenters want to confirm the usefulness of a lecture or conference, it is possible for participants to individually notify the system using the remote lecture / conference system, or to individually check the usefulness of the lecture or conference by completing a questionnaire after the lecture or conference has ended. Also, when participants wish to speak, they can request to speak by raising their hand in a group lecture or conference. However, when using a remote lecture / conference system, participants must operate the "raise hand button" and other functions provided by the system, which requires participants to go through a cumbersome process.

[0008] On the other hand, in order to measure the level of understanding of the participants in a lecture or meeting, comments from the participants are an essential element for making the lecture or meeting more meaningful. Therefore, it is preferable to encourage participants to make comments according to their level of understanding of the lecture or meeting without bothering them.

[0009] In the system described in Patent Document 1, the order in which students are nominated is determined based on nomination information indicating the time spent operating a terminal or raising a hand obtained from a video. However, it is difficult to grasp the level of understanding of students with only the information indicating the raising of a hand. In addition, even with a method such as the system described in Patent Document 2 that simply recognizes the reaction of a person in a video, it is difficult to grasp the level of understanding of that person, just like the system described in Patent Document 1.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a communication system, output device, communication method, output method and output program that can output participants who should be encouraged to speak without bothering the participants when holding a lecture or conference via video over communication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] A communication system according to the present invention includes a participant terminal used by a participant of a lecture or conference, a presenter terminal used by a presenter of the lecture or conference, and a server, the participant terminal includes an imaging means for capturing an image of the participant using the participant terminal, a number measuring means for measuring the number of times the participant nods from the captured image, and a gesture information transmitting means for transmitting gesture information that associates information about the participant with the number of times the participant nods to the server, the server includes a transmitting means for transmitting the gesture information to the presenter terminal, and the presenter terminal includes a participant output means for outputting information about the participants in an order according to the number of times the participant nods included in the gesture information. The number measuring means measures the number of times the participants clap from the video that has been received as input, the gesture information transmitting means transmits gesture information in which the participant information and the number of times the participants clap are associated to the server, the transmitting means of the server transmits the gesture information to the presenter terminal, and the participant output means of the presenter terminal outputs the participant information in an order according to the number of times the participants clap included in the gesture information. It is characterized by:

[0012] The output device according to the present invention measures the number of times a participant nods from a video of the participant. and number of applause The input method for each participant and the number of nods and number of applause and a participant output means for outputting participant information in the order according to the participant's name.

[0013] In the communication method according to the present invention, a participant terminal used by a participant of a lecture or conference captures an image of the participant using the participant terminal, and the participant terminal measures the number of times the participant nods from the captured image; The participant device measures the number of times the participants clap from the captured image, The participant's terminal stores the participant's information and 、 Nodding count and number of applause The server transmits the gesture information to a presenter terminal used by a presenter of a lecture or a meeting, and the presenter terminal transmits the gesture information to a presenter terminal that receives the gesture information. and number of applause The present invention is characterized in that the information of the participants is output in the order according to the number of participants.

[0014] In the output method according to the present invention, a computer measures the number of times a participant nods based on an image of the participant. and number of applause The participants input the number of nods. and number of applause The present invention is characterized in that the information of the participants is output in the order according to the number of participants.

[0015] The output program according to the present invention outputs to a computer the number of times a participant nods, which is measured from an image of the participant. and number of applause The input process involves inputting the number of nods for each participant. and number of applause The present invention is characterized in that a participant output process is executed to output participant information in the order according to the participant. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, when a lecture or conference is held via video communication, participants who should be encouraged to speak can be output without bothering the participants. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an embodiment of a communication system according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the distance lecture / conference system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing another operation example of the distance lecture / conference system. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing an overview of a communication system according to the present invention; [Diagram 5] 1 is a block diagram showing an overview of an output device according to the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an embodiment of a communication system according to the present invention. Since the communication system of the present invention can be used for a remote lecture / conference, a remote lecture / conference system is illustrated as a specific example of a communication system in this embodiment. The remote lecture / conference system 100 illustrated in Fig. 1 includes a lecture / conference server 10 and multiple terminals.

[0020] The multiple terminals include multiple participant terminals 20 used by participants of a lecture or conference, and a presenter terminal 30 used by a presenter of a lecture or conference. In this embodiment, participants and presenters are separate, and participants use participant terminals 20, and presenters use presenter terminals 30. However, participants and presenters do not necessarily need to be distinguished from each other, and a situation may exist in which a participant becomes a presenter or a presenter becomes a participant depending on the situation. Therefore, the participant terminal 20 may have the function of the presenter terminal 30, and the presenter terminal 30 may have the function of the participant terminal 20.

[0021] The participant terminal 20 includes an imaging unit 121 , a number measuring unit 122 , a behavior information transmitting unit 123 , a request transmitting unit 124 , and a notification receiving unit 125 .

[0022] The imaging unit 121 is a device that captures video of a participant using the participant terminal 20. The imaging unit 121 is realized by, for example, a camera. The imaging unit 121 may be built into the participant terminal 20, or may be a device that is connected to the participant terminal 20 from the outside.

[0023] The number of times measuring unit 122 measures the number of times of gestures of a participant from the captured video of the participant. Note that in this embodiment, the number of times measuring unit 122 measures the number of times a participant nods from the video of the participant. Note that the number of times measuring unit 122 may also measure the number of times a participant claps from the video of the participant.

[0024] The more nods detected, the higher the participants' level of understanding is estimated to be. Conversely, the fewer nods detected, the lower the participants' level of understanding is estimated to be. In addition, the more applause detected, the higher the evaluation of the lecture or meeting is estimated to be. Conversely, the fewer applause detected, the lower the evaluation of the lecture or meeting is estimated to be.

[0025] The method by which the number measuring unit 122 measures the number of times of a person's gesture from the video is arbitrary. The method of image-recognizing a person's gesture (e.g., clapping, nodding, etc.) from the video and measuring the number of times the gesture is recognized is widely known, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0026] Here, the number measuring unit 122 may start measuring the number of nods of the participants when it receives an instruction to start measuring the number of nods of the participants from the presenter terminal 30 described later. Also, the number measuring unit 122 may initialize the number of nods to 0 when it receives an instruction to initialize the number of nods of the participants from the presenter terminal 30 described later.

[0027] Furthermore, the number of times measuring unit 122 may detect the presence or absence of a predetermined gesture from the video of the participant. For example, the number of times measuring unit 122 may detect a hand-raising gesture of the participant from the video of the participant.

[0028] The gesture information transmitting unit 123 transmits gesture information in which participant information is associated with the number of gestures to the lecture / conference server 10. In this embodiment, the gesture information transmitting unit 123 transmits gesture information in which participant information is associated with the number of nods to the lecture / conference server 10. Note that the gesture information transmitting unit 123 may transmit gesture information in which participant information is associated with the number of claps to the lecture / conference server 10. Here, the participant information includes captured video of the participant and attributes of the participant (for example, name, sex, age, career), etc. Furthermore, when the number measuring unit 122 detects a predetermined gesture, the gesture information transmitting unit 123 may transmit the content of the detected gesture to the lecture / conference server 10.

[0029] The gesture information sending unit 123 may send the gesture information to the lecture / conference server 10 each time a gesture is detected (every time), or may send the gesture information to the lecture / conference server 10 when the detected gesture reaches a predetermined number of times or after a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

[0030] The request sending unit 124 sends a request to the presenter terminal 30 to the lecture / conference server 10. That is, a request from a participant is sent by the request sending unit 124 to the presenter terminal 30 via the lecture / conference server 10 and is recognized by the presenter. The request here includes, for example, a request to speak and a request to ask a question. The request sending unit 124 may send the request directly to the presenter terminal 30. However, it is preferable to send the request via the lecture / conference server 10, since the request to which various information is added can be notified to the presenter terminal 30.

[0031] The notification receiving unit 125 receives a notification from the presenter terminal 30. More specifically, the notification receiving unit 125 receives information notified from the presenter terminal 30 via the lecture / conference server 10. The notification receiving unit 125 may receive, for example, a notification indicating that the presenter has designated the presenter. Note that the notification receiving unit 125 may receive a notification directly from the presenter terminal 30.

[0032] The number of times measuring unit 122, the behavior information transmitting unit 123, the request transmitting unit 124, and the notification receiving unit 125 are realized by a computer processor (e.g., a CPU (Central Processing Unit)) that operates according to a program. For example, the program may be stored in a memory unit (not shown) of the participant terminal 20, and the processor may read the program and operate as the number of times measuring unit 122, the behavior information transmitting unit 123, the request transmitting unit 124, and the notification receiving unit 125 according to the program. In addition, the functions of the number of times measuring unit 122, the behavior information transmitting unit 123, the request transmitting unit 124, and the notification receiving unit 125 may be provided in a SaaS (Software as a Service) format.

[0033] Furthermore, the number measurement unit 122, the behavior information transmission unit 123, the request transmission unit 124, and the notification reception unit 125 may each be realized by dedicated hardware. Furthermore, some or all of the components of each device may be realized by a general-purpose or dedicated circuit, processor, or a combination of these. These may be configured by a single chip, or may be configured by multiple chips connected via a bus. Some or all of the components of each device may be realized by a combination of the above-mentioned circuits, etc., and a program.

[0034] In addition, when some or all of the components of the participant terminal 20 are realized by multiple information processing devices, circuits, etc., the multiple information processing devices, circuits, etc. may be centrally arranged or distributed. For example, the information processing devices, circuits, etc. may be realized as a client-server system, a cloud computing system, etc., in a form in which each is connected via a communication network.

[0035] The lecture / conference server 10 includes an input unit 111, a storage unit 112, a participant number measurement unit 113, an information transmission unit 114, a request transmission unit 115, and a notification transmission unit .

[0036] The input unit 111 accepts input of various information from the participant terminal 20 and the presenter terminal 30. Furthermore, when the input unit 111 accepts input of gesture information from the participant terminal 20, it may count up the number of gestures and store it in the storage unit 112 described later. Furthermore, when the input unit 111 receives an instruction to initialize the number of times from the presenter terminal 30 described later, the input unit 111 may initialize the number of gestures to 0.

[0037] The storage unit 112 stores various information necessary for the lecture / conference server 10 to perform processing. Specifically, the storage unit 112 stores the number of gestures of the participants measured by the participant terminal 20 (specifically, the number of nods, the number of claps, etc.). For example, the storage unit 112 may have a nod counter that stores the number of nods for each participant terminal 20. The storage unit 112 is realized by, for example, a magnetic disk or the like.

[0038] The participant number measurement unit 113 counts the number of participant terminals that have detected a gesture one or more times (hereinafter referred to as the number of detected participants). Specifically, the participant number measurement unit 113 counts the number of terminals that include one or more gestures in the gesture information transmitted from the participant terminal 20. In this embodiment, the participant number measurement unit 113 counts the number of terminals that include one or more nods in the gesture information. The participant number measurement unit 113 may also count the number of terminals that include a predetermined number of claps in the gesture information (for example, 10 or more). By counting the number of detected participants, it becomes possible to grasp the overall reaction without checking the facial expressions of all participants.

[0039] The information transmitting unit 114 transmits the behavior information received from the participant terminal 20 to the presenter terminal 30. The information transmitting unit 114 may also transmit the detected number of participants measured by the participant number measuring unit 113 to the presenter terminal 30. When the information transmitting unit 114 receives the contents of the detected participant's behavior from the participant terminal 20, the information transmitting unit 114 may also transmit the contents of the behavior to the presenter terminal 30.

[0040] The request sending section 115 sends a request from the participant terminal 20 to the presenter terminal 30 .

[0041] The notification sending unit 116 sends a notification from the presenter terminal 30 (for example, a participant's nomination) to the participant terminal 20 in question.

[0042] Presenter terminal 30 includes a gesture information input section 131 , a participant output section 132 , a transmission section 133 , a measurement start instruction section 134 , an initialization instruction section 135 , a request reception section 136 , and a request output section 137 .

[0043] The gesture information input unit 131 receives input of gesture information from the lecture / conference server 10 .

[0044] The participant output unit 132 outputs the participant information in an order according to the number of nods included in the gesture information. Specifically, the participant output unit 132 outputs the participant information in descending or ascending order of the number of nods. The participant output unit 132 may output the participant information in an order according to the number of applause included in the gesture information. Whether the output order is descending or ascending may be determined in advance, or may be determined based on an explicit instruction from the presenter.

[0045] For example, when outputting participant information in ascending order of the number of nods, participants with low levels of understanding can be output preferentially, making it easy to designate participants with low levels of understanding as questioners. This allows the presenter to answer questions from participants with low levels of understanding and raise the overall level of understanding.

[0046] Similarly, if the participant information is output in descending order of the number of nods, participants with a high level of understanding can be output preferentially. expensive It is now possible to easily designate participants as questioners, which allows the presenter to answer questions from participants with a high level of understanding, thereby further improving understanding.

[0047] Furthermore, when the detected number of participants is received from the lecture / conference server 10, the participant output section 132 may output the detected number of participants.

[0048] The transmitting unit 133 transmits the notification to the participant terminal 20 to the lecture / conference server 10. That is, the notification from the presenter is transmitted by the transmitting unit 133 to the participant terminal 20 via the lecture / conference server 10, and is recognized by the participant.

[0049] The measurement start instruction unit 134 instructs the participant terminal 20 to start measuring the behavior of the participants via the lecture / conference server 10. Specifically, the measurement start instruction unit 134 receives an instruction from the presenter to start measuring the number of times the participants nod or clap, and instructs the lecture / conference server 10 on the content of the instruction. In response to this instruction, the information transmission unit 114 of the lecture / conference server 10 transmits an instruction to start measuring the behavior measurement (specifically, an instruction to start measuring the number of times the participants nod) to the participant terminal 20.

[0050] The measurement start instructing unit 134 may receive an instruction from the presenter in any manner. Alternatively, the measurement start instructing unit 134 may detect a voice indicating an instruction to start measurement, and transmit the instruction to the lecture / conference server 10.

[0051] The initialization instruction unit 135 instructs the participant terminal 20 to initialize (reset) the number of gestures of the participant via the lecture / conference server 10. Specifically, the initialization instruction unit 135 receives an instruction from the presenter to initialize the number of nods and applause of the participants, and instructs the content of the instruction to the lecture / conference server 10. In response to this instruction, the information transmission unit 114 of the lecture / conference server 10 transmits an instruction to initialize the number of gestures (specifically, an instruction to initialize the number of nods of the participants) to the participant terminal 20.

[0052] The initialization instruction unit 135 may accept an instruction from the presenter in any manner. For example, the initialization instruction unit 135 may detect that a button for accepting an operation indicating an instruction from the presenter or a nod reset switch (not shown) has been pressed, and transmit the instruction to the lecture / conference server 10. The initialization instruction unit 135 may also detect a voice indicating an instruction to initialize (reset), and transmit the instruction to the lecture / conference server 10.

[0053] The request receiving unit 136 receives a request from the participant terminal 20 .

[0054] The request output unit 137 outputs the received request from the participant in a form recognizable to the presenter. For example, when the request output unit 137 receives a request, it may instruct an alarm (not shown) to sound. This allows the presenter to immediately notice that a request has been made.

[0055] For example, when the presenter terminal 30 displays the video of the participants, the request output unit 137 may display the video of the participant who sent the request with a red frame. This allows the presenter to check at a glance which participant sent the request.

[0056] Furthermore, when information indicating that a specific gesture (e.g., a hand-raising gesture) has been detected is received from the lecture / conference server 10, the request output unit 137 may output content corresponding to the gesture (e.g., information indicating a request to speak). By outputting such information, the participant can convey the content of the request to the presenter without operating a button or the like.

[0057] The gesture information input unit 131, the participant output unit 132, the transmission unit 133, the measurement start instruction unit 134, the initialization instruction unit 135, the request receiving unit 136, and the request output unit 137 are realized by a processor of a computer that operates according to a program (output program). For example, the program may be stored in a storage unit (not shown) of the presenter terminal 30, and the processor may read the program and operate as the gesture information input unit 131, the participant output unit 132, the transmission unit 133, the measurement start instruction unit 134, the initialization instruction unit 135, the request receiving unit 136, and the request output unit 137 according to the program.

[0058] Next, the operation of the distance lecture / conference system 100 of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the distance lecture / conference system 100 of this embodiment. Note that the lecture / conference server 10 sets the value of the nod counter stored in the storage unit 112 to "0" at the start of a lecture or conference.

[0059] When the presenter wants to grasp the reactions of the participants, for example, the presenter presses the nod detection switch (step S11) and then guides the participants, "If you have understood up to this point, please nod toward the camera." The measurement start instruction unit 134 detects that the nod detection switch has been pressed, and transmits an instruction to start measuring the number of nods (hereinafter referred to as a nod detection instruction) to each participant terminal 20 via the lecture / conference server 10 (step S12).

[0060] When the participant terminal 20 receives the nod detection instruction, the number measurement unit 122 starts detecting a nod (step S13). If a nod is detected (step S14), the gesture information transmission unit 123 transmits the gesture information to the lecture / conference server 10 (step S15).

[0061] When the input unit 111 of the lecture / conference server 10 receives the gesture information, it counts up a nod counter to measure the number of nods of the participant terminal 20. The participant number measurement unit 113 also counts the number of detected participants from which the gesture information has been received. Then, the information transmission unit 114 transmits various information to the presenter terminal 30 (step S16). The participant output unit 132 of the presenter terminal 30 displays the gesture information and the number of detected participants received from the lecture / conference server 10 (step S17).

[0062] Meanwhile, after the presenter checks the gesture information and the number of detected participants, the presenter checks the number of terminals that detected the gesture information and presses the nod detection reset switch (step S18). The initialization instruction unit 135 detects that the nod detection reset switch has been pressed, and transmits an instruction to initialize the nod count (hereinafter, referred to as a nod reset instruction) to each participant terminal 20 via the lecture / conference server 10 (step S19).

[0063] When the participant terminal 20 receives the nod reset instruction, the number measurement unit 122 initializes the nod count to 0 (step S20). After that, the processes from step S14 onwards are repeated.

[0064] 3 is an explanatory diagram showing another operation example of the remote lecture / conference system 100 of this embodiment. The imaging unit 121 of the participant terminal 20 captures an image of the participant (step S31). The number measuring unit 122 measures the number of nods of the participant from the captured image (step S32). The gesture information transmitting unit 123 transmits the gesture information to the lecture / conference server 10 (step S33). The information transmitting unit 114 of the lecture / conference server 10 transmits the gesture information to the presenter terminal 30 (step S34). Then, the participant output unit 132 of the presenter terminal 30 outputs information of the participant in an order according to the number of nods included in the gesture information (step S35).

[0065] Next, an operation for designating a participant to receive a question will be described. By repeating the operation illustrated in Fig. 2, the nod counter in the storage unit 112 counts the number of nods detected by the participant terminal 20.

[0066] When the presenter terminal 30 displays the participants, the participants may be displayed in ascending order of the number of nods. By considering the number of nods as an index of the level of understanding and designating the first participant displayed on the presenter terminal 30 as the questioner, a participant with a low level of understanding can be designated as the questioner.

[0067] Conversely, when the presenter terminal 30 displays the participants, the participants may be displayed in descending order of the number of nods. By designating the first participant displayed on the presenter terminal 30 as the questioner, it is possible to designate the participant with the highest level of understanding as the questioner.

[0068] As described above, in this embodiment, the imaging unit 121 of the participant terminal 20 captures video of the participant using the participant terminal 20, the number measuring unit 122 measures the number of times the participant nods from the captured video, and the gesture information transmitting unit 123 transmits the gesture information to the lecture / conference server 10. The information transmitting unit 114 of the lecture / conference server 10 transmits the gesture information to the presenter terminal 30, and the participant output unit 132 of the presenter terminal 30 outputs participant information in the order according to the number of nods included in the gesture information. Therefore, when a lecture or conference is held via video over communication, participants who should be encouraged to speak can be output without bothering the participants.

[0069] That is, in the remote lecture / conference system of this embodiment, by detecting participants' gestures such as nodding and clapping from captured images of the participants, the presenter can check the participants' reactions at the same level as in a group lecture or conference. In this case, even if the participants are not familiar with the operation of the remote lecture / conference system, it is possible to detect natural human gestures and check the reactions.

[0070] Next, an outline of the present invention will be described. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an outline of a communication system according to the present invention. A communication system 60 according to the present invention (e.g., a remote lecture / conference system 100) includes a participant terminal 80 (e.g., a participant terminal 20) used by a participant of a lecture or conference, a presenter terminal 90 (e.g., a presenter terminal 30) used by a presenter of the lecture or conference, and a server 70 (e.g., a lecture / conference server 10).

[0071] The participant terminal 80 includes an imaging means 81 (e.g., the imaging unit 121) that captures an image of a participant using the participant terminal 80, a number measuring means 82 (number measuring unit 122) that measures the number of times the participant nods from the captured image, and a gesture information transmitting means 83 (e.g., the gesture information transmitting unit 123) that transmits gesture information that corresponds to information about the participant and the number of times the participant nods to the server 70.

[0072] The server 70 includes a transmission means 71 (for example, an information transmission unit 114) that transmits the gesture information to the presenter terminal 90.

[0073] The presenter terminal 90 includes a participant output means 91 (for example, a participant output unit 132) that outputs participant information in an order according to the number of nods included in the gesture information.

[0074] With such a configuration, when a lecture or conference is held via video communication, participants who should be encouraged to speak can be output without bothering the participants.

[0075] Furthermore, the presenter terminal 90 may include a measurement start instruction means (for example, a measurement start instruction unit 134) that instructs the start of measurement of the participant's gestures. The measurement start instruction means may instruct the server 70 to start measuring the number of times the participant nods, and the transmission means 71 of the server 70 may transmit an instruction to start measuring the number of times the participant nods to the participant terminal 80, and the number measurement means 82 may start measuring the number of times the participant nods when it receives the instruction to start.

[0076] Furthermore, the presenter terminal 90 may include an initialization instruction means (for example, initialization instruction unit 135) that instructs the initialization of the number of gestures of the participants. The initialization instruction means may instruct the server 70 to initialize the number of nods of the participants, and the transmission means 71 of the server 70 may transmit an instruction to initialize the number of nods of the participants to the participant terminal 80, and the number measurement means 82 may initialize the number of nods when receiving the initialization instruction.

[0077] Furthermore, the participant output means 91 may output information about the participants in ascending or descending order of the number of nods.

[0078] The number measuring means 82 may measure the number of applause of the participants from the video that has been received as input. At this time, the gesture information transmitting means 83 may transmit gesture information in which the information of the participants and the number of applause are associated with each other to the server 70, the transmitting means 71 of the server 70 may transmit the gesture information to the presenter terminal 90, and the participant output means 91 of the presenter terminal 90 may output the information of the participants in the order according to the number of applause included in the gesture information.

[0079] The server 70 may also include a participant number measuring means (e.g., participant number measuring unit 113) that measures the detected participant number, which is the number of terminals whose nod count included in the gesture information is 1 or more. Then, the transmission means 71 of the server 70 may transmit the detected participant number to the presenter terminal 90, and the participant output means 91 may output the detected participant number.

[0080] 5 is a block diagram showing an overview of an output device according to the present invention. An output device 50 (e.g., presenter terminal 30) according to the present invention includes input means 51 (e.g., gesture information input unit 131) for inputting the number of nods of each participant measured from an image of the participant, and participant output means 52 (e.g., participant output unit 132) for outputting information on the participants in order according to the number of nods.

[0081] With such a configuration, when a lecture or conference is held via video communication, participants who should be encouraged to speak can be output without bothering the participants.

[0082] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments and examples, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and examples. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.

[0083] This application claims priority based on Japanese patent application No. 2021-40918, filed on March 15, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 10 Lecture / Conference Server 20 Participant terminals 30 Presenter terminal 100 Distance Lecture / Conference System 111 Input section 112 Storage section 113 Number of participants measurement section 114 Information Transmission Unit 115 Request sending unit 116 Notification sending unit 121 Imaging unit 122 Number of times measurement unit 123 Behavior Information Transmission Unit 124 Request sending part 125 Notification Receiving Unit 131 Gesture information input section 132 Participant Output Section 133 Transmitter 134 Measurement start instruction section 135 Initialization instruction section 136 Request Reception Unit 137 Request output section

Claims

1. A participant terminal used by a participant of a lecture or conference; a presenter terminal used by a presenter of the lecture or conference; A server. The participant terminal includes: An imaging means for capturing an image of the participant using the participant terminal; A number measuring means for measuring the number of times the participant nods from the captured image; a gesture information transmitting means for transmitting gesture information in which the information of the participant and the number of nods are associated with each other to the server, The server, a transmitting means for transmitting the gesture information to the presenter terminal; The presenter terminal includes: a participant output means for outputting information about the participants in an order according to the number of nods included in the gesture information; The number measuring means measures the number of times the participants clap from the video that has been received as input, the gesture information transmitting means transmits gesture information in which the information of the participant is associated with the number of times of clapping to a server; The transmitting means of the server transmits the gesture information to the presenter terminal, The participant output means of the presenter terminal outputs participant information in the order according to the number of applause times included in the gesture information. A communication system comprising:

2. The presenter terminal is a measurement start instruction means for instructing the start of measurement of the participant's behavior; The measurement start instruction means instructs the server to start measuring the number of times the participant nods, The transmission means of the server transmits an instruction to start measuring the number of times the participant nods to the participant terminal, The number measuring means starts measuring the number of nods when the start instruction is received.

2. The communication system of claim 1.

3. The presenter terminal is An initialization instruction means for instructing initialization of the number of actions of the participants, The initialization instruction means instructs the server to initialize the number of nods of the participants, The transmission means of the server transmits an instruction to initialize the number of nods of the participant to the participant terminal; The number measuring means initializes the number of nods when the initialization instruction is received.

3. The communication system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The participant output means outputs the information of the participants in ascending or descending order of the number of nods. A communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The server a participant number measuring means for measuring the number of detected participants, the number being the number of terminals having a nod count of 1 or more included in the gesture information; The transmission means of the server transmits the detected number of participants to the presenter terminal; The participant output means outputs the detected number of participants. A communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. an input means for inputting the number of nods and the number of applause of each participant measured from an image of the participant; a participant output means for outputting information about the participants in an order according to the number of nods and the number of applause.

13. An output device comprising:

7. A participant terminal used by a participant of a lecture or conference captures an image of the participant using the participant terminal; The participant terminal measures the number of times the participant nods from the captured image, The participant terminal measures the number of times the participant claps from the captured image, The participant terminal transmits to a server behavior information in which the participant information is associated with the number of nods and the number of applause, The server transmits the behavior information to a presenter terminal used by a presenter of the lecture or conference, The presenter terminal outputs the information of the participants in an order according to the number of nods and the number of applause included in the behavior information. A communication method comprising:

8. The computer inputs the number of nods and the number of applause of each participant measured from the video of the participant, The computer outputs the information of the participants in an order according to the number of nods and the number of applause.

4. An output method comprising:

9. On the computer, An input process for inputting the number of nods and the number of applause of each participant measured from an image of the participant; and Participant output process for outputting information about the participants in order according to the number of nods and the number of applause The output program to be executed.

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