Communication assistance system, communication assistance method, and program

Abstract

This communication assistance system (100) comprises: a selection unit (201) that receives a selection of a type of communication performed in a team composed of a plurality of people; an acquisition unit (202) that acquires the type of the team; a speech acquisition unit (203) that acquires speech information spoken in the communication; an estimation unit (205) that estimates the state of the communication on the basis of the speech information; and an intervention control unit (a portion of a function of the control unit (208)) that controls, on the basis of the type of communication, the state of the communication, and the type of the team, an apparatus (151) for giving an intervention stimulus to one or more people in the team within a period in which the communication is being performed.

Description

Communication support system, communication support method, and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication support system, a communication support method, and a program.

[0002] When communication between people is lively (in other words, activated), many benefits arise, such as smooth discussions, the ability to exchange various opinions, and the ability to acquire new knowledge by combining multiple opinions. Therefore, the degree of activation is important when communicating. Conventionally, a communication support system that supports the activation of communication has been known (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-201479

[0004] However, conventional communication support systems have not always been able to provide appropriate support. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a communication support system and the like that more appropriately supports communication.

[0005] A communication support system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a selection unit that accepts a selection of a type of communication that takes place within a team consisting of multiple people, an acquisition unit that acquires the type of team, an audio acquisition unit that acquires audio information spoken in the communication, an estimation unit that estimates the state of the communication based on the audio information, and an intervention control unit that controls equipment to provide an intervention stimulus to one or more people in the team during a period in which the communication is taking place, based on the type of communication, the state of the communication, and the type of team.

[0006] Furthermore, a communication support method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a communication support method executed by a computer, and includes a selection step of accepting a selection of a type of communication taking place within a team consisting of multiple people, an acquisition step of acquiring the type of the team, an audio acquisition step of acquiring audio information spoken in the communication, an estimation step of estimating the state of the communication based on the audio information, and an intervention control step of controlling equipment to provide an intervention stimulus to one or more people in the team during a period in which the communication is taking place, based on the type of communication, the state of the communication, and the type of the team.

[0007] Furthermore, a program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute the above-described communication support method.

[0008] According to a communication support system according to an aspect of the present disclosure, communication can be supported more appropriately.

[0009] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a communication support system according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a first database in the communication support system according to an embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a second database in the communication support system according to an embodiment. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a third database in the communication support system according to an embodiment. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication support system according to an embodiment.

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection forms, steps, and step order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not recited in independent claims will be described as optional components.

[0011] It should be noted that the drawings are schematic diagrams and are not necessarily strict illustrations. In addition, in the drawings, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions may be omitted or simplified.

[0012] (Embodiment) The overall configuration of a communication support system according to an embodiment will be described below. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a communication support system according to an embodiment.

[0013] In the communication support system of the present disclosure, as an example of communication between people, communication between participants in a meeting where the date, time, location, and participants are predetermined will be described. However, communication to which the communication support system can be applied is not limited to meetings, and can also be any situation involving conversation between people, such as spontaneous chats, presentations, seminars, etc.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the communication support system 100 is realized using a device installed in a space 150 (corresponding to a conference room in this case) where the meeting takes place, and a server 200 realized by an information processing server such as a cloud server or an edge server.

[0015] The space 150 is equipped with a device 151 , a selection device 152 , an input device 153 , a camera 154 , and a microphone 155 that can input and output information to and from the server 200 .

[0016] Each of the devices 151 acts on a conference participant and stimulates one of the participants' five senses. In other words, the devices 151 are devices that provide an intervention stimulus to the conference participants. The devices 151 have a configuration according to the five-sensory stimulus to be provided. A plurality of devices 151 are provided in the space 150. In this example, the devices 151 are devices that serve both as environmental devices that control the environment of the space 150 and as devices that provide intervention stimuli to the conference participants. In other words, the devices 151 provide intervention stimuli while controlling the environment. Note that the environmental devices that control the environment and the devices that provide intervention stimuli to the conference participants may be provided separately.

[0017] The devices 151 include a sound device, a lighting device, an airflow generating device, and a fragrance generating device.

[0018] An acoustic device is an electrical device that provides interventional stimuli through auditory stimulation. Therefore, the acoustic device generates sounds that stimulate human hearing. The acoustic device outputs so-called environmental sounds into the space 150, such as the rustling of trees, the chirping of birds, the chirping of insects, the sound of a bonfire, the sound of water such as the babbling of a stream, or the sound of wind such as a gentle breeze. The acoustic device may also play music. In other words, the acoustic device may function as a music playback device. The acoustic device may be a combination of a sound output device such as a speaker, a signal converter, a gain amplifier, and other devices.

[0019] A lighting device is an electrical device that provides interventional stimuli through visual stimulation. Therefore, the lighting device generates and irradiates light that stimulates human vision. The lighting device may also generate visually stimulating images using the irradiated light. For example, the lighting device irradiates various parts of the space 150 with light, such as green light that evokes a forest, and reflects the light to illuminate the space 150 with a forest image color. The lighting device may also irradiate the floor with light that simulates sunlight filtering through the trees, or may display images depicting forest scenes, including plants such as trees, animals, or rivers. The lighting device may be an indirect lighting device, such as a wall light, or a direct lighting device, such as a spotlight, rather than an ambient lighting device, such as a base light. The lighting device may be a light source device that emits light from a light source, such as an LED, or a display device, such as a projector. When displaying images using a lighting device, either still images or moving images may be displayed.

[0020] The airflow generating device is an electrical device that provides interventional stimuli through tactile stimulation. The airflow generating device generates wind that stimulates a person's sense of touch by generating an airflow. The airflow generating device generates, for example, wind that blows in a forest. A blower or the like can be used as the airflow generating device. Alternatively, an air conditioner (air conditioner) can be used as the airflow generating device. This can adjust the temperature and humidity in the space 150, thereby generating wind with varying temperature and humidity as a stimulating element for tactile stimulation. The airflow generating device may also generate an airflow for diffusing fragrance components supplied from a fragrance generating device (described below) into the space 150. For this purpose, the airflow generating device may be installed near the fragrance generating device. Alternatively, the fragrance generating device may be installed near the airflow generating device. As a preferred example of such an arrangement, the airflow generating device and the fragrance generating device may be configured as an integrated device. In this way, the fragrance components supplied by the fragrance generating device are carried by the airflow and quickly diffused throughout the space 150, allowing efficient olfactory stimulation by the fragrance components.

[0021] The scent emitting device is an electrical device that provides interventional stimuli through olfactory stimulation. The scent emitting device emits a scent that stimulates a person's sense of smell. The scent emitting device supplies a scent that makes the person feel like they are in a forest (e.g., a plant scent) or a scent component that makes the person perceive a scent into the space 150. An aroma diffuser or the like can be used as the scent emitting device.

[0022] It has been explained that these devices 151 may be used to control the environment or to provide an intervention stimulus to one or more specific conference participants. When used to control the environment, the devices 151 need to act on the entire environment of the space 150. On the other hand, when used to provide an intervention stimulus to a conference participant, the devices 151 need to act locally on the position of the participant in the space 150. Therefore, the devices 151 are configured to be able to act on each unit position within the space 150. Furthermore, the devices 151 can also act on the entire group of unit positions.

[0023] The selection device 152 is a device that can be used by the meeting participants to cause the communication support system 100 to accept operations. The selection device 152 may be a device installed in the space 150, or may be an information terminal owned by at least one of the participants. The selection device 152 accepts a selection regarding the type of meeting and transmits the selection to the server 200. Examples of types of meetings include brainstorming meetings, decision-making meetings, and casual conversation meetings. Such types of meetings may be appropriately set depending on the purpose that the meeting organizer wants to achieve through the meeting. The above examples of types of meetings are merely examples, and other types may also be set.

[0024] For example, a method of providing intervention stimuli that is appropriate for one type of meeting may not be appropriate for another type of meeting. This is because the direction of activation, i.e., the participants whose speech is suppressed or encouraged by intervention stimuli, changes depending on the purpose of the meeting. Therefore, in this embodiment, the type of meeting corresponding to the purpose is selected in advance, and then an appropriate intervention stimuli is provided for that type of meeting, thereby appropriately activating the meeting.

[0025] Furthermore, depending on the type of meeting, appropriate environmental control can be effectively applied according to the direction of activation, depending on the purpose to be achieved through the meeting. In other words, if environmental control can suppress and encourage speech in accordance with the overall progress of the meeting, more efficient interaction can be achieved. Therefore, in this embodiment, the type of meeting is selected in advance according to the purpose of the meeting, and then appropriate environmental stimuli are provided for that type of meeting, allowing the meeting to proceed efficiently. In particular, since one or more different scenes exist depending on the type of meeting, changing the environmental control over time according to the scene makes it possible to proceed with the meeting more efficiently. For example, from the perspective of proceeding with the meeting more efficiently, it is possible to perform only environmental control according to the type of meeting according to the scene, without providing intervention stimuli according to the type of meeting.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first database in a communication support system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of information stored in the database 209. As illustrated in FIG. 2, how environmental control changes over time (i.e., scenarios) is shown for each type of meeting. For example, for a brainstorming meeting, icebreaker environmental control is performed as the first environment. In the icebreaker environmental control, the environment is controlled to provide green lighting evocative of nature, a scent such as marjoram pine, and sounds such as birdsong in the space 150 to help participants relax and open up. Next, a divergent environment environmental control is performed as the second environment. In the divergent environment environmental control, the environment is controlled to provide bright warm lighting, fluctuating lighting whose illuminance and color change periodically, a relaxing scent such as lavender, and relaxing music such as jazz in the space 150 to create a pleasant atmosphere that encourages participants to talk more while guiding them to topics related to the meeting agenda. Next, a convergent environment environmental control is performed as the third environment. In the environmental control of the convergence environment, the environment is controlled to provide the space 150 with cool, somewhat dim lighting that is easy to concentrate on in order to unify the contents.

[0027] Next, as the fourth environment, environmental control of a divergent environment is performed. Next, as the fifth environment, environmental control of a convergent environment is performed. Next, as the sixth environment, environmental control of a divergent environment is performed. Next, as the seventh environment, environmental control of a convergent environment is performed. In this way, for the type of brainstorming meeting, a scenario is set in which environmental control of a divergent environment and environmental control of a convergent environment are repeatedly performed after environmental control of an icebreaker. Note that when one scenario includes multiple environmental controls, for example, each environmental control may be performed for a time period calculated by dividing the scheduled time from the start to the end of the meeting by the number of each environmental control. In other words, all environmental controls may be performed evenly within the scheduled time. Alternatively, a duration may be set for each environmental control. In other words, environmental control may be performed for the respective durations regardless of the scheduled time of the meeting.

[0028] In a conference to be decided, environmental control of a reporting environment is performed as the first environment. In the environmental control of the reporting environment, the environment is controlled so that the presentation of the participants is centered around the presenter, and so that the monitor screen is easy to see, and cool, somewhat bright lighting is provided in the space 150. Next, environmental control of a diverging environment is performed as the second environment. Next, environmental control of a converging environment is performed as the third environment.

[0029] In casual conversation meetings, the first environment is an ice-breaking environment control.

[0030] Returning to FIG. 1, the selection device 152, the details of which will be described later, has a function of accepting the type of team when the participants of the conference are considered as a team, in addition to the selection of the type of conference.

[0031] The input device 153 is a device that can be used by the conference participants to cause the communication support system 100 to accept operations. The input device 153 may be a device installed in the space 150 or may be an information terminal owned by at least one of the participants. The input device 153 functions as a trigger for causing the conference participant to provide an intervention stimulus at their own timing. Therefore, it is preferable that an input device 153 is provided for each conference participant, and that each participant can operate the input device 153 at their own timing.

[0032] The camera 154 is a photographing device for photographing moving images within the space 150. The camera 154 transmits the photographed moving images to the server 200.

[0033] Microphone 155 is a sound collection device for collecting sound within space 150. Microphone 155 transmits the collected sound to server 200 so that the time position can be associated with the moving image captured by camera 154. Alternatively, as long as the time position of the moving image can be associated with the sound collected by microphone 155, it is not necessary that the time position of the sound can be associated.

[0034] The server 200 processes information received from each device in the space 150 and performs processing to cause the equipment 151 to perform environmental control and intervention stimulation. The server 200 is realized by executing a predetermined program using a processor and memory. The server 200 includes a selection unit 201, an acquisition unit 202, an audio acquisition unit 203, a video acquisition unit 204, an estimation unit 205, an input unit 206, a scenario determination unit 207, and a control unit 208. The control unit 208 also includes a database 209.

[0035] The selection unit 201 accepts the selection of the type of conference from the selection device 152. The selection unit 201 passes information related to the accepted selection of the type of conference to the control unit 208.

[0036] The acquisition unit 202 accepts the selection of the team type from the selection device 152. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 202 may estimate and determine the type of team of participants currently holding the conference based on at least one of video images and audio captured or collected by the camera 154 and microphone 155, and acquire the team type based on the determination result. The acquisition unit 202 passes the acquired information on the team type to the control unit 208.

[0037] The speech acquisition unit 203 acquires speech collected by the microphone 155. The speech acquisition unit 203 passes speech information of the acquired speech to the estimation unit 205.

[0038] The video acquisition unit 204 acquires a video captured by the camera 154. The video acquisition unit 204 passes video information of the acquired video to the estimation unit 205.

[0039] The estimation unit 205 estimates the state of the conference based on the audio information and the video image information. Here, the estimation unit 205 performs processing to detect a speech duration, which is the duration of speech of a person currently speaking among the participants in the conference, a silent period, which is a period during which all participants are silent (no speech), the number of times the speaker changes, and speech after a silent period of a certain length or longer.

[0040] These processes may all be processes that apply existing technology as long as the above parameters can be calculated from speech. Furthermore, to calculate the above parameters from speech, only audio information is required. However, since sounds and the like caused by environmental control are supplied into space 150, it may be difficult to identify the direction of the speaker relative to microphone 155. Therefore, in this example, the above parameters are accurately calculated by identifying the direction from which the sound is coming using video information. If technological advances make it possible to accurately calculate the above parameters from audio information alone, camera 154 and video acquisition unit 204 may not be provided.

[0041] Furthermore, the estimation unit 205 estimates the state of the conference at that time based on whether each of the parameters detected as described above satisfies a threshold condition (determining whether the parameter is greater or smaller than a threshold). In other words, the state of the conference is a concept indicated by whether each of one or more parameters is greater or smaller than a threshold. Note that the threshold here is set in advance experimentally or empirically. The estimation unit 205 estimates the state of the conference using the set threshold condition and passes the estimation result to the control unit 208. Therefore, the threshold condition can also be interpreted as an estimation condition for estimating the state of the conference.

[0042] As described above, in this embodiment, the method of providing an intervention stimulus is changed depending on the type of conference. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a second database in the communication support system according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, a database is used which is referenced when providing an intervention stimulus, and which associates the type of communication, the state of communication, and information regarding device control for providing the intervention stimulus.

[0043] As shown in the figure, if the type of meeting is a brainstorming meeting, the aim is to create a pleasant atmosphere and encourage speaking. Since it is necessary to encourage speaking among all participants, for example, if the calculated parameters indicate that the speaking time is longer than a threshold (i.e., the presence of a participant who speaks for a long time is detected), an intervention stimulus is applied to that participant using spotlighting. Alternatively, if a silence period longer than the threshold is detected, an intervention stimulus is applied to all participants using airflow and fragrance. Alternatively, if a speaker change is detected (here, whether or not there is a change is determined by comparing with a threshold of once), an intervention stimulus is applied to all participants using lighting effects. Alternatively, if a participant breaking the silence is detected (similarly, by comparing with a threshold of once), an intervention stimulus is applied to all participants, including that participant, using video effects. In this embodiment, such intervention stimuli are used to support the progress of the meeting so that participants can communicate with each other according to the type of meeting.

[0044] Similarly, for other types of meetings, a database is compiled that lists what intervention stimuli will be given depending on the state of the meeting, and by referring to this database, it is possible to give appropriate intervention stimuli to support the meeting.

[0045] Furthermore, FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a third database in the communication support system according to the embodiment. The database illustrated in FIG. 4 describes what type of intervention stimulus should be applied for each team type (i.e., team composition). An example of applying an intervention stimulus will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 . For example, if the type of meeting is a brainstorming meeting and the type of team is a "quiet" team, and the calculated parameters indicate that the speaking time is longer than a threshold value, no intervention stimulus is applied. On the other hand, if a silence period longer than the threshold value is detected, a subtle intervention stimulus is applied to all participants using airflow and fragrance. The intervention stimulus here is applied using stimulus parameters such as relatively weak airflow and fragrance compared to standard stimulus parameters. Furthermore, if one or more speaker changes, which is the threshold value, are detected, an intervention stimulus is applied to all participants using wall lighting to change the atmosphere. Furthermore, if a participant breaking the silence is detected one or more times, which is the threshold value, an intervention stimulus is applied to all participants, including that participant, using visual effects. 3 and 4, if it is set that an intervention stimulus is to be given to both, an intervention stimulus is given in that conference state. On the other hand, if it is not set that an intervention stimulus is to be given to either of the two, an intervention stimulus is not given in that conference state.

[0046] Furthermore, the conditions (database) for intervention stimuli according to the type of meeting and the type of team can include conditions for whether or not to provide an intervention stimulus, as well as various other conditions, such as a parameter threshold for determining whether to provide an intervention stimulus (i.e., a threshold for estimating the state of the meeting in the estimation unit), the device 151 used to provide the intervention stimulus, and stimulus parameters such as the intensity and length of the stimulus when providing the intervention stimulus. Because many factors contribute to the setting of such conditions, for example, intervention stimuli provided in advance during a meeting can be evaluated by participants' subjective evaluations or creativity tests, and a large number of evaluation results can be collected and used to set the conditions using an intervention control model constructed by machine learning along with a large number of intervention stimulus conditions. The conditions for intervention stimuli set by such an intervention control model can sometimes be further optimized by re-learning, so it is preferable to configure the model and the conditions (database) for intervention stimuli to be updatable.

[0047] The input unit 206 accepts input from a participant via the input device 153 and executes an intervention stimulus as an interrupt. To this end, the input unit 206 notifies the control unit 208 that the input has been made. The conditions, etc., when the input is accepted by the input unit 206 are also used to update the conditions of the intervention stimulus.

[0048] The scenario determination unit 207 determines a scenario for controlling the environment of the space 150 according to the type of conference. The scenario determination unit 207 determines the scenario by selecting a predetermined scenario according to the type of conference. The scenario determination unit 207 passes the determined scenario to the control unit 208.

[0049] The control unit 208 is an example of an environmental control unit and an intervention control unit, and controls environmental equipment to control the environment of the space 150 according to the type of meeting, and also controls equipment to provide intervention stimuli to meeting participants based on the type of meeting, the state of the meeting, and the type of team.

[0050] The operation of the control unit 208 and the operation of the communication support system will be described below with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication support system according to the embodiment.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 5, first, the control unit 208 accepts and acquires the selection of the type of meeting (selection step S11). Next, the control unit 208 accepts and acquires the selection of the type of team (acquisition step S12). The control unit 208 refers to the database 209 (referring to the information exemplified in Figs. 2 to 4) and reads out the conditions for providing intervention stimulation (step S13). Meanwhile, the scenario determination unit 207 determines a scenario (step S14) and passes it to the control unit 208.

[0052] Thereafter, as soon as the conference starts, the control unit 208 starts environmental control in accordance with the scenario (step S15).

[0053] If an input is made to the input unit 206 during the conference (Yes in step S16), the control unit 208 controls the device 151 to provide an intervention stimulus specified in the input or set in advance (step S17). At this time, the control unit 208 updates the conditions for providing the intervention stimulus based on the conditions at the time of the input (step S18). The control unit 208 also rereads the updated conditions (step S19), returns to step S16, and continues to determine whether to provide the intervention stimulus using the latest conditions.

[0054] On the other hand, if there is no input to the input unit 206 (No in step S16), the server 200 acquires audio information and video information (step S20, which includes an audio acquisition step and a video acquisition step). The estimation unit 205 estimates the state of the conference by calculating various parameters (estimation step S21). If the estimated conference state satisfies the conditions (Yes in step S22), the control unit 208 controls the device 151 to provide an intervention stimulus based on the read conditions (intervention control step S23). If the conference state does not satisfy the conditions (No in step S22), the control unit 208 skips the intervention control step S23 and determines whether the conference has ended (step S24). If the conference has not ended (No in step S24), the process is repeated from step S16. On the other hand, if it is determined that the conference has ended (Yes in step S24), for example, if the audio in the space 150 has been silent for a certain period of time, the process is terminated.

[0055] [Effects, etc.] As described above, the communication support system 100 according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a selection unit 201 that accepts a selection of the type of communication that takes place within a team made up of multiple people, an acquisition unit 202 that acquires the type of team, a voice acquisition unit 203 that acquires voice information uttered in the communication, an estimation unit 205 that estimates the state of the communication based on the voice information, and an intervention control unit (part of the function of the control unit 208) that controls a device 151 to provide an intervention stimulus to one or more people in the team during a period in which communication is taking place, based on the type of communication, the state of the communication, and the type of team.

[0056] This allows for control of devices for providing intervention stimuli depending on the type of communication, the type of team, and the state of communication. For example, since the effective way of providing intervention stimuli may differ depending on the type of communication and the type of team, intervention stimuli depending on the state of communication can be made more effective based on the type of communication and the type of team. In this way, it is possible to more appropriately support communication.

[0057] Furthermore, the communication support system 100 according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is the communication support system 100 according to the first aspect, wherein the estimation unit 205 calculates, based on the audio information, the speech time during which at least one person in the team continues to speak, the silent period during which people in the team are silent, or the number of speaker changes, and estimates the state of communication based on whether at least one of the calculated speech time, silent period, and number of changes satisfies a condition.

[0058] This makes it possible to more effectively support communication by providing more effective intervention stimuli according to the state of communication based on whether or not at least one of the calculated speech time, silence period, and number of turns meets the conditions.

[0059] Furthermore, the communication support system 100 according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is the communication support system 100 according to the first or second aspect, in which the equipment 151 includes at least one of a spotlight, a wall light, an airflow generator, a fragrance generator, and an acoustic device.

[0060] According to this, an intervention stimulus can be provided by a device 151 including at least one of a spotlight, a wall light, an airflow generator, a scent generator, and an audio device.

[0061] Furthermore, a communication support system 100 according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the communication support system 100 according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the intervention control unit determines conditions for combinations of communication types, communication states, and team types using an intervention control model that has learned the relationship between a large number of results, each indicating at least one of the results of a prior subjective evaluation by members of the team of an intervention stimulus given when the prior communication was taking place and a prior creativity test by members of the team, and a large number of combinations, each indicating a combination of communication types, communication states, and team types during the prior communication, and controls the device 151 to give an intervention stimulus when the new communication type, new communication state, and new team type satisfy the determined conditions.

[0062] According to this, an intervention control model that has learned a large number of results and a large number of combinations can provide intervention stimuli according to conditions determined based on the relationship between the results and the combinations. For example, when a subjective evaluation or a creativity test is conducted on a new type of communication, a new communication state, or a new type of team, an intervention stimuli that is likely to produce good results can be provided.

[0063] Furthermore, the communication support system 100 according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure is a communication support system 100 according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, and further includes a scenario determination unit 207 that determines a scenario, which is a change over time in the environment of the space 150 in which the communication takes place, depending on the type of communication, and an environmental control unit (part of the function of the control unit 208) that controls environmental equipment (included in the equipment 151) to control the environment of the space 150 in which the communication takes place in accordance with the determined scenario.

[0064] This allows the environmental control to be changed over time according to the type of communication. The environmental control can provide, for example, an additional effect to the intervention stimulus or a synergistic effect with the intervention stimulus. Furthermore, by adding changes over time to the environmental control, it is possible to support the progress of communication according to the type of communication.

[0065] Furthermore, the communication support system 100 according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is the communication support system 100 according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, and further includes an input unit 206 that receives an input and controls the device 151 to provide an intervention stimulus at the timing when the input is received.

[0066] This allows the device to be controlled so that an intervention stimulus is given at the timing when an input is received.

[0067] Furthermore, the communication support system 100 according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure is the communication support system 100 described in the sixth aspect, in which the intervention control unit controls the device 151 to provide an intervention stimulus when the type of communication, the communication state, and the team type satisfy predetermined conditions, and updates the conditions based on the combination of the type of communication, the communication state, and the team type when input is received by the input unit 206.

[0068] According to this, the conditions for providing an intervention stimulus (i.e., automatically) can be updated by the intervention control unit based on an input for providing an intervention stimulus at a received timing (i.e., manually). Therefore, an automatic intervention stimulus can be provided at a timing close to that of a manually provided stimulus.

[0069] Furthermore, the communication support system 100 according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure is the communication support system 100 described in any one of the first to seventh aspects, in which the intervention control unit has a database linking the type of communication, the state of communication, and information relating to the control of equipment for providing intervention stimuli, and controls the equipment for providing intervention stimuli by referring to the database during the period in which communication is taking place.

[0070] According to this, by referring to a database that links the type of communication, the state of the communication, and information regarding the control of the device to provide the intervention stimulus, it is possible to provide the intervention stimulus during the period in which the communication is taking place.

[0071] Furthermore, the communication support system 100 according to the ninth aspect of the present disclosure is the communication support system 100 described in any one of the first to eighth aspects, in which the communication is communication between participants in a conference that takes place at the conference.

[0072] This makes it possible to support the conference more appropriately.

[0073] Furthermore, the communication support system 100 according to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure is the communication support system 100 described in any one of the first to ninth aspects, and further includes a video acquisition unit 204 that acquires video information of multiple people communicating, and an estimation unit 205 that estimates the state of communication based on the video information and audio information.

[0074] According to this, in estimating the state of communication, video image information can be used in addition to audio information. Inferences that cannot be made using audio information alone can be made using video image information. For example, even if it is unclear from audio information alone who made a sound, it is possible to determine who made the sound from video image information and estimate the state of communication based on that.

[0075] Furthermore, the communication support system 100 according to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure is the communication support system 100 described in any one of the first to tenth aspects, in which the acquisition unit 202 determines and acquires the type of team based on the acquired voice information.

[0076] This makes it possible to more appropriately support communication by determining the type of team based on the acquired voice information.

[0077] Furthermore, the communication support system 100 according to a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure is the communication support system 100 according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, in which the acquisition unit 202 acquires the type of team by accepting a selection.

[0078] This makes it possible to more appropriately support communication depending on the type of team selected.

[0079] In addition, a communication support method according to a thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure is a communication support method executed by a computer, and includes a selection step S11 for accepting a selection of the type of communication to be carried out within a team consisting of multiple people, an acquisition step S12 for acquiring the type of team, an audio acquisition step (part of step S20) for acquiring audio information spoken in the communication, an estimation step S21 for estimating the state of communication based on the audio information, and an intervention control step S23 for controlling equipment to provide an intervention stimulus to one or more people in the team during the period in which communication is taking place, based on the type of communication, the state of communication, and the type of team.

[0080] This provides the same effects as the communication support system 100 described above.

[0081] A program according to a fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute the communication support method according to the thirteenth aspect.

[0082] This provides the same effects as the above-described communication support method using a computer.

[0083] In addition, the communication support system according to the fifteenth aspect of the present disclosure includes a selection unit that accepts a selection of the type of communication to be conducted by multiple people, a scenario determination unit that determines a scenario, which is a change over time in the environment of the space in which the communication takes place, depending on the type of communication, and an environmental control unit that controls environmental equipment to control the environment of the space in which the communication takes place in accordance with the determined scenario.

[0084] According to this, since there are one or more different scenes depending on the type of communication, it is possible to more efficiently advance communication by changing the environmental control over time according to the scene. In other words, from the perspective of more efficiently advancing communication, it is possible to more appropriately support communication by only controlling the environment according to the type of communication according to the scene, without providing intervention stimuli according to the type of communication.

[0085] (Other Embodiments) Although the embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0086] For example, in the above embodiment, a process executed by a specific processing unit may be executed by another processing unit, the order of multiple processes may be changed, or multiple processes may be executed in parallel.

[0087] Furthermore, the communication support system of the present disclosure may be realized by multiple devices each having some of the multiple components, or may be realized by a single device having all of the multiple components. Also, some of the functions of a component may be realized as the functions of another component, and the functions may be distributed in any manner among the components. Any form having a configuration that substantially provides all of the functions that can realize the communication support system of the present disclosure is included in the present disclosure.

[0088] In the above-described embodiments, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for that component, or by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0089] Furthermore, each component may be realized by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Furthermore, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0090] Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present disclosure may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0091] The present disclosure may also be realized as a communication support method executed by a communication support system, as a program for causing a computer to execute such a communication support method, or as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded.

[0092] In addition, this disclosure also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to the embodiments that a person skilled in the art would conceive, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope that does not deviate from the intent of this disclosure.

[0093] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Communication support system 150 Space 151 Equipment 152 Selection device 153 Input device 154 Camera 155 Microphone 200 Server 201 Selection unit 202 Acquisition unit 203 Audio acquisition unit 204 Video acquisition unit 205 Estimation unit 206 Input unit 207 Scenario determination unit 208 Control unit 209 Database

Claims

1. A communication support system comprising: a selection unit that accepts a selection of a type of communication taking place within a team consisting of multiple people; an acquisition unit that acquires the type of team; a voice acquisition unit that acquires voice information spoken in the communication; an estimation unit that estimates a state of the communication based on the voice information; and an intervention control unit that controls equipment to provide an intervention stimulus to one or more people in the team during a period during which the communication is taking place based on the type of communication, the state of the communication, and the type of team.

2. The communication support system of claim 1, wherein the estimation unit calculates, based on the audio information, a speaking time during which at least one person in the team continues to speak, a silent period during which a person in the team is silent, or the number of speaker changes, and estimates the state of communication based on whether at least one of the calculated speaking time, silent period, and number of changes satisfies a condition.

3. The communication support system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the equipment includes at least one of a spotlight, a wall light, an airflow generator, a scent generator, and an audio device.

4. The communication support system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the intervention control unit determines conditions for combinations of the communication type, the communication state, and the team type using an intervention control model that has learned the relationship between a large number of results, each indicating at least one of a prior subjective evaluation by members of the team of the intervention stimulus given when the prior communication was taking place and a prior creativity test by members of the team, and a large number of combinations, each indicating a combination of the communication type, the communication state, and the team type during the prior communication, and controls the device to give the intervention stimulus when the new communication type, the new communication state, and the new team type satisfy the determined conditions.

5. A communication support system as described in claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a scenario determination unit that determines a scenario, which is a change over time in the environment of the space in which the communication takes place, in accordance with the type of communication; and an environmental control unit that controls environmental equipment to control the environment of the space in which the communication takes place in accordance with the determined scenario.

6. The communication support system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an input unit that receives an input and controls the device so that the intervention stimulus is given at the timing when the input is received.

7. The communication support system of claim 6, wherein the intervention control unit controls the device to give the intervention stimulus when the type of communication, the state of communication, and the type of team satisfy predetermined conditions, and updates the conditions based on a combination of the type of communication, the state of communication, and the type of team when the input is received by the input unit.

8. The communication support system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the intervention control unit has a database linking the type of communication, the state of the communication, and information regarding control of an equipment for providing the intervention stimulus, and controls the equipment for providing the intervention stimulus by referring to the database during the period during which the communication is taking place.

9. The communication support system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the communication is communication between participants of a conference that takes place in the conference.

10. A communication support system as described in claim 1 or 2, further comprising a video acquisition unit that acquires video information of multiple people communicating, and the estimation unit estimates the state of the communication based on the video information and the audio information.

11. The communication support system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the acquisition unit determines and acquires the type of the team based on the acquired voice information.

12. The communication support system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the type of the team by accepting a selection.

13. A communication support method executed by a computer, comprising: a selection step of accepting a selection of a type of communication taking place within a team consisting of a plurality of people; an acquisition step of acquiring the type of team; a voice acquisition step of acquiring voice information spoken in the communication; an estimation step of estimating a state of the communication based on the voice information; and an intervention control step of controlling equipment to provide an intervention stimulus to one or more people in the team during a period during which the communication is taking place, based on the type of communication, the state of communication, and the type of team.

14. A program for causing a computer to execute the communication support method according to claim 13.

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