Remote communication support control device, method, and program

Abstract

One aspect of the present invention is configured to: acquire information indicating the presence of an object present in a first space; generate sound information corresponding to the acquired information indicating the presence of the object; and output a sound indicated by the generated sound information from an acoustic device disposed in a second space different from the first space.

Description

Remote communication support control device, method and program

[0001] One aspect of the present invention relates to a remote communication support control device, method, and program used to convey the presence of an object, such as a person, that exists in a remote location.

[0002] In recent years, human interaction has become less frequent. As a countermeasure, a method has been proposed for enabling communication between people in multiple locations that are separated from one another, such as different floors of the same building. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 describes a method for projecting a message from a person in one space along with a silhouette image into another space using a projector. This method enables anonymous information transmission while maintaining a degree of freedom. In other words, it is possible to indirectly and gently convey a person's presence to a person in another space.

[0003] Kohei Taga and Takashi Yoshino, "Proposal of a Gentle Communication Support System in Public Spaces Using Shadows and Projectors," 84th National Convention of the Information Processing Society of Japan, March 2022, Internet <URL: https: / / researchmap.jp / takashi_yoshino / misc / 42598642>

[0004] However, the method described in Non-Patent Document 1 requires devices such as Kinect (registered trademark) or a projector to generate and display silhouette images, resulting in a large-scale system configuration.

[0005] This invention has been made in light of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a technology that uses a simple configuration to enable information representing the presence of an object present in a first space to be indirectly transmitted to a second space while maintaining the anonymity of the object.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the remote community support control device or method of the present invention acquires information representing the presence of an object present in a first space, generates sound information corresponding to the acquired information representing the presence of the object, and outputs the sound represented by the generated sound information from an acoustic device located in a second space different from the first space.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, for example, information representing the presence of an object, such as a person, animal, or robot, present in a first space is converted into sound information, and the sound represented by the converted sound information is output from an acoustic device in a second space at a remote location. Thus, for example, the presence of an object present in the first space is indirectly output as sound information in the second space. Therefore, by simply using the acoustic device as output means, it is possible to convey the presence of the object to a remote space while maintaining the anonymity of the object.

[0008] In other words, according to one aspect of the present invention, a technology can be provided that uses a simple configuration to indirectly transmit information representing the presence of an object present in a first space to a second space while maintaining the anonymity of the object.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a remote communication support system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an assistance control device used in the system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the assistance control device used in the system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of assistance control executed by a control unit of the assistance control device shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of operation when a presence is transmitted between different spaces by the assistance control shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an example of operation when a presence is not transmitted between different spaces by the assistance control shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an example of operation when a presence is not transmitted between different spaces by the assistance control shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6C is a diagram showing an example of operation when a presence is not transmitted between different spaces by the assistance control shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6D is a diagram showing an example of operation when a presence is not transmitted between different spaces by the assistance control shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of operation when a person's presence is transmitted by a change in volume. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between a person's height (height) and a musical scale. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of operation when a person's presence is conveyed by a change in musical scale. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a remote communication support system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware and software configuration of an assistance control device used in the system shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of assistance control executed by the control unit of the assistance control device shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a remote communication support system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware and software configuration of an assistance control device used in the system shown in FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of assistance control executed by the control unit of the assistance control device shown in FIG. 14.

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [First embodiment] (Configuration example) (1) System A remote communication support system according to a first embodiment of the present invention detects the presence of an object, such as the presence of a person, in a space on a certain floor of a building, converts the detected presence into sound data, and outputs the sound represented by the converted sound data in a space on another floor of the same building, thereby indirectly conveying information about the status of a person in a certain space to a person on another floor while maintaining anonymity.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a remote communication support system according to the first embodiment.

[0013] In FIG. 1, a space on the first floor (hereinafter also referred to as the first space) R A In the first space R A Person P who exists in A In order to detect the presence of A On the other hand, a space on a second floor (hereinafter also referred to as the second space) R B In the second space R B Person P who exists in B Switch SW operated by B and a speaker SP as an acoustic device. B are placed.

[0014] Then, the first space R A Sensor group SS A , the second space R B Switch SW B and speaker SP B are connected to the assistance control device CSa via, for example, a wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network).

[0015] Sensor group SS A The human presence sensor is, for example, an infrared sensor, and is configured to detect a human presence in the first space R. A People in P A The detection data for detecting the presence or absence of the vehicle is output to the assistance control device CSa.

[0016] The distance sensor uses, for example, infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, or a laser to measure the distance in the first space R. A People who exist within P A The measurement data used to calculate the distance between the vehicle and the target vehicle is output to the assistance control device CSa.

[0017] The size sensor is, for example, a camera, and detects the first space R A People who exist within P A The image data used to calculate the height of the user, that is, the height of the user, is output to the assistance control device CSa.

[0018] It is possible to use a single sensor to share the motion sensor, distance sensor, and size sensor, for example, by using a depth camera that can obtain depth information in addition to two-dimensional information.

[0019] In addition, the size sensor detects the A In addition to or instead of the height, the width or the area of ​​the body surface may be measured. In other words, any information that represents the characteristics of a person's body may be measured.

[0020] (2) Assistance control device CSa The assistance control device CSa is configured by, for example, a server computer or a personal computer installed on a LAN, and includes a presence detection unit U A and the output unit U B The presence detection unit U A and the output unit U B For example, the computers may be distributed to separate computers installed on the first floor and the second floor.

[0021] 2 and 3 are block diagrams showing an example of a hardware configuration and a software configuration, respectively, of the assistance control device CSa according to the first embodiment.

[0022] The assistance control device CSa includes a control unit 1a using a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), and the control unit 1a is connected to a storage unit having a program storage unit 2a and a data storage unit 3a via a bus 6a, and an input / output interface (hereinafter, the interface will be referred to as I / F) unit 4a. B and the sensor I / F unit 5 A It is a connection between the above.

[0023] Input / output I / F unit 4 B is the second space R A The switch SW B and receives an operation signal output from the output unit U B The sound output from the speaker SP B Output to.

[0024] Sensor I / F unit 5 A is the first space R A The sensor group SS arranged A The sensor 50 receives detection data and the like output from the human presence sensor 51, distance sensor 52, and size sensor 53 included in the sensor 50.

[0025] The program storage unit 2a is configured by combining, for example, a nonvolatile memory such as a solid-state drive (SSD) as a storage medium that can be written to and read from at any time, and a nonvolatile memory such as a read-only memory (ROM), and stores middleware such as an operating system (OS) as well as application programs required to execute various controls according to an embodiment. Hereinafter, the OS and each application program will be collectively referred to as a program.

[0026] The data storage unit 3a is, for example, a combination of a non-volatile memory such as an SSD that can be written to and read from at any time as a storage medium, and a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), and its storage area includes a sound source data storage unit 30, a scale conversion information storage unit 31, and a volume conversion information storage unit 32.

[0027] The scale conversion information storage unit 31 stores the first space R A Person P detected in A A conversion table for converting the height of the player (stature) into a musical scale is stored.

[0028] The volume conversion information storage unit 32 stores the first space R A The person P measured by A The formula for converting distance into volume is stored in memory.

[0029] The sound source data storage unit 30 stores sound source data of frequencies corresponding to the various musical scales defined in the conversion table.

[0030] The control unit 1a controls the presence detection unit U A and the output unit U B It is equipped with the following.

[0031] First, the presence detection unit U A The audio processing unit 10 includes a human detection processor 11, a distance detection processor 12, a size detection processor 13, a volume information generation processor 14, a musical scale information generation processor 15, and a tone processing processor 16.

[0032] The human detection processing unit 11 transmits the detection data output from the human sensor 51 to the sensor I / F unit 5 A and based on the received detection data, the first space R A Inside person P A Determine whether or not

[0033] The distance detection processing unit 12 detects the distance of a person P A When it is determined that the distance sensor 52 is present, the measurement data output from the distance sensor 52 is transmitted to the sensor I / F unit 5 A Based on the received measurement data, the distance sensor detects the position of the person P A Calculate the distance to

[0034] The size detection processing unit 13 detects the size of a person P A If it is determined that the image data is present, the image data output from the size sensor 53 is transmitted to the sensor I / F unit 5 AThe image data is received via the A Detect the height (height) of the person.

[0035] The volume information generation processing unit 14 detects the volume of the person P calculated by the distance detection processing unit 12. A The distance to the target point is converted into a volume using a volume conversion formula stored in the volume conversion information storage unit 32.

[0036] The scale information generation processing unit 15 detects the size of the person P detected by the size detection processing unit 13. A The height (body height) of the user is converted into a musical scale using a conversion table stored in the musical scale conversion information storage unit 31.

[0037] The articulation processing unit 16 generates a sound represented by the volume converted by the volume information generation processing unit 14 and the scale converted by the scale information generation processing unit 15 based on the sound source data stored in the sound source data storage unit 30.

[0038] On the other hand, the output unit U B includes a switch operation detection processing unit 21 and a sound output processing unit 22 .

[0039] The switch operation detection processing unit 21 detects the second space R B The switch SW B The operation data output from the input / output I / F unit 4 B and based on the received operation data, B is the first space R B Person P in A To check for signs of B It is determined whether or not the operation has been performed.

[0040] The sound output processing unit 22 is A The sound data output from the articulation processing unit 16 is converted into an analog sound signal, and the converted sound signal is sent to the input / output I / F unit 4. B From speaker SP B Output to.

[0041] The above-described processing units 11 to 16, 21, and 22 are all realized by causing a hardware processor in the control unit 1a to execute an application program stored in the program storage unit 2a. Some or all of the processing units 11 to 16, 21, and 22 may be realized using hardware such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0042] (Example of Operation) Next, an example of operation of the assistance control device CSa configured as above will be described.

[0043] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing contents of the assistance control executed by the control unit 1a of the assistance control device CSa.

[0044] For example, when a system administrator inputs a support start command to the support control device CSa and the input of this support start command is detected in step S10, the control unit 1a of the support control device CSa starts support control thereafter.

[0045] (1) Determination of whether to perform sign transmission control The control unit 1a of the assistance control device CSa first determines whether to perform sign transmission control in step S11 under the control of the switch operation detection processing unit 21. B The switch SW B The operation data output from the input / output I / F unit 4 B Then, the switch operation detection processing unit 21 detects whether the person P B is the switch SW B It is determined whether or not a touch operation has been performed.

[0046] As a result of this determination, person P B is the switch SW B If the user has not operated the assist control device CSa, the control unit 1a of the assist control device CSa A Without performing the human presence detection process in step S12, the process proceeds directly to step S17 to determine whether the assistance should be terminated, and if the assistance control is still ongoing, the process returns to step S11.

[0047] Next, under the control of the human detection processing unit 11, the control unit 1a of the assistance control device CSa detects the first space R A The detection data output from the human presence sensor 51 disposed in the sensor I / F unit 5 A Then, the human detection processing unit 11 receives the above-mentioned detection data via the first space R A In person P A It is determined whether there is any sign of

[0048] As a result of this determination, the first space R A In person P A When it is determined that there is no sign of the vehicle, the control unit 1a of the assistance control device CSa B Without transmitting the presence of a person to the vehicle, the process proceeds directly to step S17 to determine whether the assistance should be terminated, and if the assistance control is still ongoing, the process returns to step S11.

[0049] 6A to 6D show an example in which the human presence transmission process is not performed. FIG. 6A shows the first space R A NijinP A Although there is a hint of B People P B 6B shows the first space R A NijinP A There is no sign of the second space R B People in P B is the switch SW B 6C shows the case where the second space R B In person P B is the switch SW B The first space R A People P A 6D shows the first space R A NijinP A Although there is a hint of B People in P B is the switch SW B The figures show the cases where the button is not operated.

[0050] (2) Transmission control of presence On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, B Switch SW B is operated, and the first space R A NijinP A In this case, the control unit 1a of the assistance control device CSa controls the first space R A People in P A The second space R B People in P B The control to be transmitted to is executed as follows.

[0051] (2-1) First space R A People in P A First, in step S12, the control unit 1a of the assistance control device CSa converts the measurement data output from the distance sensor 52 in step S121 into the sound volume through the sensor I / F unit 51 under the control of the distance detection processing unit 12. A Then, in step S122, the distance detection processing unit 12 determines the distance of the person P based on the received measurement data. A The distance to the target point is calculated. The distance can be calculated using existing distance measurement technology.

[0052] Once the distance is calculated, the control unit 1a of the assistance control device CSa then, under the control of the volume information generation processing unit 14, reads a calculation formula from the volume conversion information storage unit 32 in step S123 and calculates the volume corresponding to the above distance using this calculation formula.

[0053] The volume information generation processing unit 14 calculates the volume by substituting the calculated distance into the following formula, for example: Output volume [dB] = Maximum volume - 20 Log 10 (distance [m]) - 11. Note that the volume is assumed to be a continuous value.

[0054] As a result of this calculation, the volume according to distance is calculated as follows: If the maximum volume is 80[dB] and the distance between the sensor and the subject is 10[m]...49[dB] If the maximum volume is 60[dB] and the distance between the sensor and the subject is 10[m]...29[dB] If the maximum volume is 60[dB] and the distance between the sensor and the subject is 5[m]...35[dB]

[0055] FIG. 7 shows the person P A 1 shows an example of the relationship between the distance to the person P and the volume. A is the first space R A When the speaker is positioned in the center of the speaker, a medium volume is set. A is the first space R A Sensor group SS A If the speaker is located at a position further away from the person P, a low volume is set. A is the first space R A Sensor group SS A If the sound is located close to the target, a louder volume is set.

[0056] The volume information generating processor 14 passes data representing the volume level [dB] calculated and set as described above to the articulation processor 16 .

[0057] (2-2) First space R A People in P A Next, in step S13, the control unit 1a of the support control device CSa, under the control of the size detection processing unit 13, converts the image data output from the size sensor 53 in step S131 into the sensor I / F unit 5 A Then, in step S132, the size detection processing unit 13 detects the size of the person P from the received image data. A The image pattern representing the figure of the person is recognized using image processing such as pattern matching, and the recognized image pattern and its coordinate values ​​are used to determine the person P. A Detect the height of the person.

[0058] Once the height is detected, the control unit 1a of the assistance control device CSa then, under the control of the scale information generation processing unit 15, in step S133 uses the conversion table stored in the scale conversion information storage unit 31 to determine the scale corresponding to the height.

[0059] Figure 8 shows an example of a conversion table. In this example, height is detected in 1.5 cm intervals, and each detected height is associated with the musical scale of Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So and its semitone #. Each musical scale is also associated with a frequency and stored.

[0060] FIG. 9 shows the conversion table for the person P A In this example, as shown in (b), the scale is set according to the height of the person P. A If the height of person P is of standard height, "Do" is set, and as shown in (a), A If the height of person P is shorter than the standard, the note “C” is set one octave higher. A If the person is taller than average, the note "C" will be set one octave lower.

[0061] The scale information generating processor 15 passes data representing the frequencies of the scales set as described above to the articulation processor 16 .

[0062] (2-3) Articulation and Sound Output Next, in step S14, the control unit 1a of the assistance control device CSa, under the control of the articulation processing unit 16, reads out sound source data having a frequency corresponding to the scale from the sound source data storage unit 30 based on the data of the scale set by the scale information generation processing unit 15. Then, the articulation processing unit 16 adjusts the volume of the sound source data based on the volume data set by the volume information generation processing unit 14, and outputs the adjusted sound data to the output unit U. B The sound output processing unit 22 outputs the sound.

[0063] In contrast, the output unit U B In step S16, the sound output processing unit 22 converts the adjusted sound source data into an analog sound signal, and transmits the converted sound signal to the input / output I / F unit 4. B to the second space R BSpeaker SP placed in B Output to.

[0064] Thus, the second space R B Speaker SP B From the first space R A People in P A The sound whose scale and volume are variably set according to the height and position (distance from the distance sensor 52) of the person P A This is output as information indicating the presence of

[0065] (Effects) As described above, in the first embodiment, the first spaces R on different floors in a building are A and the second space R B and the first space R A Person P who exists in A The second space R B Person P who exists in B When transmitting the information to the assistance control device CSa, the first space R A Person P who exists in A The height and position (distance from the distance sensor 52) of each of the people are detected, and sound data is generated by converting the detected height and distance into a musical scale and a volume, and the generated sound data is input to the second space R. B Speaker SP installed in B It is set to output as sound from

[0066] Therefore, the first space R A Person P who exists in A The person in question, P A Indirectly, while maintaining the anonymity of the second space R B Person P who exists in B Moreover, this transmission process can be performed by converting the person's height and distance into a musical scale and volume, and by using a speaker SP to output the sound. B This can be realized by a relatively simple configuration that only requires the provision of

[0067] Also, people P A The height of the person P is converted into a musical scale, and the distance sensor 52 A The distance to the second space R is converted to volume. B Person P who exists in B is the first space R A Person P who exists in A It is possible to intuitively grasp the state of

[0068] Furthermore, the second space R B Person P who exists in B is the switch SW B Only when you touch the A Person P who exists in A Since the sign of is transmitted, the first space R A Person P who exists in A The presence of unnecessary second space R B This can prevent problems that occur when outputting.

[0069] [Second embodiment] (Configuration example) (1) System A remote communication support system according to a second embodiment of the present invention detects the presence of people at, for example, multiple event venues, converts the presence into sound data, and outputs the sound represented by this sound data from another venue or room or other space in a remote location, thereby indirectly conveying information about the status of people at multiple event venues to people in the remote space while maintaining the anonymity of each person.

[0070] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a remote communication support system according to the second embodiment. In Fig. 10, parts having functions corresponding to those in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0071] In FIG. 10, a space R of a first event venue (hereinafter also referred to as the first space) A1 and the second event venue space (hereinafter also referred to as the second space) R A2 Each person P A1 , P A2 A group of sensors SS for detecting the presence of A1 , S.S. A2 The sensor group SS A1 , S.S. A2 Each of the sensors includes a human sensor, a distance sensor, and a size sensor.

[0072] On the other hand, the first space RA1 and the second space R A2 A separate space R B The viewers P B Switch SW operated by B and a speaker SP as an acoustic device. B are placed.

[0073] The first and second spaces R A1 , R A2 Sensor group SS A1 , S.S. A2 , another space R B Switch SW B and speaker SP B are all connected to the assistance control device CSb via a communication network, for example.

[0074] (2) Assistance control device CSb The assistance control device CSb is configured by a server computer installed on the Web or the cloud, for example, and controls the first space R A1 and the second space R A2 The presence detection units U A1 , U A2 and the above-mentioned separate space R B The output unit U B It is equipped with the following.

[0075] In addition, the presence detection unit U A1 , U A2 are the first spaces R A1 and the second space R A2 The output units U B For example, the above-mentioned other space R B The information may be stored in a personal computer installed in the building.

[0076] Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware and software configuration of the assistance control device CSb according to the second embodiment. In Fig. 11, the same functional parts as those in Fig. 3 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0077] The assistance control device CSb includes a control unit 1b using a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), and the control unit 1b is connected to a program storage unit 2b and a data storage unit 3b via a bus. A1 , 3 A2 and an input / output I / F unit 4. B and the sensor I / F unit 5 A1 , 5 A2 It is a connection between the above.

[0078] Sensor I / F unit 5 A1 , 5 A2 are the first and second spaces R A1 , R A2 The sensor group SS arranged A1 , S.S. A2 The sensor 50 receives detection data and the like output from the human presence sensor 51, distance sensor 52, and size sensor 53 included in the sensor 50.

[0079] Data storage unit 3 A1 , 3 A2 In both cases, the data storage unit 3 shown in FIG. A Similarly, a sound source data storage unit 30, a scale conversion information storage unit 31, and a volume conversion information storage unit 32 are provided.

[0080] The control unit 1b controls the presence detection unit U A1 , U A2 and the output unit U B The presence detection unit U A1 , U A2 are the presence detection units U shown in FIG. A Similarly to the above, the output unit U includes a human detection processing unit 11, a distance detection processing unit 12, a size detection processing unit 13, a volume information generation processing unit 14, a musical scale information generation processing unit 15, and a tone processing unit 16. B 3, the switch operation detection processing unit 21 and the sound output processing unit 22.

[0081] Of these, the output unit U B The sound output processing unit 22 of the above two presence detection units U A1 , U A2The input / output I / F unit 4 then synthesizes or selects the sound data output from the respective input / output I / F units 4 and 5. The synthesized or selected sound data is then converted into an analog sound signal, and the analog sound signal is transmitted to the input / output I / F unit 4. B Another space R B Speaker SP B Output to.

[0082] (Example of Operation) Next, an example of operation of the assistance control device CSb configured as above will be described.

[0083] 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of the assistance control executed by the control unit 1b of the assistance control device CSb. In FIG. 12, steps that perform the same processing as those in FIG. 4 are assigned the same reference numerals and will be described.

[0084] (1) Determination of whether to perform sign transmission control When the input of the assistance start command is detected in step S10, the control unit 1b of the assistance control device CSb first performs, under the control of the switch operation detection processing unit 21, the determination of whether to perform sign transmission control. B The switch SW B The operation data output from the input / output I / F unit 4 B Then, the switch operation detection processing unit 21 receives the operation data via the spatial R B Person P who exists in B is the switch SW B It is determined whether or not a touch operation has been performed.

[0085] As a result of this determination, person P B is the switch SW B If the user has not operated the assist control device CSb, the control unit 1b of the assist control device CSb controls the first and second spaces R A1 , R A2 Without performing the human presence detection process in step S15, the process proceeds directly to step S17 to determine whether assistance is continuing or has ended, and if assistance control is continuing, the process returns to step S11.

[0086] Next, in step S20, the control unit 1b of the assistance control device CSb calculates the space R of the event venue. A1 , R A2 Then, select one of the spaces (e.g., RA1 ) corresponding to the presence detection unit U A1 Under the control of the human detection processing unit 11, in step S15, A1 The detection data output from the human presence sensor 51 disposed in the sensor I / F unit 5 A1 Then, the human detection processing unit 11 receives the above-mentioned detection data via the first space R A1 In person P A1 It is determined whether there is any sign of

[0087] As a result of this determination, the first space R A1 In person P A1 If it is determined that there is no sign of a space being selected, the control unit 1b of the assistance control device CSb proceeds to step S21, where it determines whether or not the selection of spaces in all the event venues has been completed. If there are spaces that have not yet been selected, the process returns to step S20 and the unselected spaces (for example, R A2 )

[0088] Then, the control unit 1b of the assistance control device CSb selects the space R A2 The corresponding presence detection unit U A2 Under the control of the human detection processing unit 11, in step S15, the second space R A2 Based on the detection data output from the human presence sensor 51 arranged in the second space R A2 NijinP A2 It is determined whether there is any sign of

[0089] As a result of this determination, the second space R A2 Also P A2 If there is no sign of this, the control unit 1b of the assistance control device CSb proceeds directly to step S17 to determine whether assistance control should be continued or ended, and if assistance control is continuing, returns to step S11.

[0090] That is, the space R B If no switch operation is performed in the space R A1 , R A2 The presence of people in the space B Even if the spatial R BEven if a switch operation is performed in the first and second spaces R A1 , R A2 If no human presence is detected in any of the spaces R A1 , R A2 The presence of people in the space B The process of transmitting the information to the

[0091] (2) Transmission control of human presence On the other hand, space R B Switch SW B is manipulated, and for example, the first and second spaces R A1 , R A2 In person P A1 , P A2 In this case, the control unit 1b of the assistance control device CSb controls the first space and the second space R A1 , R A2 People in P A1 , P A2 A different space R B People in P B The control to be transmitted to is executed as follows.

[0092] That is, the control unit 1b of the assistance control device CSb first calculates the first space R A1 In step S12, the presence detection unit U A1 Under the control of the distance detection processing unit 12 and the volume information generation processing unit 14 included in A1 People in P A1 Next, in step S13, the control unit 1b of the assistance control device CSb calculates the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle and determines the volume of the sound corresponding to the calculated distance. A1 Under the control of the size detection processing unit 13 and the scale information generation processing unit 15 included in A1 People in P A1 The height of the user is detected and a scale corresponding to this height is set.

[0093] The control unit 1b of the assistance control device CSb then A1In step S14, under the control of the articulation processing unit 16 included in the B The sound output processing unit 22 outputs the sound.

[0094] The control unit 1b of the assistance control device CSb controls the first space R A1 People in P A1 The same process as the process of detecting the presence of the robot and converting it into sound data is performed in the second space R. A2 People in P A2 This will also be done.

[0095] (3) Sound Output The control unit 1b of the assistance control device CSb outputs sound to the first and second spaces R as described above. A1 , R A2 People in P A1 , P A2 When the detection of the presence of the sound and the conversion process into sound data are completed, the output unit U B Under the control of the sound output processing unit 22, in step S22, the presence detection unit U A1 , U A2 The input / output I / F unit 4 then converts the synthesized sound data into an analog sound signal, and outputs the converted synthesized sound signal to the input / output I / F unit 4. B to the second space R B Speaker SP placed in B Output to.

[0096] Thus, the space R B Speaker SP B From the first and second spaces R A1 , R A2 People in P A1 , P A2 The sound with variable pitch and volume set according to the height and distance of the person P A1 , P A2 This is output as information indicating the presence of

[0097] In addition, the output unit U B The sound output processing unit 22 is a presence detection unit U A1 , U A2 Alternatively, each of the articulation-processed sound data output from each of the sound data inputs may be selected, and the sound represented by the selected sound data may be output.

[0098] In the above example, the presence detection unit U A1 , U A2 The sound data after articulation processing output from each of the speakers is synthesized, and the synthesized sound is output to one speaker SP B I tried to output it from the spatial R B Two speakers are placed at different positions in the A1 , U A2 The sounds represented by the articulation-processed sound data output from the respective speakers may be distributed and output from the two speakers.

[0099] Furthermore, in the above-described example, the first and second spaces R A1 , R A2 People in P A1 , P A2 Although the example has been described in which the same type of tone is used as the sound indicating the presence of a sound, a different tone, for example, the sound of a musical instrument, may be assigned. B People in P B is the space R A1 , R A2 People in P A1 , P A2 It becomes possible to distinguish the presence of music from the tones of different instruments.

[0100] (Effects) As described above, in the second embodiment, the first and second spaces R A1 , R A2 Person P who exists in A1 , P A2 The height and distance of the person P A1 , P A2 The detected information representing the presence is converted into sound data, and the sound represented by the sound data is transmitted to another space R at a remote location. B In the speaker SP Bis output from

[0101] Therefore, each of the first and second spaces R A1 , R A2 Person P who exists in A1 , P A2 simultaneously or selectively, in another space R in a remote location. B People in P B To the above person P A1 , P A2 Moreover, in this embodiment, the first and second spaces R A1 , R A2 Person P who exists in A1 , P A2 The process of converting the presence of the person into a musical scale and volume based on the height and distance, and the spatial R B Speaker SP B This can be achieved with a relatively simple configuration that only requires the provision of

[0102] [Third embodiment] (Configuration example) (1) System A remote communication support system according to a third embodiment of the present invention detects the presence of people at an event venue, for example, converts the presence into sound data, and outputs the sounds represented by this sound data from multiple spaces such as venues or rooms in remote locations, thereby indirectly conveying information about the status of people at the event venue to people in multiple remote spaces while maintaining anonymity.

[0103] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a remote communication support system according to the third embodiment. In Fig. 13, parts having functions corresponding to those in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0104] In FIG. 13, the space R of the event venue A For A A group of sensors SS for detecting the presence of A The sensor group SS A is equipped with a human sensor, a distance sensor, and a size sensor.

[0105] On the other hand, the space R of the event venue ATwo public viewing spaces, R, are located away from the B1 , R B2 Each of them is a viewer P B1 , P B2 Switch SW operated by B1 , SW B2 and a speaker SP as an acoustic device. B1 , SP B2 and are arranged.

[0106] Space R of the above event venue A Sensor group SS A , the space R B1 , R B2 Switch SW B1 , SW B2 , and speaker SP B1 , SP B2 are all connected to the assistance control device CSc via, for example, a communication network.

[0107] (2) Assistance control device CSc The assistance control device CSc is configured by a server computer installed on the Web or cloud, for example, and controls the space R A The corresponding presence detection unit U A and the above two other spaces R B1 , R B2 output units U B1 , U B2 It is equipped with the following.

[0108] The above two output units U B1 , U B2 are the spatial R B1 , R B2 The presence detection unit U may be installed in a distributed manner, for example, in a personal computer. A For example, the space R A The information may be stored in a personal computer installed in the building.

[0109] Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware and software configuration of the assistance control device CSc according to the third embodiment. In Fig. 14, the same functional parts as those in Fig. 3 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0110] The assistance control device CSc includes a control unit 1c using a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), and the control unit 1c is connected to a program storage unit 2c and a data storage unit 3c via a bus. A and an input / output I / F unit 4. B1 , 4 B2 and the sensor I / F unit 5 A It is a connection between the above.

[0111] Input / output I / F unit 4 B1 , 4 B2 are the above-mentioned spaces R B1 , R B2 The switch SW B1 , SW B2 , and receives the operation data output from the output unit U B1 , U B2 The sound signal output from the space R B1 , R B2 Speaker SP B1 , SP B2 Send to.

[0112] The control unit 1c controls the presence detection unit U A and the output unit U B1 , U B2 The presence detection unit U A As shown in Fig. 3, the output unit U includes a human presence detection processor 11, a distance detection processor 12, a size detection processor 13, a volume information generation processor 14, a musical scale information generation processor 15, and a tone processing processor 16. B1 , U B2 Each of the above-mentioned devices includes a switch operation detection processing unit 21 and a sound output processing unit 22 as shown in FIG.

[0113] Of these, the presence detection unit U A The articulation processing unit 16 outputs the articulation-processed sound data to the output unit U B1 , U B2 The output unit U B1 , U B2 The sound output processing unit 22 is the same as the presence detection unit U AThe sound data sent from the articulation processing unit 16 is converted into an analog sound signal. The converted analog sound signal is then sent to the input / output I / F unit 4. B1 , 4 B2 From the space R B1 , R B2 Speaker SP B1 , SP B2 Send to .

[0114] (Example of Operation) Next, an example of operation of the assistance control device CSc configured as above will be described.

[0115] 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of the assistance control executed by the control unit 1c of the assistance control device CSc. In FIG. 15, steps that perform the same processing as those in FIG. 4 are assigned the same reference numerals and will be described.

[0116] (1) Determination of whether to perform sign transmission control When the input of the assistance start command is detected in step S10, the control unit 1c of the assistance control device CSc first performs the output of the output unit U B1 , U B2 Then, the control unit 1c selects one of the output units (for example, U B1 ) under the control of the switch operation detection processing unit 21, in step S31, the space R B1 The switch SW B1 The operation data output from the input / output I / F unit 4 B1 Then, the switch operation detection processing unit 21 receives the operation data via the spatial R B1 Person P who exists in B1 is the switch SW B1 It determines whether or not a touch operation has been performed and saves the result.

[0117] Next, in step S32, the control unit 1c of the assistance control device CSc determines whether or not the selection of all output units has been completed. If there are output units that have not yet been selected, the process returns to step S30 and the unselected output units (e.g., U B2 Then, the control unit 1b selects the selected output unit U B2Under the control of the switch operation detection processing unit 21, the output unit U B1 As in the case of B2 Person P who exists in B2 is the switch SW B2 It determines whether or not a touch operation has been performed and saves the result.

[0118] Each of the above spaces R B1 , R B2 When the determination of the switch operation in the space R is completed, the control unit 1c of the assistance control device CSc determines the space R in which the switch operation was performed based on the stored determination results in step S33. B1 , R B2 Then, it is determined whether or not the switch operation has been performed. B1 , R B2 If not, the process proceeds to step S17 to determine whether to continue the assistance control or to end the assistance, and if the assistance control is continuing, the process returns to step S30.

[0119] On the other hand, the space R where the switch was operated B1 , R B2 In this case, the control unit 1c of the assistance control device CSc detects the presence of the presence detection unit U A Under the control of the human detection processing unit 11, in step S15, A Based on the detection data output from the human presence sensor 51 arranged in the space R A NijinP A It is determined whether there is any sign of

[0120] As a result of this determination, the space R A NijinP A If there is no sign of this, the control unit 1c of the assistance control device CSc proceeds directly to step S17 to determine whether assistance control should be continued or ended, and if assistance control is continuing, returns to step S30.

[0121] That is, the space R B1 , R B2 If no switch operation is performed in any of the spaces R A The presence of people in the space R B1 , R B2 In addition, even if the spatial R B1 , RB2 Even if at least one of the switches is operated, the space R A If no human presence is detected, A The presence of people in the space R B1 , R B2 No processing is performed to transmit the information to the

[0122] (2) Transmission control of human presence On the other hand, space R B1 , R B2 Switch SW B1 , SW B2 is operated, and the space R A In person P A In this case, the control unit 1c of the assistance control device CSc controls the space R A People in P A The atmosphere of space R B1 , R B2 People in P B1 , P B2 The control to be transmitted to is executed as follows.

[0123] That is, the control unit 1c of the assistance control device CSc first detects the presence of the vehicle by detecting the presence of the vehicle in step S12. A Under the control of the distance detection processing unit 12 and the volume information generation processing unit 14 included in A People in P A Then, in step S13, the control unit 1c of the assistance control device CSc calculates the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle and determines the volume of the vehicle according to the distance. A Under the control of the size detection processing unit 13 and the scale information generation processing unit 15 included in A Person P who exists in A The height of the user is detected and a scale corresponding to this height is set.

[0124] The control unit 1c of the assistance control device CSc then AIn step S14, under the control of the articulation processing unit 16 included in the B1 , U B2 and outputs the signals to the sound output processing unit 22.

[0125] (3) Sound output Output unit U B1 , U B2 In step S34, the sound output processing unit 22 of each of the presence detection units U A The articulation-processed sound data output from the input / output I / F unit 4 is converted into an analog sound signal, and the converted synthesized sound signal is transmitted to the input / output I / F unit 4. B1 , 4 B2 From the space R B1 , R B2 Speaker SP placed in B1 , SP B2 Send to.

[0126] Thus, the space R B1 , R B2 Speaker SP B1 , SP B2 From the space R A Person P who exists in A The sound with variable pitch and volume set according to the height and distance of the person P A Each is output as information indicating the presence of

[0127] (Effects) As described above, in the third embodiment, the space R A Person P who exists in A The height and distance of the person P A The detected information representing the presence of the person is converted into sound data, and the sound represented by the sound data is transmitted between two spaces R located at distant places. B1 , R B2 Speaker SP B1 , SP B2 is output from

[0128] Therefore, the space R A Person P who exists in A The presence of two remote spaces R B1 , R B2 People in P B1 , P B2 , the space R A Person P A Moreover, in this embodiment, the above-mentioned space R A Person P who exists in A The process of converting the presence of the person into a musical scale and volume based on the height and distance, and the spatial R B1 , R B2 Speaker SP B1 , SP B2 This can be achieved with a relatively simple configuration that only requires the provision of

[0129] [Other Embodiments] (1) In the first to third embodiments, the space R A , R A1 , R A2 Person P who exists in A , P A1 , P A2 The above description takes as an example a case where a person's height and distance are converted into a musical scale and volume, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a person's height may be converted into a tone color. The tone color can be expressed, for example, by varying the waveform of the sound. More specifically, for example, a tall person, an average person, and a short person are assigned the tone colors of different instruments (e.g., piano, trumpet, trombone), respectively. Furthermore, the volume of the assigned instrument is changed depending on the distance of the person. It is also possible to assign different tones depending on the distance of the person.

[0130] (2) In the first to third embodiments, the space R A , R A1 , R A2 Existing person P A , P A1 , P A2The above description has been given taking the example of detecting the height and distance of a person, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the speed or amount of movement of a person in a space may be detected, and the detected speed or amount of movement may be converted into the tempo (speed) of a melody.

[0131] (3) In the first to third embodiments, the presence of a person present in a physical space such as a floor or an event venue is transmitted to another physical space in a remote location. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the presence of a person present in a physical space may be transmitted to a virtual space such as the Metaverse. Conversely, the presence of an avatar or the like present in a virtual space may be transmitted to a person present in the physical space.

[0132] (4) In the above-described embodiments, the object existing in the space is a person. However, the object is not limited to this and may be any object that moves, such as an animal, a robot, a vehicle, or construction machinery.

[0133] (5) In addition, the functional configuration of the assistance control device, the processing procedure and processing content of the assistance control, the type of sound data and its parameters such as scale, volume, tone, speed, etc. can be modified and implemented in various ways without departing from the spirit of this invention.

[0134] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the above description is merely an example of the present invention in every respect. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In other words, when implementing the present invention, specific configurations corresponding to the embodiments may be appropriately adopted.

[0135] In short, this invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the components can be modified and embodied in practice without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be created by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

[0136] CSa, CSb, CSc... Assistance control device U A ,U A1 ,U A2 ...Presence detection unit U B , U B1 , U B2 ...Output unit SS A , S.S. A1 , S.S. A2 ...Sensor group SW B , SW B1 , SW B2 ...Switch SP B , SP B1 , SP B2 ...speaker 1a, 1b, 1c...control unit 2a, 2b, 2c...program storage unit 3 A , 3 A1 , 3 A2 ...Data storage unit 4 B , 4 B1 , 4 B2 ... Input / output I / F section 5 A , 5 A1 , 5 A2 Sensor I / F section 6a bus 11 human presence detection processing section 12 distance detection processing section 13 size detection processing section 14 volume information generation processing section 15 musical scale information generation processing section 16 tone processing section 21 switch operation detection processing section 22 sound output processing section 30 sound source data storage section 31 musical scale conversion information storage section 32 volume conversion information storage section

Claims

1. A remote communication support control device comprising: a first processing unit that acquires information representing the presence of an object present in a first space; a second processing unit that generates sound information corresponding to the information representing the presence of the object; and a third processing unit that outputs the sound represented by the sound information from an acoustic device located in a second space different from the first space.

2. A remote communication support control device as described in claim 1, further comprising a fourth processing unit that acquires a request when information requesting confirmation of the presence of the object is input in the second space, and the third processing unit causes the acoustic device to output a sound represented by the sound information when the request is acquired.

3. The remote communication support control device described in claim 1, wherein the first processing unit acquires information representing the distance between a reference position preset in the first space and the object, and the second processing unit generates the sound information in which the level, frequency or waveform of the sound is changed according to the distance.

4. The remote communication support control device described in claim 1, wherein the first processing unit acquires information representing the size of the object, and the second processing unit generates the sound information by changing the level, frequency or waveform of the sound according to the size.

5. A remote communication assistance control device as described in claim 1, further comprising a fifth processing unit that acquires information representing the presence of an object present in a third space different from the first space and the second space, wherein the second processing unit generates first sound information corresponding to the presence of the object present in the first space and generates second sound information corresponding to the presence of the object present in the third space and different from the first sound information, and the third processing unit generates third sound information by combining the first sound information and the second sound information, and outputs a sound represented by the generated third sound information from the acoustic device.

6. The remote communication support control device described in claim 1, wherein the third processing unit outputs the sound represented by the sound information from an acoustic device arranged in the second space and an acoustic device arranged in a fourth space different from the second space.

7. A remote communication support control method executed by an information processing device, comprising the steps of: acquiring information representing the presence of an object present in a first space; generating sound information corresponding to the information representing the presence of the object; and outputting the sound represented by the sound information from an acoustic device located in a second space different from the first space.

8. A program that causes a processor provided in a remote communication support control device to execute at least one of the processes executed by the first to fifth processing units provided in the remote communication support control device described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

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