Wireless conference system and method for controlling a wireless conference system

Abstract

The invention relates to a wireless conference system (10) having a first speech station (100), in particular as a moderator or president unit having a selection unit (110), a plurality of second speech stations (200) as subscriber units (210, 220), each of which has a microphone (211, 221) and a transceiver (212, 222), wherein the second speech stations (200) are in each case suitable, as active second speech station (210, 220), for acquiring an audio signal by means of the microphone (211, 221) and wirelessly transmitting it by means of the transceiver (212, 222), a position acquisition unit (300) which is suitable for acquiring the positions of the second speech stations (200, 210, 220), and a conference control unit (400), which receives the position information from the position acquisition unit (300). The selection unit (110) is suitable for selecting one of the plurality of second speech stations (210, 220) and outputting corresponding selection information to the conference control unit (400). The conference control unit (400) is configured to select one of the plurality of second speech stations (210, 220) as the active second speech station (210, 220) on the basis of the position information from the plurality of second speech stations (200, 210, 220) and the selection information from the selection unit (110).

Description

[0001] Sennheiser electronic SE & Co. KG

[0002] Am Labor 1, 30900 Wedemark

[0003] Wireless conferencing system and methods for controlling a wireless conferencing system

[0004] The present invention relates to a wireless conferencing system and a method for controlling a wireless conferencing system.

[0005] From US 11,877,058 B1, a conference system is known that directs a video signal to an activated microphone.

[0006] Wireless conferencing systems typically consist of a president or moderator unit and multiple participant units. Each participant unit has a microphone to pick up an audio signal from a participant. The moderator or president unit can activate or deactivate the microphones of the participant units. A signal from a participant unit can be forwarded to a control unit, which can then output the signal, for example, via loudspeakers.

[0007] To enable a participant unit, the user of the moderator or president unit, or a technician, must enable or disable the audio signal of the participant unit, for example on a mixing console.

[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a wireless conferencing system which is easier for the user to operate.

[0009] This problem is solved by a wireless conferencing system according to claim 1 and by a method for controlling a wireless conferencing system according to claim 8.

[0010] Thus, a wireless conference system is provided with a first speaker unit, in particular as a moderator or president unit with a selection unit, a plurality of second speaker units as participant units, each of which has a microphone and a transmitter / receiver, wherein each second speaker unit is capable of actively capturing an audio signal via the microphone and wirelessly transmitting it via the transmitter / receiver, a position detection unit capable of detecting the positions of the second speaker units, and a conference control unit that receives the position information from the position detection unit. The selection unit is capable of selecting one of the plurality of second speaker units and outputting corresponding selection information to the conference control unit.The conference control unit is designed to select one of the majority of the second speaking stations as the active second speaking station based on the position information of the majority of the second speaking stations and the selection information of the selection unit.

[0011] According to one aspect, the selection unit has an optical emitter for outputting an optical signal. The second speaking stations have an optical indicator which is activated when the light emitted by the optical emitter falls on the second speaking station.

[0012] According to one aspect, the selection unit has an infrared camera. The second speaking station has an optical marker which can be detected by the selection unit's infrared camera and used for position tracking.

[0013] According to one aspect, the selection unit has tilt and / or acceleration sensors, by means of which a movement or gesture of the selection unit can be detected and used for position detection.

[0014] According to one aspect, the position detection unit comprises an ultra-wideband (UWB) position detection unit with two ultra-wideband (UWB) transmitters / receivers and an ultra-wideband control unit. The second control units are designed to receive the signals from the at least two UWB transmitters / receivers and determine their position using triangulation.

[0015] According to one aspect, the position detection unit includes an optical position detection unit with a camera and a camera control unit. The optical position detection unit is designed to optically detect the positions of the second intercom stations using the camera.

[0016] According to one aspect, the position detection unit has a microphone array by means of which acoustic position detection of the participant unit is performed. The invention relates to a method for controlling a wireless conference system, which includes a first speaker unit as a moderator or president unit with a selection unit, a plurality of second speaker units as participant units, each of which is capable of actively receiving an audio signal by means of the microphone and transmitting it wirelessly by means of the transmitter / receiver, a position detection unit capable of detecting the positions of the second speaker units, and a conference control unit. Position information from the second speaker units is received by the position detection unit. One of the plurality of second speaker units is selected, and selection information is output to the conference control unit.One of the majority of the second speaking stations is selected as the active speaking station by the conference control unit based on the position information of the majority of the second speaking stations and the selection information of the selection unit.

[0017] The first and second microphone stations can be set up in a conference room. During a conference, several participants are present in the conference room. A moderator can also be present, maintaining visual contact with the participants. The moderator can operate the wireless conference system. The wireless conference system has a receiver that wirelessly receives audio signals from the second microphone stations. The second microphone stations are designed to be movable within the conference room, allowing their location to change during the conference. Optionally, additional microphones can be connected to the conference system via wired connections. The conference system includes an audio output unit that can transmit a conference audio signal.The conference audio output signal can then be distributed, for example, via a loudspeaker system in the conference room and / or output to a remote communication system, allowing external participants to join the conference. Optionally, the conference audio output signal can be part of a signal that also includes video data or other accompanying data.

[0018] The receiving station can receive audio signals from multiple second speakerphones simultaneously. It can be configured which audio signals from these second speakerphones should be included in the conference audio output signal. The moderator, operating the selection unit, decides whether to include the audio signal from a particular second speakerphone by making the corresponding configuration entries. When the moderator selects the audio signal from one of the second speakerphones for inclusion in the conference audio output signal, they grant the user of that second speakerphone the floor. The audio signal from the selected second speakerphone is then enabled.Conversely, the moderator can, in a corresponding manner, revoke the activation in order to remove the audio signal of a previously activated second speaker from the conference audio output signal and thus revoke the activation.

[0019] One aspect of the design is the user interface, which allows the moderator to select individual second speakerphones for activation or deactivation. The moderator is provided with spatial and / or visual information indicating the current locations of available second speakerphones within the conference room. Based on this information, the moderator can intuitively grant access to a specific second speakerphone, selecting it based on the spatial and / or visual information. The selection is made by a user action.

[0020] Each second speakerphone is assigned a unique identifier. With conventional conference systems, an operator must first determine the identifier of the second speakerphone they wish to activate. In a second step, the operator must then grant access to this identifier. If the moderator is leading the conference, determining the identifier distracts them from conducting the conference. Therefore, a sound engineer is often called in to determine the identifier and grant access. According to the invention, the moderator can select and activate a second speakerphone solely based on the spatial and / or visual information provided, without having to determine its identifier.The selection unit is designed in such a way that the moderator can activate a second speaking station by means of an action of his own based on the spatial and / or optical information, without taking note of the associated identifier.

[0021] According to one aspect, the wireless conferencing system has at least one primary speaking station, namely a moderator unit, and typically several secondary speaking stations, namely participant units. Each participant unit has a microphone. Furthermore, the conferencing system has a control unit capable of activating one of the secondary speaking stations as the active speaking station and activating the microphones of the active secondary speaking stations. The control unit is also capable of outputting an audio signal from the active secondary speaking stations upon request from a user of the primary speaking station and playing it back via playback converters.

[0022] For example, the first speaker unit, namely the moderator or president unit, has a selection unit. Using this selection unit, the user can choose one of the second speaker units as the active speaker unit. This selection is registered, and the audio signal from the active second speaker unit is captured and processed by the control unit.

[0023] The first speaker unit is a moderator or president unit of the wireless conferencing system. The second speaker units are participant units that can be used by the participants. The first speaker unit may have a microphone to capture an audio signal from the moderator. The wireless conferencing system is designed to allow a moderator with the first speaker unit to wirelessly activate a participant unit (second speaker unit) so that an audio signal from that participant can be captured and played back through the conferencing system.

[0024] With conventional conference systems, the moderator and a technician have to coordinate with each other as soon as a participant is given the floor. If several participants are speaking simultaneously or a microphone picks up background noise, it's difficult for the listener to follow the conversation. Muting all other microphones is cumbersome. This is significantly simplified by the wireless conference system described. The moderator can operate it alone.

[0025] The wireless conferencing system includes a positioning unit to track the location of the second speaker units or participant devices. Each participant device or second speaker unit is equipped with a microphone and a transmitter / receiver for wireless transmission of the audio signals picked up by the microphone. The participant devices can be provided by the conference organizer or they can be electronic devices brought by the participants (Bring Your Own Device), such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.

[0026] The position detection unit can detect the respective position of the participant units (second speaking stations) optically using a camera, acoustically using a microphone array, via high-frequency signals (HF position determination) and / or via an ultra-wide-band position detection unit.

[0027] Optionally, the second speaking stations or participant units can also transmit their position to the wireless conference system.

[0028] An ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning unit can have at least two UWB transmitters / receivers and one UWB control unit. The two UWB transmitters / receivers each transmit a wireless signal on the ultra-wideband, which can be received by the second speaker units or participant units. The position of each participant unit or speaker unit can be determined using triangulation. This position information can then be transmitted to a conference control unit.

[0029] An optical position detection unit can include a camera and a camera control unit. The camera can be placed in a conference room and optically detects the positions of the second speakerphones or participant units. This positional information can be transmitted to the conference control unit. The camera of the optical position detection unit can also be used to visually detect the moderator or chairperson. In particular, gestures and / or movements of the moderator can be detected to determine the selection of one of the second speakerphones or participant units.

[0030] Optionally, a microphone array can be provided for acoustic positioning. This microphone array can be mounted on the ceiling of the conference room, for example. The microphone array comprises multiple microphone capsules capable of capturing audio signals within the conference room. Based on these captured audio signals, the positions of participants and their individual microphones or second microphones can be determined. This positional information can then be transmitted to the conference control unit.

[0031] Optionally, the position tracking unit can be designed as an RF position tracking unit. In this case, position tracking is achieved using the high-frequency signals used for wireless communication. Optionally, the wireless conferencing system can include a camera pointed at the conference room to visually capture the moderator's gestures and movements. These captured gestures and movements can be analyzed to determine which participant unit or second speaker is being selected.

[0032] The wireless conferencing system can include a conference control unit with a speaker selection unit and a display and / or a user interface. Based on the position information from the position detection unit and the information from the selection unit, the speaker selection unit can choose one of the second speaker stations or participant units, so that audio signals from the selected second speaker station (participant unit) are wirelessly transmitted to the conference control unit, which can then optionally output the signal via a playback converter.

[0033] This allows the user to easily select which of the second speaking stations (subscriber unit) is selected.

[0034] A method for controlling a wireless conference system is also provided. The wireless conference system has a first speaker unit as the moderator or president unit, a plurality of second speaker units as participant units, each of which is capable of actively capturing an audio signal via the microphone and transmitting it wirelessly via the transmitter / receiver, a position detection unit capable of recording the positions of the second speaker units, and a conference control unit and a camera designed to visually capture at least part of a conference room.The procedure comprises the following steps: Receiving position information from the second speaking stations by the position detection unit, optical scanning of the conference room to determine gestures and / or movements of a moderator or president, and selecting one of the majority of the second speaking stations as the active speaking station based on the gestures and / or movements of the moderator or president and the detected position information of the second speaking stations. Capturing an audio signal using the microphone and wirelessly transmitting the captured audio signal via the transmitter / receiver of the active second speaking station.

[0035] A wireless conferencing system as described above can also be implemented without a selection unit. In this case, the active speaker can be selected by gestures and / or movements of the user (i.e., the moderator or the chairperson). These gestures and / or movements can be captured by a camera pointed at the conference room. Optionally, the camera can also be located within the conference room.

[0036] Thus, the wireless conference system has a first speaker unit as the moderator or president unit, a plurality of second speaker units as participant units, each of which is suitable for actively capturing an audio signal via the microphone and transmitting it wirelessly via the transmitter / receiver, a position detection unit suitable for capturing the positions of the second speaker units, and a conference control unit and a camera designed to at least partially capture a conference room visually.The procedure comprises the following steps: Receiving position information from the second speaking stations by the position detection unit, optical scanning of the conference room to determine gestures and / or movements of a moderator or president, and selecting one of the majority of the second speaking stations as the active speaking station based on the gestures and / or movements of the moderator or president and the detected position information of the second speaking stations. Capturing an audio signal using the microphone and wirelessly transmitting the captured audio signal via the transmitter / receiver of the active second speaking station.

[0037] For example, in a wireless conference system with a primary speaker unit (moderator or president unit) and multiple secondary speaker units (participant units), the active speaker unit can be selected from among the multiple secondary speaker units without physical contact. The moderator or president points to the desired secondary speaker unit with a selection device and / or a gesture or movement to select it as the active speaker unit. The gesture and / or movement can be optically captured and analyzed by a camera to determine the active speaker unit.

[0038] Further embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0039] The advantages and embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing.

[0040] Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a wireless conferencing system, and Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of an application example of a wireless conferencing system. Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a wireless conferencing system. The wireless conferencing system 10 has a first conference unit 100, for example, in the form of a moderator unit or a president unit. The first conference unit 100 has a display unit 110 with an emitter 111, a control element 112, optionally an IR camera 113, optionally tilt and acceleration sensors 114, and optionally an optical marker 115. The first conference unit 100 can also have a display control unit 120.

[0041] The wireless conference system 10 further comprises at least two second speaker stations as participant units 200. A first participant unit 210 has a microphone 211, a transmitter / receiver 212, optionally an optical display 213 and optionally an optical marker 214. A second speaker station has a microphone 221, a transmitter / receiver 222, optionally an optical display 232 and an optical marker 224.

[0042] The wireless conference system also includes a position detection unit 300, which is designed to detect the position of the second conference stations 210 and 220. For this purpose, the position detection unit 300 can include an ultra-wideband position detection unit 310 with a UWB transmitter / receiver 311 and a UWB control unit 312. The positions of the second conference stations 210 and 220 can thus be detected using ultra-wideband technology.

[0043] Alternatively, the position detection unit 300 can include an optical position detection unit 320 with a camera 321 and a camera control unit 322. In this case, optical position detection of the participant units 210 and 220 can be performed using the camera 321.

[0044] The position detection unit 300 can also have a microphone array 330 for acoustic position detection.

[0045] The position detection unit 300 can optionally include a high-frequency positioning unit 340. This allows, for example, high-frequency signals used for wireless communication to also be used for position detection.

[0046] The wireless conference system 10 features a conference control unit 400 with a speaker selection unit 410 and a display / user interface 420. Optionally, the wireless conference system 10 includes at least one playback converter 500, for example in the form of loudspeakers.

[0047] The wireless conferencing system can also include a microphone array 600. The microphone array 600 can be used to capture user recordings. Optionally, the microphone array 600 can also be used to determine a user's position.

[0048] Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of an application example of a wireless conferencing system. A conference room 20 may contain multiple chairs 21 and, for example, a stage 30. A wireless conferencing system 10 may be implemented in the conference room. For this purpose, a moderator unit 100 (first speaker station) may be located, for example, on the stage 30. The conference system 10 includes, for example, an ultra-wideband (UWB) position detection unit 310 with two UWB transmitters / receivers 311. These each transmit a signal that can be received by the participant units 200, for example, the first participant 210 or a second speaker station. The position of the UWB transmitters / receivers 311 is known. The position of the moderator unit 110 and the positions of the participant units 200, 210, and 220 can be determined by triangulation.The distance between the first participant unit 210 and the respective UWB transmitter / receiver can be determined via Ultra Wideband. This distance measurement results in two circles representing the two measured distances. The position of the first participant 210 must lie at the intersection of these two circles. As shown in Fig. 2, one intersection point is inside the conference room and the other is outside the conference room. Therefore, it is clear that the intersection point inside the conference room is the relevant one.

[0049] The wireless conference system is designed to enable a moderator to wirelessly activate a participant unit (second speaker unit) so that an audio signal from a corresponding participant can be captured and played back through the conference system.

[0050] The first speaker unit (moderator unit or president unit) 100 has a selection unit 110, by means of which the moderator or president can activate or deactivate one of the second participants, i.e., select one of the second speaker units as the active speaker unit. The conference control unit 400 can detect the selection of the corresponding participant unit or second speaker unit and can control the conference accordingly. Optionally, an activation or deactivation signal can be transmitted to the participant unit or second speaker unit. Furthermore, the conference control unit 400 can optionally ignore the audio signals transmitted by the inactive participant units.The conference control unit 400 can have a speaker selection unit 410, which receives selection information from the selection unit 110 and activates the selected participant unit 210, 220 and / or receives and outputs the audio signals of the selected participant unit.

[0051] The selection unit 110 can have an optical emitter 111, for example, for an infrared emitter or LEDs. When the moderator points the selection unit 110 at one of the participant units 210 or 220, the optical emitter 111 emits light in the direction of the participant unit. The participant unit 210 or 220 can have an optical indicator 213, which is activated when the participant unit 210 or 220 receives light from the optical emitter 111. This provides the moderator with visual feedback that the corresponding participant unit 200 has been selected.

[0052] Alternatively or additionally, the selection unit 110 can be equipped with tilt sensors and / or acceleration sensors 114. This allows gestures of the moderator or president holding the selection unit 110 to be detected and analyzed. Based on these gestures and / or movements, conclusions can be drawn as to which participant unit 210, 220 should be selected. This can be particularly advantageous when several participant units 210, 220 are arranged in a line. The moderator can tilt the selection unit 110 to indicate that the first participant unit 210 in the line of sight should not be selected.

[0053] According to another example, the position detection unit 300 can include an optical position detection unit 320 with a camera 321 and a camera control unit. The camera 321 can be connected to the conference system. The at least one camera can scan the conference room 20 and can detect and analyze movements of the selection unit 110. Thus, the moderator can optically select a participant unit 200 using the selection unit 110. Optionally, the selection unit 110 can represent the moderator's hand, so that the camera detects a hand gesture of the moderator and uses it to select one of the participant units 200. The conference system 10 can include an ultra-wideband position detection unit 310 as the position detection unit 300. The ultra-wideband position detection unit 310 has at least two UWB transmitters / receivers, which are provided at different positions in the conference room 20.The Ultra Wideband Position Detection Unit 310 also includes a UWB Control Unit 312. At least two UWB transmitters / receivers 311 transmit wireless signals. The subscriber units 210 and 220 can detect the signals from the at least two UWB transmitters / receivers 311 using their transmitters / receivers 212 and 222, respectively. Since the position of the UWB transmitters / receivers 311 is known, the respective subscriber unit 210 or 220 can be localized. This can be achieved, in particular, by using an angle-of-arrival measurement or additional sensors installed in the room.

[0054] The position detection unit 300 can include an optical position detection unit 320 with at least one camera 321 and a camera control unit 322.

[0055] Optionally, the position detection unit 300 can have a microphone array 330 for acoustic position determination of the participant units.

[0056] An RF positioning unit 340 can be provided as an option.

[0057] The moderator unit can be an electronic device with a display, such as a tablet, computer, or smartphone.

[0058] For example, one of the second microphone units (participant unit) can signal to the moderator that the corresponding participant wishes to speak. The request to speak can be triggered by pressing a button on the microphone or via a smartphone app. If a camera is available in the room for position tracking, the request to speak can also be expressed via a gesture (hand gesture). (See also: List of references 10 Wireless conferencing system)

[0059] 20 rooms

[0060] 21 chairs

[0061] 30 Stage

[0062] 100 moderator units / first speaking station

[0063] 110 selection unit

[0064] 111 emitters

[0065] 112 Control element

[0066] 113 IR camera

[0067] 114 Tilt sensors, accelerometers 115 Optical marker

[0068] 120 Display control unit

[0069] 200 participant units

[0070] 210 first participant unit / second speaking station 211 microphone

[0071] 212 Transmitters / Receivers

[0072] 213 optical display 214 optical marker

[0073] 220 second participant unit

[0074] 221 Microphone

[0075] 222 Transmitter / Receiver

[0076] 223 optical display

[0077] 224 optical markers

[0078] 300 position detection units

[0079] 310 Ultra Wide Band Position Detection Unit 311 UWB Transmitter / Receiver

[0080] 312 UWB control unit

[0081] 320 optical position detection unit

[0082] 321 Camera

[0083] 322 Camera control unit

[0084] 330 microphone array

[0085] 340 HF Position Determination Unit

[0086] 400 Conference Control Unit

[0087] 410 Speaker selection unit

[0088] 420 Display / User Interface 500 Playback Converter

[0089] 600 microphone array

Claims

Claims 1. Wireless conferencing system (10), with a first speaking position (100), in particular as a moderator or president unit with a selection unit (110), a plurality of second speaking stations (200) as subscriber units (210, 220), each of which has a microphone (211 , 221) and a transmitter / receiver (212, 222), wherein the second speaking stations (200) are each suitable to capture an audio signal by means of the microphone (211 , 221) and to transmit it wirelessly by means of the transmitter / receiver (212, 222), a position detection unit (300) which is suitable for detecting the positions of the second speaking stations (200, 210, 220), a conference control unit (400) which receives the position information from the position acquisition unit (300), wherein the wireless conferencing system (10) is designed to output a conference audio output signal, wherein the selection unit (110) is suitable for recording an action of a user of the selection unit (110) and on this basis selecting one of the majority of the second speaking stations (210, 220) and outputting corresponding selection information to the conference control unit (400), wherein the conference control unit (400) is designed to select one of the majority of the second speaking stations (210, 220) based on the position information of the majority of the second speaking stations (200, 210, 220) and the selection information of the selection unit (110) and to enable the audio signal of the selected second speaking station (210, 220) for inclusion in the conference audio output signal.

2. Wireless conferencing system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit (110) has an optical emitter (111) which is suitable for outputting an optical signal, wherein the second speaking stations (210) have an optical indicator (213) which is activated when the light emitted by the optical emitter (111) falls on the second speaking station (210, 220).

3. Wireless conferencing system (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the selection unit (110) has an infrared camera (103), wherein the second speaking station (210, 220) has an optical marker (214) which can be detected by means of the infrared camera (113) of the selection unit (110) and can be used for position detection.

4. Wireless conferencing system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the selection unit (110) has tilt and / or acceleration sensors (114), can be detected by means of a soft movement or gesture of the selection unit (10) and can be used for position detection.

5. Wireless conferencing system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the position sensing unit (300) comprises an ultra-wide-band UWB position sensing unit (310) with two ultra-wide-band UWB transmitters / receivers (311) and an ultra-wide-band control unit (312), wherein the second speaking stations (210, 220) are designed to receive the signals of the at least two UWB transmitters / receivers (311) by means of the transmitters / receivers (212) and to determine their position by means of triangulation.

6. Wireless conferencing system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the position detection unit (300) comprises an optical position detection unit (320) with a camera (321) and a camera control unit (322), wherein the optical position detection unit (320) is designed to optically detect the positions of the second speaking stations (210, 220) by means of the camera (321).

7. Wireless conferencing system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The position detection unit (300) has a microphone array (330) by means of which acoustic position detection of the participant unit is carried out.

8. Method for controlling a wireless conference system (10) comprising a first speaking station (100), in particular as a moderator or president unit with a selection unit (110), a plurality of second speaking stations (200) as participant units (210, 220), each of which is suitable for capturing an audio signal by means of a microphone (211, 221) and wirelessly transmitting it by means of a transmitter / receiver (212, 222), a position detection unit (300) which is suitable for capturing the positions of the second speaking stations (200, 210, 220) and a conference control unit (400), comprising the steps: Receiving position information from the second telephone stations (210, 220) from the position acquisition unit (300), Recording an action of a user of the selection unit (110) and, on this basis, selecting one of the majority of the second speaking stations (210, 220) and outputting selection information to the conference control unit (400), Selecting one of the majority of the second speaking stations (210, 220) based on the position information of the majority of the second speaking stations (200, 210, 220) and the selection information of the selection unit (110) by the conference control unit (400) and unlocking the selected second speaking station, Output of a conference audio output signal, whereby the audio signal of a second speaker station (210, 220) is only included in the conference audio output signal if this second speaker station (210, 220) is enabled.

9. Method for controlling a wireless conference system (10) comprising a first speaking station (100), in particular as a moderator or president unit, a plurality of second speaking stations (200) as participant units (210, 220), each of which is suitable for capturing an audio signal by means of a microphone (211, 221) and transmitting it wirelessly by means of a transmitter / receiver (212, 222), a position detection unit (320) which is suitable for capturing the positions of the second speaking stations (200, 210, 220), a conference control unit (400), and a camera (321) which is designed to at least partially capture a conference room (20) visually, comprising the steps: Capturing an audio signal using the microphone (211, 221) and wirelessly transmitting the captured audio signal using the transmitter / receiver (212, 222) to a second speaking station (210, 220), Receiving position information from the second telephone stations (210, 220) from the position acquisition unit (300), Optical scanning of the conference room to determine gestures and / or movements of a moderator or president, and Selecting one of the majority of the second speaking positions (210, 220) and outputting selection information to the conference control unit (400) based on the gestures and / or movements of the moderator or president and unlocking the selected second speaking position, Output of a conference audio output signal, whereby the audio signal of a second speaker station (210, 220) is only included in the conference audio output signal if this second speaker station (210, 220) is enabled.

Images