JP7395172B2 - Incentive grant system, incentive grant device, incentive grant method, and incentive management program in virtual reality space - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an incentive giving system, an incentive giving device, an incentive giving method, and an incentive management program in a virtual reality space, and is particularly suitable for use in a system that gives a predetermined incentive to a user who views virtual reality content. It is something.

In recent years, the use of virtual reality (VR) technology, which allows users to experience a virtual world created in a computer as if it were real, has been spreading. Recently, with the expansion of VR usage scenes, the movement to display advertisements in VR space is also expanding. Advertisements displayed in VR space are called VR advertisements. Regarding this VR advertisement, as well as Internet advertisements performed using Internet websites, it is desired to increase the advertising effect as much as possible. For this reason, mechanisms have been devised to display advertisements with content tailored to the attributes, interests, behavior, etc. of users viewing VR images.

Furthermore, a system has been proposed in which a plurality of communities are formed in a VR space and the number of participants in events held in each community is increased (for example, see Patent Document 1). In the VR space providing system described in Patent Document 1, the behavior of a user who participates in a community in a VR space via an avatar (participation in an event held in the community, the user's behavior at the event, or the event (e.g., whether the game was won or lost), and points that can be used within the VR space are awarded to the user according to the evaluation.

In the VR space described in Patent Document 1, one virtual city is formed, and a large number of avatars are active within the city. Various lounges are set up within the VR space, and users can interact with each other via avatars. For example, a game space, theater, marketplace (shop), cafe, etc. will be installed as a lounge. Events are mainly held in the lounge. As examples of events, soccer toto calcio, games, electronic bulletin board (BBS), product purchases, etc. are disclosed.

In this way, the system described in Patent Document 1 makes it possible to maintain and expand the number of participants in the community by giving points to users with high loyalty for community activities in the VR space. There is. Furthermore, by giving points to users who are playing the game or actively participating in the electronic bulletin board, it is possible to motivate those users to participate in the community.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-14676

In order to increase the effectiveness of VR advertisements, there is a belief that it is necessary to increase the opportunities for users who are viewing VR content (a series of VR images in a VR space) to view advertisements. Therefore, VR advertisements may be repeatedly displayed in VR space, or VR advertisements may be displayed conspicuously. However, such a display method sometimes becomes unpleasant for the user, and has the problem that it may have the opposite effect as an advertisement. That is, even though targeted advertisements are performed based on information regarding the user's attributes and behavior, the displayed advertisements do not necessarily match the user's hobbies and preferences. The more conspicuous such advertisements are, the more they appear as bothersome and unpleasant to those who are not interested in them.

On the other hand, as described in Patent Document 1, if the user's behavior in the community in the VR space is evaluated and points are awarded, it is possible to give the user motivation to participate in the community. be. For example, if you create a community for promoting products and services in VR space and give points to users who participate in the community and take certain actions, the number of users who participate in the community will increase. It is expected that the sales promotion effect will increase to some extent.

However, in the system described in Patent Document 1, points are awarded only to users who are highly loyal to community activities in the VR space or to users who clear certain conditions through community activities. In other words, active activities within the community are a condition for awarding points. Therefore, the conditions for awarding points give users a sense of urgency to be active in the community, a sense of despair that they cannot do it anyway, and this creates a negative impact on their participation in the community. There was a problem that it could become a motivation for people.

The present invention was made in order to solve such problems, and it is possible to effectively give incentives to users who experience content in VR space so that they can feel more motivated. The purpose is to

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention determines whether a virtual user corresponding to a real user exists in a virtual reality space , and also determines the behavior and physical structure of the real user corresponding to the virtual user. Or, it is determined whether the virtual user's presence in the virtual reality space is appropriate from the viewpoint of whether the posture is not unnatural for a human being, and it is determined that the virtual user exists in the virtual reality space , and When it is determined that the virtual user's presence in the virtual reality space is appropriate , a predetermined incentive is given to the real user.

According to the present invention configured as described above, an incentive is given to the virtual user just by being in the virtual reality space. In other words, active activity in the virtual reality space or clearing certain conditions through activity are not conditions for granting incentives, and users can receive incentives relatively easily. . Therefore, it is possible to effectively provide incentives to users who experience content in the virtual reality space so that the users are more likely to feel motivated. Further, it is possible to prevent incentives from being given to users who enter the virtual reality space solely for the purpose of acquiring incentives, and the incentives can be made more effective.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a VR image providing system to which the incentive provision system in a virtual reality space according to the first and second embodiments is applied. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of an arithmetic device included in the client device according to the first and second embodiments. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server device according to the first embodiment. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the server device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server device according to a second embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a VR image providing system to which an incentive provision system in a virtual reality space according to a first embodiment is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the incentive giving system (VR image providing system) according to the first embodiment includes a client device 100 and a server device 200.

The client device 100 includes a head mounted display (HMD) 101 that is worn on the user's head, various sensors 102 to 104, a controller 105 that is held in the user's hand, and a computing device 106. . Although a configuration in which the HMD 101 and the arithmetic device 106 are separate bodies is shown here, a configuration may be adopted in which the functions of the arithmetic device 106 are built into the HMD 101. The server device 200 corresponds to an incentive giving device, and is connected to the client device 100 via a communication network 300 such as the Internet or a mobile phone network. Note that although only one client device 100 is illustrated in FIG. 1, a plurality of client devices may exist.

The HMD 101 included in the client device 100 displays a virtual reality image (VR image) in a virtual reality space (VR space). The HMD 101 may be of any type. That is, the HMD 101 may be a binocular type or a monocular type. Further, the HMD 101 may be a non-transmissive type that completely covers the eyes, or may be a transmissive type that does not completely cover the eyes. Moreover, the HMD 101 may be any of goggle type, glasses type, and hat type.

Specifically, the various sensors 102 to 104 include a motion detection sensor 102 that is mounted on the HMD 101 and detects the movement of the user's head, a line of sight detection sensor 103 that is mounted on the HMD 101 and detects the movement of the user's line of sight, and a controller 105. A motion detection sensor 104 is mounted on the camera and detects the movement of the user's hand.

The motion detection sensors 102 and 104 are known sensors configured by combining an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, etc., and detect acceleration and angular velocity according to the direction and speed of movement of an object, changes in posture, etc. The motion detection information is wirelessly transmitted to the computing device 106 via the HMD 101 or the controller 105. The HMD 101 and the arithmetic device 106 and the controller 105 and the arithmetic device 106 are connected by short-range wireless communication means such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The line of sight detection sensor 103 is a known sensor configured by combining a small camera and an image processing device, for example, and detects eye movement through image recognition processing on a captured image, and transmits the movement detection information via the HMD 101. and wirelessly transmits it to the arithmetic unit 106. Note that the line of sight detection sensor 103 may be configured by a transparent optical sensor arranged side by side on the lens of the glasses of the HMD 101.

The controller 105 is used by the user to give desired instructions to the arithmetic device 106, and is provided with predetermined operation buttons. When the operation button is operated by the user, the controller 105 wirelessly transmits instruction information according to the content of the operation to the arithmetic device 106.

The arithmetic device 106 is configured by, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer. The arithmetic device 106 generates user status information, which will be described later, based on the motion detection information supplied from the various sensors 102 to 104, and performs a process of transmitting it to the server device 200. The computing device 106 also performs a process of transmitting instruction information supplied from the controller 105 to the server device 200. Furthermore, the computing device 106 performs a process of receiving a VR image that changes according to the user status information and instruction information from the server device 200 and displaying it on the HMD 101.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the arithmetic device 106 included in the client device 100. Note that FIG. 2 illustrates only the main functional configurations related to the subject matter in the first embodiment, and those not directly related to the subject matter are omitted. For example, a functional configuration related to processing instruction information supplied from the controller 105 is omitted from illustration. The illustration of only the main functional configurations related to the subject matter also applies to the functional configuration of the server device 200 in FIG. 3, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, the arithmetic device 106 according to the first embodiment includes a communication unit 10, a head movement detection unit 11, a line of sight detection unit 12, a hand movement detection unit 13, and a user status information generation unit. 14, a VR image acquisition section 15, and a display control section 16. These functional blocks 11 to 16 can be configured by hardware, DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or software. For example, when configured by software, each of the functional blocks 11 to 16 is actually configured with a computer's CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and programs stored in a recording medium such as RAM, ROM, hard disk, or semiconductor memory. This is realized by the operation of

The communication unit 10 performs bidirectional communication with the server device 200 via the communication network 300. The head movement detection unit 11 detects a user wearing the HMD 101 (corresponding to a "real user" in the claims) based on motion detection information transmitted from a motion detection sensor 102 mounted on the HMD 101. In the following description, the direction in which the head of a user (whose name is simply referred to as a "user" means a real user) and the movement of the posture are detected.

The line of sight detection unit 12 detects movement in the direction in which the line of sight of the user wearing the HMD 101 is directed, based on motion detection information transmitted from the line of sight detection sensor 103 mounted on the HMD 101. The hand movement detection unit 13 detects the direction and posture of the hand of the user who is holding the controller 105 based on the movement detection information transmitted from the movement detection sensor 104 mounted on the controller 105. do.

The user status information generation unit 14 generates user status information indicating the movement status of each part of the user based on the detection results of the head movement detection unit 11, the line of sight detection unit 12, and the hand movement detection unit 13. . The format of user status information is arbitrary. For example, it is possible to generate the user state information as a piece of information having multiple fields each indicating head movement, gaze movement, and hand movement. Alternatively, a plurality of pieces of user status information may be generated individually, each of which includes head movement, line of sight movement, and hand movement as separate pieces of information. The user status information generation unit 14 transmits the generated user status information to the server device 200 via the communication unit 10. The user status information generation unit 14 repeatedly executes such processing at predetermined time intervals.

In this way, the client device 100 uses various sensors 102 to 104 to detect the movement of the head, the movement of the line of sight, and the movement of the hand holding the controller 105 of the user wearing the HMD 101, and transmits user status information based on the detection results to the server. The information is configured to transmit to device 200. Further, although the related functional configuration is not shown in FIG. 2, the client device 100 is configured to transmit instruction information generated by the user operating the controller 105 to the server device 200.

The VR image acquisition unit 15 transmits a request to provide a VR image to the server device 200, and in response, acquires a VR image from the server device 200 via the communication unit 10. For example, the server device 200 provides a web portal site that can provide a plurality of VR contents that can be viewed on the client device 100. Then, the user accesses the portal site from the client device 100, logs in, and performs an operation to select desired VR content from among the plurality of VR contents. In response to this selection operation, the VR image acquisition unit 15 transmits a request to provide a VR image corresponding to the selected VR content to the server device 200, and acquires the corresponding VR image from the server device 200.

Note that the VR content selection operation may be performed using an operation unit (touch panel, keyboard, mouse, etc.) included in the computing device 106, or may be performed using the controller 105. When performing a selection operation using the operation unit included in the computing device 106, the user performs the selection operation while looking at the portal site screen displayed on the display included in the computing device 106 without wearing the HMD 101. . On the other hand, when performing a selection operation using the controller 105, the user performs the selection operation while wearing the HMD 101 and viewing the portal site screen displayed on the HMD 101.

The display control unit 16 performs control to display the VR image acquired by the VR image acquisition unit 15 on the HMD 101. As described above, the VR image is an image that changes depending on user status information and instruction information. For example, in a VR image, the field of view in a three-dimensional VR space changes depending on the movement of the user's head and the movement of the user's line of sight, which are indicated by user state information. Furthermore, as a result of predetermined processing being executed in accordance with the user's hand movements indicated by the user state information and the instruction information of the controller 105, the VR image may have a visual field in the VR space that changes or exists within the VR space. The state of the object changes, or the scene in the VR space changes.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server device 200 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the server device 200 includes a communication section 20, an image provision request acquisition section 21, a user status information acquisition section 22, and a VR image provision section 23 (virtual reality image provision section in the claims) as a functional configuration. ), a user presence/absence determination section 24 and an incentive provision section 25. The server device 200 also includes a VR image storage section 27 and a user information storage section 28 as storage media.

Each of the functional blocks 21 to 25 described above can be configured by hardware, DSP, or software. For example, when configured by software, each of the functional blocks 21 to 25 is actually configured with a computer CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and programs stored in a recording medium such as RAM, ROM, hard disk, or semiconductor memory. (including the incentive management program).

The communication unit 20 performs bidirectional communication with the arithmetic device 106 of the client device 100 via the communication network 300. The image provision request acquisition unit 21 acquires an image provision request transmitted from the client device 100. As described above, the image provision request is sent from the client device 100 to the server when the user selects desired VR content from a plurality of VR contents existing on the portal site provided from the server device 200 to the client device 100. This is information sent to the device 200. This image acquisition request includes identification information that can uniquely identify the user who made the request (for example, the user ID used when accessing and logging in to the portal site).

The user status information acquisition unit 22 sequentially acquires user status information repeatedly transmitted by the user status information generation unit 14 of the client device 100.

The VR image providing unit 23 provides the client device 100 with a VR image that changes depending on the behavior of a user who is viewing VR content. That is, when the image provision request acquisition section 21 acquires an image provision request transmitted from the client device 100, the VR image provision section 23 changes according to the user status information and instruction information transmitted from the client device 100. A VR image is generated and transmitted to the client device 100. The details of the changes in the VR image based on the user status information and instruction information are as described above.

The source data of the VR image generated by the VR image providing section 23 is stored in the VR image storage section 27. That is, the VR image storage unit 27 stores the entire image data of the VR space that is set as a variable range according to the movement of the user's head and the movement of the user's line of sight, and also stores various image data that exists in the VR space. Stores image data of objects. In addition, the VR image storage unit 27 stores various data necessary for displaying a VR image on the HMD 101.

The VR image providing unit 23 generates a VR space included in the field of view in the direction in which the user is looking, based on information about the user's head movement and line of sight movement indicated by the user status information acquired by the user status information acquisition unit 22. The image data of the object and the image data of the object are read from the VR image storage unit 27. Then, a VR image of the field of view is generated using the read image data, and the generated VR image is transmitted to the client device 100. Note that in the initial state when the image provision request acquisition unit 21 acquires the image provision request transmitted from the client device 100, the VR image provision unit 23 generates a VR image of a predetermined field of view and transmits it to the client device 100. do.

The user presence/absence determining unit 24 determines whether a virtual user corresponding to a real user exists in the VR space. A virtual user corresponding to a real user is a virtual user who acts in the VR space as an alter ego of the real user. The virtual user may be a person displayed in the VR space as an avatar image including the whole body, upper body, or face part (part or all of the user's figure is visualized as an avatar image), or a virtual user Only an image of a virtual hand or a controller may be displayed in the VR space (the user's own image may not be visualized as an avatar image).

In the present embodiment, the user presence/absence determination unit 24 receives an image provision request transmitted from the client device 100 by the image provision request acquisition unit 21, and in response to this, the VR image provision unit 23 provides the VR image in the initial state to the client device 100. By transmitting the data to the device 100, it is determined that the virtual user exists in the VR space. That is, when the user selects desired VR content on the portal site, sends an image provision request to the server device 200, and starts viewing the VR content, the user presence/absence determination unit 24 determines whether the user has made the image provision request. It is determined that a virtual user corresponding to the real user exists in the VR space. Thereafter, when the real user stops viewing the VR content, the user presence/absence determining unit 24 determines that the virtual user does not exist in the VR space.

The incentive giving unit 25 gives a predetermined incentive to the real user when the user presence/absence determining unit 24 determines that the virtual user exists in the VR space. The incentive to be provided may be an incentive that can be used by a real user in the real world, or an incentive that can be used by a virtual user in a VR space.

Incentives that can be used by real users in the real world include, for example, coupons that can be used when purchasing specific products or services, points issued by specific business companies, and the like. The incentive giving unit 25 transmits such incentive information of coupons or points to the client device 100 via the communication unit 10. The client device 100 stores the incentive information acquired from the server device 200. A user can use coupons or points by presenting incentive information at a predetermined online shop or physical store.

Incentives that can be used by virtual users in the VR space include, for example, virtual currency and items that can be used in the VR space. The incentive giving unit 25 stores such incentive information in the user information storage unit 28. The user information storage unit 28 stores, for example, incentive information given to a user in association with a user ID used when the user logs into the portal site. The incentive information stored in the user information storage unit 28 can be used as desired by the user in VR content for which VR images are provided by the VR image providing unit 23. For example, the user instructs the use of incentive information in VR content by operating the controller 105.

Note that the contents of the incentive shown here are only an example, and are not limited thereto. Moreover, the method of providing incentives is also one example, and is not limited to this.

Further, among the plurality of VR contents that can be selected on the portal site, there may be VR contents to which incentives are given and VR contents to which incentives are not provided. In this case, the processes of the user presence/absence determining unit 24 and the incentive providing unit 25 need only be executed when VR content to which an incentive is to be provided is selected.

For example, when a certain business entity promotes products or services, it is conceivable to create VR content to which incentives are given and provide it on a portal site. For example, if a travel agency or a transportation company wants to promote travel to a specific tourist destination, they create VR content that introduces the good points of the tourist destination, and create VR content within the VR space provided by the VR content. Incentives are given to real users (users viewing the VR content) corresponding to virtual users existing in the VR content.

In this way, users can be motivated to experience the VR content, and as many users as possible can experience the charm of the tourist spot through the experience in the VR space. Here, the VR content itself is content that conveys the charm of the tourist destination to the user, and explicit advertising images like conventional Internet advertisements and VR advertisements are not displayed in the VR space, so they are not an eyesore. Users are not made to feel uncomfortable by advertising images.

In addition, by preparing activities such as events and games related to tourist spots in the VR space, it will be easier to convey the charm of tourist spots to users through participation in the activities. I can do it. At this time, since participating in the activity is not a condition for providing an incentive, the user is not given negative motivation for viewing VR content that includes the activity. Furthermore, since clearing a certain condition by performing the activity is not a condition for providing incentives, the user is not given negative motivation for participating in the activity in the VR space.

There are various possible VR contents to which incentives can be given other than those for promotion of tourist spots. For example, if a government agency or a business entity requested by it wants to revitalize a particular region, it creates VR content that conveys the charm of the region, and provides information to users who view the VR content. It is also possible to provide incentives. In addition, when a specific company wants to promote sales related to BI (Business Intelligence) tools, it creates VR content that allows users to experience the functions of the BI tool and provides incentives to users who view the VR content. It is also possible to do something like this.

Furthermore, the VR space provided by the VR content to which incentives are to be given (the VR space to which the user presence/absence determining unit 24 determines the presence or absence of virtual users) is the one in which a plurality of virtual users corresponding to a plurality of client devices 100 are provided. It may be a VR space such as a community that can exist at the same time and allows a plurality of virtual users who exist at the same time to interact with each other. In this case, the interaction between the virtual users may take place using, for example, an electronic bulletin board, or may take the form of adding an annotation image of a speech bubble near the avatar image.

Further, the following process may be used to enable dialogue. That is, the client device 100 further includes a microphone and a speaker, inputs the voice spoken by the user from the microphone, supplies it to the computing device 106, and transmits audio data from the computing device 106 to the server device 200. The VR image providing unit 23 of the server device 200 generates a VR image in which avatar images of a plurality of virtual users corresponding to the plurality of users viewing VR content are drawn in the VR space, and displays the avatar images of the plurality of users. Audio data related to the speech is transmitted to the client device 100 together with the VR image. Each client device 100 displays the VR image on the HMD 101 and outputs the audio related to the speech from the speaker.

In this way, for community-type VR content that allows multiple users who are viewing the same VR content to interact with each other, it corresponds to virtual users existing in the VR space provided by the VR content. By providing incentives to real users, we can encourage as many users as possible to view VR content, and not only convey the appeal of the object to users through the VR content itself, but also convey the appeal of the object to users through natural interaction between users. It is possible to make the user feel the charm of the product.

At this time, actively speaking in the VR space is not a condition for providing incentives. In other words, incentives are given to users who are simply in the VR space and listening to other people's conversations. Therefore, the user is not given a sense of urgency or pain, such as having to engage in dialogue that is difficult for the user. Thereby, it is possible to have as many users as possible view the VR content without giving users negative motivation for viewing the community-type VR content.

As described above, activities in the VR space are not a condition for providing incentives. However, after the user presence/absence determining unit 24 determines that the virtual user exists in the VR space, the incentive granting unit 25 provides an incentive based on the length of time that the virtual user exists in the VR space. The method of assigning may be changed. For example, the incentive giving unit 25 gives an incentive when the virtual user enters the VR space, and then gives the incentive again after a predetermined period of time has elapsed without the virtual user leaving the VR space. You can. Further, the incentive giving unit 25 may give an incentive every time a predetermined time elapses after the virtual user enters the VR space. Further, the content of the incentive may be changed depending on the length of time that the virtual user exists in the VR space.

Furthermore, the incentive granting unit 25 may change the manner in which incentives are given for one VR content, depending on the number of times the user presence/absence determining unit 24 determines that a virtual user exists in the VR space. . For example, the incentive giving unit 25 may give an incentive until the number of times the virtual user enters the VR space exceeds a predetermined value, and may not give an incentive after the number of times the virtual user enters the VR space exceeds a predetermined value. On the contrary, the incentive may not be provided until the number of times the virtual user enters the VR space exceeds a predetermined value, and the incentive may be provided after the number of times the virtual user enters the VR space exceeds the predetermined value. Further, the content of the incentive may be changed depending on the number of times the virtual user enters the VR space.

In addition, regarding community-type VR content that allows virtual users in the VR space to interact with each other, even if a certain virtual user has existed more than a predetermined value and is not eligible for incentives, the virtual user will be invited. An incentive may be given to a real user corresponding to a certain virtual user when the number of times that another virtual user exists does not exceed a predetermined value. In this way, the user can be motivated to invite another user. Note that the invitation may be made using an invitation function prepared as a function of the VR content. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which a real user makes an invitation in a real space and information about who has been invited is added to the user information.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the server device 200 according to the first embodiment configured as described above. First, the image provision request acquisition unit 21 determines whether an image provision request transmitted from the client device 100 has been acquired (step S1). If an image provision request has not been acquired, the image provision request acquisition unit 21 repeats the determination in step S1.

When the image provision request acquisition unit 21 acquires the image provision request, the VR image provision unit 23 generates a VR image of a predetermined field of view as an initial state (step S2), and transmits the VR image to the client device 100 ( Step S3). Upon transmission of this VR image, the user presence/absence determination unit 24 determines that a virtual user corresponding to the user who sent the image provision request (the user corresponding to the user ID included in the image provision request) exists in the VR space. (Step S4).

Next, the incentive giving unit 25 gives a predetermined incentive to the user who has transmitted the image provision request (step S5). Thereafter, the user status information acquisition unit 22 determines whether or not the user status information transmitted from the client device 100 has been acquired (step S6). When the user status information acquisition unit 22 acquires the user status information, the VR image providing unit 23 generates a VR image that changes according to the user's behavior indicated by the user status information (step S7), and is transmitted to the client device 100 (step S8). After that, the process proceeds to step S9.

On the other hand, if the user status information acquisition unit 22 has not acquired the user status information, the VR image providing unit 23 determines whether the provision of the VR content requested by the user has been completed (step S9). The case where the provision of the VR content ends is either a case where the user instructs to end viewing the VR content, or a case where the reproduction of the VR content ends. Here, if the provision of VR content is not finished, the process returns to step S6. On the other hand, when the provision of the VR content has ended, the user presence/absence determination unit 24 determines that the virtual user corresponding to the user who has transmitted the image provision request does not exist in the VR space (step S10), and The process of the flowchart shown ends.

As explained in detail above, in the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not a virtual user corresponding to a real user exists in the VR space, and when it is determined that the virtual user exists in the VR space In addition, predetermined incentives are given to real users.

According to the first embodiment configured in this way, an incentive is given to the virtual user just by being in the VR space. In other words, actively working in activities or communities set in the VR space, or clearing certain conditions through activities, are not conditions for giving incentives, and users can receive incentives relatively easily. be able to obtain it. Therefore, incentives can be effectively provided to users who experience VR content so that they are more likely to feel motivated.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. As explained in the first embodiment, if a virtual user is given an incentive just by being in the VR space, there will be unscrupulous users who try to enter the VR space solely for the purpose of acquiring incentives. It is expected that. In other words, after selecting VR content to which incentives are to be given and transmitting an image provision request to the server device 200, there is a possibility that some users may do other things without wearing the HMD 101 and viewing the VR content. be.

No matter how many virtual users corresponding to such users exist in the VR space, it cannot be expected that the promotional effects intended by the provider of the VR content will be effective. On the contrary, there is also the disadvantage that limited incentives may be wasted by users who cannot expect any sales promotion effects. Therefore, in the second embodiment, incentives are not given to users who are in the VR space solely for the purpose of acquiring incentives.

The overall configuration of a VR image providing system to which the incentive provision system in a virtual reality space according to the second embodiment is applied is the same as that in FIG. 1. Further, the functional configuration of the client device 100 is the same as that in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server device 200' according to the second embodiment. Note that in FIG. 5, components designated by the same reference numerals as those shown in FIG. 3 have the same functions, so a redundant explanation will be omitted here.

As shown in FIG. 5, the server device 200' according to the second embodiment further includes a suitability determination section 26 as a functional configuration, and also includes an incentive provision section 25' in place of the incentive provision section 25.

When the user presence/absence determining unit 24 determines that the virtual user exists in the VR space, the appropriateness determination unit 26 evaluates at least one of the behavior of the virtual user and the fluctuation of the VR image, and based on the evaluation result, Then, it is determined whether the virtual user's presence in the VR space is appropriate. The incentive providing unit 25' provides an incentive only when the appropriateness determining unit 26 determines that the presence of the virtual user in the VR space is appropriate.

Here, the behavior of the virtual user is, for example, as follows.
・Movement of the area that the virtual user focuses on in the VR space ・Movement of the virtual user's hand in the VR space, the posture of the hand, or the positional relationship between both hands In addition, fluctuations in the VR image include, for example, the following: .
・Movement in VR space (movement of field of view)

The area that the virtual user pays attention to in the VR space (hereinafter referred to as the attention area) changes depending on the direction of the head and line of sight of the user wearing the HMD 101. However, in the case of a user who does not wear the HMD 101 after entering the VR space, the attention area does not change at all. If the HMD 101 is placed on top of some device that moves or vibrates automatically, the area of interest will fluctuate, but the fluctuations may repeat in a certain pattern or may be movements that are impossible for human behavior. There are some. Therefore, when the attention area does not move at all or moves unnaturally, it can be said that the presence of the virtual user may not be appropriate.

The same can be said of the virtual user's hand movements within the VR space. That is, the virtual user's hand changes depending on the movement of the user's hand holding the controller 105. However, in the case of a user who does not hold the controller 105 after entering the VR space, the virtual user's hands do not move at all. If the HMD 101 is placed on top of some device that moves or vibrates automatically, the virtual user's hands will change, but the changes may repeat in a certain pattern, or both hands may move in exactly the same way. It may be a movement that would be impossible for a human to act. Therefore, when the virtual user's hands do not move at all or make unnatural movements, it can be said that the virtual user's presence may not be appropriate.

Furthermore, depending on how the controller 105 is placed, the posture of the virtual user's hands may become unnatural, or the positional relationship between the virtual user's hands may become unnatural. That is, if the user does not have the controller 105 and places it somewhere, the user may be in a posture or positional relationship that would be impossible if the user were actually holding the controller 105. Even in such a case, it can be said that the existence of the virtual user may not be appropriate.

Further, the field of view in the VR space changes depending on the direction of the head of the user wearing the HMD 101. However, in the case of a user who does not wear the HMD 101 after entering the VR space, the field of view in the VR space does not change at all. If the HMD 101 is placed on top of some device that moves or vibrates automatically, the field of view in the VR space will change, but it may repeat changes in a certain pattern, or it may not be consistent with human head movements. It may be an unprofitable move. Therefore, even when the field of view in the VR space does not move at all or moves unnaturally, it can be said that the presence of the virtual user may not be appropriate.

The appropriateness determination unit 26 evaluates at least one of the behavior of the virtual user and the fluctuation of the VR image illustrated above, and determines whether the presence of the virtual user in the VR space is inappropriate as described above. It is determined that the existence of the virtual user in is not appropriate. The behavior of the virtual user and the fluctuation of the VR image can be recognized using, for example, the VR image generated by the VR image providing unit 23. Note that since the behavior of the virtual user and the fluctuation of the VR image are specified based on the user status information acquired by the user status information acquisition unit 22, the suitability determination unit 26 uses the user status information to determine whether the virtual user exists. Appropriateness may be determined.

That is, after the user presence/absence determining unit 24 determines that the virtual user exists in the VR space, the appropriateness determining unit 26 determines whether the user status information transmitted from the client device 100 or the VR image providing unit 23 in accordance with the user status information is transmitted from the client device 100. Based on the generated VR image, at least one of the behavior of the virtual user and the variation of the VR image is evaluated. This evaluation is performed, for example, for a predetermined period of time after the user presence/absence determining unit 24 determines that the virtual user exists in the VR space, based on user status information or a VR image generated in accordance with the user status information. Alternatively, after the user presence/absence determining unit 24 determines that the virtual user exists in the VR space, the evaluation is performed based on user status information or VR images obtained during the time period until the virtual user exits the VR space. You may also do so. The incentive granting unit 25 determines whether or not to provide an incentive after the suitability determining unit 26 performs the evaluation.

The content of the evaluation performed by the suitability determination unit 26 can be arbitrarily determined. For example, the presence of the virtual user may be determined by at least one of the following: movement of the area the virtual user focuses on within the VR space, movement of the virtual user's hands within the VR space, hand posture or positional relationship between both hands, and movement in the VR space. It may be possible to determine that the presence of the virtual user in the VR space is not appropriate when it is evaluated that there is a possibility that the virtual user is not appropriate.

Alternatively, the presence of the virtual user may be considered appropriate for each of the movement of the area to which the virtual user pays attention in the VR space, the movement of the virtual user's hands in the VR space, the posture of the hands or the positional relationship of both hands, and the movement of the virtual user in the VR space. It may be possible to score the degree of possibility that the virtual user is not a virtual user, and to determine whether the virtual user's presence in the VR space is appropriate based on the total value of each score. Scoring in this case may be performed based on a predetermined function, or may be performed using a learning model constructed by machine learning.

Here, as examples of the behavior of the virtual user, we have shown the movement of the virtual user's attention area in the VR space, the movement of the virtual user's hand in the VR space, the posture of the hand, or the positional relationship of both hands. It is not limited to. For example, the movement of the virtual user's body, the posture of the body, or the positional relationship between the body and the hands may be used. In this case, the user wears the motion detection sensor on his or her body using a belt or the like. The locations on the user's body where the motion detection sensor is attached via a belt or the like are any or all of the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles, and the like. The client device 100 also includes motion detection information detected by a motion detection sensor attached to the user's body in the user state information and transmits it to the server device 200.

The virtual user's body changes depending on the body movements of the user who is wearing a motion detection sensor on his or her body. However, in the case of a user who does not wear a motion detection sensor on his body after entering the VR space, the virtual user's body does not move at all. If a motion detection sensor is placed on top of some device that moves or vibrates automatically, the virtual user's body will move, but the movement may repeat in a certain pattern or may not be normal human behavior. Sometimes it's a movement that doesn't exist. Therefore, when the virtual user's body does not move at all or moves unnaturally, it can be said that the virtual user's presence may not be appropriate.

Furthermore, depending on how the motion detection sensor and controller 105 are placed, the posture of the virtual user's body may become unnatural, or the positional relationship between the virtual user's body and both hands may become unnatural. . In other words, if the user does not wear the motion detection sensor and places it somewhere, or does not have the controller 105 and places it somewhere, the virtual user's body and hands will be in a state that would be impossible if they were a real person. There are cases. Even in such a case, it can be said that the existence of the virtual user may not be appropriate.

Further, as another example of the behavior of the virtual user, movement of the virtual user within the VR space may be used. In this case, the client device 100 includes a position detection sensor in the HMD 101, for example. The position of the virtual user in the VR space changes depending on the movement of the user wearing the HMD 101 equipped with a position detection sensor. However, in the case of a user who does not wear the HMD 101 after entering the VR space, the position of the virtual user does not move at all. Therefore, when the virtual user's position does not move at all, it can be said that the virtual user's presence may not be appropriate.

Furthermore, as another example of the virtual user's behavior, comments made by the virtual user in community-type VR content may be used. For example, if a virtual user repeats the same utterances, makes utterances that are not semantically connected to the utterances of others, or makes incomprehensible utterances, the presence of the virtual user may become apparent. It can be said that it may not be appropriate.

Further, although the movement of the field of view in the VR space is shown as an example of the variation of the VR image, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the movement of an object image displayed in VR space may be used. The object image displayed in the VR space can change depending on the operation of the controller 105 (hand movement or button operation of the user holding the controller 105). However, if the user does not hold the controller 105 after entering the VR space, the controller 105 will not be operated, and therefore the object will not move in response to the operation of the controller 105. Therefore, if no object appears to be moving in response to the operation of the controller 105, it can be said that the presence of the virtual user may not be appropriate.

According to the second embodiment configured as described above, it is possible to prevent incentives from being given to users who enter the VR space solely for the purpose of acquiring incentives, thereby making the incentives more effective. be able to.

In addition, in the first and second embodiments described above, an example was explained in which the virtual user is given an incentive just by being in the VR space, but the more the virtual user actively participates in activities carried out in the VR space, the greater the incentive is given. An incentive may also be provided. Even in this case, participation in the activity itself is not a condition for giving incentives, so incentives can be given even to users who do not participate in the activity, and incentives can be given to users who actively participate. can provide greater incentives.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the server device 200 provides the client device 100 with a web portal site that can provide a plurality of VR contents, and the user selects the desired VR content from among the web portal sites. Although described, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the server device 200 may provide the client device 100 with a VR image of a virtual portal space that can provide a plurality of VR contents, display it on the HMD 101, and the user may select the desired VR content from among them. .

Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, an example was explained in which the client device 100 sends an image provision request to the server device 200 and the VR image generated by the server device 200 is sent to the client device 100. The present invention is not limited to this. For example, a portal screen that displays a list of selection interfaces corresponding to a plurality of VR contents installed on the computing device 106 of the client device 100 is displayed on the HMD 101 or the display of the computing device 106, and the user can select the desired VR content from among them. may be selected, and the computing device 106 may generate a VR image of the selected VR content.

In this case, the computing device 106 further includes the functions of, for example, an image provision request acquisition section 21, a user status information acquisition section 22, a VR image provision section 23, a user presence/absence determination section 24, and an appropriateness determination section 26. Then, the VR image providing unit 23 generates a virtual reality image that changes according to the user status information based on the detection results by the various sensors 102 to 104, and causes the HMD 101 to display the generated virtual reality image. In addition, the user presence/absence determining unit 24 determines that the virtual user is not present when the VR image providing unit 23 generates an initial VR image and displays it on the HMD 101 in response to an image providing request issued internally in the client device 100. It is determined that it exists in the VR space, and the server device 200 (200') is notified of the determination result. The suitability determination unit 26 also notifies the server device 200 (200') of the determination result. The incentive granting unit 25 (25') of the server device 200 (200') receives the determination results of the user presence/absence determining unit 24 and the suitability determining unit 26 from the client device 100, and determines whether or not to provide an incentive.

Further, in the first and second embodiments described above, a configuration is described in which one is selected from a plurality of VR contents, but a configuration in which one VR content is simply specified and reproduced may be used. In short, the present invention applies to any configuration that detects when VR content is viewed by a user (when a virtual user enters a VR space provided by VR content) and provides an incentive. included in the range.

In addition, the first and second embodiments described above are merely examples of implementation of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed to be limited by these. It is something that cannot happen. That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its gist or main features.

11 Head movement detection unit 12 Line of sight detection unit 13 Hand movement detection unit 14 User status information generation unit 15 VR image acquisition unit 16 Display control unit 21 Image provision request acquisition unit 22 User status information acquisition unit 23 VR image provision unit (virtual Real Image Providing Department)
24 User presence/absence determination unit 25, 25' Incentive provision unit 26 Appropriateness determination unit 100 Client device 101 HMD
102 to 104 Sensor 105 Controller 106 Arithmetic device 200, 200' Server device (incentive giving device)

Claims (13)

The behavior of the virtual user in the virtual reality space changes in conjunction with the body movement detected by a sensor attached to the body of the real user who is watching, and the physical movement of the real user or the grip of the real user changes. a virtual reality image providing unit that provides a virtual reality image in which at least one of a field of view of the virtual reality space, a state of an object in the virtual reality space, and a scene of the virtual reality space changes in response to an operation on a controller;
a user presence/absence determination unit that determines whether or not the virtual user corresponding to the real user exists in the virtual reality space;
When the user presence/absence determining unit determines that the virtual user exists in the virtual reality space, the behavior of the virtual user that changes in conjunction with the physical movement of the real user, and the virtual reality image providing unit evaluate at least one of the fluctuations in the virtual reality image provided by the virtual reality image, and based on the evaluation result, whether or not the behavior, physical structure, or posture of the real user corresponding to the virtual user is not unnatural for a human being. an appropriateness determination unit that determines whether the presence of the virtual user in the virtual reality space is appropriate from the viewpoint of whether the virtual user is present in the virtual reality space;
When the user presence/absence determining unit determines that the virtual user exists in the virtual reality space, and the appropriateness determining unit determines that the virtual user's presence in the virtual reality space is appropriate; An incentive giving system in a virtual reality space, comprising : an incentive giving unit that gives a predetermined incentive to the real user. The behavior of the virtual user includes the movement of the area that the virtual user focuses on within the virtual reality space, the movement of the virtual user's hands, the posture of the hands, or the positional relationship of both hands, and the behavior of the virtual user within the virtual reality space. In the virtual reality space according to claim 1 , the virtual reality space includes at least one of the following: movement of the virtual user, movement of the body of the virtual user, body posture or positional relationship between the body and hands, and utterances by the virtual user. Incentive system. The virtual reality according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the variation of the virtual reality image includes at least one of movement of the virtual reality space and movement of an object image displayed in the virtual reality space. Incentive system in space. A client device including a head-mounted display, a sensor, a controller, and a computing device, and a server device to which the client device is connected via a communication network,
The client device detects at least one of a head movement, a line of sight movement, a hand movement holding the controller, and a body movement of the real user to whom the head-mounted display is attached, and uses the detection result as a detection result. transmitting user state information based on the server device to the server device;
The server device includes the virtual reality image providing unit, the user presence/absence determining unit , the appropriateness determining unit, and the incentive providing unit,
When the virtual reality image providing unit receives an image providing request transmitted from the client device, the virtual reality image providing unit generates a virtual reality image that changes according to the user status information transmitted from the client device, and and send it to
The user presence/absence determining unit is configured to determine whether the virtual user is in the virtual reality space when the virtual reality image providing unit transmits the virtual reality image to the client device in response to an image provision request transmitted from the client device. 4. The incentive giving system in a virtual reality space according to claim 1 , wherein the system determines that the incentive exists in a virtual reality space. A client device including a head-mounted display, a sensor, a controller, and a computing device, and a server device to which the client device is connected via a communication network,
The above client device is
comprising the virtual reality image providing section , the user presence/absence determining section , and the appropriateness determining section ;
The sensor is configured to detect at least one of a head movement, a line of sight movement, a hand movement holding the controller, and a body movement of the real user to whom the head mounted display is attached;
The virtual reality image providing unit generates a virtual reality image that changes according to user status information based on the detection result by the sensor, and causes the head mounted display to display the generated virtual reality image.
The user presence/absence determination unit determines that the virtual reality image is generated by the virtual reality image providing unit in response to an image provision request issued by the client device and displayed on the head mounted display, and that the virtual user It is determined that it exists in virtual reality space,
The server device includes the incentive giving unit,
Any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the incentive granting unit determines whether or not to grant the incentive upon receiving notification of the determination results by the user presence/ absence determining unit and the suitability determining unit from the client device. The incentive provision system in a virtual reality space according to item 1. After the user presence/absence determination unit determines that the virtual user exists in the virtual reality space, the incentive granting unit determines the length of time that the virtual user exists in the virtual reality space. 6. The system for providing incentives in a virtual reality space according to claim 4, wherein the method of providing the incentives is changed accordingly. 4. The incentive giving unit changes the way the incentive is given depending on the number of times the user presence/absence determining unit determines that the virtual user exists in the virtual reality space. 6. The incentive provision system in a virtual reality space according to any one of 6 . In the virtual reality space in which the user presence/absence determination unit determines the presence or absence of the virtual user, multiple virtual users corresponding to multiple client devices may exist simultaneously, and the multiple virtual users existing at the same time may interact with each other. The incentive giving system in a virtual reality space according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the system is a virtual reality space in which actions can be performed. The suitability determining unit is configured to determine whether the virtual user exists in the virtual reality space by the user presence/absence determining unit, and then the user status information transmitted from the client device or the virtual reality image according to the user status information transmitted from the client device. 5. The virtual reality space according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the behavior of the virtual user and the fluctuation of the virtual reality image is evaluated based on the virtual reality image generated by the providing unit. Incentive system. After the user presence/absence determining unit determines that the virtual user exists in the virtual reality space, the appropriateness determining unit may be configured to use the user state information or a virtual reality image generated by the virtual reality image providing unit in accordance with the user state information. 6. The incentive provision system in a virtual reality space according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the behavior of the virtual user and the fluctuation of the virtual reality image is evaluated based on a real image. The behavior of the virtual user in the virtual reality space changes in conjunction with the body movement detected by a sensor attached to the body of the real user who is watching, and the physical movement of the real user or the grip of the real user changes. a virtual reality image providing unit that provides a virtual reality image in which at least one of a field of view of the virtual reality space, a state of an object in the virtual reality space, and a scene of the virtual reality space changes in response to an operation on a controller;
a user presence/absence determination unit that determines whether or not the virtual user corresponding to the real user exists in the virtual reality space;
When the user presence/absence determining unit determines that the virtual user exists in the virtual reality space, the behavior of the virtual user that changes in conjunction with the physical movement of the real user, and the virtual reality image providing unit evaluate at least one of the fluctuations in the virtual reality image provided by the virtual reality image, and based on the evaluation result, whether or not the behavior, physical structure, or posture of the real user corresponding to the virtual user is not unnatural for a human being. an appropriateness determination unit that determines whether the presence of the virtual user in the virtual reality space is appropriate from the viewpoint of whether the virtual user is present in the virtual reality space;
When the user presence/absence determining unit determines that the virtual user exists in the virtual reality space, and the appropriateness determining unit determines that the virtual user's presence in the virtual reality space is appropriate; An incentive giving device in a virtual reality space, comprising : an incentive giving unit that gives a predetermined incentive to the real user. The virtual reality image providing unit of the computer changes the behavior of the virtual user in the virtual reality space in conjunction with the body movement detected by the sensor attached to the body of the real user who is viewing the video, and also changes the behavior of the virtual user in the virtual reality space. Providing a virtual reality image in which at least one of a field of view of the virtual reality space, a state of an object in the virtual reality space, and a scene of the virtual reality space changes in response to body movements or operations on a controller held by the real user. the step of
a step in which the user presence/absence determining unit of the computer determines whether or not the virtual user corresponding to the real user exists in the virtual reality space;
When the user presence/absence determining unit determines that the virtual user exists in the virtual reality space, the suitability determining unit of the computer determines that the virtual user changes in conjunction with the physical movement of the real user. Evaluate at least one of the behavior and the fluctuation of the virtual reality image provided by the virtual reality image providing unit, and based on the evaluation result, the behavior, physical structure, or posture of the real user corresponding to the virtual user. determining whether the virtual user's presence in the virtual reality space is appropriate from the perspective of whether or not the virtual user is unnatural as a human being;
The incentive giving unit of the computer determines that the virtual user exists in the virtual reality space by the user presence/absence determining unit , and that the appropriateness determining unit determines that the virtual user's presence in the virtual reality space is appropriate. A method for providing incentives in a virtual reality space, comprising the step of providing a predetermined incentive to the real user only when it is determined that The behavior of the virtual user in the virtual reality space changes in conjunction with the body movement detected by a sensor attached to the body of the real user who is watching, and the physical movement of the real user or the grip of the real user changes. virtual reality image providing means for providing a virtual reality image in which at least one of a field of view of the virtual reality space, a state of an object in the virtual reality space, and a scene of the virtual reality space changes in response to an operation on a controller;
User presence/absence determining means for determining whether or not the virtual user corresponding to the real user exists in the virtual reality space ;
When the user presence/absence determining means determines that the virtual user exists in the virtual reality space, the behavior of the virtual user changes in conjunction with the physical movement of the real user, and the virtual reality image providing means evaluate at least one of the fluctuations in the virtual reality image provided by the virtual reality image, and based on the evaluation result, whether or not the behavior, physical structure, or posture of the real user corresponding to the virtual user is not unnatural for a human being. appropriateness determining means for determining whether the presence of the virtual user in the virtual reality space is appropriate from the viewpoint of whether the virtual user is present in the virtual reality space;
When the user presence/absence determining means determines that the virtual user exists in the virtual reality space , and the appropriateness determining means determines that the virtual user's presence in the virtual reality space is appropriate; A program for incentive management in a virtual reality space for causing a computer to function as an incentive providing means for providing a predetermined incentive to the real user.