JP2001101288A - Device for providing merchandise information - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a merchandise information providing device to which touch power sense information related to object merchandise information is attached to deepen the understanding the object merchandise information. SOLUTION: The figure shows one example in which the merchandise information of a certain catalog is displayed and offered in an implementation form as an electronic catalog. Here, the merchandise information about the merchandise 'a round wire coil spring' is displayed on an image display 29, and touch power sense information is presented from a touch power sense presenting means 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a merchandise information presenting apparatus, and more particularly to an electronic catalog for providing merchandise and information related to the merchandise. In particular, the present invention provides images such as characters, photographs and illustrations. The present invention relates to a product information presentation device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Of the sensation information perceived using a whole body or a receptive organ such as an arm, a hand or a finger, a tactile sensation often becomes a final decisive factor in recognizing and judging an object. In other words, in the real world, it is considered that the user perceived the target object by touching the target object with his / her hand or finger to understand the rough and uneven feeling of the target surface, and the feel of the target object such as its weight and softness. ing.

[0003] Therefore, in the case of electronic catalogs or catalogs constructed in the form of ordinary books or sheets, the entire feature of the product cannot be read in many cases because the feature of the product is only a photograph, a picture, and a text. This is because when you go directly to a department store or store to buy a product, you can compare material information, such as the feel and weight of the product, by recognizing it by picking up and touching the product. It can be said that this is a large difference in the amount of information.

[0004] As a specific example, the roughness of the cloth of the cloth,
In the sense of unevenness of wallpaper, elasticity of sofa, industrial materials and parts,
The click feeling of switches, the elasticity of rubber, sponge material, and cushioning material are highly necessary to confirm product information by touching the hand.

[0005] Therefore, in the conventional catalog form, tactile sense information which should be important as product information is missing.

As a conventional example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 62-055767 relates to an electronic catalog apparatus, which uses a DAD (digital audio disk) to process a large number of characters and images and also processes sound in real time. It is possible. Thus, by using not only the visual means but also the auditory means, more information can be easily retrieved.

[0007] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-162081 relates to a product information presentation system, which can present product information to a plurality of different media using so-called multimedia such as characters, images, and voices. 1 shows a product information presentation system. According to this, product information can be searched and output using not only a paper medium but also a CD-ROM, the Internet, or the like, and the electronic catalog has diversity.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-66133 discloses an electronic catalog apparatus provided with information on paper patterns for selecting a fabric width, a design and a size. Here, the purpose is to select the fabric for the pattern.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-282279,
There is a shape data storage unit that stores shape data of an object, and an information presenting device that stores sensory data such as a sound sensation or a tactile sensation in accordance with a material feeling, allocates it to shape data, and presents both data. This is an attempt to map the texture data to the target shape while the conventional texture mapping technology uses only visual information.

[0010]

However, the above-mentioned conventional apparatus has the following problems.

The apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 62-055767 is
Regarding electronic catalog devices, in addition to characters and images, sound can be processed in real time, and we are trying to handle a large amount of information with consideration for diversity as an electronic catalog, but we are considering only acoustic information, It does not include points related to tactile sensation, which is important product information.

The apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-162081 relates to a product information presentation system, which can output voices in addition to characters and images and takes into account the diversity of an electronic catalog. No consideration is given to the tactile sensation, which is important product information.

Further, the apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-66133 is for selecting a fabric on an electronic catalog in comparison with the size of a pattern, and is important information for selecting the texture of the fabric material itself. Tactile information is not considered.

Further, the apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-282279 is capable of reproducing various textures even in a single shape by pasting various texture information to the shape information. It is intended to create a texture effect on the surface of the virtual object below. Therefore, the configuration is different from that of presenting tactile information corresponding to an actual product photograph, product picture, or text.
In addition, the point that the shape data and the texture data are independently separated and combined to form each other is different from the concept of presenting the tactile sensation corresponding to the real product in the case of product information. It is difficult to present tactile information.

As described above, none of the prior arts has considered an electronic catalog in consideration of a tactile sensation when touching a product.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and is intended to deepen the understanding of target product information in an electronic catalog device or the like which has conventionally been mainly composed of images and character information. In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a product information presentation device that adds tactile force information related to target information.

[0017]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a first product information comprising at least one of image information, text information, and audio information; Storage means for storing second product information that is tactile information related to the product information, and the first product information and the second product information to be output from the information stored in the storage means Instruction means for designating, from among the first product information stored in the storage means, first output means for outputting the first product information designated by the instruction means, And second output means for outputting the second product information designated by the instruction means from the second product information stored in the storage means.

Here, the tactile sensation means a feeling when touched, that is, a so-called tactile sensation, and is a concept including a rough sliding feeling and a hard and soft feeling.

According to the present invention, the first merchandise information and the second merchandise information, which is tactile sensation information related to the first merchandise information, are stored in the storage means, and the designated first merchandise information is stored. Second product information related to the first product information together with the product information is stored in a second
Since the output means can output from the output means, the information amount of the target product information becomes rich, and the understanding of the target product information can be deepened.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the first output means includes an image display unit for displaying pointer coordinates for specifying a position, and the second output means includes an image display unit for displaying the pointer coordinates. The information processing apparatus may further include a presentation unit that operates in association with the movement and presents tactile force information. According to the present invention, it is possible to acquire a tactile sensation corresponding to the position of the pointer coordinates displayed on the image display.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the second product information is stored in the storage means for a plurality of levels corresponding to the one piece of the first product information. The second product information may be output from the second output unit. According to the present invention, it is possible to output a plurality of levels of softness and a plurality of rough surface feelings based on one product image. Becomes possible.

Further, according to the present invention, when the storage means is constituted by at least one of a CD-ROM, a magnetic storage medium, a magneto-optical storage medium, a ROM and a RAM inside a computer, an information medium is provided. It is easy to handle and easy to distribute.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the first output unit is controlled such that an image relating to the first product information is reduced or enlarged on the image display unit. Control means for controlling the second output means so that spatial coordinate data or thrust data relating to the product information of the item (2) is reduced or enlarged and presented to the presentation section. According to the present invention, image information and tactile force information of a product can be reduced or enlarged and output, so that the product can be observed in various ways, such as touching the fine material surface of the product. , It is possible to obtain more abundant product information.

[0024]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an information presentation device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an information presenting apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has an R which stores fixed information such as a CPU 2 and an OS, which are microcircuits.
A main memory 3 corresponding to a RAM for storing OM and variable information; an external storage device 4 including a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, a CD-ROM device, and an MO device; a keyboard 5 as input means; Pointing means 6, such as a certain mouse, touch pad (also called finger pad), trackball, etc., C
An image display 7 for displaying an image such as an RT or a liquid crystal, a speaker 8 as an audio output unit, a tactile sense presentation unit 9 having a tactile sense provided with a driving force generating device, and a communication device 10
And are connected by a bus so that communication with the outside can be performed on the network. The communication device 10 is provided in another information processing device or another haptic presentation device 11.
Another communication device 12 and another CPU 13 are provided.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment as an electronic catalog.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example in which product information of a certain catalog is displayed and presented. Here, the product information about the product “round wire coil spring” is displayed on the image display 29, and the tactile sense information is presented from the tactile sense presentation means 22. FIG. 2 will be described in further detail with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a flow of signals in the haptic sense presentation device 20. The signal flow will be described with reference to FIG.

A signal generating means for sequentially generating a predetermined haptic information signal based on the display information 28, the display information 28 and the coordinate information from the pointing means 23 is provided in the CPU & memory 21 constituting the haptic presentation device 20. 27, and, upon receiving the haptic information signal, calculate and drive the amount of displacement and vibration frequency to be applied to the haptic presentation means, or control gains such as proportional gain, differential gain, and integral gain. Control means 26 for generating a signal is stored. Here, the signal output from the control means 26 is converted from digital information into analog voltage information via an A / D converter 25 and transmitted to the drive circuit / amplifier circuit 24, where it is converted and presented to the haptic sense. The driving means 31 in the means 22 is driven. The haptic presentation unit 22 includes a driving unit 31, a position sensor 32, and a stimulus presentation unit 33. When the driving unit 31 is driven, the displacement of the haptic presentation unit 33 is detected by the position sensor 32, and the control is performed. Returned to means 26, the feedback control is activated.

The pointing means 23 has an input operation means 34, and the input operation means 34 is connected to the stimulus presentation section 33. The pointing means 23 is connected to the control means 26, and the coordinate information obtained from the pointing means 23 is displayed on the image display 29 together with the display information in the form of a pointer in the CPU & memory 21 as display information.

Display information that can be input in the present embodiment is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the data can also be input from an external computer via the communication interface 30. Therefore,
Information that can be browsed and obtained on the Internet is also included in the concept of display information in the present embodiment. In addition, CD
-It is possible to input content information distributed in a ROM or the like by using an external storage device (not shown).

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a series of flows from searching for catalog information to presenting the catalog information according to the present embodiment. First, the user sets search conditions 4 in step S1.
Do one. Specifically, it is set whether a search (keyword search) is to be performed for all information or a search target (category search) is within a certain area of each category. Next, a screen corresponding to the condition is displayed on the image display based on the condition selected in step S1 (step S2). For example, when a keyword search is set, a keyword input section for inputting a keyword is displayed. Here, the user inputs a desired character string corresponding to the keyword from the keyboard to the keyword input section (42). When the user sets a category search, a category list for inputting a category is displayed. Here, the user selects a desired category from the category list. Then, in step S3, in the case of a keyword search, text information and image information of a product corresponding to the input character string are output on an image display. In the case of a category search, step S3
The text information and the image information (still image) corresponding to the category selected in are output on the image display. When text information and image information output on the image display further include related image information, audio information, and haptic information, an icon for outputting the information is also displayed on the display. Is output. With this icon, the user can determine the attribute of whether information other than visual information is included. In step S4, the user can individually output image information (moving image) 44, audio information (45), and haptic information (46) by clicking this icon. If you try to output audio information and haptic information from the text information output screen that contains, an image is displayed on the image display even if image information is not selected, and the audio or haptic information is combined. It is output.

The tactile force information is divided into rough smoothness information and hard / soft feeling information, and there are icons for coarse smoothness information output icons and hard / soft feeling information output icons, respectively.

When the user clicks the coarse slip information output icon displayed on the image display, a rough stimulus stimulus is output to a haptic presentation unit (not shown). When the hard / soft feeling information output icon is clicked, a hard / soft feeling stimulus is output to a hard / soft feeling presenting unit (not shown).

FIG. 5 shows the details after the keyword search in step S2 of FIG. 4 more specifically.

FIG. 5 (a-1) is a search input screen in which a keyword search is selected by setting search conditions and "coil spring" is input in the search keyword input section.

FIG. 5 (a-2) shows the search result of FIG. 5 (a-1) displayed on an image display. In the case of FIG. 5 (a-2), since a plurality of hits have been made, it is necessary to further narrow down the search. Then, when the pointer 51 displayed on the image display is moved to the desired product name and clicked, the text information of the corresponding product can be extracted. In this embodiment,
Select "Round wire coil spring".

FIG. 5B shows an image information output icon 52 and a soft / soft feeling information output icon 53 on an image display as an image display corresponding to step S3 in FIG. This means that the character string “round wire coil spring” has image information and rough-slip feeling information, which is one of the tactile force sense information, in the storage device in advance in addition to the text information. When you want to actually feel the strength of the spring in addition to the numerical value, click on the soft / soft feeling information output icon 53 in advance, and then move the pointer 51 displayed on the image display to the desired catalog.
When the user clicks on the position of No., the strength of the spring of the catalog No. specified by the hard / soft feeling presentation unit (not shown) is output. At this time, the image on the image display is automatically switched to a moving image of the spring, and the strength of the spring is perceived by a hard / soft feeling presenting unit (not shown), and the finger of the user at the soft / soft feeling presenting unit is also displayed on the image display. In synchronization with the operation, the recovery state of the spring can be confirmed on the moving image. The image information output icon 5
By clicking 2, it is also possible to independently display the spring recovery state in a moving image.

FIG. 6 more specifically shows the steps after the category search in step S2 in FIG.

FIG. 6A shows a selection screen for selecting a category search by setting search conditions and selecting a category from the category list displayed on the image display by using the pointer 51.

FIG. 6B shows the result of selecting “T-shirt, parka” on the category selection screen of FIG. 6A. On the image display, text information including still image information of two products A and B corresponding to the category of “T-shirt, parka” is displayed. The user can further obtain detailed product information of the two products from the two products displayed on the image display by using the pointer 51 displayed on the image display.

In the case of "T-shirt / hoodie", an image information output icon 52 and a coarse smoothness information output icon 54 are displayed on the image display in addition to the text information. This means that the character string “T-shirt / parka” has image information and rough-slip feeling information as information in advance in the storage device in addition to the text information. Can perceive the fabric of “T-shirts and parkas” as a rough feeling.

In FIG. 6C, the pointer 51 displayed on the image display is pointed at the image of the product B. and clicked from the products displayed in FIG. 6B. The detailed information of the product is displayed.
In the case of "T-shirts and hoodies", the detailed information includes the catalog number, size, color,
Text information and image information on the material are displayed on the image display.

For color, image information is also displayed in addition to text information. When a color is selected using the pointer 51 displayed on the image display, image information of the product of the selected color is displayed on the image display.

As for the material, the pointer 51 displayed on the image display is moved to the coarse smoothness information output icon 5.
When the user clicks at the position of 4, the surface image of the fabric is enlarged and displayed on the image display. On the other hand, the user can perceive the fabric of the “T-shirt / parka” as a coarse smoothness through a tactile sense presentation unit (not shown).

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment in which a "stuffed toy" is used as a search product. FIG. 7A shows a display screen for category selection.

FIG. 7B shows a display screen of the search result.
The text information including the still image information is displayed on the screen. In the case of “stuffed toy”, in addition to text information, an image information output icon 52 and a soft / soft feeling information output icon 53
Then, the rough feeling information output icon 54 and the sound information output icon 55 are displayed on the image display. This indicates that the character string “stuffed toy” has image information, audio information, coarse smoothness information, and soft / soft feeling information in addition to text information in the storage device in advance.

FIG. 7C shows the result of selecting a specific “stuffed toy” based on the search result in FIG. 7B.

[0048] Pointer 5
Click with 1, then move the pointer over the cloth of the stuffed animal and click to enlarge the image of the clicked part. Then, when a finger is brought into contact with a rough-smoothness presentation unit (not shown), a balloon 56 appears on the image display, and an enlarged view of the fabric at the location pointed to by the pointer 51 is displayed. Then, a rough-slip feeling stimulus while touching the cloth is output to a rough-smooth feeling presentation unit (not shown).

The image information output icon 52 has an enlargement / reduction function (not shown) so that the enlargement / reduction icons can be confirmed on the image display. By using the enlargement and reduction icons, the user can check the sewing state of the product on the screen depending on the location pointed by the pointer 51.

Further, by clicking on the soft / soft feeling information output icon 53, the softness of the "stuffed toy" itself can be perceived by a hard / soft feeling presenting section (not shown).

Also, the user can input the audio information output icon 5
By clicking 5, the user can also hear the "stuffed toy" chatter through a speaker (not shown).

In the case of the present embodiment, the voice information using the loudspeaker is such that a chattering voice is output. Alternatively, the information may be output in synchronization with the operation for perceiving the rough feeling.

FIG. 8 shows pointing coordinate input means,
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a haptic presentation device 70 in which haptic presentation means is integrated. The tactile sense presentation device 70 is provided with a rough / smoothness presentation section 72 at an upper portion, and a hard / soft feeling presentation section 71 at two facing side portions. In the haptic sense presentation device 70, the presentation unit that outputs the haptic information is the soft / soft feeling presentation unit 7.
1. The rough-smoothness presentation unit 72 constitutes a tactile force sense presentation unit.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a side portion of the tactile force sense presentation device 70. It shows a haptic sense presentation unit of the haptic sense presentation device 70 according to the present embodiment, a pointer scanning unit for moving a pointer on a display screen, and a grip unit for inputting coordinate information necessary for pointer movement. .

FIG. 9A shows a state before the operation of the haptic sense presentation device 70. The rough-smoothness presentation section 72 is supported by a support section 73 supported by the grip section 74 so as to be capable of elastic bending. An input operation switch 75 and a signal processing circuit 76 are provided below the rough-smoothness presentation section 72, and as shown in FIG.
By pressing 2 in the direction of arrow 79, switch 75 is turned on and off, and the signal can be sent to the CPU side.

A rotating detecting means 77 for detecting coordinate information is provided rotatably with respect to a base surface 78 such as a desk or a mouse pad, and the rotation information is sent to the CPU by a processing circuit. In this embodiment, the contact rotation type coordinate input mechanism is shown. However, a non-contact type optical mouse is used as the base surface and the detection means for optically detecting the density of the base surface to obtain the movement amount. Is also possible.

FIG. 9C shows a state in which a haptic stimulus is presented to the operator's finger. It is possible to present a wide range of pseudo tactile stimuli ranging from slow movement according to the target object to high-frequency vibration as shown by an arrow 80 in the in-plane direction of the surface in contact with the finger. Further, in this state, it is also possible to perform the above-described input operation by pressing the rough / smoothness presentation unit 72 and rotating the detection unit 77.

The principle of operation of the rough-smoothness presentation section 72 is to use a moving coil (voice coil motor) system for electromagnetic force.
This can be operated by a method of arranging them in the x and y axis directions. Alternatively, the piezoelectric elements may be arranged so as to be capable of independently vibrating in the x- and y-axis directions, and a thrust may be applied to the finger by the vibration.

FIG. 8 shows two soft / soft feeling presentation sections 71 in two places.
Is provided. Although not shown, the configuration will be described. The operation principle of the hard / soft feeling presentation unit 71 is a method in which a rotary motor is converted into linear motion by a reduction mechanism, a rack and pinion mechanism, or the like. In addition, a linear motion can be directly constructed by the moving coil.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, not only the color, shape, and specifications can be confirmed with text information and image information in an electronic catalog in which product information is posted, but also the touch Since the softness and feel of the product can be provided by the sense information, product information including a larger amount of information can be provided to the user. As a result, users can be motivated to make purchases, and even users who are not impressed with purchases can be attracted to new customers.

[0061]

As described above, according to the present invention, the first merchandise information and the second merchandise information which is the tactile sensation information related to the first merchandise information are stored in the storage means, and the instruction is given. Since the second product information related to the first product information can be output from the second output means together with the first product information, the information amount of the target product information is abundant and the target product information is increased. You can deepen your understanding of information.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information presentation device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display unit and a presentation unit according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a signal flow in the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart in the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows a keyword search (a-
1) is an example of the search result display (a-2) and the detailed display screen (c).

FIG. 6 shows a category search (a) according to the present embodiment;
The search result display (b) and the detailed information display screen (c)
This is an example.

FIG. 7 shows a category search (a) according to the present embodiment;
The search result display (b) and the detailed information display screen (c)
This is an example.

FIG. 8 is a haptic presentation device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a side portion of the haptic sense presentation device according to the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, information presentation device 2, CPU 3, main memory 4, external storage device 5, keyboard 6, pointing means 7, image display 8, speaker 9, haptic presentation means 10, communication device 11, another haptic sense Presentation device 12, other communication device 13, other CPU 20, haptic presentation device 21, CPU & memory 22, haptic presentation device 23, pointing device 24, drive circuit / amplifier circuit 25, A / D converter 26 , Control means 27, signal generation means 28, display information 29, image display 30, communication interface 31, drive means 32, position sensor 33, stimulus presentation section 34, input operation means 51, pointer 52, image information output icon 53, hard and soft Feeling information output icon 54, coarse smooth feeling information output icon 55, sound information output icon 56, speech bubble 70 Haptic presentation device 71, hardness feeling presentation section 72, coarse smooth sensation presentation unit 73, the supporting portion 74, the grip portion 75, an input operation switch 76, the signal processing circuit 77, detection means 78, the base surface 79, arrow 80, arrow

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06F 15/40 370Z F-term (Reference) 5B049 AA00 BB11 CC02 DD01 DD05 EE05 EE07 FF00 FF03 FF04 FF06 GG04 5B075 KK02 KK13 KK33 KK38 KK39 MM02 ND07 NK04 NK06 NK12 NK22 NK37 NK43 PP03 PP12 PP13 PP22 PP28 PQ02 PQ04 PQ10 PQ12 PQ46 PQ48 PQ49 UU38 5B087 AA09 AB12 BB12 BB21 DD03 DE03 DJ01 5E501 AA02 FA37 FB14 FA03 FB02

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A first product information comprising at least one of image information, text information, and voice information, and a second product information which is tactile information related to the first product information. Storage means; instruction means for designating the first product information and the second product information to be output from the information stored in the storage means; and the first product information stored in the storage means A first output unit that outputs the first product information specified by the instruction unit from the product information; and a second output unit that stores the second product information stored in the storage unit. A second output unit configured to output the designated second product information. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first output unit includes an image display unit that displays pointer coordinates for specifying a position, and wherein the second output unit operates in association with the movement of the pointer coordinates, The product information presentation device according to claim 1, further comprising a presentation unit that presents sense information. 3. In response to one piece of the first product information,
The said 2nd goods information is memorize | stored for several levels in the said memory | storage means, The said 2nd goods information for these several levels can be output from the said 2nd output means, The Claim 1 or Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Product information presentation device. 4. The storage means includes a CD-ROM, a magnetic storage medium, a magneto-optical storage medium, a ROM in a computer,
The merchandise information presentation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the merchandise information presentation device comprises at least one of the following. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first output unit is controlled such that an image related to the first product information is reduced or enlarged on the image display unit, and spatial coordinate data or thrust related to the second product information is controlled. The product according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising control means for controlling the second output means so that data is presented in a reduced or enlarged manner on the presentation section. Information presentation device.