JP2003108506A - Communication system and display method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication device and a communication display method easily usable by a user for a message display on a virtual space. SOLUTION: When transmitting data to a server 500 from a client 1, client ID, position information, a voice parameter, and text data of a text are transmitted. The server controls information on the virtual space on the basis of this information, and transmits similar information to the other clients 2 and 3. The respective clients reduce the size of characters displayed from the data text with the lapse of time on the basis of the position information and the voice parameter imparted to the data.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to communication on a network, and more particularly to a communication system device and a display method using characters or the like for chat on the network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the spread of the Internet in recent years, opportunities to connect to a network and communicate with a remote place are increasing. One of the communication services on the network is called "chat". This is to provide an environment as if chatting by exchanging text data between users connected to a network.

Conventionally, in such chat, the display of the text data on the display device owned by the participant is
Often arranged in chronological order. That is, in order for the participants in the chat to speak, the text data is sequentially displayed on the display device held by the participants in the order in which the text data was transmitted.

Further, as one form of chat, in addition to arranging text data in chronological order, an image of a character corresponding to a user is displayed as an avatar in a virtual space so that the utterance of the user is as if the avatar were speaking. There is a display method for displaying a chat in a virtual space.

As an invention relating to the display of text data in such a chat and the data display of chat in a virtual space, there is an invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-265457. The present invention is to highlight the symbol image corresponding to the last speaker in order to clarify the time series of the comments in the chat in the virtual space.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the above prior art,
By highlighting the last utterance, it becomes easier to understand who has made the utterance at the moment, but utterances other than the last utterance are not considered. An object of the present invention is to provide a communication system and a display method that are easy for a user to display a message in a virtual space, unlike the above-mentioned conventional technology.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a server configured to be accessible to a client and a plurality of clients for exchanging information with the server, in a virtual space provided by the server. Is a communication system for providing character data to each client as a conversation between the clients in the virtual space as a conversation between avatars, wherein the client is added to the character data together with the character data from the server. A means for receiving a predetermined parameter, a time measuring means, and a property of a character to be displayed based on the character data, which is changed and displayed with the passage of time measured by the time measuring means, based on the given parameter. And a display unit for displaying.

With such a configuration, it is possible to provide a communication system that is easy for the user to use for displaying messages in the virtual space.

The present invention comprises a server configured to be accessible to a client, and a plurality of clients for exchanging information with the server, wherein the clients communicate with each other in a virtual space provided by the server. A display method in a communication system for providing character data to each client as a conversation between avatars in a virtual space, the method comprising receiving character data and the parameter attached to the character data from the server. Step, measuring step for measuring elapsed time, and changing and displaying the property of the character to be displayed based on the character data according to the elapsed time measured by the timing means based on the given parameter. And a display step.

With such a configuration, it is possible to provide a display method that is easy for the user to use for displaying messages in the virtual space.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a communication device on a client side in a communication system which is one of the embodiments of the present invention. The client 1 has a built-in CPU 101, and the CPU 101
Expands various programs and data on the memory 102,
Controls the operation of the client 1. The timer unit 103 measures the elapsed time during display control, as will be described later. The input unit 104 is an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a microphone, and is used by the user for inputting text information and commands during chat. The display unit 105 is a device used for a display such as a CRT or LCD. As will be described later, a message is displayed on the display unit 105 during chat. The network controller 106 is a controller that controls communication between the client 1 and the server via the external network. Based on the data transmitted and received by the network controller 106, the user chats via an avatar in the virtual space.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server side. The server 500 has a control unit 501, and this control unit 501 expands various programs and data on the memory 502 and controls the operation of the server 500. By this control, after receiving the character data from the client, the character data is distributed to other clients, and the behavior of the clients in the virtual space is matched. The clock unit 503 is a device for measuring time and is used for operation control. The interface unit 504 serves as an interface between the server 500 and an external network. This interface unit 504
Information is exchanged with each client including the server 500 and the client 1 via the.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a user chats in a virtual space provided by the server 500 in a system including a plurality of clients including the client 1 described above and the server 500. The client 1, the client 2, and the client 3 are connected to the server 500 via the network. The server 500 develops a virtual space based on the information from each client, and transmits and provides the information in the virtual space to the client 1, client 2, and client 3, respectively. A user who participates in the virtual space from the client 1 acts as an avatar 100 in the virtual space. Similarly, the participating user from the client 2 is the avatar 200, and the participating user from the client 3 is the avatar 300.
Act as.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the virtual space managed by the server 500 and the screen displayed by the display unit of each client. The server 500 manages the entire virtual space,
Each client displays a part of the virtual space on the display unit centering on the avatar managed by the client. For example,
A predetermined area centering on the avatar 100 in FIG. 4 is displayed on the display unit 105 of the client 1 (display screen of the client 1). Similarly, a predetermined area (display screen of the client 2) centering on the avatar 200 in FIG. 4 is displayed on the display unit (not shown) of the client 2, and a display area (not shown) of the client 3 is displayed. , A predetermined area (display screen of the client 3) centering on the avatar 300 in FIG. 4 is displayed.

The user summarizes in the document what he / she wants to convey from the client as the utterance content, and by transmitting the character data to the server, it is treated as the avatar's utterance in the virtual space.

The structure of data that each client exchanges with the server 500 will be described below with reference to FIG. The content that the client wants to speak is input from the input unit of each client. This input content corresponds to the "text" portion in FIG. The client adds a client ID, position information, and a volume parameter as a header to this body data, and the server 5
To 00.

The client ID is an identification number uniquely given to each client participating in this virtual space, and is used to identify the originator of the data received by the server 500.

The position information is information indicating coordinates in the virtual space for displaying a message. When transmitting data, the client sets the vicinity of the avatar who speaks for this coordinate and transmits it to the server 500 as position information.

The volume parameter is a parameter given to this data, and is treated as an initial value for changing the display of characters with the passage of time as described later. For example, when an input is made from the keyboard as the input unit 104 of the client 1, the CPU 101 sets a predetermined default value. The information amount of the parameter may be about 8 bits.

The processing flow of the client and the server in the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, a user who uses the client 1 inputs an input of a comment through the input unit 104 (step S101). Subsequently, the CPU 101 of the client 1
Adds the client ID, the position information, and the volume parameter to the input text (step S102).
The value of this volume parameter is set to a default value if it is not set or if it is not changed by the user's request. After that, the CPU 101 transmits this data to the external network via the network controller 106 of the client 1 and at the same time the built-in memory 1
02 (step S103).

After transmitting the data, the client 1 displays the characters having the same contents as the subsequently transmitted data on the display unit 105 based on the position information / volume parameter (step S106). Here, since my avatar speaks my remarks, the closest distance may be adopted as the distance, and I also take into account that I am aware of what is also in my remarks It is also possible to set a distance equal to the distance of. After displaying the characters, the timer unit 103 of the client 1 measures the elapsed time. According to the lapse of time, the change in the character over time is updated (step S108). This change over time means a pattern in which the size of the character is gradually reduced, a pattern in which the density of displaying the character is gradually reduced, or a combination of these, for the character indicating the content that has been said. There are patterns, which can be appropriately selected by the user.

Client 1 in step S103
The data transmitted by the server 50 is transmitted via the network to the server 50.
0 receives. Here, the server 500 updates the status change in the virtual space based on the received data (step S104). That is, which avatar speaks is recognized based on the client ID of the transmitted data. Further, based on the position information, it is recognized where the avatar speaks in the virtual space. Furthermore, the properties (size and darkness) of the characters to be displayed are set according to the volume parameter and managed in the virtual space.

The server 500 receives the received data from
Send to another client (step S10)
5). As a result, the server manages and controls the exchange of character data between clients. The server 500 may continue to update the change of characters over time as the client 1 does (step S109). For the server 500, it is preferable to update when it is desired to faithfully grasp the status of character display on each client. In addition, it is up to the client to display characters,
It is also possible to specialize in maintaining the history of the conversation and reduce the number of extra operations. In this case, it is preferable to adopt the option of not updating.

The character data transmitted by the server 500 in step S105 is received by the other clients (2, 3) via the network. The other clients display characters on their respective display units based on the position information and volume parameters included in the received data (step S
107). Information about the distance is obtained from the position information included in the utterance data and the position information of the avatar of the client, and the volume parameter is adjusted according to the distance information. That is, the utterance of an avatar in a near place is treated with a high volume, and the utterance of an avatar in a distant place is treated with a low volume. The interface is intuitive and easy to understand.

After the characters are displayed, each of the timers of the other clients (2, 3) also measures the elapsed time. According to the passage of time, the change of the character with time is updated (step S110). As with the processing in the client 1, the change over time means that, for the character indicating the content of the statement, the pattern in which the size of the character is gradually decreased, and the display density of the character is gradually decreased. There is a pattern to be followed, a pattern of a combination thereof, and these can be appropriately selected by the user.

An example of an actual screen display when the processing is performed in such a flow will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. 7 and 8 show display examples on the display unit 103 of the client 1. 7, when the client 1 user enters the speech as "Hello", shows a display state as the avatar 100 the client 1 has made a statement as "Hello". At the same time, the same data is transmitted from the client 1 to the server 500 via the network.

In response to this, FIG. 8 shows a state in which conversation has advanced. In response to the avatar 100 that was he said "Hello", other avatar is "Hello" or "Hi"
Is returned. Similar to the data transmitted from the client 1, position information and volume parameters are also added to these responses. These data are stored in the server 50
Sent to client 1 through 0. here,
Who remarks "Hello" of the avatar who is in close position with respect to the avatar 100, what is displayed larger than the remarks "Hi" of the avatar you are in the distant position relative to the avatar 100, the position information, far It shows that the volume parameter of the utterance of the avatar at the position is modified to be a small volume parameter.

While the avatar 100 continuously inputs and displays the statement "Have you heard that?"
Performs the update of the change over time for the previous remarks "Hello", and to change the character properties of. In this example, the size of the characters is reduced. In this way, when the subsequent speech is made before the previous speech disappears, it is preferable to appropriately adjust the display position so that they do not overlap.

By doing so, it is possible to provide a system that is easy for the user to use for displaying messages in the virtual space.

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 9 shows a display example of the display unit in the second embodiment. Here, in the second embodiment, a microphone is set in the virtual space, and the microphone converts the voice parameter added to the speech data. Also in this embodiment,
The system configuration is common to the first embodiment.
In the second embodiment, the server 500 provides each client with information on the position of the microphone.

The processing of the client 1 is different from that of the first embodiment in that, when the volume parameter is added in step S102, it is close to the position of the microphone in the virtual space based on the position information and the position information of the microphone. It is a point to judge whether there is an avatar in. When it is determined that the avatar speaking is near the microphone, the volume parameter is set to a value higher than the normal value for transmission / storing.

According to this embodiment, the character size of the character of the user's utterance is displayed large or the character is displayed dark in the display unit of the client operating the avatar at a distance. You can

By introducing a tool in the same virtual space called a microphone to an avatar far away in the virtual space,
It is possible to treat it as if it were a microphone in a conversation in an actual space.

In each of the above embodiments, it is assumed that the keyboard is used for data input. However, a microphone is actually used as an input unit to change the volume parameter according to the volume of the user's voice. It is also possible to let them do.

The CPU converts the data spoken by the user to the microphone into characters using a voice recognition program,
Send as text. At this time, the client ID and the position information are added in the same manner as in the first embodiment, but the volume parameter is set to a value proportional to the loudness of the user's voice sensed by the microphone. This can be dealt with by performing A-D conversion on the voice to the microphone and digitizing the voice volume of the user.

In this way, a loudly input document is displayed as large characters or dark characters in the virtual space, and the time that remains on the screen becomes long. The display is intuitive and easy for the user to understand.

In each of the embodiments, only the display unit is supposed to output a message, but it is possible to use a speaker or headphones and also use an actual voice output.

The CPU converts the data received by the client into voice data using a voice synthesis program and outputs the voice data as actual voice. The volume that is actually output uses a value that is proportional to the adjusted volume parameter. The client manages the data once output as voice so that it is not output twice. Also, if the voice output of the next utterance becomes possible before the voice output of the previous utterance is completed, the method of delaying the voice output of the latter utterance, the method of outputting by synthesizing each voice output and outputting the voice, It is preferable that any one of the methods of preferentially outputting the sound with a larger parameter and the methods be combined and appropriately adjusted.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a communication system and a communication display method that are easy for the user to use for displaying messages in a virtual space.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a client side of a communication system according to each embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server side of the communication system according to each embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication system including a client and a server according to each embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between a virtual space and a display of a client according to each embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a data format of character data according to each embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing of the client according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a screen display according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a screen display according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing screen display according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 2, 3 ... Client, 100, 200, 300 ...
Avatar, 101 ... CPU, 102 ... Memory, 103 ... Timing unit, 104 ... Input unit, 105 ... Display unit, 106 ... Network controller, 500 ... Server, 501 ... Control unit, 502 ... Memory, 503 ... Timing unit, 504 ... Interface part, 600 ... Microphone

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A server configured to be accessible to a client, and a plurality of clients for exchanging information with the server, for conversation between the clients in a virtual space provided by the server. A communication system for providing character data to each client as a conversation between avatars in a virtual space, wherein the client receives from the server the character data and a predetermined parameter attached to the character data. And a display unit configured to change a property of a character to be displayed based on the character data according to the elapsed time measured by the time measuring unit, based on the given parameter, and display the changed property. A communication system characterized by. 2. The display means uses a character size as a property of the displayed character, and displays the character size to be changed according to the value of the parameter. The communication system according to claim 1. 3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the display means uses the value of the parameter as an initial value to reduce the size of the character as time passes. 4. The display means uses a character size as a property of the display character, and displays the character with a different density depending on the value of the parameter. Item 1. The communication system according to Item 1. 5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the display means sets the value of the parameter as an initial value to decrease the density of characters with the passage of time. 6. The client further comprises means for giving a parameter when transmitting character data to the server, based on the environment of an avatar, who is a speaker in the virtual space. The communication system according to claim 1. 7. The parameter relates to a position of an avatar in the virtual space, the display means uses a character size as a property of the display character, and a character size to be displayed according to the parameter. 2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the display is changed in height. 8. A server configured to be accessible to a client, and a plurality of clients for exchanging information with the server, for conversation between the clients in a virtual space provided by the server. A display method in a communication system for providing character data to each client as a conversation between avatars in a virtual space, comprising a receiving step of receiving from the server the character data and the parameter attached to the character data. A measurement step of measuring the elapsed time, and a display step of changing and displaying the property of the character to be displayed based on the character data according to the elapsed time measured by the time measuring means based on the given parameter. And a display method comprising: