JP2005165851A - Wire-driven force sense indication apparatus, and wire-driven three-dimensional input apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a force sense indication apparatus capable of reproducing flexible motions of a force sense indicator with a small number of wires. <P>SOLUTION: The force sense indication apparatus 1 is installed in cooperation with a virtual space indication apparatus 8 of a type of enclosing a person which is capable of projecting three-dimensional pictures S. The force sense indication apparatus 1 is movably supported by a frame surrounding a testee 10. The force sense indication apparatus 1 includes a force sense provider 2 having a force sense indication plane 13 indicating the force sense to the testee 10; three support wires 14 of which each one end is connected to each vertex of the force sense provider 2; wire drivers 3 varying the wire lengths of the support wires 14; a sliding frame 4a, etc. for sliding the wire drivers 3; a position detector 18 for detecting the position of the finger tops 16 of the testee 10; and an indication processing apparatus 5 for controlling each amount of variation of the wire drivers 3 and the sliding frames 4a, 4b and 4c, and performing processing related to the indication of the force sense. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a wire-driven force sense presentation device and a wire-driven three-dimensional input device, and in particular, a wire capable of presenting a force sense to a subject according to a stereoscopic image projected by a virtual space presentation device. The present invention relates to a driving force sense presentation device and a wire driving three-dimensional input device capable of inputting information related to an arbitrary three-dimensional position and inclination of a virtual space.

  Conventionally, the force of actually touching an object to a subject in synchronization with the image surface of a stereoscopic image of a virtual space presented by using a virtual space presentation device represented by an immersive multi-face display, etc. A force sense presentation device that presents a sense of sensation has been developed. As a result, the subject who experiences the virtual space can recognize the stereoscopic video in the virtual space through vision and can also recognize it by touch through a sensory organ such as a fingertip. Then, it is possible to virtually feel the hardness of the surface of the object projected as a stereoscopic image in accordance with the strength of the presented force sense, and the virtual space experience can be made closer to reality.

  The above-described force sense presentation devices can be broadly classified into two types, a) wire drive method and b) link drive method, depending on the method of presenting the force sense. Here, each method will be described in more detail. A) The wire driving method is provided at a plurality of locations including a frame body having a substantially cubic shape formed so as to surround the subject and a joint (top) of the frame body. A system comprising a wire drive device provided, a wire whose wire length can be changed by the drive device, and a force sense presentation unit (or operation unit) supported by the wire inside the frame body and presenting a force sense to a subject ( For example, refer to Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), or let the operator hold a pen-type operation unit connected to the wire, and connect the other end of the wire to a motor carried on the operator's own back, A system (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1) that presents a force sense by generating tension has been proposed.

  At this time, the subject wears or holds a force sense presentation unit in advance on a fingertip or the like that feels force sense. And a tension | tensile_strength is acted on the some wire connected with the force sense presentation part according to the stereo image projected by the virtual space presentation apparatus. Thereby, the test subject can feel a sense of force at the fingertip or the like. Here, in the a) wire driving method, since a plurality of wires are used for presenting a force sense, the influence of the inertia of the device itself can be reduced, and the operation responsiveness can be improved. Also, it has a high affinity with the stereoscopic image projected in the virtual space, in other words, it has a low possibility of shielding the stereoscopic image, and therefore presents the sense of force to the subject in the virtual space without feeling uncomfortable. It has excellent advantages that are possible.

  On the other hand, b) link drive system, a motor is attached to each joint shaft connecting a plurality of manipulators formed movably, the drive of these motors is controlled, and the reaction force applied to the joint shaft is detected, Encounter-type force sense that controls to cause the fingertip to encounter the force sense presentation unit using a system capable of presenting force sense by performing corresponding control (for example, see Non-Patent Document 2) or a serial link mechanism Presentation devices (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 3 and Non-Patent Document 4) are known.

  As a result, it is possible to easily present a sense of force to a sensory organ such as a fingertip with a natural movement as compared with the above-described wire driving method. In addition, by using an encounter-type force sense presentation device that causes a force sense presentation unit to come into contact with a fingertip or the like, there is no need to grip or attach the force sense presentation unit or the like to the fingertip in advance as in the wire drive method. The movement of the fingertips other than the sense of sensation is not limited, and the sense of force can be presented over a wide virtual space.

  On the other hand, there is known a three-dimensional position input device capable of directly inputting three-dimensional information at an arbitrary three-dimensional position and inclination in a virtual space by applying the virtual space presentation device and the force sense presentation device described above. (For example, see Patent Document 3). As a result, it is possible to freely express an idea-rich shape based on the intuitive sense of the designer in the design work of the design, and a design with excellent creativity can be performed. In addition, a technique for calculating this three-dimensional information has been developed (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 5).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-18626 JP 2003-172661 A JP 2001-282448 A Michitaka Hirose and four others, “Development of wearable force display using wire tension”, 1998, Virtual Reality Society of Japan, Vol. 3, p. 1-4 Sensorable Technologies, Inc., “Hapitic Interface”, [online], [October 30, 2003 search], Internet <URL: http://www.sensable.com/languages/jp-hp.asp> Yasuyoshi Yokokohji et al, "Path Planning for Encountered-type Haptic Devices that Render Multiple Objects in 3D Space", 2001, Proc.IEEE VR2001, p271-278 Hiroshi Hoshino, 1 person, “A Study on Shape Presentation of Arbitrary Surfaces in Encounter Shape Presentation System”, 1999, TVRSJ, Vol. 4, no. 2, p445-454 Tomohiko Ota and 2 others, “6 degrees of freedom interface based on SPIDAR”, 2003, Proceedings of the 8th Annual Conference of the Virtual Reality Society of Japan

  However, in the above-described haptic device, the haptic device that employs the wire driving method is configured so that the subject holds the haptic device that is supported by a plurality of wires in an arbitrary three-dimensional position in the virtual space in advance (or The movement of the subject's fingertips and the like may be restricted. Further, it is known that the degree of freedom of the force sense presentation unit supported by the wire generally depends on the number of wires to which the force sense presentation unit is connected, and is specifically expressed by “number of wires−1”. ing. Therefore, when a high degree of freedom is requested from the force sense presentation unit, it is necessary to increase the number of wires to be connected, and the possibility that the subject existing in the virtual space and the wires interfere with each other is increased. As a result, the movement of the subject was restricted, and it became difficult to secure a sufficiently large virtual space. In addition, it is necessary to collect data related to the wire lengths and the wire unwinding angles of the plurality of wires connected to the force sense presentation unit and perform analysis processing, which may increase the burden of these processes.

  On the other hand, in the case of the link driving method, unlike the wire driving method described above, the virtual space secured by the wire in the virtual space is unlikely to be limited. Since the position of the fingertip and the like can be detected and the force sense presentation unit can be moved to the position, the movement of the fingertip and the like has not been limited. However, since the manipulator coupled by the link mechanism is inevitably located in a large space in the virtual space, the projected stereoscopic image and the manipulator overlap each other, and the subject is in a state where a part of the manipulator is blocked by the manipulator. There was a case where a stereoscopic image was visually recognized. For this reason, a stereoscopic image with a perfect shape cannot be captured as vision, and the atmosphere (virtual reality) of the virtual space may be impaired.

  In addition, in the case of a three-dimensional input device that applies the above-described virtual space presentation device and force sense presentation device to accept input of a three-dimensional position in the virtual space and can support design work, the above-described force sense The problems of the wire driving method and the link driving method of the presentation device are inherited as they are, and the same problem as in the case of the force sense presentation device has occurred.

  Therefore, in view of the above situation, even if the number of wires is small, the degree of freedom of the force sense presentation unit can be set to be high, the space for the force sense presentation by the wire is limited, and the wire driving force sense with less obstruction to the stereoscopic image. An object of the present invention is to provide a presentation device and a wire-driven three-dimensional input device.

  In order to solve the above problems, the wire driving force sense presentation device according to the present invention is constructed around a subject who feels the virtual space presented by the virtual space presentation device, and can accommodate the subject in an internal body space. A force sense presentation unit having a force sense presentation surface that is movably supported by an arbitrary three-dimensional position and inclination of the main body space of the device main body and capable of presenting a force sense to the subject. , One end is connected to the force sense presentation unit, and is connected to the three-dimensional position and the inclination at least three support wires that support the force sense presentation unit, and the other end of the support wire, and the support wire A wire driving section for changing the wire length; a sliding means connected to the wire driving section for sliding the wire driving section along a predetermined sliding direction; and the wire driving section and the sliding means. Linked Is composed mainly comprises a "and force feedback control means for controlling the three-dimensional position and the inclination of the force-feedback unit.

  Here, the virtual space presentation device can use a so-called “immersive multi-sided display” known as a well-known technique, and includes a plurality of devices arranged so as to surround a subject who experiences the virtual space. It is possible to make a subject recognize a stereoscopic image projected using a screen. Note that the number of screens in the immersive multi-screen display is not particularly limited, but for example, by constructing an immersive multi-screen display in which a six-sided screen is configured in a substantially cubic shape, the entire azimuth of the subject Can be surrounded by a screen, and the virtual space can always be visually recognized regardless of the direction of the subject's line of sight, and the virtual reality atmosphere is not impaired. Therefore, the subject who is immersed in the virtual space can experience the virtual space without feeling uncomfortable, and is considered particularly suitable in the present invention. Other virtual space presentation devices include a head-mounted display (HMD) type mounted on the subject's head and a spherical display type. Furthermore, the apparatus main body can be assumed to be constructed in a substantially cubic shape by combining a plurality of frame materials so as to surround the subject, for example.

  In addition, the force sense presentation unit refers to a sensory organ (for example, a tactile organ such as a fingertip or a palm) in which a subject feels a force sense and a force sense presentation surface, and has an arbitrary three-dimensional position and inclination in a virtual space. A force sense is presented to the subject, and the degree of hardness such as the surface hardness of the object can be indicated by the degree of tension of the support wire described later. Here, the force sense presentation unit is formed of, for example, a thin plate-like synthetic resin, and uses a polygonal shape (a triangular shape in the case of three support wires) in which a support wire is connected to each vertex. be able to. Note that the position where the support wire is connected is not particularly limited, but by using the above-described polygonal vertex position, it becomes easy to obtain the three-dimensional position and inclination of the force sense presentation unit in the virtual space by numerical calculation. There are advantages. In addition, the material constituting the support wire is a thin diameter that does not extend to the tensile stress in order to transmit the tension to the force sense presentation unit and does not affect the visibility of the stereoscopic image. Those having the following are preferred.

  As a result, the subject feels as if he is touching an actual object by touching the force sense presentation surface of the force sense presentation unit controlled so as to be synchronized with the stereoscopic image projected in the virtual space with a fingertip or the like. Can be experienced virtually.

  On the other hand, the wire drive unit has a function of changing the wire length of a support wire for supporting the above-described force sense presentation unit so as to be movable in a virtual space. Motor for generating a force for unwinding, circular pulley for winding the support wire, angle detection encoder for detecting the unwinding angle of the unwound support wire, and winding amount and unwinding of the support wire It consists of parts such as a rotary encoder for measuring quantity.

  Further, the sliding means is a means for sliding the wire drive unit described above along a predetermined sliding direction. For example, when the device main body is configured by a plurality of frames, a plurality of components are configured. There are some which are attached to a frame selected from among the frames (the same number as the number of wire driving units and supporting wires) and slide so as to reciprocate linearly with respect to the longitudinal direction of the frame. More specifically, a ball screw or a motor is embedded in the frame, and a sliding motor is mounted using a thrust generated by screwing of a male screw and a female screw, or a sliding motor is attached to the wire drive unit. Etc. In this case, the frame on which the sliding means is provided is not particularly limited, but the force sense at any three-dimensional position and inclination in the virtual space can be presented in a wide range as much as possible. Therefore, in the case of a cubic shape, it is desirable to provide a pair of frames that are adjacent to each other in parallel with each other and a frame that is positioned orthogonal to the frame. In addition, the sliding means is not limited to one that moves the wire driving unit in one direction like linear reciprocating movement, and may be one that freely slides on the surface of the apparatus main body. Thereby, it becomes possible to further complicate the movement of the force sense presentation unit supported by the wire driving unit.

  Therefore, according to the wire drive force sense presentation device of the present invention, the force sense presentation unit including a force sense presentation surface capable of presenting a force sense to the main body space of the device main body is supported by at least three support wires. At this time, the three-dimensional position and inclination of the force sense presentation unit in the virtual space are determined by the wire lengths of the three support wires that support the force sense presentation unit and the sliding position of the wire driving unit to which the support wires are connected (for example, The position of the wire drive relative to the frame). Then, the unwinding amount (change amount) of these wire lengths and the sliding amount of the wire driving unit by the sliding means are controlled in synchronization with the stereoscopic image projected on the virtual space. As a result, the subject in the virtual space can feel the sensation of touching the surface of the actual object by controlling the movement of the force sense presentation unit to the three-dimensional position and inclination corresponding to the surface of the stereoscopic image. . Furthermore, by controlling the tension of the support wire, it is possible to reproduce the hardness of the surface of the object related to the stereoscopic image. In particular, since the wire drive unit for winding the support wire is provided so as to be slidable in a predetermined sliding direction, even if the number of support wires is small, a high degree of freedom is provided to the force sense presentation unit. Thus, it is possible to provide a wide space in which force senses can be presented, and further, the movement of the subject and the fingertips that feel the force sense is reduced.

  Furthermore, the wire drive force sense presentation device according to the present invention has, in addition to the above configuration, “organ position detection means for detecting the position of the sensory organ where the subject feels the force sense, and the position detected by the organ position detection means” It may further comprise “force sense presentation unit encounter means for causing the force sense presentation unit to encounter at the position of the sensory organ”.

  Therefore, according to the wire-driven force sense presentation device of the present invention, the position of the sensory organ (tactile organ) such as the fingertip or palm of the subject is detected, and the force sense presentation unit is moved in accordance with the detected position of the sensory organ. Can be met. Here, the sensory organ is detected by, for example, a fingertip sensing device that emits infrared light in a virtual space, reflects the infrared light by a minute reflecting material attached to the fingertip, and receives the reflected light by a stereo camera. Etc. Thereby, a three-dimensional position can be specified in a non-contact state with respect to a fingertip. That is, the wire-driven force sense presentation device of the present invention can be an encounter type force sense presentation device.

  This eliminates the need for the subject to attach the operation unit to a finger or the like in advance as in a conventional force sense presentation device. Therefore, the movement of the fingertip can be freely moved without being limited by the wire. Moreover, the operability by the subject is improved by functioning as an encounter-type force sense presentation device.

  Furthermore, the wire drive force sense presentation device of the present invention is, in addition to the above configuration, “at least one of the force sense presentation unit and the support wire is formed of a material exhibiting transparency”. It doesn't matter.

  Therefore, according to the wire drive force sense presentation device of the present invention, since at least one of the force sense presentation unit and the support wire is formed of a transparent material, the subject passes through the force sense presentation unit and the like. It is possible to recognize a stereoscopic image through visual perception as it is by using the light. In other words, the stereoscopic image is not obstructed by the force sense presentation unit or the like. Here, in principle, only the subject and the stereoscopic image exist in the virtual space constructed by the virtual space presentation device, and it is desirable for the subject to feel only the presented virtual space through vision. It is preferable not to enter. Therefore, by constructing the force sense presentation unit or the like with a transparent material, it is possible to provide a subject with a more realistic 3D image without impairing the virtual reality when viewing the 3D image. In addition, as a raw material which exhibits transparency, it is possible to use synthetic resins, such as an acrylic resin. Furthermore, it is possible to use a tentacle thread used for fishing line or the like as the support wire.

  The wire-driven three-dimensional input device according to the present invention includes: a device main body constructed around a subject who experiences a virtual space presented by a virtual space presentation device and capable of accommodating the subject in an internal main body space; A three-dimensional input unit that is movably supported at an arbitrary three-dimensional position and inclination of the main body space, and that accepts input of three-dimensional information related to the three-dimensional position and inclination, and one end connected to the three-dimensional input unit And at least three support wires that support the three-dimensional input unit at the three-dimensional position and the inclination, and the other end of the support wire, respectively, and according to an operation force applied to the three-dimensional input unit A wire driving unit that varies a wire length of the support wire; and a wire driving unit that is connected to the wire driving unit and that moves along a predetermined sliding direction according to the operation force applied to the position input unit. A three-dimensional information of the three-dimensional input unit by detecting a sliding means for sliding the Y-driving unit, a change amount of the support wire by the wire driving unit, and a sliding amount of the wire driving unit by the sliding unit. And a three-dimensional information acquisition means for acquiring "."

  Here, the basic configuration of the wire-driven three-dimensional input device of the present invention is substantially the same as that of the above-described wire-driven force sense presentation device, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Furthermore, in the change of the three-dimensional input unit that moves according to the operating force, the three-dimensional information related to the three-dimensional position and inclination is based on the wire length of the support wire that supports the three-dimensional input unit and the sliding amount of the sliding means. Has been acquired.

  Therefore, according to the wire drive three-dimensional input device of the present invention, the three-dimensional input unit can be freely moved in the virtual space by the sliding means and the wire drive unit slidably attached to the frame. it can. Furthermore, the amount of change in movement change with respect to the operating force applied to the three-dimensional input unit can be calculated by the wire driving unit and the sliding means, respectively, and three-dimensional information related to the three-dimensional position in the virtual space can be easily obtained. . Furthermore, since the wire drive section slides along the longitudinal direction of the frame, the degree of freedom of the three-dimensional input section can be increased even with a small number of support wires, and the three-dimensional position of the virtual space can be obtained with high accuracy. It becomes possible to do.

  As an effect of the present invention, according to the wire drive force sense presentation device, since the wire drive unit is slidably attached to the frame by the sliding means, the number of support wires can be suppressed to a small number (at least three). The degree of freedom of the force sense presentation unit can be set high. As a result, the force sense presentation unit can be accurately controlled in combination with the stereoscopic video at an arbitrary three-dimensional position and inclination in the virtual space. Thereby, a virtual space with a sense of force can be presented to the subject without impairing the burden and virtual reality related to the processing. Furthermore, according to the wire-driven three-dimensional input device, it is possible to freely acquire three-dimensional information related to an arbitrary three-dimensional position in the virtual space by applying the configuration of the wire-driven force sense presentation device described above. Supporting work such as design can be facilitated, and a new design based on the intuitive judgment of the subject can be created.

  Hereinafter, a wire driving force sense presentation device 1 (hereinafter referred to as “force sense presentation device 1”) according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. Here, FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the force sense presentation device 1 of the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the force sense presentation unit 2 of the force sense presentation device 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the configuration of the wire drive unit 3 and the sliding frames 4a, 4b, 4c, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an example of use of the force sense presentation device 1, and FIG. 5 is a presentation processing device. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the presentation processing device 5. In the following description of the present specification, unless otherwise specified, the term “three-dimensional position DP” is defined to include “three-dimensional position and inclination”.

  The force sense presentation device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a six-face screen 6 installed so as to surround the subject 10 (see FIG. 4), as mainly shown in FIGS. Projector 7 for projecting an image on the screen 6 (only one is shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 for simplification of drawings), and image information relating to the stereoscopic image S projected by each projector 7 Provided in conjunction with a virtual space presentation device 8 composed of an immersive multi-face display composed of a video control unit (not shown) that controls VI, and presents a substantially cubic shape in the presented virtual space V. A frame body 12 in which a plurality of frames 9, 4 a, 4 b, 4 c are combined to surround the subject 10 experiencing the virtual space V over the entire circumference, and the frame space 11 is formed inside, A triangular plate-shaped force sense presentation unit 2 having a force sense presentation surface 13 that is movably supported at an arbitrary three-dimensional position DP of the frame space 11 and presents a force sense to the subject 10. Three support wires 14 each having an apex and one end connected to each other, a wire drive unit 3 for changing the wire length L of the support wire 14 by winding and unwinding operations, and the wire drive unit 3 in the longitudinal direction The sliding frame 4a, 4b, 4c to be slid and the minute reflector 17 provided at the upper position of the virtual space V and attached to the fingertip 16 which is one of the sensory organs where the subject 10 feels a sense of force. A position detection unit 18 that detects the position of the fingertip 16 in the virtual space V from the reflected light O that is irradiated with the irradiation light I in the infrared wavelength region and is reflected by the reflecting material 17, and the wire length of the support wire 14 by the wire driving unit 3. L And a presentation processing device 5 that controls the amount of sliding of the wire driving unit 3 with respect to the sliding frames 4a, 4b, and 4c and performs a force sense presenting process by the force sense presenting unit 2. Yes. Here, the sliding frames 4a, 4b and 4c correspond to the sliding means in the present invention, the frame space 11 corresponds to the main body space in the present invention, the frame body 12 corresponds to the apparatus main body in the present invention, and the position detection. The part 18 corresponds to the organ position specifying means in the present invention. In addition, the subject 10 wears stereoscopic glasses 15 including a liquid crystal shutter in the virtual space V in order to stereoscopically view the stereoscopic video S (see FIG. 4).

  More specifically, the frame body 12 is formed in a substantially cubic shape such as a dice, and a plurality of frames 9 and three sliding frames 4a, 4b, 4c are assembled to construct such a shape. Are combined. Here, at the portion corresponding to the lower surface of the frame body 12, the longitudinal direction coincides with the Z-axis direction (see FIG. 1) in the reference coordinate system, and each end portion is located at the center portion of the pair of frames 9 facing each other. Are attached, and a first sliding frame 4a orthogonal to the frame 9 is attached. The other end of the support wire 14 connected to the force sense presentation unit 2 is connected to the wire drive unit 3 slidably attached to the first sliding frame 4a in the Z-axis direction. ing. Further, a second sliding frame 4b and a third sliding frame 4 for enabling the remaining two wire driving units 3 to which the supporting wires 14 for supporting the force sense presentation unit 2 in the virtual space V are respectively connected are slidable. The sliding frame 4c corresponds to the upper part of the frame body 12, and is provided at a position facing the first sliding frame 4a in parallel with each other. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the three sliding frames 4 a, 4 b and 4 c form a part for constructing the frame body 12. The sliding frames 4a, 4b, 4c correspond to the sliding means in the present invention.

  Furthermore, as schematically shown in FIG. 2, the force sense presentation unit 2 has a shape of a regular triangular thin plate, and a colorless and transparent hard acrylic resin plate is used. Then, one end of a support wire 14 connected to each wire driving unit 3 is tied to each triangular apex. In FIG. 2, points and symbols serving as a basis for explaining a method of calculating a three-dimensional position DP or the like of a force sense presentation unit 2 described later by numerical calculation are additionally displayed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the wire driving unit 3 varies the wire length L of the support wire 14 connected to the force sense presentation unit 2 and presents a force sense at an arbitrary three-dimensional position DP. A drive motor 19 for driving the wire for changing the wire length L of the support wire 14, and a circular shape for winding and unwinding the support wire 14 by the rotation of the drive motor 19. The pulley 20, the rotary encoder 21 that measures the change amount of the support wire 14 from the rotation angle of the drive motor 19 and the pulley radius of the pulley 20, and the unwinding of the support wire 14 from the wire drive unit 3 toward the force sense presentation unit 2 The guide 22 for determining the angle and the angle measurement encoder 22a for measuring the unwinding angle, the plate-like support plate 23 for fixing and supporting the above-described members, and a part of the support plate 23 are provided. Sliding frame 4a in cooperation with the support plate 23, 4b, are provided with a clamping plate 24 for fixing in a state of crowded clamping the 4c. Thereby, the wire drive part 3 can be made to be slidable with respect to the sliding frame 4a etc. FIG. The configuration of the electrical wiring for supplying power to the drive motor 19 and the encoders 21 and 22a and transmitting control signals such as encoder detection signals is not shown here.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the sliding frames 4 a, 4 b, and 4 c have a substantially U-shaped cross section, and a frame main body 25 arranged with the opening side facing upward, and a concave shape of the frame main body 25. A ball screw 26 embedded in the space so as to be axially rotatable along the longitudinal direction, a sliding motor 27 for rotating the ball screw 26 in the concave space of the frame body 25, and a rotation angle of the sliding motor 27 are detected. The rotary encoder 28 is mainly provided. In addition, the thing of the structure which embedded the sliding motor 27 and the rotary encoder 28 in the concave space of the frame main body 25 in the force sense presentation apparatus 1 of 1st embodiment is shown. A part of the lower surface of the support plate 23 is formed with a female screw (not shown) formed so as to be able to be screwed with the thread of the male screw 29 of the ball screw 26. As the sliding motor 27 rotates, the ball screw 26 connected to and supported by the sliding motor 27 rotates, and the male screw 29 of the ball screw 26 and the female screw formed on the support plate 23 are rotated. By engaging, the propulsive force of the wire drive unit 3 acts in the longitudinal direction of the sliding frame 4a of the sliding frame (corresponding to the Z-axis direction and the arrow Z direction in the reference coordinate system shown in FIGS. 1 and 3). As a result, the wire driving unit 3 slides (slides) along the sliding frame 4a. The force sense presentation unit 2 that changes due to the movement of the sliding frame 4a and the like can change the direction of the three-dimensional position DP and the force sense presentation surface 13 in the virtual space V.

  In addition, the presentation processing device 5 is detected by the control of the change amount of the wire length L of the support wire 14 by the wire driving unit 3, the control of the sliding amount of the wire driving unit 3 by the sliding frame 4 a, and the position detection unit 18. This is for performing various processes such as detection and identification of the position of the fingertip 16 of the subject 10. As a specific functional configuration thereof, as shown in FIG. 5, information regarding the position of the fingertip 16 detected by the position detection unit 18 is received, and the position of the center of gravity of the force sense presentation unit 2 and the force sense presentation unit 2 are received. A position / inclination calculating unit 30 for calculating the inclination of the wire, and a wire length L of the support wire 14 that supports the force sense presentation unit 2 and a sliding amount of the wire driving unit 3 based on the specified position of the fingertip 16 The image of the stereoscopic image S projected on the three-dimensional position DP of the virtual space V according to the length / sliding amount calculation unit 31 and the calculated wire length L and the sliding amount of the wire driving unit 3. It mainly includes a force sense synchronization presentation unit 32 that controls movement according to the information VI, and an encounter control unit 33 that controls the force sense presentation unit 2 so as to encounter the position of the fingertip 16 detected by the position detection unit 18. Configured. Here, the force sense synchronous presentation unit 32 corresponds to the force sense presentation control means in the present invention, and the encounter control unit 33 corresponds to the force sense presentation unit encounter means in the present invention. In addition, the presentation processing device 5 includes the wire driving unit 3 and the sliding unit so that the force sense is presented to the fingertip 16 of the subject 10 together with the video information VI by the force sense synchronous presentation unit 32 and the encounter control unit 33. Drive motor control for adjusting the control amounts of the motors 19 and 27 of the frames 4a, 4b, and 4c and performing feedback control based on the detection amounts of the rotary encoders 21 and 28 that detect the rotation angles of the motors 19 and 27 A part 34 and a sliding motor control part 35 are provided.

  The position detection unit 18 identifies the position of the fingertip 16 in the virtual space V using the irradiation light I as described above, and it is possible to use conventionally known techniques and devices. The position detection unit 18 (corresponding to a position detection sensor) including the irradiation unit 36 of irradiation light and the light reception unit 37 of reflected light in the infrared wavelength region irradiated on the reflecting material 17 is a three-dimensional image projected onto the virtual space V. In order to improve the projection state of the image S, it is installed at a position above the screen 6 and the frame body 12 so as not to interfere with the recognition of the stereoscopic image S by the subject 10 (see FIGS. 1 and 4). ).

  Next, an example of use of the force sense presentation device 1 of the first embodiment and a flow of processing in the presentation processing device 5 will be described mainly based on FIGS. 4 to 6. First, the stereoscopic image S is projected onto the virtual space V by the virtual space presentation device 8 installed in conjunction with the force sense presentation device 1 (step S1). Then, the irradiation light I in the infrared wavelength region is irradiated from the irradiation unit 36 of the position detection unit 18 installed above the screen 6, and the irradiation light is irradiated by the reflector 17 previously attached to the fingertip 16 of the subject 10. The reflected light O reflected by I is received by the light receiving unit 37 (step S2). Thereafter, the position of the fingertip 16 in the virtual space V is specified based on the reflection angle of the reflected light O and the time required from irradiation to light reception (step S3).

  Then, the relationship between the position corresponding to the surface of the stereoscopic image S projected by the virtual space presentation device 8 and the position of the identified fingertip 16 is determined (step S4). Here, when it is determined that the position of the specified fingertip 16 (strictly speaking, the reflecting material 17) is in contact with the surface of the stereoscopic image S (YES in step S4), F = 1 is given (step 1). S5). On the other hand, when the position of the fingertip 16 is away from the surface of the stereoscopic image S, the process of step S5 is canceled and the process proceeds to step S6.

  After that, the position / inclination calculation unit 31 calculates command values for the gravity center position and inclination at the three-dimensional position DP of the force sense presentation unit 2 (step S6). Then, command values for the wire length L of the support wire 14 by the wire driving unit 3 and the sliding amount of the wire driving unit 3 with respect to the sliding frame 4a are calculated in accordance with the calculated center of gravity position and inclination (step S7). Here, the initial length of the wire length L of each support wire 14 is determined in advance. Furthermore, the initial position of the wire driving unit 3 with respect to the sliding frames 4a, 4b, and 4c is also determined in advance, and the above-described wire length L and sliding amount are obtained as displacements from the initial value (position).

  Then, the presentation processing device 5 determines the value of F (step S8). If F = 1 (YES in step S8), a force sense synchronous presentation process for presenting a force sense to the fingertip 16 is performed (step S9). On the other hand, when F ≠ 1 (NO in step S8), since the fingertip 16 is not in contact with the surface of the stereoscopic image S, the encounter presentation process is performed so that the haptic presentation unit 2 comes (sees) at the position of the fingertip 16. Is performed (step S10). Here, the haptic synchronization presentation process and the encounter presentation process both relate to the process of moving the haptic presentation unit 2 to an arbitrary three-dimensional position DP, and the calculated change amount of the wire length L and the wire drive The drive motor control unit 34 and the slide motor control unit 35 are controlled based on the sliding amount of the unit 3, and the operations of the motors 19 and 27 are performed (step S11 and step S12).

  Thereby, the force sense presentation unit 2 moves toward an arbitrary three-dimensional position DP (and inclination) in the virtual space V (step S13). At this time, the amount of change and the amount of sliding are always detected, and control such that the force sense presentation unit 2 approaches the desired three-dimensional position DP by feedback control (see the broken line F1 in FIG. 6). Is made. As a result, the force sense presenting unit 2 reaches the three-dimensional position DP (step S14), and the force sense presenting unit 2 is presented to the fingertip 16 to present the force sense to the fingertip 16 of the subject 10 or to present the force sense. Will come across. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not to cancel the haptic synchronization presentation process or the encounter presentation process (step S15), and when an instruction to cancel is given (YES in step S15), the process is stopped. (Step S16). On the other hand, when the process is continued (NO in step S15), the process proceeds to step S2, and the position of the fingertip 16 is specified. Here, since the haptic presentation unit 2 is made of a transparent acrylic resin material as described above, the stereoscopic image S projected through the haptic presentation unit 2 is visually recognized without any shielding. Can do. That is, the visibility of the stereoscopic video S is not impaired by the force sense presentation unit 2.

  Note that, in the above-described haptic presentation step, when calculating the position of the fingertip 16 and the position on the surface of the stereoscopic image S, the normal vector on the surface of the stereoscopic image S is calculated at the same time. Then, the position on the surface of the stereoscopic image S and the normal vector correspond to the position of the center of gravity of the force sense presentation unit 2 and the inclination of the force sense presentation surface 13. At this time, it is possible to estimate whether or not the fingertip 16 collides with the stereoscopic image S by continuing to calculate the distance between the fingertip 16 and the position on the surface. Then, by performing control so that the force sense presentation unit 2 moves to a position where it collides in advance (in other words, the force sense presentation unit 2 encounters the fingertip 16), the force sense presentation device of the present invention is performed. 1 can be an encounter-type haptic device. At this time, by controlling the respective tensions of the support wires 14 that support the force sense presentation unit 2, it is possible to provide a reaction force when the force sense is presented to the subject 10, and the hardness and softness of the stereoscopic image S can be provided. It is possible to show the virtual reality in a virtual reality.

  Then, after the force sense is presented in step S14, when the force sense synchronous presentation process or the like is continued, the position of the fingertip 16 can be specified, and the force sense synchronous presentation or encounter process can be repeated. At this time, even when moving the fingertip 16 along the surface of the stereoscopic image S, the subject 10 can feel as if it is an actual object by changing the three-dimensional position DP and tilt of the force sense presentation unit 2 in real time. You can enjoy the feeling of touching

Here, the position of the center of gravity of the force sense presentation unit 2, the wire length L of the support wire 14 for calculating an instruction value for instructing the inclination of the force sense presentation surface 13, the sliding frame 4 a of the wire driving unit 3, etc. An example of calculating each position of the wire drive unit 3 that slides with respect to FIG. Specifically, when the center-of-gravity position P _{0 of the} plate (see Equation 1) and the direction n (see Equation 2) of the haptic presentation surface 13 expressed by the normal vector are input, X component, y component, and z component in the reference coordinate system (see FIG. 1) of the vertex positions P ₁ , P ₂ , and P ₃ of the haptic presentation unit 2 for realizing (see Equations 3, 4, and 5) And z components (see Equations 6, 7, and 8) at positions Pa, Pb, and Pc of the drive motor 19 of the wire drive unit 3, tensions t ₁ , t ₂ , t ₃ acting on the wire, and force The torsion angle θ of the sense presentation unit 2 is calculated. Here, since the drive motor 19 of the wire drive unit 3 slides along the z-axis direction with respect to the slide frames 4a, 4b, and 4c, each x component and each y component have constant values.

Here, in order to facilitate calculation, t ₂₁ = t ₂ / t ₁ , t ₃₁ = t ₃ / t ₁ , and the wire lengths l ₁ , l ₂ , and l ₃ of the support wire 14 are as follows: Define (see Equations 9, 10, and 11).

  Further, an unknown variable X is defined as follows (see Expression 12), and these constraint expressions are expressed as Expression 13.

Here, the normal vector n (see Equation 2) and the angle of the coordinates ^{(0,0,1) T,} the outer product vector of the normal vector n and the ^{(0,0,1) T,} using a quaternion Then, a rotation matrix RεR ³ between n and (0, 0, 1) ^T is created. Here, the distance R ₁ , r ₂ , r ₃ between the center of gravity position P ₀ (see Equation 1) of the force sense presentation unit 2 and each vertex, and P ₁ between the vertices centered on the center of gravity position P _0. Assuming that the phase differences θ ₂₁ and θ ₃₁ are based on the relationship, the relationship between P ₁ , P ₂ , P ₃ and P ₀ is expressed by the following equations (see Equations 14 to 16).

  At this time, the plane formed including the positions of the three drive motors 19 and the normal vector n of the force sense presentation surface 13 of the force sense presentation unit 2 are perpendicular to each other. See).

Furthermore, when unit vectors a ₁ , a ₂ , and a ₃ indicating the respective directions of the support wire 14 are defined in Expressions 19 to 21, the resultant force acting on the force sense presentation unit 2 is expressed by Expression 22. The Therefore, the following equation (see Equations 23 to 25) is established. Similarly, since the sum of the moments acting on the force sense presentation unit 2 is 0, Equation 26 holds. Then, by obtaining an unknown number X such that the first constraint expression F (X) (see Equation 13) is 0, a value that realizes the position P ₀ of the input center of gravity and the normal vector n is obtained. Can be calculated. Note that a method related to numerical calculation for calculating a numerical value is not particularly limited. For example, the unknown X can be obtained by using a Newton-Rapson method.

Thereby, the wire lengths l ₁ , l ₂ , l ₃ of the support wire 14 are determined from the vertices P ₁ , P ₂ , P ₃ of the force sense presentation unit 2 and the positions Pa, Pb, Pc of the drive motors 19. Based on the determination, the control amount of each drive motor 19 is calculated. In addition, the inclination of the force sense presentation surface 13 can be controlled by sliding the wire driving unit 3 along the z-axis direction.

  As described above, the force sense presentation device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes the three support wires 14 that support the force sense presentation unit 2 and the wire drive that changes the wire length L of the support wire 14. By providing the sliding frame 4a and the like for controlling the portion 3 so as to be slidable, the force sense presentation is reproduced with a small number of support wires 14 and a high degree of freedom as compared with the case of the conventional wire driving method. be able to. In particular, there is no object that obstructs the recognition of the stereoscopic video S between the stereoscopic video S and the subject 10, and a sufficient space for presenting a force sense in the virtual space V can be secured. Furthermore, by synchronizing the position on the surface of the stereoscopic image S and the position of the force sense presentation surface 13 of the force sense presentation unit 2, the subject 10 can experience the virtual space V in a state where the virtual reality is further enhanced. it can. Furthermore, since the position of the fingertip 16 of the subject 10 can be detected in advance and control can be performed so that the force sense presentation unit 2 encounters the position, the movement of the fingertip 16 is further reduced, and the subject 10 Does not interfere with operability and mobility. In addition, since the force sense presentation unit 2 is made of a transparent material, the visibility of the stereoscopic video S in the virtual space V is not impaired, and the virtual reality experienced by the subject 10 is more realistic. It can be.

  Next, a wire-driven three-dimensional input device 50 (hereinafter simply referred to as “input device 50”) according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the input device 50 according to the second embodiment, FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the input processing device 51, and FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process. Note that the input device 50 of the second embodiment has a basic configuration that is substantially the same as that of the force sense presentation device 1 of the first embodiment, and applies the function of the force sense presentation device 1 to any arbitrary virtual space V. The three-dimensional information 52 of the three-dimensional position DP is acquired. Therefore, in the input device 50 of the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to components having the same configuration and functions as those of the force sense presentation device 1 of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted here. To do.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the input device 50 according to the second embodiment includes a three-dimensional input unit 53 having a spherical shape formed so as to be graspable by an input operator 61 and one end connected to the three-dimensional input unit 53. The three support wires 54 that support the three-dimensional input unit 53 in the virtual space V, the wire drive unit 3 that changes the wire length L of the support wire 54, and the wire drive unit 3 are slid in the longitudinal direction. A three-dimensional input that mainly includes sliding frames 55a, 55b, and 55c that can move, and moves in the virtual space V in accordance with an operation force applied to the three-dimensional input unit 53 by the input operator 61. Along with the portion 53, the wire length L of the support wire 54 and the position of the wire driving portion 3 with respect to the sliding frame 55a are changed. Thereby, the three-dimensional information 52 in the virtual space V of the three-dimensional input unit 53 can be continuously acquired by measuring the wire length L and the position of the wire driving unit 3. That is, by continuously recording the trajectory of the movement of the three-dimensional input unit 53, the three-dimensional information 52 related to the three-dimensional position DP can be input directly into the virtual space V in real time.

  Here, as another configuration, the input device 50 is configured such that the amount of change in the wire length L of the support wire 54 that changes in accordance with the operation force applied to the above-described three-dimensional input unit 53 and the position where the wire driving unit 3 slides. An input processing device 51 is provided that performs processing for receiving data related to and calculating three-dimensional information 52. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the input processing device 51 has a functional configuration in which the change in the wire length L of the support wire 54 that changes due to the movement of the three-dimensional input unit 53 is detected by the drive motor 19 of the wire drive unit 3. A wire length change amount measuring unit 56 for measuring based on the rotation angle, a sliding amount measuring unit 57 for measuring the sliding amount of the wire driving unit 3 with respect to the sliding frame 55a and the like based on the rotation angle of the rotary encoder 28, and a wire The wire angle measuring unit 60 that measures the unwinding angle of the support wire 54 unwound from the drive unit 3 by the angle measurement encoder 22a (see FIG. 3), the measured change amount of the wire length L, the sliding amount, and the unwinding A three-dimensional information calculation unit 58 that calculates the three-dimensional information 52 at the three-dimensional position DP of the three-dimensional input unit 53 according to the angle, and continuously stores the calculated three-dimensional information 52. A three-dimensional information storage unit 59, a three-dimensional input unit 53 that moves in response to an operating force, and a synchronization control unit 62 that displays a stereoscopic image S presented by the virtual space presentation device 8 in synchronization with each other. A reaction force presenting unit 63 that presents a constant reaction force (binding force) synchronized with the stereoscopic image S to the input operator 61 via the original input unit 53 is mainly configured.

  A predetermined tension is applied to the support wire 54 that supports the three-dimensional input unit 53 in an initial state. The three-dimensional input unit 53 moves in the virtual space V when the input operator 61 gives an operation force against the tension. Further, when the input operator 61 releases the three-dimensional input unit 53 (releases the gripping state), the three-dimensional input unit 53 is urged to return to the initial state by the tension. In addition, in order to present a predetermined reaction force to the three-dimensional input unit 53, the reaction force presentation unit performs a process of controlling the wire driving unit 3 and the sliding frame 55a and the like to apply a predetermined tension to the support wire 54. A drive motor control unit 64 that controls the drive motor 19 and a slide motor control unit 65 that controls the slide motor 27 are provided at 63. Here, the sliding frame 55a and the like correspond to the sliding means in the present invention, and the wire length change amount measuring unit 56, the sliding amount measuring unit 57, the wire angle measuring unit 60, and the three-dimensional unit provided in the input processing device 51. The information calculation unit 58 corresponds to the three-dimensional information acquisition unit in the present invention.

  Here, an example of use of the input device 50 of the second embodiment and a flow of processing of the input processing device 51 according to the second embodiment will be mainly described with reference to FIG. In the input device 50 according to the second embodiment, the three-dimensional input unit 53 is moved so as to trace the surface of the stereoscopic image S projected by the virtual space presentation device 8, and the three-dimensional information 52 is acquired. Show. At this time, a restraining force related to the movement is given to the three-dimensional input unit 53 in contact with the surface of the stereoscopic image S by the tension of the support wire 54.

  First, initial values such as the wire length L of each support wire 54 in the initial state, the position of the wire driving unit 3 with respect to the sliding frame 5a, the unwinding angle of the support wire 54, and the like are measured (step T1). At this time, the stereoscopic image S is projected in advance on the virtual space V by the virtual space presentation device 8. Then, the three-dimensional position DP (including the inclination) of the three-dimensional input unit 53 is calculated based on the measured value such as the wire length L (step T2). Further, the shortest distance between the calculated three-dimensional input unit 53 and the surface of the projected stereoscopic image S is calculated (step T3). Then, based on the calculated shortest distance, it is determined whether or not the 3D input unit 53 and the surface of the stereoscopic video S are separated (step T4). Here, when the 3D input unit 53 is separated from the surface of the stereoscopic image S (YES in step T4), each value (wire length, sliding amount, unwinding angle) of the 3D input unit 53 is acquired ( The process proceeds to step T5) and step T10. On the other hand, when it is determined that the 3D input unit 53 and the surface of the stereoscopic image S are in contact (NO in step T4), the 3D input unit 53 reaches the surface position of the stereoscopic image S based on the calculated shortest distance. The tension which moves by energizing is generated in the support wire 54 (step T6), and the three-dimensional input unit 53 is moved by controlling the wire driving unit 3 and the sliding frame 55a (step T7). Here, the contact between the 3D input unit 53 and the surface of the stereoscopic image S is located when the 3D input unit 53 is inserted in the inner part of the stereoscopic image S and along the surface of the stereoscopic image S. Including both cases. Here, for calculating the shortest distance between the three-dimensional input unit 53 and the surface of the stereoscopic image S, a method of “God Object Method” is used in the present embodiment.

  As a result, the three-dimensional input unit 53 is placed along the surface of the stereoscopic image S. Then, the input operator 61 moves the three-dimensional input unit 53 while receiving a force (restraint force) along the surface of the stereoscopic image S. At this time, various data such as the wire length L, which changes as the three-dimensional input unit 53 moves, are continuously acquired by the measurement units 56, 57, and 60 of the input processing device 51 (step T8), and the tertiary based on the movement trajectory. Original information 52 is stored (step T9). Here, feedback control (broken line F2 in FIG. 9) is performed between step T7 and step T9. Accordingly, the three-dimensional information 52 can be acquired while moving the three-dimensional input unit 53 along the surface shape of the stereoscopic image S in the virtual space V. Thereafter, an instruction to determine whether or not to continue the input of the three-dimensional information 52 is detected (step T10). When there is an instruction to stop the input of the three-dimensional information 52 (YES in step T10), an input stop process Is performed (step T11). On the other hand, if there is an instruction to continue the input (NO in step T10), the process returns to step T2, and the input of the three-dimensional information 52 by the three-dimensional input unit 53 is continued.

  In the input device 50 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the three-dimensional input unit 53 is moved along the surface shape of the stereoscopic image S, and a predetermined reaction force is given to the input operator 61 in a three-dimensional manner. Although the input of the information 52 is shown, the present invention is not limited to this, and the three-dimensional information 52 may be input by freely moving in the virtual space V. The input of the three-dimensional information 52 may be started at an arbitrary timing, for example, by operating a switch or the like provided in the three-dimensional input unit 53.

Here, the position P ₀ of the center of gravity of the three-dimensional input unit 53 and the inclination vector n when the three-dimensional input unit 53 necessary for performing the above-described input processing of the three-dimensional information 52 is grasped. At this time, assuming that the support wire 54 has an inclination θ ₁ with respect to the horizontal plane relative to the x-axis in the reference coordinate system and an inclination φ ₁ with respect to the vertical plane, the vertex vector P ₁ of the three-dimensional input unit 53 is expressed by the following equation: Is expressed as a rotation matrix (see Equation 27). Further, P ₂ and P ₃ can be similarly obtained. By using these, the position P ₀ of the center of gravity is calculated (see Expression 28).

Further, the slope n can be obtained from the outer product of the vector P ₁ -P ₀ and the vector P ₂ -P ₀ . And the determination regarding the above-mentioned contact is made using the obtained P _0, and a motion accompanied by a reaction force can be applied to the three-dimensional input unit 53. Accordingly, by freely moving the three-dimensional input unit 53 in the virtual space V, it is possible to easily input the three-dimensional information 52 related to an arbitrary three-dimensional position DP. Further, since the wire driving unit 3 is provided so as to be slidable with respect to the sliding frame 55a, the freedom of the three-dimensional input unit 53 can be reduced even when the number of support wires 54 supporting the three-dimensional input unit 53 is small. The degree can be set high. As a result, the position inputable space of the three-dimensional input unit 53 in the virtual space V can be taken widely. Furthermore, the possibility of affecting the movement of the input operator 61 by the support wire 54 is reduced.

  The present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as described below. And design changes are possible.

  That is, in the force sense presentation device 1 of the first embodiment and the input device 50 of the second embodiment, the force sense presentation unit 2 or the three-dimensional input unit 53 is supported by three support wires 14 and 54. However, the number of the support wires 14 and 54 is not limited to this. By increasing the number of the support wires 14 and 54, the degree of freedom related to the movement of the force sense presentation unit 2 and the like can be increased. However, an increase in the number of the support wires 14 and 54 increases the possibility that the subject 10 and the support wires 14 and 54 touch each other, which may impair the operability of the subject 10 and the mobility of the fingertip 16. Further, even when the position and inclination of the force sense presentation unit 2 and the like are calculated using the above-described numerical calculation method, the number of parameters increases and the numerical calculation may be more complicated. Therefore, as shown in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the one that employs the minimum number of three support wires 14 and 54 that can be moved three-dimensionally is the force sense presentation device 1 of the present invention. The input device 50 is considered particularly suitable. Further, in the force sense presentation device 1 of the first embodiment and the input device 50 of the second embodiment, a sliding frame 4a and the like that slidably supports the wire driving unit 3 are illustrated in FIGS. Of course, it is not limited to this, but can be set as appropriate according to the force sense presentation range by the force sense presentation unit 2 or the input range of the three-dimensional input unit 53.

  Moreover, although the immersive-type multi-surface display which has the 6 screens 6 surrounding the perimeter direction of the test subject 10 (or input operator 61) was used as the virtual space presentation apparatus 8, the number of surfaces of the screen 6 can be changed suitably. Is possible. Furthermore, although the force sense presentation unit 2 has been shown as a thin triangular plate, the present invention is not limited to this, and the force sense presentation unit 2 has a force sense presentation surface 13 and includes a sensory organ (tactile organ) such as a fingertip 16 of the subject 10. ) As long as it can present a sense of force. Also, the shape of the three-dimensional input unit 53 is shown as a spherical shape that can be easily grasped. However, the shape is not limited to this, and any shape that can indicate the three-dimensional position DP may be used. The original input unit 53 may be formed in a pen shape and held by the input operator 61. In addition, as the virtual space presentation device 8, a device that presents the virtual space V by an immersive multi-face display has been shown. For example, a well-known virtual space presentation technique such as a head-mounted display (HMD) or a spherical display is applied. It does not matter.

It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the force sense presentation apparatus of 1st embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the force sense presentation part of a force sense presentation apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a wire drive part and a sliding frame. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of use of a force sense presentation apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of a presentation processing apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of a presentation processing apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the input device of 2nd embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of an input processing device. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of an input processing device.

Explanation of symbols

1 Force sense presentation device (wire-driven force sense presentation device)
2 force sense presentation unit 3 wire drive unit 4a, 55a first sliding frame (sliding means, frame)
4b, 55b Second sliding frame (sliding means, frame)
4c, 55c Third sliding frame (sliding means, frame)
8 Virtual space presentation device 9 Frame 10 Subject 12 Frame body 13 Haptic display surface 14, 54 Support wire 16 Fingertip (sensory organ)
18 Position detection unit (organ position detection means)
32 Force sense synchronous presentation unit (force sense presentation control means)
33 Encounter control unit (force sense presentation unit encounter means)
50 input device (wire driven 3D input device)
52 3D Information 53 3D Input Unit 56 Wire Length Change Measurement Unit (3D Information Acquisition Unit)
57 Sliding amount measurement unit (three-dimensional information acquisition means)
58 3D information calculation unit (3D information acquisition means)
60 Wire angle measurement unit (three-dimensional information acquisition means)
L Wire length DP 3D position S 3D image V Virtual space

Claims (4)

An apparatus main body that is constructed around a subject who experiences the virtual space presented by the virtual space presentation device and can accommodate the subject in an internal main body space;
A force sense presentation unit having a force sense presentation surface that is movably supported in an arbitrary three-dimensional position and inclination of the main body space of the device body and capable of presenting a force sense to the subject;
One end connected to the force sense presentation unit, and at least three support wires supporting the force sense presentation unit at the three-dimensional position and the inclination;
A wire drive unit coupled to each of the other ends of the support wire and changing the wire length of the support wire;
Sliding means connected to the wire drive unit and sliding the wire drive unit along a predetermined sliding direction;
A wire drive force sense presentation device comprising: force sense presentation control means for controlling the three-dimensional position and the tilt of the force sense presentation unit in conjunction with the wire drive unit and the sliding means. Organ position detection means for detecting the position of the sensory organ where the subject feels the force sense;
The wire driving force according to claim 1, further comprising force sense presentation unit encounter means for causing the force sense presentation unit to encounter the position of the sensory organ detected by the organ position detection means. Sense presentation device. At least one of the force sense presentation unit and the support wire is
The wire driving force sense presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the wire driving force sense presentation device is formed of a material exhibiting a transparent property. An apparatus main body that is constructed around a subject who experiences the virtual space presented by the virtual space presentation device and can accommodate the subject in an internal main body space;
A three-dimensional input unit that is movably supported at an arbitrary three-dimensional position and inclination of the main body space of the apparatus main body and receives input of three-dimensional information related to the three-dimensional position and the inclination;
One end connected to the three-dimensional input unit, and at least three support wires supporting the three-dimensional input unit at the three-dimensional position and the inclination;
A wire driving unit that is connected to the other end of the support wire and varies a wire length of the support wire in accordance with an operation force applied to the three-dimensional input unit;
A sliding means connected to the wire driving unit and sliding the wire driving unit along a predetermined sliding direction in accordance with the operation force applied to the position input unit;
3D information acquisition means for detecting the amount of change of the support wire by the wire driving unit and the sliding amount of the wire driving unit by the sliding means, and acquiring the 3D information of the 3D input unit. A wire-driven three-dimensional input device characterized by that.

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