JP2007156642A - Virtual space experience system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to experience a virtual space with a high feeling of devotion by measuring the physical featured values of a user, and reflecting it on the video of a virtual space without making the user be aware of it too much. <P>SOLUTION: A measurement means 5 such as a height measurement device 30 or a a mat 40 for measuring a step/walking speed is installed on a guide path 22 for guiding a user to a video display room 21 where the video of a virtual space is displayed, and the physical featured values of the user such as the height or step and walking speed of the user walking through the guide path 22 to the video display room 21 are measured by the measurement means 5, and the video of the virtual space to be displayed in the video display room 21 is corrected according to the user based on the physical featured values of the user measured by the measurement means 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a virtual space experience system that displays a video of a virtual space and allows a user to experience the virtual space.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a virtual space experience system that displays an image of a virtual space and allows a user to experience the virtual space, for example, an immersive multi-face display described in Non-Patent Document 1 is known. The immersive multi-plane display described in Non-Patent Document 1 projects a video of a virtual space created by computer graphics or the like using a plurality of projector devices on a large screen installed in a video display room. It is displayed and the user can experience a stereoscopic virtual space by wearing stereoscopic glasses and viewing the video.
Michitaka Hirose, Tetsuro Ogi, Shohei Asbestos, Toshiro Yamada, “Development of Immersive Multi-Side Display (CABIN)”, Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Conference of the Virtual Reality Society of Japan, September 1997, p. 137-140

  By the way, in this kind of virtual space experience system, it is usually assumed that the viewpoint height of the user is the standard viewpoint height, and the video of the virtual space according to this standard viewpoint height is displayed. Displayed indoors. In addition, when the video in the virtual space is continuously changed and the user is simulated to walk in the virtual space, it is assumed that the user's stride, walking speed, etc. are also standard, and the unit change amount of the video And the rate of change is determined. For this reason, if physical features such as the viewpoint height, stride, and walking speed of the user who actually watches the video in the virtual space in the video display room are greatly deviated from the standard, the user can be compared with the video in the virtual space. May feel uncomfortable and may not provide a high level of immersion.

  As a countermeasure to such a problem, before letting the user experience the virtual space, the physical feature amount of the user is measured in advance, the measurement result is input and reflected in the video of the virtual space, It is considered effective to display an image that matches the physical characteristics of the user. However, when the user's physical features are measured in advance, if the user is excessively aware that the measurement is being performed, not only does the user feel complicated, but the stride length and walking speed are particularly high. During measurement, there is a concern that the user will be prepared and accurate measurement will not be possible, and it will be difficult to display an optimal video according to the physical characteristics of the user.

  Another possible method is to measure the user's physical features sequentially while the user is experiencing the virtual space. In this case, however, the device becomes large and the virtual space is This is not necessarily appropriate because the user who is experiencing is restricted by a measuring device or the like.

  The present invention was devised in view of the above-described conventional situation, and measures a physical feature amount of a user without making the user excessively conscious or constraining the user. It is intended to provide a virtual space experience system that can be reflected in the video and allow the user to experience the virtual space with high immersive feeling.

  In the virtual space experience system of the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a measuring means is installed on a passage that leads the user to a video display room that displays a video of the virtual space, and the video display room passes through the passage The physical feature quantity of the user who goes to is measured by the measuring means. Then, based on the physical feature amount of the user measured by the measuring unit, the correcting unit corrects the video of the virtual space displayed in the video display room according to the user.

  According to the virtual space experience system of the present invention, the physical feature amount of the user is measured and reflected in the image of the virtual space while the user goes to the video display room through the passage. It is possible to accurately measure the physical features of the user without being conscious or constraining the user, and display an image of the optimal virtual space according to the physical features of the user in the video display room. The user can experience the virtual space with a high level of immersion.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a virtual space experience system of the present invention. The virtual space experience system of the present embodiment displays a virtual space video in a video display room and allows a user who views the video in the video display room to experience the virtual space. As shown in FIG. The virtual space model database 1, the operation interface 2, the video processing device 3, the video display device 4, and the measuring unit 5 are configured.

  The virtual space model database 1 stores virtual space model data artificially constructed on a computer. The virtual space model data stored in the virtual space model database 1 is, for example, three-dimensional computer graphics data, and is created by using a CAD or executing a predetermined drawing program on a computer. The virtual space model database 1 is realized by, for example, a storage device provided in a computer used as the video processing device 3, and the data of the virtual space model is created using the computer. It may be created by another computer and stored in a storage device of the computer.

  The operation interface 2 is for a user who is viewing a virtual space video in the video display room to actively operate the virtual space video, and is used by, for example, a known operation device such as a game controller or a joystick. It is done. In the virtual space experience system of the present embodiment, a user who views a video in a virtual space in a video display room inputs an intention of walking, for example, using the operation interface 2 to simulate the user in the virtual space. Can walk.

  Specifically, for example, when a game controller is used as the operation interface 2, if the user performs an operation of tilting the control bar in a predetermined direction, the user is walking in the tilted direction while continuing the operation. By changing the image of the virtual space as a thing, the user can be made to walk in a pseudo manner in the virtual space. Alternatively, when the user performs an operation of pressing a predetermined operation button, the user is simulated in the virtual space by changing the video in the virtual space on the assumption that the user is walking by the same number of steps as the number of times the button is pressed. Can walk. In addition to walking, for example, when the user performs an operation of pressing a predetermined operation button, the user can be simulated in the virtual space by changing the video in the virtual space as if the user had jumped. Can jump to. As described above, in the virtual space experience system according to the present embodiment, various pseudo movements of the user in the virtual space can be obtained by changing the video of the virtual space in accordance with various operations of the user using the operation interface 2. Can be realized.

  As the operation interface 2 for the user to input the intention to walk, in addition to the above operation devices such as the game controller and the joystick, for example, an apparatus as described in Japanese Patent No. 3427028, that is, It is also possible to use a device that changes the video of the virtual space in accordance with the actual movement of the user's legs and makes the user walk in a pseudo manner in the virtual space. If such an apparatus is used as the operation interface 2, the user can experience a pseudo walk in the virtual space as if he / she actually walks, so that the immersion time can be further increased.

  The video processing device 3 uses the virtual space model data stored in the virtual space model database 1 to generate video data of 3D video in the virtual space displayed by the video display device 4. As the video processing device 3, a computer having peripheral circuits such as a CPU, RAM, ROM, and an input / output interface is used. The CPU uses a predetermined video processing program stored in the ROM using the RAM as a work area. By executing this, video data in which the virtual space model is visualized as a three-dimensional video is generated, and the generated video data is supplied to the video display device 4. The user's operation using the operation interface 2 described above is input to the video processing device 3 as needed and reflected in the video data.

  In particular, in the virtual space experience system according to the present embodiment, the physical feature amount of the user measured by the measuring unit 5 described later in detail is input to the video processing device 3, and the video processing device 3 is operated by the measuring unit 5. Video data reflecting the measured physical features of the user is supplied to the video display device 4. That is, in the virtual space experience system of the present embodiment, the video processing device 3 matches the video of the virtual space displayed in the video display room with the user based on the physical feature amount of the user measured by the measuring unit 5. Function as correction means.

  Specifically, the video processing device 3 uses the virtual space model data to generate the video data of the three-dimensional video in the virtual space, based on the height of the user measured by the measuring unit 5. By generating video data in the virtual space suitable for the height and supplying it to the video display device 4, the video in the virtual space displayed in the video display room is corrected to match the viewpoint height of the user.

  Further, the video processing device 3 is optimized for walking every step based on the user's stride measured by the measuring means 5 when the user's intention to walk is input using the operation interface 2. By changing the video data in the virtual space supplied to the video display device 4 by obtaining the video change amount, the video change amount (unit change amount) for each step when the user walks in a pseudo manner in the virtual space Is corrected according to the user's stride.

  Also, the video processing device 3 obtains an optimal video change speed based on the walking speed of the user measured by the measuring means 5 when a user's intention to walk is input using the operation interface 2. By changing the video data of the virtual space supplied to the video display device 4, the video changing speed when the user walks in a pseudo manner in the virtual space is corrected according to the walking speed of the user.

  The video display device 4 displays the video in the virtual space in the video display room based on the video data supplied from the video processing device 3, and is configured as an immersive display, for example. As shown in FIG. 2, the immersive display projects and displays an image of the virtual space on a large screen 11 installed so as to surround the user in the image display room using a plurality of projector devices 12, 13, and 14. Is. Here, the video of the virtual space projected and displayed on the large screen 11 is, for example, a three-dimensional video in which a video for the right eye and a video for the left eye are synthesized, and the user wears glasses for stereoscopic viewing. Thus, the video in the virtual space can be viewed as a three-dimensional video.

  As the video display device 4, as long as it can display a three-dimensional video in a virtual space in a video display room and allow a user to view a three-dimensional video in the virtual space, the large screen 11 and the projector device as described above are used. Any display device such as a large-sized liquid crystal display or a plasma display panel can be used without being limited to those using 12, 13, and 14.

  The measuring means 5 measures the physical feature quantity of the user who views the video in the virtual space in the video display room and supplies it to the video processing apparatus 3, and the video processing apparatus 3 displays the physical feature quantity of the user. By reflecting it in the data, an image of the optimal virtual space that matches the physical characteristics of the user is displayed in the video display room. Here, particularly in the virtual space experience system of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the measuring means 5 is placed on a guide passage 22 that guides the user to the video display room 21 where the video of the virtual space is displayed. is set up. Then, in the process of the user going to the video display room 21 through the guide passage 22 to view the video in the virtual space in the video display room 21, the user is not particularly aware that the user is measuring. Is measured by the measuring means 5.

  Specifically, a height measuring device 30 is installed on the guide passage 22 as the measuring means 5 for measuring the height as a physical feature quantity of the user. For example, an optical sensor as shown in FIG. 4 is used as the height measuring device 30. The optical sensor shown in FIG. 4 has a portal column-shaped frame 31 installed at an appropriate position on the guide passage 22, and a plurality of LEDs (light emitting devices) are provided inside one column 31 a of the portal column-shaped frame 31. A light emitting unit 32 in which light sources such as diodes are arranged in a vertical direction with a predetermined interval is installed, and a plurality of PDs (in a position corresponding to the light source of the light emitting unit 32 are provided inside the other column 31b. A light receiving unit 33 in which photodetectors such as a photodetector are arranged is provided. Then, when a user who goes to the video display room 21 through the guide passage 22 passes through the portal post type frame 31, light from a part of the light source of the light emitting unit 32 is blocked by the user according to the height of the user. Thus, the height of the user is measured by utilizing the fact that it is not detected by the corresponding photodetector of the light receiving unit 33.

  The detection result of this optical sensor, that is, information on which photodetector among the plurality of photodetectors of the light receiving unit 33 receives light from the light source and which light detector does not receive, is a predetermined data conversion. The data is aggregated by the apparatus, converted into data indicating the height of the user, and input to a computer as the video processing apparatus 3 via a communication line such as a LAN cable. In the video processing device 3, when the data indicating the height of the user is input, the height of the user's viewpoint is grasped by subtracting the average length from the top of the person to the eye position from the height of the user. Then, the video data in the virtual space that matches the user's viewpoint height is generated and supplied to the video display device 4 so that the video in the virtual space displayed in the video display room 21 matches the user's viewpoint height. To correct.

  Note that the height measurement device 30 may be other than the optical sensor as described above, for example, based on the time difference until the reflected wave is detected by applying ultrasonic waves to the user's head. A device that measures the user's height by obtaining the distance to the head, or a device that measures the user's height by identifying the user's head position by analyzing the image taken by the camera. Any device may be employed as long as it can measure the height of the user without causing it to occur.

  In addition, a stride / walking speed measurement mat 40 is laid on the guide passage 22 as measuring means 5 for measuring the stride and walking speed as physical features of the user. As the stride / walking speed measuring mat 40, for example, a matrix type tactile sensor shown in FIG. 5 formed in a mat shape is used. The matrix-type tactile sensor shown in FIG. 5 has a pressure-sensitive conductive rubber 43 sandwiched between a pair of electrode sheets 41 and 42 made of a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film or the like on which an electrode pattern is printed. The pressure-sensitive conductive rubber 43 is, for example, a mixture of silicon rubber and metal or carbon fine particles. When pressure is applied from the outside, the electrical resistance of the pressurized portion changes. Therefore, in this matrix-type tactile sensor, a portion where pressure is applied on the matrix-type tactile sensor by detecting a resistance change at a portion where the electrodes intersect while applying a constant voltage between the pair of electrode sheets 41 and 42. Can be specified.

  If a stride / walking speed measurement mat 40 using such a matrix type tactile sensor is laid on the guide passage 22, a user who goes to the video display room 21 through the guide passage 22 measures the stride / walking speed. When walking on the mat 40, the ground contact position of the user's both feet can be specified, and the user's stride can be measured by measuring the distance between the ground contact positions of the both feet. Further, the walking speed of the user is calculated from the distance from the first ground contact position to the last ground contact position when the user walks on the stride / walking speed measurement mat 40 for several steps and the time required for the walking. Can be measured.

  The detection result of the stride / walking speed measurement mat 40 using this matrix type tactile sensor, that is, the information on the user's ground contact position on the stride / walking speed measurement mat 40 is sent to a predetermined data conversion device and sent to the user. Is converted into data indicating the walking length of the user and data indicating the walking speed of the user, and is input to the computer as the video processing apparatus 3 via a communication line such as a LAN cable. In the video processing device 3, when data indicating the user's stride and data indicating the user's walking speed are input, these data are temporarily stored in the internal memory. Then, when the user's intention to walk is input using the operation interface 2, the video processing device 3 reads the data indicating the user's stride stored in the internal memory, and walks for each step. By changing the video data of the virtual space supplied to the video display device 4 by obtaining the corresponding optimal video change amount, the video change amount for each step when the user walks in a pseudo manner in the virtual space ( (Unit change amount) is corrected in accordance with the user's stride. The video processing device 3 reads the user's walking speed data stored in the internal memory when the user's intention to walk is input using the operation interface 2 and changes the optimal video. By changing the video data of the virtual space supplied to the video display device 4 by obtaining the speed, the video changing speed when the user walks in a pseudo manner in the virtual space is corrected according to the walking speed of the user.

  As the matrix type tactile sensor used as the stride / walking speed measurement mat 40, for example, a piezoelectric effect that generates charges in response to a change in pressure in addition to the pressure-sensitive conductive rubber 43 as described above. It is possible to employ a tactile sensor using a polymer pressure sensitive element having Further, as a measuring means for measuring the user's stride and walking speed, for example, other than the stride / walking speed measuring mat 40 using the tactile sensor, the user goes to the video display room through the guide passage 22, for example. The user's stride and walking speed can be measured without making the user particularly conscious, such as a device that measures the user's stride and walking speed by taking an image of the user with a camera and analyzing the image taken with this camera Any apparatus may be used as long as it is a simple device.

  In the virtual space experience system of the present embodiment configured as described above, while the user who wants to view the video in the virtual space in the video display room 21 goes to the video display room 21 through the guide passage 22, The height of the user is measured by the height measuring device 30 as the measuring unit 5, and data indicating the height of the user measured by the height measuring device 30 is input to the video processing device 3 and the stride as the measuring unit 5. The user's stride and walking speed are measured by the walking speed measurement mat 40, and the data indicating the user's stride and the walking speed measured by the stride / walking speed measurement mat 40 are stored in the video processing device 3. Entered.

  Then, when the video processing device 3 generates the video data of the three-dimensional video in the virtual space using the virtual space model data, the user is based on the data indicating the height of the user input to the video processing device 3. The viewpoint height is grasped, and video data in a virtual space matching the viewpoint height of the user is generated and supplied to the video display device 4. Then, the video display device 4 performs video display processing based on the video data supplied from the video processing device 3, so that the video in the virtual space matching the user's viewpoint height is obtained in the video display room 21. As a result, the user who views this video can experience a virtual space without any sense of incongruity.

  In particular, when displaying a video of a living room or the like as a video of a virtual space, it is known that the sense of scale such as the size and size of the virtual space is perceived differently when the viewpoint height changes. In the virtual space experience system of the embodiment, the video of the virtual space that matches the viewpoint height of the user is displayed, so that the user can experience the virtual space with a correct sense of scale.

  Further, when a user viewing a virtual space video in the video display room 21 inputs an intention to walk step by step using the operation interface 2, the video processing device 3 inputs the video processing device 3. The data indicating the user's stride that is temporarily stored in the internal memory is read out, and the optimal image change amount corresponding to the walking for each step is obtained based on the data indicating the user's stride. The video data of the virtual space supplied to the display device 4 is changed. Thereby, in the video display room 21, the video of the virtual space which changes according to the user's stride is displayed, and the user can experience walking without a sense of incongruity in the virtual space.

  Further, when a user viewing a virtual space video in the video display room 21 inputs an intention of continuous walking using the operation interface 2, the video processing device 3 inputs the video processing device 3. Then, data indicating the walking speed of the user stored temporarily in the internal memory is read out, and an optimal video change speed is obtained based on the data indicating the user's stride and supplied to the video display device 4. Change the video data in the virtual space. Thereby, in the image | video display room 21, the image | video of the virtual space which changes with the speed according to the user's walking speed will be displayed, and the user can experience the walk without a sense of incongruity in the virtual space. .

  As described above, in the virtual space experience system of the present embodiment, the height measuring device 30 and the stride / walking speed measurement are provided on the guide path 22 that guides the user to the video display room 21 where the video of the virtual space is displayed. The measuring means 5 for measuring the physical feature amount of the user such as the mat 40 is installed, and the physical feature amount of the user heading to the video display room 21 through the guide passage 22 is measured by the measuring means 5. Since it is measured and reflected in the video of the virtual space, the video of the optimal virtual space that matches the physical characteristics of the user can be displayed in the video display room 21, and the user is highly immersive. Experience virtual space.

  In particular, in the virtual space experience system of the present embodiment, the measuring means 5 for measuring the physical feature amount of the user is installed on the guide passage 22 that leads the user to the video display room 21, Since the user's physical features can be measured in advance in a natural way without making the user aware of the measurement being made, the complexity of measuring the physical features in advance can be given to the user. Accurately measure the user's physical features and reflect them appropriately in the virtual space image without causing inconveniences or inconveniences such as being unable to make accurate measurements due to the user's attitude be able to.

  In addition, as a method of correcting the image in the virtual space according to the physical characteristics of the user, for example, a special device for measuring the viewpoint position called a head tracker to the user or a motion called motion capture is measured. It is also possible to attach a special device for this purpose and change the video in the virtual space based on the information detected by these devices. In such a method, the user views the video in the virtual space. However, it is necessary to always wear these special devices, and the user feels bothered by being restrained by these devices. On the other hand, in the virtual space experience system of the present embodiment, physical features are measured and reflected in the video of the virtual space without being particularly conscious in the process of the user going to the video display room 21. It is possible to display an image of the optimal virtual space according to the physical characteristics of the user without making the user feel bothersome.

  Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the above embodiments exemplify an application example of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is the description of the above embodiments. Of course, the present invention is not limited to the disclosed contents, and includes various alternative techniques that can be easily derived from these disclosures.

It is a system configuration diagram of a virtual space experience system to which the present invention is applied. It is a schematic diagram explaining the immersive display used as a video display apparatus in the virtual space experience system to which the present invention is applied. In the virtual space experience system to which the present invention is applied, it is a diagram showing a state in which measuring means is installed on a guide passage that guides the user to the video display room. It is a schematic diagram explaining the optical sensor used as a height measuring apparatus in the virtual space experience system to which the present invention is applied. It is a schematic diagram explaining a matrix type tactile sensor used as a stride / walking speed measurement mat in a virtual space experience system to which the present invention is applied.

Explanation of symbols

1 Virtual space model database 2 Operation interface 3 Video processing device (correction means)
4 Video display device 5 Measuring means 21 Video display room 22 Guide passage 30 Height measuring device 40 Stride / walking speed measurement mat

Claims (4)

In a virtual space experience system that displays a video of a virtual space in a video display room and allows a user viewing the video in the video display room to experience the virtual space,
A measuring unit that is installed on a passage that guides the user to the video display room, and that measures a physical feature amount of the user who goes to the video display room through the passage;
A virtual space experience system comprising: correction means for correcting a video of a virtual space displayed in the video display room according to the user based on a physical feature amount of the user measured by the measuring means. . The measuring means measures the height of the user as the physical feature of the user,
The correction means corrects the video of the virtual space displayed in the video display room so as to match the viewpoint height of the user based on the height of the user measured by the measurement means. Virtual space experience system described in 1. The measuring means measures a user's stride as a physical feature amount of the user,
The said correction | amendment means correct | amends the unit variation | change_quantity of the image | video at the time of making a user walk in a pseudo | simulation in virtual space based on the user's stride measured by the said measurement means. Virtual space experience system. The measuring means measures a user's walking speed as a physical feature amount of the user,
The correction means corrects a change speed of an image when the user walks in a pseudo manner in a virtual space based on the walking speed of the user measured by the measuring means. Virtual space experience system.

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