JP2014222446A - Video output device, video output method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video output device or the like capable of automatically outputting a video viewed in a discretionary visual line direction from an eye point moving on a pre-designed route within a previously shot space, and further capable of presenting a video having continuity before and after a branch point on the route.SOLUTION: A video output device 1 reads in tour data 34, and reads in one piece of command information 35 of the tour data 34. The command type of the command information 35 is classified and, if the command type is a view state, a frame picture corresponding to an eye point position 30 indicated by the command information is specified from an omnidirectional picture sequence, and a visual field picture corresponding to a visual line direction 31 is generated. If the command information contains a text ID or a picture ID, a visual field picture synthesized, from a corresponding character string or image picture, at a transmissivity held by the command information 35 is outputted. The command information 35 is read in successively in a prescribed sequence, and corresponding visual field pictures are outputted as a video.

Description

  The present invention relates to a video output device or the like for outputting a video corresponding to a line of sight viewed from the viewpoint of a user moving in space.

  An omnidirectional image having a 360 ° field of view can be taken using a camera equipped with a fisheye lens or an omnidirectional mirror. In recent years, a panoramic image providing service has been developed that can provide a panoramic image according to the field of view of a user who moves freely in a space while facing an arbitrary line of sight using an omnidirectional image.

  As an example of using the panoramic image providing service, there is an online map search service, and Non-Patent Document 1 is an example. Non-Patent Document 1 is a site that provides a service that allows a user to view a panoramic image taken at a point when the user clicks on a point on the map. In addition, by clicking an arrow displayed on the screen, the user can move the viewpoint to the front or near side in the panoramic photo.

  Further, in Non-Patent Document 2, it is possible to view an image in which the user is moving while freely changing the line-of-sight direction by joining the captured panoramic images at the time of reproduction.

“Google Street View”, [online], Google, Inc, [Search March 8, 2012], Internet <http://maps.google.co.jp/intl/en/help/maps/streetview/> “Motion VR of the Month 2006 calendar” using Quick Time VR, [online], Apple Computer, Inc. [Search March 8, 2012], Internet <http://www.worldinmotionvr.com /motionvr_month/calendar.html>

  However, in Non-Patent Document 1 described above, the displayed images are a plurality of still images viewed from a discrete viewpoint, and a moving image that matches the movement is output to a user moving in the space. Can not.

  In Non-Patent Document 2 described above, the displayed image is a moving image, but bidirectional movement is not possible. Moreover, the range in which the user can move is only on a preset route, and there is no branch on the route.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and the object of the present invention is to display an image that can be seen in an arbitrary line-of-sight direction from a viewpoint that moves on a route designed in advance in a space that has been captured in advance. It is an object to provide a video output device or the like that can automatically output and present a continuous video before and after a branch point on a route.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a first invention is a video output device that outputs a video in a line-of-sight direction at a viewpoint position that moves in a path arranged in a coordinate space, and includes a frame of an omnidirectional image. Path storage means for storing a sequence in association with the path; instruction storage means for storing a sequence of instructions describing viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction; and instruction reading for sequentially reading the instructions stored in the instruction storage means Means for generating the video in the line-of-sight direction at the viewpoint position described by the read instruction from the omnidirectional image, and output means for outputting the generated video. Is a video output device.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to automatically output an image that can be seen in an arbitrary line-of-sight direction from a viewpoint position (position information in the space) that moves on a route designed in advance in a space that has been captured in advance. The video provider can freely edit the route in which the viewpoint position moves and the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint position within the space previously captured.

The route in the first invention is preferably composed of nodes and directed branches, and the sequence composed of frames of the omnidirectional image is preferably associated with each directed branch.
The method of associating a directed branch with a sequence of frames of omnidirectional images reduces the data construction workload and the amount of data compared to the method of associating all omnidirectional images with all positional information on a path. There is a merit. Furthermore, since the user moves on the directed branch, bidirectional movement is easily possible.

  Here, the directed branch is a line segment connecting the node as the starting point and the node as the end point, and the path is configured as a directed graph in which the nodes and the directed branch are combined.

The viewpoint position described in the instruction in the first invention is an identifier of the directed branch and a progress rate in the branch, the line-of-sight direction is an angle formed with at least a reference axis, and the video generation means The frame corresponding to the progress rate is identified from the sequence corresponding to the directed branch where the viewpoint position is located, and the video in the direction indicated by the angle formed from the omnidirectional image of the identified frame It is desirable to cut out and generate.
Thereby, the visual field image cut out from an omnidirectional image can be specified easily.

When the viewpoint position moves from the first branch to the second branch, the instruction in the first invention is the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction in the first branch, and the position in the second branch. A blend command describing a viewpoint position, the line-of-sight direction, and a blend ratio; and when the command is a blend command, the video generation unit generates the omnidirectional image in the first branch. Preferably, the first image in the line-of-sight direction at the viewpoint position and the second image in the line-of-sight direction at the viewpoint position in the second branch are combined with the blend ratio to generate the image. .
Thereby, at the branch point on the route, the visual field images before and after the movement are blended and output at a predetermined blend ratio, so that a continuous video can be presented before and after the movement.

The video output device according to the first aspect of the invention further includes character string information storage means for storing a character string and a character string ID in association with each other, and the command may further describe the character string ID. When the instruction describes the character string ID, the video generation unit may further synthesize the character string specified by the character string ID with the generated video.
Thereby, it is possible to synthesize text with video at an arbitrary timing during video playback. Therefore, it is possible to add a description of the place to the video.

The video power collecting apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention further comprises image information storage means for storing an image and an image ID in association with each other, wherein the command may further describe the image ID, and the video generation When the instruction describes the image ID, the means preferably further synthesizes the image specified by the image ID with the generated video.
Thereby, it is possible to synthesize an image with a video at an arbitrary timing during video playback. Therefore, it is possible to add a description of the place to the video.

A second invention is a video output method for outputting a video in a line-of-sight direction at a viewpoint position moving in a path arranged in a coordinate space, and a sequence composed of frames of omnidirectional images is associated with the path An instruction reading step for sequentially reading the instructions stored in the instruction storage means by the computer, comprising: path storage means for storing the instructions; and instruction storage means for storing a sequence of instructions describing the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction; A video generation step for generating the video in the line-of-sight direction at the viewpoint position described by the read instruction from the omnidirectional image, and an output step for outputting the generated video. This is a video output method.
According to the second aspect of the invention, it is possible to automatically output an image that can be seen in an arbitrary line-of-sight direction from a viewpoint position (position information in the space) that moves on a route designed in advance in a space that has been captured in advance. The video provider can freely edit the route in which the viewpoint position moves and the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint position within the space previously captured.

A third invention is a program for causing a computer to function as a video output device that outputs a video in a line-of-sight direction at a viewpoint position that moves in a route arranged in a coordinate space, and the computer is an omnidirectional image. The path storage means for storing a sequence of frames in association with the path, the instruction storage means for storing a sequence of instructions describing the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction, and the instructions stored in the instruction storage means are sequentially read. A program for functioning as command reading means, video generation means for generating the video in the line-of-sight direction at the viewpoint position described by the read command from the omnidirectional image, and output means for outputting the generated video It is.
By installing the third invention on a general-purpose computer, the first invention can be obtained and the second invention can be executed.

  According to the present invention, in a pre-captured space, an image that can be viewed in an arbitrary line of sight from a viewpoint moving on a route designed in advance is automatically output, and further, continuity before and after a branch point on the route is output. A video output device capable of presenting a video can be provided.

The block diagram which shows the structural example of the hardware of the video output apparatus 1 which concerns on this invention The top view which shows an example of the facility hall where the viewpoint position 30 which concerns on this invention moves The figure which shows an example of the data structure which the video output device 1 hold | maintains The figure which shows an example which represented the path | route concerning this invention on XY two-dimensional coordinate The figure which shows the node information 25a and the branch information 26a which memorize | store the path | route shown in FIG. The figure explaining the tour data 34 containing the command information 35 of a view state which the video output apparatus 1 hold | maintains. The figure explaining the tour data 34 containing the command information 35 of a blend state which the video output device 1 holds. The figure explaining the tour data 34 which contains the source information 36 and the command information 35 which the video output apparatus 1 hold | maintains. The flowchart which shows the flow of the output mode switching process which concerns on this invention Flowchart showing the flow of tour mode video output processing according to the present invention The figure explaining the visual field range corresponding to the gaze direction 31 The figure explaining the operation | work which cuts out the image 41 corresponding to a gaze direction from the omnidirectional image 40 corresponding to the viewpoint position 30 The figure explaining an example of the panoramic video output screen 51 Flow chart showing the flow of blend image generation processing in tour mode video output processing Flowchart showing the flow of interactive mode video output processing according to the present invention The figure which shows an example of the data which the video output apparatus 1 hold | maintains in interactive mode video output processing The figure explaining an example of the user input screen 61 Flow chart showing the flow of blend image display processing in interactive mode video output processing The figure explaining the movement of the gaze direction 31

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

  FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a computer that implements a video output apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the computer includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a media input / output unit 13, a communication control unit 14, an input unit 15, a display unit 16, a peripheral device I / F unit 17, and the like. 18 is connected.

The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a ROM (Read Only).
Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory) and the like.
The CPU calls and executes a program stored in the storage unit 12, ROM, storage medium, or the like to the work memory area on the RAM, and drives and controls each device connected via the bus 18. The process to be described later is realized. The ROM is a non-volatile memory and permanently holds a computer boot program, a program such as BIOS, data, and the like. The RAM is a volatile memory, and temporarily holds a loaded program, data, and the like, and includes a work area used by the control unit 11 to perform each process.

  The storage unit 12 is an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like, and stores a program executed by the control unit 11, data necessary for program execution, an OS (Operating System), and the like. These program codes are read by the control unit 11 as necessary, transferred to the RAM, and read and executed by the CPU.

The media input / output unit 13 is a media input / output device such as a CD drive, a DVD drive, an MO drive, and a floppy (registered trademark) disk drive, and inputs / outputs data such as moving images.
The communication control unit 14 includes a communication control device, a communication port, and the like, and is a communication interface that mediates communication between a computer and a network, and performs communication control between other devices via the network.

The input unit 15 performs data input and includes, for example, a controller having a lever or button that moves up and down, left and right, a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, and an input device such as a numeric keypad. The input data is output to the control unit 11.
The display unit 16 includes, for example, a display device such as a CRT monitor or a liquid crystal panel, and a logic circuit (a video adapter or the like) for executing display processing in cooperation with the display device, and is input under the control of the control unit 11. The displayed display information is displayed on the display device.
The input unit 15 and the display unit 16 may be, for example, a display with a touch panel in which those functions are integrated.

The peripheral device I / F unit (interface) 17 is a port for connecting a peripheral device to the computer, and the computer transmits and receives data to and from the peripheral device via the peripheral device I / F unit 17. The peripheral device I / F unit 17 is configured by USB, IEEE 1394, RS-232C, or the like, and usually includes a plurality of peripheral devices I / F. The connection form with the peripheral device may be wired or wireless.
The bus 18 is a path that mediates transmission / reception of control signals, data signals, and the like between the devices.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a facility hall where the viewpoint position 30 according to the present invention moves. The video output device 1 according to the present invention is a device having a function of displaying an image corresponding to an arbitrary line-of-sight direction 31 viewed from a viewpoint position 30 that continuously moves along a predetermined route. The space in which the viewpoint position 30 according to the present invention moves is, for example, a company floor or a facility such as a museum. It may be outdoors as long as it can capture a video on the route. For example, an example will be described in which a facility in the facility having the floor plan 20 shown in FIG. 2 is presented to the user.

  The video output device 1 cuts out from a frame image that constitutes a pre-captured video in the hall based on a viewpoint position 30 and a line-of-sight direction 31 held by command information 35 described later, and automatically outputs it as a moving image. Accordingly, the video provider can freely design a tour for the user to go around the hall and allow the user to experience a virtual tour of moving around the hall while looking around.

  In addition, a frame image is cut out based on a viewpoint position 30 and a line-of-sight direction 31 input by a user from a mode in which a moving image is automatically played (hereinafter referred to as tour mode) in the middle of an operation of outputting a video, It is possible to switch to a mode for outputting as a moving image (hereinafter, interactive mode). The operation for switching between the tour mode and the interactive mode will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the route in the floor plan 20 is composed of a node 21 and a branch 22. The node 21 is a path joint, and the branch 22 is a unit path that connects a node 21 (hereinafter referred to as a start node 21a) as a starting point and a node 21 (hereinafter referred to as an end point node 21b) as an end point. It is. In the example shown in FIG. 2, seven nodes N1 to N7 and six branches B1 to B6 are defined.

  As shown in the drawing, each branch 22 is represented by a straight line, and the direction of the arrow of each branch 22 indicates that the starting point of the arrow is the starting node 21a and the ending point of the arrow is the ending node 21b. That is, when the start node 21a and the end node 21b are specified, the branch 22 is specified. The direction of the branch 22 coincides with the traveling direction when the inside of the facility is photographed along the route when the omnidirectional image stored in the storage unit 12 is generated.

  It is up to the designer of this device to determine the position of the node 21 on the route, but in general, the node 21 is defined at the end point (dead end), the corner of the route, and the branch point of the route. To do. In the example shown in FIG. 2, N3, N4, N5, and N7 are nodes 21 that indicate end points on the route, N6 is a node 21 that indicates a corner on the route, and N1 and N2 indicate branch points on the route. Node 21.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure stored in the storage unit 12 of the video output device 1. In the storage unit 12 of the video output device 1, (a) node information 25, (b) branch information 26, (c) video information 27, (d) various parameters 28, tour data 34 to be described later, An application (not shown) for outputting the clipped image as a video is stored in advance.

  The node information 25 shown in (a) is information relating to each of the plurality of nodes 21 existing on the path along which the viewpoint position 30 is movable, and includes “node ID”, “position information X”, “position information Y”, Stores "attribute".

  “Position information X” and “Position information Y” are position information of the node 21 and store “X coordinate value” and “Y coordinate value” when the node 21 is represented on XY two-dimensional coordinates, respectively. . The distance between the nodes 21 can be calculated as an actual size value by converting the coordinates into distance units.

  The “attribute” is an order that represents the feature of the node 21 on the route, and is a value that indicates the number of branches 22 derived from each node 21. For example, “1” is stored if the node 21 is at an end point (dead end) on the route, “2” is stored if the node 21 is at a corner on the route, and “3” is stored if the node 21 is on a three-way on the route. 3 ”is stored, and“ 4 ”is stored if the node 21 is on a crossroad on the route.

  The branch information 26 shown in (b) is information relating to each of the plurality of branches 22 connecting the start node 21a and the end node 21b, and includes “branch ID”, “start node”, “end node”, and “video ID”. Is stored.

  The “starting node” stores the node ID on the shooting start side among the end points of the branch 22, and the “end point node” stores the node ID on the shooting end side among the end points of the branch 22. The direction from the start node 21a to the end node 21b is defined as the direction of the branch 22. In “Video ID”, the video ID corresponding to the branch 22 is stored.

  The video information 27 shown in (c) is information relating to an omnidirectional image taken on each branch 22, and stores “video ID”, “image data”, and “number of frames”.

  The “image data” stores an omnidirectional video sequence. The omnidirectional image sequence is a group of image data composed of a plurality of continuous frames in which an omnidirectional image constituting an omnidirectional video is one frame. An omnidirectional video is a video taken using an omnidirectional camera while moving at a constant speed along the branch 22. Since shooting is performed while moving at a constant speed, each omnidirectional image frame is associated with each point defined on the branch 22. The “number of frames” stores the value of the number of frames constituting the omnidirectional image sequence.

  The various parameter information 28 shown in (d) stores “cut-out angle” and the like used to cut out a panoramic image in the visual field range corresponding to the user's line-of-sight direction 31 from the omnidirectional image. Details will be described later.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which a route according to the present invention is represented on XY two-dimensional coordinates. A pair of coordinates indicated by parentheses in the symbols of the nodes N1 to N4 are the X coordinate value and the Y coordinate value of the node. As shown in the figure, the direction of the branch B1 coincides with the direction of the X axis, the angle formed by the branch B2 with respect to the X axis is 60 ° counterclockwise, and the angle formed by the branch B3 with respect to the X axis is It is 60 ° clockwise.

  Here, the branch angle in the present embodiment is an angle formed by the X axis of the illustrated XY coordinate system and the direction of the branch 22, and the counterclockwise direction is a positive direction. The branch angle can be calculated from the position coordinates of the start point node 21a and the position coordinates of the end point node 22b of the branch 22. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the branch angle of the branch B1 is 0 °, the branch angle of the branch B2 is 60 °, and the branch angle of the branch B3 is 300 ° (−60 °).

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing node information 25a and branch information 26a for storing the route shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5A, x1 is stored in the position coordinate X of the node N1, y1 is stored in the position coordinate Y, and 3 which is the number of branches 22 derived from the node N1 is stored in the attribute. The X2 is stored in the position coordinate X of the node N2, y1 is stored in the position coordinate Y, and 3 which is the number of branches 22 derived from the node N2 is stored in the attribute. X3 is stored in the position coordinate X of the node N3, y3 is stored in the position coordinate Y, and 1 which is the number of branches 22 derived from the node N3 is stored in the attribute. X4 is stored in the position coordinate X of the node N4, y4 is stored in the position coordinate Y, and 1 which is the number of branches 22 derived from the node N4 is stored in the attribute.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the video ID corresponding to the branch B1 is stored in the video ID of the branch B1, N1 is stored in the start node, and N2 is stored in the end node. The video ID corresponding to the branch B2 is stored in the video ID of the branch B2, N2 is stored in the start node, and N3 is stored in the end node. A video ID corresponding to the branch B3 is stored in the video ID of the branch B3, N2 is stored in the start node, and N4 is stored in the end node.

  Next, the tour data 34 stored in the storage unit 12 of the video output device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The tour data 34 is used in the tour mode video output process shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the tour data 34 including the command information 35 in the view state. The command state includes a “view state” (hereinafter also referred to as “view”) indicating a state in which the viewpoint position 30 moves on the branch 22, and the viewpoint position 30 before the movement via the node 21 on the branch 22. There is a “blend state” (hereinafter also referred to as “blend”) in which the branch 22 (hereinafter referred to as the pre-movement branch 22b) transitions to the destination branch 22 (hereinafter referred to as the movement destination branch 22c). The command information 35 held by the tour data 34 is classified as either “view” or “blend”.

  One command of the command information 35 corresponds to information for one frame of the output moving image. In the tour mode video output process described later, the command information 35 is continuously read and the corresponding image is displayed, so that a moving image can be presented to the user.

  FIG. 6A is an example of tour data 34 described in an xml format (Extensible Markup Language), and includes three pieces of command information 35a to 35c. In the present embodiment, the tour data 34 is described in an xml format, but any format may be used.

Xml is
<Element name attribute = "value". . . > Contents </ Element name>
The element described in the format and represented by the element name has zero or more attributes and contents, and the contents can recursively have zero or more child elements.
In addition, in the case of an element with no content (empty element), it can also be described in the following format.
<Element name attribute = "value". . . ＞＞

With reference to FIG. 6B, data held in the command information 35 in the view state included in the tour data 34 shown in FIG. 6A will be described.
The command information 35 in the view state has “command ID” (id) and “command type” (type) as attributes as shown in FIG. 6B-1 and is shown in FIG. 6B-2. As described above, the field of view has “field-of-view information” (viewinfo).

The “command ID” is an identifier for uniquely identifying the command information 35 included in the tour data 34, and indicates the order in which the command information 35 is read in the tour mode video output process.
“Command type” indicates a command state, and either “view” or “blend” is stored. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6B-1, “view” is stored in “command type”.

With reference to FIG. 6B-2, the “field-of-view information” (viewinfo) held by the command information 35 in the view state will be described. The visual field information is information necessary to cut out the visual field image from the frame image.
The “field of view information” (viewinfo) includes, as attributes, “branch ID of the target branch 22a” (branchid), “progress rate of viewpoint position” (ratio), “line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle)” (theta), “Laze direction (elevation angle)” (phi).
The “branch ID of the target branch 22a” is the branch ID of the branch 22 where the viewpoint position 30 is located.

“Progress rate of viewpoint position” is a value that specifies the relative position of the viewpoint position 30 within the target branch 22a. The normalization coordinate of the start node 21a of the target branch 22a is “0”, the normalization coordinate of the end node 21b is “1”, and the progress rate is expressed by one-dimensional normalization coordinates (0 to 1).
The viewpoint position 30 of the command information 35 is represented by “progress rate of viewpoint position” on the branch 22 indicated by “branch ID of the target branch 22a”.

The “line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle)” is an angle formed by a line segment obtained by projecting the line-of-sight direction 31 onto the XY plane and the reference axis (X axis), and the counterclockwise direction is the positive direction.
The “line-of-sight direction (elevation angle)” is an angle formed by the line-of-sight direction 31 and the reference plane (XY plane), and counterclockwise is the positive direction.
The line-of-sight direction 31 of the command information 35 is represented by “line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle)” and “line-of-sight direction (elevation angle)”.

  FIG. 6C illustrates viewpoint positions 30a to 30c and line-of-sight directions 31a to 31c on the route indicated by the command information 35a to 35c in the tour data 34 of FIG. 6A.

  The viewpoint position of the command information 35a is located at the position indicated by the viewpoint position 30a of the target branch 22a (branch ID = 2) because the “progress rate of viewpoint position” is “0.7000”, and the line-of-sight direction 31a is , “Gaze direction (horizontal angle)” is “0.0”, which matches the X axis. The viewpoint position of the command information 35b is positioned at the position indicated by the viewpoint position 30b because the “progress rate of viewpoint position” is “0.5500”, and the viewpoint position of the command information 35c is “progress rate of viewpoint position”. "Is" 0.3500 ", it is located at the position indicated by the viewpoint position 30c. Further, the line-of-sight directions 31b and 31c of the command information 35b and 35c coincide with the X axis because the “line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle)” is “0.0”. Accordingly, the viewpoint position 30 moves from the end point node 21b of the target branch 22a toward the start point node 21a while keeping the line-of-sight direction 31 coincident with the X axis.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the tour data 34 including the command information 35 in the blend state.

  FIG. 7A is an example of tour data 34 described in the xml format, and includes four command information 35a to 35d.

With reference to FIG. 7B, data held in the command information 35 (35c, 35d) in the blend state included in the tour data 34 shown in FIG. 7A will be described.
The command information 35 in the blend state has “command ID” (id) and “command type” (type) as attributes as shown in FIG. 7B-1 and is shown in FIG. 7B-2. As described above, the content has “blend information” (blendinfo).
The “command ID” is the same as that described above for the command information 35 in the view state, and “blend” is stored in the “command type” as shown in FIG.

With reference to FIG. 7B-2, the “blend information” (blendinfo) held in the command information 35 in the blend state will be described.
The “blend information” (blendinfo) has “blend ratio” (blendratio) as an attribute, and “view field information of the branch before movement” (start) and “view field information of the destination branch” (end) as contents. Have.
The “blend ratio” is a blend ratio when the two field-of-view images specified in (b-3) and (b-4) are blended. Details will be described later.

With reference to FIG. 7B-3, the “field information of the branch before movement” (start) stored in the “blend information” will be described.
The “field-of-view information of the branch before movement” (start) includes, as attributes, “branch ID of the branch 22b before movement”, “progress rate of viewpoint position”, “line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle)”, and “line-of-sight direction ( "Elevation angle)".

The “branch ID of the branch 22b before movement” is the branch ID of the branch 22 (the branch 22b before movement) located before the viewpoint position 30 moves.
“Progress rate of viewpoint position” is a value that specifies the relative position of the viewpoint position 30 within the branch 22b before movement. When the viewpoint position 30 transitions to another branch, the viewpoint position 30 is located at the end point of the branch 22. Therefore, “0” indicating the start node 21a of the branch 22 or “1” indicating the end node 21b is stored in the “viewpoint position progress rate”.
The “line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle)” and “line-of-sight direction (elevation angle)” are the same as those described in the command information 35 in the view state.

With reference to FIG. 7B-4, the “field information of the destination branch” (end) stored in the “blend information” will be described.
The “field information of the destination branch” (end) includes, as attributes, “branch ID of the destination branch 22c”, “progress rate of viewpoint position”, “line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle)”, and “line-of-sight direction ( "Elevation angle)".

The “branch ID of the destination branch 22c” is the branch ID of the branch 22 (the destination branch 22c) that is located after the viewpoint position 30 has moved.
The “viewpoint position progress rate” is a value for specifying the relative position of the viewpoint position 30 in the movement destination branch 22c, and “0” indicating the start node 21 of the branch 22 or “end point node 21b”. 1 "is stored.
The “line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle)” and “line-of-sight direction (elevation angle)” are the same as those described in the command information 35 in the view state.

  FIG. 7C illustrates the viewpoint positions 30a to 30d and the line-of-sight directions 31a to 31d on the route indicated by the command information 35a to 35d in the tour data 34 of FIG. 7A. The command status of the command information 35a and the command information 35b is “view”. The viewpoint position 30 (30a, 30b) is such that the line-of-sight direction coincides with the direction of the X axis from the end point node 21b of the target branch 22a (branch ID = 2) toward the start point node 21a (line-of-sight directions 31a, 31b). proceed.

  The command status of the command information 35c and the command information 35d is “blend”. The viewpoint position 30c of the command information 35c and the viewpoint position 30d of the command information 35d are located at the start point node 21a of the branch 22b before branch (branch ID = 2). The starting point node 21a of the pre-movement branch 22b is a node 21a at the intersection of the pre-movement branch 22b and the movement destination branch 22c (branch ID = 1).

  The blend ratio of the command information 35c is 1.000, and the line-of-sight direction 31c matches the direction of the X axis. From there, the blend ratio of the command information 35d is 0.947, and the line-of-sight direction 31d is 4.7 ° with respect to the X axis. In this way, while changing the blend ratio, the line-of-sight direction 31 can be gradually moved so that the line-of-sight direction 31 in the pre-movement branch 22b approaches the direction of the destination branch 22c.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining tour data 34 including source information 36 and command information 35.

  FIG. 8A is an example of tour data 34 described in the xml format, and includes four source information 36 a to 36 d and one command information 35. The source information 36a to 36c is information defining a source used when text is imposed on the video output in the tour mode video output process (see FIG. 10), and the source information 36d is the tour mode video output. This is information that defines a source used when an image is imposed on a video output by processing.

With reference to FIG. 8B, data held by the source information 36 included in the tour data 34 shown in FIG. 8A will be described.
The “source information” (presetinfo) has at least one “telop source information” (telopsource) or “image source information” (imagesource) as contents.

  "Telop source information" (telopsource) is data used when text is imposed on a video, and as shown in FIG. 8B-1, "text ID" (id) and "impose" are used as attributes. It has a “character string representing text” (textstring). “Character string representing text to be imposed” is a character string displayed on the screen, and “Text ID” is an ID for uniquely identifying the character string.

  “Image source information” (imagesource) is data in the case of imposing an image (image) on a video. As shown in FIG. 8B-2, “image ID” (id) and “image source” are attributes. It has a “path” that represents the storage location of the image to be imposed. The “path indicating the storage destination of the image to be imposed” is a storage destination path of the image displayed on the screen, and the “image ID” is an ID for uniquely identifying the image.

  Next, data held in the command information 35 included in the tour data 34 shown in FIG. 8A will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 8A, text information and image information to be imposed can be added to the command information 35 described above with reference to FIGS. 6B and 7B.

As shown in FIG. 8C-1, the command information 35 has “command ID” and “command type” as attributes, and when the “command type” is “view” as content, FIG. -2) has the “field-of-view information” (viewinfo) described above (not shown) and the “command type” is blend, the “blend information” (blendinfo) described above in FIG. In addition, “imposed text information” (imposeloop) shown in FIG. 8 (c-2) or / and “imposed image information” shown in FIG. 8 (c-3). (Imposiage).
The command information 35 in this case may include a plurality of “text information to be imposed” or “image information to be imposed”.

The “imposed text information” (imposeset) shown in FIG. 8C-2 has “imposed text ID” (telopid) and “text transparency” (opacity) as attributes.
The “impose text ID” is information associated with the “text ID” of the “telop source information” of the source information 36.
“Text transmittance” indicates the transmittance when the text is synthesized with the visual field image.

The “imposed image information” (imposition image) shown in FIG. 8C-3 has “imposed image ID” (imageid) and “text transparency” (opacity) as attributes.
“Imposed image ID” is information associated with “image ID” of “image source information” of the source information 36.
“Image transmittance” indicates the transmittance when an image is combined with a visual field image.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of output mode switching processing according to the present invention. The output mode switching process is a process for switching between the tour mode and the interactive mode performed by the control unit 11 of the video output device 1.

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 starts an application stored in the storage unit 12 (step S101). The control unit 11 of the video output apparatus 1 displays a mode selection screen (not shown) on the display unit 16 via the application, and accepts the mode selection by the user (step S102).

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 classifies the selected mode, and executes tour mode video output processing or interactive mode video output processing (step S103). Details of the tour mode video output processing and interactive mode video output processing will be described later.

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 accepts that the mode switching button 54 of the panoramic video output screen 51 (see FIG. 13) is pressed during the tour mode video output process, or interactive mode video. When it is accepted that the mode switching button 64 on the user input screen 61 (see FIG. 17) has been pressed during the output process, the process returns to step S101 to switch between the tour mode and the interactive mode.

  When the control unit 11 of the video output device 1 accepts the stop of the video output from the input unit 15 (step S104), the process ends.

  Next, details of the tour mode video output process executed by the control unit 11 of the video output device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of tour mode video output processing according to the present invention.

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 reads the source information 36 of the tour data 34 stored in the storage unit 12 (step S201). The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 reads one command information 35 according to the order of the command IDs of the command information 35 of the tour data 34 stored in the storage unit 12 (step S202).

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 classifies the command type of the read command information 35 (step S203). If the command type is “blend”, the blend image generation process described in FIG. 14 is executed (step S207), and the process proceeds to step S208.

  When the command type is “view”, the control unit 11 of the video output device 1 uses the video corresponding to “branch ID of the target branch 22 a” of the command information 35 from the branch information 26 stored in the storage unit 12. ID is specified (step S204).

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 specifies the number of frames of the specified video ID from the video information stored in the video information 27. The frame number of the target frame is calculated by the product of the “viewpoint position progress rate” of the command information 35 and the specified number of frames, and is an integer value closest to the calculated value. The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 searches the image data of the video information 27 for a frame image corresponding to the calculated frame number (step S205).

  Subsequently, the control unit 11 of the video output device 1 refers to the “gaze direction (horizontal angle)” and “gaze direction (elevation angle)” of the command information 35 from the frame image identified in step S205, A visual field image is generated (step S206).

  FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the visual field range with respect to the line-of-sight direction 31. The video output apparatus 1 sets the angles “line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) −Δ / 2” to “line-of-sight direction” from the omnidirectional image 40 of the identified target frame, where Δ is the cut-out angle stored in the various parameters 28. (Horizontal angle) + Δ / 2 ”,“ line-of-sight direction (elevation angle) −Δ / 2 ”to“ line-of-sight direction (elevation angle) + Δ / 2 ”range image is cut out and generated. The user is presented with an image having a viewing angle 31e as shown in the drawing centered on the viewing direction 31 from the viewpoint position 30.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an operation of cutting out an image 41 corresponding to the line-of-sight direction from the omnidirectional image 40 of the specified target frame. In the example shown in the figure, an image 41 having a line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) of 90 ° and Δ of 90 ° is shown.

  Returning to the description of FIG. The control unit 11 of the video output apparatus 1 determines whether there is text information or image information to be imposed on the command information 35 (step S208). If there is no text information or image information to be imposed (NO in step S208), the control unit 11 of the video output device 1 displays the visual field image generated in step 206 or step S207 on the display unit 16. (Step S211), the process returns to Step S202 (when there is no command information 35, the process is terminated).

  When there is text information or image information to be imposed (YES in step S208), the control unit 11 of the video output apparatus 1 reads the “text ID” or “image ID” of the command information 25 in step S201. With reference to the source information, the character string or image to be imposed on the visual field image generated in step 206 or step S207 is specified (step S209).

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 synthesizes the specified character string or image with the “transmission” of the command information 35 into the field image (step S210), and displays the synthesized field image on the display unit 16. (Step S211), it returns to Step S202 (when there is no command information 35, the process is terminated).

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the panoramic video output screen 51 displayed in step S211. On the panoramic video output screen 51, a field image area 52, a text display area 53a, an image image display area 53b, and a mode switching button 54 are arranged. In the visual field image area 52, an image corresponding to the command information 35 is displayed.

  A mode switching button 54 is arranged on the panoramic video output screen 51. The mode switching button 54 is pressed by the user when switching from the tour mode to the interactive mode. The mode switching button 54 may be assigned to any key of a keyboard (not shown).

  Returning to the description of FIG. The control unit 11 of the video output apparatus 1 returns to step S202, reads the next command information 35 with reference to the “command ID” of the tour data 34. The video output apparatus 1 performs step S202 at a short time interval of 0.03 to 0.01 seconds, for example, so that the user can recognize the image 41 corresponding to the line-of-sight direction arranged in the visual field image region 52 as a video. Step S211 is repeated to update the image arranged in the visual field image region 52.

  Next, the blend image generation process executed in step S207 of the tour mode video output process of FIG. 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The blend image generation process is a process of generating a blend image obtained by blending the field image of the branch before movement and the field image of the destination branch at a predetermined blend ratio. The blend image generation process is a process executed when it is determined in step S203 in FIG. 10 that the command type of the command information 35 is “blend”.

  The control unit 11 of the video output apparatus 1 reads the visual field information of the branch 22b before movement (step S301), and generates a first visual field image in the same manner as in steps S204 to S206 of FIG. 10 (step S302 to step S302). S304). Subsequently, the control unit 11 of the video output device 1 reads the visual field information of the destination branch 22c (Step S305), and generates the second visual field image in the same manner as Steps S204 to S206 in FIG. 10 (Step S305). S306 to step S308).

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 combines the generated first field image and second field image with the “blend ratio” of the command information 35 to generate a combined field image (step S309). The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 ends the process, and proceeds to step S208 in FIG.

  An equation for calculating the pixel value of the blended image by blending the pixel value of the first visual field image and the pixel value of the second visual field image with the blend ratio is defined as the following equation. If the pixel value at the corresponding position of each visual field image is calculated by applying the following formula (1) (in the case of a color image, calculation is performed for each primary color), the blend image Can be requested.

  Next, details of the interactive mode video output process executed by the control unit 11 of the video output device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 19.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of interactive mode video output processing according to the present invention.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of retained data 60 retained by the storage unit 12 of the video output device 1 in the interactive mode video output process. The retained data 60 may be stored in the RAM of the control unit 11 instead of being stored in the storage unit 12 of the video output device 1.

  The “branch ID of the target branch” is the branch ID of the target branch 22 a at the viewpoint position 30. The branch ID of the target branch is updated only when the viewpoint position 30 moves to the next branch 22.

  The “progress rate” is a value that specifies the relative position of the viewpoint position 30 within the target branch 22a. “Gaze direction (horizontal angle) θL” is an angle formed by the gaze direction 31 and the reference axis (X axis). The holding data 60 may further store “line-of-sight direction (elevation angle)”. “Progress rate” and “Gaze direction (horizontal angle) θL” are values that are updated each time the interactive mode video output process is executed.

  The “branch ID of the movement destination branch”, “degree of change in visual line direction (horizontal angle) r”, “degree of change in blend ratio r1”, and “blend ratio α” are the blend image display processing (FIG. 18). The “degree of change in the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) r” is a fixed value stored in advance, for example, “1 °”. The “branch ID of the destination branch” and the “degree of blend ratio change r1” are stored each time the blend image display process is executed. The “blend ratio α” is a value that is updated every time step S505 to step S511 of the blend image display process are executed. Details will be described later.

  In the output mode switching process, when the tour mode is switched to the interactive mode, the holding data 60 may be created based on the viewpoint position 30 and the line-of-sight direction 31 indicated by the command information 35 immediately before the mode switching.

  Returning to the description of FIG. The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 displays the user input screen 61 on the display unit 16 (step S401).

  FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining an example of the user input screen 61. On the user input screen 61, a visual field image area 62, a route display area 63, a mode switching button 64, and an input reception area 74 are displayed. In the visual field image area 62, the image displayed in step S408 or step S410 is arranged.

  In the route display area 63, a floor plan 20 in the facility, a route in which the viewpoint position 30 is movable, and a line-of-sight direction index 31e representing the current viewpoint position 30 and the line-of-sight direction 31 are displayed. In the illustrated example, a double circle is drawn as the viewpoint position 30, and a sector is drawn as the line-of-sight direction indicator 31e.

  Based on the visual field image displayed in the visual field image region 62, the viewpoint position 30 on the route displayed in the route display region 63, and the line-of-sight direction indicator 31e, the user instructs to move the viewpoint position 30 from the input reception region 74. And an instruction regarding movement in the line-of-sight direction 31 are input.

  The mode switching button 64 is assigned a function for switching from the interactive mode to the tour mode. When switching to the tour mode, a key on a keyboard (not shown) corresponding to the mode switching button 64 is pressed by the user.

  In the input receiving area 74, when the viewpoint position 30 is moved, when the line-of-sight direction 31 is moved, various change operations (for example, changing the moving speed, the viewing angle of the field-of-view image displayed in the field-of-view image area 62). When a change or the like is performed, a symbol printed on a key top of a keyboard (not shown) pressed by the user is displayed. The functions of various buttons displayed in the input reception area 74 are assigned to any key of a keyboard (not shown).

  Here, the forward button 75a and the backward button 75b are used for inputting the movement of the viewpoint position 30, and while the forward button 75a is being pressed, the viewpoint position 30 moves in a predetermined traveling direction on the route at a predetermined speed. Increase or decrease the progress rate to move with. Further, while the backward button 75b is pressed, the progress rate is increased or decreased so that the viewpoint position 30 moves at a predetermined speed in a predetermined traveling direction on the route. Here, the predetermined speed is, for example, a speed suitable for the speed at which the user walks. The predetermined speed is stored in the storage unit 12 in advance, and can be changed according to a user instruction.

  As another method, the forward button 75a and the backward button 75b are used for acceleration / deceleration in which the viewpoint position 30 moves. That is, as will be described later (step S404 in FIG. 15), the traveling direction is specified in accordance with the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle). At this time, the viewpoint position 30 is a speed in the traveling direction (for example, 1.0 m). / S). When the forward button 75a is pressed, the speed in the traveling direction is accelerated (for example, 0.1 m / s is accelerated to 1.1 m / s). When the backward button 75b is pressed, the speed in the traveling direction is increased. Decelerate (for example, reduce by 0.1 m / s to 0.9 m / s).

  On the other hand, the right-pointing button 76b and the left-pointing button 76d are used for inputting the movement of the line-of-sight direction 31, and the line-of-sight direction 31 moves rightward with respect to the traveling direction at a predetermined speed while the right-pointing button 76b is pressed. Thus, the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) θL is decreased. Further, while the left button 76d is being pressed, the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) θL described later is increased so that the line-of-sight direction 31 moves leftward with respect to the traveling direction at a predetermined speed. The upward button 76a and the downward button 76c are pressed when changing the viewing direction (elevation angle).

  For example, functions such as changing the moving speed and changing the viewing angle of the visual field image displayed in the visual field image area 62 are assigned to the change operation button 77. When making the change, a key on a keyboard (not shown) corresponding to the change operation button 77 is pressed by the user.

  Returning to the description of FIG. The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 receives input of movement of the viewpoint position 30 and movement of the line-of-sight direction 31 (step S402). Subsequently, the control unit 11 of the video output apparatus 1 calculates the viewing direction (horizontal angle) θL (step S403).

  The video output device 1 calculates the amount of movement in the line-of-sight direction 31 received in step S402, updates the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) θL, and stores it in the storage unit 12. Specifically, when the right button 76b (see FIG. 17) is pressed by the user and an instruction to move the gaze direction 31 in the right direction is given, the video output device 1 sets the gaze direction (horizontal angle) θL. When the leftward button 76d (see FIG. 17) is pressed down and movement to the left of the line-of-sight direction 31 is instructed, the video output device 1 increases the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) θL by a predetermined amount. The line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) θL is updated and stored.

  Subsequently, the control unit 11 of the video output device 1 specifies the traveling direction of the viewpoint position 30 based on the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) θL calculated in Step S403 (Step S404). It is assumed that the branch ID of the target branch 22a is stored in the retained data 60.

  As a method for identifying the traveling direction, for example, the video output apparatus 1 searches the branch information 26 and the node information 25 for the position information of the start node 21a and the end node 21b of the target branch 22a, and the branch angle θb of the target branch 22a. Is calculated. If the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) θL is within the range of θb−90 ° <θL ≦ θb + 90 °, the traveling direction matches the direction of the target branch 22a. Match the orientation.

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 calculates the progress rate of the viewpoint position 30 on the target branch 22a (step S405).

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 calculates the movement amount of the viewpoint position 30 received in step S402, and calculates the existing progress rate if the traveling direction of the viewpoint position 30 is the positive direction of the target branch 22a. The storage unit 12 stores the sum of the amount of movement and the amount of movement as a new progress rate. Further, if the traveling direction of the viewpoint position 30 is the negative direction of the target branch 22a, a value obtained by subtracting the calculated movement amount from the existing traveling rate is stored in the storage unit 12 as a new traveling rate.

  When the calculated progress rate is less than “0”, the progress rate is “0”, and when the calculated progress rate exceeds “1”, the progress rate is “1”. "

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 determines whether or not the viewpoint position 30 is located at the end point of the target branch 22a (step S406). Specifically, it is determined whether or not the progress rate stored in the retained data 60 is “0” or “1”.

  If it is not at the end point (NO in step S406), the control unit 11 of the video output device 1 searches the branch information 26 for the video ID of the target branch 22a, and the number of frames of the video ID searched from the video information 27. The target frame is specified by multiplying the number of frames and the progress rate. A field-of-view image is generated by cutting out an image corresponding to the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) θL from the omnidirectional image of the target frame (step S409).

  If it is at the end point (YES in step S406), the control unit 11 of the video output apparatus 1 determines whether the end point is a branch point or a corner (step S407). Specifically, the video output device 1 searches the node information 25 for the attribute of the starting node 21a of the target branch 22a when the progress rate is “0”, and when the progress rate is “1”. Retrieves the attribute of the end node 21b of the target branch 22a, and determines whether or not the retrieved attribute is “2” or more.

  If it is at a branch point or a turning corner (YES in step S407), the control unit 11 of the video output device 1 executes a blend image display process described in FIG. 18 (step S408), and returns to step S402. When it is not at the branch point or the turning corner (NO in step S407), the control unit 11 of the video output device 1 proceeds to step S409.

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 arranges the generated visual field image in the visual field image region 62 of the user input screen 61 and outputs it to the display unit 15 (step S410), and ends the process. Further, the video output device 1 arranges the viewpoint position 30 and the line-of-sight direction indicator 31e on the path of the path display area 63 based on the progress rate and the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) θL.

  The video output device 1 repeats Steps S <b> 402 to S <b> 410 to update the image arranged in the visual field image region 43, thereby presenting video corresponding to the viewpoint position 30 and the line-of-sight direction 31. The video output device 1 always grasps the viewpoint position 30 and the line-of-sight direction 31 that move continuously.

  Next, the blend image display process executed by the control unit 11 of the video output device 1 in step S408 of the interactive mode video output process will be described with reference to FIGS. The blend image display process is a process executed when it is determined in step S407 of the interactive mode video output process of FIG. 15 that the viewpoint position 30 is located at a branch point or a corner. The blend image display process is a process of automatically and continuously displaying images that can be seen at a branch point or a turn when the viewpoint position 30 transitions from the target branch 22a to the destination branch 22c.

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 identifies the destination branch 22c (step S501), and stores the branch ID of the destination branch 22c in the storage unit 12. When the viewpoint position 30 is located at a corner, the movement destination branch 22c that transitions from the target branch 22a is specified as one. As a method of specifying the movement destination branch 22c when the viewpoint position 30 is located at the branch point, an input from the user may be received by a movement destination route selection button (not shown) on the user input screen 61. Alternatively, the line-of-sight direction θL may be compared with the branch angles θE of a plurality of movement-destination branches 22c derived from the node 21 at the branch point, and the movement-destination branch 22c close to the line-of-sight direction θL and the branch angle θE may be automatically selected. .

  The control unit 11 of the video output apparatus 1 calculates the branch angle θE of the movement destination branch specified in step S501 (step S502). The calculation method of the branch angle θE is as described in FIG. Next, the control unit 11 of the video output device 1 specifies the moving direction of the line-of-sight direction 31 (step S503).

  FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the movement of the viewpoint position 31. When the viewpoint position 30 is located at the end point node 21b of the target branch 22a and the line-of-sight direction 31 matches the direction of the target branch 22a, the line-of-sight direction 31 is a white arrow until reaching the direction of the destination branch 22c. Move gradually in the direction of. In the example shown in FIG. 19, the moving direction of the line-of-sight direction 31 is counterclockwise.

  The control unit 11 of the video output apparatus 1 calculates the blend ratio change degree r1 (step S504) and stores it in the storage unit 12. As a method for calculating the blend ratio change degree r1, for example, the video output device 1 uses the branch angle θE and the line-of-sight direction (horizontal) of the change degree r of the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) of the retained data 60 in step S502. The value divided by the difference of (angle) θL is defined as the blend ratio change degree r1.

  In the example shown in FIG. 19, the blend ratio change degree r181 is calculated as shown in the figure. Alternatively, the blend ratio change degree r1 may be a value obtained by dividing the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) change degree r by the difference between the branch angle θE of the destination branch and the branch angle θb of the target branch 22a.

  The control unit 11 of the video output apparatus 1 stores “0” in the blend ratio and stores it in the storage unit 12 (step S505). Next, the control unit 11 of the video output device 1 updates the blend ratio α stored in the storage unit 12 to α + r1, and updates the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) θL to θL + r (step S506). When the movement direction of the line-of-sight direction 31 specified in step S503 is clockwise, the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) θL is updated to θL−r.

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 searches the branch information 26 for the video ID of the target branch 22a, and specifies the target frame corresponding to the node 21 where the viewpoint position 30 is located. A field-of-view image is generated by cutting out an image corresponding to the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) θL from the omnidirectional image of the target frame (step S507).

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 searches the branch information 26 for the video ID of the destination branch 22c, and identifies the target frame corresponding to the node 21 where the viewpoint position 30 is located. A field-of-view image is generated by cutting out an image corresponding to the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) θL from the omnidirectional image of the target frame (step S508).

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 generates a blend image obtained by blending the visual field image generated in step 507 and the visual field image generated in step 508 based on the equation (1) (step 509). The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 arranges the generated blend image in the visual field image area 62 of the user input screen 61 and outputs it to the display unit 15 (step S510).

  The control unit 11 of the video output device 1 determines whether or not the blend ratio α stored in the storage unit 12 satisfies α ≧ 1 (step S511). When α ≧ 1 is not satisfied (NO in step S511), the control unit 11 of the video output device 1 returns to step S506.

  If α ≧ 1 is satisfied (YES in step S511), the control unit 11 of the video output apparatus 1 updates the branch ID of the target branch 22a stored in the storage unit 12 to the branch ID of the destination branch 22c. (Step S512), the process ends, and the process returns to Step S402 of the interactive mode video output device (see FIG. 15).

  As described above, by executing the blend image display process of the video output device 1, the line-of-sight direction (horizontal angle) θL is gradually changed toward the branch angle θE of the destination branch, and the blend ratio α By repeating the processing from step S506 to step S510 while gradually changing from 0 to 1, a series of blended images are output as a moving image, and the viewpoint position 30 continuously moves from the target branch 22a to the destination branch 22c. Can be presented.

  The preferred embodiments of the video output device 1 and the like according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea disclosed in the present application, and these naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ......... Video output device 11 ......... Control part 12 ......... Storage part 15 ......... Input part 16 ......... Display part 20 ......... Floor plan 21 ......... Node 21a ......... Starting node 21b ... ...... End node 22 ......... branch 22a ......... target branch 22b ......... branch before movement 22c ......... destination branch 25 ... …… node information 26 ... …… branch information 27 ... …… video information 34 …… ... tour data 35 ... ... command information 36 ... ... source information 40 ... ... omnidirectional image 41 ... ... image corresponding to line-of-sight direction 51 ... ... panoramic video output screen 52, 62 ... ... visual field image area 60 ......... Retained data 61 ... …… User input screen 74 ... …… Input acceptance area

Claims (8)

An image output device that outputs an image in a line-of-sight direction at a viewpoint position that moves in a route arranged in a coordinate space,
Route storage means for storing a sequence of frames of omnidirectional images in association with the route;
Command storage means for storing a sequence of commands describing a viewpoint position and a line-of-sight direction;
Instruction reading means for sequentially reading the instructions stored in the instruction storage means;
Video generation means for generating, from the omnidirectional image, an image in the line-of-sight direction at the viewpoint position described by the read instruction;
Output means for outputting the generated video;
A video output device comprising: The path is composed of nodes and directed branches,
The video output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a sequence including frames of the omnidirectional image is associated with each directed branch. The viewpoint position described in the command is an identifier of the directed branch and a progress rate in the branch, and the line-of-sight direction is an angle formed with at least a reference axis,
The video generation means specifies the frame corresponding to the progress rate from the sequence corresponding to the directed branch where the viewpoint position is located, and from the omnidirectional image of the specified frame at an angle formed by the The video output device according to claim 2, wherein the video in the indicated direction is cut out and generated. When the viewpoint position moves from the first branch to the second branch, the command includes the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction in the first branch, the viewpoint position in the second branch, and the It is a blending instruction that describes the line-of-sight direction and blend ratio.
When the command is a blend command, the video generation means generates the first video in the line-of-sight direction at the viewpoint position in the first branch and the second branch generated from the omnidirectional image. The video output device according to claim 2, wherein the video is generated by combining the second video in the line-of-sight direction at the viewpoint position with the blend ratio. A character string information storage means for storing the character string and the character string ID in association with each other;
The instruction may further describe the character string ID,
The video generation means further synthesizes the character string specified by the character string ID with the generated video when the instruction describes the character string ID. The video output device according to claim 4. Image information storage means for storing an image and an image ID in association with each other is further provided.
The instruction may further describe the image ID,
The video generation means further synthesizes the image specified by the image ID with the generated video when the command describes the image ID. 6. The video output device according to any one of 5 above. A video output method for outputting a video in a line-of-sight direction at a viewpoint position moving in a path arranged in a coordinate space, wherein a path storage unit stores a sequence of frames of omnidirectional images in association with the path. An instruction storage step for sequentially reading the instructions stored in the instruction storage means performed by the computer, and an instruction storage means for storing a sequence of instructions describing the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction;
A video generation step of generating, from the omnidirectional image, an image in the line-of-sight direction at the viewpoint position described by the read instruction;
An output step of outputting the generated video;
A video output method comprising: A program for causing a computer to function as an image output device that outputs an image in a line-of-sight direction at a viewpoint position that moves in a path arranged in a coordinate space,
Computer
Route storage means for storing a sequence of frames of omnidirectional images in association with the route;
Command storage means for storing a sequence of commands describing a viewpoint position and a line-of-sight direction;
Instruction reading means for sequentially reading the instructions stored in the instruction storage means;
Video generation means for generating, from the omnidirectional image, an image in the line-of-sight direction at the viewpoint position described by the read instruction;
Output means for outputting the generated video;
Program to function as.

Images