JP2019012154A - Fire extinguishing experience simulation system using vr, fire extinguisher for experience, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To achieve a fire extinguishing experience simulation system using a VR which is easy in use, and capable of experiencing a procedure of an actual fire extinguishing activity with a feeling of presence.SOLUTION: A fire extinguishing experience simulation system using a VR comprises: an HMD 10 having a computer as a control part 200; and a fire extinguisher 20 for experience having a control lever 24 which functions as a switch for jetting fire extinguishing agent of virtual reality, a hose 26 which functions as a jetting tool for jetting fire extinguishing agent 5 of virtual reality from a top end 28, sensors S1, S2 for respectively detecting the state of the control lever and the movement of the top end of the hose, and a communication part 32. The control part 200 comprises: a real video/virtual reality video switching part 212; and a virtual reality video generation part 210 for generating a simulation video VR(F) to be displayed, which includes a video in which the fire extinguishing agent 5 of virtual reality is jetted from the top end of the hose 26 grasped by the hand of an experienced person U and a video in which flame 7 of virtual reality is extinguished.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a fire extinguishing experience simulation system using VR, a fire extinguisher for experience, a program, and the like, and in particular, a fire extinguisher for training and a head-up display (HMD) imitating an actual fire extinguisher (particularly imitating a shape) For example, the present invention relates to a fire extinguishing experience (fire extinguisher experience) simulator that enables a fire extinguishing experience in the same procedure as an actual fire extinguishing activity, for example, indoors.

  As an extinguishing training simulator, for example, an indoor set is prepared on a loading platform such as a truck, and a fire is actually generated so that an extinguishing agent can be put into an actual flame (Patent Document 1).

  Further, as a virtual reality simulator using a head mounted display (HMD), there is one that constructs a simulator by connecting a HMD and a graphic workstation with a cable (Patent Document 2).

  In addition, a wearable device that is intended to bring an immersive viewing experience to the user by configuring the HMD using a smartphone or the like and displaying an image corresponding to a wide field of view of the user on the display. Is described in Patent Document 3.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-305647 JP 9-54540 A JP 2017-515435 A

  The techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 both require a large-scale mechanism, for example, there is room for improvement in terms of the portability and simplicity of the simulator, and both are used by experts. It is the main purpose, and it is not something that anyone can use easily, regardless of age.

  In recent years, wearable computing technologies (such as the above-mentioned Patent Document 3) that allow various immersive viewing experiences have been developed in a VR (virtual reality) space. This technology is based on virtual reality (VR). It is premised on immersion in the space, and it is not intended to provide a practically useful experience while sharing a sense of reality using, for example, tools used for actual activities.

  One object of the present invention is to realize a fire extinguishing experience simulation system using VR, which is easy to use and allows the user to experience an actual fire fighting procedure with a sense of reality. Other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by referring to the aspects and best embodiments exemplified below and the accompanying drawings.

  In the following, in order to easily understand the outline of the present invention, embodiments according to the present invention will be exemplified.

In the first aspect, a fire extinguishing experience simulation system using VR is:
A head mounted display (HMD) that is equipped with a display that displays video, a computer, a first communication unit that performs communication processing, and a camera for capturing a real scene that captures a real scene;
Injecting a virtual reality fire extinguishing agent when the second communication unit that communicates with the first communication unit of the HMD, the fire extinguisher body, and the HMD is in a virtual reality (VR) display mode An operation lever that functions as a switch to perform, a hose that functions as an ejection tool for ejecting the virtual reality fire extinguishing agent from the tip, a first sensor that detects an operation of the operation lever by the experience person,
A second sensor that detects the movement of the tip of the hose, and a fire extinguisher for experience that also functions as a controller of the HMD,
Have
The computer of the HMD functions as a control unit that controls the operation of the HMD,
The controller is
A real image display mode / virtual reality display mode, and in the case of the real image display mode, an actual image / virtual reality image switching unit for displaying an actual image captured by the real scene imaging camera on the display;
When the HMD is switched from the real video display mode to the virtual reality video display mode, the first sensor of the fire extinguisher for experience, which is input via the second and first communication units, and Based on each detection information of the second sensor, an image in which the virtual reality fire extinguishing agent is jetted from the tip of the hose held in the hands of the experience person, and an image in which the virtual reality flame is calmed down A virtual reality video generation unit for displaying a simulation video including
Have

  In the first mode, using an experiential fire extinguisher that simulates a fire extinguisher that is actually used (also serves as a controller for the HMD), the operation of changing the lever operation and the direction of the tip of the hose is the same as the actual fire extinguishing activity. Can be done by hand. Therefore, the experience person can get used to the operation of an actual fire extinguisher. In addition, instead of immediately entering the virtual reality space, a real image (for example, a real image including a fire extinguisher for training taken with a smartphone camera that constitutes the HMD) is displayed on the display, and the experience person can use the fire extinguishing for training. It is possible to start a fire-fighting simulation in a virtual reality (VR) space by confirming the position of the container and the hand of the user and then overlaying the confirmed real image. Therefore, it is possible to perform a fire extinguishing work (fire extinguisher experience) in the same procedure as an actual fire fighting activity procedure while sharing a sense of reality. Therefore, the experience person can experience the procedure of actual fire fighting activity with a sense of reality while sharing a sense of reality. Moreover, the main components of the fire-fighting experience simulation system of this aspect are a fire extinguisher for experience and an HMD, and the configuration is simplified. Therefore, a simulator that is excellent in portability (portability and operability) and simple (for example, can be easily implemented indoors without individual support from the staff) can be easily realized. The training fire extinguisher can be realized, for example, by mounting a unit including a sensor and a communication unit on the same thing as an actual fire extinguisher, but is not limited to this. Modifications such as reducing the weight of the fire extinguisher, making it a small fire extinguisher for children, or slightly changing the shape and design of the fire extinguisher body can be made as appropriate.

In a second aspect dependent on the first aspect,
An actual video display mode in the real video display mode, which includes a third communication unit that communicates with the first communication unit of the HMD and is input via the first and third communication units; Based on the video data of the video and the video data of the virtual reality video in the virtual reality video display mode, a monitor that displays the same video that the user sees through the display of the HMD as a monitor video You may make it have further.

  According to the second aspect, since the video that the user is viewing through the HMD display is displayed on the monitor as it is, one or more people (audience) other than the user can view the same video as the user. Can share the same experience. Therefore, for example, a fire extinguishing leader can give advice to the experienced person as appropriate, and the audience can give a more realistic feeling by screaming. Become. Note that the monitor may be, for example, a projection display device having a single large screen commonly used by a plurality of people, or may be a display of a tablet terminal of each person in the audience.

In the third aspect according to the first and second aspects,
The virtual reality video generation unit fixes a position of a wrist fulcrum of the hand of the experiencer holding the tip of the hose displayed in the virtual reality space, and based on a detection signal of the second sensor Then, the direction of the tip of the hose in the virtual reality space may be changed around the fulcrum of the wrist.

  According to the third aspect, the position of the fulcrum of the wrist of the experiencer holding the tip of the hose, which is displayed in the virtual reality space, is fixed, and the amount of change or the like due to the rotation of the wrist, for example, is centered on the fulcrum. The direction of the tip of the hose can be specified by measuring. In this case, it is not necessary to consider the movement of the hand in the depth direction (front-rear direction) and the movement in the vertical direction (vertical direction), so that the detection burden of the sensor can be reduced. The burden of image processing for generation is also reduced. Also, the basics when using a fire extinguisher are to finely adjust the ejection direction by moving the wrist with the tip of the hose while jetting fire extinguishing agent vigorously toward the center of the flame, for example, from an appropriate distance ( In other words, do not make useless movements such as moving your arms and body greatly, and apply the fire extinguisher to the flame accurately), and you can definitely experience this basic action. Therefore, the experienced person can learn the basics of fire fighting activities that are actually useful.

In a fourth embodiment according to the third embodiment,
When the virtual reality video generation unit is switched from the real video display mode to the virtual reality video display mode, the virtual reality video generation unit displays the video before the current fire fighting activity in the virtual reality space, and then the video before the fire fighting activity is displayed. Control to stop approaching the experience person, and then display the simulation image. You may make it control so that the image | video after the fire extinguishing activity to include may come closer to the said experience person, and may stop.

  In the third aspect, since the movement in the depth direction (front-rear direction) of the hand holding the hose is not taken into consideration, it may be difficult for the experiencer to grasp the sense of distance to the flame to be extinguished. In the fourth aspect, an image in the virtual reality space (for example, an image in which a flame image is superimposed on a background image) is brought close to the experience person at an appropriate timing. You can get the sensation of walking toward the flame (in other words, moving to an appropriate distance). For example, when switching from the real video display mode to the virtual reality video display mode, instead of immediately starting the fire fighting activity, the user first brings the fire to the fire extinguisher by bringing the video closer to the user. On the other hand, it is possible to learn the basic items of fire extinguishing activities that it is important to approach the distance that the extinguishing agent reaches. Furthermore, when fire extinguishing activities proceed and when the flame has subsided to a certain level, the image is brought closer, so even if the flame has become smaller, you can't be wary of it, and get closer and securely extinguish the flame. You can learn the basics that is important. In this aspect, a simplified configuration that does not detect the movement of the hand in the depth direction (front-rear direction) is adopted, while the experience person also has to be careful about matters to be noted in the fire-extinguishing operation in the depth direction (front-rear direction). It is possible to learn with certainty.

In a fifth aspect depending on any one of the first to fourth,
The virtual reality video generation unit displays a panoramic video that can be overlooked by the user as a background video included in the video before the fire extinguishing activity under the current state of fire and a background video included in the simulation video. Also good.

  In the fifth aspect, the video displayed in the virtual reality space is not a flat video but a panoramic video with a wide field of view (for example, a 360-degree panoramic video that can be looked around to the side) that the user can look around. By adopting it, you can let the experience experience fire extinguishing activities full of realism. In addition, panoramic images are not only full-circle (or partial-circumference) type, but all-round type that covers the upper half of the field of view with a dome (hemisphere) screen like a planetarium, full view from front to back, left, right, top to feet. An omnidirectional video image covering the image can be adopted as appropriate. In addition, if it is possible to provide separate images with parallax correctly to the left and right eyes of the experiencer, it is also possible to realize a panoramic image of a celestial sphere.

In the sixth aspect subordinate to any one of the first to fifth aspects,
The control unit, after the fire extinguishing activity in the virtual reality space is finished, evaluates the fire extinguishing activity of the experience person according to a predetermined standard, and further includes an evaluation unit that displays information indicating the evaluation on the display of the HMD, You may have.

  In the sixth aspect, after the fire extinguishing experience is over, the evaluation by the evaluation unit (for example, “scoring result” or “evaluation indicating the degree of good, good, good”) is performed on the display of the HMD (or the second aspect) When a monitor is provided as in the above, it can be displayed on the display surface of the monitor. For example, the experience (and the audience) can actually experience a useful fire extinguishing experience without becoming serious, with a sense of game, by being evaluated according to the time required for fire extinguishing, the direction of injection of fire extinguishing agent, etc. Can do. Giving an evaluation also gives the experience a motivation to actively participate in fire fighting activities using VR.

  In the seventh aspect, the fire extinguisher for experience constitutes a fire extinguishing experience simulation system using a VR subordinate to any one of the first to sixth (in other words, is a component of the system) It is a vessel.

  The fire extinguisher for experience has a shape, structure, etc. imitating an actual fire extinguisher, and further includes a sensor for detecting the hand of the user and a communication unit for transmitting sensor detection information to the HMD. Yes, it is possible for many ordinary people to experience fire extinguishing activities using VR easily and indoors using a fire extinguisher for experience.

  In an eighth aspect, the program is a program that causes the computer included in the HMD in the fire-fighting experience simulation system using any one of the first to sixth VRs to operate as the control unit.

  In the eighth aspect, for example, by loading a program into an HMD computer, the HMD can be a component of a fire extinguishing experience simulation system using VR, and a dedicated HMD (dedicated wearable computer) is prepared. There is no need to do. Therefore, many general people can use it easily. This contributes to the spread of fire extinguishing experience simulation systems using VR.

  Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the illustrated embodiments according to the present invention can be further modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a basic configuration example of a fire-fighting experience simulation system using VR (virtual reality) according to the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a fire-fighting activity in a fire-fighting experience simulation using VR. It is a figure which shows an example. 2 (A) to 2 (D) respectively show that the experience person fixes the wrist fulcrum of the hand holding the tip of the hose and rotates the wrist around the fulcrum, thereby ejecting from the tip of the hose. It is a figure which shows the example which changes the direction of the fire extinguisher to do. FIGS. 3A to 3D are diagrams for explaining a procedure example of a fire extinguishing experience using VR, a position where a virtual reality flame can be seen, and the like. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4E are diagrams showing examples of images visually recognized by the experience person and the audience (including the instructor) during the fire extinguishing experience using the VR, respectively. It is a figure which shows the example of a whole structure of the fire-fighting experience simulation system using VR (virtual reality). 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining display of a panoramic image, and FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating a basic configuration example of a flame simulator. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure of the control unit (computer) of the HMD in the fire extinguishing experience simulation system using VR (virtual reality).

  The best mode described below is used to easily understand the present invention. Accordingly, those skilled in the art should note that the present invention is not unduly limited by the embodiments described below.

  In the following description, an example in which a head-mounted display (hereinafter referred to as HMD) is used as an apparatus for experiencing virtual reality (VR) will be described. However, the HMD is limited to a device that is worn on a human head. Instead, it may be worn on the shoulder, neck, trunk, etc., and in a broad sense, it can be interpreted synonymously with a computer that can be worn (wearable computer).

  In addition, as the HMD to be mounted on the head, a stationary type in which a computer portion is placed away from a display, an integrated type in which a computer is integrally provided in a main body of goggles or glasses, a mobile phone such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal A mobile terminal (mobile portable terminal) is roughly classified into a mobile type that constitutes an HMD by detachably attaching it to a belt-like support member for head mounting. Any of these may be used in the present invention. However, in the present invention, in particular, regardless of the age, anyone can easily experience a fire fighting experience at a low cost, aiming to spread the system. From this point of view, in the following description, an example using a mobile HMD will be described.

  FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a basic configuration example of a fire-fighting experience simulation system using VR (virtual reality) according to the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a fire-fighting activity in a fire-fighting experience simulation using VR. It is a figure which shows an example. As shown in the upper left of FIG. 1A, in real space, the Y axis is set in the forward direction (depth direction) of the experience person U, the X axis is set in the left-right direction orthogonal to the Y axis, and Y A Z axis is set in a vertical direction orthogonal to the axis, and a three-dimensional coordinate space is defined by each axis. This three-dimensional coordinate space can be similarly applied to a virtual reality (VR) space.

  As shown in the upper left of FIG. 1A, the experience person U wears the HMD 10 on the head. The goggle of the HMD 10 is configured by detachably attaching a portable mobile terminal (mobile portable terminal) 16 such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal to a belt-like support member 12 for wearing on the head, and a sound of burning flames. The headphones 14 are also provided so that the user can listen to the sound and the like.

  In the case of this configuration, the display surface of a display (for example, a liquid crystal display device) provided in the mobile terminal 16 such as a smartphone is positioned in front of the eyes 1 (left eye 1L, right eye 1R) of the experience person U wearing the HMD 10. Then, the virtual reality image is displayed on the display, so that the experience person U can experience fire fighting using VR (virtual reality). The display provided in the mobile terminal 16 can display different images (parallax images) for the left and right eyes, but here, in order to reduce the burden on the computer provided in the mobile terminal 16, The images are the same. That is, in the example of FIG. 1A, the HMD 10 has a monocular goggles.

  In addition, the computer (CPU, MPU, etc.) provided in the mobile terminal 16 operates in accordance with a program (application program) loaded in advance, for example, so that the HMD 10 constituting the fire extinguishing experience simulation system using VR (virtual reality) is used. It functions as a control unit that controls the operation. In FIG. 1B, the control unit is described as “HMD control unit 200”. In the following description, it may be simply referred to as “control unit 200”.

  In addition, the HMD 10 performs communication processing (receiving processing of sensor detection signals sent from the fire extinguisher 20 for experience, transmission processing of video data displayed on the display of the HMD 10 to the monitor 30, etc.). (First communication unit: not shown in FIG. 1A, “HMD communication unit 300” is shown in FIG. 1B), and a real scene in the real space surrounding the HMD 10 can be captured. A real scene imaging camera (described later).

  In addition, as shown in the lower left side of FIG. 1A, an experience fire extinguisher 20 that also serves as a controller for the HMD 10 is prepared in advance. The fire extinguisher 20 for experience includes a communication unit (second communication unit: for example, the first and second sensors S1 and S2 have a communication function) that communicates with the communication unit (first communication unit) of the HMD 10 If the fire extinguisher body 22 and the HMD 10 are in the virtual reality (VR) display mode, the virtual reality fire extinguishing agent is used. An operation lever 24 that functions as a switch for spraying, a hose 26 that functions as an ejection tool for ejecting the virtual reality fire extinguishing agent 5 from the tip, a first sensor S1 that detects the operation of the operation lever 24 by the experience person U, And a second sensor S2 for detecting the movement of the tip 28 of the hose 26.

  Note that the fire extinguisher 20 for training can be realized, for example, by mounting a unit including a sensor and a communication unit on the same fire extinguisher as an actual fire extinguisher, but is not limited to this. Modifications such as reducing the weight of the fire extinguisher 20 for children, making it a small fire extinguisher for children, and changing the shape and design of the fire extinguisher main body 22 may be made as appropriate. It is.

  This training fire extinguisher 20 has a function as a controller for the HMD 10, but also functions as an experience tool (experience tool) for actually experiencing the operation of an actual fire extinguisher. Here, conventionally, in a battle game using an immersive HMD, for example, in order to control the movement of a bamboo sword in a virtual reality space, the user holds the toy bamboo sword controller in the virtual reality space. In that case, the toy bamboo sword is merely functioning as a controller, and as an experience tool (experience tool) for the purpose of getting used to the actual bamboo sword. Is not working. Therefore, the fire extinguisher for experience of the present invention is a new and useful structure for a fire extinguishing experience simulation having both the function of a controller and the function as an experience tool (experience tool).

  In other words, the experience fire extinguisher 20 has a shape, a structure, and the like imitating an actual fire extinguisher, and sensors S1, S2, etc. that detect the movement of the hands of the experience person, and sensor detection information in the HMD. It is the structure provided with the communication part etc. which transmit, and it becomes possible for many general people to experience the fire extinguishing activity using VR easily indoors using the fire extinguisher 20 for experience.

  Further, as shown on the right side of FIG. 1A, a monitor 30 is installed near the experience person U. The monitor 30 includes a communication unit (third communication unit) 32 that performs communication with the communication unit (first communication unit) of the HMD 10 as clearly shown in FIG. The monitor 30 includes an image processing device (not shown).

  An image processing apparatus (not shown) included in the monitor is input via the communication unit (first communication unit) of the HMD 10 and the communication unit (third communication unit) 32 of the monitor 30 (in other words, wireless communication). Based on the video data of the real video when the HMD 10 is in the real video display mode, and the video data of the virtual reality video when the HMD 10 is in the virtual reality video display mode. Thus, the same image that the experience person U sees through the display of the HMD 10 is displayed as a monitor image. In the example of FIG. 1 (A), the fire extinguisher 20 for experience and the image near the wrist of the left hand of the experience person U, in other words, a camera for capturing a real scene (specifically, FIG. An actual image captured by the outer camera 103) is displayed. Note that the sound that the experience person U is listening to is also output from a speaker (not shown) provided in the monitor 30.

  In the example of FIG. 1A, a monitor image in which an instructor TC who is in charge of specialized advice on fire fighting activities, and an experience candidate AD who is waiting for the experience is displayed on the monitor 30 as an audience. Watching. By installing the monitor 30, one or more people (audience) other than the experience person can share the same experience through the same image as the experience person U. Therefore, for example, the fire fighting instructor TC can appropriately give advice to the experience person U, and the audience AD makes a production that increases the sense of reality by screaming. It is also possible.

  The monitor 30 may be, for example, a projection display device including a single large screen commonly used by a plurality of people, or may be a display of a tablet terminal of each person in the audience.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, after the experience person confirms the image (actual image) of the fire extinguisher main body 22 and his / her hand (right hand 3R), the process proceeds to FIG. In other words, the mode of the HMD 10 is switched from the real video display mode to the virtual reality display mode by the HMD control unit 200 (specifically, the real video / virtual reality video switching unit 212 in FIG. 5).

  In FIG. 1B, a fire-fighting experience simulation using VR is started. When the HMD 10 is switched from the real video display mode to the virtual reality video display mode, the HMD control unit 200 (specifically, the virtual reality video generation unit 210 in FIG. 5) performs an experience by image synthesis (image rendering). Image VR (1) including the tip 28 of the hose 26 held by the hand of the person U, image VR (2) in which the virtual reality extinguishing agent 5 is jetted from the tip 28 of the hose 26, and the virtual reality flame 7 And a video VR (3) that includes a background object 9 (here, as shown in FIG. 1B, a tap of an octopus foot wiring as a fire source) is included. ) To generate a frame video VR (4) for virtual reality display, and display a video including the generated frame video VR (4) on the display of the HMD 10 as a simulation video. On the line, the data of the frame image VR (4), is sent to the monitor 30. On the monitor 30, the same image as the image viewed by the experience person U is displayed as a monitor image.

  The generation of the frame video VR (4) is handled by the virtual reality video generation unit 210 shown in FIG. Note that the virtual reality video generation unit 210 is transmitted from the experience fire extinguisher 20 by wireless communication (in other words, via the second communication unit of the experience fire extinguisher 20 and the first communication unit of the HMD 10). Based on the detection information of the first sensor S1 and the second sensor S2 of the experience fire extinguisher 20, the information on the elapsed time, and the like, from the tip 28 of the hose 26 to the virtual An image VR (2) in which the actual fire extinguishing agent 5 is injected and an image VR (3) in which the virtual reality flame 7 is sedated are generated (described later).

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in the fire extinguishing experience simulation system using VR (virtual reality) of the present embodiment, the fire extinguisher 20 (HMD10) that simulates the fire extinguisher that is actually used. Using the hands 3 of the user U (left hand 3L, right hand 3R), the operation of the lever 24 and the operation of changing the direction of the tip 28 of the hose 26, similar to actual fire fighting activities, are also used. Can be done. Therefore, the experience person U can get used to the actual operation of the fire extinguisher.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 1A, instead of immediately entering the virtual reality space, first, an actual image (for example, a training fire extinguisher imaged by a camera of a mobile terminal 16 such as a smartphone constituting the HMD 10) Virtual images (including real equipment) are displayed on the display, and the experience person U confirms the positions of the training fire extinguisher 20 and his / her own hand (right hand 3R), and then superimposes the virtual reality ( It is possible to start a fire fighting simulation in VR) space.

  Therefore, the fire extinguishing work can be performed in the same procedure as the actual fire extinguishing activity procedure while sharing a sense of reality. Therefore, the experience person U can experience the procedure of actual fire fighting activities with a sense of reality while sharing a sense of reality.

  Moreover, the main components of the fire extinguishing experience simulation system shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B are the fire extinguisher 20 for experience and the HMD 10 (and a monitor 30 is provided if necessary). Has been simplified. Therefore, a simulator that is excellent in portability (portability and operability) and simple (for example, can be easily implemented indoors without individual support from the staff) can be easily realized.

  The fire extinguishing experience simulation system using VR (virtual reality) of the present embodiment is different from the conventional immersive game device and the like, and the actual tool such as the experience fire extinguisher 20 is operated, and the tactile sensation, texture, etc. are always maintained. A virtual fire-fighting experience with realistic reality that allows you to experience realistic fire-fighting activities with VR visuals in a virtual reality space that change in conjunction with the movement of the actual hand while feeling real. It can be called a simulator.

  Reference is now made to FIG. 2 (A) to 2 (D) respectively show that the experience person fixes the wrist fulcrum of the hand holding the tip of the hose and rotates the wrist around the fulcrum, thereby ejecting from the tip of the hose. It is a figure which shows the example which changes the direction of the fire extinguisher to do.

  As described with reference to FIG. 1B, the injection direction of the virtual reality fire extinguishing agent 5 injected from the tip 28 of the hose 26 changes depending on the movement of the hands of the experience person U holding the tip 28 of the hose 26. To do. The movement of the hand is detected by the second sensor S2 provided at the tip 28 of the hose 26 of the experience fire extinguisher 20. For example, as the second sensor S2, a six-axis sensor (a compound type inertial sensor that detects movements in the X, Y, and Z axial directions and rotations θX, θY, and θZ around the respective axes) is used. Thus, it is possible to detect complicated hand movements in detail. Of course, such a detection method can also be used in the present invention. However, in this case, since there is a lot of detection information, the image processing for generating an image for simulation is complicated, and the HMD 10 is configured. It is assumed that the processing capability of the mobile terminal 16 is exceeded, and when a highly functional mobile terminal is prepared, the cost is undeniable. In order to promote the spread of fire-fighting experience simulation systems, it is desirable that many general people can easily use them at the lowest possible cost.

  From this point of view, in the example of FIG. 2, the HMD control unit 200 (specifically, the virtual reality video generation unit 210 of FIG. 5) is displayed in the virtual reality space in consideration of reducing the burden of image processing. The position of the wrist fulcrum K1 of the hand of the experience person U holding the tip 28 of the hose 26 (for example, the right hand 3R) is fixed, and based on the detection signal of the second sensor S2, the wrist fulcrum K1 is the center (specifically Specifically, the direction of the tip 28 of the hose 26 in the virtual reality space is changed by detecting a change caused by the rotation of the wrist around the fulcrum K1).

  FIG. 2A shows the right hand 3R, the tip 28 of the hose 26, the virtual reality fire extinguishing agent 5 ejected from the tip 28 of the hose 26, and the virtual reality flame 7 in the virtual reality space in the vertical direction ( An image (a VR image in plan view viewed from the Z-axis direction) when viewed along the Z-axis corresponding to (vertical direction) is illustrated. FIG. 3B shows a state in which the VR image is displayed on the monitor 30.

  2A and 2B, the position of the wrist fulcrum K1 of the right hand 3R in the virtual reality space is fixed, and even if the right hand 3R moves in the real space, the virtual reality space Then, the movement is not reflected, and the fulcrum K1 is always at the same position. In the example of FIG. 3A, rotation (rotation) about the Z axis, in other words, clockwise / counterclockwise rotation (rotation) in the left-right direction as viewed from the experience person U, is used for the experience. It is detected by the sensor S2 of the fire extinguisher 20.

  FIG. 2C is a plan view VR image of the same image as FIG. 2A viewed from the X-axis direction corresponding to the left-right direction, and FIG. 2D is the VR image on the monitor 30. It is a figure which shows a mode that it is projected. Similarly, the fulcrum K1 is fixed, and the rotation (rotation) about the X axis, in other words, the clockwise / counterclockwise rotation (rotation) in the vertical direction when viewed from the experience person U is experienced. It is detected by the sensor S2 of the fire extinguisher 20.

  In this way, the movement to be detected is a transition caused by rotation (rotation) around each of the Z-axis and X-axis (of course, movements about other axes may be detected. The detection information other than the movement around the two axes is not used for image generation), so that the processing load on the HMD control unit (control unit) 200 can be reduced.

  In other words, the position of the wrist fulcrum K1 of the right hand 3R of the user U holding the tip 28 of the hose 26 displayed in the virtual reality space is fixed, and the fulcrum K1 is the center, for example, by turning the wrist By measuring the amount of displacement with an angular velocity sensor (such as a gyro sensor), the direction of the tip 28 of the hose 26 can be specified, while the movement along the depth direction of the hand (the Y-axis direction which is the front-rear direction) (translation) Since there is no need to consider the movement (translation) along the vertical direction (vertical direction), the detection load of the second sensor S2 can be reduced, and the virtual reality video in the HMD control unit (control unit) 200 can be reduced. The burden of image processing for generating images by the generation unit 210 (see FIG. 5) is also reduced.

  Further, when using a fire extinguisher, the wrist of the hand (right hand 3R) having the tip 28 of the hose 26 while jetting the extinguishing agent 5 vigorously toward the center of the flame 7, for example, from an appropriate distance. By finely adjusting the ejection direction by the movement of the body, in other words, without making a useless movement such as moving the arm and body greatly, accurately applying the fire extinguisher to the flame, and definitely experiencing this basic movement Can do. Thus, the experience person U can learn the basics of fire fighting activities that are actually useful.

  Reference is now made to FIG. FIGS. 3A to 3D are diagrams for explaining a procedure example of a fire extinguishing experience using VR, a position where a virtual reality flame can be seen, and the like. In FIG. 3, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same objects as those in the previous figures. This point is the same in other drawings.

  In FIG. 3A, the experience person U wearing the HMD 10 first pulls out the safety pin 13 from the fire extinguisher 20 for experience, and then hangs (grasps) one hand (here, the right hand 3R) on the lever 24. Since the detection signal of the first sensor S1 is OFF, the tip 28 of the hose 26 is grasped (held) with the other hand (here, the left hand 3L).

  As described above, in the state of FIG. 3A, the mobile terminal 16 functioning as goggles displays a real image captured by the camera (for example, see the monitor image of FIG. 1A). The experience person U can visually confirm the fire extinguisher 20 for experience, the position of his / her hand, and the like.

  Next, the HMD 10 is switched from the real video display mode to the virtual reality video display mode. In FIG. 3B, an image before the fire extinguishing activity in the current state of fire (for example, an image around the tap 9 of the octopus foot wiring in the office, which is the source of fire) is displayed in the virtual reality space. The distance from the experience person U to the flame 7 is L0. Thereafter, the video approaches the experience person U and stops. In this case, the distance from the experience person U to the flame 7 is L1 (L1 <L0).

  The reason why the image of the fire source is brought close to the experience person U is as follows. That is, as described above, when the movement in the depth direction (front-rear direction) of the hand having the tip 28 of the hose 26 is not considered, it is difficult for the experience person U to grasp the sense of distance to the flame 7 to be extinguished. There can be. Considering this point, the image of the fire source in the virtual reality space (the image in which the image of the flame is superimposed on the background image) is brought closer to the user U at an appropriate timing. It makes it possible to get a feeling as if he had walked toward the flame 7 (in other words, moved to an appropriate distance). For example, when switching from the real video display mode to the virtual reality video display mode, instead of immediately starting the fire fighting activity, by bringing the video of the fire source closer to the experience person U, the experience person U, It is possible to learn the basic matter of fire extinguishing activity that it is important to approach the fire 7 that is the target of extinguishing to the distance that the extinguishing agent 5 reaches.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, a simulation image of fire extinguishing activities is displayed, and the flame 7 is subsided over time by the injection (spraying) of the fire extinguishing agent 5 in the virtual reality space. A video showing is displayed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3D, when the flame 7 is sedated and reduced to a predetermined level (for example, when the size of the flame is about 30% of the initial state), the flame 7 is sedated to a predetermined level. The image after the fire extinguishing activity including the flame 7 which has become smaller to the extent comes closer to the experience person U and stops. When the fire extinguishing activity progresses and the flame 7 is subdued to a certain level, the image including the source of the fire is brought closer, so even if the flame 7 becomes smaller, it will not be overwhelmed, and it will come closer. You can learn the basics that extinguishing the flame 7 is important. Eventually, the flame is completely extinguished, which ends the experience simulation.

  Thus, even when a simplified configuration that does not detect hand movement in the depth direction (front-rear direction) is employed, the experience person U is careful about the fire extinguishing operation in the depth direction (front-rear direction). It is possible to learn the necessary items.

  Reference is now made to FIG. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4E are diagrams showing examples of images visually recognized by the experience person and the audience (including the instructor) during the fire extinguishing experience using the VR, respectively. In FIG. 4, an image displayed on the HMD 10 (display) is shown on the left side, and an image displayed on the monitor 30 is shown on the right side.

  In FIG. 4A, a navigation image for starting the simulation is displayed. In FIG. 4B, the real video (real image) shown in FIG. 1A is displayed first.

  In FIG. 4C, the real video (real image) is switched to the VR video (virtual image). The HMD 10 displays an image indicating a fire source (an image VR (2L) indicating a flame 7L for the left eye, an image VR (2R) indicating a flame 7R for the right eye). On the monitor 30, an image VR (2) showing the flame 7 is shown.

  In FIG. 4D, a simulation image (in other words, a frame image VR (FL) for the left eye, a frame image VR (FR) for the right eye) during the fire extinguishing activity is displayed on the HMD 10. A frame image VR (F) is displayed on the monitor 30.

  In FIG. 4E, the HMD 10 includes a simulation image (in other words, a frame image VR (FL) for the left eye, a right eye) in a state where the flame 7 has been sedated and has an initial size of about 30%. Frame image VR (FR)) is displayed. A frame image VR (F) is displayed on the monitor 30.

  Reference is now made to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration example of a fire-fighting experience simulation system using VR (virtual reality). 5 shows the configuration of the main body (HMD main body) 101 of the HMD 10, and the left side of FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the control unit (HMD control unit) 200 of the HMD 10.

  The HMD main body 101 includes an image processing unit 107, an external camera (real scene imaging camera) 103 that images the outside, a display driving unit 109, a display area 16L for the left eye 1L of the display, and a right eye 1R for the display. A display area 16R, a headphone 14 (including a left ear speaker 11L and a right ear speaker 11L), an inner camera (pupil detection camera) 13 for detecting movement of the line of sight (viewpoint) of the user U, and , And a sensor unit 15. The sensor unit 15 includes a line-of-sight detection unit 17, an inertial sensor 19 including a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, and the like, and a motion detection unit 21 that detects hand movement based on the sensor signal.

  In addition, the presence of the headphones 14 outputs, for example, a flame burning sound to the ear of the experience person U during the fire extinguishing experience simulation, and thereby, the experience person U experiences a fire fighting activity more realistic. be able to.

  In addition, the visual line position (viewpoint position) of the experience person U can be detected by analyzing the pupil photographed by the inner camera 13 by the visual line detection unit 17. For example, on the display of the HMD 10, options such as “stop simulation” and “escape without performing fire fighting” are presented, and the experience person U performs a desired action by matching the line of sight to the desired option , And so on.

  The control unit (HMD control unit) 200 includes a virtual reality video generation unit 210, a real video / virtual reality video switching unit 212, a storage unit 220, an evaluation unit (scoring unit) 230, a timer 240, and an image signal generation. Unit 250, acoustic processing unit 260, and acoustic signal generation unit 270.

  The control unit (HMD control unit) 200 includes a guide image generation unit 211 that generates a navigation (guidance) image as shown in FIG. 4A, a panoramic image generation unit 213, and an image generation unit for a hose tip and a wrist. 214, a fire extinguishing agent spray (spout) image generation unit 216, and a combustion image generation unit (in other words, a flame simulator) 216 that generates a combustion image that is a fire source image. The panoramic image will be described later.

  Here, the real video / virtual reality video switching unit 212 switches between the real video display mode / virtual reality display mode in the HMD 10 and, in the real video display mode, captures with the real scene imaging camera (outer camera) 103. The actual video thus displayed is displayed on the display of the HMD 10.

  In addition, when the HMD 10 switches from the real video display mode to the virtual reality video display mode, the virtual reality video generation unit 210 and the communication unit (second communication unit) of the fire extinguisher 20 for experience and the communication unit of the HMD ( Each detection information of the first sensor S1 and the second sensor S2 of the experience fire extinguisher 20 input via the first communication unit 300 (ON / OFF signal of the lever shown in FIG. 5, X Image of virtual reality fire extinguishing agent ejected from the tip 28 of the hose 26 held by the hands of the experience person U based on the information θX, θZ indicating the transition due to rotation (rotation) around the axis and the Z axis ( A simulation video (frame video VR of FIG. 1B) including a video VR (2) of FIG. 1B and a video (video VR (3) of FIG. 1B) in which the virtual reality flame is subdued. (F)) is displayed.

  The storage unit 220 includes a RAM, a ROM, an EEPROM, and the like, and includes image generation data 221, a system program 222, and an application program 223.

  The application program 223 is a program that causes the computer (CPU, MPU) included in the HMD 10 in the fire-fighting experience simulation system using VR to operate as the control unit (HMD control unit) 200. Therefore, by loading the application program 223 into the HMD 10 computer (CPU, MPU), the HMD 10 can be made a component of a fire extinguishing experience simulation system using VR, and a dedicated HMD (dedicated wearable computer). There is no need to prepare. Therefore, many general people can use it easily. This contributes to the spread of fire fighting experiences using VR.

  Further, as described above, the control unit (HMD control unit) 200 includes the evaluation unit (scoring unit) 230. After the fire fighting activity in the virtual reality space is completed, the evaluation unit (scoring unit) 230 evaluates the fire fighting activity of the experience person U according to a predetermined standard, and displays information indicating the evaluation on the display of the HMD 10.

  For example, after the fire extinguishing experience is over, evaluation by the evaluation unit (scoring unit) 230 (for example, “scoring result” or “evaluation indicating degree of good, good, good”) is displayed on the display of the HMD 10 and on the monitor 30 Displayed on the screen.

  Specifically, for example, the experience (and the audience) does not become serious in a game sense by being evaluated according to the time required for fire extinguishing, the direction of jetting of the extinguishing agent, etc. You can have a practical fire fighting experience. Giving an evaluation also gives the experience U a motivation to actively participate in fire fighting activities using VR, contributing to the spread of the system.

  Reference is now made to FIG. 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining display of a panoramic image, and FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating a basic configuration example of a flame simulator. First, generation of a panoramic image will be described.

  As described with reference to FIG. 5, the virtual reality video generation unit 210 includes a panoramic image generation unit 213. For example, the panorama image generation unit 213 generates and displays a panoramic image that can be overlooked by the experience person U as a background image included in the image before the fire fighting operation in the current state of fire and a background image included in the simulation image. It has a function to make it.

  Here, as a video displayed in the virtual reality space, a wide-view panoramic video (for example, a 360-degree panoramic video that can be looked around to the side) that can be viewed by the experiencer is adopted instead of a planar video. The experience person U can experience fire extinguishing activities full of realism. In addition, panoramic images are not only full-circle (or partial-circumference) type, but all-round type that covers the upper half of the field of view with a dome (hemisphere) screen like a planetarium, full view from front to back, left, right, top to feet. An omnidirectional video image covering the image can be adopted as appropriate. Further, if the left and right eyes of the experience person U can correctly provide separate images with parallax, an omnidirectional stereoscopic panoramic image can be realized. However, for example, if stereoscopic viewing is to be realized using a parallax image, the burden of image processing increases, so it is necessary to perform panoramic image generation processing within a range that does not burden the control unit (HMD control unit) 200. There is.

  In FIG. 6A, a hemispherical coordinate space MP is set, and a curved surface corresponding to a wide field of view is located at a position away from the eye 1 (right eye 1R, left eye 1L) of the experience person U by a reference distance L. The virtual screen (image projection area) SE is set. By rotating (turning) the screen SE in the left-right direction based on the movement of the head of the experience person U (or the movement of the eyes described with reference to FIG. 5), the experience person U can look around in the horizontal direction. Such a display with a panoramic image with a wide field of view can be realized.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the movement of the head HA of the experience person U can be measured by, for example, an inertial sensor mounted on the main body 101 of the HMD 10 shown in FIG. . For example, if a six-axis sensor (a compound type inertial sensor that detects movements in the X, Y, and Z axial directions and rotations θX, θY, and θZ around each axis) is used, It is possible to detect the movement in detail.

  Moreover, the combustion image generation part (flame simulator) 216 demonstrated in FIG. 5 has a structure like FIG.6 (C), for example. In other words, it has a flame fragment database 501 created based on the combustion model, a combustion image data generation unit 503, and a timer 505. The combustion image data generation unit 503 is sent from the experience fire extinguisher 20. Considering the incoming sensor information (detection signals of the sensors S1 and S2) and the time-lapse information measured by the timer 505, the flame piece database 501 is accessed and a flame piece of a required size is synthesized. An image of the flame 7 changing every moment is generated.

  As described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the ejection direction of the extinguishing agent 5 is changed according to the rotation (rotation) of the wrist of the hand (right hand 3R) holding the tip 28 of the hose 26. However, since the spread of the ejection is known in advance, if the ejection direction is determined, it is possible to predict which range of the flame 7 is applied with how much extinguishing agent per unit time. Based on this prediction result, combustion image data can be generated using the configuration as described above.

  Reference is now made to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure of the control unit (computer) of the HMD in the fire extinguishing experience simulation system using VR (virtual reality). Note that the procedure shown in FIG. 7 follows the simulation procedure shown in FIGS.

  The HMD control unit (computer operating in accordance with the program) 200 first displays a guidance video such as an operation explanation (step S10), and then an image (for example, FIG. 5) captured by the outer camera 103 in FIG. The fire extinguisher for experience 20 as shown in 4 (B) and a captured image near the wrist are displayed (step S20).

  Next, when a fire fighting experience using VR is started (step S30), a video of a VR video (for example, a video showing the current state of fire before the fire fighting activity as shown in FIG. 4C before the fire fighting activity). ) Is displayed (step S40). Next, for example, the experience person U determines whether or not to select the start of the fire fighting activity (step S50). Here, for example, a procedure in which, for example, two options of “run away” and “start” are presented on the display of the HMD 10 and the experience person U selects one of them by eye contact is performed. The

  In the case of Y in step S50, as described with reference to FIG. 4B, the fire source image is controlled to approach (approach) the experience person U so that a sense of depth can be experienced (step S60). The presence or absence of lever operation by the experience person U (ON / OFF of the lever 24) is detected (step S70).

  In the case of Y in step S70, as described with reference to FIG. 4C, the display of the VR image in which the extinguishing agent 5 is released from the tip 28 of the hose 26 and the extinguishing with the lapse of time by the extinguishing agent 5 sprayed. The VR image of the flame being displayed is displayed (step S80). At the same time, the same VR video is transmitted to the monitor 30 and displayed on the monitor 30 (step S90).

  Next, as described in FIG. 4D, when the flame 7 is extinguished to a size of about 30% or less of the initial state (step S100), in order to make the experience person U feel a sense of depth, When the image of the fire source is further brought closer to the experience person (step S110) and the flame is extinguished (step S120), scoring (generation of the evaluation result) is performed, and the scoring (evaluation result) is displayed on the display of the HMD 10 And on the display surface of the monitor 30 (step S130). In this case, for example, the time limit for extinguishing the fire can be set to 30 seconds, and evaluation can be performed by the time until the completion of the fire extinguishing. For example, when the fire can be extinguished in less than 15 seconds, 100 points are evaluated, and in the case of 15 seconds to less than 20 seconds, 70 points are evaluated.

  As described above, according to the fire extinguishing experience simulation system, program, and experience fire extinguisher using the VR of the present invention, it is excellent in portability and convenience, and a fire extinguishing experience can be performed in the same procedure as the actual fire extinguishing activity. A new fire extinguishing experience simulator that can receive guidance from a leader as appropriate can be realized.

  In addition, motivation for the fire fighting experience can be given by giving game specials such as giving points according to the time until fire extinguishing, the direction of jetting, and the like. In addition, practical fire extinguishing training can be realized by making the jettable time of the extinguishing agent the same as that of an actual fire extinguisher and bringing it closer to the feeling of use of the actual fire extinguisher.

  In addition, by using monocular goggles, it can be used by elementary school students and younger, so that it can be used regardless of age. In addition, by using the monitor, the audience (audience) and the experience can share the same experience.

  Also, for example, fire extinguishing activities that approach fire sources up to a distance of 3 to 5 meters, and when the fire extinguishing activities progress and the flames become smaller, the fire extinguishes closer to the fire source and extinguishes completely. Actions can be experienced in a virtual reality (VR) space (FIGS. 4B to 4D).

  In addition, it is possible to prevent the security from being lowered by adopting a configuration in which the mobile terminal or the like constituting the HMD 10 is not connected to the Internet.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible. For example, the background image and the flame image displayed in the virtual reality space can be selected from a plurality of images, and for example, a more appropriate situation can be set by periodically updating the options image. As a result, a practical fire fighting experience can be carried out easily.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments, and those skilled in the art will be able to easily modify the above-described exemplary embodiments to the extent included in the claims. .

  1 (1L, 1R) ... Experiencer's eyes (left eye, right eye), 3 (3L, 3R) ... Experiencer's hands (left hand, right hand), 5 ... Virtual reality fire extinguishing agent ( Fire extinguishing agent CG), 7... Virtual reality flame (flame CG), 9... Fire source object (for example, tap), 10... HMD, 12. , 14 ... headphones, 16 ... mobile terminal, 20 ... fire extinguisher for experience, 22 ... fire extinguisher body, 24 ... lever, 26 ... hose, 28 ... tip of hose (Tip portion), 30 ... monitor, 32 ... monitor communication unit (third communication unit), 200 ... control unit (HMD control unit), 300 ... HMD communication unit (first communication) Part), TC ... instructor, AD ... audience.

Claims (8)

A head mounted display (HMD) that is equipped with a display that displays video, a computer, a first communication unit that performs communication processing, and a camera for capturing a real scene that captures a real scene;
Injecting a virtual reality fire extinguishing agent when the second communication unit that communicates with the first communication unit of the HMD, the fire extinguisher body, and the HMD is in a virtual reality (VR) display mode An operation lever that functions as a switch to perform, a hose that functions as an ejection tool that ejects the virtual reality fire extinguishing agent from the tip, a first sensor that detects operation of the operation lever by the experiencer, and a tip of the hose A second sensor for detecting the movement of the experience, a fire extinguisher for experience that also functions as a controller of the HMD,
Have
The computer of the HMD functions as a control unit that controls the operation of the HMD,
The controller is
A real image display mode / virtual reality display mode, and in the case of the real image display mode, an actual image / virtual reality image switching unit for displaying an actual image captured by the real scene imaging camera on the display;
When the HMD is switched from the real video display mode to the virtual reality video display mode, the first sensor of the fire extinguisher for experience, which is input via the second and first communication units, and Based on each detection information of the second sensor, an image in which the virtual reality fire extinguishing agent is jetted from the tip of the hose held in the hands of the experience person, and an image in which the virtual reality flame is calmed down A virtual reality video generation unit for displaying a simulation video including
A fire extinguishing experience simulation system using VR.   An actual video display mode in the real video display mode, which includes a third communication unit that communicates with the first communication unit of the HMD and is input via the first and third communication units; Based on the video data of the video and the video data of the virtual reality video in the virtual reality video display mode, a monitor that displays the same video that the user sees through the display of the HMD as a monitor video The fire extinguishing experience simulation system using the VR according to claim 1, further comprising:   The virtual reality video generation unit fixes a position of a wrist fulcrum of the hand of the experiencer holding the tip of the hose displayed in the virtual reality space, and based on a detection signal of the second sensor The fire extinguishing experience simulation system using VR according to claim 1, wherein the direction of the tip of the hose in the virtual reality space is changed around the fulcrum of the wrist.   When the virtual reality video generation unit is switched from the real video display mode to the virtual reality video display mode, the virtual reality video generation unit displays the video before the current fire fighting activity in the virtual reality space, and then the video before the fire fighting activity is displayed. Control to stop approaching the experience person, and then display the simulation video, and when the flame is subdued and reduced to a predetermined level, the flame that has been subdued and reduced to a predetermined level The fire extinguishing experience simulation system using VR according to claim 3, wherein the image after the fire extinguishing activity is controlled so as to come closer to the experience person and stop.   The virtual reality video generation unit displays a panoramic video that can be overlooked by the experience person as a background video included in the video before the fire extinguishing activity under the current state of fire and a background video included in the simulation video. A fire extinguishing experience simulation system using the VR according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The control unit, after the fire extinguishing activity in the virtual reality space is finished, evaluates the fire extinguishing activity of the experience person according to a predetermined standard, and further includes an evaluation unit that displays information indicating the evaluation on the display of the HMD, A fire extinguishing experience simulation system using a VR according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by comprising:   The fire extinguisher for experience which comprises the fire extinguishing experience simulation system using VR of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6.   The program which operates the said computer with which the said HMD in the VR fire extinguishing experience simulation system of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6 operates as said control part.

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