JP2019114930A - Information processing apparatus and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To give a user a sense of immersion in a VR space.SOLUTION: The information processing apparatus (for example, a game apparatus 10) that displays an image based on a viewpoint set in a VR space and a VR space on an HMD, includes: acquisition means 48 for acquiring posture information of a user wearing the HMD; determination means 50 for determining whether the posture of the user is correct on the basis of the posture information acquired by the acquisition means 48; and adjusting means 52 for automatically adjusting a viewpoint on the basis of the posture information when the determination means 50 makes a positive determination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and program.

  An information processing apparatus is conventionally known which displays an image based on a virtual reality space and a viewpoint set in the virtual reality space on a head mounted display (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Hereinafter, a virtual reality space may be referred to as a "VR space" and a head mounted display may be referred to as an "HMD".

  In this regard, in Patent Document 2, the HMD is provided with a reset button, and when the reset button is operated, the position of the HMD at that time is used as a reference such as the position of the VR space, in other words, in the VR space A technique for adjusting (re-centering) a set viewpoint is disclosed.

Patent No. 6113897 gazette JP, 2004-96224, A

  Here, in the technology described in Patent Document 2, an image based on an unrealistic viewpoint is displayed on the HMD if the viewpoint is not set correctly, so that the user wears the HMD and then an image based on the VR space. You had to manually press the reset button before you saw.

  However, even if the reset button is pressed, an image based on an unrealistic viewpoint is displayed on the HMD unless the posture at that time is correct. As a result, there is a problem that the immersive feeling to the VR space given to the user fades at a stretch.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus and program capable of giving a user a sense of immersion in a VR space.

  In order to solve the above problems, an information processing apparatus according to an aspect is an information processing apparatus that displays an image based on a virtual reality space and a viewpoint set in the virtual reality space on a head mounted display, the head mounting When the acquisition means for acquiring the posture information of the user wearing the display, the determination means for determining whether or not the posture of the user is correct based on the posture information acquired by the acquisition means, and the determination means makes an affirmative determination And adjusting means for automatically adjusting the viewpoint based on the posture information.

  According to the above aspect, since the viewpoint is automatically adjusted based on the correct posture information of the user, it is possible to display an image based on a realistic viewpoint on the HMD, thereby making the user immersive in the VR space. Can be given.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to give the user a sense of immersion in the VR space.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an entire configuration of an HMD system including a game device as an information processing device according to an embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the connection relation of each structure of a HMD system. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the game device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a function structure of the game device shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the process regarding re-center. (A) is a figure which shows the game image displayed on HMD, when not re-centering. (B) is a figure which shows the game image displayed on HMD, when re-centering.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as “the present embodiment”) will be described with reference to the attached drawings. To facilitate understanding of the description, the same components and steps in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and redundant description will be omitted.

  The information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is an apparatus that displays an image based on the VR space and the viewpoint of the virtual camera set in the VR space on the HMD. Examples of the information processing apparatus include a server device, a personal computer, and a game device. In the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus is a game apparatus, and displays on the HMD a game image based on a viewpoint set in the VR space.

<Overall configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an HMD system 1 including a game apparatus 10 as an information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  The HMD system 1 includes a game device 10, a chair 12, an HMD 14, headphones 16, and a controller 18.

  The game device 10 is a device that provides the user U with a VR game. In the VR game, for example, there is a game in which the user U operates a character and moves in the VR space to clear a story or defeat an enemy.

  The chair 12 is a member on which the user U can sit when using the HMD 14. The chair 12 may be provided with, for example, a vibration speaker 12A that vibrates the chair 12 at the time of a VR game.

  The HMD 14 is a device worn by the user U on the head, and displays to the user U a game image obtained by photographing the VR space from the viewpoint of the virtual camera.

  The headphones 16 are devices that output game sounds to the user U. In the present embodiment, the headphones 16 are integrated with the HMD 14.

  The controller 18 is a device in which the user U operates an operation such as movement of a character or attack.

<Connection relationship>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the connection relationship of each component of the HMD system 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the HMD system 1, the vibration speaker 12A, the HMD 14, the headphones 16, the controller 18, the attitude sensor 20, and the position sensor 22 are connected to the game apparatus 10 by wire or wireless. ing.

  The posture sensor 20 is a sensor that is provided in the HMD 14 and detects posture information of the user U. In the present embodiment, posture information is represented as a rotation matrix.

  The position sensor 22 is provided in the HMD 14 and is a sensor that detects position information (height information) of the HMD 14, in other words, height information of the head of the user U.

  Here, in FIG. 2, although the posture sensor 20 and the position sensor 22 are provided in the HMD 14, for example, a camera is provided in the HMD system 1, the user U is photographed by the camera, and posture information or And height information may be calculated. In this case, the attitude sensor 20 and the position sensor 22 can be omitted.

<Hardware configuration>
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the game apparatus 10 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the game apparatus 10 includes a control device 30, a communication device 32, and a storage device 34. The control device 30 mainly includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 36 and a memory 38.

  In the control device 30, the CPU 36 functions as various functional means by executing a predetermined program stored in the storage device 34 or the memory 38 or the like. Details of this functional means will be described later.

  The communication device 32 is configured by a communication interface or the like for communicating with an external device. The communication device 32 transmits and receives various types of information to and from, for example, the HMD 14.

  The storage device 34 is configured by a hard disk or the like. The storage device 34 stores various programs and various information necessary for execution of processing in the control device 30, including the game program 34A and the re-center program 34B, and information on processing results.

  Here, the game program 34A is a program for providing the user U with a VR game. The recenter program 34B adjusts the position of the VR space so that the position of the real user's P head matches the position of the character's head in the VR space, in other words, of the virtual camera that captures the VR space It is a program that automatically adjusts the viewpoint. Note that “re-center” refers to adjusting the viewpoint of a virtual camera.

  The game apparatus 10 can be realized using an information processing apparatus such as a dedicated or general purpose server computer. Further, the game apparatus 10 may be configured by a single information processing apparatus or may be configured by a plurality of information processing apparatuses distributed on a communication network. Also, FIG. 3 only shows a part of the main hardware configuration of the game apparatus 10, and the game apparatus 10 may have other configurations generally provided in the server.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the game apparatus 10 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the game apparatus 10 includes a storage unit 40, a game progression unit 42, a display control unit 44, a voice control unit 46, an acquisition unit 48, a determination unit 50, and an adjustment unit 52. Is equipped. The storage means 40 is realized by one or more storage devices 34. The game progress means 42 is realized by the control device 30 executing the game program 34A. The display control unit 44, the voice control unit 46, the acquisition unit 48, the determination unit 50, and the adjustment unit 52 are realized by the control device 30 executing the recenter program 34B.

  The storage unit 40 stores a plurality of threshold values 40A related to the height and the attitude of the user U.

  The game progression means 42 is a functional means for advancing a VR game.

  The display control unit 44 is a functional unit that controls the HMD 14 to display a VR space and a game image based on a viewpoint set in the VR space on the HMD 14.

  The sound control unit 46 is a functional unit that controls the headphones 16 and outputs game sounds and sounds from the headphones 16.

  The acquisition unit 48 is a functional unit that acquires posture information of the user wearing the HMD 14.

  The determination unit 50 is a functional unit that determines whether the posture of the user is correct based on the posture information acquired by the acquisition unit 48.

  The adjusting unit 52 is a functional unit that automatically adjusts the viewpoint of the virtual camera based on the posture information, that is, recenters when the determination unit 50 makes a positive determination.

<Flow of processing>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing related to the re-center.

(Step SP10)
The acquisition means 48 acquires current height information from the position sensor 22. Then, the process proceeds to the process of step SP12.

(Step SP12)
The determination means 50 determines whether the user U wears the HMD 14 based on the height information acquired by the acquisition means 48. In the present embodiment, the determination means 50 positively determines that the HMD 14 is attached when the height indicated by the height information is higher than the predetermined value by the threshold 40A. When the process is positively determined, the process proceeds to step SP14. When the process is negatively determined, the process returns to step SP10.

(Step SP14)
The display control means 44 displays an image of a single color on the HMD 14. In the present embodiment, a black image in which all game objects are excluded is displayed. At that time, the display control means 44 arranges the horizon in the black image. Then, the process proceeds to the process of step SP16.

(Step SP16)
The voice control unit 46 controls the vibration speaker 12A to output voice guidance for prompting the user U to correct the posture. Then, the process proceeds to the process of step SP18.

(Step SP18)
The acquisition unit 48 acquires posture information of the user U from the posture sensor 20. Then, the process proceeds to the process of step SP20.

(Step SP20)
The determination means 50 determines whether the posture of the user U is correct based on the posture information acquired by the acquisition means 48. In the present embodiment, when the parameter indicated by the posture information is higher than the parameter indicated by the threshold 40A, the determination unit 50 positively determines that the posture of the user U is flat and correct. When the process is positively determined, the process proceeds to step SP22. When the process is negatively determined, the process returns to step SP18.

(Step SP22)
The acquisition means 48 acquires posture information of the user U from the posture sensor 20 for a certain period. Then, based on the posture information acquired by the acquisition unit 48, the determination unit 50 determines whether or not the posture of the user U is held in a correct posture for a certain period. When the process is positively determined, the process proceeds to step SP24. When the process is negatively determined, the process returns to step SP18.

(Step SP24)
The adjustment unit 52 stores the height information and the posture information acquired by the acquisition unit 48 in the storage unit 40. Then, the process proceeds to the process of step SP26.

(Step SP26)
The display control means 44 erases the horizon from the single color image. Then, the process proceeds to the process of step SP28.

(Step SP28)
The adjustment means 52 automatically makes the position of the real user's P head coincide with the position of the character's head of the character in the VR space based on the height information and the posture information stored in the storage means 40. Recenter to Thereafter, the display control means 44 displays a game image including the character on the HMD 14, and the game progress means 42 starts a VR game.

<Operation of this embodiment>
As described above, in the present embodiment, re-centering is performed based on the correct posture information of the user U.

  FIG. 6A is a view showing a game image displayed on the HMD 14 in the case of not performing re-centering. FIG. 6B is a view showing a game image displayed on the HMD 14 when recentered.

  In the game image shown in FIG. 6A in the case of not performing re-centering, the viewpoint is set in the object, which is an unrealistic viewpoint. On the other hand, in the game image shown in FIG. 6B when recentered, the game image based on a realistic viewpoint is displayed on the HMD 14 as compared to the game image shown in FIG. 6A when not recentered. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to give the user U a sense of immersion in the VR space. Further, in the present embodiment, since the recenter is automatically performed, the viewpoint is naturally adjusted without the user U operating, and it is possible to further give the user U a sense of immersion in the VR space.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the determination unit 50 further determines whether the user U wears the HMD 14, and when a positive determination is made, determines whether the posture of the user U is correct. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, unnecessary processing can be omitted and power consumption can be reduced.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the display control means 44 displays an image of a single color on the HMD 14 before the determination of the posture by the determination means 50. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the user U can naturally sit on the chair 12 in the correct posture because there is no target such as an object to direct the gaze.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the display control means 44 arranges the horizon in the single color image before the determination of the posture by the determination means 50. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, by displaying a single-color image, it is possible to suppress that the user U is misunderstood and anxious when the HMD 14 is not operating.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the display control means 44 erases the horizon from the single color image until the adjustment of the adjustment means 52. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the so-called VR sickness of the user U at the moment when the display of the single color image is switched to the display of the game image.

<Modification>
The present invention is not limited to the above specific example. That is, to the above specific examples, those skilled in the art may appropriately modify the design as long as the features of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention. Moreover, each element with which the embodiment mentioned above and the below-mentioned modification are provided can be combined as much as technically possible, and what combined these is included in the scope of the present invention as long as the feature of the present invention is included. .

  For example, in the above embodiment, the HMD 14 is not provided with a button for performing re-centering, but a button for performing re-centering may be provided on the HMD 14.

  In the above embodiment, the display control means 44 arranges the character in the game image based on the user's posture information. However, based on the posture information of the controller 18, the display control means 44 displays an object corresponding to the controller 18 as a game image. It may be located at In this case, the controller 18 is provided with an attitude sensor. The acquiring unit 48 acquires the attitude information of the controller 18 from the attitude sensor, and the determining unit 50 determines whether the attitude of the controller 18 is correct based on the attitude information of the controller 18 acquired by the acquiring unit 48. . Then, the adjustment means 52 automatically adjusts the attitude of the object based on the attitude information of the controller 18 when the determination means 50 makes a positive determination.

  Further, although the case where the recenter program 34A is provided in the game apparatus 10 has been described in the above embodiment, the recenter program 34A may be provided in the HMD 14 or a server apparatus (not shown).

  Further, although the case of displaying the game image on the HMD 14 has been described in the present embodiment, images relating to, for example, medical care, education, business, movies, sports, and entertainment may be displayed on the HMD 14 other than the game image.

10: Game device (information processing device)
12: Terminal device 14: HMD
34 B ... Re-center program (program)
40: storage means 44: display control means 48: acquisition means 50: determination means 52: adjustment means

Claims (6)

An information processing apparatus for displaying an image based on a virtual reality space and a viewpoint set in the virtual reality space on a head mounted display,
Acquisition means for acquiring posture information of a user wearing the head mounted display;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the user's posture is correct based on the posture information acquired by the acquisition unit;
An adjustment unit configured to automatically adjust the viewpoint based on the posture information when the determination unit makes a positive determination;
An information processing apparatus comprising: The determination means further determines whether or not the user mounts the head mounted display, and when a positive determination is made, determines whether or not the posture of the user is correct.
An information processing apparatus according to claim 1. Display control means for displaying an image of a single color on the head mounted display prior to the determination of the posture by the determination means;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The display control means arranges a horizon in the single color image before the determination of the posture by the determination means.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 3. The display control means erases the horizon from the single color image until after the adjustment of the adjustment means.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 4. A program for displaying an image based on a virtual reality space and a viewpoint set in the virtual reality space on a head mounted display,
Computer,
Acquisition means for acquiring posture information of a user wearing the head mounted display;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the user's posture is correct based on the posture information acquired by the acquisition unit;
Adjustment means for automatically adjusting the viewpoint based on the posture information when the determination means makes an affirmative determination,
A program to function as

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