JP2019211864A - Computer program, information processing device, and information processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve quality in virtual experience of a user.SOLUTION: A computer program according to an embodiment for providing a user wearing a head mount device with virtual experience includes the steps of: defining the virtual space for providing virtual experience; setting a virtual camera in the virtual space; calculating an amount of first rotation of the head mount device using a first sensor provided in the head mount device and for detecting a movement of the head mount device; calculating an amount of second rotation of the head mount device using a second sensor provided in the head mount device and for detecting a direction of the head mount device; correcting the amount of first rotation according to the amount of second rotation; and controlling the direction of the virtual camera on the basis of the corrected amount of first rotation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a computer program, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method.

  A head-mounted device (HMD) that is worn on the user's head and provides the user with a virtual space has attracted attention as one of the tools for experiencing virtual reality (VR). In the VR, the direction (view) of the virtual camera in the virtual space is controlled so as to be linked with the direction of the user's head (the direction of the HMD) in the real space.

US Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0379772

  However, if the orientation of the HMD and the orientation of the virtual camera are deviated, a misaligned image is presented to the user, so the quality of the user's virtual experience is degraded.

  The present disclosure provides a computer program, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method capable of improving the quality of a user's virtual experience.

  A computer program according to an embodiment of the present invention is a computer program for causing a computer to execute a virtual experience to provide a virtual experience to a user wearing a head mounted device, and defines a virtual space for providing the virtual experience And a step of setting a virtual camera in the virtual space, and an amount of rotation of the head mounted device using a first sensor provided in the head mounted device and detecting movement of the head mounted device. A step of calculating a first rotation amount and a second rotation amount that is a rotation amount of the head mount device are calculated using a second sensor that is provided in the head mount device and detects the direction of the head mount device. And performing the first rotation according to the second rotation amount. The comprises the step of correcting, based on the first rotation amount which is the correction, and controlling an orientation of the virtual camera.

It is a figure showing the outline of a structure of the HMD system according to a certain embodiment. It is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware constitutions of the computer according to a certain embodiment. It is a figure which represents notionally the uvw visual field coordinate system set to HMD according to a certain embodiment. It is a figure which represents notionally the one aspect | mode which represents the virtual space according to a certain embodiment. It is the figure showing the head of the user who wears HMD according to a certain embodiment from the top. It is a figure showing the YZ cross section which looked at the visual field area from the X direction in virtual space. It is a figure showing the XZ cross section which looked at the visual field area from the Y direction in virtual space. It is a figure showing the schematic structure of the controller according to a certain embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of each direction of the yaw, roll, and pitch prescribed | regulated with respect to the user's right hand according to a certain embodiment. It is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware constitutions of the server according to a certain embodiment. It is a block diagram showing a computer according to an embodiment as a module configuration. It is a sequence chart showing a part of process performed in the HMD set according to an embodiment. In a network, it is a mimetic diagram showing the situation where each HMD provides virtual space to a user. It is a figure which shows the visual field image of the user 5A in FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process performed in the HMD system according to a certain embodiment. It is a figure showing the structure of another HMD system. It is a figure explaining the relationship between the direction of HMD, and the direction of a virtual camera. It is a block diagram showing the detailed structure of the module of the computer according to a certain embodiment. It is a flowchart of the 1st example of a process of a virtual camera control module. It is a figure for demonstrating the reset process of the direction of a virtual camera. It is a figure for demonstrating calculation of rotation amount. It is a flowchart of an example of a process of step S1755 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the table which stored 1st rotation amount, 2nd rotation amount, and 1st rotation amount after correction | amendment. It is a figure which shows the example which estimates the direction of HMD from the estimated rotation amount of HMD. 18 is a flowchart of another example of the process of step S1755 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example which calculates the difference of rotation amount. 18 is a flowchart of another example of the process of step S1755 of FIG. It is a flowchart of the 2nd example of a process of a virtual camera control module. It is a flowchart of the 3rd example of a process of a virtual camera control module. It is a figure which shows the example of the table which stored the absolute value of the difference, the 1st weight, and the 2nd weight. It is a flowchart of the 4th example of a process of a virtual camera control module. It is a flowchart of an example of a process of step S2973 of FIG. 30 is a flowchart of another example of the process in step S2973 of FIG. It is a flowchart of the 5th example of a process of a virtual camera control module. It is a flowchart of the 6th example of a process of a virtual camera control module.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the technical idea will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated. In one or more embodiments shown in the present disclosure, elements included in each embodiment can be combined with each other, and the combined result is also part of the embodiments shown in the present disclosure.

[Configuration of HMD system]
A configuration of an HMD (Head-Mounted Device) system 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of HMD system 100 according to the present embodiment. The HMD system 100 is provided as a home system or a business system.

  The HMD system 100 includes a server 600, HMD sets 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D, an external device 700, and a network 2. Each of the HMD sets 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D is configured to be able to communicate with the server 600 and the external device 700 via the network 2. Hereinafter, the HMD sets 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D are collectively referred to as the HMD set 110. The number of HMD sets 110 constituting the HMD system 100 is not limited to four, and may be three or less or five or more. The HMD set 110 includes an HMD 120, a computer 200, an HMD sensor 410, a display 430, and a controller 300. The HMD 120 includes a monitor 130, a gaze sensor 140, a first camera 150, a second camera 160, a microphone 170, and a speaker 180. The controller 300 can include a motion sensor 420.

  In one aspect, the computer 200 can be connected to the Internet and other networks 2, and can communicate with the server 600 and other computers connected to the network 2. Examples of other computers include computers of other HMD sets 110 and external devices 700. In another aspect, the HMD 120 may include a sensor 190 instead of the HMD sensor 410.

  The HMD 120 may be worn on the head of the user 5 and provide a virtual space to the user 5 during operation. More specifically, the HMD 120 displays a right-eye image and a left-eye image on the monitor 130, respectively. When each eye of the user 5 visually recognizes each image, the user 5 can recognize the image as a three-dimensional image based on the parallax between both eyes. The HMD 120 can include both a so-called head mounted display including a monitor and a head mounted device to which a terminal having a smartphone or other monitor can be attached.

  The monitor 130 is realized as, for example, a non-transmissive display device. In one aspect, the monitor 130 is disposed on the main body of the HMD 120 so as to be positioned in front of both eyes of the user 5. Therefore, the user 5 can immerse in the virtual space when viewing the three-dimensional image displayed on the monitor 130. In one aspect, the virtual space includes, for example, a background, an object that can be operated by the user 5, and an image of a menu that can be selected by the user 5. In one aspect, the monitor 130 can be realized as a liquid crystal monitor or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) monitor provided in a so-called smartphone or other information display terminal.

  In another aspect, the monitor 130 can be realized as a transmissive display device. In this case, the HMD 120 may be an open type such as a glasses type instead of a sealed type that covers the eyes of the user 5 as shown in FIG. The transmissive monitor 130 may be temporarily configured as a non-transmissive display device by adjusting the transmittance. The monitor 130 may include a configuration that simultaneously displays a part of an image constituting the virtual space and the real space. For example, the monitor 130 may display a real space image taken by a camera mounted on the HMD 120, or may make the real space visible by setting a part of the transmittance high.

  In one aspect, the monitor 130 may include a sub-monitor for displaying an image for the right eye and a sub-monitor for displaying an image for the left eye. In another aspect, the monitor 130 may be configured to display a right-eye image and a left-eye image together. In this case, the monitor 130 includes a high-speed shutter. The high-speed shutter operates so that an image for the right eye and an image for the left eye can be displayed alternately so that the image is recognized only by one of the eyes.

  In one aspect, the HMD 120 includes a plurality of light sources (not shown). Each light source is realized by, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) that emits infrared rays. The HMD sensor 410 has a position tracking function for detecting the movement of the HMD 120. More specifically, the HMD sensor 410 reads a plurality of infrared rays emitted from the HMD 120 and detects the position and inclination of the HMD 120 in the real space.

  In another aspect, the HMD sensor 410 may be realized by a camera. In this case, the HMD sensor 410 can detect the position and inclination of the HMD 120 by executing image analysis processing using image information of the HMD 120 output from the camera.

  In another aspect, the HMD 120 may include a sensor 190 instead of the HMD sensor 410 or in addition to the HMD sensor 410 as a position detector. The HMD 120 can detect the position and inclination of the HMD 120 itself using the sensor 190. For example, when the sensor 190 is an angular velocity sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, or an acceleration sensor, the HMD 120 can detect its own position and inclination using any one of these sensors instead of the HMD sensor 410. As an example, when the sensor 190 is an angular velocity sensor, the angular velocity sensor detects angular velocities around the three axes of the HMD 120 in real space over time. The HMD 120 calculates the temporal change of the angle around the three axes of the HMD 120 based on each angular velocity, and further calculates the inclination of the HMD 120 based on the temporal change of the angle.

  The gaze sensor 140 detects the direction in which the line of sight of the right eye and the left eye of the user 5 is directed. That is, the gaze sensor 140 detects the line of sight of the user 5. The detection of the direction of the line of sight is realized by, for example, a known eye tracking function. The gaze sensor 140 is realized by a sensor having the eye tracking function. In one aspect, the gaze sensor 140 preferably includes a right eye sensor and a left eye sensor. The gaze sensor 140 may be, for example, a sensor that irradiates the right eye and left eye of the user 5 with infrared light and detects the rotation angle of each eyeball by receiving reflected light from the cornea and iris with respect to the irradiated light. . The gaze sensor 140 can detect the line of sight of the user 5 based on each detected rotation angle.

  The first camera 150 captures the lower part of the face of the user 5. More specifically, the first camera 150 photographs the nose and mouth of the user 5. The second camera 160 photographs the eyes and eyebrows of the user 5. The housing on the user 5 side of the HMD 120 is defined as the inside of the HMD 120, and the housing on the opposite side to the user 5 of the HMD 120 is defined as the outside of the HMD 120. In one aspect, the first camera 150 may be disposed outside the HMD 120 and the second camera 160 may be disposed inside the HMD 120. Images generated by the first camera 150 and the second camera 160 are input to the computer 200. In another aspect, the first camera 150 and the second camera 160 may be realized as a single camera, and the face of the user 5 may be photographed with the single camera.

  The microphone 170 converts the utterance of the user 5 into an audio signal (electrical signal) and outputs it to the computer 200. The speaker 180 converts the sound signal into sound and outputs the sound to the user 5. In another aspect, HMD 120 may include an earphone instead of speaker 180.

  The controller 300 is connected to the computer 200 by wire or wireless. The controller 300 receives input of commands from the user 5 to the computer 200. In one aspect, the controller 300 is configured to be gripped by the user 5. In another aspect, the controller 300 is configured to be attachable to the body of the user 5 or a part of clothing. In yet another aspect, the controller 300 may be configured to output at least one of vibration, sound, and light based on a signal transmitted from the computer 200. In yet another aspect, the controller 300 receives an operation from the user 5 for controlling the position and movement of an object arranged in the virtual space.

  In one aspect, the controller 300 includes a plurality of light sources. Each light source is realized by, for example, an LED that emits infrared rays. The HMD sensor 410 has a position tracking function. In this case, the HMD sensor 410 reads a plurality of infrared rays emitted from the controller 300 and detects the position and inclination of the controller 300 in the real space. In another aspect, the HMD sensor 410 may be realized by a camera. In this case, the HMD sensor 410 can detect the position and tilt of the controller 300 by executing image analysis processing using the image information of the controller 300 output from the camera.

  In a certain aspect, the motion sensor 420 is attached to the hand of the user 5 and detects the movement of the user 5 hand. For example, the motion sensor 420 detects the rotation speed, the number of rotations, and the like of the hand. The detected signal is sent to the computer 200. The motion sensor 420 is provided in the controller 300, for example. In one aspect, the motion sensor 420 is provided in the controller 300 configured to be gripped by the user 5, for example. In another aspect, for safety in real space, the controller 300 is attached to something that does not fly easily by being attached to the hand of the user 5 such as a glove shape. In yet another aspect, a sensor that is not worn by the user 5 may detect the movement of the user's 5 hand. For example, a signal from a camera that captures the user 5 may be input to the computer 200 as a signal representing the operation of the user 5. As an example, the motion sensor 420 and the computer 200 are connected to each other wirelessly. In the case of wireless communication, the communication form is not particularly limited, and for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or other known communication methods are used.

  Display 430 displays an image similar to the image displayed on monitor 130. Thereby, a user other than the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 can view the same image as that of the user 5. The image displayed on the display 430 need not be a three-dimensional image, and may be a right-eye image or a left-eye image. Examples of the display 430 include a liquid crystal display and an organic EL monitor.

  Server 600 may send a program to computer 200. In another aspect, the server 600 may communicate with other computers 200 for providing virtual reality to the HMD 120 used by other users. For example, when a plurality of users play a participatory game in an amusement facility, each computer 200 communicates a signal based on each user's operation with another computer 200 via the server 600, and the plurality of users in the same virtual space. Users can enjoy a common game. Each computer 200 may communicate a signal based on each user's operation with another computer 200 without passing through the server 600.

  The external device 700 may be any device that can communicate with the computer 200. For example, the external device 700 may be a device that can communicate with the computer 200 via the network 2, or may be a device that can directly communicate with the computer 200 by short-range wireless communication or wired connection. Examples of the external device 700 include a smart device, a PC (Personal Computer), and a peripheral device of the computer 200, but are not limited thereto.

[Computer hardware configuration]
A computer 200 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of computer 200 according to the present embodiment. The computer 200 includes a processor 210, a memory 220, a storage 230, an input / output interface 240, and a communication interface 250 as main components. Each component is connected to the bus 260.

  The processor 210 executes a series of instructions included in a program stored in the memory 220 or the storage 230 based on a signal given to the computer 200 or based on a predetermined condition being satisfied. In one aspect, the processor 210 is realized as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or other device.

  The memory 220 temporarily stores programs and data. The program is loaded from the storage 230, for example. The data includes data input to the computer 200 and data generated by the processor 210. In one aspect, the memory 220 is realized as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or other volatile memory.

  The storage 230 permanently holds programs and data. The storage 230 is realized as, for example, a ROM (Read-Only Memory), a hard disk device, a flash memory, and other nonvolatile storage devices. Programs stored in the storage 230 include a program for providing a virtual space in the HMD system 100, a simulation program, a game program, a user authentication program, and a program for realizing communication with another computer 200. The data stored in the storage 230 includes data and objects for defining a virtual space.

  In another aspect, the storage 230 may be realized as a removable storage device such as a memory card. In yet another aspect, instead of the storage 230 built in the computer 200, a configuration using a program and data stored in an external storage device may be used. According to such a configuration, for example, in a scene where a plurality of HMD systems 100 are used as in an amusement facility, it is possible to update programs and data collectively.

  The input / output interface 240 communicates signals with the HMD 120, the HMD sensor 410, the motion sensor 420, and the display 430. The monitor 130, the gaze sensor 140, the first camera 150, the second camera 160, the microphone 170, and the speaker 180 included in the HMD 120 can communicate with the computer 200 via the input / output interface 240 of the HMD 120. In one aspect, the input / output interface 240 is implemented using a USB (Universal Serial Bus), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), or other terminal. The input / output interface 240 is not limited to the above.

  In certain aspects, the input / output interface 240 may further communicate with the controller 300. For example, the input / output interface 240 receives signals output from the controller 300 and the motion sensor 420. In another aspect, the input / output interface 240 sends the command output from the processor 210 to the controller 300. The instruction instructs the controller 300 to vibrate, output sound, emit light, and the like. When the controller 300 receives the command, the controller 300 executes vibration, sound output, or light emission according to the command.

  The communication interface 250 is connected to the network 2 and communicates with other computers (for example, the server 600) connected to the network 2. In one aspect, the communication interface 250 is implemented as, for example, a local area network (LAN) or other wired communication interface, or a wireless communication interface such as WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC (Near Field Communication), or the like. Is done. The communication interface 250 is not limited to the above.

  In one aspect, the processor 210 accesses the storage 230, loads one or more programs stored in the storage 230 into the memory 220, and executes a series of instructions included in the program. The one or more programs may include an operating system of the computer 200, an application program for providing a virtual space, game software that can be executed in the virtual space, and the like. The processor 210 sends a signal for providing a virtual space to the HMD 120 via the input / output interface 240. The HMD 120 displays an image on the monitor 130 based on the signal.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, a configuration in which the computer 200 is provided outside the HMD 120 is shown. However, in another aspect, the computer 200 may be built in the HMD 120. As an example, a portable information communication terminal (for example, a smartphone) including the monitor 130 may function as the computer 200.

  The computer 200 may be configured to be used in common for a plurality of HMDs 120. According to such a configuration, for example, since the same virtual space can be provided to a plurality of users, each user can enjoy the same application as other users in the same virtual space.

  In an embodiment, in the HMD system 100, a real coordinate system that is a coordinate system in the real space is set in advance. The real coordinate system has three reference directions (axes) parallel to the vertical direction in the real space, the horizontal direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and the front-rear direction orthogonal to both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The horizontal direction, vertical direction (vertical direction), and front-rear direction in the real coordinate system are defined as an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis, respectively. More specifically, in the real coordinate system, the x-axis is parallel to the horizontal direction of the real space. The y axis is parallel to the vertical direction of the real space. The z axis is parallel to the front-rear direction of the real space.

  In one aspect, HMD sensor 410 includes an infrared sensor. When the infrared sensor detects the infrared rays emitted from each light source of the HMD 120, the presence of the HMD 120 is detected. The HMD sensor 410 further detects the position and inclination (orientation) of the HMD 120 in the real space according to the movement of the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 based on the value of each point (each coordinate value in the real coordinate system). To do. More specifically, the HMD sensor 410 can detect temporal changes in the position and inclination of the HMD 120 using each value detected over time.

  Each inclination of the HMD 120 detected by the HMD sensor 410 corresponds to each inclination around the three axes of the HMD 120 in the real coordinate system. The HMD sensor 410 sets the uvw visual field coordinate system to the HMD 120 based on the inclination of the HMD 120 in the real coordinate system. The uvw visual field coordinate system set in the HMD 120 corresponds to a viewpoint coordinate system when the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 views an object in the virtual space.

[Uvw visual field coordinate system]
The uvw visual field coordinate system will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram conceptually showing the uvw visual field coordinate system set in HMD 120 according to an embodiment. The HMD sensor 410 detects the position and inclination of the HMD 120 in the real coordinate system when the HMD 120 is activated. The processor 210 sets the uvw visual field coordinate system to the HMD 120 based on the detected value.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the HMD 120 sets a three-dimensional uvw visual field coordinate system with the head (origin) of the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 as the center (origin). More specifically, the HMD 120 includes a horizontal direction, a vertical direction, and a front-rear direction (x-axis, y-axis, z-axis) that define the real coordinate system by an inclination around each axis of the HMD 120 in the real coordinate system. Three directions newly obtained by tilting around the axis are set as the pitch axis (u-axis), yaw axis (v-axis), and roll axis (w-axis) of the uvw visual field coordinate system in the HMD 120.

  In a certain situation, when the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 stands upright and is viewing the front, the processor 210 sets the uvw visual field coordinate system parallel to the real coordinate system to the HMD 120. In this case, the horizontal direction (x-axis), vertical direction (y-axis), and front-rear direction (z-axis) in the real coordinate system are the pitch axis (u-axis) and yaw axis (v-axis) of the uvw visual field coordinate system in the HMD 120. , And the roll axis (w axis).

  After the uvw visual field coordinate system is set to the HMD 120, the HMD sensor 410 can detect the inclination of the HMD 120 in the set uvw visual field coordinate system based on the movement of the HMD 120. In this case, the HMD sensor 410 detects the pitch angle (θu), the yaw angle (θv), and the roll angle (θw) of the HMD 120 in the uvw visual field coordinate system as the inclination of the HMD 120. The pitch angle (θu) represents the inclination angle of the HMD 120 around the pitch axis in the uvw visual field coordinate system. The yaw angle (θv) represents the inclination angle of the HMD 120 around the yaw axis in the uvw visual field coordinate system. The roll angle (θw) represents the inclination angle of the HMD 120 around the roll axis in the uvw visual field coordinate system.

  The HMD sensor 410 sets the uvw visual field coordinate system in the HMD 120 after the HMD 120 moves based on the detected inclination of the HMD 120 in the HMD 120. The relationship between the HMD 120 and the uvw visual field coordinate system of the HMD 120 is always constant regardless of the position and inclination of the HMD 120. When the position and inclination of the HMD 120 change, the position and inclination of the uvw visual field coordinate system of the HMD 120 in the real coordinate system change in conjunction with the change of the position and inclination.

  In one aspect, the HMD sensor 410 uses the HMD 120 based on the infrared light intensity acquired based on the output from the infrared sensor and the relative positional relationship between a plurality of points (for example, the distance between the points). May be specified as a relative position with respect to the HMD sensor 410. The processor 210 may determine the origin of the uvw visual field coordinate system of the HMD 120 in the real space (real coordinate system) based on the specified relative position.

[Virtual space]
The virtual space will be further described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram conceptually showing one aspect of expressing virtual space 11 according to an embodiment. The virtual space 11 has a spherical shape that covers the entire 360 ° direction of the center 12. In FIG. 4, the upper half of the celestial sphere in the virtual space 11 is illustrated in order not to make the description complicated. In the virtual space 11, each mesh is defined. The position of each mesh is defined in advance as coordinate values in an XYZ coordinate system that is a global coordinate system defined in the virtual space 11. The computer 200 associates each partial image constituting the panoramic image 13 (still image, moving image, etc.) that can be developed in the virtual space 11 with each corresponding mesh in the virtual space 11.

  In one aspect, the virtual space 11 defines an XYZ coordinate system with the center 12 as the origin. The XYZ coordinate system is, for example, parallel to the real coordinate system. The horizontal direction, vertical direction (up and down direction), and front and rear direction in the XYZ coordinate system are defined as an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis, respectively. Therefore, the X axis (horizontal direction) of the XYZ coordinate system is parallel to the x axis of the real coordinate system, the Y axis (vertical direction) of the XYZ coordinate system is parallel to the y axis of the real coordinate system, and the XYZ coordinate system The Z axis (front-rear direction) is parallel to the z axis of the real coordinate system.

  When the HMD 120 is activated, that is, in the initial state of the HMD 120, the virtual camera 14 is disposed at the center 12 of the virtual space 11. In one aspect, the processor 210 displays an image captured by the virtual camera 14 on the monitor 130 of the HMD 120. The virtual camera 14 similarly moves in the virtual space 11 in conjunction with the movement of the HMD 120 in the real space. Thereby, changes in the position and inclination of the HMD 120 in the real space can be similarly reproduced in the virtual space 11.

  As with the HMD 120, the uvw visual field coordinate system is defined for the virtual camera 14. The uvw visual field coordinate system of the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11 is defined so as to be interlocked with the uvw visual field coordinate system of the HMD 120 in the real space (real coordinate system). Therefore, when the inclination of the HMD 120 changes, the inclination of the virtual camera 14 changes accordingly. The virtual camera 14 can also move in the virtual space 11 in conjunction with the movement of the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 in the real space.

  The processor 210 of the computer 200 defines the field-of-view area 15 in the virtual space 11 based on the position and tilt (reference line of sight 16) of the virtual camera 14. The visual field area 15 corresponds to an area of the virtual space 11 that is visually recognized by the user 5 wearing the HMD 120. That is, the position of the virtual camera 14 can be said to be the viewpoint of the user 5 in the virtual space 11.

  The line of sight of the user 5 detected by the gaze sensor 140 is a direction in the viewpoint coordinate system when the user 5 visually recognizes the object. The uvw visual field coordinate system of the HMD 120 is equal to the viewpoint coordinate system when the user 5 visually recognizes the monitor 130. The uvw visual field coordinate system of the virtual camera 14 is linked to the uvw visual field coordinate system of the HMD 120. Therefore, the HMD system 100 according to a certain aspect can regard the line of sight of the user 5 detected by the gaze sensor 140 as the line of sight of the user 5 in the uvw visual field coordinate system of the virtual camera 14.

[User's line of sight]
The determination of the line of sight of the user 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the head of user 5 wearing HMD 120 according to an embodiment from above.

  In one aspect, the gaze sensor 140 detects each line of sight of the right eye and the left eye of the user 5. In a certain situation, when the user 5 is looking near, the gaze sensor 140 detects the lines of sight R1 and L1. In another aspect, when the user 5 is looking far away, the gaze sensor 140 detects the lines of sight R2 and L2. In this case, the angle formed by the lines of sight R2 and L2 with respect to the roll axis w is smaller than the angle formed by the lines of sight R1 and L1 with respect to the roll axis w. The gaze sensor 140 transmits the detection result to the computer 200.

  When the computer 200 receives the detection values of the lines of sight R1 and L1 from the gaze sensor 140 as the line-of-sight detection result, the computer 200 identifies the point of sight N1 that is the intersection of the lines of sight R1 and L1 based on the detection value. On the other hand, when the detected values of the lines of sight R2 and L2 are received from the gaze sensor 140, the computer 200 specifies the intersection of the lines of sight R2 and L2 as the point of sight. The computer 200 specifies the line of sight N0 of the user 5 based on the specified position of the gazing point N1. For example, the computer 200 detects, as the line of sight N0, the extending direction of the straight line passing through the midpoint of the straight line connecting the right eye R and the left eye L of the user 5 and the gazing point N1. The line of sight N0 is a direction in which the user 5 is actually pointing the line of sight with both eyes. The line of sight N0 corresponds to the direction in which the user 5 is actually pointing the line of sight with respect to the view field area 15.

  In another aspect, the HMD system 100 may include a television broadcast receiving tuner. According to such a configuration, the HMD system 100 can display a television program in the virtual space 11.

  In still another aspect, the HMD system 100 may include a communication circuit for connecting to the Internet or a call function for connecting to a telephone line.

[Visibility area]
The field-of-view area 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a YZ cross section of the visual field region 15 as viewed from the X direction in the virtual space 11. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an XZ cross section of the visual field region 15 as viewed from the Y direction in the virtual space 11.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the field-of-view region 15 in the YZ section includes a region 18. The region 18 is defined by the position of the virtual camera 14, the reference line of sight 16, and the YZ section of the virtual space 11. The processor 210 defines a range including the polar angle α around the reference line of sight 16 in the virtual space as the region 18.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the field-of-view region 15 in the XZ section includes a region 19. The region 19 is defined by the position of the virtual camera 14, the reference line of sight 16, and the XZ cross section of the virtual space 11. The processor 210 defines a range including the azimuth angle β around the reference line of sight 16 in the virtual space 11 as the region 19. The polar angles α and β are determined according to the position of the virtual camera 14 and the inclination (orientation) of the virtual camera 14.

  In one aspect, the HMD system 100 provides the user 5 with a view in the virtual space 11 by displaying the view image 17 on the monitor 130 based on a signal from the computer 200. The visual field image 17 is an image corresponding to a portion corresponding to the visual field region 15 in the panoramic image 13. When the user 5 moves the HMD 120 worn on the head, the virtual camera 14 also moves in conjunction with the movement. As a result, the position of the visual field area 15 in the virtual space 11 changes. As a result, the view image 17 displayed on the monitor 130 is updated to an image that is superimposed on the view region 15 in the direction in which the user 5 faces in the virtual space 11 in the panoramic image 13. The user 5 can visually recognize a desired direction in the virtual space 11.

  Thus, the inclination of the virtual camera 14 corresponds to the line of sight of the user 5 (reference line of sight 16) in the virtual space 11, and the position where the virtual camera 14 is arranged corresponds to the viewpoint of the user 5 in the virtual space 11. Therefore, by changing the position or tilt of the virtual camera 14, the image displayed on the monitor 130 is updated, and the field of view of the user 5 is moved.

  While wearing the HMD 120, the user 5 can visually recognize only the panoramic image 13 developed in the virtual space 11 without visually recognizing the real world. Therefore, the HMD system 100 can give the user 5 a high sense of immersion in the virtual space 11.

  In one aspect, the processor 210 can move the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11 in conjunction with the movement of the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 in the real space. In this case, the processor 210 specifies an image region (view region 15) projected on the monitor 130 of the HMD 120 based on the position and inclination of the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11.

  In one aspect, the virtual camera 14 may include two virtual cameras: a virtual camera for providing an image for the right eye and a virtual camera for providing an image for the left eye. Appropriate parallax is set in the two virtual cameras so that the user 5 can recognize the three-dimensional virtual space 11. In another aspect, the virtual camera 14 may be realized by one virtual camera. In this case, a right-eye image and a left-eye image may be generated from an image obtained by one virtual camera. In the present embodiment, the virtual camera 14 includes two virtual cameras, and the roll axis (w) generated by combining the roll axes of the two virtual cameras is adapted to the roll axis (w) of the HMD 120. The technical idea concerning this indication is illustrated as what is constituted.

[controller]
An example of the controller 300 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows a schematic configuration of controller 300 according to an embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in one aspect, the controller 300 may include a right controller 300R and a left controller (not shown). The right controller 300R is operated with the right hand of the user 5. The left controller is operated with the left hand of the user 5. In one aspect, the right controller 300R and the left controller are configured symmetrically as separate devices. Therefore, the user 5 can freely move the right hand holding the right controller 300R and the left hand holding the left controller, respectively. In another aspect, the controller 300 may be an integrated controller that receives operations of both hands. Hereinafter, the right controller 300R will be described.

  The right controller 300R includes a grip 310, a frame 320, and a top surface 330. The grip 310 is configured to be held by the right hand of the user 5. For example, the grip 310 can be held by the palm of the right hand of the user 5 and three fingers (middle finger, ring finger, little finger).

  The grip 310 includes buttons 340 and 350 and a motion sensor 420. The button 340 is disposed on the side surface of the grip 310 and receives an operation with the middle finger of the right hand. The button 350 is disposed on the front surface of the grip 310 and receives an operation with the index finger of the right hand. In one aspect, the buttons 340 and 350 are configured as trigger buttons. The motion sensor 420 is built in the housing of the grip 310. The grip 310 does not have to include the motion sensor 420 when the operation of the user 5 can be detected from around the user 5 by a camera or other devices.

  The frame 320 includes a plurality of infrared LEDs 360 arranged along the circumferential direction thereof. The infrared LED 360 emits infrared light in accordance with the progress of the program while the program using the controller 300 is being executed. Infrared rays emitted from the infrared LED 360 can be used to detect the positions and postures (tilt and orientation) of the right controller 300R and the left controller. In the example shown in FIG. 8, infrared LEDs 360 arranged in two rows are shown, but the number of arrays is not limited to that shown in FIG. 8. An array of one or more columns may be used.

  The top surface 330 includes buttons 370 and 380 and an analog stick 390. Buttons 370 and 380 are configured as push buttons. The buttons 370 and 380 receive an operation with the thumb of the right hand of the user 5. In a certain situation, analog stick 390 accepts an operation in an arbitrary direction of 360 degrees from the initial position (neutral position). The operation includes, for example, an operation for moving an object arranged in the virtual space 11.

  In one aspect, the right controller 300R and the left controller include a battery for driving the infrared LED 360 and other members. The battery includes, but is not limited to, a rechargeable type, a button type, and a dry battery type. In another aspect, the right controller 300R and the left controller may be connected to a USB interface of the computer 200, for example. In this case, the right controller 300R and the left controller do not require a battery.

  As shown in the state (A) and the state (B) of FIG. 8, for example, the yaw, roll, and pitch directions are defined for the right hand of the user 5. When the user 5 extends the thumb and index finger, the direction in which the thumb extends is the yaw direction, the direction in which the index finger extends is the roll direction, and the direction perpendicular to the plane defined by the axis of the yaw direction and the axis of the roll direction is the pitch direction. Is defined as

[Hardware configuration of server]
A server 600 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary hardware configuration of server 600 according to an embodiment. The server 600 includes a processor 610, a memory 620, a storage 630, an input / output interface 640, and a communication interface 650 as main components. Each component is connected to the bus 660.

  The processor 610 executes a series of instructions included in a program stored in the memory 620 or the storage 630 based on a signal given to the server 600 or when a predetermined condition is satisfied. In one aspect, the processor 610 is implemented as a CPU, GPU, MPU, FPGA, or other device.

  The memory 620 temporarily stores programs and data. The program is loaded from the storage 630, for example. The data includes data input to the server 600 and data generated by the processor 610. In one aspect, the memory 620 is implemented as a RAM or other volatile memory.

  The storage 630 permanently stores programs and data. The storage 630 is realized as, for example, a ROM, a hard disk device, a flash memory, or other nonvolatile storage device. The program stored in the storage 630 may include a program for providing a virtual space in the HMD system 100, a simulation program, a game program, a user authentication program, and a program for realizing communication with the computer 200. The data stored in the storage 630 may include data and objects for defining the virtual space.

  In another aspect, the storage 630 may be realized as a removable storage device such as a memory card. In yet another aspect, instead of the storage 630 built in the server 600, a configuration using a program and data stored in an external storage device may be used. According to such a configuration, for example, in a scene where a plurality of HMD systems 100 are used as in an amusement facility, it is possible to update programs and data collectively.

  The input / output interface 640 communicates signals with input / output devices. In one aspect, the input / output interface 640 is implemented using USB, DVI, HDMI, or other terminals. The input / output interface 640 is not limited to the above.

  The communication interface 650 is connected to the network 2 and communicates with the computer 200 connected to the network 2. In one aspect, the communication interface 650 is implemented as, for example, a LAN or other wired communication interface, or a wireless communication interface such as WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, or the like. The communication interface 650 is not limited to the above.

  In one aspect, the processor 610 accesses the storage 630, loads one or more programs stored in the storage 630 into the memory 620, and executes a series of instructions included in the program. The one or more programs may include an operating system of the server 600, an application program for providing a virtual space, game software that can be executed in the virtual space, and the like. The processor 610 may send a signal for providing a virtual space to the computer 200 via the input / output interface 640.

[HMD control device]
With reference to FIG. 10, the control apparatus of HMD120 is demonstrated. In one embodiment, the control device is realized by a computer 200 having a known configuration. FIG. 10 is a block diagram representing a computer 200 according to an embodiment as a module configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the computer 200 includes a control module 510, a rendering module 520, a memory module 530, and a communication control module 540. In one aspect, the control module 510 and the rendering module 520 are implemented by the processor 210. In another aspect, multiple processors 210 may operate as control module 510 and rendering module 520. The memory module 530 is realized by the memory 220 or the storage 230. The communication control module 540 is realized by the communication interface 250.

  The control module 510 controls the virtual space 11 provided to the user 5. The control module 510 defines the virtual space 11 in the HMD system 100 using virtual space data representing the virtual space 11. The virtual space data is stored in the memory module 530, for example. The control module 510 may generate virtual space data or acquire virtual space data from the server 600 or the like.

  The control module 510 arranges the object in the virtual space 11 using object data representing the object. The object data is stored in the memory module 530, for example. The control module 510 may generate object data or acquire object data from the server 600 or the like. The objects include, for example, an avatar object that is a substitute of the user 5, a character object, an operation object such as a virtual hand operated by the controller 300, a landscape arranged in accordance with the progress of a game story, a mountain, etc., a cityscape, an animal Etc.

  The control module 510 places the avatar object of the user 5 of another computer 200 connected via the network 2 in the virtual space 11. In one aspect, the control module 510 places the avatar object of the user 5 in the virtual space 11. In an aspect, the control module 510 arranges an avatar object that imitates the user 5 in the virtual space 11 based on an image including the user 5. In another aspect, the control module 510 places in the virtual space 11 an avatar object that has been selected by the user 5 from a plurality of types of avatar objects (for example, an object imitating an animal or a deformed human object). To do.

  The control module 510 specifies the inclination of the HMD 120 based on the output of the HMD sensor 410. In another aspect, the control module 510 specifies the inclination of the HMD 120 based on the output of the sensor 190 that functions as a motion sensor. The control module 510 detects organs (for example, mouth, eyes, eyebrows) constituting the face of the user 5 from the face image of the user 5 generated by the first camera 150 and the second camera 160. The control module 510 detects the movement (shape) of each detected organ.

  The control module 510 detects the line of sight of the user 5 in the virtual space 11 based on the signal from the gaze sensor 140. The control module 510 detects a viewpoint position (a coordinate value in the XYZ coordinate system) where the detected line of sight of the user 5 and the celestial sphere of the virtual space 11 intersect. More specifically, the control module 510 detects the viewpoint position based on the line of sight of the user 5 defined by the uvw coordinate system and the position and tilt of the virtual camera 14. The control module 510 transmits the detected viewpoint position to the server 600. In another aspect, the control module 510 may be configured to transmit line-of-sight information representing the line of sight of the user 5 to the server 600. In such a case, the viewpoint position can be calculated based on the line-of-sight information received by the server 600.

  The control module 510 reflects the movement of the HMD 120 detected by the HMD sensor 410 on the avatar object. For example, the control module 510 detects that the HMD 120 is tilted, and tilts and arranges the avatar object. The control module 510 reflects the detected movement of the facial organ on the face of the avatar object arranged in the virtual space 11. The control module 510 receives the line-of-sight information of the other user 5 from the server 600 and reflects it in the line-of-sight of the avatar object of the other user 5. In one aspect, the control module 510 reflects the movement of the controller 300 on the avatar object and the operation object. In this case, the controller 300 includes a motion sensor for detecting the movement of the controller 300, an acceleration sensor, or a plurality of light emitting elements (for example, infrared LEDs).

  The control module 510 arranges an operation object in the virtual space 11 for accepting the operation of the user 5 in the virtual space 11. The user 5 operates, for example, an object placed in the virtual space 11 by operating the operation object. In one aspect, the operation object may include, for example, a hand object that is a virtual hand corresponding to the hand of the user 5. In one aspect, the control module 510 moves the hand object in the virtual space 11 so as to be interlocked with the movement of the hand of the user 5 in the real space based on the output of the motion sensor 420. In one aspect, the operation object may correspond to a hand portion of the avatar object.

  The control module 510 detects the collision when each of the objects arranged in the virtual space 11 collides with another object. The control module 510 can detect, for example, a timing at which a collision area of a certain object and a collision area of another object touch each other, and performs a predetermined process when the detection is performed. The control module 510 can detect the timing when the object is away from the touched state, and performs a predetermined process when the detection is made. The control module 510 can detect that the object is touching the object. For example, when the operation object touches another object, the control module 510 detects that the operation object touches another object, and performs a predetermined process.

  In one aspect, the control module 510 controls image display on the monitor 130 of the HMD 120. For example, the control module 510 arranges the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11. The control module 510 controls the position of the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11 and the tilt (orientation) of the virtual camera 14. The control module 510 defines the visual field area 15 according to the inclination of the head of the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 and the position of the virtual camera 14. The rendering module 520 generates a visual field image 17 displayed on the monitor 130 based on the determined visual field region 15. The view image 17 generated by the rendering module 520 is output to the HMD 120 by the communication control module 540.

  When the control module 510 detects an utterance using the microphone 170 of the user 5 from the HMD 120, the control module 510 specifies the computer 200 that is the transmission target of the audio data corresponding to the utterance. The audio data is transmitted to the computer 200 specified by the control module 510. When receiving audio data from another user's computer 200 via the network 2, the control module 510 outputs audio (utterance) corresponding to the audio data from the speaker 180.

  The memory module 530 holds data used by the computer 200 to provide the virtual space 11 to the user 5. In one aspect, the memory module 530 holds spatial information, object information, and user information.

  The spatial information holds one or more templates defined for providing the virtual space 11.

  The object information includes a plurality of panoramic images 13 constituting the virtual space 11 and object data for arranging the objects in the virtual space 11. The panoramic image 13 may include a still image and a moving image. The panoramic image 13 may include an image in an unreal space and an image in a real space. As an image of unreal space, the image produced | generated by computer graphics is mentioned, for example.

  The user information holds a user ID that identifies the user 5. The user ID may be, for example, an IP (Internet Protocol) address or a MAC (Media Access Control) address set in the computer 200 used by the user. In another aspect, the user ID can be set by the user. The user information includes a program for causing the computer 200 to function as a control device of the HMD system 100.

  Data and programs stored in the memory module 530 are input by the user 5 of the HMD 120. Alternatively, the processor 210 downloads a program or data from a computer (for example, the server 600) operated by a provider that provides the content, and stores the downloaded program or data in the memory module 530.

  The communication control module 540 can communicate with the server 600 and other information communication devices via the network 2.

  In one aspect, the control module 510 and the rendering module 520 can be implemented using, for example, Unity (registered trademark) provided by Unity Technologies. In another aspect, the control module 510 and the rendering module 520 can also be realized as a combination of circuit elements that realize each process.

  Processing in the computer 200 is realized by hardware and software executed by the processor 210. Such software may be stored in advance in a memory module 530 such as a hard disk. The software may be stored in a CD-ROM or other non-volatile computer-readable data recording medium and distributed as a program product. Alternatively, the software may be provided as a program product that can be downloaded by an information provider connected to the Internet or other networks. Such software is read from a data recording medium by an optical disk drive or other data reader, or downloaded from the server 600 or other computer via the communication control module 540 and then temporarily stored in the storage module. . The software is read from the storage module by the processor 210 and stored in the RAM in the form of an executable program. The processor 210 executes the program.

[Control structure of HMD system]
The control structure of the HMD set 110 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a sequence chart showing a part of processing executed in HMD set 110 according to an embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in step S <b> 1110, the processor 210 of the computer 200 specifies virtual space data as the control module 510 and defines the virtual space 11.

  In step S1120, processor 210 initializes virtual camera 14. For example, the processor 210 places the virtual camera 14 in the center 12 defined in advance in the virtual space 11 in the work area of the memory, and directs the line of sight of the virtual camera 14 in the direction in which the user 5 is facing.

  In step S1130, processor 210 generates, as rendering module 520, view image data for displaying an initial view image. The generated view image data is output to the HMD 120 by the communication control module 540.

  In step S1132, the monitor 130 of the HMD 120 displays a view image based on the view image data received from the computer 200. The user 5 wearing the HMD 120 can recognize the virtual space 11 when viewing the visual field image.

  In step S <b> 1134, HMD sensor 410 detects the position and inclination of HMD 120 based on a plurality of infrared lights transmitted from HMD 120. The detection result is output to the computer 200 as motion detection data.

  In step S1140, processor 210 identifies the viewing direction of user 5 wearing HMD 120 based on the position and tilt included in the motion detection data of HMD 120.

  In step S1150, processor 210 executes the application program and places an object in virtual space 11 based on an instruction included in the application program.

  In step S1160, controller 300 detects an operation of user 5 based on a signal output from motion sensor 420, and outputs detection data representing the detected operation to computer 200. In another aspect, the operation of the controller 300 by the user 5 may be detected based on an image from a camera arranged around the user 5.

  In step S <b> 1170, processor 210 detects the operation of controller 300 by user 5 based on the detection data acquired from controller 300.

  In step S1180, processor 210 generates view field image data based on operation of controller 300 by user 5. The generated view image data is output to the HMD 120 by the communication control module 540.

  In step S1190, the HMD 120 updates the view image based on the received view image data, and displays the updated view image on the monitor 130.

[Avatar object]
With reference to FIGS. 12A and 12B, an avatar object according to the present embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, it is a figure explaining the avatar object of each user 5 of HMD set 110A, 110B. Hereinafter, the user of HMD set 110A is represented as user 5A, the user of HMD set 110B is represented as user 5B, the user of HMD set 110C is represented as user 5C, and the user of HMD set 110D is represented as user 5D. A is attached to the reference symbol of each component relating to the HMD set 110A, B is attached to the reference symbol of each component relating to the HMD set 110B, C is attached to the reference symbol of each component relating to the HMD set 110C, and the HMD set D is attached to the reference number of each component relating to 110D. For example, the HMD 120A is included in the HMD set 110A.

  FIG. 12A is a schematic diagram illustrating a situation where each HMD 120 provides the virtual space 11 to the user 5 in the network 2. The computers 200A to 200D provide the virtual spaces 11A to 11D to the users 5A to 5D via the HMDs 120A to 120D, respectively. In the example shown in FIG. 12A, the virtual space 11A and the virtual space 11B are configured by the same data. In other words, the computer 200A and the computer 200B share the same virtual space. The avatar object 6A of the user 5A and the avatar object 6B of the user 5B exist in the virtual space 11A and the virtual space 11B. The avatar object 6A in the virtual space 11A and the avatar object 6B in the virtual space 11B are each equipped with the HMD 120, but this is for easy understanding. In fact, these objects are equipped with the HMD 120. Not.

  In one aspect, the processor 210A may place the virtual camera 14A that captures the view image 17A of the user 5A at the eye position of the avatar object 6A.

  FIG. 12B is a diagram illustrating a field-of-view image 17A of the user 5A in FIG. The view image 17A is an image displayed on the monitor 130A of the HMD 120A. The view image 17A is an image generated by the virtual camera 14A. The avatar object 6B of the user 5B is displayed in the view field image 17A. Although not specifically illustrated, the avatar object 6A of the user 5A is also displayed in the view image of the user 5B.

  In the state of FIG. 12 (B), the user 5A can communicate with the user 5B through the virtual space 11A through communication (communication). More specifically, the voice of the user 5A acquired by the microphone 170A is transmitted to the HMD 120B of the user 5B via the server 600 and output from the speaker 180B provided in the HMD 120B. The voice of the user 5B is transmitted to the HMD 120A of the user 5A via the server 600, and is output from the speaker 180A provided in the HMD 120A.

  The operation of the user 5B (the operation of the HMD 120B and the operation of the controller 300B) is reflected on the avatar object 6B arranged in the virtual space 11A by the processor 210A. Thereby, the user 5A can recognize the operation of the user 5B through the avatar object 6B.

  FIG. 13 is a sequence chart showing a part of processing executed in HMD system 100 according to the present embodiment. Although the HMD set 110D is not shown in FIG. 13, the HMD set 110D operates in the same manner as the HMD sets 110A, 110B, and 110C. In the following description, A is added to the reference symbol of each component relating to the HMD set 110A, B is added to the reference symbol of each component relating to the HMD set 110B, and C is assigned to the reference symbol of each component relating to the HMD set 110C. It is assumed that D is added to the reference symbol of each component relating to the HMD set 110D.

  In step S1310A, the processor 210A in the HMD set 110A acquires avatar information for determining the operation of the avatar object 6A in the virtual space 11A. The avatar information includes, for example, information related to the avatar such as motion information, face tracking data, and voice data. The motion information includes information indicating temporal changes in the position and inclination of the HMD 120A, information indicating the motion of the hand of the user 5A detected by the motion sensor 420A and the like. The face tracking data includes data that specifies the position and size of each part of the face of the user 5A. The face tracking data includes data indicating the movement of each organ constituting the face of the user 5A and line-of-sight data. The voice data includes data indicating the voice of the user 5A acquired by the microphone 170A of the HMD 120A. The avatar information may include information for specifying the avatar object 6A or the user 5A associated with the avatar object 6A, information for specifying the virtual space 11A in which the avatar object 6A exists, and the like. User ID is mentioned as information which specifies avatar object 6A and user 5A. Room ID is mentioned as information which specifies 11 A of virtual spaces in which the avatar object 6A exists. The processor 210A transmits the avatar information acquired as described above to the server 600 via the network 2.

  In step S1310B, the processor 210B in the HMD set 110B acquires avatar information for determining the operation of the avatar object 6B in the virtual space 11B, and transmits the avatar information to the server 600, similarly to the process in step S1310A. Similarly, in step S1310C, the processor 210C in the HMD set 110C acquires avatar information for determining the operation of the avatar object 6C in the virtual space 11C, and transmits it to the server 600.

  In step S1320, server 600 temporarily stores player information received from each of HMD set 110A, HMD set 110B, and HMD set 110C. The server 600 integrates avatar information of all users (users 5A to 5C in this example) associated with the common virtual space 11 based on the user ID and the room ID included in each avatar information. Then, the server 600 transmits the integrated avatar information to all users associated with the virtual space 11 at a predetermined timing. Thereby, a synchronous process is performed. By such synchronization processing, the HMD set 110A, the HMD set 110B, and the HMD 110C can share each other's avatar information at substantially the same timing.

  Subsequently, based on the avatar information transmitted from the server 600 to the HMD sets 110A to 110C, the HMD sets 110A to 110C execute the processes of steps S1330A to S1330C. The process in step S1330A corresponds to the process in step S1180 in FIG.

  In step S1330A, the processor 210A in the HMD set 110A updates information on the avatar objects 6B and avatar objects 6C of the other users 5B and 5C in the virtual space 11A. Specifically, the processor 210A updates the position and orientation of the avatar object 6B in the virtual space 11 based on the motion information included in the avatar information transmitted from the HMD set 110B. For example, the processor 210 </ b> A updates information (position and orientation, etc.) of the avatar object 6 </ b> B included in the object information stored in the memory module 530. Similarly, the processor 210A updates the information (position, orientation, etc.) of the avatar object 6C in the virtual space 11 based on the motion information included in the avatar information transmitted from the HMD set 110C.

  In step S1330B, the processor 210B in the HMD set 110B updates the information of the avatar objects 6A and 6C of the users 5A and 5C in the virtual space 11B, similarly to the process in step S1330A. Similarly, in step S1330C, the processor 210C in the HMD set 110C updates information on the avatar objects 6A and 6B of the users 5A and 5B in the virtual space 11C.

[Configuration of other HMDs]
In the above embodiment, an example in which the HMD 120 and the computer 200 are separated as the HMD system 100 has been described, but here, as another configuration example of the HMD system, the HMD 120 and the computer 200 are integrated. Will be further described.

  FIG. 14 shows the configuration of the HMD system 1431. The HMD system 1431 includes an HMD 1432 and a portable information processing terminal (information processing apparatus) 1441. The HMD 1432 is a so-called mobile HMD having a format in which a mobile terminal such as a smartphone can be attached to a housing. The information processing terminal (information processing apparatus) 1441 can communicate with the controller 300 wirelessly or by wire. The information processing terminal 1441 is a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, and corresponds to the computer 200 of the above embodiment.

  The HMD 1432 includes a housing 1433, a belt 1434, an adjustment member 1435, a front cover 1436, and a protrusion 1438. The user 5 fixes the HMD 1432 to his / her head by adjusting the length of the belt 1434 with the adjusting member 1435 after putting the belt 1434 on his / her head.

  The front cover 1436 is attached to the lower front part of the housing 1433 and is configured to be rotatable about the attachment location. The front cover 1436 is provided with a hook 1437. The user 5 closes the front cover 1436 with the information processing terminal 1441 placed on the front cover 1436. The user 5 further fixes the information processing terminal 1441 to the HMD 1432 by hooking the hook 1437 to the protrusion 1438 with the front cover 1436 closed.

  The housing 1433 further includes a lens 1439. The lens 1439 includes a left-eye lens and a right-eye lens. A front portion from the lens 1439 of the housing 1433 is opened. The user 5 visually recognizes the monitor 1442 of the information processing terminal 1441 through the lens 1439 in a state where the HMD 1432 is worn on the head. Note that the HMD 1432 may further include an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the lens 1439.

  The information processing terminal 1441 further includes components corresponding to the processor 210, the memory 220, the storage 230, the communication interface 250, the speaker 180, and the microphone 170 described above (not shown). In the HMD system 1431, the above-described various processes (such as a process for generating a field-of-view image) are realized by the processor 210 provided in the information processing terminal 1441 cooperating with various components. Further, the information processing terminal 1441 includes various sensors such as a motion sensor that detects the movement of the HMD 1432 and a direction sensor that detects a direction (orientation) in which the HMD 1432 faces. These sensors can use what is equipped with the information processing terminal 1441 (smartphone etc.).

  In the HMD system in FIG. 14, the information processing terminal 1441 can be detached from the housing of the HMD 1432, but the HMD and the information processing terminal (information processing apparatus) may be an integrated HMD system.

  In the embodiment described below, it is assumed that the user 5 wears the HMD 1432 of FIG. 14 and executes the content (for example, plays a game). The user 5 wearing the HMD 1432 is visually recognizing an image in the visual field area 15 in the virtual space 11 provided by the HMD 1432. The user 5 can view an image according to the orientation of the HMD 1432 by moving the virtual camera 14 and the view field area 15 by moving his / her head to the left or right or rotating his / her body. Thus, in order to provide an appropriate image according to the orientation of the HMD 1432, the orientation of the HMD 1432 (the orientation of the user 5 or the orientation of the information processing terminal 1441) is estimated and estimated according to the movement of the user 5. It is necessary to match the orientation of the virtual camera 14 with the orientation. In the program according to the present embodiment, the direction of the HMD 1432 is estimated with high accuracy according to the movement of the user 5, and the direction of the virtual camera 14 is matched with the estimated direction. Thereby, an appropriate image according to the orientation of the user 5 is provided, and the quality of the virtual experience of the user 5 is improved.

  As a method for estimating the direction of the HMD 1432, there is a method using a motion sensor that detects the movement of the HMD 1432. That is, a motion sensor is provided in the HMD 1432, and the direction of the HMD 1432 is estimated based on the movement of the HMD 1432 detected by the motion sensor. However, in this method, when the user 5 moves suddenly, the motion sensor cannot follow this movement (change in speed), and there is a problem that the detection performance of the motion sensor is deteriorated. In this case, the estimation accuracy of the orientation of the HMD 1432 is lowered, and a problem occurs in which the orientation of the HMD 1432 and the orientation of the virtual camera 14 are shifted. Hereinafter, this will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 15A, the user 5 wearing the HMD 1432 in the real space is facing the front direction (Z-axis positive direction here). The virtual camera 14 in the virtual space also faces the same direction as the user 5. An object 1541 (for example, a building) is arranged in the view field area 15, and the object 1541 can be seen in the front direction of the user 5.

  As shown in FIG. 15 (B), the head of the user 5 rotates from the state of FIG. 15 (A) in a slow motion 90 degrees to the left around the Y axis in parallel with the XZ plane. The HMD 1432 attached to the user 5 also rotates in the same direction by the same rotation amount (rotation angle), and the HMD 1432 faces the negative direction of the X axis. At this time, the orientation of the HMD 1432 is estimated using a motion sensor, and the orientation of the virtual camera 14 is adjusted according to the estimated orientation of the HMD 1432. In this example, the estimated orientation of the HMD 1432 matches the orientation of the head of the user 5, and the orientation of the virtual camera 14 matches the actual orientation of the HMD 1432. When the view area 15 is reset according to the orientation of the virtual camera 14 after adjustment and a view image corresponding to the view area 15 is displayed on the monitor 1442, the object 1541 is outside the view area 15, and the user 5 1541 disappears.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15 (C), the head of the user 5 rotates from the state of FIG. 15 (A) with a sudden movement 90 degrees to the left around the Y axis in parallel with the XZ plane. Similarly to FIG. 15B, the orientation of the HMD 1432 is estimated using a motion sensor, and the orientation of the virtual camera 14 is adjusted according to the estimated orientation of the HMD 1432. In this example, the motion sensor cannot follow the movement of the user 5, and the amount of rotation of the head of the user 5 is detected as an amount smaller than the actual amount. That is, it is calculated that the head of the user 5 has rotated at an angle smaller than 90 degrees. As a result, the estimated direction of the HMD 1432 is shifted to the Z axis positive direction side from the actual direction of the HMD 1432 (the direction of the head of the user 5). In this state, when the orientation of the virtual camera 14 is adjusted to the estimated HMD 1432, as shown in FIG. 15B, the object 1541 outside the view area 15 in FIG. 15B is changed to the view area in FIG. 15C. 15 and the object 1541 is visually recognized on the right side when viewed from the user 5. In other words, if the estimated orientation of the HMD 1432 is correct, an object that should not be seen is visible in FIG.

  The deviation between the orientation of the HMD as shown in FIG. 15C and the orientation of the virtual camera generally increases with time. As a method of eliminating this deviation, there is a method of resetting the front direction of the virtual camera by operating the controller, but it is complicated to perform the resetting operation during the game. As another method, there is a method in which the user 5 adjusts the body orientation of the user (HMD) according to the orientation of the virtual camera so that the orientation of the virtual camera is the front direction. This method can be easily executed when the user is standing or sitting on a swivel chair, but is difficult when sitting on a non-rotating chair or sofa. Therefore, the difference between the orientation of the HMD and the orientation of the virtual camera causes a reduction in the quality of the user's virtual experience. There is a desire to reduce the frequency or magnitude of the occurrence of a deviation between the orientation of the HMD and the orientation of the virtual camera.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, in addition to the motion sensor, a direction sensor that detects the direction of the HMD 1432 is used to increase the estimation accuracy of the direction of the HMD. Specifically, the rotation amount (first rotation amount) calculated from the motion sensor is corrected with the rotation amount (second rotation amount) detected from the direction sensor. Then, the orientation of the virtual camera 14 is controlled according to the corrected first rotation amount. That is, the direction rotated by the corrected first rotation amount is estimated as the direction of the HMD 1432 and the direction of the virtual camera 14 is adjusted according to the estimated direction. Thus, the problem in the case where the detection performance of the motion sensor deteriorates is solved by using the direction sensor as an auxiliary.

Hereinafter, the processing of the program according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
[Detailed module configuration]
A module configuration of the information processing terminal 1441 in the HMD system 1431 in FIG. 14 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a module configuration of information processing terminal 1441 (computer 200). The information processing terminal 1441 (computer 200) includes a control module 510, a rendering module 520, a memory module 530, and a sensor module 1626. The sensor module 1626 includes a sensor (motion sensor) 190 and a plurality of direction sensors 1627A and 1627B. As another configuration example, a configuration is possible in which the motion sensor 190 and the plurality of direction sensors 1627A and 1627B are provided at a location other than the information processing terminal 1441 in the HMD 1432 and detection signals of these sensors are output to the information processing terminal 1441. is there. Further, the function equivalent to that of the information processing terminal 1441 in FIG. 16 can be realized by the HMD system 100 in FIG. In this case, the sensor module 1626 (motion sensor 190, direction sensor 1627A, 1627B) may be mounted on the HMD 120, and detection signals from these sensors may be output to the computer 200 wirelessly or by wire.

  An arbitrary direction sensor among the plurality of direction sensors 1627A and 1627B is represented as a direction sensor 1627. In the example shown in the figure, there are two direction sensors, but there may be one or more than three. In the example shown in the figure, there is one motion sensor, but two or more motion sensors may be used. In addition, the sensor module 1626 may include a type of sensor other than the motion sensor and the direction sensor.

  The motion sensor 190 is a sensor (first sensor) that detects the movement of the HMD 1432. As the motion sensor, for example, a 6-axis sensor including a 3-axis acceleration sensor and a 3-axis angular velocity sensor (gyro sensor) can be used. In this case, as an example, in the XYZ coordinate system, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis accelerations and the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis angular velocities can be detected. The motion sensor 190 is not limited to a 6-axis sensor, and may be another sensor, for example, a gyro sensor.

  The direction sensor 1627 detects the direction in which the HMD 120 is facing (the direction of the HMD 120). As the direction sensor 1627, for example, an orientation sensor such as an electronic compass (geomagnetic sensor) or a GPS (Global Positioning System) compass can be used. The electronic compass measures the geomagnetism in a plurality of orthogonal directions using a plurality of magnetic sensors, and specifies the direction (orientation) based on the measurement result. The GPS compass receives GPS signals with a plurality of antennas, and specifies the direction (orientation) based on the GPS signals received by each antenna and the positional relationship between the antennas. These sensors are merely examples, and other types of sensors such as a gyrocompass may be used. In the case of the azimuth sensor, the direction (direction) to be detected can be expressed in a range of up to 359.99 around the east, with the true north direction being 0 degrees, for example. The output format depends on the sensor and is not limited to a specific format. In the case of detecting the inclination (inclination angle) in addition to the azimuth as the direction, an inclination sensor (for example, an inclination sensor having an inclination around the X axis or an inclination sensor having an inclination around the Z axis) may be additionally used. In this case, a direction sensor is configured using an orientation sensor and a tilt sensor. When the coordinate system detected by the direction sensor 1627 does not match the XYZ coordinate system, the direction detected by the direction sensor 1627 may be converted into the XYZ coordinate system. As an example, true north corresponds to the Z-axis positive direction and true east corresponds to the X-axis positive direction. Such conversion processing is performed by the control module 510 or the virtual camera control module 1621 as an example. Alternatively, the conversion processing function may be incorporated in the direction sensor 1627.

  The control module 510 includes a virtual camera control module 1621, a view area determination module 1622, a virtual space definition module 1623, a virtual object generation module 1624, an operation object control module 1625, and a sensor information acquisition module 1628. Yes. The rendering module 520 includes a view field image generation module 1638. The control module 510 is connected to the rendering module 520, the memory module 530, and the sensor module 1626.

  The sensor information acquisition module 1628 acquires information (detection information) detected by the motion sensor 190, the direction sensor 1627A, and the direction sensor 1627B. In one aspect, the sensor information acquisition module 1628 acquires detection information from each of these sensors at regular time intervals. The period for obtaining detection information from each sensor may be the same or different. In another aspect, the sensor information acquisition module 1628 outputs an acquisition request to each of these sensors, and acquires detection information from each sensor as a response. The sensor information acquisition module 1628 can acquire the detection information from each sensor via the memory module 530 in addition to the detection information directly acquired from each sensor. In this case, each sensor writes detection information in a predetermined storage area (not shown) for each sensor in the memory module 530. The sensor information acquisition module 1628 accesses the storage area for each sensor and reads the detection information of each sensor.

  The virtual camera control module 1621 arranges the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11. The virtual camera control module 1621 controls the arrangement position of the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11 and the direction (tilt) of the virtual camera 14.

  The virtual camera control module 1621 estimates the orientation of the HMD 1432 using the motion sensor 190 and one or more direction sensors 1627. The process for estimating the orientation of the HMD 1432 will be described in detail later.

  The virtual camera control module 1621 aligns the orientation of the virtual camera 14 with the estimated orientation of the HMD 1432. That is, the direction (view) of the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space is controlled so as to be linked to the direction of the HMD 1432 in the real space (the direction of the user's head).

  The view area determination module 1622 defines the view area 15 according to the orientation of the virtual camera 14 (the estimated orientation of the HMD 1432) and the arrangement position of the virtual camera 14.

  The view image generation module 1638 of the rendering module 520 generates the view image 17 displayed on the monitor 1442 of the information processing terminal 1441 based on the determined view area 15.

  The virtual space definition module 1623 defines the virtual space 11 in the HMD system 1431 by generating virtual space data representing the virtual space 11.

  The virtual object generation module 1624 generates an object arranged in the virtual space 11. The objects may include, for example, forests, mountains and other landscapes, animals, etc. that are arranged according to the progress of the game story.

  The operation object control module 1625 controls an operation object arranged in the virtual space 11 for receiving a user operation. The operation object can be operated by, for example, the user's hand wearing the HMD 1432, the controller 300, or both.

  The memory module 530 holds data used for the information processing terminal 1441 to provide the virtual space 11 to the user 5. In one aspect, the memory module 530 holds space information 1631, object information 1632, and user information 1633.

  The space information 1631 holds one or more templates defined for providing the virtual space 11.

  The object information 1632 holds content to be reproduced in the virtual space 11, objects used in the content, and information (for example, position information) for arranging the objects in the virtual space 11. The content may include, for example, game content, content representing a landscape similar to the real world, or video content.

  The user information 1633 holds a program for causing the information processing terminal 1441 to function as a control device of the HMD system 1431, an application program that uses each content held in the object information 1632, and the like.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a first example of processing in which the virtual camera control module 1621 estimates the orientation of the HMD 1432 and controls the orientation of the virtual camera 14 to the estimated orientation. In this process, the direction of the HMD 1432 is estimated every predetermined time using the motion sensor 190 and one direction sensor 1627, and the direction of the virtual camera 14 is controlled based on the estimated direction. Details of this process will be described below.

  In step S1751, the virtual camera control module 1621 initializes or resets the orientation of the virtual camera 14. The virtual camera control module 1621 accepts an initial setting or resetting operation input by the user 5. For example, the initial setting or resetting operation is input from the controller 300 by the user 5. The virtual camera control module 1621 sets the orientation of the virtual camera 14 so that the orientation (for example, the orientation indicated by the direction sensor 1627) that the HMD 1432 faces when the operation is received is the front direction. The front direction is the Z-axis positive direction as an example, but is not limited to this. Based on the orientation of the virtual camera 14 after setting, the visual field image generation module 1638 generates the visual field image 17 and displays the generated visual field image 17 on the monitor 1442. For example, the initial setting operation is performed at the time of starting or starting the content (game). For example, the resetting operation is performed based on the determination of the user 5 during the game. For example, this is a case where the user 5 recognizes a deviation between the orientation of the HMD 1432 and the orientation of the virtual camera 14 (estimated HMD orientation).

  FIG. 18 shows an example of performing an initial setting or resetting operation of the orientation of the virtual camera 14. Here, an example in which the initial setting or resetting operation is performed in a state where the orientation of the HMD 1432 and the orientation of the virtual camera 14 illustrated in FIG. The upper diagram is the same as FIG. When the user 5 performs an initial setting or resetting operation, the orientation of the virtual camera 14 is set so that the orientation or orientation (the orientation or orientation indicated by the direction sensor) of the HMD 1432 is the front direction, as shown in the figure below. . As a result, the virtual camera 14 faces the same direction as FIG. 15B, and the same image as FIG. 15B can be seen. In an environment where the detection performance of the direction sensor is low, the orientation of the HMD 1432 and the orientation of the virtual camera 14 may be deviated even after initial setting or resetting. However, even in that case, improvement is expected by repeating the setting operation a plurality of times. In another aspect, it is also possible to generate (update) a view field image so that the orientation of the virtual camera 14 at the time of initial setting or resetting operation is the front direction.

  In step S1752, it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed. The length of the predetermined time may be set for each frame of image display, or a time length determined by other methods may be set. If the predetermined time has not elapsed (NO), the process waits. If the predetermined time has elapsed (YES), the process proceeds to step S1753. The information processing terminal includes a clock that counts the time.

  In step S1753, the virtual camera control module 1621 calculates the amount of rotation (first rotation amount) of the HMD 1432 based on the detection information of the motion sensor 190. The rotation amount (rotation angle) to be calculated is a rotation amount around the Y axis in a certain aspect. In another aspect, the amount of rotation about three axes (Y axis, Z axis, and X axis). In yet another aspect, the amount of rotation about two axes (any two of the Y, Z, and X axes). For example, the amount of rotation can be calculated by time-integrating the angular velocity around the corresponding axis (for example, the Y axis). In the following, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that the user 5 is rotated about the Y axis parallel to the XZ plane with the head facing the Z axis front direction parallel to the XZ plane. When considering rotation around the X axis and rotation around the Z axis, the processing may be performed individually for each axis. The same applies to the direction sensor 1627.

  FIG. 19 shows an example of calculating the first rotation amount. The amount of rotation is calculated by calculating how much angle the HMD 1432 has rotated about a predetermined axis from the reference direction. In the example of the figure, an example in which the first rotation amount is calculated around the Y axis and in parallel with the ZX plane is shown. The first rotation amount calculated based on the motion sensor 190 is represented by rq1. The direction d1 indicates a direction that is directed when the HMD 1432 is rotated by the first rotation amount rq1 from the reference direction (that is, the direction when the HMD 1432 is rotated by the first rotation amount rq1). In the first aspect, the reference direction is the direction of the HMD 1432 estimated last time (predetermined time). In the second aspect, the reference direction is a predetermined specific direction, for example, the front direction. In the former case, the reference direction changes or may change every time it is calculated, whereas in the latter case, the reference direction is fixed. In the following description, it is assumed that the reference direction is the direction of the HMD 1432 estimated last time.

  In step S1754, the virtual camera control module 1621 specifies the direction indicated by the direction sensor 1627 based on the detection information of the direction sensor 1627. The virtual camera control module 1621 calculates the second rotation amount from the difference between the direction indicated by the direction sensor 1627 and the reference direction. The second rotation amount is a rotation amount (rotation angle) indicating how much the HMD 1432 has rotated from the reference direction. In FIG. 19, the second rotation amount rq2 is calculated from the difference between the direction d2 indicated by the direction sensor 1627 and the reference direction. In the illustrated example, the second rotation amount rq2 is smaller than the first rotation amount rq1.

  In step S1755, the virtual camera control module 1621 estimates the direction of the HMD 1432 based on the first rotation amount rq1 and the second rotation amount rq2. This specific process will be described later.

  In step S1756, the virtual camera control module 1621 controls the orientation of the virtual camera 14 based on the estimated orientation of the HMD 1432. That is, the orientation of the virtual camera 14 is matched with the estimated orientation of the HMD 1432. Thereafter, the view area 15 is set according to the orientation of the virtual camera 14, and a view image corresponding to the view area 15 is displayed on the monitor 1442.

  In step S1757, the virtual camera control module 1621 determines whether to end this process. If it is determined not to end (NO), the process proceeds to step S1766.

  In step S1766, it is determined whether the user has performed an operation for resetting the orientation of virtual camera 14. If there is no resetting operation (NO), the process returns to step S1752. In this case, the starting point of the predetermined time when determining whether or not the predetermined time has passed in step S1752 is, for example, the time when the direction of the HMD 1432 is estimated immediately before. If there is a resetting operation (YES), the process returns to step S1751. In this case, the starting point of the predetermined time in step S1752 following step S1751 is, for example, the time when the resetting is performed in step S1751. However, the starting point of the predetermined time can be a point determined based on an arbitrary standard other than those described here.

  If it is determined in step S1757 that the process is to be terminated (YES), the process is terminated. For example, when the user 5 performs an end operation on the controller 300 in order to end the game, the controller 300 outputs an end instruction signal. When this end instruction signal is received by the virtual camera control module 1621 or via the control module 510, this processing is ended.

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart of an example of detailed processing in step S1755 of FIG.

  In step S2058, the first rotation amount is corrected (calibrated) based on the second rotation amount. The corrected first rotation amount is an estimated value (estimated rotation amount) of the amount that the HMD 1432 has actually rotated.

The correction of the first rotation amount can be expressed by the following function as an example. rq1 is the first rotation amount, rq2 is the second rotation amount, and ER is the corrected first rotation amount (estimated rotation amount). f0 is a function that takes rq1 and rq2 as arguments.
ER = f0 (rq1, rq2) Formula (1)

  The form of the function can be determined arbitrarily. In one aspect, the function multiplies the second rotation amount by a constant coefficient (for example, a positive or negative value whose absolute value is smaller than 1), and adds the obtained multiplication value to the first rotation amount, or the first rotation amount There is something to subtract from.

  In another aspect, the value of the coefficient may be changed based on the difference between the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount. As an example, the larger the difference, the larger or smaller the coefficient value.

  In still another aspect, the first rotation amount may be replaced with the second rotation amount, and the value after replacement may be the corrected first rotation amount. For example, when the absolute value of the difference between the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the first rotation amount may be replaced with the second rotation amount. The absolute value of the difference is increased because the detection performance of the motion sensor 190 may be greatly deteriorated. Further, this method is effective in an environment where the detection performance of the direction sensor 1627 is assumed to be high (for example, when the magnitude of the surrounding magnetic field is low or the reception quality of the GPS signal is high). For example, in one aspect, when the direction sensor 1627 includes a geomagnetic sensor, the first rotation amount is replaced with the second rotation amount when the magnitude of the magnetic field measured by the geomagnetic sensor is less than a threshold value. Note that the measurement of the magnitude of magnetism may be performed based on a detection signal of the magnetic sensor provided separately in the sensor module 1626. In another aspect, when the direction sensor 1627 is a GPS compass, the first rotation amount may be replaced with the second rotation amount when the reception quality of a GPS signal received by the GPS compass is equal to or higher than a threshold value. As the reception quality, for example, reception intensity or SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) can be used.

  In yet another aspect, the first rotation amount may not be corrected, and the value of the first rotation amount may be used as the estimated rotation amount. For example, this may be done when the absolute value of the difference between the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount is less than the threshold value. The absolute value of the difference is small because the detection performance of the motion sensor 190 is considered good. In this case, the processing load can be reduced by omitting the correction calculation based on the second rotation amount. In addition, this method is effective in an environment where the detection performance of the direction sensor 1627 is assumed to be low (for example, when the magnitude of the surrounding magnetic field is high or the reception quality of the GPS signal is low). For example, in one aspect, when the magnitude of the magnetic field measured by the direction sensor 1627 or a separately provided geomagnetic sensor is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the value of the first rotation amount is set as the estimated rotation amount. In another aspect, when the reception quality of the GPS signal received by the direction sensor 1627 (GPS compass) is less than the threshold value, the value of the first rotation amount is directly used as the estimated rotation amount.

  The correction of the first rotation amount may be performed using a table in which the first rotation amount, the second rotation amount, and the corrected first rotation amount are associated with each other. An example of the table is shown in FIG. The values in the figure are an example for easy understanding. The corrected first rotation amount ER corresponding to the set is obtained by accessing the table based on the set of the first rotation amount rq1 and the second rotation amount rq2. The table is stored in the memory module 530 or the user information 1633, for example.

  In step S2059, the direction of the HMD 1432 when the HMD 1432 is rotated by the estimated rotation amount from the reference direction is estimated. Specifically, a direction obtained by adding the estimated rotation amount to a value indicating the reference direction is obtained, and this direction is set as the direction of the HMD 1432.

  FIG. 22 shows an example in which the estimated rotation amount ER is calculated from the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount, and the direction of the HMD 1432 is specified from the calculated estimated rotation amount ER. The first rotation amount rq1 is corrected according to the second rotation amount rq2. The corrected first rotation amount is obtained as the estimated rotation amount ER. Then, the direction rotated by the estimated rotation amount ER from the reference direction is estimated as the direction of the HMD 1432.

  FIG. 23 is a flowchart of another example of the process of step S1755 of FIG. Steps S2360, S2361, and S2362 are added to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S2360, the difference between the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount is calculated.

  FIG. 24 shows an example of calculating the difference between the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount. The difference dq is calculated by subtracting the second rotation amount rq2 from the first rotation amount rq1.

  In step S2361, it is determined whether the absolute value of the difference between the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

  If the absolute value of the difference is less than the threshold value (NO), the process proceeds to step S2362.

  In step S2362, the first rotation amount is set as the estimated rotation amount of the HMD 1432. That is, the first rotation amount is not corrected, and the first rotation amount is used as it is as the estimated rotation amount of the HMD 1432. This is because it can be determined that the detection performance of the motion sensor 190 is high when the absolute value of the difference is less than the threshold. In this case, since the calculation for correcting the first rotation amount is not necessary, the processing load on the computer 200 can be reduced. After step S2362, the process proceeds to step S2059.

  On the other hand, if the absolute value of the difference is greater than or equal to the threshold (YES), the process proceeds to step S2058. Step S2058 is the same as FIG. That is, the first rotation amount is corrected according to the second rotation amount, and the corrected first rotation amount is set as the estimated rotation amount of the HMD 1432. This is because it is considered that there may be a problem in the detection performance of the motion sensor 190 when the absolute value of the difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value. After step S2058, the process proceeds to step S2059.

  The processing in step S2059 is the same as that in FIG.

  FIG. 25 is a flowchart of another example of the process of step S1755 of FIG.

  In step S2566, the virtual camera control module 1621 sets weights for the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount. The weight set for the first rotation amount corresponds to the first weight, and the weight set for the second rotation amount corresponds to the second weight. As a method for setting the first weight and the second weight, there is a method using the rotational speed (angular speed) of the HMD 1432. As the rotation speed of the HMD 1432 increases, at least one of decreasing the first weight and increasing the second weight is performed. This assumes the possibility that the detection performance of the motion sensor 190 (reliability of the motion sensor 190) is lowered when the rotation speed of the head of the user 5 suddenly increases. As an example of a case where the rotation speed of the head of the user 5 suddenly increases, there is a case where the head of the user 5 suddenly starts moving.

In one aspect, assuming that the rotation speed rs of the HMD 1432 is w1 as the first weight and w2 as the second weight, the calculation formulas for the first weight w1 and the second weight w2 are as follows: ).
w1 = f1 (rs) Formula (2)
w2 = f2 (rs) Equation (3)
f1 is a monotone decreasing function with rs as an argument. f2 is a monotonically increasing function with rs as an argument.

  In another aspect, a table may be used instead of a function. In this case, a table is prepared in which rs is associated with at least one of w1 and w2. The function or table is an example of information in which rs is associated with at least one of w1 and w2. As long as such information is used, means other than functions or tables may be used.

  Instead of the rotational speed of the HMD 1432, the rotational acceleration of the HMD 1432 may be used. As the rotational acceleration increases, at least one of decreasing the first weight and increasing the second weight is performed. Also in the case of rotational acceleration, similarly to the rotational speed, the first weight and the second weight can be determined using information (function or table or the like) in which the rotational acceleration is associated with at least one of w1 and w2.

  There are various variations in the setting method of the first weight and the second weight, and other examples will be described later.

  In step S2567, the virtual camera control module 1621 calculates a weighted average of the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount based on the first weight and the second weight set in step S2566. The calculated weighted average is used as the corrected first rotation amount. Then, the corrected first rotation amount is set as the estimated rotation amount of the HMD 1432. Assuming that the first rotation amount is rq1, the second rotation amount is rq2, the first weight is w1, and the second weight is w2, the estimated rotation amount ER is expressed by the following equation (4).

  ER = (rq1 × w1 + rq2 × w2) / (w1 + w2) Formula (4)

  When calculating the first weight and the second weight in step S2566, normalization may be performed so that the sum of the first weight and the second weight becomes 1. In this case, calculating the weighted average is the same as calculating the weighted sum of the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount by the first weight and the second weight.

  In step S2059, the direction of the HMD 1432 when the HMD 1432 is rotated by the estimated rotation amount from the reference direction is estimated. A direction obtained by adding the estimated rotation amount (estimated rotation angle) to the value indicating the reference direction is obtained, and this direction is set as the direction of the HMD 1432.

  FIG. 26 is a flowchart of a second example of processing in which the virtual camera control module 1621 estimates the orientation of the HMD 1432 and controls the orientation of the virtual camera 14 to the estimated orientation. In this process, the second rotation amount is calculated only when the rotation speed (angular speed) of the HMD 1432 is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

  Steps S1751-S1753 are the same as FIG.

  In step S2663, the virtual camera control module 1621 calculates the rotation speed of the HMD 1432 based on the detection information of the motion sensor 190.

  In one aspect, the rotation speed is an average speed during a predetermined time immediately before (see S1752 in FIG. 17). In another aspect, a speed at an arbitrary time within a predetermined time (for example, a speed at the start or end of the predetermined time).

  In step S2664, it is determined whether the calculated rotation speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. If the calculated rotation speed is less than the predetermined value (NO), the process proceeds to step S2665.

  In step S2665, the direction of the HMD 1432 is estimated based on the first rotation amount. That is, without correcting the first rotation amount, the value of the first rotation amount is directly used as the estimated rotation amount of the HMD 1432, and the direction of the HMD 1432 is calculated. Thus, the direction of the HMD 1432 is estimated without using the direction sensor 1627, that is, without calculating the second rotation amount. When the rotation speed is low, it is assumed that the detection performance of the motion sensor 190 is high, so the calculation amount is reduced by eliminating the calculation of the second rotation amount. After step S2665, the process proceeds to step S1756. In step S1756, the orientation of the virtual camera 14 is controlled based on the orientation of the HMD 1432 estimated in step S2665.

  On the other hand, if the rotational speed is greater than or equal to the predetermined value (YES), the process proceeds to step S1754. The subsequent processing is the same as the flowchart of FIG. That is, the second rotation amount is calculated (S1754), the direction of the HMD 1432 is estimated based on the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount (S1755), and the virtual camera direction is controlled (S1756). Therefore, only when the rotation speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, the calculation of the second rotation amount and the determination whether the absolute value of the difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value (S2361 in FIG. 23) are performed.

  Although the rotation speed is calculated in step S2663 in FIG. 26, a configuration in which the rotation acceleration (rotation acceleration or angular acceleration) of the HMD 1432 is calculated is also possible. In this case, in step S2664, it is determined whether the rotational acceleration is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If the rotational acceleration is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S1754, and if it is less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S2665.

  For example, the rotational acceleration can be obtained by differentiation of angular acceleration. In one aspect, the rotational acceleration is an average acceleration during the immediately preceding predetermined time (see S1752 in FIG. 17). In another aspect, the rotational acceleration is acceleration at an arbitrary time within a predetermined time (for example, acceleration at the start or end of the predetermined time).

  In the processing described so far, only one direction sensor 1627 is used, but a plurality of direction sensors 1627 may be used. For example, a plurality of types of direction sensors 1627 such as an electronic compass and a GPS compass are used. Even if the number of direction sensors 1627 to be used increases, the processing described so far can be extended to estimate the orientation of the HMD 1432. For example, in step S1754 of FIG. 17, the rotation amount (second rotation amount to n-th rotation amount) is calculated for n−1 direction sensors 1627. n is an integer of 3 or more. The second rotation amount is a rotation amount calculated from the first direction sensor 1627, and the n-th rotation amount is a rotation amount calculated from the (n-1) th direction sensor 1627.

  Then, the direction of the HMD 1432 is estimated based on the first to n-th rotation amounts. For example, the first rotation amount is corrected based on the second rotation amount to the n-th rotation amount, and the corrected first rotation amount is set as the estimated rotation amount of the HMD 1432 (see step S2058 in FIG. 20). As another example, a weight (first weight to nth weight) is set for the first rotation amount to the nth rotation amount, and a weighted average of the first rotation amount to the nth rotation amount is calculated (FIG. 25). (See S2566 and S2567). The calculated weighted average value is used as the corrected first rotation amount. Then, the corrected first rotation amount is regarded as the estimated rotation amount of the HMD 1432.

  FIG. 27 is a flowchart of a third example of processing in which the virtual camera control module 1621 estimates the orientation of the HMD 1432 and controls the orientation of the virtual camera 14 according to the estimated orientation.

  In this process, when a plurality of direction sensors 1627 are used, a rotation amount (outlier) obtained from a direction sensor with low detection performance is excluded from a plurality of rotation amounts calculated from the plurality of direction sensors 1627. The direction of the HMD 1432 is estimated using the rotation amount remaining after the exclusion and the rotation amount calculated from the motion sensor. Thereby, the direction of the HMD 1432 can be estimated with higher accuracy.

  Steps S1751-S1753 are the same as FIG.

  In step S 2768, a plurality of rotation amounts are calculated using a plurality of direction sensors 1627. Here, assuming that there are n-1 direction sensors 1627 from the second direction sensor to the nth direction sensor, the second rotation amount to the nth rotation amount are respectively calculated from the second direction sensor to the nth direction sensor. calculate.

  In step S2769, outliers are excluded from the second rotation amount to the n-th rotation amount. There may be one or more outliers. There may also be no outliers.

  In a certain aspect, a predetermined number of rotation amounts closest to the first rotation amount are selected from the second rotation amount to the n-th rotation amount, and the rest are set as outliers. As an example, the rotation amount of the motion sensor 190 is 31.10, and the rotation amounts of the two direction sensors (first direction sensor, second direction sensor) 1627 are 30.13 and 25.40. The predetermined number is 1. Since the value closest to 31.10 is 30.13, 25.40 (the rotation amount of the second direction sensor) is excluded.

  In another aspect, there are a method using statistical distribution and a method using clustering. As an example of the former, there is a method using a normal distribution. For example, assuming that the distribution of the rotation amount follows a normal distribution, a normal distribution that approximates the distribution of the second rotation amount to the n-th rotation amount is obtained. A rotation amount that belongs to the range of the uppermost predetermined percentage or the lower predetermined percentage of the obtained normal distribution is set as an outlier. As an example of the latter, there is a method using an algorithm such as k-means. In this case, a plurality of rotation amounts are divided into a plurality of clusters, and a cluster having the largest number of elements (number of rotation amounts) belonging to is selected. A rotation amount (element) belonging to a cluster that has not been selected is set as an outlier. Outliers may be detected by methods other than those listed here.

  In step S2770, the direction of the HMD 1432 is estimated based on the first rotation amount and the rotation amount after removing the outlier from the second rotation amount to the n-th rotation amount. For example, the first rotation amount is corrected based on the rotation amount after the outlier is excluded from the second rotation amount to the n-th rotation amount (see step S2058 in FIG. 20), and the corrected first rotation amount is set as the HMD1432. Estimated rotation amount. As another example, weights are set for the first rotation amount and the rotation amount after exclusion, respectively, and a weighted average is calculated (see S2566 and S2567 in FIG. 25). The first rotation amount is replaced with the calculated weighted average value, and this is used as the corrected first rotation amount. The corrected first rotation amount is set as the estimated rotation amount of the HMD 1432.

  As a modification of the process of step S2769 in FIG. 27, outliers may be excluded from the first to n-th rotation amounts including the first rotation amount calculated from the motion sensor 190. In one aspect, a predetermined number of rotation amounts closest to each other are selected from the first rotation amount to the n-th rotation amount, and the remainder is set as an outlier. For example, the rotation amount of the motion sensor 190 is 31.10, and the rotation amounts of the two direction sensors 1627 are 25.13 and 25.40. Assume that the predetermined number is two. At this time, since the closest values are 25.13 and 25.40 which are the rotation amounts of the two direction sensors 1627, 31.10 which is the rotation amount of the motion sensor 190 is excluded. The weighted average of the rotation amount remaining after the exclusion is calculated, the first rotation amount is replaced with the weighted average value, and this is used as the corrected first rotation amount. Then, the corrected first rotation amount is set as the estimated rotation amount of the HMD 1432.

  The same processing can be performed when there are a plurality of direction sensors and a plurality of motion sensors. For example, outliers are excluded from one or more rotation amounts calculated from a plurality of direction sensors and a plurality of rotation amounts calculated from a plurality of motion sensors.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the rotation amount (first rotation amount) calculated by the motion sensor 190 is corrected by the rotation amount (second rotation amount) calculated by the direction sensor, and the corrected first rotation amount is corrected. The direction of the HMD 1432 can be estimated with high accuracy by estimating the direction of the HMD 1432. Thereby, the direction of the virtual camera 14 can be matched with the actual direction of the HMD 1432 with high accuracy. When the direction of the HMD 1432 is estimated using only the motion sensor 190, there is a problem that the estimation accuracy is lowered, for example, when the user's head suddenly moves. On the other hand, when only the direction sensor is used, it cannot be correctly estimated in an environment where the function of the direction sensor is deteriorated. For example, in the case of an electronic compass, the surrounding magnetic field is large. The GPS compass corresponds to a case where the reception quality of the GPS signal is poor. Therefore, by using both sensors, the directions of the HMD 1432 can be detected more accurately by complementing the cases in which the detection performance of the motion sensor 190 and the direction sensor 1627 decreases.

  As described above, when a deviation occurs between the HMD direction and the virtual camera direction, there is a method of resetting the front direction of the virtual camera by a controller operation as a method of eliminating the deviation. However, it is complicated to perform the resetting operation during the game. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, since the direction of the HMD can be estimated with high accuracy, the opportunity for performing the resetting operation can be eliminated or reduced. As another method for eliminating the above-described deviation, there is a method in which the user 5 adjusts the body orientation of the user (HMD) according to the orientation of the virtual camera so that the orientation of the virtual camera is the front direction. . As described above, this method can be easily executed when the user is standing or sitting on a rotating chair, but is difficult when sitting on a non-rotating chair or sofa. On the other hand, according to this embodiment, since the direction of the HMD can be estimated with high accuracy, such an operation is not necessary, or the amount of motion can be minimized. Therefore, the user can play the game comfortably. Thereby, the quality of a user's virtual experience can be improved.

(Modification 1)
Hereinafter, a variation of the first weight and second weight setting method in step S2566 of the flowchart of FIG. 25 will be described.

[Variation 1]
The first weight and the second weight are set to predetermined values. In this case, the first weight and the second weight may be the same value or different values. In the case of different values, the first weight may be greater than the second weight or the second weight may be greater than the first weight. For example, when the first weight is larger than the second weight, the first weight is 0.7 and the second weight is 0.3. These numerical values are examples, and the values of the first weight and the second weight are not limited to these.

[Variation 2]
The difference between the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount is calculated, and the first weight and the second weight are set based on the absolute value of the difference. In one aspect, as the absolute value of the difference is larger, at least one of decreasing the first weight and increasing the second weight is performed. As a method for realizing this, as shown in FIG. 28, a table associating the absolute value of the difference, the first weight value, and the second weight value is prepared. The absolute value of the difference is AS, the first weight is w1, and the second weight is w2. AS_k, AS_k + 1, and AS_k + 2 are examples of AS values. The lower the table, the greater the AS value. The values of the first weight and the second weight are an example for facilitating understanding. The table is accessed based on AS, and w1 and w2 corresponding to AS are obtained. In one aspect, the absolute value of the difference is compared with a threshold value, and the first weight may be set to zero when the absolute value of the difference is as described above.

  This variation 2 is effective in an environment where the detection performance of the direction sensor 1627 is assumed to be high (for example, when the size of the surrounding magnetic field is low or the reception quality of the GPS signal is high). In such an environment, the absolute value of the difference between the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount is large because the detection performance of the motion sensor 190 may be greatly deteriorated. In a certain aspect, when the magnitude of the magnetic field measured by the direction sensor 1627 or a separately provided geomagnetic sensor is less than the threshold value, the weight setting according to the variation 2 is performed. In another aspect, when the direction sensor 1627 is a GPS compass and the reception quality of a GPS signal received by the GPS compass is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the weight setting according to the variation 2 is performed. As the reception quality, for example, reception intensity or SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) can be used.

[Variation 3]
Contrary to variation 2, at least one of increasing the first weight and decreasing the second weight is performed as the absolute value of the difference increases. In one aspect, the absolute value of the difference is compared with a threshold value, and the second weight may be set to zero when the absolute value of the difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value. In this case, the direction of the HMD 1432 is estimated without using the direction sensor 1627.

  This variation 3 is effective in an environment where the detection performance of the direction sensor 1627 may be low (for example, when the magnitude of the surrounding magnetic field is high or the reception quality of the GPS signal is low). The increase in the absolute value of the difference in such an environment is because the detection performance of the direction sensor 1627 may be greatly deteriorated. For example, the virtual camera control module 1621 may perform weight setting according to the variation 3 when the magnitude of the magnetic field is equal to or greater than the threshold value or when the reception quality of the GPS signal is less than the threshold value.

[Variation 4]
When the rotation speed of the HMD 1432 is less than the first predetermined value, the second weight may be set to zero. The first weight is set to a predetermined value (for example, 1). This is because it is assumed that the detection performance of the motion sensor 190 is high when the rotation speed is low. Setting the second weight to zero means estimating the direction of the HMD 1432 without using a direction sensor. In another aspect, the first weight may be set to zero when the rotation speed is equal to or higher than the second predetermined value. The second weight is set to a predetermined value (for example, 1). This is because the detection performance of the motion sensor 190 may be low when the rotation speed is high. Setting the first weight to zero means estimating the direction of the HMD 1432 without using a motion sensor.

  Similarly, the second weight may be set to zero when the acceleration of the HMD 1432 is less than the third predetermined value. The first weight is set to a predetermined value (for example, 1). This is because when the acceleration is small (including the case where the acceleration is zero), the detection performance of the motion sensor 190 is assumed to be high. In another aspect, the first weight may be zero when the acceleration is equal to or greater than a fourth predetermined value. The second weight is set to a predetermined value (for example, 1). This is because the detection performance of the motion sensor 190 may be low when the acceleration is large.

  It is not excluded to determine the first weight and the second weight by a method other than variations 1 to 4. Further, the method of variations 1 to 4 and the method described in step S2566 of FIG. 25 may be arbitrarily combined, and the method to be executed by conditional branching may be switched. For example, when the size of the peripheral magnetic field is low, the method of variation 2 is executed, and when the size of the peripheral magnetic field is high, the method of variation 1 is executed. Other arbitrary combinations and conditional branches are possible.

(Modification 2)
In step S2058 of FIG. 20, the first rotation amount is corrected according to the second rotation amount. However, the second rotation amount may be corrected according to the first rotation amount. In this case, the corrected second rotation amount is set as the estimated rotation amount of the HMD 1432. The correction of the second rotation amount can be performed by the same method as the correction of the first rotation amount.

(Modification 3)
FIG. 29 is a flowchart of a fourth example of processing in which the virtual camera control module 1621 estimates the orientation of the HMD 1432 and controls the orientation of the virtual camera 14 according to the estimated orientation.

  Steps S1751-S1753, S1756, S1757, and S1766 are the same as those in FIG.

  In step S2971, the direction (second direction) indicated by the direction sensor 1627 is specified based on the detection information of the direction sensor 1627. This direction is the direction indicated by the direction sensor 1627 when it is determined in step S1752 that the predetermined time has elapsed. This direction corresponds to the direction d2 in FIG.

  In step S2972, the direction (first direction) when the HMD 1432 rotates by the first rotation amount from the reference direction is calculated. This direction is calculated, for example, by adding the first rotation amount (rotation angle) to a value indicating the reference direction. This direction corresponds to the direction d1 in FIG.

  In step S2973, the direction of the HMD 1432 is estimated based on the first direction and the second direction. The estimated direction corresponds to the direction ED in FIG.

  FIG. 30 shows a flowchart of an example of the process of step S2973 of FIG.

  In step S3074, the first direction is corrected (calibrated) based on the second direction. In one aspect, a constant coefficient (for example, a positive or negative value whose absolute value is smaller than 1) is multiplied in the second direction, and the obtained multiplication value is added in the first direction or subtracted from the first direction. Thereby, the first direction is corrected. The value of the coefficient may be changed based on the difference between the first direction and the second direction. As an example, the larger the difference, the larger or smaller the coefficient value. As a specific configuration, information (table or function or the like) in which the difference is associated with the coefficient value may be used.

  In step S3075, the corrected first direction is determined as the direction of the HMD 1432.

  As a modification of the process of step S3074 in FIG. 30, the second direction may be corrected based on the first direction. In one aspect, a certain coefficient (for example, a positive or negative value whose absolute value is smaller than 1) is multiplied in the first direction, and the obtained multiplication value is added in the second direction or subtracted from the second direction. Thereby, the second direction is corrected. In step S3075, the corrected second direction is set as the direction of the HMD 1432. In another aspect, the value of the coefficient may be changed based on the difference between the first direction and the second direction. As an example, the larger the difference, the larger or smaller the coefficient value. As a specific configuration, information (table or function or the like) in which the difference is associated with the coefficient value may be used.

  FIG. 31 shows a flowchart of another example of the process of step S2973 in FIG. In this process, the direction of the HMD 1432 is estimated by calculating a weighted average of the first direction and the second direction.

  In step S3176, weights are set for the first direction and the second direction, respectively. The weight set in the first direction corresponds to the first weight, and the weight set in the second direction corresponds to the second weight. In the description of step S2566 in FIG. 25 and the description of each variation thereof, the same setting method can be implemented by changing the first rotation amount to the first direction and the second rotation amount to the second direction.

  In step S3177, weighted averages in the first direction and the second direction are calculated based on the first weight and the second weight set in step S3176. The calculated weighted average value is the first direction after correction. The corrected first direction Cd1 is expressed by Equation 5 below, where d1 is the first direction, d2 is the second direction, w1 is the first weight, and w2 is the second weight.

  Cd1 = (d1 × w1 + d2 × w2) / (w1 + w2) Formula (5)

  When calculating the first weight and the second weight in step S3176, the first weight and the second weight may be normalized so that the sum of the first weight and the second weight is 1.

  In step S3075, the corrected first direction is estimated as the direction (ED) of the HMD 1432.

(Modification 4)
In the process of the flowchart of FIG. 29, the first direction and the second direction are used instead of the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount in the process of the flowchart of FIG. Similar changes are made in the flowchart of FIG. 26 (when the rotation speed is equal to or higher than the threshold, the direction of the HMD is estimated only from the first rotation amount) and the flowchart of FIG. 27 (the HMD direction is estimated by excluding outliers). It can also be applied to processing. Hereinafter, processing in each case will be described.

  FIG. 32 is a flowchart of a fifth example of processing in which the virtual camera control module 1621 estimates the orientation of the HMD 1432 and controls the orientation of the virtual camera 14 according to the estimated orientation.

  The processing when steps S1751 to S1753, S2663 to S2665, and step S2664 are NO is the same as FIG. When step S2664 is YES (when the rotation speed is equal to or higher than the threshold value), the process proceeds to step S2971. In step S2971, the direction sensor 1627 identifies the direction of the HMD 1432 (second direction).

  In step S2972, the HMD direction (first direction) is calculated based on the first rotation amount.

  In step S2973, the direction of the HMD is estimated based on the first direction and the second direction (refer to FIG. 30 or FIG. 31 for details of this process). In step S1756, the orientation of the virtual camera 14 is controlled based on the estimated orientation of the HMD 1432.

  FIG. 33 is a flowchart of a sixth example of processing in which the virtual camera control module 1621 estimates the orientation of the HMD 1432 and controls the orientation of the virtual camera 14 according to the estimated orientation.

  Steps S1751-S1753, S1766 are the same as those in FIG.

  In step S2972, the direction (first direction) when the HMD 1432 rotates by the first rotation amount from the reference direction is calculated.

  In step S3378, the direction indicated by these direction sensors 1627 is specified based on the detection information of the plurality of direction sensors 1627. Here, assuming that there are n−1 direction sensors 1627, the directions (second direction to n-th direction) indicated by the second direction sensor to the n-th direction sensor are specified.

  In step S3379, outliers are excluded from the second direction to the nth direction. The detection of outliers can use the same method as described in FIG.

  In step S3380, the direction of HMD 1432 is estimated based on the first direction and the direction after outliers are excluded from the second direction to the nth direction. For example, the first direction is corrected based on the second direction to the nth direction after outliers are excluded, and the corrected first direction is set as the direction of the HMD 1432. As another example, weights are set for the first direction and the direction after exclusion, and a weighted average is calculated based on the set weights. The calculated weighted average value is the first direction after correction. Then, the corrected first direction is estimated as the direction of the HMD 1432. In step S1756, the orientation of the virtual camera 14 is controlled based on the estimated orientation of the HMD 1432.

(Modification 5)
In the description of the embodiment of FIGS. 14 to 33 described above, it is assumed that the motion sensor 190 is used to estimate the orientation of the HMD 432. In this modification, the direction of the HMD 432 is estimated using the plurality of direction sensors 1627 without using the motion sensor 190. In one aspect, the rotation amount of the HMD 1432 is calculated from each of the plurality of direction sensors 1627. One of the calculated rotation amounts is corrected by another rotation amount. Alternatively, weights are set for these rotation amounts, and a weighted average is calculated. The corrected rotation amount or weighted average is set as the estimated rotation amount of the HMD 1432. The correction method and the weighted average method are the same as those described above.

  In another aspect, the direction of the HMD 1432 is specified from each of the plurality of direction sensors 1627. One of the calculated orientations is corrected by the other orientation. Alternatively, weights are set in these directions, and a weighted average is calculated. The corrected direction or the weighted average is set as the direction of the HMD 1432.

  In the embodiment described above, the virtual space (VR space) in which the user is immersed by the HMD has been described as an example. However, a transmissive HMD may be adopted as the HMD. In this case, an augmented reality (AR) space or a mixed reality (AR) space or a mixed reality (AR) is output by outputting a view field image obtained by synthesizing a part of an image constituting a virtual space to a real space visually recognized by a user via a transmissive HMD. A virtual experience in an MR (Mixed Reality) space may be provided to the user. In this case, instead of the operation object, an action on the target object in the virtual space may be generated based on the movement of the user's hand. Specifically, the processor may specify the coordinate information of the position of the user's hand in the real space and define the position of the target object in the virtual space in relation to the coordinate information in the real space. As a result, the processor can grasp the positional relationship between the user's hand in the real space and the target object in the virtual space, and can execute processing corresponding to the above-described collision control and the like between the user's hand and the target object. . As a result, it is possible to act on the target object based on the movement of the user's hand.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various constituent elements of the present invention can be embodied. In addition, the present invention can be formed by appropriately expanding, changing, deleting, or combining each component in the above embodiment. It is also possible to add another component to form the present invention.

  The subject matter disclosed in the present specification will be added below.

[Item 1]
A computer program for causing a computer to execute a virtual experience for a user wearing a head-mounted device,
Defining a virtual space for providing the virtual experience;
Setting a virtual camera in the virtual space;
Calculating a first rotation amount, which is a rotation amount of the head mount device, using a first sensor provided in the head mount device and detecting a movement of the head mount device;
Calculating a second rotation amount, which is a rotation amount of the head mount device, using a second sensor provided in the head mount device and detecting the orientation of the head mount device;
Correcting the first rotation amount according to the second rotation amount;
A computer program for causing a computer to execute the step of controlling the orientation of the virtual camera based on the corrected first rotation amount.
By estimating the orientation of the head mounted device using not only the first sensor but also the second sensor, it is possible to estimate the orientation of the head mounted device with higher accuracy than in the estimation using only the first sensor. Thereby, since the direction of the virtual camera can be matched with the direction of the head mounted device with high accuracy, the quality of the virtual experience provided to the user can be improved.

[Item 2]
The computer program according to item 1, wherein in the step of correcting the first rotation amount, the first rotation amount is corrected based on a difference between the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount.

[Item 3]
In the step of correcting the first rotation amount, when the difference is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the first rotation amount is corrected, and when the difference is less than the threshold value, the first rotation amount is not corrected,
The computer program according to item 2, wherein in the step of controlling the orientation of the virtual camera, the orientation of the virtual camera is estimated based on the first amount of rotation when the first amount of rotation is not corrected.
When the difference is less than the threshold value, the detection performance of the first sensor is considered high. In this case, the amount of calculation can be reduced while maintaining high estimation accuracy by estimating the direction of the virtual camera based on the first rotation amount without correcting the first rotation amount.

[Item 4]
Calculating the rotational speed or rotational acceleration of the head mounted device using the first sensor;
In the step of correcting the first rotation amount, when the rotation speed or the rotation acceleration is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is determined whether the difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and the rotation speed or the rotation acceleration is less than the predetermined value. In the case, the first rotation amount is not corrected,
Item 4. The computer program according to item 3.
When the rotation speed or the rotation acceleration is less than a predetermined value, the detection performance of the first sensor is considered high. By estimating the direction of the virtual camera based on the first rotation amount without correcting the first rotation amount, it is possible to reduce the calculation amount while maintaining high estimation accuracy.

[Item 5]
The computer program according to any one of items 2 to 4, wherein, in the step of correcting the first rotation amount, the first rotation amount is corrected by replacing the first rotation amount with the second rotation amount.
By replacing the first rotation amount with the second rotation amount in a situation where the detection performance of the second sensor is assumed to be high, highly accurate estimation is possible.

[Item 6]
In the step of correcting the first rotation amount, the first rotation amount is calculated by calculating a weighted average of the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount, and replacing the first rotation amount with the calculated weighted average. Item 5. The computer program according to any one of items 2 to 4, wherein the amount is corrected.
By using the weighted average of the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount, more accurate estimation can be performed.

[Item 7]
Calculating the rotational speed or rotational acceleration of the head mounted device using the first sensor;
Item 7. The computer program according to item 6, wherein at least one of decreasing the weight of the first rotation amount and increasing the weight of the second rotation amount as the rotation speed or the rotation acceleration increases.
When the detection performance of the first sensor tends to decrease as the rotation speed or the rotation acceleration increases, the weight of the first rotation amount is decreased or the weight of the second rotation amount is increased, thereby achieving higher accuracy. The direction of the head mounted device can be estimated.

[Item 8]
A third rotation amount to an nth rotation amount, which is an amount of rotation of the head mount device, is calculated using a third sensor to an nth sensor provided in the head mount device and detecting the orientation of the head mount device. Step is executed by the computer, n is an integer greater than or equal to 3,
In the step of correcting the first rotation amount, an outlier is excluded from the second rotation amount to the nth rotation amount, and the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount to the nth rotation amount are The computer program according to item 1, wherein the first rotation amount is corrected based on a rotation amount after excluding outliers.
By excluding outliers, more accurate estimation is possible.

[Item 9]
Item 1 to Item 8: The computer receives a setting operation by the user, and causes the computer to execute a step of controlling the orientation of the virtual camera so that the orientation indicated by the second sensor when receiving the setting operation is a front direction. The computer program as described in any one.
Even when the orientation of the virtual camera deviates from the orientation of the head mounted device, it is possible to return to an appropriate display image.

[Item 10]
An information processing apparatus including a processor for providing a virtual experience to a user wearing a head mounted device,
Defining a virtual space for providing the virtual experience;
Setting a virtual camera in the virtual space;
Calculating a first rotation amount, which is a rotation amount of the head mount device, using a first sensor provided in the head mount device and detecting a movement of the head mount device;
Calculating a second rotation amount, which is a rotation amount of the head mount device, using a second sensor provided in the head mount device and detecting the orientation of the head mount device;
Correcting the first rotation amount according to the second rotation amount;
And a step of controlling the orientation of the virtual camera based on the corrected first rotation amount.

[Item 11]
An information processing method for providing a virtual experience to a user wearing a head mounted device,
Defining a virtual space for providing the virtual experience;
Setting a virtual camera in the virtual space;
Calculating a first rotation amount, which is a rotation amount of the head mount device, using a first sensor provided in the head mount device and detecting a movement of the head mount device;
Calculating a second rotation amount, which is a rotation amount of the head mount device, using a second sensor provided in the head mount device and detecting the orientation of the head mount device;
Correcting the first rotation amount according to the second rotation amount;
Controlling the direction of the virtual camera based on the corrected first rotation amount.

2: Network 11: Virtual space 13: Panoramic image 14: Virtual camera 15: Field of view area 17: Field of view image 100: HMD system 110: HMD set 120: HMD
130: monitor 140: gaze sensor 150: first camera 160: second camera 170: microphone 180: speaker 190: sensor (motion sensor)
200: computer 210: processor 220: memory 230: storage 240: input / output interface 250: communication interface 300: controller 310: grip 320: frame 330: top surface 340, 350, 370, 380: button 360: infrared LED
390: Analog stick 410: HMD sensor 420: Motion sensor 430: Display 510: Control module 520: Rendering module 530: Memory module 540: Communication control module 600: Server 700: External device 1621: Virtual camera control module 1622: Viewing field determination Module 1623: Virtual space definition module 1624: Virtual object generation module 1625: Operation object control module 1626: Sensor module 1627: Direction sensor 1628: Sensor information acquisition module 1631: Spatial information 1632: Object information 1633: User information

Claims (11)

A computer program for causing a computer to execute a virtual experience for a user wearing a head-mounted device,
Defining a virtual space for providing the virtual experience;
Setting a virtual camera in the virtual space;
Calculating a first rotation amount, which is a rotation amount of the head mount device, using a first sensor provided in the head mount device and detecting a movement of the head mount device;
Calculating a second rotation amount, which is a rotation amount of the head mount device, using a second sensor provided in the head mount device and detecting the orientation of the head mount device;
Correcting the first rotation amount according to the second rotation amount;
Controlling the orientation of the virtual camera based on the corrected first rotation amount. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein in the step of correcting the first rotation amount, the first rotation amount is corrected based on a difference between the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount. In the step of correcting the first rotation amount, when the difference is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the first rotation amount is corrected, and when the difference is less than the threshold value, the first rotation amount is not corrected,
The computer program according to claim 2, wherein in the step of controlling the orientation of the virtual camera, the orientation of the virtual camera is estimated based on the first rotation amount when the first rotation amount is not corrected. Calculating the rotational speed or rotational acceleration of the head mounted device using the first sensor;
In the step of correcting the first rotation amount, when the rotation speed or the rotation acceleration is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is determined whether the difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and the rotation speed or the rotation acceleration is less than the predetermined value. In the case, the first rotation amount is not corrected,
The computer program according to claim 3. 5. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein in the step of correcting the first rotation amount, the first rotation amount is corrected by replacing the first rotation amount with the second rotation amount. 6. . In the step of correcting the first rotation amount, the first rotation amount is calculated by calculating a weighted average of the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount, and replacing the first rotation amount with the calculated weighted average. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the amount is corrected. Calculating the rotational speed or rotational acceleration of the head mounted device using the first sensor;
The computer program according to claim 6, wherein at least one of decreasing the weight of the first rotation amount and increasing the weight of the second rotation amount as the rotation speed or the rotation acceleration increases. A third rotation amount to an nth rotation amount, which is an amount of rotation of the head mount device, is calculated using a third sensor to an nth sensor provided in the head mount device and detecting the orientation of the head mount device. Step is executed by the computer, n is an integer greater than or equal to 3,
In the step of correcting the first rotation amount, an outlier is excluded from the second rotation amount to the nth rotation amount, and the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount to the nth rotation amount are The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the first rotation amount is corrected based on the rotation amount after excluding outliers. 9. The computer receives a setting operation by the user, and causes the computer to execute a step of controlling the orientation of the virtual camera so that the orientation indicated by the second sensor when the setting operation is accepted is a front direction. The computer program as described in any one of. An information processing apparatus including a processor for providing a virtual experience to a user wearing a head mounted device,
Defining a virtual space for providing the virtual experience;
Setting a virtual camera in the virtual space;
Calculating a first rotation amount, which is a rotation amount of the head mount device, using a first sensor provided in the head mount device and detecting a movement of the head mount device;
Calculating a second rotation amount, which is a rotation amount of the head mount device, using a second sensor provided in the head mount device and detecting the orientation of the head mount device;
Correcting the first rotation amount according to the second rotation amount;
And a step of controlling the orientation of the virtual camera based on the corrected first rotation amount. An information processing method for providing a virtual experience to a user wearing a head mounted device,
Defining a virtual space for providing the virtual experience;
Setting a virtual camera in the virtual space;
Calculating a first rotation amount, which is a rotation amount of the head mount device, using a first sensor provided in the head mount device and detecting a movement of the head mount device;
Calculating a second rotation amount, which is a rotation amount of the head mount device, using a second sensor provided in the head mount device and detecting the orientation of the head mount device;
Correcting the first rotation amount according to the second rotation amount;
Controlling the direction of the virtual camera based on the corrected first rotation amount.

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