JP2020115366A - Display control device and display control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve the convenience of a user of a head-mounted display.SOLUTION: A display control device includes a display control unit configured to set a viewpoint position and a visual line direction to generate an image of a virtual space and cause a head-mounted display 100 to display the generated image. The display control unit can change the viewpoint position to a position determined according to a user operation among a plurality of positions set discretely in the virtual space.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to display control technology, and more particularly, to a display control device and a display control method for controlling display on a head mounted display.

BACKGROUND ART A head mounted display connected to a game machine is mounted on the head, and a game is played by operating a controller or the like while watching a screen displayed on the head mounted display. With a normal stationary display connected to a game console, the user's field of view extends outside the screen of the display, so that the user may not be able to concentrate on the screen of the display or lack immersiveness in the game. There is. In this respect, when the head mounted display is mounted, the user sees only the image displayed on the head mounted display, which increases the immersive feeling in the video world and further enhances the entertainment property of the game.

The present inventor has recognized that a more convenient display control technique is required in order to allow more users to enjoy a game using a head mounted display.

In order to solve the above problems, a display control device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a display control unit that sets a viewpoint position and a line-of-sight direction to generate an image of a virtual space and causes the head-mounted display to display the image. The display control unit can change the viewpoint position to a position determined according to a user operation from a plurality of positions set discretely in the virtual space.

Another aspect of the present invention is also a display control device. This apparatus includes a step in which a display control unit sets a viewpoint position and a line-of-sight direction to generate an image of a virtual space and displays the image on a head-mounted display. The display control unit can change the viewpoint position to a position determined according to a user operation from a plurality of positions set discretely in the virtual space.

It should be noted that any combination of the above constituent elements, and the expression of the present invention converted between a method, a device, a system, a program, etc. are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the convenience of the user of the head mounted display.

It is a figure which shows the use environment of the game system which concerns on embodiment. 3 is an external view of the head mounted display according to the embodiment. FIG. It is a functional block diagram of a head mounted display. It is a figure which shows the external appearance structure of an input device. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of an input device. It is a figure which shows the structure of a game device. It is a functional block diagram of a game device. 8A to 8C are diagrams showing examples of images displayed on the head mounted display. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the setting method of a viewpoint position and a gaze direction. FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of images displayed on the head mounted display. It is a schematic diagram for explaining the content of another game provided by the game control unit. 12A to 12C are diagrams showing examples of images displayed on the head mounted display. It is a schematic diagram for explaining a method of moving the viewpoint position in the game according to the embodiment.

In this embodiment, a display technique using a head mounted display (HMD) will be described. The head-mounted display is a display device that is worn on the user's head so as to cover both eyes of the user and enjoys a still image or a moving image displayed on a display screen provided in front of the user's eyes. The target displayed on the head mounted display may be content such as a movie or a television program, but in the present embodiment, an example in which the head mounted display is used as a display device for displaying a game image will be described. To do.

FIG. 1 shows a usage environment of the game system 1 according to the embodiment. The game system 1 includes a game device 10 for executing a game program, an input device 20 for inputting a user's instruction to the game device 10, an image capturing device 14 for capturing an image of a real space around the user, and a game device 10. The head mounted display 100 that displays the generated first game image and the display device 12 that displays the second game image generated by the game apparatus 10 are provided.

The game device 10 executes a game program based on an instruction input input by the input device 20 or the head mounted display 100, a position or a posture of the input device 20 or the head mounted display 100, and generates a first game image. The second game image is generated and transmitted to the display device 12.

The head mounted display 100 displays the first game image generated in the game device 10. In addition, information regarding the user's input to the input device provided on the head mounted display 100 is transmitted to the game device 10. The head mounted display 100 may be connected to the game apparatus 10 with a wired cable, or may be wirelessly connected with a wireless LAN or the like.

The display device 12 displays the second game image generated in the game device 10. The display device 12 may be a television having a display and a speaker, a computer display, or the like.

The input device 20 has a function of transmitting an instruction input by the user to the game device 10, and is configured as a wireless controller capable of wireless communication with the game device 10 in the present embodiment. The input device 20 and the game device 10 may establish a wireless connection using the Bluetooth (registered trademark) protocol. The input device 20 is not limited to the wireless controller and may be a wired controller connected to the game device 10 via a cable.

The input device 20 is driven by a battery and has a plurality of buttons for inputting instructions for advancing the game. When the user operates the button of the input device 20, the instruction input by the operation is transmitted to the game device 10 by wireless communication.

The image pickup device 14 is a video camera including a CCD image pickup device, a CMOS image pickup device, or the like, and picks up an image of the real space at a predetermined cycle to generate a frame image for each cycle. The imaging device 14 is connected to the game device 10 via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or another interface. The image captured by the image capturing device 14 is used in the game device 10 to derive the positions and orientations of the input device 20 and the head mounted display 100. The image capturing device 14 may be a distance measuring camera or a stereo camera capable of acquiring a distance. In this case, the imaging device 14 can acquire the distance between the imaging device 14 and the input device 20, the head mounted display 100, or the like.

In the game system 1 of the present embodiment, the input device 20 and the head mounted display 100 have a light emitting unit configured to be capable of emitting light in a plurality of colors. During the game, the light emitting unit emits light in the color instructed by the game device 10 and is imaged by the imaging device 14. The imaging device 14 images the input device 20, generates a frame image, and supplies the frame image to the game device 10. The game device 10 acquires the frame image and derives position information of the light emitting unit in the real space from the position and size of the image of the light emitting unit in the frame image. The game device 10 treats the position information as a game operation instruction, and reflects the position information in the game processing such as controlling the movement of the player's character.

Further, the input device 20 and the head mounted display 100 have an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor. The detection value of the sensor is transmitted to the game device 10 in a predetermined cycle, and the game device 10 acquires the detection value of the sensor and acquires the posture information of the input device 20 and the head mounted display 100 in the real space. The game device 10 handles the posture information as a game operation instruction and reflects it in the game process.

FIG. 2 is an external view of the head mounted display 100 according to the embodiment. The head mounted display 100 includes a main body 110, a head contact portion 112, and a light emitting portion 114.

The main body 110 is equipped with a display, a GPS unit for acquiring position information, an attitude sensor, a communication device, and the like. The head contact unit 112 may be provided with a biometric information acquisition sensor capable of measuring biometric information such as a user's body temperature, pulse rate, blood component, sweating, brain wave, and cerebral blood flow. As described above, the light emitting unit 114 emits light in the color instructed by the game device 10 and functions as a reference for calculating the position of the head mounted display 100 in the image captured by the image capturing device 14.

The head mounted display 100 may be further provided with a camera that captures a user's eyes. The camera mounted on the head-mounted display 100 can detect the user's line of sight, the movement of the pupil, the blink, and the like.

Although the head mounted display 100 will be described in the present embodiment, the display control technique of the present embodiment is not limited to the head mounted display 100 in a narrow sense, and may include glasses, glasses-type displays, glasses-type cameras, headphones, and headsets. (Headphones with microphone), earphones, earrings, ear-mounted cameras, hats, hats with cameras, hair bands, etc. can also be applied.

FIG. 3 is a functional configuration diagram of the head mounted display 100. The head mounted display 100 includes an input interface 122, an output interface 130, a backlight 132, a communication control unit 140, a network adapter 142, an antenna 144, a storage unit 150, a GPS unit 161, a wireless unit 162, an attitude sensor 164, and external input/output terminals. An interface 170, an external memory 172, a clock unit 180, a display device 190, and a control unit 160 are provided. These functional blocks can also be realized in various forms by only hardware, only software, or a combination thereof.

The control unit 160 is a main processor that processes and outputs signals such as image signals and sensor signals, and commands and data. The input interface 122 receives an operation signal or a setting signal from an input button or the like and supplies it to the control unit 160. The output interface 130 receives the image signal from the control unit 160 and displays it on the display device 190. The backlight 132 supplies a backlight to the liquid crystal display that constitutes the display device 190.

The communication control unit 140 transmits the data input from the control unit 160 to the outside by wired or wireless communication via the network adapter 142 or the antenna 144. The communication control unit 140 also receives data from the outside by wire or wireless communication via the network adapter 142 or the antenna 144, and outputs the data to the control unit 160.

The storage unit 150 temporarily stores data, parameters, operation signals, and the like processed by the control unit 160.

The GPS unit 161 receives position information from GPS satellites and supplies it to the control unit 160 according to an operation signal from the control unit 160. The wireless unit 162 receives the position information from the wireless base station and supplies it to the control unit 160 according to the operation signal from the control unit 160.

The attitude sensor 164 detects attitude information such as the orientation and inclination of the main body 110 of the head mounted display 100. The attitude sensor 164 is realized by appropriately combining a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, an angular acceleration sensor, and the like.

The external input/output terminal interface 170 is an interface for connecting a peripheral device such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) controller. The external memory 172 is an external memory such as a flash memory.

The clock unit 180 sets time information by a setting signal from the control unit 160 and supplies time data to the control unit 160.

FIG. 4 shows an external configuration of the input device 20. FIG. 4A shows the upper surface configuration of the input device 20, and FIG. 4B shows the lower surface configuration of the input device 20. The input device 20 has a light emitter 22 and a handle 24. The light emitting body 22 is formed as a sphere on the outside with a resin having a light transmitting property, and has a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode or a light bulb inside. When the inner light emitting element emits light, the entire outer sphere glows. Operation buttons 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 are provided on the upper surface of the handle 24, and operation buttons 40 are provided on the lower surface. The user operates the operation buttons 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 with the thumb and the operation button 40 with the index finger while holding the end portion of the handle 24 with the hand. The operation buttons 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 are configured so as to be pressed, and the user operates by pressing them. The operation button 40 may be capable of inputting an analog amount.

The user plays the game while looking at the game screen displayed on the display device 12. Since the image pickup device 14 needs to pick up the image of the light emitting body 22 during the execution of the game application, it is preferable that the image pickup device 14 is arranged so that its image pickup range faces the same direction as the display device 12. Generally, a user often plays a game in front of the display device 12, so the imaging device 14 is arranged so that the direction of its optical axis matches the front direction of the display device 12. Specifically, the imaging device 14 is preferably arranged near the display device 12 so that the position where the display screen of the display device 12 can be visually recognized by the user is included in the imaging range. Thereby, the imaging device 14 can image the input device 20.

FIG. 5 shows an internal configuration of the input device 20. The input device 20 includes a wireless communication module 48, a processing unit 50, a light emitting unit 62, and operation buttons 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40. The wireless communication module 48 has a function of transmitting and receiving data to and from the wireless communication module of the game device 10. The processing unit 50 executes intended processing in the input device 20.

The processing unit 50 includes a main control unit 52, an input receiving unit 54, a triaxial acceleration sensor 56, a triaxial gyro sensor 58, and a light emission control unit 60. The main control unit 52 transmits/receives necessary data to/from the wireless communication module 48.

The input receiving unit 54 receives input information from the operation buttons 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 and sends it to the main control unit 52. The triaxial acceleration sensor 56 detects acceleration components in the XYZ triaxial directions. The triaxial gyro sensor 58 detects angular velocities on the XZ plane, the ZY plane, and the YX plane. Here, the width direction of the input device 20 is set as the X axis, the height direction is set as the Y axis, and the longitudinal direction is set as the Z axis. The three-axis acceleration sensor 56 and the three-axis gyro sensor 58 are arranged in the handle 24 of the input device 20, and are preferably arranged near the center in the handle 24. The wireless communication module 48 transmits the information detected by the triaxial acceleration sensor 56 and the information detected by the triaxial gyro sensor 58 to the wireless communication module of the game apparatus 10 in a predetermined cycle together with the input information from the operation button. .. This transmission cycle is set to 11.25 ms, for example.

The light emission control unit 60 controls the light emission of the light emitting unit 62. The light emitting unit 62 has a red LED 64a, a green LED 64b, and a blue LED 64c, and can emit light of a plurality of colors. The light emission control unit 60 adjusts the light emission of the red LED 64a, the green LED 64b, and the blue LED 64c to cause the light emitting unit 62 to emit a desired color.

When the wireless communication module 48 receives the light emission instruction from the game device 10, the wireless communication module 48 supplies the light emission instruction to the main control unit 52, and the main control unit 52 supplies the light emission instruction to the light emission control unit 60. The light emission control unit 60 controls the light emission of the red LED 64a, the green LED 64b, and the blue LED 64c so that the light emitting unit 62 emits light in the color designated by the light emission instruction. For example, the light emission control unit 60 may control lighting of each LED by PWM (pulse width modulation) control.

FIG. 6 shows the configuration of the game device 10. The game device 10 includes a frame image acquisition unit 80, an image processing unit 82, a device information derivation unit 84, a wireless communication module 86, an input reception unit 88, an output unit 90, and an application processing unit 300. The processing functions of the game device 10 according to the present embodiment are realized by a CPU, a memory, a program loaded in the memory, and the like, and here, a configuration realized by the cooperation thereof is drawn. The program may be built in the game apparatus 10 or may be externally supplied in a form stored in a recording medium. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by only hardware, only software, or a combination thereof. Note that the game device 10 may have a plurality of CPUs due to the hardware configuration.

The wireless communication module 86 establishes wireless communication with the wireless communication module 48 of the input device 20. Thereby, the input device 20 can transmit the state information of the operation button, the detection value information of the triaxial acceleration sensor 56 and the triaxial gyro sensor 58 to the game device 10 in a predetermined cycle.

The wireless communication module 86 receives the status information of the operation button and the sensor detection value information transmitted from the input device 20, and supplies the information to the input reception unit 88. The input receiving unit 88 separates the button state information and the sensor detection value information, and delivers them to the application processing unit 300. The application processing unit 300 receives the button state information and the sensor detection value information as a game operation instruction. The application processing unit 300 handles the sensor detection value information as the posture information of the input device 20.

The frame image acquisition unit 80 is configured as a USB interface and acquires a frame image from the imaging device 14 at a predetermined imaging speed (for example, 30 frames/second). The image processing unit 82 extracts a light emitter image from the frame image. The image processing unit 82 specifies the position and size of the light emitter image in the frame image. The light emitting body 22 of the input device 20 lights up in a color that is unlikely to be used in the user environment, for example, so that the image processing unit 82 can highly accurately extract the light emitting body image from the frame image. The image processing unit 82 may binarize the frame image data using a predetermined threshold value to generate a binarized image. By this binarization processing, the pixel value of the pixel holding the brightness higher than the predetermined threshold value is coded to “1”, and the pixel value of the pixel holding the brightness lower than the predetermined threshold value is coded to “0”. It The image processing unit 82 can specify the position and size of the light emitter image from the binarized image by turning on the light emitter 22 with the brightness exceeding the predetermined threshold value. For example, the image processing unit 82 identifies the barycentric coordinates of the light emitter image in the frame image and the radius of the light emitter image.

The device information derivation unit 84 derives the position information of the input device 20 and the head mounted display 100 as viewed from the imaging device 14 from the position and size of the light emitter image identified by the image processing unit 82. The device information derivation unit 84 derives position coordinates in camera coordinates from the barycentric coordinates of the light emitter image, and also derives distance information from the imaging device 14 from the radius of the light emitter image. The position coordinates and the distance information form the position information of the input device 20 and the head mounted display 100. The device information derivation unit 84 derives the position information of the input device 20 and the head mounted display 100 for each frame image, and delivers it to the application processing unit 300. The application processing unit 300 receives the position information of the input device 20 and the head mounted display 100 as a game operation instruction.

The application processing unit 300 advances the game based on the position information and the attitude information of the input device 20 and the button state information, and generates an image signal indicating the processing result of the game application. The image signal is sent from the output unit 90 to the display device 12 and is output as a display image.

FIG. 7 is a functional configuration diagram of the game device 10. The application processing unit 300 of the game device 10 includes a control unit 310 and a data holding unit 360. The control unit 310 includes a game control unit 311, an instruction input acquisition unit 312, an HMD information acquisition unit 314, an input device information acquisition unit 315, a first image generation unit 316, and a second image generation unit 317.

The data holding unit 360 holds the program data of the game executed on the game device 10, various data used by the game program, and the like.

The instruction input acquisition unit 312 acquires, from the input device 20 or the head mounted display 100, the information regarding the instruction input by the user received by the input device 20 or the head mounted display 100.

The HMD information acquisition unit 314 acquires information regarding the attitude of the head mounted display 100 from the head mounted display 100. Further, the HMD information acquisition unit 314 acquires information regarding the position of the head mounted display 100 from the device information derivation unit 84. These pieces of information are transmitted to the game control unit 311. The information about the attitude of the head mounted display 100 may be acquired by the device information derivation unit 84 analyzing the captured image of the head mounted display 100.

The input device information acquisition unit 315 acquires information regarding the posture of the input device 20 from the input device 20. The input device information acquisition unit 315 also acquires information regarding the position of the input device 20 from the device information derivation unit 84. These pieces of information are transmitted to the game control unit 311. The information about the attitude of the input device 20 may be acquired by the device information derivation unit 84 analyzing the captured image of the input device 20.

When the input device 20 is not captured by the image capturing device 14 because the input device 20 is out of the image capturing range of the image capturing device 14 or hidden by the user's body or an obstacle, the input device information acquisition unit 315 obtains the last time. The position of the input device 20 is calculated based on the position of the input device 20 and the information regarding the attitude of the input device 20 acquired after that time. For example, even if the current position of the input device 20 is calculated by calculating the deviation from the position of the input device 20 acquired last time based on the data of the translational acceleration acquired from the acceleration sensor of the input device 20. Good. While the input device 20 is not imaged by the imaging device 14, the position of the input device 20 is sequentially calculated in the same manner. When the input device 20 is imaged again by the imaging device 14, the position of the input device 20 sequentially calculated from the acceleration data may not indicate an accurate position due to the accumulation of drift errors. Therefore, the device information derivation unit The position of the input device 20 newly calculated by 84 may be set as the current position of the input device 20. The same applies to the head mounted display 100.

The game control unit 311 executes the game program, and advances the game based on the instruction input by the user acquired by the instruction input acquisition unit 312 and the information regarding the position or orientation of the input device 20 or the head mounted display 100. The game control unit 311 is based on an input by the direction keys of the input device 20 or an analog stick, a change in the position of the input device 20 or the head mounted display 100, etc. in the game field formed by a virtual three-dimensional space. , Change the position of the player's character, which is the operation target.

The first image generation unit 316 generates an image to be displayed on the head mounted display 100. The first image generation unit 316 sets the viewpoint position based on the position of the operation target controlled by the game control unit 311, sets the line-of-sight direction based on the attitude of the head mounted display 100, and sets the virtual three-dimensional space. Rendering produces an image of the game field. The first image generation unit 316 associates the attitude of the head-mounted display 100 with the line-of-sight direction in the game field at a predetermined timing, and thereafter changes the line-of-sight direction as the attitude of the head-mounted display 100 changes. This allows the user to look around the game field by actually moving his/her head, so that the user can experience as if he/she actually exists in the game field. The first image generation unit 316 adds the information about the game, the image to be displayed on the head mounted display 100, and the like to the generated image of the game field to generate the first image. The first image generated by the first image generation unit 316 is transmitted to the head mounted display 100 via the wireless communication module or the wired communication module.

The second image generation unit 317 generates an image to be displayed on the display device 12. When displaying the same image as the image displayed on the head mounted display 100 on the display device 12, the first image generated by the first image generation unit 316 is also transmitted to the display device 12. When an image different from the image displayed on the head mounted display 100 is displayed on the display device 12, for example, a user wearing the head mounted display 100 and a user viewing the display device 12 execute a competitive game. In such a case, the second image generation unit 317 generates a game field image by setting a viewpoint position and a line-of-sight direction different from those of the first image generation unit 316 and rendering the virtual three-dimensional space. The second image generation unit 317 adds information about the game, an image to be displayed on the display device 12, and the like to the generated image of the game field to generate the second image. The second image generated by the second image generation unit 317 is transmitted to the display device 12 via the wireless communication module or the wired communication module.

FIG. 8 shows an example of an image displayed on the head mounted display. The game control unit 311 provides a function of changing the viewpoint position among a plurality of positions set in the game field. On the display screen shown in FIG. 8A, an image of the game field generated with one of the plurality of positions set in the game field as the viewpoint position is displayed. The display screen further displays markers 500 and 502 indicating positions set as viewpoint positions in the game field. When the user shakes his/her head vertically and horizontally to change the posture of the head mounted display 100, the first image generation unit 316 changes the line-of-sight direction according to the posture of the head mounted display 100. When a camera for photographing the eyeball of the user is provided inside the head mounted display 100 to enable detection of the line-of-sight direction of the user, the line-of-sight direction may be changed in consideration of the line-of-sight of the user. .. The user's eye gaze may be detected using any known eye gaze tracking technique.

When the user turns his or her face or line of sight in the direction of the marker so that the marker falls within a predetermined range set near the center of the display screen, as shown in FIG. The display mode of the marker 500 is changed by the first image generation unit 316, and the position indicated by the marker 500 is selected as the setting candidate of the viewpoint position. When the user inputs an instruction to change the viewpoint position by inputting a predetermined button or executing a predetermined gesture while the viewpoint position setting candidate is selected, the game control unit 311 causes the selection to be performed. The first image generation unit 316 is instructed to change the viewpoint position to the position indicated by the displayed marker 500. As shown in FIG. 8C, the first image generation unit 316 generates and displays an image of the game field in which the position of the marker 500 is the viewpoint position. On the display screen shown in FIG. 8C, a marker 504 indicating the position set as the viewpoint position on the display screen shown in FIG. 8A is displayed.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method of setting the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction. In the present embodiment, the viewpoint position is set on a spherical surface centered around the center of the game field, and the default line-of-sight direction is set in the direction from the viewpoint position to the first position near the center of the game field. This makes it possible to display an image overlooking the game field regardless of where the viewpoint position is set. When changing the viewpoint position, the first image generation unit 316 smoothly moves the viewpoint position along the spherical surface, and while the viewpoint position is moving, the line-of-sight direction is in the direction of viewing the first position of the game field from the viewpoint position. To generate an image of the game field. With this, it is possible to display an image overlooking the game field even when the viewpoint position is changed, and therefore, even when the viewpoint position is largely moved, the viewpoint position is moved anywhere. It is possible to show the user whether or not it is easy. The viewpoint position may be provided on a spherical surface or a spheroidal surface centered on an arbitrary point in the game field, or may be provided on an arbitrary curved surface other than them. In addition, when changing the viewpoint position, the viewpoint position may be continuously changed in a straight line or a curved line from the viewpoint position before the change to the viewpoint position after the change. In the example shown in FIG. 8, since the lower hemisphere is in the ground, it is possible to set the viewpoint position only to the upper hemisphere. However, when space is used as the game field, the lower hemisphere is set. The viewpoint position may be set on the surface as well.

FIG. 10 shows an example of an image displayed on the head mounted display. As shown in FIG. 10A, when the user moves the head forward to move the head mounted display 100 forward by moving the head forward while the image of the game field viewed from a certain viewpoint position is displayed, The game control unit 311 causes the first image generation unit 316 to move the viewpoint position to a second position near the center of the game field. The game control unit 311 may move the viewpoint position when the head mounted display 100 is moved forward by a predetermined distance or more, or the viewpoint position when the moving speed of the head mounted display 100 is a predetermined value or more. May be moved. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10B, the viewpoint position can be moved from the spectator seat to the vicinity of the center of the game field, so that the user who is watching a game such as soccer from the viewpoint of the spectator is It is possible to provide an experience that makes you enter the field. Moreover, an easy-to-understand viewpoint moving method using the head mounted display 100 can be provided.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the content of another game provided by the game control unit. In the game shown in the figure, the user hides in the box 510 having the hole 512, puts his face out of the hole 512 so as not to be hit by the hammer 514, and reads the characters written on the plate 516. The game control unit 311 changes the viewpoint position based on the position of the head mounted display 100. The game control unit 311 determines a hole 512 to be hit by the hammer 514 at a predetermined timing, and swings the hammer 514 down on the determined hole 512. It is assumed that when the user's viewpoint position is above the hole 512 and the hammer 514 is swung down into the hole 512, the user is hit with the hammer 514. If the user is hit with the hammer 514 a predetermined number of times or more, the game is over.

FIG. 12 shows an example of an image displayed on the head mounted display. FIG. 12A shows a game screen when the user looks up from the hole in the center. A hammer is about to be swung down into the hole in the middle. FIG. 12B shows a game screen when the user moves the head-mounted display 100 to the right and moves the viewpoint position to below the hole on the right side. The hammer is about to swing down into the hole in the middle, so the hammer will not swing down into the hole on the right for a while. At this time, when the user moves the head mounted display 100 upward to move the viewpoint position upward from the hole on the right side, as shown in FIG. 12(c), it is written on the plate arranged outside the box. You can see the letters.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining a viewpoint position moving method in the game according to the embodiment. When a user plays a game while sitting on a chair or the like, his/her waist position is fixed, and therefore the head moves in an arc shape. However, when playing the game, the movable range is 100 at most. It is about 120°. Therefore, in order to effectively use the movable range of the head mounted display 100, the game control unit 311 causes the viewpoint position to be larger when the head mounted display 100 is moved in the horizontal direction than when the head mounted display 100 is moved in the vertical direction. To move. Further, when the head mounted display 100 is moved to the left or right and the amount of movement corresponding to the width of the center hole is exceeded, the area between the center hole and the left and right holes is skipped, and the area below the left and right holes is skipped. Move the viewpoint position to. Specifically, when the head mounted display 100 is moved to the right when the viewpoint position is below the center hole and the head mounted display 100 reaches the position 520, the viewpoint position is set to the right end of the center hole. Jump from position to the left end of the hole on the right. Further, when the head mounted display 100 is moved to the left when the viewpoint position is below the right side hole and the head mounted display 100 reaches the position 522, the viewpoint position is set to the center from the left end position of the right side hole. Move it to the right edge of the hole. As a result, the viewpoint position is not moved to an area where the viewpoint position does not need to be moved or is small in the game, and the viewpoint position can be moved only to a predetermined area where the viewpoint position needs to be moved or is increased. The viewpoint position can be moved by effectively utilizing the movable range of the head mounted display 100. Further, since it is possible to provide a user interface in which the viewpoint position can be easily moved by moving the head mounted display 100 without using the input device 20 or the like, it is possible to improve user convenience. .. Further, since the position 520 for jumping the viewpoint position when moving to the right and the position 522 for jumping the viewpoint position when moving to the left are provided with hysteresis, the angle of the head mounted display 100 is close to the threshold value. It is possible to reduce the situation where the viewpoint position frequently jumps to the left and right when the angle corresponds to the position.

In order to move the viewpoint position over the left and right holes, it is necessary to move the head mounted display 100 upward with the head mounted display 100 tilted left and right, but with the user tilted the body left and right. It is not easy to move your head right above. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the head mounted display 100 is moved vertically while tilted to the left and right, the game control unit 311 sets the viewpoint position to the vertical direction even if the moving direction is tilted. Move, not horizontally. The game control unit 311 may move the viewpoint position in the vertical direction by an amount of movement corresponding to the vertical component of the movement vector of the head mounted display 100 and ignore the horizontal component, or the head mounted display 100 The viewpoint position may be moved in the vertical direction by the amount of movement corresponding to the magnitude of the movement vector. In this way, when the viewpoint position is changed according to the movement of the head mounted display 100, the movement vector of the head mounted display 100 is converted into a vector in a predetermined direction, so that the movement direction of the viewpoint position becomes a predetermined direction. It is possible to prevent the viewpoint position from moving in an unnecessary direction. In addition, since it is possible to provide a user interface capable of moving the viewpoint position only in a necessary direction, it is possible to improve user convenience.

Such a technique can be applied to, for example, a game in which the player's character hides in an obstacle such as a wall and avoids flying bullets.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that this embodiment is merely an example, and that various modifications can be made to the combination of each constituent element and each processing process, and that such modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

In the above example, an image for binocular stereoscopic vision is displayed on the display device 190 of the head mounted display 100, but in another example, an image for monocular stereoscopic vision may be displayed.

In the above example, the head mounted display 100 is used in the game system, but the technique described in the embodiments can also be used when displaying content other than the game.

10 game device, 20 input device, 100 head mounted display, 190 display device, 311 game control unit, 312 instruction input acquisition unit, 314 HMD information acquisition unit, 315 input device information acquisition unit, 316 first image generation unit, 317th 2 Image generation unit.

Claims (10)

A display control unit that generates a virtual space image by setting the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction and displays the image on the head mounted display,
The display control unit is capable of changing the viewpoint position to a position determined according to a user operation from a plurality of positions discretely set in the virtual space. .. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit sets the line-of-sight direction to a predetermined direction even while changing the viewpoint position. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit indicates to the user where the viewpoint position is moved while changing the viewpoint position. 4. The display control unit, when changing the viewpoint position, sets the line-of-sight direction from the changed viewpoint position based on the posture of the head mounted display. Display controller. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein when the viewpoint position is changed, the display control unit sets the line-of-sight direction based on the user's line of sight from the changed viewpoint position. .. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the viewpoint position is set on a spherical surface centered on a predetermined position. 7. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the viewpoint position is displayed as a marker on the display screen of the user. The display control device according to claim 7, wherein the display control unit changes the viewpoint position by performing a predetermined operation with the user selecting the marker. The display control unit includes a step of setting a viewpoint position and a line-of-sight direction to generate an image of a virtual space, and displaying the image on a head-mounted display.
A display control method, wherein the display control unit can change the viewpoint position to a position determined according to a user operation from a plurality of positions discretely set in the virtual space. .. Computer,
Generate a virtual space image by setting the viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction, and let it function as a display control unit that displays it on the head mounted display.
A display control program, wherein the display control unit can change the viewpoint position to a position determined according to a user operation from a plurality of positions discretely set in the virtual space. A computer-readable recording medium in which is recorded.

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