JP2024075988A - Virtual space image providing device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a virtual space image providing device capable of using different avatars depending on the relationship between multiple users. [Solution] In a virtual space image, an avatar corresponding to a first user looks at an avatar corresponding to a second user, and an avatar corresponding to a third user looks at an avatar corresponding to the second user. A virtual space image generating unit 15 makes the avatar corresponding to the second user different between the first avatar and the second avatar in the virtual space image to be transmitted to the first user and the virtual space image to be transmitted to the third user depending on the difference between the relationship between the first user and the second user and the relationship between the third user and the second user. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a virtual space image providing device.

Virtual space image providing devices that allow each user to operate an avatar in a virtual space are becoming widespread.

JP 2012-110717 A

There is a one-to-one correspondence between users and avatars. Therefore, it is not possible to use different avatars depending on the relationships between multiple users. It is desirable to have a virtual space image providing device that allows multiple users to use different avatars depending on their relationships with each other.

The present invention provides a virtual space image providing device that includes a user management unit that manages first and second avatars set corresponding to each user, and a virtual space image generation unit that generates a virtual space image in which an avatar that is either the first avatar or the second avatar corresponding to each user is arranged in a background image, and when an avatar corresponding to a first user looks at an avatar corresponding to a second user and an avatar corresponding to a third user looks at an avatar corresponding to the second user in the virtual space image, the virtual space image generation unit makes the avatar corresponding to the second user different between the first avatar and the second avatar in the virtual space image to be transmitted to the first user and the virtual space image to be transmitted to the third user depending on the difference between the relationship between the first user and the second user and the relationship between the third user and the second user.

The virtual space image providing device of the present invention allows multiple users to use different avatars depending on their relationships with each other.

1 is a block diagram showing a virtual space image providing device according to an embodiment; 4 is a diagram showing an example of a user management table managed by a user management unit; FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a group management table managed by a user management unit. FIG. 1 is a partial flowchart showing a process executed by a virtual space image providing device according to an embodiment. 4B is a partial flowchart showing the process executed by the virtual space image providing device according to an embodiment, following FIG. 4A. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a state in which an avatar corresponding to a first user is looking at an avatar corresponding to a second user, and an avatar corresponding to a third user is looking at an avatar corresponding to the second user. 10 is a flowchart showing a subroutine executed by the virtual space image providing device according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 illustrates a state in which an avatar corresponding to a first user is viewing an avatar corresponding to a second user, according to the process shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which an avatar corresponding to a third user is looking at an avatar corresponding to a second user, according to the process shown in FIG. 6.

A virtual space image providing device according to one embodiment will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. In FIG. 1, a virtual space image providing server 10 constitutes a virtual space image providing device according to one embodiment. The virtual space image providing server 10, user terminals 30a to 30c, and a physical store 40 are connected to a network 20. Any user terminal, including the user terminals 30a to 30c and other user terminals not shown, will be referred to as a user terminal 30. Typically, the network 20 is the Internet. There is no limit to the number of user terminals 30 connected to the virtual space image providing server 10 via the network 20.

The virtual space image providing server 10 includes a user management unit 11, an avatar modification unit 12, a shopping management unit 13, a background image setting unit 14, a virtual space image generation unit 15, and a communication unit 16. The user management unit 11 has a user management table 111 and a group management table 112. The shopping management unit 13 has store data 131 of physical stores 40 and product data 132 sold by each physical store 40.

Figure 2 shows an example of the user management table 111. A user (first user) with a user ID of U001 belongs to group G001. The user management unit 11 stores a first avatar A00101 created by the user with user ID U001 on January 15, 2014, and a second avatar A00102 created on November 20, 2022. The user with user ID U001 has set the first avatar A00101 as the basic avatar and the second avatar A00102 as the group avatar.

A user (second user) with a user ID of U002 belongs to group G001. The user management unit 11 stores a first avatar A00201 that the user with a user ID of U002 created on July 12, 2012. The user with a user ID of U002 has set up the automatic creation of a second avatar.

Creating an avatar corresponding to a user at a time in the future based on an avatar created by a user is referred to as creating a forward avatar. Creating an avatar corresponding to a user at a time in the past based on an avatar created by a user is referred to as creating a backward avatar.

A user with user ID U002 has set the second avatar to be automatically created as an avatar in the forward direction. A user with user ID U002 has set the first avatar A00201 as the basic avatar, and the second avatar as the group avatar. By setting the second avatar to be automatically created, the user management unit 11 does not need to store the second avatar of the user with user ID U002, and therefore storage capacity can be reduced.

A user with a user ID of U003 (third user) does not belong to any group. The user management unit 11 stores a first avatar A00301 that the user with a user ID of U003 created on October 1, 2022. The user with a user ID of U003 has not set a second avatar. The user with a user ID of U003 has set the first avatar A00301 as the basic avatar.

A user with user ID U004 belongs to group G002. The user management unit 11 stores a first avatar A00401 created by the user with user ID U004 on October 28, 2022. The user with user ID U004 has set the second avatar to be automatically created in the reverse direction. The user with user ID U004 has set the first avatar A00401 as the basic avatar and the second avatar as the group avatar.

Each user's avatar corresponds to the user's body shape at the time the avatar was created. Note that each user's body shape may be captured, for example, by a 3D capture device using multiple cameras.

The avatar modification unit 12 creates a second avatar by modifying the first avatar stored in the user management unit 11. If the user management table 111 is set to create an avatar in the forward direction, the avatar modification unit 12 imagines how the user's current body shape has changed since the time the first avatar was created, and creates a second avatar corresponding to the imagined body shape. If the user management table 111 is set to create an avatar in the backward direction, the avatar modification unit 12 imagines what the user's body shape was like at a specific point in time, such as 10 years ago, from the time the first avatar was created, and creates a second avatar corresponding to the imagined body shape.

The avatar modification unit 12 may use artificial intelligence (AI) to learn how a person's body shape changes over time and create the second avatar.

It is preferable that the user management table 111 can selectively set the creation of avatars in the forward direction and the creation of avatars in the reverse direction. It may also be possible to set only the creation of avatars in the forward direction in the user management table 111.

Figure 3 shows an example of the group management table 112. Group G001 includes users with user IDs U001 and U002, and other users. Group G002 includes a user with user ID U004, a user with user ID U010 not shown in Figure 2, and other users.

The flowcharts shown in Figures 4A and 4B show the processing executed by the virtual space image providing server 10. In Figure 4A, the communication unit 16 determines in step S1 whether or not a connection request has been made from the user terminal 30. If a connection request has not been made (NO), the communication unit 16 repeats the processing of step S1. If a connection request has been made (YES), the user management unit 11 authenticates the user in step S2.

In step S3, the virtual space image generation unit 15 places an avatar corresponding to the authenticated user in the virtual space. In step S4, the virtual space image generation unit 15 determines whether or not other avatars are present in the field of view of the avatar corresponding to the authenticated user. If no other avatars are present (NO), in step S5, the communication unit 16 transmits a background image within the field of view to the user, and the process proceeds to step S13.

If another avatar is present in step S4 (YES), the virtual space image generation unit 15 determines in step S6 whether the user corresponding to the other avatar belongs to the same group by referring to the user management table 111. If the user corresponding to the other avatar does not belong to the same group (NO), the communication unit 16 transmits to the user in step S7 an image in which the basic avatar exists as another avatar in the background image within the field of view, and transitions to the process in step S13.

If it is determined in step S6 that the user corresponding to the other avatar belongs to the same group (YES), then in step S8 of FIG. 4B, the virtual space image generation unit 15 refers to the user management table 111 to determine whether or not a group avatar has been set. If a group avatar has not been set (NO), the virtual space image generation unit 15 transitions to step S7. If a group avatar has been set (YES), then in step S9, the virtual space image generation unit 15 refers to the user management table 111 to determine whether or not automatic avatar creation has been set.

If automatic avatar creation is set in step S9 (YES), the avatar modification unit 12 automatically creates a group avatar in step S10 and transitions to step S12. If automatic avatar creation is not set (NO), the virtual space image generation unit 15 reads out the group avatar in step S11 and transitions to step S12.

In step S12, the communication unit 16 transmits to the user an image in which the group avatar is present as another avatar in the background image within the field of view, and moves the process to step S13. In step S13, the communication unit 16 determines whether or not a request for disconnection has been made from the user terminal 30. If a request for disconnection has not been made (NO), the virtual space image generation unit 15 or the communication unit 16 repeats the process from step S4 onwards. If a request for disconnection has been made (YES), the virtual space image providing server 10 ends the process for the user terminal 30 that requested disconnection.

In FIG. 5, avatar Av1 corresponding to a user with a user ID of U001 who belongs to group G001 is looking at avatar Av2 corresponding to a user with a user ID of U002 who belongs to group G001. Also, avatar Av3 corresponding to a user with a user ID of U003 who does not belong to group G001 is looking at avatar Av2. When the virtual space image providing server 10 executes the process shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the avatar Av2 seen by avatar Av1 (i.e., the user with a user ID of U001) becomes avatar Av2β, which corresponds to the group avatar, and the avatar Av2 seen by avatar Av3 (i.e., the user with a user ID of U003) becomes avatar Av2α, which corresponds to the basic avatar.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, avatar Av2β seen by avatar Av1 is a second avatar that corresponds to the current body shape of the user with user ID U001, which was automatically created by the avatar correction unit 12 based on the first avatar A00201. Avatar Av2α seen by avatar Av3 is the first avatar A00201 that was created on July 12, 2012, which corresponds to the past body shape of the user with user ID U001.

In this way, the virtual space image generating unit 15 makes the avatar corresponding to the second user different between the first avatar and the second avatar in the virtual space image sent to the first user and the virtual space image sent to the third user depending on the difference between the relationship between the first user and the second user and the relationship between the third user and the second user. The difference between the relationship between the first user and the second user and the relationship between the third user and the second user is, for example, whether or not they belong to the same group.

Because users who belong to the same group know each other well, it is a good idea to display the avatars of users who belong to the same group as a second avatar that corresponds to the user's current body shape.

The virtual space image providing server 10 may execute a subroutine shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6. The virtual space image generating unit 15 generates an image of a virtual store based on the store data 131 stored in the shopping management unit 13. Let us assume that the store is a clothing store.

In FIG. 6, in step S21, the virtual space image generation unit 15 determines whether or not there are other avatars in the clothing store that belong to the same group and have been set as group avatars. If there are other avatars in the clothing store that correspond to this (YES), in step S22, the virtual space image generation unit 15 determines whether or not clothing to try on has been selected. The clothing is generated based on the product data 132.

If no clothes to try on are selected (NO), the virtual space image generation unit 15 repeats the process from step S21 onwards. If clothes to try on are selected (YES), the virtual space image generation unit 15 displays clothes of a size that corresponds to the group avatar in step S23, and returns the process to step S21.

If there are no other corresponding avatars in the clothing store in step S21 (NO), the virtual space image generation unit 15 determines in step S24 whether there are other avatars in the clothing store that do not belong to the same group or that do not have a group avatar set. If there are no other corresponding avatars in the clothing store (NO), the virtual space image generation unit 15 repeats the processing from step S21 onwards.

If, in step S24, there is another corresponding avatar in the clothing store (YES), then in step S25 the virtual space image generation unit 15 determines whether or not clothing to try on has been selected. If clothing to try on has not been selected (NO), then the virtual space image generation unit 15 repeats the processing from step S21 onwards. If clothing to try on has been selected (YES), then in step S26 the virtual space image generation unit 15 displays clothing of a size corresponding to the basic avatar, and the processing returns to step S21.

Figure 7A shows an example of avatar Av2β, which is avatar Av2 seen by avatar Av1, according to the process shown in Figure 6. Avatar Av2β is holding clothing 133β, and avatar Av2β is reflected in mirror 134. The avatar Av2 that avatar Av2 recognizes itself as is avatar Av2β, which corresponds to an automatically created second avatar, and avatar Av2β is holding selected clothing 133β, for example large size, that corresponds to the second avatar.

The avatar Av2 seen by avatar Av1 is avatar Av2β, which corresponds to the automatically created second avatar, which is a group avatar, and the clothing 133β is large size.

Figure 7B shows an example of avatar Av2α, which is avatar Av2 seen by avatar Av3, following the process shown in Figure 6. Avatar Av2α is holding clothing 133α, and avatar Av2α is reflected in mirror 134. The avatar Av2α seen by avatar Av3 is avatar Av2α, which corresponds to the first avatar, which is the basic avatar, and clothing 133α is, for example, small in size, corresponding to the size of the first avatar.

In FIG. 5, in the virtual space image sent to the first user, the avatar Av2 corresponding to the second user is the second avatar (avatar Av2β), and in the virtual space image sent to the third user, the avatar Av2 corresponding to the second user is the first avatar (avatar Av2α).

Suppose that a second user selects a virtual object such as clothing 133β whose size corresponds to the body shape of the second avatar corresponding to the second user. In this case, the virtual space image generating unit 15 sets the virtual object to the size selected by the second user in the virtual space image to be sent to the first user, as shown in FIG. 7A. The virtual space image generating unit 15 sets the virtual object to the size corresponding to the body shape of the first avatar in the virtual space image to be sent to the third user, as shown in FIG. 7B.

Avatar Av2, which avatar Av2 recognizes as the second avatar, selects and holds clothing 133β of a size corresponding to the second avatar. Thus, the second user can check whether clothing 133 fits the second user, and the first user belonging to the same group can also check whether clothing 133β fits the second user.

Each user may be configured to be able to purchase products, such as clothes, sold at stores managed by the shopping management unit 13 within a virtual space image and request the delivery of the purchased products from the physical store 40. The purchased products are delivered to each user by a home delivery service or the like.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention. A configuration equivalent to the avatar modification unit 12 may be provided in the user terminal 30, and the user terminal 30 may be configured to transmit the modified avatar to the virtual space image providing server 10. The virtual space image providing server 10 may be configured as a computer device. The central processing unit of the computer device may execute a computer program (virtual space image providing program) to perform the operations of the virtual space image providing server 10 described above.

10 Virtual space image providing server (virtual space image providing device)
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 11 User management unit 12 Avatar modification unit 13 Shopping management unit 14 Background image setting unit 15 Virtual space image generation unit 16 Communication unit 20 Network 30a, 30b, 30c User terminal 40 Physical store

Claims (5)

a user management unit that manages first and second avatars set corresponding to each user;
a virtual space image generating unit that generates a virtual space image in which an avatar, which is either the first avatar or the second avatar corresponding to each of the users, is arranged on a background image;
Equipped with
A virtual space image providing device in which, when an avatar corresponding to a first user is looking at an avatar corresponding to a second user and an avatar corresponding to a third user is looking at an avatar corresponding to the second user in the virtual space image, the virtual space image generation unit makes the avatar corresponding to the second user different between the first avatar and the second avatar in the virtual space image to be sent to the first user and the virtual space image to be sent to the third user, depending on the difference between the relationship between the first user and the second user and the relationship between the third user and the second user. The user management unit manages a group to which each of the users belongs,
The virtual space image providing device of claim 1, wherein when the first user and the second user belong to the same group and the third user and the second user do not belong to the same group, the virtual space image generation unit makes the avatar corresponding to the second user different between the first avatar and the second avatar. the user management unit stores the first avatar corresponding to each of the users;
The virtual space image providing device according to claim 1 , further comprising an avatar modification unit that creates the second avatar by modifying the first avatar. the first avatar is created corresponding to a body shape of each of the users at a time when the users created the first avatar,
The virtual space image providing device of claim 3, wherein the avatar modification unit estimates how the current body shape of each of the users has changed since the time the first avatar was created, and creates the second avatar based on the first avatar to correspond to the estimated body shape. The virtual space image generation unit includes:
In the virtual space image to be transmitted to the first user, an avatar corresponding to the second user is set as the second avatar, and in the virtual space image to be transmitted to the third user, an avatar corresponding to the second user is set as the first avatar;
5. The virtual space image providing device according to claim 4, wherein, when the second user selects a virtual object having a size corresponding to a body shape of the second avatar corresponding to the second user, the virtual space image transmitted to the first user has the virtual object at the size selected by the second user, and the virtual space image transmitted to the third user has the virtual object at a size corresponding to the body shape of the first avatar.

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