JP2923493B1 - Walking sensation generator - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a walking sensation generation device capable of virtually moving in a large-scale space by walking. SOLUTION: The posture of a walking surface of a belt mechanism 1 is held at an arbitrary angle by a three-axis walking surface holding mechanism 3, a toe position of a pedestrian 2 is detected by a CCD camera 4, and walking is performed by a thread type position sensor 5. The waist position of the person 2 is detected, and the head position is detected by the magnetic position and orientation measurement device 6,
The computer 20 measures the pedestrian's standing time based on the toe position, the waist position, and the head position, and the computer 30 controls the movement of the belt of the belt mechanism 1 and walks in conjunction with the movement of the pedestrian. The virtual screen from the viewpoint position when the person 2 is walking on the belt mechanism 1 is displayed on the large screen 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a walking sensation generating apparatus, and more particularly to a walking sensation generating apparatus capable of walking and moving inside a large-scale virtual space including a slope in an arbitrary direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Techniques for simulating the movement of a wide space in a limited space have the merit of freely creating a moving environment, and have been proposed in several systems. In the simplest example, a method of moving only the viewpoint of the virtual space displayed on the screen of the computer using a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, or the like, which is a normal computer interface called "work through", is used. In these, the operation input by the computer interface is reflected on a steering wheel steering metaphor imitating a mobile device such as a car or an aircraft, so that it is possible to present a steering sensation as if the vehicle is actually being operated.

A more advanced embodiment is an apparatus commonly called a simulator. In these, operation input means such as a steering wheel and an accelerator, which are indirectly used by a metaphor in the former, and a part or the whole of a cockpit unit of a vehicle or an aircraft are installed as a full-scale model. Then, they are parallelly moved and tilted in accordance with the operation of the operator to virtually reproduce the acceleration and vibration accompanying the movement, thereby presenting a more realistic sense of movement. In many cases, these are used as gaming machines that acquire the operation of the simulated mobile device or enjoy the operation itself.

[0004]

[0006] Compared to the above-described movement by the device, the movement by walking is the most familiar means as a means of transportation in daily life and is a method suitable for perceiving the size of the space. To date, there are few examples in which the above-described walking simulation device has been realized. The reason for this is that in the conventional mobile device simulation device, the flow of information between humans and the device was simple because it passed through the device, and processing by the computer was easy. There was a point that it could not be easily realized.

[0005] Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a walking sensation generating apparatus which analyzes a human walking motion and can walk and move in a large-scale virtual space including a slope in an arbitrary direction.

[0006]

The invention according to claim 1 is
A walking sensation generation device capable of walking and moving inside a large-scale virtual space including an inclined surface in an arbitrary direction, wherein a belt mechanism for canceling the movement due to walking when walking on the walking sensation, and walking in the belt mechanism detect a walking surface holding mechanism for holding the attitude of the surface at any angle, and feet position detecting means for detecting the toe position of the pedestrian walking, the position of the hip of a pedestrian
From the waist position detecting means to the pedestrian's toe landing on the walking surface based on the detection output of the toe position detecting means.
Control means for measuring the standing time of the belt mechanism and controlling the movement of the belt of the belt mechanism in conjunction with the movement of the pedestrian based on the standing time and the waist position detected by the waist position detecting means; Display means for presenting an image of the virtual space from the viewpoint position when the pedestrian is walking on the top.

[0007] In the invention according to claim 2, the pedestrian is further
Display means including a head position detecting means for detecting a head position;
Corresponds to the direction of the head detected by the head position detection means.
Displays an image of the same virtual space.

[0008]

[0009]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a belt mechanism 1 is a mechanism for canceling the movement caused by walking when a pedestrian 2 walks thereon, and a three-axis walking surface holding mechanism 3
It is installed on. The three-axis walking surface holding mechanism 3 generates a slope by holding the posture of the walking surface of the belt mechanism 1 at an arbitrary angle.

A CCD camera 4 is disposed in front of the belt mechanism 1 in order to acquire motion information of the legs of the pedestrian 2. In order to obtain the motion information of the legs of the pedestrian 2 by the CCD camera 4, infrared reflective stickers Pl and Pr are attached to the tips of both feet of the pedestrian 2.

In addition, a thread type position sensor 5 for measuring the position of the pedestrian 2 on the belt mechanism 1 and a magnetic position and orientation measuring device 6 for measuring the position and orientation of the head of the pedestrian 2 are arranged. Is done. Further, in front of the pedestrian 2, a rear projection type projector device and a large screen 7 for presenting video information in a virtual space in conjunction with the walking motion are installed. The video information is generated by the computer 10. For this reason, the computer 10 has a built-in image information generation unit, large-scale virtual space information management and integrated management system for all systems, a walking motion analysis unit, and a walking sensation presentation device control command unit.

The toe position detected by the CCD camera 4, the waist position detected by the thread position sensor 5, and the head position detected by the magnetic position and orientation measuring device 6 are input to a computer 20. The computer 20 incorporates an optical position tracking device, a thread position measurement device control unit, a magnetic position and orientation measurement device control unit, and a measurement system control unit.

Further, a computer 30 is provided for controlling the belt mechanism 1 and the three-axis walking surface holding mechanism 3, and the computer 30 incorporates a belt and attitude holder driving device and a drive system controller. .

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method of controlling the belt speed, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart similarly.

[0015] In the embodiment of the present invention, in order to cancel the movement of the body due to walking without the pedestrian being conscious, the foot position information and the waist position information are measured by a method with a low wearing feeling,
The belt speed of the belt mechanism 1 is controlled. The purpose of this control is to keep the pedestrian 2 at a certain reference position X0 on the belt mechanism 1 when the pedestrian is walking at a certain speed Vw. Therefore, the belt speed command Vb, which is a control amount, is determined from two types of feedback. F1 is feedback on the traveling speed, and F2 is feedback on the walking position.

First, F1 will be described. Since it is difficult to directly measure the walking speed, in this embodiment, the walking speed is estimated from the measurable standing time. The standing time is a mode in which one foot touches the ground during walking and moves backward relative to the body. On the other hand, a mode in which the foot that has fallen backward during swinging is swung forward is called a swing mode.
Walking is a movement in which the standing leg and the free leg are alternately repeated with the left and right feet. Here, when these standing and swinging leg times were measured from actual walking motions, the standing time was almost proportional to the walking speed regardless of the pedestrian in the form as shown in the following equation (1). It was measured.

Vw '= aT + b (1) where Vw' is the estimated walking speed, T is the standing time, and a and b
Is a constant. Strictly speaking, there are individual differences in the constant coefficients a and b. Therefore, in the embodiment, the user has a walking function by moving the belt in advance at a constant speed, and has an adjustment function that adjusts this parameter to match the walking characteristics of the individual.

More specifically, with reference to FIG.
First, an infrared reflective seal is attached to both foot positions Pl and Pr of the pedestrian 2, and in step SP1, the CCD camera 4 installed in front of the pedestrian 2 optically measures Pl and Pr. The obtained Pl and Pr are temporally differentiated in step SP2 to calculate the speed information of both feet, and compare with the separately measured belt speed information to determine the standing / swinging mode of the toe motion. . The walking state on the belt is analyzed based on this information, and the walking speed Vw 'is estimated by the regression equation obtained in step SP3, and the walking speed is estimated in step SP3.
At 4, feedback on speed is provided.

On the other hand, with respect to F2, the pedestrian position X is measured on the belt by the thread position sensor 5 in step SP5, and position control is performed in step SP6 using the distance error e from the pedestrian reference position X0 as a parameter. , F2.

In step SP8, the above is summarized, and the target belt speed Vb is defined as in the following equation (2).

Vb = F1 (Vw ') + F2 (e) (2) In the embodiment of the present invention, the form of each feedback function is F1 is Vw' and F2 is e, as shown in Expression (3). Is used as the first order linear feedback.

Vb = αVw '+ βe (3) The coefficients α and β are constants determined within a range in which control does not diverge.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing motion analysis (a) and (b) when walking is started by stepping on the right foot from a stopped state, and a corresponding belt speed control algorithm (c). 4 (a) and 4 (c) are symbols indicating the landing of each foot and the occurrence of a leaving event.
FIG. 4B shows transition of the play / stand mode between both feet with the horizontal axis representing time.

From step SP11 shown in FIG. 4 (c), the step is started with the right foot in step SP12 (A), the step is detected at the moment when the left foot is released (C) after landing (B) in step SP12, and the step is detected in step SP13. Foot overlap length L ₁
If is equal to or more than 大人 of the standard overlapping stride of the adult, it is determined that the walking is started in step SP14. Note that the overlapping stride is an interval from when one foot leaves the floor until it touches the ground, and is different from the stride indicating the front-back distance between the two feet when both feet are touching the ground.

Next, in step SP15, the belt mechanism 1 is driven by the position error rule F2. If the stride does not satisfy 以上 or more of the standard stride in step SP13, it is determined that the foot position has stopped, and the belt mechanism 1 is not driven. Next, step SP
At step 16, after waiting for the timing (D, E) of stepping out of the right foot again, the standing time t ₁ of this foot is measured at step SP 17, and the speed is estimated by a regression equation at step SP 18 to control the speed of the belt. Is added to the estimation walking speed rule F1. Thereafter, the process shifts to the traveling phase shown in FIG. In addition, although the operation transition at the time of stepping off the right foot is shown here for convenience, the algorithm does not depend on the stepping foot.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a motion analysis during walking and a belt speed control algorithm corresponding thereto. This figure 5
Also, the symbols in the figure are the same as those in FIG. Here, the state control from landing (A) with the right foot is shown, but the algorithm does not depend on the stepping foot.

[0027] First moment the right foot lands at step SP21 (G), overlapping stride L ₂ of the right foot is measured in step SP22. The overlapping stride is used in the stop algorithm described below. Next, at step SP23, the left foot (H) is detected, and at step SP24, the standing time t _2.
Is measured. At this time, the parameter Vw 'of F1 of the belt speed algorithm is updated in step SP25. Thereafter, at steps SP26 to SP29, (I →
(J → K → L), the measurement of the overlapped stride length L ₃ , L ₄ and the standing time t ₃ , t ₄ is repeated. Therefore, F1 is equal to step SP30
Is updated at the timing of walking of several Hz, while F2 is updated at a faster cycle (30 Hz in the embodiment). Also, the idle leg time is measured for the stop algorithm described later.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an operation analysis at the time of a walking stop operation and a belt control algorithm corresponding thereto. The symbols and the like in FIG. 6 are the same as those in FIG. Here, the state control from the landing (M) with the right foot to the state (Q) where both feet stop is shown, but the algorithm does not depend on the stepping foot.

In FIG. 6C, until the landing of the right foot is detected in step SP31 and the leaving of the right foot (B) is detected in step SP34, it is the same as the above-described walking phase, but the landing of the right foot is detected in step SP35. in sensed instantaneous (Q), step SP36 in 1) 70% overlap stride ever less, 2) following the free leg time t ₅ half past, 3) that the right foot does not move a certain time left after stopping When the three conditions are satisfied, the driving of the belt mechanism 1 is stopped. In this embodiment, this stop determination is implemented as a part of the walking phase.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG.
Can feel like walking in a virtual space that is synthesized instead of walking on a belt. Based on the results of the above-described walking motion analysis, a technique for realizing movement in a virtual space having a higher sense of reality will be described.
These are realized by the large-scale virtual space information management unit and the image information generation unit in the computer 10 of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a method of updating a position in a virtual space. When moving in the virtual space by walking, in addition to the above-described speed control in the forward direction, a function of changing the course in the left-right direction is required. As for the forward movement, the above-mentioned estimated walking speed Vw 'is integrated over time, and the position information of the pedestrian in the virtual space is continuously updated. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the course change to the left or right is performed by adding the direction θ of the pedestrian's head as a direction change component of Vw ′ at the time of time integration. The direction of the head becomes a part of the information obtained by the magnetic position and orientation measurement device 6 used for generating the image of the virtual space shown in FIG.

When these descriptions are expressed as mathematical expressions, the position of the pedestrian at a certain time t is represented by P (t) = (P _x (t),
(P _y (t)) as a two-dimensional one vector. The walking speed of the pedestrian at this time is represented by V in vector expression.
w ′ (t) = (Vw ′ _x (t), Vw ′ _y (t)), and the rotation angle of the direction of the head at time t with respect to the x-axis of the coordinate system fixed to the walking space is θ. And From these, the position P (t + 1) of the pedestrian at the time t + 1 is obtained as follows.

P _x (t + 1) = P _x (t) + cos θ · | Vw ′ (t) · Δt | (4) _Py (t + 1) = P _y (t) + sin θ · | Vw ′ (t) · Δt (5) where Δt is the elapsed time between time t + 1 and time t.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining presentation of a slope by posture control of a walking surface. One of the features of the embodiment of the present invention is a function of reproducing a slope of a walking surface. As shown in FIG. 8, first, a slope N2 of a region where a pedestrian exists in the virtual space is obtained from topographical information of the virtual space. Then, the belt surface itself is rotated by the three-axis walking surface holding mechanism 3 having the J1, J2, and J3 axes so that the walking belt surface has the same inclination N.
b to reproduce the inclined surface.

In order to increase the sense of immersion in the virtual space, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, a large screen 7 of a rear projection type is installed in front of the pedestrian 2 and an image of a space according to the walking motion is presented. Here, the image of the virtual space is displayed at high speed based on the information from the above-described position change algorithm. As another example, a small display (head mounted
splay) may be used to provide immersion.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention, the posture of the walking surface of the belt mechanism is held at an arbitrary angle by the walking surface holding mechanism, and the pedestrian's toes are released after landing on the walking surface.
The pedestrian measures the standing time until the pedestrian moves and controls the speed of the belt movement of the belt mechanism in conjunction with the movement of the pedestrian based on the standing time and the detected waist position. Since the virtual space from the viewpoint position when walking is displayed, the pedestrian can freely walk and move in the virtual space over a wide area in a small space. The virtual space is defined as a numerical value in a computer, and if there is information, it can be reproduced regardless of the presence or absence of reality. Therefore, for example, when constructing a building, CA
It is possible to evaluate the space design by actually walking in the target space at the stage of the D data. In addition, a space that does not already exist due to ancient archeological sites or developments can be reproduced by a computer, and intuitive recognition of the space arrangement becomes possible. Furthermore, the movement according to the present invention is not a forced movement from the outside as in an existing treadmill, but can be performed by a pedestrian's will. Therefore, the movement can be applied to rehabilitation of walking.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a belt speed control method.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating control of a belt speed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation analysis when a right foot is stepped on from a stop state to start walking and a belt speed control algorithm corresponding thereto.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing motion analysis during walking and a belt speed control algorithm corresponding thereto.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a motion analysis when stopping walking and a belt speed control algorithm corresponding thereto.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method of updating a position in a virtual space.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating presentation of a slope by posture control of a walking surface.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Belt mechanism 2 Pedestrian 3 3-axis walking surface holding mechanism 4 CCD camera 5 Thread position sensor 6 Magnetic position and orientation measurement device 10, 20, 30 Computer

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-2-88084 (JP, A) JP 5-30779 (JP, Y2) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G09B 9/00 A63B 22/02

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A walking sensation generating device capable of walking and moving inside a large-scale virtual space including a slope in an arbitrary direction, wherein a belt mechanism for canceling movement due to walking when walking on the walking feeling generating device, A walking surface holding mechanism that holds a posture of a walking surface in a belt mechanism at an arbitrary angle, a toe position detecting unit that detects a toe position of the pedestrian's walking, and a waist position detecting unit that detects a waist position of the pedestrian , based on the detection output of the feet position detecting means, the pedestrian toes to measure the standing time until away from the landing to the walking surface, before the movement of the pedestrian based on the stance time
Control means for controlling the movement of the belt of the belt mechanism in conjunction with the waist position detected by the waist position detection means , and from the viewpoint position when a pedestrian is walking on the belt mechanism A walking sensation generation device comprising a display unit for presenting an image of a virtual space. 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising detecting a head position of the pedestrian.
Head position detecting means, wherein the display means is detected by the head position detecting means.
The walking sensation generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an image of a virtual space corresponding to the orientation of the head is displayed .