JP3239850B2 - Information presenting apparatus and recording medium recording information presenting program - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an information presenting apparatus, and more particularly to an information presenting apparatus for presenting information in a three-dimensional virtual space using computer graphics, the apparatus having a viewpoint control function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, many information presenting apparatuses for presenting information in a virtual space represented by using computer graphics have been developed.

In this type of information presenting apparatus, it has been necessary to pay great attention to moving the viewpoint as intended when the user can freely move in the space. In particular, this was remarkable when the user was unfamiliar with the device. Further, as the virtual space becomes wider, it becomes difficult to intuitively grasp the structure of the virtual space, so that it is difficult to know where to move, and as a result, the action range tends to be narrow.

[0004] One of the techniques for improving this is as follows.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-161096 proposes a method in which a system administrator sets a route for moving a user's viewpoint, and moves and controls the viewpoint along the route.

[0005] When such a method of setting the line of sight in advance is used, the user can move in the virtual space without paying particular attention to the viewpoint moving operation.
Further, even if the virtual space becomes large, the user's viewpoint moves on a route recommended by the space manager, so that it is possible to efficiently move in a wide space.

[0006]

As described above, in the prior art in which the line of sight moves on a set route,
The route was defined by a straight line, a curve, or a sequence of points. For this reason, once the viewpoint deviates from the route due to a request from the user or the like, it is necessary to separately prepare a viewpoint route from that position.

[0007] Further, since the set route and the object arranged in the space are not directly related, when the object arranged in the space moves, the set route is inappropriate. It is possible that

For this reason, when the structure of the virtual space changes, such as when the arrangement position of the object is changed, it is necessary to manually reset the route each time the structure changes.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is not to set a route fixedly but to set a route with a certain degree of freedom. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information presenting apparatus having a viewpoint control function that can set an appropriate route from any point.

Another object of the present invention is to enable an appropriate route to be presented without a system operator or a user manually changing the route even when the configuration of the virtual space changes due to movement of an object or the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information presentation device having a viewpoint control function.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information presenting apparatus which achieves the above-mentioned object.
Gravitational object storage base for storing the gravitational force, gravitational force calculation means for calculating the gravitational force exerted on the viewpoint by each gravitational object, and viewpoint position determination for determining the user's viewpoint position from the gravitational force calculated by the gravitational force calculation means and updating viewpoint information Having means.

[0012] Further, the information presenting apparatus according to the second invention of the present application,
Based on a history information storage base that stores history information such as the user's previous viewpoint position and direction, and information stored in the history information storage base, the force (inertial force) at which the user's viewpoint attempts to exercise at the current speed is determined. And an inertial force calculating means for calculating an attractive force vector corresponding to the inertial force.

[0013] Further, the information presenting apparatus according to the third invention of the present application,
There is a propulsion / turning force calculation unit that calculates a force (propulsion force / turning force) for moving the viewpoint position based on a signal from the input unit and calculates an attraction vector corresponding to the propulsion force / turning force.

The information presentation device according to the fourth invention of the present application is
It has an attractive object changing means for changing the position of the attractive object stored in the attractive object storage base 4 and attribute values such as an attractive parameter.

[0015] Further, the information presenting apparatus according to the fifth invention of the present application,
A related information storage base for storing information relating to the association between the object in the virtual space and the gravitational object stored in the gravitational object storage base, and a position of the object in the virtual space in which the related information is stored in the related information storage base And a gravity object update determining means for transmitting the change to the gravity object changing means when the is changed.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, the outline of the present invention will be described below. In the present invention, the gravitational object storage base (4) stores information on gravitational objects, which are special objects that affect the user's viewpoint position. The information on the gravitational object is composed of a gravitational force parameter indicating the degree of attracting the viewpoint and positional information in the space.

Attraction calculation means (5) determines each gravitational object from the user's viewpoint based on the information of the user's viewpoint stored in the user information storage base (3) and the information of the gravitational object stored in the gravitational object storage base. Calculate the amount of influence (gravitational force) on the surface. A vector representing this attraction is called an attraction vector.

The viewpoint position determination means (6) determines the user's viewpoint position and direction by integrating the gravitational forces of the individual gravitational objects calculated by the gravitational force calculation means (5). In the determination method, the vector sum of all the gravitational vectors is obtained, and the user's viewpoint position and direction are determined according to the vector sum.

In the history information storage base (13), information on the viewpoint position and direction when the user has moved in the virtual space has been stored together with time information.

The inertial force calculation means (14) calculates the speed and acceleration of the current user's viewpoint from the past user's viewpoint information stored in the history information storage base (13),
From the speed and acceleration, the expected position and direction of the user's viewpoint in the next step are calculated. Then, a vector from the current viewpoint position to the predicted viewpoint position is set as an attraction vector due to inertial force, and transmitted to the viewpoint position determining means (6).

The propulsion / turning force calculation means (15) calculates the amount of movement of the user's viewpoint based on the input information.

Then, a vector from the current viewpoint position to the predicted viewpoint position calculated as an attraction vector due to inertial force is transmitted to the viewpoint position determining means (6).

The gravitation object changing means (9) changes the position of the gravitation object stored in the gravitation object storage base.

The related information storage base (10) stores information relating to the association between an object in a virtual space and an attraction object.

The gravitational object update determination means (11) detects movement in the virtual space, and confirms whether or not the gravitational object is associated with the object based on the association information in the related information storage base (10). When the position of the object associated with the gravity object changes, the position of the gravity object is updated by the gravity object changing means (9).

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the information presentation device of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, an information presenting apparatus according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an input unit 1 for receiving an input from a user, and a spatial information storage base 2 for storing information on components in a virtual space. And a user information storage base 3 for storing user information including the current position and orientation of the user
And a gravitational object storage base 4 for storing information of a special object (referred to as “gravity object”) that attracts the user's viewpoint, and individual gravitational objects are extracted from information stored in the user information storage base 3 and the gravitational object storage base 4. Attraction calculation means 5 for calculating the attraction exerted on the viewpoint, and a viewpoint position for updating the viewpoint information of the user information storage base 3 by determining a user's viewpoint position from the attraction calculated by the attraction calculation means 5 and a signal from the input means 1. Determination means 6, spatial information storage base 2, and user information storage base 3
And a virtual space generating means 7 for generating a virtual space by rendering computer graphics using the information stored in the virtual memory, and an output means 8 for displaying a virtual space as a rendering result.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0029] The space information storage base 2 stores information relating to objects constituting the virtual space.

The user information storage base 3 stores information on the current user viewpoint position and direction in the virtual space.

The gravitational object storage base 4 stores information on gravitational objects, which are special objects that affect the user's viewpoint position. The information of the gravitational object is composed of a gravitational force parameter indicating a degree of attracting the viewpoint and position information in the space. When the gravitation parameter is a positive value, the gravitation object has a force to attract the viewpoint, and when the gravitation parameter is a negative value, the gravitation object has a force to move the viewpoint away.

The gravitational calculation means 5 derives each gravitational object from the user's viewpoint position information stored in the user information storage base 3 and the gravitational object information stored in the gravitational object storage base 4. Calculate the amount of influence (attraction) on the viewpoint.

The gravitational force is expressed in a vector format, and its direction is a direction from the user's viewpoint to the gravitational object. The magnitude is proportional to the magnitude of the gravitational parameter and is the nth power (n 距離) of the distance between the user and the content. 0). When the value of n is a positive value, the influence of the gravitational force from the nearby gravitational object is greater than that of the distant gravitational object, and when the value of n is a negative value, the effect of the gravitational force of the distant gravitational object is greater. Also, the greater the absolute value of n, the greater this degree. n is desirably about 2.
A vector representing this attraction is called an "attraction vector".

In the viewpoint position determining means 6, the attraction calculating means 5
The gravitational forces of the individual gravitational objects calculated in step (1) are integrated to determine the user's viewpoint position and direction. As a determination method, a vector sum of all gravitational vectors is obtained, and the viewpoint position and direction of the user are determined according to the vector sum.

The viewpoint position determined by the viewpoint position determining means 6 is immediately stored in the user information storage base 4, the computer graphics is generated by the virtual space generating means 7, and the virtual space display on the output means 8 is displayed. Update.

In the first embodiment of the information presentation apparatus of the present invention, the destination of the viewpoint of the user is determined based on the positional relationship between the gravitational object and the user at that time, and the viewpoint path in the virtual space is determined. Since the setting is performed, an appropriate route can be provided regardless of the position of the viewpoint. In order to describe the above-described first embodiment of the present invention in more detail, the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to an example which is a specific example to which the present invention is applied.

[First Embodiment] First, the procedure for updating the viewpoint position of the user information storage base 3 will be described.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic view showing an example of a virtual space, and shows the virtual space viewed from above. FIG. 7 shows a user viewpoint 101 and two gravitational objects 10 in a virtual space.
An example in which 2, 103 exist is shown.

The gravity calculation means 5 calculates the gravity exerted on the viewpoint 101 by the respective gravity objects 102 and 103 based on the positional relationship between the individual gravity objects 102 and 103 and the user's viewpoint 101. As described above, the attractive force is represented by a vector, the direction of which is from the viewpoint to the attractive force, the magnitude is proportional to the attractive force parameter, and the distance n
It is calculated to be inversely proportional to the power. Here, n is an arbitrary number other than 0. When the value of n is a positive value, the influence of the gravitational force from the nearby gravitational object is greater than that of the distant gravitational object, and when the value of n is a negative value, the influence of the gravitational force of the distant gravitational object is greater. Also, the greater the absolute value of n, the greater this degree. n is desirably about 2.
Attraction object 102, 1 calculated by the gravity calculation means 6
03, the gravitational vectors are 102 respectively.
a and 103a. Calculated gravity vector 102
a and 103 a are transmitted to the viewpoint position determining means 7.

In the viewpoint position determining means 7, all the gravitational vectors, that is, in the example shown in FIG.
The vector sum of 2a and 103a is calculated, and the gravitational vectors are integrated. The integrated gravity vector is the integrated gravity vector 104. And the current viewpoint position 101
Are determined as the new viewpoint position and the viewpoint direction as the direction of the integrated gravity vector, and stored in the user information storage base 3.

When the viewpoint position of the user is determined, the virtual space generation means 7 generates a virtual space.

When the information in the user information storage base 5 is updated, the gravity calculating means 5 calculates the gravity vector again.

As described above, the destination of the viewpoint of the user is determined based on the positional relationship between the gravity object and the user at that time, and the viewpoint path in the virtual space is determined. Therefore, the route can be automatically set regardless of the position of the user's viewpoint.

[Embodiment 2] Next, the gravitational parameters of the gravitational objects stored in the gravitational object storage base 4 will be described by dividing them into two components, a position gravitational force parameter and a gaze gravitational force parameter.

When the gravitational parameters of the gravitational object are described in two components, a position gravitational parameter and a line-of-sight gravitational parameter, the gravitational force calculating means 5 calculates the position gravitational vector and the line-of-sight gravitational vector using the respective parameters. Calculate separately.

The viewpoint position determining means 6 determines the viewpoint information using the position attractive vector for determining the viewpoint position and the viewpoint attractive vector for determining the line of sight direction.

If the attraction parameters are separately described as a position attraction parameter and a line-of-sight attraction parameter, the moving direction and the line-of-sight direction can be set separately. With this, it is not necessary to draw the viewpoint position, but it is possible to perform viewpoint control that draws only the line of sight, so when the system administrator sets the gravitational object in the virtual space, the user can glimpse the object that is worrisome when moving. It is possible to easily produce a so-called "looking-aside behavior".

When two types of gravitational objects having only a position gravitational parameter and an gravitational object having only a line-of-sight gravitational parameter are used, the path of movement of the user's viewpoint is set by the gravitational object having only the position gravitational-force parameter. Since the movement can be set by the line-of-sight attraction parameter, it becomes possible for the system administrator to set the user path in the virtual space more intuitively.

[Embodiment 3] Next, when the gravitational force is calculated from each gravitational object by the gravitational calculation means 5, the angle between the vector from the viewpoint to the gravitational object and the current line-of-sight vector is reflected.

When calculating the gravitational force from each gravitational object by the gravitational force calculating means 5, the angle between the vector from the viewpoint to the gravitational object and the current line-of-sight vector is obtained.
When this angle is 90 degrees or more, the gravity vector is calculated using a value obtained by multiplying the value of the gravity parameter by 0.5. Here, the case where the angle is set to 90 degrees has been described, but the angle may be an arbitrary angle. Further, it goes without saying that the magnification of the attraction parameter may be set to a magnification other than 0.5. Furthermore, it is also possible to set a plurality of angles and magnifications.

[Embodiment 4] Gravity object storage means 4
May be changed as needed in cooperation with other parameters or the like.

As a way of change, there is an example in which the gravitation parameter is changed according to the distance to the user's viewpoint.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the virtual space. In the virtual space shown in FIG.
The gravitational object 202 is arranged at substantially the same coordinates as the object 201. Attraction object 202
Is set to α (α> 0), but when the user's viewpoint approaches the distance r, β (β <
0).

In the case of this setting, the gravitational object 202
Acts on the viewpoint so as to attract the viewpoint until the viewpoint approaches the distance r, and acts to move the viewpoint away after approaching the distance r.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8, the operation when the viewpoint actually moves in this virtual space will be described.

Now, it is assumed that the user's viewpoint is at the position 203. When the gravity parameter value of the gravity object 202 does not change from α, when the viewpoint is moved from the position 203, the viewpoint moves through the path 205 and the path 206. In this case, the user's viewpoint is the object 201
Will pass through the inside.

Next, a case will be described where the user's viewpoint changes to the gravity parameter value β when the user's viewpoint reaches the position 204, that is, when the user's viewpoint approaches the distance r from the gravity object 202.

In this case, when the viewpoint approaches the position 204, the gravitational force exerted on the viewpoint from the gravitational object 202 changes from a force for approaching the viewpoint to a force for moving away from the viewpoint. Is at position 20
After passing through No. 4, the robot moves along a route 207 that moves away from the gravitational object 202. That is,
The viewpoint moves so as to avoid collision with the object 201.

When the object 201 is an object in which it is unnatural for the user's viewpoint to pass through the inside,
The line-of-sight path passing through the path 205 and the path 206 gives the user a sense of incongruity. However, when the viewpoint approaches the position 204, the viewpoint parameter is changed to a negative value so that the viewpoint is moved away from the viewpoint. , A path that avoids the object 201 (path 205,
The line of sight to the route 207) can be controlled.

In this embodiment, the attraction parameter value is changed in one step, but it may be changed in several steps and changed stepwise. When the change is made in several steps, the movement of the viewpoint is not abrupt, and a more natural feeling can be given to the user.

[Embodiment 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing another configuration of the first embodiment of the information presenting apparatus of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the information presenting apparatus according to the present embodiment further includes a route information storage base 12 for storing route information passing through a viewpoint in the configuration of the information presenting device shown in FIG.

The route information storage base 12 stores information on the viewpoint route in the same manner as in the above-described conventional technology. The storage format may be stored in any form, such as a point sequence or a line segment.

In the information presenting apparatus according to this embodiment, when the viewpoint position is determined by the viewpoint position determining means 6, the path information stored in the path information storage base is added to the gravity vector calculated by the gravity calculating means 5. In consideration of this, the viewpoint position of the user is determined.

As an example, it is assumed that the gravitational object storage base 4 stores an gravitational object having only a line-of-sight attraction parameter. It is also assumed that the route information storage base 12 has no information on the line of sight and only information on the viewpoint position. In this case, while the user's viewpoint moves along the viewpoint stored in the route information storage base 12 and the route, the gaze direction is determined by the attraction object. For this reason, setting of a scene in which the user walks while walking between narrow obstacles can be easily realized.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the functions of the gravity calculation means 5, the viewpoint position determination means 6, and the virtual space generation means 7 are realized by program control executed on a computer. , FDD, CD-
The present invention can be implemented by reading and executing a program from a recording medium such as a ROM.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the information presentation device of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the information presenting apparatus in the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. From the information stored in the history information storage base 13 that stores history information called direction, and the information stored in the history information storage base 13, a force (referred to as “inertial force”) at which the user's viewpoint tries to move at the current speed is calculated. And an inertial force calculating means 14 for calculating an attractive force vector corresponding to the inertial force.

First, the information stored in the history information storage base 13 and the timing of storing the information will be described.

In the history information storage base 13, information on the viewpoint position and direction when a past user has moved in the virtual space is stored as history information together with time information.
This information is used to determine the user's viewpoint position and direction by the user position determination means 6 and, when storing the information in the user information storage base 3, simultaneously add the viewpoint position, direction and time information to the history information storage base 13. Is stored.

Next, the operation of the inertial force calculating means 14 will be described. The inertial force calculation means 14 calculates the expected position and direction of the current user's viewpoint from the past user's viewpoint information stored in the history information storage base 13. And
A vector from the current viewpoint position to the predicted viewpoint position is set as an attraction vector due to inertial force, and transmitted to the viewpoint position determination means 6. It is also possible to adjust the magnitude of the influence of the inertial force by multiplying the attractive force vector by the inertial force by an arbitrary constant.

The viewpoint position determining means 6 determines the viewpoint position of the user by the method described in the first embodiment, based on the gravitational vector calculated by the gravitational force calculating means 5 and the inertial force calculating means 14.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, when calculating the viewpoint path of the user, the sudden movement of the viewpoint can be suppressed by taking into account the movement of the user's viewpoint, that is, the speed and acceleration. . This allows the user to move in the virtual space more naturally.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the gravitational force calculating means 5, viewpoint position determining means 6, virtual space generating means 7, and inertial force calculating means 14 have their functions controlled by a program executed on a computer. In this case, the present invention can be implemented by reading and executing a program from a recording medium such as an FDD or a CD-ROM.

[Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the third embodiment of the information presentation device of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 4, a third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.
In the configuration of the first embodiment described with reference to the above, a force (propulsive force / rotational force) for moving the viewpoint position is calculated by a signal from the input means 1, and the propulsive force / rotational force is calculated. Propulsion / turning force calculation means 1 for calculating a corresponding attractive force vector
5 is further provided.

Next, the operation of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, the operation of the propulsion / turning force calculation means 15 will be described. When the user inputs an input related to a change in the viewpoint position, such as forward or backward movement of the viewpoint, left turn or right turn, to the input unit 1, the information is transmitted to the propulsion / turning force calculation unit 15.

The propulsion / turning force calculation means 15 calculates the movement of the viewpoint to the user based on the input information. Then, a vector from the current viewpoint position to the predicted viewpoint position is set as an attraction vector due to inertial force, and transmitted to the viewpoint position determination means 6.

It is also possible to adjust the magnitude of the influence of the propulsion / turning force by the user input by multiplying the attraction vector by the propulsion / turning force by an arbitrary constant.

When the same user input is continued for a certain period of time, it is also effective to judge that the input has been made with a strong intention of the user and to increase the influence of the propulsion / turning power.

The viewpoint position determining means 6 determines the viewpoint position of the user according to the method described in the first embodiment based on the gravitational vector calculated by the gravitational force calculating means 5 and the thrust / turning force calculating means 15. Do.

In the third embodiment of the present invention, when the viewpoint path of the user is calculated, the operation input by the user such as forward, backward, left rotation, right rotation, etc. is reflected, so that the user's intention at the time of moving the viewpoint is determined. Can be reflected. The propulsion / turning force calculation means 15 can also realize its function by a program executed on a computer.

[Fourth Embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the fourth embodiment of the information presentation device of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 5, a fourth embodiment of the present invention is the same as FIG.
In the configuration of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 5, the input means 1 is provided with attribute values such as the position of the gravity object and gravity parameters stored in the gravity object storage base 4.
The apparatus further comprises an attractive object changing means 9 which can be changed by a signal from the apparatus.

Next, the operation of the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, a case where the user changes the position of the gravitational object through the input unit 1 will be described as an example of changing the attribute.

The user inputs a change in the arrangement position of a certain gravity object to the input means 1. As an input method,
For example, there is a method of dragging and dropping the gravitational object on the screen, but another input method may be used.

Further, a configuration may be adopted in which a position change instruction is input to a plurality of gravity objects at once.

When a signal to change the arrangement position of the gravitational object is transmitted from the input means 1 to the gravitational object changing means 9, the gravitational object changing means 9 changes the gravitational object stored in the gravitational object storage base 4. Change the placement position. After the arrangement position is changed, the fact that the attribute of the gravity object has been changed is transmitted to the gravity calculation means 5.

The gravity calculating means 5 to which the attribute change of the gravity object is transmitted immediately calculates the gravity applied to the viewpoint by the new gravity parameter, and changes the viewpoint position of the user. The procedure of the change is as described in the first embodiment.

Note that when the attributes of the gravitational object other than the position, such as the value of the gravitational parameter, are changed, the processing is performed in the same procedure.

In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, since the user can freely change the gravitational object for determining the user's viewpoint route, the user can modify the viewpoint route as desired. The gravitational object changing means 9 can also realize its function by a program executed on a computer.

[Fifth Embodiment] Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the fifth embodiment of the configuration of the information presentation apparatus of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, a fifth embodiment of the present invention is different from the fourth embodiment described with reference to FIG. 5 in that objects in the virtual space stored in the spatial tatami storage base 2 are added to the configuration of the fourth embodiment. And a related information storage base 10 for storing information relating to association with the gravitational object stored in the gravitational object storage base 4, and a related information storage base 1
Further, when the position of the object in the virtual space in which the related information is stored is changed, the gravity object update determining means 11 for transmitting the change to the gravity object changing means 9 is further provided.

Next, the operation of the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the objects in the virtual space stored in the space information storage base 2 and the gravitational objects stored in the gravitational object storage base 4 are associated with each other, and the association is established. The information is stored in the related information storage base 10. A plurality of gravity objects can be associated with one object.

When the gravitation object update determining means 11 detects that the position of the object stored in the space information storage base 2 has changed, the gravitation object update determination means 11 determines whether or not the gravitation object is associated with the object. Check from the association information stored in.

When the position of the object associated with the gravitational object has changed, the associated gravitational object and the amount of change in the position are transmitted from the gravitational object update determining means 11 to the gravitational object changing means 9.

In the gravitational object changing means 9 which has received a signal from the gravitational object update determining means 11, the fourth
The viewpoint of the user is changed according to the procedure described in the embodiment.

In the fifth embodiment of the present invention, even when the configuration of the virtual space changes due to the movement of an object or the like, even if the system operator or the user does not manually change the viewpoint route, An appropriate route can be set. The function of the gravitation object update determination unit 11 can also be realized by a program executed on a computer.

[0097]

As described above, according to the information presentation apparatus of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

The first effect of the present invention is that an appropriate route can be provided regardless of the position of the viewpoint. The reason is that, in the present invention, the destination of the user's viewpoint is determined based on the positional relationship between the gravitational object and the user at that time, and the viewpoint route is set in the virtual space.

A second effect of the present invention is that a rapid change in the viewpoint can be suppressed, and the user can move in the virtual space more naturally.
The reason is that, in the present invention, when calculating the viewpoint path of the user, the movement (speed, acceleration) of the user viewpoint is taken into consideration.

A third effect of the present invention is that the user can modify the viewpoint route as desired. This is because, in the present invention, the user can freely change the gravitational object that determines the user's viewpoint path.

The fourth effect of the present invention is that even if the configuration of the virtual space changes even if the object moves, etc.
In particular, it is possible to set an appropriate route without changing the viewpoint route.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating another example of the configuration of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a fifth exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a virtual space.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a virtual space.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Input means 2 Space information storage base 3 User information storage base 4 Attraction object storage base 5 Attraction calculation means 6 View point determination means 7 Virtual space generation means 8 Output means 9 Attraction object change means 10 Related information storage base 11 Attraction object update determination Means 12 Route information storage base 13 History information storage base 14 Inertial force calculation means 101 User's viewpoint 102 Attraction object 103 Attraction object

Claims (21)

(57) [Claims] 1. An input means for receiving an input from a user, a space information storage base for storing information on components in a virtual space, and a user information storage for storing user information including current position and orientation information of the user. A base, a gravity object storage base for storing information of a special object (referred to as “gravity object”) that attracts the user's viewpoint, and individual gravity objects are determined from the user information storage base and the information stored in the gravity object storage base. and attraction calculating means for calculating an attractive force on the viewpoint of the user, the attraction the user information storage base and the from attraction object storage information stored in the base of each attraction object on the perspective of the user, a large attractive force parameter
The distance between the user and the content is raised to the nth power (
Gravitational force calculating means for calculating in inverse proportion to n ≠ 0), determining the viewpoint position of the user from the gravitational force calculated by the gravitational force calculation means and the signal from the input means, and determining the viewpoint of the user information storage base. Viewpoint position determining means for updating information; virtual space generating means for performing a rendering process of computer graphics using the information stored in the space information storage base and the user information storage base to generate a virtual space; rendering results Output means for displaying the virtual space of the information presentation device. 2. The information presentation device according to claim 1, further comprising a route information storage base for storing route information passing through the viewpoint of the user. 3. The user's viewpoint moves at a current speed based on a history information storage base for storing history information of the user's previous viewpoint position and direction, and information stored in the history information storage base. 3. An information presentation device according to claim 1, further comprising: inertia force calculating means for calculating a force (referred to as "inertial force") to calculate an attractive force vector corresponding to the inertial force. apparatus. 4. A driving force / turning force calculating means for calculating a driving force / turning force for moving the viewpoint position based on a signal from the input means and calculating an attraction vector corresponding to the driving force / turning force. The information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein: 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising attraction object changing means for converting a position of the attraction object and an attribute value of the attraction parameter stored in the attraction object storage base by a signal from an input means. The information presentation device according to any one of 1 to 4. 6. A related information storage base for storing information relating to an association between an object in a virtual space stored in the space information storage base and an attraction object stored in the attraction object storage base, and the related information storage. When the position of the object in the virtual space in which the association information is stored in the base is changed, the gravitational object update determining means for transmitting the change to the gravitational object changing means is further provided. The information presentation device according to claim 5. 7. A space information storage base for storing information on components in a virtual space; a user information storage base for storing user information including a current position and orientation information of the user; A gravity object storage base for storing objects (referred to as “gravity objects”); and (a) determining the gravity exerted by each gravity object on the viewpoint from the information stored in the user information storage base and the gravity object storage base. , The magnitude of the gravitational parameter
Proportionally, the distance between the user and the content raised to the nth power (where n
(B) gravitational force calculating means for calculating the gravitational force in a form inversely proportional to (0) , (b) determining a user's viewpoint position from the calculated gravitational force and a signal from an input device receiving an input from the user, Viewpoint position determining means for updating viewpoint information; and (c) generating a virtual space by rendering computer graphics using the information stored in the space information storage base and the user information storage base, and generating a virtual space as a rendering result. And a virtual space generating means for outputting to a display device, a recording medium storing a program for causing at least each of the means (a) to (c) to function on a computer. 8. The recording medium according to claim 7, further comprising a path information storage base for storing path information storage base for storing path information through which the user's viewpoint passes. 9. The recording medium according to claim 7, wherein
A history information storage base for storing history information of the user's previous viewpoint position and direction; and (d) a force for the user's viewpoint to exercise at the current speed based on the information stored in the history information storage base. A recording medium for recording a program for causing the computer to function as inertial force calculating means for calculating an inertial force (hereinafter referred to as “inertial force”) and calculating an attractive vector corresponding to the inertial force. 10. The recording medium according to claim 7, wherein (e) a propulsive force / turning force for moving the viewpoint position is calculated based on a signal from the input means, and the propulsive force is calculated. / recording medium propulsion / turning force calculating means recording a program for operating with the computer to calculate a corresponding attractive force vector to the turning force. 11. A recording medium according to any one of claims 7 to 9, 1 0, position, the attribute value of the attraction parameters attraction object stored in the (f) the attraction object storage base, input means A recording medium in which a program for causing an attraction object changing unit, which changes in response to a signal or the like, to function on the computer is recorded. 12. A recording medium according to claim 11, wherein information relating to an association between an object in a virtual space stored in said space information storage base and an attraction object stored in said attraction object storage base is stored. (G) when the position of the object in the virtual space, in which the related information is stored in the related information storage base, is changed, the fact is transmitted to the attraction object changing means to determine the update of the attraction object. A recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to function as a unit is recorded. 13. A first storage means for storing information of an attraction object that influences a user's viewpoint, and wherein each of the attraction objects exerts an attraction on the user's viewpoint in proportion to a magnitude of an attraction parameter.
Inversely proportional to the nth power of the distance between the content and the content (where n ≠ 0)
Means for calculating in the form of outputs from the calculated attractive and means for updating the viewpoint information of the user to determine the viewpoint position of the user, to update the output device a virtual space display from the viewpoint position of the user And an information presenting device. 14. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the information of the cited object comprises an attraction parameter and positional information in a space. 15. A second storage means for storing history information comprising a user's previous viewpoint position and direction, and a history information stored in said second storage means, wherein the user's viewpoint is determined to be a current speed. 15. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising: inertia force calculating means for calculating a force to exercise, that is, an inertial force, and calculating an attraction vector corresponding to the inertial force. 16. A propulsion force and / or a turning force, which is a force for moving the user's viewpoint position, is calculated based on a signal from the input means, and an attraction vector corresponding to the propulsion force and / or the turning force is calculated. The information presentation device according to claim 13, further comprising a calculation unit. 17. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising: an attraction object changing unit for changing a position of the attraction object and an attribute value of an attraction parameter stored in the first storage unit. Information presentation device as described. 18. The apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising third storage means for storing information relating to an association between the object in the virtual space and the gravitational object stored in the first storage means,
18. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising: an attraction object update judging unit that, when the position of the object in the virtual space in which the related information is stored in the storage unit is changed, transmits the change to the attraction object changing unit. Information presentation device as described. 19. An input means for receiving an input from a user, and a space information storage unit for storing information on components in a virtual space.
And user information including the user's current position and orientation information
User information storage base and a special object (“gravity
Object)
Storage base, the user information storage base, and the gravitational object storage
Individual attraction objects from information stored in the base
Attraction calculation means for calculating attraction exerted on the user's viewpoint
And the gravity calculated by the gravity calculation means and the input means
The viewpoint position of the user is determined from the
Viewpoint position determining means for updating viewpoint information based on report storage
And the spatial information storage base and the user information storage base
Computer graphics using stored information
Virtual space generation that performs rendering processing and generates virtual space
Generating means, output means for displaying a virtual space of the rendering result, and history information of the user's previous viewpoint position and direction.
A history information storage base for storing, from the stored in the history information storage based information, said Yu
The user's point of view attempts to move at the current speed ("Inertial
Force)) and calculate the attractive force vector corresponding to the inertial force.
And inertia force calculating means for calculating the
Information presentation device . 20. Information of components in a virtual space is stored.
Stores spatial information storage base and user information including current position and orientation information of the user
User information storage base and a special object ("
Force object ")
Storage base and history information of the user's previous viewpoint position and direction
And a history information storage base for storing, said (a) and the user information storage based attraction object
From the information stored in the
And attraction calculating means transfected calculates an attractive force on the viewpoint, the attractive force is the calculated (b), it receives an input from the user
Before determining the user's viewpoint from the signal from the input device
Viewpoint position for updating viewpoint information based on user information storage
Determining means; (c) the spatial information storage base and the user information storage base;
Computer information using the information stored in the
Render virtual space to create virtual space and render
Virtual space generation method that outputs the virtual space resulting from the
And (d) from the information stored in the history information storage base:
The force at which the user's viewpoint attempts to exercise at the current speed ("
Gravitational force) and calculate the gravitational vector equivalent to the inertial force
An information presentation program and a inertia force calculation means for calculating at least the
Making each means of (a) to (d) function on a computer
Recording medium on which a program for recording is recorded. 21. An attractive force object affecting a user's viewpoint.
First storage means for storing object information, and each of the gravitational objects is stored in the viewpoint of the user.
Means for calculating an attractive force to be applied, and determining a viewpoint position of the user from the calculated attractive force.
Means for updating the viewpoint information of the user; and updating and outputting the virtual space display from the viewpoint position of the user.
Means for outputting the history information including the user's viewpoint position and direction.
Information from the second storage means for storing the information and the history information stored in the second storage means.
The power of the user's viewpoint to move at the current speed, that is,
Calculate the inertial force and calculate the attractive vector corresponding to the inertial force.
Calculating means for calculating inertial force.
Information presentation device.