JP3243532B2 - Past reproduction method and system in three-dimensional virtual space - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a past reproduction method and system in a three-dimensional virtual space. In particular, the present invention relates to a past reproduction method and system in a three-dimensional virtual space effective for referring to past events in a shared virtual space, for example.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a shared virtual space in which a plurality of users participate via a network, for example, InterSpa
ce (Sugawara. S., et al., "InterSpace: Networked Vir
tual World for Visual Communication ", IEICE Transa
ctions on Information and Systems, December 1994)
There is. In this system, users communicate with other users over a network,
Further, the user can participate in an event provided in the virtual space.

[0003]

However, according to the prior art, communication with other users can be performed only when using the virtual space, and the communication is provided within the virtual space. As for the event, only the user who has participated in the place at that time can experience the event.

For example, in a room in a virtual space,
When a report is made as a result of a discussion on a certain matter, a user who was not at that place at that time cannot know in detail how the result report was lost. Therefore, the above-described conventional technology uses a shared virtual space that is free from temporal and spatial constraints, but ultimately uses the shared virtual space only under the current time constraint. There is a problem that can not be.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and is capable of realizing an environment for reproducing past actions of other users in a shared virtual space and movements in the space.
It is an object to provide a past reproduction method and system in a three-dimensional virtual space.

[0006]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the present invention. The present invention, in the past reproduction method in the three-dimensional virtual space in which a plurality of users participate through a network, the computer for managing the virtual space,
Information about events performed in the past in the virtual space is stored in a database (step 1), and a result report of the event is notified to a user terminal of a user who has not participated in the event (step 2). On terminals, users who have not participated in the event
Play back the results report for the event that took place,
The time bulletin board displayed in the room in the virtual space of the report
Specify the you want to play time of the event (step 3), a total of
In the calculator, the time specified by the user terminal from the time bulletin board
A room in a virtual space related to time (hereinafter referred to as a universe)
Video information and audio information from databases linked to
Reports and data previously entered in the universe.
Search the data and load the searched information to the user terminal.
(Step 4) The user terminal loads the data from the computer.
When playing back the status of a past event,
Play Now exists in the universe and plays
The same user by blinking the user
User of the user terminal to other users who
Is displayed so that the user can recognize that it is playing.
Step 5).

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the principle of the present invention. In addition, the present invention provides a connection via a plurality of user networks.
User terminal 100 and a computer 200
In a three-dimensional virtual space participating in a shared virtual space
In the after-play system, the computer 200 has a shared virtual sky.
At least one room within the room
1) and the universe 1
Stores information about past events performed in the universe
History accumulating means 2 and user terminal 100
History storage means 2 linked to the universe corresponding to the time
From the video information, audio information, and the universe
Information retrieval means 20 for retrieving previously input data
To load the searched information into the user terminal 100.
The user terminal 100 has a universal
Is displayed on the time bulletin board during the past event where
Time setting procedure to set the time of past events to be played
A past information request that has a step and requests information on past events
Requesting means 110 and information is loaded from the computer 200
And the current event that plays back past events
Flashing display of the user who is in the
With other users who are present in the same universe,
To recognize that the user of the user terminal is playing
Display means 120 for displaying as possible.

[0008]

[0009]

[0010]

[0011]

[0012]

[0013]

As described above, the present invention provides a database in which past history is stored for each room in the virtual space. By accessing the database and using the information of the past events, the user can reproduce the actions of other users in the past and the movements in the space. It is possible to use a virtual space that is free from the constraints of the current time being used, and it is possible to always refer to past data in an environment full of three-dimensional feeling.

[0015]

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of a past reproduction system according to the present invention. The past reproduction system shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of user terminals 100, a computer 200, and a network 300.
Are connected to the network 300.

The computer 200 includes a history database 2 for storing the entire past history linked to a space 1 representing each room in the virtual space (hereinafter, referred to as a universe), a search unit 20, and a load unit. 21 and a result information notification unit 22. The history database 2 includes a user information management unit 3 including a video information management unit 4 and an audio information management unit 5, and a data information management unit 6.

The video information management unit 4 of the user information management unit 3
Manages images of facial expressions of users who have participated in past events. Voice information management unit 5 of user information management unit 3
Manages the voice of the conversation of the user who participated in the past event. The data information management unit 6 manages data such as characters and figures input by a user using an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse.

The search unit 20 searches the history database 2 based on a past information request (time designation) input from a user terminal of a user who has not participated in a past event. The loading unit 21 loads the result searched by the search unit 20 to the user terminal 100 that has requested the past information. The result information notifying unit 22 notifies the user terminal 100 that has not participated in an event such as a conference in the virtual space,
Notify the result information of the event.

The user terminal 100 includes a past information requesting unit 11
0 and a reproducing unit 120, and a past information requesting unit 110
When the result information is notified from the computer 200, the universe 1 is reproduced from the result information, and according to the designated items in the universe 1, the user requests the information of the event in which the user did not participate. The reproduction unit 120 transmits the result information notified by the result information notification unit 22 and the load unit 2.
The information loaded from 1 is reproduced on the virtual space.

Universe 1 for actually reproducing past information
Uses the same space as the current space using the virtual space. Only when there is an instruction to reproduce the past situation from the current universe 1 that uses the virtual space, the universe 1 is changed to the universe 1 that reproduces the past situation. Here, what is changed to the past universe 1 is only the terminal screen of the user who instructed to reproduce the past situation, and has no effect on the terminal screens of other users.

A past information requesting unit 110 of a certain user terminal
, The search unit 20 of the computer 200 starts accessing the past history database 2 linked to the universe 1 whose user wants to play the past from the terminal of the user. .
Then, the user information and the data information at a certain time in the past are obtained from the user information management unit 3 and the data information management unit 6 including the video information management unit 4 and the audio information management unit 5, and are loaded from the loading unit 21. I do. Thereby, the reproducing unit 120 of the user terminal 10 reproduces the loaded information (universe).

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to use the virtual space free from the time constraint of the present time using the virtual space, and anytime anyone can use the past data in an environment full of three-dimensional feeling. Can be referred to.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 shows an example of a discussion room which is an example of a room in a virtual space according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Shows an example of a time bulletin board according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the time bulletin board displays the current time and can specify a past time to be reproduced. FIG.
9 shows an example of a state of a past discussion room in which a certain time in the past is reproduced according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
9 shows an example of a current discussion room playing a certain time in the past according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, for example, universe 1
When the user 8 enters a room (discussion room 7) where a discussion can be performed in a certain virtual space,
There is a space where a large number of users can discuss, and a whiteboard 10 which is useful for discussion. A time bulletin board 9 is displayed on the wall. The user 8 originally wanted to participate in the discussion held in the discussion room 7 at a certain time in the past, but could not participate in this discussion because time was inevitable. Instead, the user 8 has only been reported in the discussion room 7 as a result of the discussion performed at that time.

The user 8 uses the time bulletin board 9 as shown in FIG. 5 installed in each of the reproduced universes 1 to designate a past time to be reproduced. The discussion room in which the state of the universe 1 is reproduced can be used. In FIG. 6, the user 8 can refer to past actions of the user 11 and movements of the space (in this case, the reproduced contents 12), and cannot speak or participate in discussions. Data can be referenced in an environment full of three-dimensional feeling. Here, the user 8 who wants to reproduce the past
Reproduces the past universe at the present time using this virtual space, but as shown in FIG. 7, at the current time, the other users 13 who are present in the same universe 1 On the other hand, this user 8
Is blinking so that it can be recognized that is playing back the past.

Therefore, it is possible to use the virtual space free of the time constraint of the present time using the virtual space, and anyone can always refer to the past data in an environment full of three-dimensional feeling. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the past reproduction process according to one embodiment of the present invention. Step 101) Regarding a conference held in the past, a report of the result of the conference is given in advance to the user who is absent from the conference.
The result information is notified from the result information notifying unit 22 of the computer 200, and the past information requesting unit 110 of the user terminal 100 instructs to perform the past reproduction on the result report. At this time, the user terminal 100 uses the time bulletin board 9 installed in the universe 1 for the result report to set a past time to be reproduced. When the start of the past reproduction is designated, the discussion room 7 is displayed as the universe 1 and the time posted on the time bulletin board 9 displayed in the discussion room 7 is selected.

Step 102) Next, the search unit 20 of the computer 200 searches the past history database 2 linked to the universe 1 currently used by the user 8 based on the time specified by the user 8. Access is started. Step 103) When accessed, the search unit 20
The information to be reproduced at the past time specified in step 101 is searched from the video information management unit 4, the audio information management unit 5, and the data information management unit 6 of the user information management unit 3 of the database 2.

Step 104) The loading section 21 loads the information for reproduction obtained from the search section 20 to the user terminal which has instructed the past reproduction. Step 105) The user terminal reproduces the loaded information. Step 106) It is determined whether or not the currently reproduced information is to be stopped. If the information is to be continued, the process proceeds to step 107. If the information is to be stopped, the process proceeds to step 103 to search for other information.

Step 107) If the next past time is to be set, the process proceeds to step 101; otherwise, the process ends. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment,
Various modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the claims.

[0030]

As described above, according to the past reproduction method and system in the three-dimensional virtual space according to the present invention, a shared virtual space in which a plurality of users participate through a network is used, and a According to the present invention, when reproducing an action and a movement in a space, access to the past shared virtual space is enabled, and the user is released from the time constraint of the present time using the shared virtual space. It is possible to realize an environment in which the shared virtual space can be used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a principle configuration diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a past reproduction system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an example of a discussion room, which is an example of a room in a virtual space according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an example of a time bulletin board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an example of a past discussion room in which a certain past time is reproduced according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an example of a current discussion room playing a certain time in the past according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a past reproduction process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Universe 2 History accumulation | storage means, history database 3 User information management part 4 Video information management means, Video information management part 5 Audio information management means, Audio information management part 6 Data information management means, Data information management part 7 Discussion room 8 User 9 time bulletin board 10 white board 11 other user played back 12 reproduced content 13 other user 20 information search means, search unit 21 load means, load unit 22 result information notification unit 100 user terminal 110 past information request means, past Information request 120 Reproduction means, reproduction unit 200 Computer 300 Network

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-8-329279 (JP, A) JP-A-8-153077 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06T 15 / 00-17/50 G06F 13/00 H04N 7/14-7/15

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method in which a plurality of users access via a network.
3D to addVirtualIn a past reproduction method in a space, a computer that manages a virtual space,
Information is stored in the database, and the event
Report of users who did not attend the event.
Notify the terminal,Said In the user terminal, a user who has not participated in the event,The past
Play back the results report for the event that took place
From the time bulletin board displayed in the room in the virtual space of the result report
Specify the time you want to play the event,  In the computer,At the time specified from the time bulletin board by the user terminal
Related virtual space (hereinafter referred to as universe).
Video information, audio information, and
And data entered in the universe in the past.
Search for Loading the retrieved information into the user terminal,  The user terminalAt,Play the state of the event loaded from the calculator
When playing past events, the current, previous
The flashing display shows the user who is playing in the universe.
By showing, other users who are present in the same universe
The user of the user terminal is playing to the user
Display recognizable Three-dimensional temporary
The past reproduction method in the imaginary space. (2)Connect via multiple user networks
Virtual space consisting of user terminals and computers
Past reproduction system in 3D virtual space participating in the middle
And The calculator is: At least one room existing in the shared virtual space
(Hereinafter referred to as universe), Runs on the universe linked for each universe
Past Events Made History storage means for storing
When, Univers corresponding to the time specified by the user terminal
Video information and audio information from the history storage means linked to the
Reports and data previously entered in the universe.
Search means for searching for data, Loading means for loading retrieved information into the user terminal
Having a step and The user terminal, During the past event when the universe is displayed
Set the time of the past event you want to play on the bulletin board
Time setting means for requesting information on past events
Past information request means, When information is loaded from the calculator, past events
Is currently in the universe,
By blinking the live user, the same unit is displayed.
User terminal for other users who are present at the berth
Display so that other users can recognize that it is playing.
Past reproduction system characterized by having display means
M