JP4637889B2 - Virtual space broadcasting device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a virtual space broadcasting apparatus that generates an image including a moving image using a virtual space and distributes the image via a computer network, particularly the Internet. In particular, the present invention relates to a virtual space broadcasting device that generates and distributes moving image images referred to from blogs.

[blog]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, “blog”, which is a collective term for diary-like sites that are operated by individuals and groups via the Internet and can be edited using an Internet browser and updated daily, is becoming popular. Using terminal devices including personal computers and mobile phone terminals, enter text data in the prescribed format fields for title, contributor information, article text, etc., and specify the location of data resources for storing image files, etc. By uploading image files such as entries or photos, articles can be posted more easily than creating a homepage, and comments on other people's posts can also be made by the same easy operation. The use of blogs in companies and the like is also being promoted (for example, Non-Patent Document 1).
[Acquisition of Real Space Position Information Using GPS]
As a means for determining location information in real space, a car navigation system using a global geodetic system (GPS) is widespread, and mobile phone terminals (hereinafter referred to as GPS mobile phones) that can use GPS are known. A method of collecting spatial information using a GPS mobile phone is known (for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, a method of recording a travel history using a GPS mobile phone is known (for example, Patent Document 2). Furthermore, a means for leaving or accessing a message that can be used depending on the physical coordinate position of the wireless network subscriber unit is known (for example, Patent Document 3).
[Video database]
As an example of a technique for storing and broadcasting a plurality of video files in data resources on the Internet, YouTube (YouTube) is known, and the location of resources such as video files stored in a video database is shown on a homepage, blog, e-mail. It is known that the information can be referred to from, for example, Non-Patent Document 2.
[Video display in virtual space]
In a virtual space via a computer network, when a user appropriately moves his or her avatar in a virtual three-dimensional space, a moving image including an object arranged in the virtual space is displayed on the terminal screen of the user. The sequential display is performed, for example, by a service such as Second Life (for example, Non-Patent Document 3).
Published Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-104743 JP 2003-045452 A JP 2002-199423 published Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications press release, “Application for business blog and business SNS application examples” [online], October 24, 2005 [Searched September 14, 2007], Internet, <URL: http: / /www.soumu.go.jp/s-news/2005/051024_2.html> YouTube Broadcast Yourself [online], February 2005, [Searched September 18, 2007], Internet, <URL: http://www.youtube.com/t/about> Linden Research, Inc., “What is Second Life? Technology” [online], 2007, [searched on September 18, 2007], Internet, <URL: http://jp.secondlife.com/whatis / technology>

However, the contents included in conventional blogs are mainly text and still images, and some of them include moving images shot with a video camera or the like. Data resources required for storage of still images mainly depend on the number of recording pixels, whereas storage of moving images depends on both the number of recording pixels and recording time, and particularly increases depending on the recording time. There is a problem in that the required amount of image data increases as compared with a still image, and it takes a long time for recording processing and transmission to a blog server device.
When shooting a video with a mobile terminal or a video camera, it is inconvenient to bring the shooting equipment to the shooting location and operate it, and to shoot yourself, fix the video camera to a tripod, etc. There is a problem in that it is necessary to instruct other people about the shooting procedure and the like to request shooting.
When taking a video with a video camera and registering it in the video database or posting it on a blog, it is necessary to encode the video signal and convert it to a predetermined file format so that the video can be uploaded to the blog server via the network. There is a problem that there is.
Furthermore, when a moving image is shot with a video camera or the like and posted on a blog, there is a problem that information related to the shooting location is not necessarily included in the moving image.

The present invention acquires an action such as a walk in the real space as its own position information, uses the virtual space to reproduce the state of the movement of the avatar, and generates an avatar moving image in the virtual space. With the goal.
The present invention transmits the user location information in the real space acquired using a GPS mobile phone or the like to the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention, so that even when using a mobile phone terminal with a limited transmission / reception speed, The purpose is to be able to create information for generating moving images quickly and easily.
The present invention allows an avatar in a virtual space to act on its own and generates a three-dimensional space image from a free viewpoint including a third party viewpoint, thereby reducing the inconvenience of carrying photographic equipment in real space and others. The purpose is to create a moving image without the hassle of requesting shooting.

  The present invention provides the following solutions.

  (1) A virtual space broadcasting device that creates a moving image using a virtual space and distributes the moving image via a computer network, and receives user access requests from user terminals and authenticates users. An acquisition unit; a user location information acquisition unit that receives location information of the user in the real space; a virtual space search unit that converts the user location information into location information in a virtual space; and a virtual space for the user. An avatar moving means for moving an avatar related in the virtual space in the virtual space based on the position information in the virtual space, and an image including a moving image of the virtual object including the avatar in the virtual space. Virtual space broadcasting apparatus comprising: virtual space image generating means for generating; and resource location transmitting means for transmitting a location of a network resource storing the image to the user.

  The virtual space broadcasting apparatus is a network-connected computer, particularly a computer connected to the Internet, and may have a server function for providing services via the Internet, and the circuit, scale, configuration, etc. of the computer are not limited. The server may be a server configured by a single computer or a server configured by connecting a plurality of computers to a network, and the details of the configuration are not limited.

(Video of virtual space)
The moving image that uses the virtual space includes a moving image that is photographed with time continuity using an object or the like in a virtual space including an avatar as a photographing target from a viewpoint that is appropriately set in the virtual space. The object in the virtual space including the avatar may move in the virtual space during shooting or may be stationary.

(Virtual space shooting)
The viewpoint may be a place in the same virtual space during the shooting period, or the viewpoint may be moved during the shooting period. The photographing may be performed with a constant viewing angle with respect to an object in the virtual space to be photographed, or the viewing angle may be changed during the photographing period.

(Video distribution)
The moving image may be distributed to a person accessing the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention as a stream of a moving image in a format that can be displayed on an Internet browser or the like used by the accessing person. A video in a format that can be displayed may be referred to as a file, and the details of the mode of video distribution are not limited. The moving image display means used by the accessing person is not limited to a browser, and may be a program, an application, or the like for displaying an image including a moving image. In the moving image terminal device distributed by the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention, The details of the display means do not matter.

(User information acquisition means)
The user information acquisition unit refers to a user information database storing unique information of a user (user) in the virtual space, and acquires information specific to the user. The information unique to the user includes information for identifying the user in a service provided by the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as a user ID), information on an avatar operated by the user in the virtual space, the avatar Appropriately includes information on objects owned in the virtual space. The user ID is used for authentication that the user is an authorized user of the virtual space. The authentication may be performed by the virtual space broadcasting device or may be performed by an authentication server for user authentication connected to the virtual space broadcasting device, and details of the user authentication means are not limited. The authentication server may be connected to the virtual space broadcasting device via a network, or may be built in the virtual space broadcasting device.

(User location information acquisition means)
The user position information acquisition means is means for acquiring user position information in real space, more specifically, a GPS device, a car navigation system, a GPS mobile phone (the mobile phone includes a PHS), A notebook PC with GPS, connection of a user terminal to a public wireless LAN (hot spot) having unique position information, connection of a portable terminal to a mobile phone base station having unique position information, and unique position information Use of an IC card and / or magnetic recording medium associated with user personal information in a network connection terminal device, tracking of a user by a plurality of surveillance cameras having unique position information, and a wireless IC chip having unique position information ( RFID tag) Detection and tracking of the IC chip carried by the user by a reader, the user moves Want a trace back of fixed telephone used but not limited thereto, may be any means capable of acquiring position information of the user, regardless details.

  The position information recorded by the user position information acquisition unit appropriately includes a recording time. The time may be based on data received by the GPS device, or may be time information unique to the terminal device, and the details are not limited.

The position information recorded by the user position information acquisition means includes position information at a plurality of locations of the same user. For example, the user may use a GPS mobile phone while strolling and record the position information at a certain place and then move to another place to record the position information.
The recording of the position information may be performed manually by the user each time, or may be performed automatically and continuously at a predetermined time interval, and the timing for recording the position information may be appropriately designed.

  The recording of the location information may be performed based on information associated with a specific place in the real space, such as when the fare payment information of the railway ticket gate is transmitted / received using a mobile phone.

(Virtual space search means)
The virtual space search means is means for converting the user position information into position information in the virtual space, and more specifically, reproduces a process such as walking the user in the real space in the virtual space. Therefore, it is a means for obtaining positional information in the virtual space.
The virtual space search means may convert the position information of the user acquired by GPS or the like in the real space into coordinates defined in the virtual space, such as a virtual road or the like arranged in the virtual space. You may assign to the vicinity of an object, you may use the inside of a virtual building as positional information in virtual space, and the conversion of the positional information in virtual space can be designed suitably.

(Avatar moving means)
The avatar moving means moves the avatar in the virtual space using the position information in the virtual space obtained by the virtual space searching means as the position information of the avatar in the virtual space of the user. In the virtual space position information, the order of movement is defined based on the recording time in the real space. When there are a plurality of routes for moving avatars in the virtual space, the shortest route may be selected, the user may designate a passing point, and the route selection can be designed as appropriate.

  The time required for moving the avatar in the virtual space can be designed as appropriate. For example, even if it takes 30 minutes on foot to move from point A to point B in the real space, the time required for moving the avatar in the virtual space may be 1 second or 1 minute. The movement of the avatar in the virtual space may omit displaying part or all of the route on the way, and after the avatar disappears at the point A, the avatar may appear by changing the scene to the point B. May be faded out, gradually disappearing, and the appearance may be faded in gradually appearing, and the screen effect accompanying the movement of the avatar in the virtual space can be designed as appropriate.

(Virtual space image generation means)
The virtual space image generation means includes appropriately setting a virtual viewpoint in the virtual space for photographing a virtual object including the avatar in the virtual space. The viewpoint may be above the face of the avatar or may be above the back of the avatar, and the relative position with the avatar can be designed as appropriate. The visual field of the virtual space viewed from the viewpoint may include the whole body or a part of the avatar, and the viewing angle of the visual field can be designed as appropriate.

  The format of the moving image generated by the virtual space image generating means can be designed as appropriate. The moving image only needs to be displayed on the terminal screen of the person who accesses it through an Internet browser or the like, and may be distributed as a stream or viewed as a file. The moving image may include an area for separately storing character information and the like. The number of pixels per frame of the moving image, the number of frames per unit time, the compression rate, etc. can be designed as appropriate.

  The virtual space may include a moving image generated by a unit other than the virtual space image generating unit, and may include a photographic image having the real space as a subject.

  The moving image generated by the virtual space image generation means includes the position information of the user in the real space recorded by the user position information acquisition means, the name of the building near the user based on the position information, the place name, It may include a name associated with an object in the virtual space, such as a name. For example, as the avatar approaches a specific virtual building in the virtual space, a character indicating the name may be displayed in the vicinity of the building on the moving image screen. The display of names and the like in the video screen can be designed as appropriate.

(Resource location transmission means)
The resource location transmission unit transmits the location of the resource on the network in which the moving image generated by the virtual space image generation unit is stored to the user. The location of the resource is a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) that is a sequence of formal symbols for identifying resources on the Internet for referring to the video, and is embedded in a homepage, blog, e-mail, etc. Can do.

The information transmitted by the resource location transmission unit may include a search result of the virtual space search unit. That is, in addition to the URL for referring to the moving image, a virtual building, a virtual place name, names of various objects, and the like included in the moving image may be appropriately transmitted to the user. The user can associate the moving image indicated by the URL with the object from the information on the object in the virtual space where the name is specifically indicated.
Further, the information transmitted by the resource location transmitting means may include real space information based on the user position information acquiring means. Thereby, the user can associate the information based on the position of the real space and the information of the object in the virtual space with the moving image indicated by the URL.

  By using the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention, when the user transmits the location information of the real space acquired at an arbitrary point to the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention while walking with a GPS mobile phone or the like, A moving image in which the user's action is substituted for the avatar in the space is generated. The user is notified of the location of the data resource storing the moving image, and by embedding information on the location of the resource in a blog, e-mail, etc., a blog or the like with the moving image can be easily created.

  A plurality of users with different IDs may be simultaneously included in an image including a moving image generated by the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention. For example, a plurality of users are gathered in the real space so as to be included in one screen, and each of them acquires their own location information and transmits it to the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention during the same fixed period, A plurality of avatars may be included, and a moving image or the like in which the plurality of avatars move in the virtual space may be generated.

  In the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention, since an image in the virtual space including the avatar can be taken, there is no inconvenience such as bringing a tripod for fixing the camera in order to obtain a third party viewpoint in the real space. The user only has to acquire the position information of the real space by a simple operation as if the camera is shooting a landscape. In the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention, an avatar reproduces and moves a user's route in the real space in the virtual space, and a moving image in the virtual space viewed from a third party viewpoint can be generated.

  Multiple users can use the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention at the same time to generate a moving image including a plurality of avatars in the virtual space. Can be created.

  (2) The virtual space broadcasting apparatus according to (1), wherein the user position information acquisition means includes a user position information acquisition means determined by GPS (Global Positioning System).

  The GPS may be a GPS device that acquires and displays the user's position information independently, or may be a GPS device that is included in a car navigation system, a mobile phone, or the like to acquire and display the user's position information. A suitable means for transmitting the position information to the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention is to use a GPS mobile phone, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the user can use a notebook computer or the like electrically separated from the GPS apparatus. The user's own position information may be transmitted to the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention by manual operation using.

  By using the GPS, a user who uses the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention can easily acquire his / her position information in the real space.

  (3) The virtual space broadcasting apparatus according to (1), including location search means for searching for a location where the user can be a destination of movement in the real space based on the user position information.

The location may be anything as long as the user of the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention can be a destination of movement in the real space. For example, when a plurality of business entities individually borrow or own separate rooms in the same building, and the destination is a location where the user points to a specific room, the location pointing to another room is the destination It can be identified as different from the location that is the ground. The location may identify a partition or the like associated with an individual department within the business. The location includes real estate such as a store, a building, a facility, a park, and a historic site that may exist in the vicinity of the user in the real space.
In addition, the location is, for example, a store that is stored in a warehouse in the daytime and operates on a busy street corner only at night, and that can be moved such as a stand that a customer can stop from another place at any length of time. Including. In addition, for example, it is considered that the inside of a passenger moving means that operates according to a predetermined schedule such as a train, an airplane, a ship, etc. is a movement that is scheduled to move from an existing location at a specific time to an existing location at a later time. It can be included as a plurality of destinations continuous from the starting point to the arriving point. That is, a specific one of the sleepers included in the sleeper train can be searched using the location search unit as a destination. In these respects, the location searched by the location search means of the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention is different from the identification based on the place name, address, etc., which is included in the map information and does not move by itself.
In addition, the location may be a name associated with a fictitious building that does not actually exist, such as a planned construction site for an undecided competition facility. A name associated with an object may be used, and any name may be used as long as the user can be a destination of movement such as a walk, a target of movement, or a place where the movement has elapsed. Further, the location may be a place name, a name of a natural object, or the like.
The location search means includes searching and outputting the location based on the user position information.

  The location search unit may search one location from one user position information, or may search a plurality of locations. For example, based on the position information transmitted by the user of the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention in front of a railway station in the real space, the location search unit may search for a station name, and search for a station building and surrounding buildings. You may search for the name of the country and / or prefecture that includes the station building, or you may search for a place name included in the route of other means of transportation that includes the station in front of the route. The number can be designed as appropriate.

  The format of the information indicating the location may be text, link information for indicating the location of the data resource on the Internet, an image, a combination thereof, and the details of the format are not limited.

  The location may include a name of a business entity, a trademark, an advertisement, and the like. For example, when the name of the intersection of a certain road is “Firefly trap” associated with a specific place name, and the sales office of company Q, which sells mobile phone supplies, faces the intersection, The name “Q company front” may be included in the search result of the location search unit as a name indicating the same intersection as “firefly trap”, and a name including a public notice such as “Q company front of shining mobile strap” May be included in the search result of the location search unit.

The location may include position information in the virtual space for the virtual space search means included in the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention. For example, the location search unit may search for information on a virtual railway station front in the virtual space, which is associated with the railway station front in the real space. When there is no virtual building or the like equivalent to the real space in the virtual space, the location search unit may indicate only the location of the real space as a search result, and there is no information that can be associated with the virtual space. This may be shown in the search results.
The location search unit associates information for the virtual space search means with a location in the real space, so that the virtual space search means can set more detailed search conditions for the virtual space search. The search result by the location search unit may be included in information transmitted to the user by the resource location transmission means included in the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention. It is not necessary to manually input object information such as a virtual building associated with the information into its own blog, homepage, e-mail, etc., and the information can be used easily.

  By using the location search means, the user of the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention can obtain information on facilities, buildings, place names, natural objects, etc. that can be associated with the user location information in text format, image format, and Internet. It can be easily obtained by arbitrarily selecting from link information or the like.

(4) The virtual space broadcasting device according to (3) , wherein the virtual space image generation unit generates an image that refers to the location.

  The image that references the location includes a link to the location associated with the image. For example, in a terminal device of a person who accesses the image using an Internet browser or the like, a link to the location can be used by placing the mouse cursor on the image, and the location can be displayed by clicking the mouse.

  The location reference may be included in the entire generated image, or a reference destination may be associated with a part of the image. For example, the location including the advertisement associated with the building may be displayed by clicking on the building in the virtual space included in the generated moving image.

  By using the virtual space image generation means, a person who refers to the moving image generated by the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention continues the three-dimensional virtual space associated with the location of the real space and the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention. You can have an interest in using it. In addition, an advertiser who provides an advertisement included in a location has an opportunity to distribute an advertisement using a three-dimensional virtual space.

(5) the resource location transmitting means transmits the text to refer to locations that are retrieved by the location search section to the user, the virtual space broadcasting device (3).

  The text that refers to the location may be HTML text describing display data and display control data, or any file that can be edited using a text editor.

  The text that refers to the location includes a link to the location associated with the text. For example, in a terminal device of a person who accesses a blog using an Internet browser or the like, a link to the location can be used by placing the mouse cursor on the text, and the location can be displayed by clicking the mouse.

  The user of the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention can easily and easily create a blog manuscript including an association with a location by transmitting text referring to the location to the resource location transmitting means. .

  (6) The virtual space broadcasting apparatus according to (1), including moving image file creation means for converting the format of the moving image shot in the virtual space according to a predetermined procedure.

  The format conversion appropriately includes change of the image compression method, enlargement / reduction of the image display area, extraction of a part of the display area, change of the time resolution (number of time slices) of the moving image, conversion of the moving image codec, and the like.

  The format conversion is not particularly limited as long as it can generate a moving image in a format that can be displayed by an Internet browser that refers to a blog containing the moving image.

  By using the virtual space moving image photographing means included in the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention, the user does not have to manually encode the video signal or convert the file format, and the created moving image can be converted into a blog, e-mail, etc. Can be easily referred to.

  (7) A virtual space broadcasting system that creates a moving image using a virtual space and distributes the moving image via a computer network, and receives the access request from a user terminal and authenticates the user An information acquisition device; a user location information acquisition device that receives the user location information; a virtual space search device that converts the user location information into location information in virtual space; and An avatar moving device that moves the associated avatar in the virtual space based on the position information in the virtual space, and an image that includes the moving image by shooting a moving image of the virtual object including the avatar in the virtual space. A virtual space broadcasting system comprising: a virtual space image generating device for generating; and a resource location transmitting device for transmitting a location of a network resource for storing the moving image to the user. .

  The virtual space broadcasting system may be a single computer or server device as a whole, or may be a system in which each device is connected to an independent computer or server device via a network.

By using the virtual space broadcasting system, a user carries a moving image by carrying his GPS mobile phone or the like and appropriately acquiring his / her position information while walking around and transmitting it to the virtual space broadcasting system of the present invention. You can easily create a blog.
In the virtual space broadcasting system of the present invention, it is possible to generate a moving image viewed from a third-party viewpoint in which an avatar reproduces a user's process and moves in a virtual space by a simple operation.

  (8) A virtual space broadcasting device that creates a moving image using a virtual space and distributes the moving image via a computer network, and receives an access request from a user terminal to the computer and authenticates the user. A user information acquisition step, a user position information acquisition step for receiving the user position information, a virtual space search step for converting the user position information into position information in a virtual space, and a virtual for the user. An avatar moving step of moving an avatar related in the space in the virtual space based on the position information in the virtual space, and shooting a moving image of a virtual object including the avatar in the virtual space. A virtual space image generation step for generating an image including the resource location transmission for transmitting the location of the network resource for storing the moving image to the user; Virtual space broadcast program to be executed by the step.

  The virtual space broadcast program may be executed entirely by a single computer, or may be executed over a plurality of computers connected via a network, and the virtual space broadcast program may be executed by a computer that executes the virtual space broadcast program. Details do not matter. Any type of medium may be used for storing the virtual space broadcast program.

By using the virtual space broadcast program, the user can take a moving image by carrying his GPS mobile phone or the like and appropriately acquiring his / her position information while walking around and transmitting it to the virtual space broadcast system of the present invention. You can easily create a blog.
In the virtual space broadcast program of the present invention, it is possible to generate a moving image viewed from a third party viewpoint in which the avatar reproduces the user's process and moves in the virtual space by a simple operation.

According to the present invention, a user can easily create a blog, an e-mail, or the like with a moving image by manipulating a GPS mobile phone as if pressing a shutter button of a camera at any time while strolling while strolling. Can do.
Further, according to the present invention, for example, the user only has to carry a GPS mobile phone for acquiring position information and transmitting information, and does not have to carry a photographing device for creating a moving image as in the conventional case. The inconvenience of carrying can be eliminated, and information on the shooting location where the position information has been acquired can be included in the moving image.
In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to create an avatar video from a third-party viewpoint by causing an avatar to reproduce an action in the real space by using an avatar, so it is troublesome to request photography to others. Can be created, and a movie with a work like a movie or animation shot from a third-party perspective can be created.
Furthermore, by using the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention, a plurality of users generate a moving image including a plurality of avatars in the virtual space, so that an animated movie or the like having an avatar as a character can be easily operated by operating a mobile phone. Can be created.

  Hereinafter, a virtual space broadcasting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Video blog creation support method]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a virtual space broadcasting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the virtual space broadcasting device 10 includes a user information acquisition unit 12, a user position information acquisition unit 12, a location search unit 14, a virtual space search unit 15, an avatar moving unit 16, and a virtual space image generation unit. 17, a moving image file creation unit 18, and a resource location transmission unit 19.

A user who intends to use the virtual space broadcasting device 10 carries the GPS mobile phone 23 and the like, and appropriately transmits his / her position information to the GPS mobile phone 23 using communication for position information transmitted by the GPS satellite 22. The self-location information is stored and transmitted to the virtual space broadcasting apparatus 10.
The user information acquisition unit 12 included in the virtual space broadcasting device 10 authenticates the user who intends to access the virtual space broadcasting device 10 and permits access.

  The user position information acquisition unit 13 acquires the position information received from the GPS mobile phone 23 carried by the user.

  The location search unit 14 is connected to a location database (DB) 24, and based on the user location information acquired by the user location information acquisition unit 13, a location that the user can take as a destination in real space, that is, a point, a place, It has a function to search for buildings and rooms in buildings. The location appropriately includes text information such as a map image in the form of a plan view and a place name associated with the map.

The virtual space search unit 15, the avatar moving unit 16, and the virtual space image generation unit 17 are connected to the virtual space server 31, and the virtual space server 31 is connected to the virtual space DB 30. The user can use the virtual space server to perform operations such as editing the appearance of the avatar in the virtual space.
The virtual space search unit 15 has a function of searching for avatars in the virtual space, virtual space position information associated with the avatars, avatar costumes, and the like. The virtual space search unit 15 constitutes a landscape or the like in the virtual space viewed from the user's viewpoint defined in the virtual space, a self-avatar, another avatar, a natural object such as a virtual ground or a distant view, a virtual An object included in the field of view, such as a typical road or an artificial object such as a building, can be appropriately searched.

  The avatar moving unit 16 moves the user's avatar in the virtual space based on the position information in the virtual space searched by the virtual space searching unit 15. The field of view of the avatar, that is, the far limit of the object that forms the image of the three-dimensional virtual space together with the avatar can be appropriately designed. As the avatar moves, the virtual space search unit 15 can appropriately search for an object included in the field of view. For example, when the visual field is 100 m as a virtual distance, the virtual space search unit 15 may search for an object included in the visual field every time the avatar moves 50 m, and every time the avatar moves 10 m. Search may be performed, and updating of the visual field accompanying movement and updating of objects included in the visual field may be appropriately designed.

The virtual space image generation unit 17 maps the object in the virtual space searched by the virtual space search unit 15 to the three-dimensional virtual space as the avatar moves by the avatar moving unit 16. A two-dimensional image viewed from the user's viewpoint is generated by the mapping and a virtual photographing unit appropriately provided in the virtual space. The two-dimensional image can be viewed as a scenery in a virtual space by display means such as a terminal device.
The virtual space image generation unit 17 can generate an avatar moving image that appropriately includes an object viewed from the viewpoint of the virtual photographing unit by continuously photographing the two-dimensional image at a constant time interval, for example. That is, the virtual space image generation unit 17 can capture a situation where the avatar moving unit 16 moves the user's avatar in the virtual space. Even when the avatar remains in a certain place in the virtual space, the virtual space image generation unit 17 displays the avatar image before starting the movement, the avatar image after the avatar completes the predetermined movement, and the like. It can be taken as appropriate. The time interval for moving image shooting can be arbitrarily designed. The image generated by the virtual space image generation unit 17 is not limited to a moving image and may be a still image. The still image is not limited to a certain time interval, and may be a plurality of still images that are arbitrarily shot.

  The moving image file creation unit 18 creates a moving image file 27 in a predetermined file format based on the plurality of two-dimensional images generated by the virtual space image generation unit 17. The predetermined file format appropriately includes predetermined procedures relating to compression and decompression of image information. The predetermined file format is, for example, mpeg (motion JPEG) format, flv (flash video) format, etc., but is not limited thereto, and a video file format that can be viewed by the user using an Internet browser or the like is appropriately selected. Yes. By using the moving image file creation unit 18, a moving image file 27 in which a plurality of two-dimensional images generated by the virtual space image generation unit 17 are compressed is created. When the moving image file creation unit 18 stores the moving image file 27 using an appropriately compressed file format, the load on the network when the user views the moving image can be reduced.

The resource location transmission unit 19 transmits the resource location in which the moving image created by the moving image file creation unit 18 is stored to the user. The transmission is performed by e-mail, for example. The location of the resource is described as a URL, for example.
By using the resource location transmitter 19, the information transmitted from the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention to the user can be a single URL. That is, it is not necessary to send the moving image file itself to the user. The user can obtain information for viewing the moving image only with URL information of about several tens of bytes to several hundreds of bytes even when using a terminal such as a mobile phone with limited communication speed and storage capacity. it can. The URL information can be pasted or embedded in a blog, e-mail, etc. posted by the user, and the user can use the video taken in the virtual space, for example, by easily introducing it to others. .

  Each part constituting the virtual space broadcasting device 10 may be a computer such as an independent server device, or may be a computer such as one server device as a whole, and the details of the computer are not limited. The virtual space server 31 may be configured by connecting a plurality of computers such as server devices, or may be a single computer. The location DB 24, the moving image DB 28, and the virtual space DB 30 may be independent database server devices or may be included in other server devices. The connection between the virtual space broadcasting apparatus 10 and the location DB 24, the moving image DB 28, and the virtual space server 31 may share a system bus, may be an intranet, may be via the Internet, and the details of the connection are not limited.

  The location DB 24 stores the location and appropriately includes character information such as a map image in the form of a plan view and a place name associated with the map. The location DB 24 may be a dedicated database accessed exclusively from the virtual space broadcasting apparatus 10 of the present invention, or may include an existing map database accessible via the Internet. The data structure of the location included in the location DB 24 may be anything.

  The moving image DB 28 stores the moving image file 27 created by the moving image file creating unit 18 included in the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention. Unspecified network users including the user can browse a specific moving image using an Internet browser or the like by obtaining URL information for browsing each moving image file.

  The virtual space DB 30 includes information managed by the manager of the virtual space, such as the avatar of the virtual space identified by the user ID, the avatars of other users in the virtual space, virtual natural objects, and artificial objects. . The virtual space DB 30 includes information managed by the user, such as information such as the appearance of the user's own avatar edited by the user, information on an object created and / or edited in the virtual space by the user. Furthermore, the virtual space DB 30 is used for the background sound in the virtual space, the virtual natural sound, the voice signal generated by the moving means in the virtual space, the user call voice through the virtual space, the various acoustic effects in the virtual space, etc. And voice information for generating voice in the terminal.

  The virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention uses the location DB 24, the moving image DB 28, and the virtual space DB 30 to which the respective roles are shared, thereby using the location performed by the virtual space broadcasting apparatus, using the virtual space, and storing the moving image file. Can be processed efficiently.

  By using the virtual space broadcasting device 10 of the present invention, there is an effect that a user can easily create a blog, an e-mail or the like with a moving image by operating a GPS mobile phone. Further, according to the virtual space broadcasting apparatus 10 of the present invention, the user does not have to carry the photographing equipment for creating the moving image as in the conventional case, and the inconvenience of carrying the photographing equipment can be solved. Moreover, according to the virtual space broadcasting apparatus 10 of the present invention, there is an effect that an avatar moving image from a third party viewpoint can be created by reproducing an avatar using a virtual space with its own behavior in the real space.

[Hardware configuration of virtual space broadcasting device]
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the moving image blog creation support apparatus according to an example of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a server will be described as an example. However, the same applies to the case where a personal computer is used as a client terminal.

  The virtual space broadcasting apparatus 10 includes a CPU 110 constituting a control unit 108 (a plurality of CPUs such as a CPU 120 may be added in a multiprocessor configuration), a bus line 107, a communication I / F 140, a main memory 150, a BIOS (Basic Input Output). System) 160, USB port 190, I / O controller 170, keyboard and mouse 180, and other input means and display device 122. A storage unit 109 such as a tape drive 172, a hard disk 174, an optical disk drive 176, or a semiconductor memory 178 can be connected to the I / O controller 170. The BIOS 160 stores a boot program executed by the CPU 110 when the server is started, a program depending on the server hardware, and the like. The hard disk 174 stores various programs for functioning as a server and programs for executing the functions of the present invention. As the optical disk drive 176, for example, a DVD-ROM drive, a CD-ROM drive, a DVD-RAM drive, a CD-RAM drive, or the like can be used. In this case, the optical disk 177 corresponding to each drive is used. A program or data can be read from the optical disk 177 by the optical disk drive 176 and provided to the main memory 150 or the hard disk 174 via the I / O controller 170. Similarly, the tape medium 171 corresponding to the tape drive 172 can be used mainly for backup.

  The program provided to the server is provided by being stored in a recording medium such as the hard disk 174, the optical disk 177, or a memory card. This program may be installed in the server and executed by being read from the recording medium via the I / O controller 170 or downloaded via the communication I / F 140.

  The above program may be stored in an internal or external storage medium. Here, examples of the storage medium include, but are not limited to, a magnetic recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, an optical recording medium, and an electronic medium. The magnetic recording medium includes a magnetic tape, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk 174, a magnetic random access memory (MRAM), etc., and the magneto-optical recording medium includes a magneto-optical disk (MO and MD), etc. Recording media include write-once compact discs (CDs), write-once digital multipurpose discs (DVDs), write-once Blu-ray discs, write-once holographic discs, etc., and electronic media are electrically writable read-only memory, random access memory , Flash memory, silicon storage disk, etc. Further, a storage device such as a hard disk 174 or an optical disk library provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication line or a communication line such as the Internet may be used as a recording medium, and the program may be provided to the server via the communication line. .

  Here, the display device 122 displays a screen for accepting data input by the server administrator, or displays a screen of calculation processing results. The display device 122 is a cathode ray tube display device (CRT) or a liquid crystal display device (LCD). Display devices. The input means accepts input by the user, and may be configured with a keyboard and mouse 180 or the like. The communication I / F 140 is a network adapter that enables a server to be connected to a terminal via a dedicated network or a public network. The communication I / F 140 may include a modem, a cable modem, and an Ethernet (registered trademark) adapter.

  In the above example, the hardware configuration of the virtual space broadcasting apparatus 10 has been mainly described. However, the functions described above are realized by installing a program in a computer and operating the computer as the virtual space broadcasting apparatus 10. You can also Therefore, the functions realized by the virtual space broadcasting apparatus 10 described as one embodiment in the present invention are executed by executing the above-described method by the computer or by introducing the above-described program into the computer. This is also possible.

[data structure]
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of user location information transmitted to the virtual space broadcasting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

When the user transmits the position information to the virtual space broadcasting apparatus 10 of the present invention, the transmission of the ID for identifying the user, the position information of the user acquired by the GPS mobile phone 23, the time when the position information is acquired, etc. Etc.
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the user location information 40 includes a user ID 41, a terminal ID 42, an X coordinate 43, a Y coordinate 44, a Z coordinate 45, and a time 46. Information such as numbers may be added, and coordinates and time expressions can be arbitrarily designed.

FIG. 3 illustrates a case where the same user whose user ID 41 is “ABC01234” uses the same terminal whose terminal ID 42 is “HAL9001” and transmits user location information to the virtual space broadcasting device 10 of the present invention. To do. In FIG. 3, each row represents one transmission, and information included in the column of time 46 represents, for example, a time when “T120634” is 12:06:34.
In the example of FIG. 3, it is shown that the user has transmitted the position information at 12:06:34, 12:55:45, and 14:33:12. Each row of the X coordinate 43, the Y coordinate 44, and the Z coordinate 45 represents a three-dimensional coordinate where the user in the real space exists at each time when the position information is transmitted. In the example of FIG. 3, the values of the respective axes of the orthogonal coordinate system with the arbitrarily defined origin as a reference are used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and latitude, longitude, polar coordinate display, and the like can be arbitrarily used.

  By using the data structure of the user position information related to the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention, the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention can acquire the position information of the user in the real space together with the identification by the user ID and the terminal ID. .

[Virtual space DB]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a virtual space for moving image shooting according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 1, the virtual space image generation unit 17 included in the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention maps the avatars and objects in the virtual space searched by the virtual space search unit 15 in the three-dimensional virtual space. Then, an image obtained by viewing the three-dimensional virtual space from a predetermined viewpoint at a predetermined angle of view is generated.

  In FIG. 4, the virtual space 32 viewed from the virtual photographing means 34 includes a user avatar 33, a virtual building object 35, a virtual moving object 36, a virtual natural object 37, and the like. As appropriate. These avatars and objects have respective position information in the virtual space, and by moving the viewpoint, the arrangement of the objects included in the image viewed at the predetermined angle of view can be changed. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, the user avatar 33 flying in the virtual air can change the position information indicating the height in the virtual space with the passage of time. The height of the predetermined viewpoint of the virtual photographing means 34 can also be changed so that the avatar 33 falls within the angle of view.

  By using the configuration of the virtual space for moving image shooting according to the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention, the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention can generate an image in which the user's avatar is viewed from a third party viewpoint. it can.

[Example of recording procedure]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of moving image generation by the virtual space broadcasting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the stage of user authentication (step S10), the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention authenticates the user and identifies the user by the user ID.
At the stage of receiving position information (step S12), the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention acquires position information of the user in the real space. The location information can appropriately include location information received by a GPS mobile phone from a GPS satellite, time information, and the like. The time information may be attached to position information transmitted by the GPS satellite, or may be time information acquired by the GPS mobile phone or the like alone, and the details are not limited.
In the stage of storing the user position information (step S14), the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention stores the position information of the user using a predetermined data structure including the position information acquired in step S12 described above.
At the stage of the location search (step S16), the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention is based on the location information of the user from the storage of the real space location, the point, the place, the building, the room in the building, the map Image information including character information, character information unique to position information such as a place name, and arbitrary character information such as advertisements are appropriately searched and stored. The storage of the location may include an existing map database.
The step of determining whether it is the last position information (step S18) is a conditional branch. At this stage, the user transmits an instruction to end the transmission of the position information in the real space, so that the virtual space broadcasting of the present invention is performed. The steps performed by the device proceed to step S20. When the user continuously transmits the position information in the real space, the process returns to step S12.

In the step of mapping an avatar in the virtual space (step S20), the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention is based on the positional information of the user in the real space, and the virtual positional information of the user's avatar in the virtual space. And other avatars in the vicinity of the avatar, objects in the virtual space, and the like are mapped in the virtual space. Thereby, the image of the avatar and the object included in the three-dimensional virtual space can be configured using the virtual photographing means provided at the predetermined viewpoint.
In moving image shooting in the virtual space (step S22), a moving image of the three-dimensional virtual space including the mapped avatar and object is shot. The moving image may be a collection of still images taken at a certain time interval, or may be an avatar still image taken at a certain time interval on a background image moving in a predetermined direction. The configuration of can be designed as appropriate.
In the moving image file format conversion (step S24), the moving image is converted into a predetermined file format. The predetermined file format includes an mpeg format, flv format, etc., and includes compressing a moving image as appropriate. The moving image file that has undergone file conversion including compression is stored in a predetermined hardware resource.
In the information transmission (step S26), information for accessing the resource storing the moving image file is transmitted to the user by e-mail or the like. The information for accessing is, for example, a URL character string that identifies a resource on the network where the moving image file exists. The URL may be notified to the user as a character string, embedded in an e-mail in HTML format, or included in a blog that can be posted by the user.

  The steps included in FIG. 5 may appropriately detect an interruption of transmission from the GPS mobile phone during the user's usage period, and perform error processing (not shown). The error processing may include processing such as storing a stage at which the interruption in the usage period of the user is detected, and inquiring the user to resume from the stored stage when the user resumes use of the virtual space broadcasting device. Good.

  When the user transmits his / her position information in the real space any number of times according to the moving image shooting procedure performed by the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the invention, a moving image of the avatar in the virtual space is automatically created. An avatar animation can be used using information transmitted by the virtual space broadcasting apparatus.

[Example of creating a video blog]
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a blog including a moving image generated by the virtual space broadcasting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The browser display area 80 is an internet browser display area used by a user who views and / or edits a blog. Since the display content may continue below one screen of the screen display device, the lower part of the browser display area 80 is omitted in FIG.

The content of the blog displayed in the browser display area 80 appropriately includes a blog title 81, a post display area 82, a character display area 83, a moving image display area 84, a moving image control function area 85, an additional input area 86, and the like.
The blog title 81 is a character string or the like of an area in which information that the blog regularly has is displayed to a user who accesses the blog specified by a unique URL.
The post display area 82 is an area for displaying articles posted by users who edit the blog and / or post new articles.
The character display area 83 is an area for displaying character information including the location and the like generated by the location search unit 14 included in the virtual space broadcasting device 10 of the present invention. In FIG. The example which the user's action record which consists of the position information of the user who performed etc., the time etc. which acquired each position information, etc. is displayed is shown. Not limited to this, the character area 83 can appropriately include a point, a place, a name of a building or the like existing near the route, and the like included in the location.

  The moving image display area 84 is an area in which a moving image file is displayed based on link information to the moving image file generated by the virtual space broadcasting device 10 of the present invention. The moving image may be stored in a moving image database included in the virtual space broadcasting device 10 of the present invention and distributed as a stream or the like to a browser display area, and stores information on the blog specified by the unique URL. It may be transferred to the blog server and stored, and the storage location of the moving image file reproduced in the moving image display area 84 may be anywhere.

  FIG. 6 shows an example in which the moving image displayed in the moving image display area 84 includes a user's avatar 33 in another virtual space, an avatar 48 of another user, an object in the virtual space, and the like. Not limited to these, the names of places, places, buildings, etc. in the real space searched by the location search unit, and the names of objects in the virtual space searched by the virtual space search unit may be appropriately overlaid on the moving image. .

  The moving picture control function area 85 is an area for a control function for starting, stopping, fast-forwarding, rewinding, and the like of the moving picture displayed in the moving picture display area 84. The control function may add or restrict display on the blog based on information included in the avatar video. For example, a function for lowering the display may be added to an avatar moving image representing a situation where the user is moving in the virtual space at a speed 100 times higher than the speed of human walking in the real space. In addition, for example, a function of enlarging and displaying a part of an image may be added to an avatar video in which a user's avatar is captured with a wide angle of view from a distant viewpoint in the virtual space. In addition, for example, for a video that dances such that the avatar repeats the same posture according to the tempo of electronic music, the video playback stop function is limited so that the viewer does not stop the movement of the avatar. Also good. These display additions or restrictions on the blog can be designed as appropriate.

  The additional input area 86 is an area for the user and other users to write a reply or the like based on the article described in the posting display area 82. This area can use what is provided as a ready-made blog service.

A user who wants to post a video and action record on a blog uses the GPS mobile phone 23 at an arbitrary point in the course of his / her walk, etc., and transmits the position information of the real space to the virtual space broadcasting apparatus 10 of the present invention. To do. In the above-described post display area 82, a phrase such as “I walked here today” may be written, or no word may be written.
The virtual space broadcasting device 10 of the present invention generates a location text based on the user's position information, and generates an avatar video viewed from a third party viewpoint using a virtual space database. By using the virtual space broadcasting device 10 of the present invention, the user can use a simple procedure to transmit a short sentence appropriately according to the operation and preference of the mobile phone for transmitting location information, Blog articles including avatar videos can be easily created.

[Example of creating a collective avatar video]
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a plurality of users who are close to each other in the real space transmit position information to the virtual space broadcasting device at the same time according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the real space 90 shown in FIG. 7, the person A91 and the person B92 are present at intervals enough to talk to each other, and at the same time using the respective GPS mobile phones 23a and 23b, the virtual space broadcasting device 10 of the present invention. The respective position information is transmitted to.
The virtual space broadcasting device 10 of the present invention generates character information including action records of the person A 91 and the person B 92 according to the procedure described so far, and uses the virtual space DB 30 and the virtual space server 31 to generate the person A 91 and An avatar moving image file viewed from the third person viewpoint of the person B92 is generated.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a moving image including a plurality of avatars is created in a virtual space according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 8, it is an example which shows the screen structure of the moving image containing the avatar which the above-mentioned person A91 and person B92 operate | moved in the virtual space produced | generated by the virtual space broadcasting apparatus 10 of this invention. In the virtual space 94 shown in FIG. 8, the avatar A95 is the avatar of the person A91, and the avatar B96 is the avatar of the person B92. The object 97 included in the virtual space 94 is a natural object representing the sun, the object 98 is a natural object, and the object 99 is an artificial object representing a ship. Not only these but the virtual space 94 can contain objects other than an avatar suitably.

  The person A 91 and the person B 92 in the real space using FIG. 7 described above both transmit their respective position information to the virtual space broadcasting device 10 of the present invention at the same time, so that the virtual space 94 also has the same time. A situation in which avatar A95 and avatar B96 exist in the vicinity of each is created, and a moving image file including these avatars is generated. For example, in the virtual space 94, the shape of the wave front included in the natural object 98 changes over time, the natural object 97 moves along the trajectory, or the artificial object 99 moves in the traveling direction. However, when objects in the virtual space show movements that depend on the passage of time, such as drifting between waves, these movements are included in the moving image generated by the virtual space broadcasting device 10 of the present invention together with the avatar A95 and the avatar B96.

  In the real space 90, the person A91 and the person B92 may transmit their position information. Moreover, you may define the motion of the object in the virtual space 94 suitably by a script language etc. according to liking. By changing the field of view and viewing angle of the virtual photographing means 34, a moving image including a screen effect such as zooming up from the distance toward the upper body of the avatar may be generated.

  In FIG. 8, the appearance of the avatar A95 is similar to that of a cat, and the appearance of the avatar B96 is similar to that of a dog. However, the appearance of the avatar in the virtual space 94 can be appropriately designed. For example, an avatar video in which an avatar (not shown) having a witch's appearance on a virtual beach and an avatar (not shown) having a flamingo appearance walk together while watching a virtual sunset (not shown). And can be generated by the virtual space broadcasting apparatus 10 of the present invention.

  7 and 8 exemplify two persons in the real space 90 and the respective avatars in the virtual space 94. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a moving image generated by the virtual space broadcasting device 10 of the present invention. A plurality of people may gather and transmit position information at the same time so that more avatars appear on one screen (view).

  For example, by transmitting position information using a bicycle or the like that allows multiple people to move faster than walking in real space, equip the eaves object across the equestrian object in the virtual grassland of the virtual space. An avatar video or the like in which a plurality of avatars run around as a group can be generated by the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention.

  The transmission of the position information is not limited as long as the locus of the avatar in the virtual space can be defined. By transmitting the start point and the end point, the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention can calculate the movement of the intermediate point of the avatar in the virtual space. Good. For example, by transmitting location information on the upper floor of one high-rise building in real space and moving to the upper floor of another high-rise building to transmit location information, in the middle of these high-rise buildings in the virtual space An avatar video that floats and moves in the corresponding space can be created. The floating of the avatar may be accompanied by an object having an appearance of a moving means put into practical use in a real space such as a balloon or an airship, and an object having an appearance of a mechanism that cannot fly by itself in a real space such as a bicycle with a propeller. It may be accompanied by an object representing an imaginary object called “Tengu fan” or the like.

  For the generation of these avatar videos, it is not necessary to prepare actual objects such as costumes, costumes, makeup, fixtures, and moving means in the real space, and imaginary or imaginary equipment and moving means are created in the virtual space. Can be used.

In creating an avatar moving image using the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention, the user only has to transmit position information of a plurality of places in the real space using a GPS mobile phone or the like, and the camera shutter button while walking. It is possible to create information for generating a movie with a simple feeling like pressing.
The avatar moving image using the virtual space broadcasting apparatus of the present invention can record the movement of the avatar viewed from the third party viewpoint. Unlike the situation where the photographer himself is not included in the video when shooting a landscape etc. with a video camera, the user's avatar can appear on the screen in the virtual space broadcasting device of the present invention, which is similar to a movie It is possible to create a video with the work characteristics.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not restricted to embodiment mentioned above. The effects described in the embodiments of the present invention are only the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention. is not.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the virtual space broadcasting apparatus based on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the moving image blog creation assistance apparatus based on an example of suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the user location information transmitted to the virtual space broadcasting apparatus based on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the virtual space for moving image photography based on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the moving image generation by the virtual space broadcasting apparatus based on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the blog containing the moving image produced | generated by the virtual space broadcasting apparatus based on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example which the several user who exists in the vicinity mutually in real space transmits position information to a virtual space broadcasting apparatus at the same time based on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example by which the moving image containing a some avatar is created in virtual space based on one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Virtual space broadcasting apparatus 12 User information acquisition part 13 User position information acquisition part 14 Location search part 15 Virtual space search part 16 Avatar movement part 17 Virtual space image generation part 18 Movie file creation part 19 Resource location transmission part 22 GPS satellite 23 GPS mobile phone 24 Location database 27 Movie file 28 Movie database 29 User terminal 30 Virtual space database 31 Virtual space server 32 Virtual space 33 User avatar 34 Virtual photographing means 35 Virtual building object 36 Virtual movement Means object 37 Virtual natural object 40 User location information 41 User ID
42 Terminal ID
43 X coordinate 44 Y coordinate 45 Z coordinate 46 Time 48 Other user's avatar 80 Browser display area 81 Blog title 82 Post display area 83 Character display area 84 Video display area 85 Video control function area 86 Additional input area 90 Real space 91 Person A
92 Person B
94 Virtual space 95 Avatar A
96 Avatar B
97, 98, 99 objects (sun, sea, ship)
107 bus line 108 control unit 109 storage unit 110 CPU1
120 CPU2
122 Display device 140 Communication I / F
150 main memory 160 BIOS
170 I / O Controller 171 Tape Media 172 Tape Drive 174 Hard Disk 176 Optical Disk Drive 177 Optical Disk 178 Semiconductor Memory 180 Keyboard / Mouse 190 USB Port

Claims (8)

A virtual space broadcasting device that creates a moving image using a virtual space and distributes the moving image via a computer network,
User information acquisition means for receiving an access request from a user terminal and authenticating the user;
User location information acquisition means for receiving location information in the real space of the user;
Virtual space search means for converting the user position information into position information in virtual space;
An avatar moving means for moving an avatar associated with the user in the virtual space in the virtual space based on the position information in the virtual space;
Virtual space image generation means for capturing a virtual object including the avatar in the virtual space and generating an image including a moving image;
A virtual space broadcasting apparatus comprising resource location transmission means for transmitting a location of a network resource storing the image to the user.   The virtual space broadcasting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user position information acquisition means includes user position information acquisition means determined by GPS (Global Positioning System).   The virtual space broadcasting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising location search means for searching for a location where the user can be a destination of movement in real space based on the user position information. The virtual space broadcasting apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the virtual space image generation unit generates an image that refers to the location. The resource location transmitting means transmits the text to refer to locations that are retrieved by the location search section to the user, the virtual space broadcasting apparatus according to claim 3.   The virtual space broadcasting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a moving image file creating means for converting the format of the moving image shot in the virtual space according to a predetermined procedure. A virtual space broadcasting system that creates a moving image using a virtual space and distributes the moving image via a computer network,
A user information acquisition device that receives an access request from a user terminal and authenticates the user;
A user location information acquisition device for receiving the location information of the user;
A virtual space search device for converting the user position information into position information in virtual space;
An avatar moving device that moves an avatar associated with the user in the virtual space in the virtual space based on the position information in the virtual space;
A virtual space image generation device that shoots a moving image of a virtual object including the avatar in the virtual space and generates an image including the moving image;
A virtual space broadcasting system comprising: a resource location transmitting device that transmits a location of a network resource storing the moving image to the user. A virtual space broadcasting device that creates a moving image using a virtual space and distributes the moving image via a computer network,
A user information acquisition step of receiving an access request from a user terminal and authenticating the user;
A user location information acquisition step for receiving the user location information;
A virtual space search step of converting the user position information into position information in virtual space;
An avatar moving step of moving an avatar associated with the user in the virtual space in the virtual space based on the position information in the virtual space;
A virtual space image generation step of shooting a moving image of a virtual object including the avatar in the virtual space and generating an image including the moving image;
A virtual space broadcasting program for executing a resource location transmitting step of transmitting a location of a network resource storing the moving image to the user.

Images