JP4789145B2 - Content reproduction apparatus and content reproduction program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a content playback apparatus and a content playback program that play back content based on a virtual model built in a virtual space, and in particular, by adjusting audio output according to the position of a sound source, an immersive feeling to the content is provided. The present invention relates to a content playback apparatus and a content playback program that can be enhanced.

  Content using virtual reality is widely used in pachinko machines, pachislot machines, home game machines, PC games, CG movies, and the like. Such content is generally composed of a video captured by a virtual camera of a virtual model constructed in a virtual three-dimensional space, and audio produced according to this video. The voice element is particularly important in order to make the first person viewpoint more clear, to improve the reality of the video, and to further increase the sense of immersion in virtual reality.

However, conventionally, audio has only a viewpoint as a subordinate of a visual field image (for example, Patent Document 1 below), and there has been a problem that an immersive feeling cannot be obtained sufficiently. In particular, even if the virtual camera position is moved continuously, the sound emitted from the sound source (for example, “bonfire” object) placed in the virtual space can be heard only uniformly without changing in real time. There was a problem that the sense of reality of the image projected from the video was lowered and the sense of immersion was not sufficient.
JP 2001-175883 A

  The present invention allows content viewers (game players and CG video viewers) to clearly feel the position and direction of the virtual camera in the virtual space (first-person viewpoint), and improves the reality of the video, As a result, it is an object of the present invention to provide a content playback apparatus and a content playback program that can increase the immersion in video.

  In addition, the present invention expresses a change in the relative position of the sound source with respect to a predetermined position and direction in the virtual space, regardless of whether or not the content is to display a video, thereby enabling the viewer of the content. Another object of the present invention is to provide a content reproduction apparatus and a content reproduction program that can give a higher sense of reality.

  Another object of the present invention is to realize an increase in immersive feeling through the voice by a simple and high-speed processing method.

The present invention calculates the positional relationship between the coordinates of an object (sound source) that emits sound in a virtual space and the reference coordinates and reference direction of a virtual camera, etc., and from the sound output means such as a speaker according to the calculation result This is a solution to the above problem by changing the output voice in real time.
A content playback device that outputs sound according to the state of a virtual model in a virtual space,
First and second audio output means;
Reference coordinate storage means for storing values relating to reference coordinates in virtual space;
Reference direction storage means for storing a value related to the reference direction in the virtual space;
Sound source coordinate storage means for storing values relating to the coordinates of the sound source in the virtual space;
Based on the value related to the reference coordinates stored in the reference coordinate storage means, the value related to the reference direction stored in the reference direction storage means, and the value related to the coordinates of the sound source stored in the sound source coordinate storage means, A sound output adjusting means for calculating a value related to relative directivity and adjusting a sound output given to the first and second sound output means according to the value related to the relative directivity;
A content playback apparatus comprising:

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the first audio output means is a right stereo system and the second audio output means is a left stereo system.

The present invention further includes video output means for outputting the video of the virtual model taken by the virtual camera arranged in the virtual space,
Preferably, the reference coordinates are coordinates of the virtual camera, and the reference direction is a shooting direction of the virtual camera.

The present invention further includes a reference roll storage means for storing a value related to the reference roll with the reference direction as the rotation axis.
The relative directivity value relates to the value related to the reference coordinate stored in the reference coordinate storage means, the value related to the reference direction stored in the reference direction storage means, and the coordinates of the sound source stored in the sound source coordinate storage means. It is preferable to calculate based on the value and the value related to the reference roll stored in the reference roll storage means.

In the present invention, the virtual space is a virtual three-dimensional space,
The sound output adjustment means converts the coordinates of the sound source in the virtual three-dimensional space into two-dimensional coordinates of a plane that passes through the reference coordinates, is horizontal in the reference direction, and corresponds to the reference roll, and It is preferred to calculate a value for the relative directivity.

  In the present invention, the sound output adjusting means may determine the relative directivity value as a Z-axis displacement which is a displacement of the sound source coordinate and the reference coordinate on a reference direction axis parallel to the reference direction, and the reference direction. Is obtained as an X-axis displacement which is a displacement of the coordinate of the sound source and the reference coordinate on the vertical axis of the sound, and when the X-axis displacement is positive, the sound of either the first or second sound output means It is preferable to give a larger sound output to the output means than the other sound output means, and to give a larger sound output to the other sound output means than the one sound output means when the X-axis displacement is negative.

  In the present invention, the audio output adjusting means may output the audio output of the first and second audio output means for the sound source in which the Z-axis displacement and / or the X-axis displacement is greater than a corresponding predetermined threshold value. Is preferably controlled to be zero.

  In the present invention, when the Z-axis displacement indicates that the sound source exists on the opposite side of the reference direction of the reference coordinates, the sound output adjusting means outputs the sound output of the first and second sound output means. It is preferable to control so that becomes small.

  In the present invention, the audio output of the audio output means to which the larger audio output of the first or second audio output means is given is converted into the corresponding threshold value, the X-axis displacement and / or the Z-axis displacement. It is preferable to control so as to increase in proportion to the difference.

  In the present invention, the audio output adjusting means may be configured such that the audio output of the audio output means provided with a smaller audio output of the first or second audio output means is the first or second audio output. It is preferable to control so as to be a predetermined ratio of the sound output of the sound output means to which the larger sound output of the means is given.

Further, the present invention is a content playback device that outputs sound according to the state of a virtual model in a virtual space,
Reference coordinate storage means for storing values relating to reference coordinates in virtual space;
Sound source coordinate storage means for storing values relating to the coordinates of the sound source in the virtual space;
Based on the value related to the reference coordinates stored in the reference coordinate storage means and the value related to the coordinates of the sound source stored in the sound source coordinate storage means, a value related to the distance from the reference coordinates to the coordinates of the sound source is calculated. Audio output adjustment means for providing a larger audio output when the value is small;
It is possible to provide a content reproduction device characterized by comprising:

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the sound source is an invisible object in a virtual space.

The present invention is also a content reproduction program for outputting sound according to the state of the virtual model in the virtual space,
On the computer,
Reference coordinate storage control for storing values related to reference coordinates in the virtual space;
Reference direction storage control for storing values related to the reference direction in the virtual space;
Sound source coordinate storage control for storing values related to the coordinates of the sound source in the virtual space;
Based on the value related to the reference coordinate stored by the reference coordinate storage control, the value related to the reference direction stored by the reference direction storage control, and the value related to the coordinate of the sound source stored by the sound source coordinate storage control. Calculating a value related to the relative directivity of the sound source, and executing sound output adjustment control for adjusting the sound output given to the first and second sound output means according to the value related to the relative directivity. It is possible to provide a content reproduction program characterized by

The present invention is also a content reproduction program for outputting sound according to the state of the virtual model in the virtual space,
On the computer,
Reference coordinate storage control for storing values related to reference coordinates in the virtual space;
Sound source coordinate storage control for storing values related to the coordinates of the sound source in the virtual space;
Based on the value related to the reference coordinates stored by the reference coordinate storage control and the value related to the coordinates of the sound source stored by the sound source coordinate storage control, a value related to the distance from the reference coordinates to the coordinates of the sound source is calculated. Then, it is possible to provide a content reproduction program characterized by executing audio output adjustment control that gives a larger audio output when this value is small.

  The invention of claim 1, 11, 13, or 14 calculates a value related to relative directivity as an index representing a relative positional relationship between specific coordinates and directions (reference coordinates and reference directions) and coordinates of a sound source, By reflecting the calculation result on the volume and balance output from the sound output means such as a speaker, it becomes possible to recognize the relative positional relationship in the virtual space by sound, and thereby to the content of the viewer. It increases the degree of immersion. In the case of content in which video (for example, video obtained by shooting a virtual model in a virtual space with a virtual camera) is output in addition to audio, the reality of the video is enhanced, and as a result, the video is viewed. The immersive feeling of the person who is can be raised.

  According to the invention of claim 2, it is possible to utilize existing hardware for a stereo system.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the present invention can be applied to video content in which audio and video are output.

  According to the invention of claim 4, the present invention can be applied to a flight simulator or a movie in which powerful video is output by changing the roll of the virtual camera, and the coordinates of the virtual camera in the virtual space In addition to the change in direction, it is possible to faithfully reproduce the desired change such as the balance and magnitude of the sound accompanying the change in the roll of the virtual camera.

  In the invention of claim 5, it becomes possible to adjust the audio output to be given to the first and second audio output means based on the calculation in which the number of dimensions is compressed to the number of dimensions that can be reproduced by the audio output means such as a speaker, High speed adjustment of audio output can be achieved.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, two parameters (X-axis displacement and Z-axis displacement) each having a mutually perpendicular component are derived as values relating to relative directivity, and simple and efficient using the X-axis displacement. It is possible to adjust the sound output in a typical manner.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the Z-axis displacement and / or the X-axis displacement of a specific sound source exceeds a predetermined threshold value determined for each, the sound output for the sound source is adjusted to zero. Therefore, it is possible to speed up the adjustment of the audio output based on a reasonable standard when a large number of sound sources are arranged in the virtual model.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to further enhance the sense of immersion by taking into consideration the directivity of the collected sound of the human ear that the sound from the front is easier to hear.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain output characteristics that are free from discontinuities in output values for any positional relationship with the sound source, and that are sufficiently valid and easy to calculate from the viewpoint of reality.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily and quickly calculate a reasonable value as the output value of the audio output means on the side where the output balance is desired to be reduced.

  According to the invention of claim 12, since the sound source object can be made invisible, it becomes possible to cope with any environment. Even if the sound source coordinates and the number of sound sources can only be set approximately due to restrictions of hardware, software, or the world view, the present invention can be applied without a sense of incongruity. Further, since invisible sound source objects can be freely arranged, it is possible to expand the degree of freedom of effects and other effects and provision of hints. In addition, it is possible to create a production and game consisting only of voice without waste.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to an example of content in which video and audio are output in a flight simulator game executed on a consumer game machine equipped with a stereo system. In this embodiment, a value related to relative directivity is derived based on a positional relationship between a virtual camera set on a player character (airplane) operated by a player and each sound source, and left and right speakers are based on the value. The audio output is adjusted at.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the external configuration of the entire content reproduction apparatus according to the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, the content playback apparatus according to the present invention includes a game machine body 1, a monitor 2 with an amplifier connected to the game machine body 1, and a cable connected to an output terminal of the amplifier, and serves as a stereo audio output means. It is mainly composed of left and right loudspeakers (3L, 3R) that operate.

  In addition, the game machine main body 1 includes a power switch 11, a reset switch 12, a controller unit 13, a memory port 14, a medium insertion port 15, and the like. In this embodiment, a game software medium (DVD-ROM) 16 including a content reproduction program according to the present invention is incorporated in this main body, and the content reproduction apparatus according to the present invention is configured as a whole.

  FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of hardware built in the game machine main body 1.

  In FIG. 2, a general configuration as a game computer includes a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, a heart disk 24, a recording medium drive 25, an image synthesis IC 26, a voice synthesis IC 27, other I / O ports 28, and a bus 29. . In particular, the speech synthesis IC 27 includes left and right output ports 27L and 27R for performing stereo output according to the present invention, and is configured to output audio data for the right side and the left side from each analog. Audio is output from the left and right loudspeakers (3L, 3R) via the amplifier of the monitor-2.

  In addition, the RAM (volatile memory) 23 includes some elements necessary for implementing the best mode of the present invention.

  That is, the RAM 23 stores reference coordinate storage for storing the coordinates, orientation, and roll of the virtual camera set for the airplane object that is the player character operated by the player as the reference coordinates, reference direction, and reference roll, respectively. The unit 23a, the reference direction storage unit 23b, and the reference roll storage unit 23d are secured by specifying addresses as a static area and a stack area, respectively. Further, the sound source coordinate storage unit 23c for storing the coordinates of each sound source is secured in the heap area or the like by the number of the sound sources.

  Furthermore, in the RAM 23, an audio output adjusting unit 23e, which is a program for adjusting audio output according to the present invention, is read from the storage medium drive 25 and stored, and control of the game state itself such as transition of reference coordinates is performed. The overall control unit 23f, which is a program for performing overall control such as production-related input / output control including final audio output, is also read and stored.

  FIG. 3 is a main part of the functional block showing the flow of data according to the present invention regarding these storage areas and programs.

  The overall control unit 23f is a program that performs overall control such as game progress control and input / output control for video and audio output. That is, the overall control unit 23f constructs a virtual model by arranging a plurality of objects including a sound source (an object that emits a sound, such as an object such as a volcano, an enemy aircraft, or a helicopter) in the virtual space. The moving image is generated by drawing the video of the virtual model that has been seen, and the sound information (volcanic explosion sound and jet of the volcano is not shown) for each sound source received from the audio output adjustment unit 23e. Sound synthesis, helicopter sound, etc.) is applied to the speech synthesis IC 27 so that the speech synthesis IC 27 can perform speech synthesis that enhances the player's immersive feeling to the left (L) and right (R) loudspeakers. Further, the overall control unit 23f updates the volume and coordinates set for each sound source and stores them in the sound source coordinate storage unit 23c, and updates the reference coordinates, reference direction, and reference roll of the virtual camera in accordance with the player's controller operation. Then, processing such as storing in the reference coordinate storage unit 23a, the reference direction storage unit 23b, and the reference roll storage unit 23d is executed.

  The audio output adjustment unit 23e refers to the values stored in the reference coordinate storage unit 23a, the reference direction storage unit 23b, the sound source coordinate storage unit 23c, and the reference roll storage unit 23d, and calculates each sound source by a calculation method described later. And the left / right balance (L and R output values) are calculated and given to the overall control unit 23f.

  FIG. 4 shows a state in which specific values corresponding to the present embodiment are stored in the reference coordinate storage unit 23a, the reference direction storage unit 23b, the sound source coordinate storage unit 23c, and the reference roll storage unit 23d in the memory 23. Show.

  The reference coordinate storage unit 23a stores world coordinates of the virtual camera as reference coordinates. This game enjoys changes in video and audio accompanying changes in the state of the virtual model and virtual camera. The virtual model viewed from the virtual camera is drawn, and at the same time, the sound from each sound source that reaches the virtual camera is drawn. Improve the sense of immersion by faithfully reproducing the way you hear.

  The reference direction storage unit 23b stores the direction in the world coordinates of the virtual camera as the reference direction. In this example, since the horizontal is +60 degrees and the vertical is +30 degrees, the airplane on which the virtual camera is installed rotates clockwise from the Y axis of the world coordinates by 60 degrees around the Z axis, and the Z axis The state of flying up in a direction rotated 30 degrees in the plus direction is stored. If there is a player (viewer) at the position of the virtual camera, it is clear that the sound delivered from the sound source to the player differs depending not only on the coordinates of the player but also on the player's orientation. . In the present invention, in order to faithfully reproduce such reality, the sound volume and left / right balance are calculated by reflecting the direction of the virtual camera.

  The reference roll storage unit 23d stores the inclination of the world coordinates of the virtual camera with respect to the XY plane (horizontal line) as a reference roll. In this case, since it is -30 degrees, a state of being inclined 30 degrees counterclockwise is stored. As in the case of the reference direction, if the player at the position of the virtual camera is in a tilted state, it is clear that the tilt affects the way the sound is heard from the sound source. In order to reflect the reality, the volume and the left / right balance of the sound source are calculated by reflecting the reference roll of the virtual camera.

  In the figure, 23c (1) to 23c (3) store attributes centered on the coordinates of each sound source object which is a volcano (1), an enemy jet (2), and a friendly helicopter (3), respectively. is there. The coordinates are world coordinates, and the volume is calculated so as to decrease as the distance from the reference coordinates increases. Also, the values of Xr and Zr are threshold values reflecting the sound volume specific to the sound source (for example, volcanoes and jet planes are large, helicopters are small, etc.), and reflect the reality that the sound can be heard even if they are far apart. Yes.

  In this embodiment, since each sound source is projected on an XZ plane (hereinafter referred to as a subjective XZ plane) based on the reference direction and the reference roll to obtain the relative directivity of each sound source, Only two threshold values Xr and Zr in the X-axis direction (lateral direction) and the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) in the subjective XZ plane are used.

  FIG. 5 shows how the relative directivity is calculated by projecting the volcano object (1) onto the subjective XZ plane. The Z axis of the subjective XZ plane in the figure is the Z axis of the camera and corresponds to the reference direction in world coordinates. The X-axis of the subjective XZ plane in the figure is a new X-axis obtained by rotating the camera's X-axis around the camera's Z-axis by the camera tilt (reference roll). Also different from the X axis itself.

  The virtual camera 51 is for capturing a field of view from an airplane in a flight simulator, and is located at an origin coordinate on a subjective XZ plane. The origin coordinates of the subjective XZ plane correspond to the objective world coordinates as described above (X = 120, Y = 60, Z = 40).

  In the figure, 52 is a projection of the world coordinates (X = 180, Y = 60, Z = 40) of the volcanic crater perpendicular to the subjective XZ plane.

  In this embodiment, the relative directivity of the sound source with respect to the virtual camera is approximately grasped by the displacement from the virtual camera to the coordinates of the sound source projected on the subjective XZ plane (displacement Xp in the X direction and Zp in the Z direction). The relative directivity is used to reproduce faithful reality regarding the sound volume from the sound source and to adjust the left / right balance at high speed.

  Hereinafter, the values of Xp and Zp are actually calculated according to the example values.

When the world coordinates (X = 180, Y = 60, Z = 40) of the volcano are translated with the reference coordinates (X = 120, Y = 60, Z = 40) of the virtual camera as the origin, (X ₀ = 60) , Y ₀ = 0, Z ₀ = 0). Thereafter, calculation is performed in the following order.

First, the translated value is substituted into the coordinate variable as follows.
X ₀ = 60
Y ₀ = 0
Z ₀ = 0

Next, since the reference direction is rotated 60 degrees clockwise around the Z axis, the sound source coordinates are rotated 60 degrees counterclockwise only for the value of XY as follows.
X ₁ = X ₀ cos 60 ° −Y ₀ sin 60 ° = 30
Y ₁ = X ₀ sin 60 ° + Y ₀ cos 60 ° = 30 × √3
Z ₁ = Z ₀ = 0

Next, since the reference direction is rotated 30 degrees so that the reference direction is looked up around the X axis, the sound source coordinates are rotated 30 degrees clockwise in the YZ value as follows.
X ₂ = X ₁ = 30
Y ₂ = Y ₁ cos (−30 °) −Z ₁ sin (−30 °) = 45
Z ₂ = Y ₁ sin (−30 °) + Z ₁ cos (−30 °) = − 15 × √3

Next, since the reference roll rotates 30 degrees counterclockwise around the Y axis, the sound source coordinates rotate the value of XZ 30 degrees clockwise as follows.
X ₃ = X ₂ cos (−30 °) −Z ₂ sin (−30 °) = 7.5 × √3 = 12.99
Y ₃ = Y ₂ = 45
Z ₃ = X ₂ sin (−30 °) + Z ₂ cos (−30 °) = − 37.5

Finally, the world coordinate Y axis, which is the default (rotation 0, roll 0) reference direction, is exchanged so that it becomes the Z axis of the subjective XZ plane (local coordinate), and the coordinates of the sound source object are subjective As a result of discarding the coordinates (Z ₃ ) for Yp to project perpendicularly to the target XZ plane, the values of Xp and Zp to be obtained in the figure are as follows.
Xp = X ₃ = 13 (rounded off after the decimal point)
Zp = Y ₃ = 45

  Hereinafter, the process executed by the audio output adjustment unit 23e will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in step S0, the overall control unit 23f detects an event that causes a volume or balance update from the sound source, and activates the audio output adjustment unit 23e. Such events include changes in the virtual camera reference coordinates, reference direction, and reference roll based on the player's controller operations, volcanic explosions over time, and the appearance and movement of enemy jets and friendly helicopters. Update, and the occurrence of a predetermined timer interrupt.

  Receiving this, the audio output adjustment unit 23e is activated, and performs the processing from step S1 onward for each sound source object. At this time, for each sound source object, the sound output adjustment unit 23e also acquires displacement threshold values Xr and Zr in the vertical and horizontal directions in addition to the sound source coordinates stored in the sound source coordinate storage unit 23c.

  First, in step S1, the relative directivity of each sound source object with reference to the reference coordinates, reference direction, and reference roll is obtained as displacements Xp and Zp in the vertical and horizontal directions by the method described above.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S2, where it is checked whether the sound source object is not on the opposite side of the reference direction, that is, whether Zp is not negative.

  If Zp is negative, the process proceeds to step S3, and a process of making Zp a positive value that is twice as large is inserted. This is because if the player at the virtual camera is facing the same direction (reference direction) as the virtual camera, the reality is that the sound from the sound source behind the player is reduced. A more immersive feeling.

  Next, in step S4, whether or not the displacement Zp in the longitudinal (Z) direction of the subjective XZ plane is less than the threshold value Zr is determined to be outside the audible range, and the process proceeds to step S5. The subsequent calculation process is terminated. As a result, the sound output from the sound source object is controlled to be zero.

  If Zp is less than the threshold value Zr, the process proceeds to step S6, and it is checked whether Xp is less than the threshold value Xr in the horizontal (X) direction as well as the vertical (Z) direction. Similar to the vertical direction, it is regarded as being out of the audible range, and the subsequent calculation processing is terminated, and the sound output is controlled to be zero.

  In step S7, whether the displacement Xp is positive or negative is determined to determine the left / right balance.

Here, when Xp is positive, the process proceeds to step S10, and the right balance Rv is first determined by the following equation (1).
Rv ← 1- (Xp / Xr) Formula (1)

  When the right side is deformed, it becomes (Xr-Xp) / Xr, which means that the output increases in proportion to the difference between the X-axis displacement Xp and the threshold value Xr, and faithfully reproduces reality by capturing small changes in Xp. Is possible.

If Xp is positive, the process proceeds to step S11, and the left balance Lv is determined by the following equation (2).
Lv ← Rv / 2 Formula (2)

  As a result, a small change in Xp can be reliably reflected in the left output (Lv) and an output smaller than that in the right output (Rv) can be obtained. Therefore, a left / right balance reflecting reality is derived. be able to.

If the lateral displacement Xp is equal to or smaller than 0 in step S7, the process proceeds to step S8, and the left output (Lv) is obtained first by the following equation (3).
Lv <-1-(-Xp / Xr) Formula (3)

Next, when Xp is not 0, the right output (Rv) is obtained by the following equation (4).
Rv ← Lv / 2 Formula (4)

  However, in step S9, when Xp is 0, a constant 1 is stored in Rv to equalize the left and right balance so that the balance level is equal to Lv.

  In this way, whether Xp is positive or negative, the respective left and right balances are calculated by reflecting the reality, and then the process proceeds to step S12.

In step S12, the value of the longitudinal displacement Zp is reflected by the following formulas (5) and (6) for the previously defined Lv and Rv.
Lv ← Lv × (1- (Zp / Zr)) Formula (5)
Rv ← Rv × (1- (Zp / Zr)) Formula (6)

  As in the case of Xp, when the left side is expanded, it becomes Lv × ((Zr−Zp) / Zr) etc., which means that the output increases in proportion to the difference between the Z-axis displacement Zp and the threshold value Zr, and the longitudinal displacement Zp It is possible to reproduce the reality faithfully by capturing small changes in

  Next, in step S13, the processing of the audio output adjustment unit 23e is completed, and the values of Lv and Rv for each sound source object are given to the overall control unit 23f, and the values of the left and right loudspeakers are set as values that reflect the current reality. Balance is determined.

  The present invention has been described above based on the preferred embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the content reproduction apparatus of the present invention is configured by a home game machine has been described, but other hardware such as a commercial game machine, a pachinko machine, a slot machine, etc. installed in an arcade center Thus, the content reproduction apparatus of the present invention can be configured.

  In the above embodiment, the case where two left and right speakers are used has been described as an example, but two sets of stereo speakers are installed at the top and bottom, and the ranges of four directions corresponding to the four loudspeakers are associated with each other. Can also be implemented. In this case, instead of projecting onto the subjective XZ plane and then determining the balance according to the displacement, the displacement in the subjective XYZ space based on the reference coordinates, reference direction, and reference roll is directly analyzed. Will determine the balance.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a game in which video and audio change based on the coordinates, direction, and roll of a virtual camera that moves in a virtual space by a player's operation has been described as an example. The present invention can be similarly applied to content such as a movie in which video and audio change based on the coordinates, direction, and roll of a virtual camera moving along the route.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, in addition to outputting sound from the speaker, description has been made by taking as an example the content in which the video of the virtual model shot by the virtual camera is output from the monitor. However, only the sound without video output is described. The present invention can also be applied to configured content. In this case, the present invention uses a reference coordinate, a reference direction, and / or a reference roll set for the purpose of specifying the relative positional relationship with the sound source instead of the virtual camera, and is similar to the above embodiment. It is possible to configure so that the output sound adjusted by the above is output from each speaker.

Explanatory drawing which shows the external appearance structure of a consumer game machine provided with the content reproduction apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the hardware incorporated in a consumer game machine provided with the content reproduction apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the main functional blocks of the content reproduction apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows a mode that attributes, such as a coordinate of the virtual camera arrange | positioned in the virtual three-dimensional space based on one Embodiment of this invention, and attributes, such as a coordinate of each sound source object, were stored in the main memory. The positional relationship between the virtual camera and the sound source object according to the embodiment of the present invention is converted into a subjective XZ plane of the virtual camera based on the reference coordinates, the reference direction, and the reference roll, and the positional relationship is shifted in two directions vertically and horizontally. Explanatory drawing which shows a mode that it decomposes | disassembles into a parameter and analyzes. The flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the audio | voice output adjustment part which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 game machine body 2 monitor with amplifier 3L, 3R stereo loudspeaker 4 cable 21 CPU
22 ROM
23 RAM
23a reference coordinate storage unit 23b reference direction storage unit 23c sound source coordinate storage unit 23c (1) volcano sound source object 23c (2) enemy jet sound source object 23c (3) ally helicopter sound source object 23d reference roll storage unit 23e audio output adjustment Department (Program)
23f Overall control unit (program)
24 hard disk 25 storage medium drive 26 image composition IC
27 Speech synthesis IC
27L Left audio output port 27R Right audio output port 28 I / O port 51 Virtual camera 52 Coordinates after projection of sound source object

Claims (13)

A content playback device that outputs video and audio in accordance with the state of a virtual model in a virtual space,
Video output means for outputting video of the virtual model taken by a virtual camera arranged in a virtual space ;
First and second audio output means;
Reference coordinate storage means for storing values relating to reference coordinates in virtual space;
Reference direction storage means for storing a value related to the reference direction in the virtual space;
Sound source coordinate storage means for storing values relating to the coordinates of the sound source in the virtual space;
The sound source based on the value related to the reference coordinate stored in the reference coordinate storage means, the value related to the reference direction stored in the reference direction storage means, and the value related to the coordinates of the sound source stored in the sound source coordinate storage means. A sound output adjusting means for calculating a value related to relative directivity and adjusting sound output given to the first and second sound output means according to the value related to the relative directivity ;
The reference coordinates of the coordinates of the virtual camera, the content reproducing apparatus in which the reference direction and wherein the photographing direction der Rukoto of the virtual camera.   The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first audio output unit is a right stereo system, and the second audio output unit is a left stereo system. Reference roll storage means for storing a value related to the reference roll with the reference direction as the rotation axis,
A value related to the relative directivity includes a value related to the reference coordinate stored in the reference coordinate storage unit, a value related to the reference direction stored in the reference direction storage unit, and a value of the sound source stored in the sound source coordinate storage unit. The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the content reproduction apparatus is calculated based on a value related to coordinates and a value related to the reference roll stored in the reference roll storage unit. The virtual space is a virtual three-dimensional space;
The sound output adjustment means converts the coordinates of the sound source in the virtual three-dimensional space into two-dimensional coordinates of a plane that passes through the reference coordinates, is horizontal in the reference direction, and corresponds to the reference roll, and 4. The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein a value related to relative directivity is calculated. The sound output adjusting means determines the relative directivity value as a coordinate of the sound source on a reference direction axis parallel to the reference direction, a Z-axis displacement that is a displacement of the reference coordinate, and a vertical direction perpendicular to the reference direction. Obtained as the X-axis displacement which is the displacement of the coordinates of the sound source and the reference coordinate on the axis, and if the X-axis displacement is positive, either one of the first or second sound output means is connected to the other sound output means. 2. A voice output larger than that of the voice output means is given, and when the X-axis displacement is negative, a voice output larger than that of the one voice output means is given to the other voice output means. 5. The content reproduction apparatus according to any one of 4 . The audio output adjusting means is configured such that the audio output of the first and second audio output means is zero for the sound source in which the Z-axis displacement and / or the X-axis displacement is greater than a corresponding predetermined threshold value. 6. The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the content reproduction apparatus is controlled. When the Z-axis displacement indicates that the sound source is present on the opposite side of the reference direction with respect to the reference coordinates, the audio output adjustment means has a reduced audio output of the first and second audio output means. 6. The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the content reproduction apparatus is controlled as follows. The audio output of the audio output means provided with a larger audio output of the first or second audio output means is proportional to the difference between the X-axis displacement and / or the Z-axis displacement and the corresponding threshold value. The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the content reproduction apparatus is controlled so as to increase. The audio output adjusting means is configured such that the audio output of the audio output means provided with a smaller audio output of the first or second audio output means is greater than that of the first or second audio output means. The content reproduction apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8 , wherein control is performed so that a large audio output becomes a predetermined ratio of audio output of the audio output means to which the audio output is given. The audio output adjusting means is
Based on the value related to the reference coordinates stored in the reference coordinate storage means and the value related to the coordinates of the sound source stored in the sound source coordinate storage means, a value related to the distance from the reference coordinates to the coordinates of the sound source is calculated. The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a larger audio output is provided when the value is small. Content playback apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the sound source and invisible objects in the virtual space. A content playback program that outputs video and audio in accordance with the state of a virtual model in a virtual space,
On the computer,
Video output control for outputting video of the virtual model taken by a virtual camera arranged in a virtual space ;
Reference coordinate storage control for storing values related to reference coordinates in the virtual space;
Reference direction storage control for storing values related to the reference direction in the virtual space;
Sound source coordinate storage control for storing values related to the coordinates of the sound source in the virtual space;
Based on the value related to the reference coordinate stored by the reference coordinate storage control, the value related to the reference direction stored by the reference direction storage control, and the value related to the coordinate of the sound source stored by the sound source coordinate storage control. , Calculating a value related to the relative directivity of the sound source, and executing sound output adjustment control for adjusting the sound output given to the first and second sound output means according to the value related to the relative directivity ;
The reference coordinates of the coordinates of the virtual camera, the content playback program the reference direction and wherein the photographing direction der Rukoto of the virtual camera. In the audio output adjustment control,
Based on the value related to the reference coordinates stored in the reference coordinate storage means and the value related to the coordinates of the sound source stored in the sound source coordinate storage means, a value related to the distance from the reference coordinates to the coordinates of the sound source is calculated. 13. The content reproduction program according to claim 12, wherein a process for giving a larger audio output is executed when the value is small.

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