JPH0576658A - Horse riding simulator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the feeling of horse riding full of realism by classifying the motion of a horse into a plurality of patterns to be stored in a memory, and causing a rider's intention judgement section to detect a rider's demand via a horse body sensor, and a response model section to drive the horse body. CONSTITUTION:The motion of a horse is dissolved into a plurality of patterns, and data capable of repeating the patterns is stored in a pattern data memory section 60. When a rider actuates any one of sensors 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30 on a horse body 10 by his/her foot, whip, bridle or the like, a rider's intention judgement section 56 makes judgement regarding what a rider demands a horse, on the basis of output from the sensor, and outputs the content of the demand to a response model section 58. The judgement by the section 56 also covers the magnitude of a force acting on the sensor, and the rider's skill on the basis of timing. The response model section 58 reads data from the pattern data memory section 60, and sends a signal to a drive device 12 for the horse body 10, thereby moving the horse body 10 as demanded by the rider. As a result, experience full of realism like actual horse riding can be provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a horseback riding simulator which enables a simulated horseback riding experience.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a carousel is widely known as a horse-like vehicle or play device. There are also some horses that rock their bodies violently, resembling a rodeo rampage horse.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional horse playing device and vehicle, the movement pattern of the horse body is extremely simple, and the movement itself is far from the actual movement of the horse. Is becoming Moreover, the conventional device cannot arbitrarily change the movement of the horse according to the will of the rider. For this reason, the conventional device does not give the rider a feeling of controlling the horse and a feeling of riding on the horse, and cannot obtain the realistic and realistic feeling of horse riding.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a horseback riding simulator capable of giving a rider a realistic sensation of riding.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a horse riding simulator according to the present invention classifies a horse's motion into a plurality of patterns, and a memory for storing pattern data for reproducing each motion pattern. A sensor attached to a plurality of artificially formed horse bodies to detect a stimulus given to the horse body by a rider, a drive device for driving the horse body, and an output signal of each sensor. A rider's intention determining section for detecting the intention of the rider, and a response model section for reading pattern data in the memory based on an output signal of the rider's intention determining section and outputting a drive signal to the drive device. It is characterized by having and.

Further, it is possible to provide an image generation device for displaying an image of a scene or the like arbitrarily selected in the field of view of the rider. Of course, the sound effect device may be used to generate an image generated by the image generation device or a sound adapted to the movement of the horse.

[0007]

According to the present invention constructed as described above, the movement of the horse is decomposed into a plurality of basic patterns, and data capable of reproducing each pattern is obtained in advance and stored in the memory. Then, when the rider applies a force to one of the plurality of sensors provided on the horse by, for example, a foot, a whip, or a reins, the rider's intention determination unit determines, based on the output signal of the sensor,
A horseback ride is performed by comprehensively determining which sensor is applied with force and what the rider requests the horse (horse body) (for example, running leg, jump, etc.) in consideration of the current horse motion pattern. The request content of the person is output to the response model section. This determination also includes determination of the skill of the rider based on the magnitude of the action of force and the timing. The response model unit reads the pattern data of the pattern data storage unit according to the output signal of the rider's intention determination unit, gives a drive signal to a drive device that drives the horse, and moves the horse as requested by the rider.

Therefore, since the horse body makes various movements in response to the request of the rider, the rider can feel that the rider is controlling the horse, and the rider can feel that he is actually riding the horse. You can have an experience. In particular, when an image is generated and an image is displayed in the field of view of the rider, the sense of presence is further enhanced, and the rider's satisfaction can be increased.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of a horse riding simulator according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a horse riding simulator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 2, the horse body 10 is formed in a shape and texture that simulates an actual horse. And horse body 1
0 is mounted on the drive device 12, and the drive device 1
It is possible to tilt at least up and down, forward and backward, and forward and backward by 2. Further, the horse body 10 is equipped with ordinary harness such as a saddle 14, a stirrup 16 and a reins 18. Further, the horse body 10 is provided with a plurality of sensors such as pressure / tension detectors.

That is, at the base of the stirrup under the saddle 14, a riding condition is detected, whether or not the rider 20 is riding, and whether or not the hips are stimulated with the hips in a timely manner in the light speed foot mode, which will be described later. Riding sensor 22, 24, rider 2
The spur sensor 26 for detecting a kick by the foot of the rider 20 is attached to the torso of the horse 10 hit by 0 foot, and the whip sensor 28 is attached to the base of the neck to detect whether or not a whip is applied. At the base of the reins 18 is provided a reins sensor 30 for detecting the reins of the rider 20.

On the other hand, the rider 20 wears a head mount display 32 on his head so that the image from the image generating device 34 can be displayed in the field of view of the rider 20. In addition, this head mounted display 32,
A posture sensor (not shown) is attached so that the head inclination of the rider 20 can be detected.

The drive device 12 for driving the horse body 10 is controlled by a control device 36, the details of which will be described later. An input / output terminal device 38 with a display is connected to the control device 36 so that data of any horse (physique, ability, habit, etc.) can be input. In addition, the input / output terminal device 38 selects various assumed scenes, such as a racetrack, a racetrack, a grassland, a desert, and a forest, which are stored in the image generation device 34 in consideration of time, weather, season, and the like. Loop control or closed loop control can be selected.

A control device 36 is provided on the front wall surface of the horse body 10.
An air blower 40 controlled by the air blower 40 is provided, speakers are installed on both sides of the air blower 40, and a sound effect generated by the acoustic effect device 44 is played according to the image displayed on the head mounted display 32 and the driving mode of the horse 10. I am able to do it.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 36 includes a sensor data preprocessing unit 50 for converting an analog signal input from each of the sensors 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 and the like into a digital signal, for example, the past. It has a state data history section 52 that stores the driving state of the horse body 10 for about 10 seconds, and a horse reaction data table 54 that stores the reaction of the horse corresponding to each sensor. Processing unit 5
0, state data history unit 52, horse reaction data table 54
Based on the output signal from the image generation device 34 and the image data of the image generation device 34, the rider 20 is asked what the rider 20 wants the horse to do.
And a rider's intention determination unit 56 for determining the rider's intention and the skill of the rider 20 for riding.

Further, the control device 36 includes a response model section 58, a pattern data memory 60, and a position / orientation calculation section 7.
0 is provided, the response model unit 58 receives the output signal of the rider's intention determination unit 56, reads the data of the operation mode in the pattern data memory 60, controls the drive device 12, and sets the horse 10 to the rider. Move according to the intention of 20.
The output signal of the response model unit 58 is sent to the state data history unit 52, and the driving state of the drive device 12, that is, the movement of the horse 10 is stored in the state data history unit 52. Furthermore, the output of the response model unit 58 is the same as the output of the posture sensor 71 of the head mounted display 32, and
It is sent to the posture calculation unit 70, and the position and direction of the horse, the position of the eyes of the rider 20, and the posture of the head are calculated. These calculation results are further used as the image generation device 34 and the sound effect device 4.
4 and is provided for a change in the image displayed on the head mounted display 32 and a sound effect.

In the pattern data memory 60, actual horse movements (motions) are decomposed into some basic patterns,
Data for reproducing each pattern is stored.

By the way, the riding sensation that the rider 20 feels is obtained by the interaction with the horse, and is mainly caused by the acceleration received through the horse. Since the mass ratio of a horse to a person is usually 6 to 10, it is considered that the influence of the movement of a person on the horse in terms of momentum can be ignored. This is
This means that if the acceleration of the movement of the horse can be artificially reproduced, it is possible to give the rider 20 of the horse body 10 a riding feeling close to reality.

Therefore, in the embodiment, the actual movement of the horse is (1) a stationary mode, (2) a parallel foot mode, (3) a light speed foot mode, (4) a riding mode, and (5) an acceleration / deceleration mode. , (6) jump (jumping) mode is classified into 6 modes (patterns), a motion model corresponding to each mode is obtained, and the center of gravity of the horse body 10 is moved in the vertical direction and the front-back direction, and the horse body 10 The pattern data memory 6 stores data relating to the inclination (pitch angle) of the spine in the front-rear direction.
It is stored in 0. Each mode will be specifically described below.

[Still Mode] Both the vertical movement and the longitudinal movement of the horse 10 are zero.

[Normal walking mode] In the so-called horse walking mode, the user is always walking with three legs attached to the ground. In this mode, since the vertical movement of the horse 10 is relatively small, the vertical movement can be approximated by sinusoidal vibration. Further, the amplitude of vertical movement needs to be changed depending on the target horse, but may be fixed for a certain fixed horse. Then, the cycle of vertical movement is variable to represent the situation of slowly walking or rushing.

The parallel foot mode includes not only forward movement but also reverse movement. The forward and backward movement is approximated by a sinusoidal vibration whose amplitude is constant and whose period is variable (the same as vertical movement). Further, in the case of forward movement, the forward movement speed becomes maximum when the height of the vertical movement reaches the peak, so that the horse body 10 obtained by integrating them is obtained.
The position of is delayed by 90 degrees in phase as compared with the vertical movement. On the other hand, when the vehicle is going backward, it goes 90 degrees. The pitch angle at which the horse body 10 tilts in the front-rear direction also has a constant amplitude and a variable cycle (same as vertical movement), which is a sine movement. FIG. 3 shows an example of the normal foot mode.

[Light speed foot mode] This mode is a mode in which a pair of the right front leg and the left rear leg of the horse or a pair of the left front leg and the right rear leg of the horse are alternately moved to run rhythmically in a small run.
The legs of the book are on the ground. In this mode, the movement in the vertical direction is larger than that in the parallel foot mode, but the horse is always supported by one of the legs, and since it does not include a drop motion, it can be approximated by sinusoidal vibration. The amplitude needs to be changed depending on the target horse, but may be fixed for a fixed horse.

Since the light and fast foot mode exists only under relatively narrow conditions, the cycle is fixed. Also, this mode has no choice but to move forward. Then, the front-back position of the horse 10 can be approximated by a sine vibration whose phase is delayed by 90 degrees as compared with the vertical movement, similarly to the movement of the parallel legs during forward movement. The pitch angle also has a fixed amplitude and a fixed period sine motion. FIG. 4 shows an example of this mode.

[Riding Mode] The running mode is a so-called horse running mode, and there is a time when both legs are away from the ground. Therefore, this mode is modeled as follows.

(A) Position of Center of Gravity The horse moves forward by kicking on the ground, but the movement of the legs and the movement of the horse at that time are complicated. Therefore, for the sake of simplicity, in the embodiment, in the process in which the horse body 10 rises due to the jumping when riding, the horse body has a certain time T _KICK (>
0), a constant force (acceleration α _ZKICK ) acts in the vertical direction, and a constant force (acceleration α _XKICK ) acts in the forward direction (horizontal direction). However, for the time T _KICK at which the acceleration _{acts and} the magnitude of the upward acceleration α _ZKICK , an optimum value is selected in comparison with the actual movement of the horse.

On the other hand, when the horse runs, the gravitational acceleration −G acts on the horse body in the vertical direction and the air resistance acts in the forward direction from the moment the horse leg leaves the ground. Therefore,
In the examples, a horse and cycle T _CYCLE kicking the ground, there during the time _{T (= T CYCLE -T KICK)} , Umatai 1
0 is _modeled as a free fall due to the gravitational acceleration −G acting in the vertical direction and a deceleration motion due to the air resistance having the acceleration α _{XDRAG in the} forward direction. In the running mode, this is repeated thereafter.

By the way, in this model, T _KICK
And α _ZKICK gives T _CYCLE . Also, α
_XKICK is uniquely determined by _giving α _XDRAG . Therefore,
In the above model, T _KICK , α _ZKICK and α _XDRAG are independent variables. Instead of these, T _KICK ,
Independent variables may be T _CYCLE and α _XDRAG . Figure 5
(A) shows an example of acceleration in the riding mode.

By setting various values for the above three independent variables, various patterns of running can be expressed. An example of the movement of the horse 10 in this running mode is shown in FIG. 5 (B). The up-down and forward-backward movements of the horse body 10 are essentially two parabola combinations, respectively. However, each movement has two different periods.
It can be well approximated by two sinusoids.

(B) Pitch angle The pitch angle of the horse when cruising is a periodic function that is the minimum immediately before landing and the maximum immediately after jumping, and the phase advances 90 degrees compared with the vertical movement of the horse body 10. There is. This movement is T = T _KICK
It is approximated by a sine vibration with a cycle T _CYCLE where the pitch angle becomes zero at / 2. One example is shown in FIG.

[Acceleration / Deceleration Mode] Since the above model is basically a motion with an average acceleration of zero, steady motion with a substantially constant velocity can be well expressed, but it can be expressed like when starting or stopping to run. Moreover, it is not possible to sufficiently simulate the situation where the acceleration changes rapidly in one direction. Therefore,
In this embodiment, an acceleration / deceleration mode is created in which the occupant 20 is given a sense of acceleration by utilizing gravitational acceleration. That is,
The rider 20 is given a feeling of acceleration and a feeling of deceleration by giving a pitch angle to the motion mode described above in a superimposed manner. FIG. 6 shows an example of the acceleration / deceleration mode.

[Jump Mode] A jump is a large jump aimed at jumping over obstacles such as fences and dents, and usually involves one run and ends in one run, and then shifts to run. As a model of movement in jump mode, it is the same as that of trotting, but T _CYCLE is large and the horse body 10
It is characterized by a large vertical movement and a large pitch angle amplitude. An example of acceleration in this jump mode is shown in FIG.
An example of the movement of the horse 10 is shown in FIG.

The operation of the embodiment constructed as described above is as follows. First, the input / output terminal device 38 transmits, for example, a stimulus given by the rider 20 to the control device 36 via a sensor, the drive device 12 moves the horse 10, and a corresponding image is displayed on the head mounted display 32. The closed loop control in which the rider 20 newly stimulates the horse is selected and the assumed scene is selected. Then, when the rider 20 straddles the saddle 14 and slightly kicks the spur sensor 26 provided on the abdomen of the horse 10 with his / her foot, the spur sensor 2
A detection signal corresponding to the strength of the kicking force of 6 is output to the sensor data preprocessing unit 50 of the control device 36.

The sensor data preprocessing unit 50 sequentially takes in analog signals output from each sensor at a predetermined cycle (for example, a cycle of 1 ms), converts them into digital signals, and determines which sensor the output signal is from. It is sent to the intention determination unit 56. Based on the sensor signal received from the sensor data pre-processing unit 50, the rider's intention determination unit 56 uses the horse reaction data table 54 and the data of the state data history unit 52 to determine the rider's 20 intention for the horse and The skill of the rider 20 is determined as follows.

That is, the horse reaction data table 54 stores the movement of the horse corresponding to each sensor. For example, for the output of the spur sensor 26,
A light speed mode or a driving mode, a whipping mode for the whip sensor 28, and a deceleration mode for the reins sensor 30 are stored. Further, the state data history section 52 includes
Horse body 1 for a certain period of time in the past, for example, 10 seconds
The drive mode of 0 is stored. Therefore, the rider's intention determination unit 56 determines that the rider 20 requires a parallel foot when the spur sensor 26 is lightly kicked in a state where the horse 10 is stationary, and the determination result is determined. The magnitude of the output signal of the sensor is output to the response model unit 58.

The response model section 58 includes the rider intention determining section 5
When the parallel foot request signal is received from 6, the parallel foot mode stored in the pattern data memory 60 is read out, and the speed of the parallel foot (the vertical position of the horse body 10 is determined according to the output signal of the spur sensor 26). , Cycle of front and rear positions) and outputs a control signal to the drive device 12 to drive the horse body 10. Further, the response model unit 58 stores the obtained speed of the parallel walking in the state data history unit 52 and sends it to the position / orientation calculation unit 70. The position / attitude calculation unit 70 uses the speed data and the data from the attitude sensor 71 of the head mount display 32 to determine the position and direction of the horse and the rider 2
The position of the eye of 0 and the posture of the head are calculated and sent to the image generation device 34. Then, the image generation device 34 uses the head mounted display 3 according to the position of the eyes and the posture of the head of the rider 20.
Move the image displayed in 2. In addition, the sound effect device 44
Is a speaker 4 which produces a sound effect according to the position of the horse and the walk of the horse.
The blower 40 blows the wind according to the speed of the horse.

It should be noted that the spur sensor 26 in the state of normal walking
When is kicked, the rider's intention determination unit 56 determines that the rider 20 has changed from the normal foot state stored in the state data history unit 52.
Detects a request to shift the normal foot to a faster foot or a light foot, and outputs to that effect to the response model unit 58. Then, when the rider 20 further kicks the spur sensor 26 or strikes the whip sensor 28 with a whip, the rider's intention determination unit 56 outputs a signal requesting for the expulsion to the response model unit 58, and further, both reins. Is pulled and the reins sensors 3 on both sides of the mouth of the horse 10 are pulled.
When 0 outputs the detection signal, a signal indicating that the rider 20 requests deceleration and stop is sent to the response model unit 58.

Further, when the rider's intention judging section 56 outputs one of the pair of reins sensors 30, for example, the right reins 18 is pulled and the right reins sensor 30 outputs.
Judging that the rider 20 is requesting to turn to the right,
The fact is sent to the response model unit 58. Response model unit 58
Is the speed at which the horse turns and the size of the turn according to the magnitude of the output signal of the reins sensor 30, and the result is the position / position.
It is sent to the posture calculation unit 70, and the horse orientation and the like obtained by the position / posture calculation unit 70 are sent to the image generation device 34. The image generation device 34 moves the image displayed on the head-mounted display 32 based on the direction of the horse obtained by the position / posture calculation unit 70 so that the horse turns right, and the direction is changed. Appears as a change in the image.

The determination of the skill of the rider 20 by the rider's intention determining section 56 is performed as follows. The signal from the position / posture calculation unit 70 is input to the rider's intention determination unit 56, and the horse body stored in the position / posture signal and the state data history unit 52 output from the position / posture calculation unit 70. 10
Based on the driving state of, the timing of jumping over an obstacle such as a standard fence and the timing of turning a road are calculated. Then, for example, when jumping, the whip sensor 2
8 and the output timing of the spur sensor 26 are compared with the standard jump timing, and the deviation thereof is digitized so as to indicate the degree of skill and is sent to the response model unit 58.

Further, in the light foot mode, the timing at which the rider 20 stimulates the back of the horse with his hips in accordance with the vertical movement of the horse is also digitized so as to show the degree of skill, and the response model section 5 is used.
Sent to 8. The response model unit 58 controls the drive device 12 so as to show a reaction that an actual horse shows, depending on the intention of the rider 20 and the degree of skill sent from the rider's intention determination unit 56.

That is, when the rider's intention determining unit 56 determines that the skill of the rider 20 is excellent, the response model unit 58 causes the drive unit 12 to faithfully reflect the rider's 20 intention. Control. On the other hand, when the rider 20 is a beginner with inferior skill, the response model unit 58 makes a movement that makes the rider 20 stupid, for example, the rider 20.
Controls the drive device 12 so as to enter the stationary or parallel walking mode even though the driving request is made.

As described above, in the embodiment, the rider 2
Since the horse body 10 is driven in accordance with the request of 0, the rider 20 can experience a realistic riding experience as if he / she was actually riding a horse, and is actually controlling the horse. You can taste it. In addition, various images can be displayed in the field of view of the rider 20 by the head mounted display 32, and a more realistic riding experience can be obtained by the acoustic effect of the speaker 42 and the blowing of the wind by the blower 40.

Therefore, in the embodiment, (1) riding training in which safety is guaranteed before riding an actual horse, (2) entertainment assuming various situations simulating horse riding, (3) television or movie It can be used for equestrian scenes, etc., and (4) It can be installed in sports facilities and used for sports equipment that provides horseback riding as a sport.

In the above description, the case where the closed loop control is selected by the input / output terminal device 38 has been described, but the open loop control in which the output of the response model unit 58 is not stored in the state data history unit 52 is performed. Device 3
8 and can be selected by the input / output terminal device 3
It is possible to select any drive pattern (operation mode), parameters, etc. from 8. This function is effective for riding training and maintenance of the device in each mode.

Further, in the above embodiment, the image generated by the image generating device 34 is displayed on the head mounted display 3.
The case where the image is displayed on 2 is explained, but the image is displayed on the rider 2
It may be displayed on a screen around 0. In this case, since the rider 20 can directly see the horse 10, as shown by reference numerals 62, 64, 66, and 68 in FIG. 2, actuators are provided at the base of the tail, the neck, the base of the ears, and the mouth. It is possible to further enhance the reality by arranging the following, and performing a tail-following movement of the flies, swinging the neck back and forth, left and right, keeping the ears fluttering, and biting with the mouth according to the situation. it can. The whip sensor 28 may be provided on the hip of the horse 10.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention, the movement of the horse is classified into a plurality of patterns, the data for reproducing the movement pattern is stored in the memory, and the request of the rider is obtained. The rider's intention determination unit detects the horse through the sensor provided on the body, and the response model unit that receives the output of the rider's intention determination unit drives the horse body in response to the request of the rider. You can get a sense of riding, and you can feel as if you were actually controlling a horse.

Moreover, since the image generated by the image generating device is displayed in the field of view of the rider, a more realistic riding feeling can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control device for a horse riding simulator according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a horse riding simulator according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of changes in the position of the horse body in the modeled parallel mode of the horse of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of changes in the position of the horse body in the light speed foot mode of the modeled horse according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a horse riding mode modeled in the embodiment, FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an example of acceleration in the horse riding mode, and FIG. It is a figure showing an example of change of a position, and (C) is a figure showing an example of change of the same pitch angle.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a modeled horse acceleration / deceleration mode of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a jump mode of a horse modeled in the embodiment, (A) showing an example of acceleration during a jump, and (B) showing changes in the position of the same horse. It is a figure.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Horse Body 12 Drive Device 20 Mounted People 22, 24 Mounted Sensor 26 Spur Sensor 28 Whip Sensor 30 Reins Sensor 32 Head Mounted Display 34 Image Generation Device 36 Control Device 56 Mounted Horse Riding Decision Part 58 Response Model Part 60 Pattern Data Storage Part ( Pattern data memory) 70 Position / orientation calculator

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A memory for classifying horse movements into a plurality of patterns and storing pattern data for reproducing each movement pattern and attached to a plurality of artificially formed horse bodies,
A sensor that detects a stimulus given to the horse by a rider, a drive device that drives the horse, and a rider's intention determination unit that detects the intention of the rider based on the output signals of the sensors. , Based on the output signal of this rider's intention determination unit,
A horse riding simulator, comprising: a response model unit that reads pattern data in the memory and outputs a drive signal to the drive device. 2. The horseback riding simulator according to claim 1, further comprising an image generation device for displaying an image of a scenario selected from a plurality of image generation original data stored in advance in the field of view of the rider. A horseback riding simulator that is characterized by