JPH07200162A - Virtual reality experience device and game machine using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a virtual reality experience type game machine which enables a player to step and move in a virtual three-dimensional space by bodily sensation by stepping which a limited play field. CONSTITUTION:The virtual reality experience device allows the player to step and move in the virtual three-dimensional game space, displayed on a display, over a look at the scenery in the virtual three-dimensional game space. This game device includes a stepping detection part 30 which detects the player stepping, space sensors 26 and 28 which inputs moving direction setting information on the experiencing person in the virtual three-dimensional game space, and a computer 80 which computes the movement position of the player 100 in the virtual three-dimensional game space and displays the scenery of the virtual three-dimensional game space able to be viewed by the player 100, on the display.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a virtual reality experience device, and more particularly, to a virtual reality experience device configured so that a user moves in a virtual three-dimensional space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various virtual reality experience devices using a so-called virtual reality system have been proposed in fields such as drive simulators, flight simulators, game devices, and simulated experience systems such as system kitchens. In this type of virtual reality experience device, how to bring the virtual world closer to the real world is the most important technical issue.

Usually, in this type of virtual reality experience device, the user wears a head-mounted display on his / her head and moves in the space while seeing the scenery of the virtual three-dimensional space displayed on this display. Is formed in.

[0004]

However, for this purpose, it is necessary to prepare a play field having a width corresponding to the virtual three-dimensional space. In particular, in the field of games, it is often the case that a three-dimensional game space is set large so that a variety of games can be played. In this case, if the game device is formed so that the player can move while playing the game within the play field set corresponding to the game space, there is a problem that the game device itself becomes extremely large and expensive.

Further, in this virtual reality experience device, the position of the experience person in the virtual three-dimensional space is accurately detected, and the scenery of the three-dimensional space displayed on the display is image-synthesized based on the detected position data. There is a need. However, in order to accurately detect the position of an experiencer who moves around in a wide play field, there is a problem that the position detection system itself becomes large and expensive.

As another virtual reality experience apparatus, there is also known a virtual reality experience apparatus in which a player sitting on a chair operates an operation unit at hand to move in a virtual three-dimensional space.

However, such a type of virtual reality experience device has a problem in that the sensible reality is inadequate because the experience person does not actually walk and move in the virtual three-dimensional space. Particularly, in the field of games, sensible elements are extremely important in order to enhance the fun of the game. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a more sensible movement route input system.

The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and an object thereof is for a player to experience a virtual three-dimensional space in a limited play field by a stepping on of an experienced person. An object is to provide a virtual reality experience device that can move step by step.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, an observer steps in the virtual three-dimensional space while seeing the scenery of the virtual three-dimensional space displayed on a display. In the virtual reality experience device, stepping detection means for detecting the stepping motion of the experiencer, direction input means for inputting the direction setting information of the experiencer in the virtual three-dimensional space, the stepping detection signal and the direction setting A position calculation means for calculating the moving position of the experiencer in the virtual three-dimensional space based on information, and a view of the virtual three-dimensional space seen by the experiencer based on the moving position of the experiencer, and the display. And a virtual reality calculation means displayed above.

[0010] According to the invention of claim 2, in claim 1, the direction input means is attached to the head of the experience person, detects the direction of the head of the experience person, and inputs it as traveling direction setting information. It is characterized by being formed as follows.

Further, the invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 and 2, the display is formed as a head mount display mounted on a head of an experience person.

Further, in the invention of claim 4 according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the stepping detection means is attached to an experience person and is formed so as to detect and output a vibration generated by a stepping motion. Is characterized by.

Further, in the invention of claim 5 according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the position calculating means is one step ahead in the virtual three-dimensional space each time the stepping detection signal is input. It is characterized in that the target coordinate position is calculated and the moving position of the experience person is continuously changed from the current coordinate position to the target coordinate position.

Further, in the invention of claim 6 according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the virtual reality computing means displays a slight vibration in a vertical direction on the display every time the stepping detection signal is input. It is characterized in that it is formed to.

Further, the invention of claim 7 is the stepping movement device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is provided at the stepping position of the experiencer and has a stepping surface which moves in accordance with the stepping stepping motion of the experiencer. It is characterized in that it is formed so that the experience person can step by step on the spot in the virtual three-dimensional space.

[0016] According to the invention of claim 8, in any one of claims 1 to 7, the direction input means and the display are formed as an integrated head-mounted body mounted on a head of an experienced person. It is characterized by that.

The invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that a game device is formed by using the virtual reality experience device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

[0018]

In the virtual reality experience device according to the present invention, when the experience person makes a stepping motion on the spot, the stepping detection means detects it and outputs the detection signal to the position calculation means.

At this time, the traveling direction setting information of the experience person in the virtual three-dimensional space is input to the position calculation means by using the direction input means. The direction input means may be formed so that the experience person inputs by manual operation or the like, but more preferably, it is attached to the experience person's head as described in claim 2 and the experience person's head is included. The direction in which the direction is directed may be input as the traveling direction setting information. By doing this, the experience person can turn his head in the direction he wants to go,
It is possible to change the movement route in the virtual three-dimensional space.

The position calculating means calculates the moving position of the experience person in the virtual three-dimensional space based on the stepping detection signal and the traveling direction setting information thus input.

Then, the virtual reality computing means computes the scenery of the virtual three-dimensional space seen by the experiencer based on the moving position of the experiencer thus obtained, and displays it on the display.

In this way, the viewer can step and move in the virtual three-dimensional space while seeing the scenery of the virtual three-dimensional space displayed on the display.

In particular, according to the present invention, a method of detecting a stepping motion in the three-dimensional space as a stepping motion of the experience person and calculating the moving position of the experience person is adopted. for that reason,
As the play field, it is sufficient to prepare a space where the player can perform a stepping motion at a minimum, so that the entire device can be formed small and inexpensive.

In addition to this, since the stepwise movement in the three-dimensional space is input as the stepping motion of the experience person, the experience person seems to actually walk or run in the virtual three-dimensional space. You can move with a sense of freedom and experience virtual reality with high reality.

In particular, it is preferable that the stepping detecting means is formed so as to detect the vibration that occurs with the stepping motion of the experience person as described in claim 4, and by doing so, a simple operation can be achieved. With the configuration, it is possible to reliably detect the stepping motion.

Further, as described in claim 5, the position calculating means calculates a target coordinate position one step ahead in the virtual three-dimensional space every time the stepping detection signal is inputted, and the present coordinate position. It is preferable that the moving position of the user is continuously changed from to the target coordinate position. By doing so, the experience person can smoothly step by step in the virtual three-dimensional space, and accordingly, the scenery of the virtual three-dimensional space displayed on the display continuously and naturally changes. I will be going.

Further, as described in claim 6, the virtual reality computing means, each time a stepping detection signal is input,
It is preferable that the screen displayed on the display is formed so as to vibrate vertically. As a result, it is possible to visually produce a stepping motion of a human being, and further, it is possible to experience a highly realistic virtual reality.

Further, as described in claim 7, it is preferable that a stepping movement device is provided and the stepping surface is formed so as to move in accordance with the stepping stepping motion of the experience person. As a result, the experience person can step and move in the virtual three-dimensional space on the spot, and can experience a virtual reality with a higher degree of reality than in the case of moving in the three-dimensional space by merely stepping.

Further, as described in claim 8, it is preferable that the direction input means and the display are formed so that they can be mounted on a head of an experience person as an integrated head mounting body. As a result, the experience person can step by step in the virtual three-dimensional space without performing extra motion.

Further, by forming a game device using the virtual reality experience device as described in claim 9, the player walks or runs in the three-dimensional game space set as the virtual three-dimensional space. You can freely move while enjoying the game in this 3D game space.

In particular, according to the present invention, it is possible to form a small and inexpensive virtual reality experience type game device with high reality that allows a player to move in a three-dimensional game space as if he or she actually walks or runs. The effect of being able to do is obtained.

[0032]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred example of a game device to which the present invention is applied.

In the game device 10 of the embodiment, the player 1
00 is configured to play a virtual reality experience type game in the play room 12.

At this time, the player 100 wears the head mount 20 on the head, wears the step detection section 30 using a band on the waist, holds the step setting section 50 in the left hand, and holds the gun 60 in the right hand. Play the game in the open state.

FIG. 2 shows a specific structure of the head mounted body 20. The head mounted body 20 is formed by providing a helmet 29 with a display 22, a speaker 24 and a space sensor 26. According to the wearer 20 of this type, the player 100 can wear the helmet 29 to create a world completely isolated from the outside, so that a more realistic virtual reality can be enjoyed.

In the game device 10 of the embodiment, the scenery of the three-dimensional game space calculated by the computer 80 is displayed on the display 22. Player 10
0 is watching the scenery displayed on the display 22,
Turn your head in the direction you want to go and perform a stepping motion. The direction of the head and the stepping motion are detected by the space sensor 26 and the stepping detection unit 30, and the computer 80 calculates the moving direction and the position of the player in the three-dimensional game space.

In this way, the player 100 performs a stepping motion in the play room 12 while looking at the scenery displayed on the display 22, so that the player 100 can actually walk or run in the three-dimensional game space. You can move freely.

In an embodiment, the display 22
Player 1 to cover the view of player 100
It is attached in front of 00, and based on the image signal sent from the computer 80 via the cable 70, 3
The image of the scenery in the three-dimensional game space is displayed. As the display 22, for example, a color liquid crystal display or the like may be used.

Further, the shape of the display 22 may be formed so as to cover the field of view of the player along the shape of the face of the player 100 and obtain a panoramic image effect. Alternatively, the two small displays may be formed in front of the eyes of the player 100. In the latter case, it is preferable to form a two-dimensional two-dimensional image provided to both eyes with a parallax image so as to give a three-dimensional stereoscopic effect. By doing so, it becomes possible to grasp the size of the object and the distance to the object, so that it is possible to create a virtual reality that is closer to the real world.

The space sensor 26 is paired with the other space sensor 28 provided on the ceiling of the play room 12, and is formed so as to detect the head direction of the player 100, that is, the visual field direction. . Further, the space sensors 26 and 28 of the embodiment are formed so as to also function as direction input means for inputting the head direction of the player 100 as the moving direction of the player 100.

In the game device 10 of the embodiment, the player 100 is configured to move in the three-dimensional game space by performing a stepping motion on the stepping surface 16 of the play room 12 on the spot. Therefore, the player 100 hardly moves in the play room 12 or is in an allowable range even if it moves, so that the pair of space sensors 26, 28
The visual field direction of the player 100 can be accurately detected.

As the direction detecting method by the space sensors 26 and 28, for example, the following method can be considered. Each of the space sensors 26 and 28 is composed of three coils that are orthogonal to each other. Then, a current is passed through the coil of one of the space sensors, and the positional relationship including the directions of the two space sensors 26 and 28 is detected from the current value induced in the coil of the other space sensor at this time. As a result, the orientation of the head of the player 100 can be detected.

The method of detecting the three-dimensional information by the space sensors 26 and 28 is not limited to the method using the above-mentioned dynamic magnetic field, and for example, a method using a static magnetic field or a method using ultrasonic waves may be used. Good.

FIG. 3 shows a concrete structure of the stepping detection unit 30.

The stepping detection unit 30 of the embodiment is formed so as to detect the vibration generated by the stepping motion of the player 100, and specifically has the same structure as a so-called pedometer.

That is, the stepping detection unit 30 has the one end side 34a of the arm 34 formed of a conductive material.
Is rotatably supported in the housing 32, and a weight 35 is fixed to the other end of the arm 34. Further, the arm 34 is constantly urged in the direction of arrow A by a spring 38. Then, when vibration is applied, the arm 34
Rotates in the direction of arrow B by its own weight against this biasing force,
The contact 34b is configured to come into contact with the terminal 40. The arm 34 is provided with the conductive spring 38.
And is electrically connected to the other terminal 36 via.

With the above configuration, when the player 100 makes a stepping motion and the vibration at that time is transmitted to the stepping detecting section 30, the arm 34 contacts the terminal 40 against the urging force of the spring 38 each time. However, this stepping motion will be detected.

FIG. 4 shows a specific structure of the stride setting unit 50.

The step length setting section 50 is operated by the player holding the grip 52, inserting the forefinger into the finger hole 56 of the rotary slider 54, and rotating the slider 54 to the front side indicated by the arrow A. Set the stride length in the forward direction according to. When the slider 54 is rotated to the arrow B side opposite to that, the stride is set in the backward direction.
Specifically, the slider 54 is configured to always automatically return to the neutral state by a spring (not shown). The rotary shaft of the volume 58 is attached and fixed to the rotary shaft of the slider 54. By rotating the slider 54 in the arrow A direction or the arrow B direction from the neutral position, the resistance value of the volume 58 changes, and the stride length is set in the forward direction or the backward direction according to the change in resistance. It will be.

When the player wants to move forward, the slider 54 may be rotated in the direction of arrow A, and when he wants to move backward, the slider 54 may be rotated in the direction of arrow B.

The gun 60 basically has the same structure as that of the stride setting unit 50 shown in FIG. This gun 60
Is configured such that the rotary slider 54 functions as a trigger, and when the trigger is pulled toward the arrow A side by a certain width or more, the gun 60 in the screen is fired and various reactions subsequently occur. In addition, the game is set so that when the slider 54, which is a trigger, is pushed in the opposite direction to the arrow B side, a shield is formed in front of the player 100.

As described above, the game apparatus 10 of the embodiment is formed so that the player 100 can freely step by step in the three-dimensional game space calculated by the computer 80.

That is, the computer 80 performs a predetermined game calculation based on signals input from the head mounted body 20, the step detection section 30, the step setting section 50, the gun 60, etc., and sets the three-dimensional game space. To do. Then, the computer 80 calculates the moving position of the player 100 in the three-dimensional game space from the detection signal of the stepping detection unit 30 and the direction of the head detected by the space sensors 26 and 28, and the player 100 displays it on the display 22. The image of the view of the visible three-dimensional space is displayed.

FIG. 5 schematically shows the basic calculation principle of the moving position of the embodiment.

The computer 80 is configured to specify a two-dimensional movement position in the three-dimensional game space with X and Y coordinates. Now, assume that the coordinate position of the player 100 in the game space is given by (XN, YN) and the player 100 faces the direction of θ. When a stepping signal is output from the stepping detection unit 30 in this state, the next game space coordinate of the player 100 is given by the following equation.

XN + 1 = XN + r cos θ, YN + 1 = YN + r sin θ (1) where r = kV (k is a proportional constant) where V is the volume 5 of the stride setting unit 50.
8 resistance value. Therefore, the player 100 can arbitrarily set the step length according to the operation amount of the slider 54 of the step length setting unit 50.

In this way, the game device 10 of the embodiment.
Can move freely by walking or running in the three-dimensional game space by turning its head in the direction the player 100 wants to go and stepping on it. And the computer 8
At 0, the scenery in the three-dimensional game space seen from the player 100 is displayed on the display 22 in real time at the moving position.

Then, the player 100 can search for treasure or the like in the three-dimensional game space viewed through the display 22 and play the game. Also,
When a monster or the like appears, the game can be advanced while defeating them.

By the way, when the moving position of the player 100 is calculated based on the equation (1), the player 10
With the movement of 0, the player 100 also changes the viewpoint position discontinuously. In order to solve such problems,
The viewpoint position of the player 100 may be continuously changed in accordance with the stepping motion as shown below.

That is, the current volume position of the stride setting unit 50 is VN, the current game space coordinate position of the player 100 is (XN, YN), and the viewpoint coordinate position of the player 100 is (XV, YV).

When a detection signal is detected from the stepping detector 30, the next target viewpoint position (XP, YP) of the player 100 is calculated based on the following equation.

XP = XN + rN cos θN, YP = YN + rN sin θN (2) where rN = kVN (k is a proportional constant) θN is the direction in which the player 100 is currently facing in the game space.

Then, calculation and setting are performed so that the position of the player 100 and the viewpoint position gradually approach the target viewpoint position expressed by the equation (2) (in the embodiment, X and Y of the player position and the viewpoint position). Coordinates are set to take the same value). That is, player 100
The calculation is performed so that the viewpoint position (XV, YV) of (1) approaches the target viewpoint position (Xp, Yp) from the original position (XN, YN) with a predetermined time delay.

If such a calculation is performed every time the detection signal is output from the stepping detection unit 30, the player 100
Can be smoothly moved in the three-dimensional game space, and the scenery is displayed on the display 22 so that the scenery continuously changes as the player 100 moves.

Incidentally, such a follow-up calculation can be specifically performed as follows.

That is, as shown in FIG.
00 current position (XN, YN) and target position (XP, YP)
) And a small moving distance vt cos θ, vt sin per t time for each of the X component and the Y component.
Find θ.

Here, v is a predetermined constant and t is a predetermined addition time interval.

Further, cos θ and sin θ are expressed by the following equations.

[Equation 1] And the coordinates of the viewpoint of the player 100 (XV, YV)
Until the target coordinate position (XP, YP) is reached, vt cos .theta., V respectively with respect to the viewpoint coordinates (XV, YV)
t sin θ is added. By doing so, as the player 100 moves, the viewpoint position changes continuously and smoothly.

During the above calculation, the stride setting unit 50
When the value of the volume 58 and the moving direction of the player change, the following calculation is performed as shown in FIG.

That is, when the value of the volume 58 of the stride setting unit 50 changes or the direction of the head of the player 100 changes during one step motion, the target coordinate position (XP, YP) is correspondingly changed. ) Changes as indicated by 200 in the figure. When the target coordinate position changes in this manner, the minute movement distances vt cos θ and vt si between the current viewpoint position of the player 100 and the new target coordinate position described above.
nθ is newly calculated and set, and similar follow-up calculation is performed.

FIG. 8 shows a block circuit of the game apparatus of the embodiment.

In the embodiment, the space sensors 26, 28
Are formed so as to function as the direction input unit 90 that specifies the traveling direction of the player 100.

Further, the computer 80 is formed so as to function as a position calculating section 82, a game virtual reality calculating section 84, and a display image combining section 86.

The position calculation section 82 is formed to perform calculation using the above-described calculation method of the moving position and the viewpoint position of the player 100. That is, the direction input unit 9
Based on signals from 0, the step setting unit 50, and the stepping detection unit 30, the moving position, the moving direction, and the viewpoint position of the player 100 are calculated, and the calculation result is output to the game virtual reality calculation unit 84.

The game virtual reality calculation unit 84 performs various game calculations based on signals input from the position calculation unit 82, the gun 60 and the like, a predetermined game program, etc., and the display image synthesis unit 86. Using the display 22
A view of the three-dimensional game space seen from the player 100 is displayed on the top. In the calculation of such a game screen, first, the display image synthesizing unit 86 is used to perform perspective projection conversion of the three-dimensional game space onto a projection plane of a predetermined viewpoint coordinate system to form a game screen, and this is displayed on the display 22. It is done as shown above.

FIG. 9 shows the principle of such an image synthesizing method.

The game device of this embodiment stores in advance information about the three-dimensional game space 500 and the three-dimensional object 510 appearing in the three-dimensional game space 500. The image information relating to the three-dimensional object 510 includes a plurality of polygons 512-1, 512-2, 51.
It is represented as a shape model consisting of 2-3 ... And is stored in advance in the memory. Taking the game described later as an example, the three-dimensional object 510 is the three-dimensional game space 5
This is a pyramid that appears in FIG. 11 as shown in FIG. 11, and in addition to this, in the three-dimensional game space 500, for example, monsters as shown in FIG. 14 and other various three-dimensional objects are arranged.

Then, when the player 100 moves in the three-dimensional game space 500, the game virtual reality computing unit 84 performs rotation, translation, etc. of various three-dimensional objects 510 based on the viewpoint coordinates of the player 100 and the game program. Perform calculations in real time. Then, the three-dimensional object 510 and other three-dimensional objects are perspective-projected on the perspective projection plane 520 of the viewpoint coordinate system, and are displayed on the display 22 as a pseudo three-dimensional image 522.

When such a computer graphics method is used, the three-dimensional object 510 is
It has an independent body coordinate system and creates its shape model. That is, the respective polygons forming the three-dimensional object 510 are arranged on the body coordinate system to specify the shape model.

Further, the three-dimensional game space 500 is constructed using the world coordinate system (XW, YW, ZW), and the three-dimensional object 510 represented using the body coordinate system.
Are placed in the world coordinate system according to their kinetic model.

Then, with the position of the viewpoint 610 of the player 100 as the origin, the data is converted into a viewpoint coordinate system in which the direction of the viewpoint is a positive direction, and the respective coordinates are perspective projected onto the screen coordinate system which is the projection surface 520. Convert. In this way, the three-dimensional game space 50 seen from the viewpoint 610 is displayed.
Images within the field of view of 0 can be displayed on the display 220.

When such an image synthesizing method is used, for example, by changing the viewpoint position to 610A, 610B, etc., the view in the three-dimensional game space viewed from that direction can be easily displayed on the display 22. , Can be displayed as an image.

Further, the game virtual reality calculation unit 84 of the embodiment outputs a predetermined sound effect from the speaker 24 based on the result of the game calculation, and outputs a narration and a necessary instruction as necessary. Has been formed.

Next, the operation of the game apparatus of this embodiment will be described by taking a case of actually playing a game as an example.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the three-dimensional game space 500 of the embodiment, the pyramid 710 is provided in the desert 700, and the player 100 is formed so as to be able to freely move in the desert 700 and the pyramid 710. There is.

In addition, the three-dimensional game space 500 of the embodiment
Shows that the XY plane shown in FIG. 10 is divided into small sections,
Each section has height data (Z coordinate). Therefore, the viewpoint 610 of the player 100 has the Z coordinate determined by the XY coordinates thereof.

The purpose of the game is for the player 100 to bring back the treasure from the king's room in the pyramid 710. The pyramid 710 is a maze as shown in FIG. 12, and a wide range of monsters wanders in the maze. The player 100 defeats the monster with the gun 60, or escapes from the monster while reaching the king's room in the center of the maze, while protecting the fire that the monster blows with a shield, and on the golden crown 730 in the center of the room. You can get a golden crown by passing through. Then, when the player who has obtained the golden crown returns to the entrance 720 of the pyramid 710 again, the game is cleared.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the player 100
Wears the head-mounted body 20 and the stepping detection unit 30 prior to the start of the game, sets the stride setting unit 50 in the left hand and the gun 60 in the right hand.
have. After preparing the game, the game starts. At the start of the game, player 100
Pyramid 71 in desert 700, as shown in FIG.
Standing in front of 0. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, a game screen in which the player 100 views the pyramid 710 is displayed on the display 22. At this time,
When the player 100 turns right, left, or rearward, the view in that direction, that is, the image of only the desert without the pyramid is displayed on the display 22. Note that FIG.
In No. 1, 720 represents the entrance to the pyramid and 722 represents the stairs, which is not shown in the image, but the dotted part 740
The position of the maze inside the pyramid 710 is shown.

Then, the player 100 sets the step setting unit 5
When the slider 54 of 0 is pulled toward you and the stepping motion is started, the player 100 in the three-dimensional game space 500
Step by step, we approach the pyramid 710, go up the stairs 722, and enter the maze 740 from the entrance 720. The image on the display 22 is displayed such that the pyramid 710 gradually approaches as the foot is stepped on.

At this time, it is preferable that the position of the viewpoint 610 of the player 100 be slightly moved up and down every time the player 100 makes a stepping motion.
Therefore, the game image calculation unit 84 of the embodiment is formed so as to slightly move the position of the viewpoint 610 of the player 100 up and down every time a detection signal is input from the stepping detection unit 30.

By doing so, an image closer to the walking state can be obtained.

The situation at this time is schematically shown in FIGS.

For example, as shown in FIG. 16, when the player 100 walks while looking at the object 760 in front,
As shown in (A) of the same figure, the height of the viewpoint 620 when one foot is completely on the ground and the other leg is floating inside, and as shown in (B) of the same figure, My feet landed,
Viewpoint 61 when the other leg is about to leave the ground
The height of 0 is often different. That is, each time the player 100 makes a step motion, the scenery seen from the player 100 slightly moves up and down. Therefore, each time the game virtual reality calculation unit 84 receives a detection signal from the stepping detection unit 30, the screen displayed on the display 22 is displayed as shown in, for example, FIGS. 15 (A) and 15 (B).
By slightly moving it up and down, the atmosphere of actually walking can be visually expressed. At this time, it is more preferable to form so that the footstep sound is output from the speaker 24.

Then, the player 100 plays the stairs 722.
When you start climbing up there, the stairs 722 appear to fall gradually and intermittently as you step, and the entrance 720 appears to descend gradually from the top.

13 and 14 are images when the player 100 is in the maze 740. FIG. 13 shows the maze 7
1 is an image when viewed in the direction of the arrow from point A of FIG.
4 is an image when the arrow direction is seen from the point B of the maze 740. In FIG. 14, the enemy monster 742 at the position C of the maze 740 is visible. This enemy monster 742
Is the one that blows fire from the mouth and attacks the player 100 after a "gao" cry. When the monster cry is heard from the headphone speaker 24, the gun 6
You have to manipulate 0 to bring out the shield and defend, or you must hit it with a gun 60 before you fire.

Also, since the monster 742 attacks with its claws and fangs if it gets too close, the player 100 must retreat or look back and escape if it gets close. Furthermore, even if the monster 742 is not in the visual field of view, its position can be known by the sound image created by the stereo headphone system. Even if you can't see it, you'll attack if you're nearby, so when you hear a bark, you have to turn to that direction to see what your enemy is doing.

In this way, the enemy monster 742 is avoided while proceeding in the maze to search for the king's room. A golden crown 730 is placed in the center of the king's room, and the player 100 can obtain the crown when passing over it. Once you get the crown, this time reach the entrance 720 while avoiding enemy monsters. Safe entrance 720
If the player can get out of the pyramid 710 from, the game is completed.

As described above, according to the game device 10 of the embodiment, the player 100 makes a stepping motion while walking,
By performing the stepping motion in the running state, it is possible to freely walk or run in the three-dimensional game space 500 in the same feeling as in the actual world. Therefore, it is possible to experience a highly realistic virtual reality world, and actually enter the game space and enjoy the game.

In particular, the game apparatus of the embodiment can move the player 100 in the three-dimensional game space 500 extremely smoothly because the player 100 can move in that direction simply by turning his / her head in the desired direction.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the player 10
The direction in which 0 is facing is detected by using the head mounted body 20 and the space sensors 26 and 28 attached to the ceiling, and the game space is moved in that direction. But,
Regardless of such a large-scale device, the stride setting unit 30
Further, a button for rotating left and right or the like may be provided and the traveling direction and the visual field direction may be set and operated by this button lever. Then, the space sensor becomes unnecessary and it can be realized as a home-use game machine.

Furthermore, both the space sensors 26 and 28 attached to the head mounting body 20 and the ceiling, and the buttons and the like provided in the step length setting unit 30 are used to display the direction setting information of the buttons and the like in the step length setting unit 30. If the space sensors 26, 28 are used as the direction input means for inputting and the space sensors 26, 28 are used as the direction-of-view direction setting means, the traveling direction and the view direction can be separately set and operated, for example, while facing forward in the virtual space. You can walk sideways or walk forward while walking around.

Also, in a game that does not use a gun, such as a mere maze game in which no enemy monster appears,
It goes without saying that the gun 60 is unnecessary.

In the above embodiment, the player 100
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a stepping movement device 90 may be provided on the floor surface of the playroom 12 as shown in FIG. 17, if necessary. , The stepping movement device 90 is
6 is formed so as to move in accordance with the stepping motion of the player 100. Specifically, the plurality of rollers 92
Put the endless belt 94 between me, this endless belt 94
Is configured to rotate in accordance with the stepping motion of the player 100. By doing so, the player 100 can enjoy the game while walking or running in the three-dimensional game space with a feeling that is closer to reality.

In the above embodiment, one player 1
The case where 00 is formed so as to move in the three-dimensional game space has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is formed so that a plurality of players play while moving in the three-dimensional game space. You can also

Although the above embodiments have been described by taking the case where the present invention is applied to a game device as an example, the present invention is not limited to this, and is widely used in various virtual reality experience devices such as various simulators. be able to.

[0108]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the stepping movement in the virtual three-dimensional space is input as the stepping motion of the experience person, the experience person is
There is an effect that it is possible to obtain a virtual reality sensation device that can move as if actually walking or running, and as a result, can experience virtual reality with high reality.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the experience person can change the movement path in the virtual three-dimensional space by pointing the head in the desired direction, and move in the virtual three-dimensional space. The route can be changed easily.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by forming the display as a head mounted display, it is possible to obtain a virtual reality sensation device having a higher reality.

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, it is possible to easily and inexpensively form the stepping detecting means for detecting the stepping motion of the experiencer.

Further, according to the invention of claim 5, the player can move in the virtual three-dimensional space with a feeling closer to that of nature, and the viewpoint position is changed in accordance with the coordinate position of the player, whereby the player The scenery in the virtual three-dimensional space that can be seen from the front can be displayed on the display with a feeling closer to the actual reality.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the stepping motion can be visually produced by displaying the screen on the display in small vertical motions in accordance with the stepping motion of the player.

Further, according to the invention of claim 7, since the stepping surface also moves in accordance with the stepping motion of the experiencer, it is possible to walk or run in the virtual three-dimensional space with a feeling closer to the actual one. it can.

Further, according to the invention of claim 8, the direction input means and the display are formed as an integrated type mounted on the head, so that the player does not have to perform a troublesome operation such as manually inputting the traveling direction. It is released and can move more freely in the virtual three-dimensional space.

Further, according to the invention of claim 9, by forming a game device using such a virtual reality experience device, a player can actually walk or run while entering the three-dimensional game space. It is possible to experience the state of moving while being able to enjoy a virtual reality game with higher reality.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a virtual reality sensation type game device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory view of a head mounted body used in the game device of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific configuration of a stepping detection unit used in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a stride setting unit used in the game device of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a calculation principle of a movement path of a player.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment of the method for calculating the movement path of the player.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment of the method for calculating the movement path of the player.

FIG. 8 is a block circuit diagram of the game device of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of an image combining principle of the game device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of a three-dimensional game space according to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a game screen when the player looks at the pyramid from the front.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a maze in a pyramid.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a game screen when the player looks inside the pyramid.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a game screen when a monster appears inside the pyramid.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the game screen slightly vibrates vertically in accordance with the stepping motion of the player.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the viewpoint position moves up and down in accordance with the stepping motion of the player.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Game device 12 Playroom 16 Foot detection part 20 Head mounted body 22 Display 24 Speakers 26, 28 Sensor 29 Helmet 30 Foot detection part 50 Stride setting part 100 Player

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A virtual reality experience device in which a user steps in the virtual three-dimensional space while looking at the scenery of the virtual three-dimensional space displayed on a display. Detection means, direction input means for inputting the traveling direction setting information of the experience person in the virtual three-dimensional space, based on the stepping detection signal and the traveling direction setting information,
Position calculating means for calculating the moving position of the experience person in the virtual three-dimensional space, and a view of the virtual three-dimensional space seen by the experience person based on the moving position of the experience person and displaying it on the display. A virtual reality experience device comprising: a virtual reality computing means; 2. The direction input means according to claim 1, wherein the direction input means is mounted on a head of an experience person, detects the direction of the head of the experience person, and inputs it as traveling direction setting information. A virtual reality experience device. 3. The virtual reality experience device according to claim 1, wherein the display is formed as a head-mounted display mounted on a head of an experience person. 4. The virtual reality experience according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stepping detection means is attached to an experienced person and is formed so as to detect and output a vibration generated due to a stepping motion. apparatus. 5. The position calculating means according to claim 1, wherein the position calculating means calculates a target coordinate position one step ahead in the virtual three-dimensional space every time the stepping detection signal is input, A virtual reality experience device, characterized in that it is formed so as to continuously change a moving position of a user from a current coordinate position to a target coordinate position. 6. The virtual reality calculation means according to claim 1, wherein the virtual reality computing means is formed to slightly vibrate vertically on a display every time the stepping detection signal is input. Characteristic virtual reality experience device. 7. The stepping movement device according to claim 1, wherein the stepping surface is provided at a stepping position of the experience person, and the stepping surface moves in accordance with the stepping stepping motion of the experience person, A virtual reality experience device characterized in that it is formed so as to be able to move step by step in a three-dimensional space. 8. The virtual device according to claim 1, wherein the direction input unit and the display are formed as an integrated head-mounted body mounted on a head of an experience person. Reality experience device. 9. A virtual reality experience-type game device, which is formed by using the virtual reality experience device according to claim 1.