JPH08280843A - Virtual walking machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a virtual walking machine which can give a sense of walking without restraining the walker while he is substantially fixed. CONSTITUTION: A number of endless members 2e on which one can walk are furnished on a rotary pedestal 2b and grouped into two, and each group of members 2e are simultaneously driven in the same direction. A number of rollers 2ec are arranged on each endless member 2e in such a way as rolling round their own centers in the condition that a certain angle is held to the running direction of the member, and one group of rollers 2ec are arranged in line symmetry to the other group of rollers 2ec.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a virtual walker, and more particularly to a virtual walker capable of providing a walking sensation in a narrow space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a moving belt used in a healthy walking machine or the like has been known as a device capable of obtaining a walking sensation while the position of a pedestrian is fixed in a real space. By using this moving belt, a pedestrian performs a walking motion while holding a fixed handle, so that a walking sensation can be obtained even if the position of the pedestrian does not change. However, since the moving belt is intended only for straight traveling, it is impossible to obtain a walking sensation in any direction. Therefore, even if incorporated into a system for achieving artificial reality, only insufficient artificial reality (an artificial reality assuming walking in only one direction) can be achieved.

Further, as a device capable of obtaining a walking sensation in an arbitrary direction, a pedestrian is put on roller-skate-like shoes having casters attached to the back surface, and the pedestrian's condition is fixed to a frame by a harness. The proposed device has been proposed (see FIG. 18 and Tachi Susumu, Michitaka Hirose: “Virtual Tech Lab”, P176 to P180, Industrial Research Committee, 1992). In this device, the movements of a pedestrian's head and both feet are tracked using a sensor, and an image matching the position and direction of a fulcrum in a virtual space is displayed on a head-mounted display (hereinafter abbreviated as HMD). As a result, it is possible to achieve an artificial reality like walking in a virtual space.

[0004]

When the device shown in FIG. 18 is adopted, it is necessary to make the pedestrian wear shoes in the form of roller skates and to fix the pedestrian's condition to the frame with a harness. Since it is unnatural for a pedestrian to walk while wearing such a device, it is completely impossible to obtain a walking sensation in a natural state. Also, the unnaturalness caused by mounting such a device is
Since this will affect the impression when viewing the image displayed on the HMD, it becomes impossible to objectively evaluate the artificial reality.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a virtual walker capable of achieving virtual walk in a natural state.

[0006]

A virtual walker according to claim 1 supports a pedestrian, and a support means for two-dimensionally changing the support position and orientation of the pedestrian, and the position and orientation of the pedestrian. Detecting position detecting means and, in response to the position and orientation of the pedestrian being detected by the position detecting means, the support means for restoring the pedestrian's support position and orientation to the reference position and reference orientation of the support means. And a control means for giving an operation command to the.

According to another aspect of the virtual walker of the present invention, as a support means, a plurality of reciprocating endless members and each endless member are rotatably supported, and the axis of rotation is predetermined with respect to the running direction of the endless members. It has a large number of roller members arranged at an angle and a rotary pedestal that supports all the endless members, and the plurality of endless members are driven into two groups that are simultaneously driven to move in the same direction. Being divided,
The endless members belonging to each section are alternately arranged, and the roller members included in the endless members belonging to one group and the roller members included in the endless members belonging to the other group form a boundary portion between the endless members. As a reference, the ones symmetrically arranged are adopted.

A virtual walking machine according to a third aspect of the present invention comprises, as a supporting means, a plurality of rotating members capable of rotating around an axis in the vertical direction,
A device having an inclined member for inclining the rotating member and a rotary pedestal for supporting all the rotating members is adopted. In the virtual walker according to claim 4, as a support means, a first endless member capable of reciprocating in a predetermined direction, and a first endless member supported in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the first endless member. The one having a plurality of second endless members capable of reciprocating motion and a rotary pedestal supporting the first endless member is adopted.

The virtual walking machine according to a fifth aspect supports, as a support means, a plurality of first rotating members capable of reciprocating about a first rotating axis parallel to each other in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows, and these first rotating members are supported. First reciprocating revolving member in the direction of the first revolving shaft
Endless member and a second end facing in a direction orthogonal to the first rotation axis.
The second rotation member capable of reciprocating around the rotation axis of the second rotation member in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows, and the second rotation member is a second rotation member.
A second endless member that reciprocates in the direction of the rotation axis of the
An endless member and a rotary pedestal supporting the second endless member, wherein the second endless member is disposed inside the first endless member and is located above the second endless member. The first rotating member of 2 is located above the first endless member.
The one that is engaged with the rotating member is used.

[0010]

According to the virtual walker of claim 1, when the pedestrian walks on the support means in any direction, the position detection means detects the position and orientation of the pedestrian, and the control means detects the pedestrian's position. An operation command is given to the support means to restore the support position and orientation to the reference position and reference orientation of the support means. Then, the support means operates based on this operation command to two-dimensionally change the support position and orientation of the pedestrian to restore the pedestrian to the reference position and reference orientation. Therefore, even if the position and posture of the pedestrian are not restricted, it becomes equivalent to fixing the position and posture of the pedestrian to the reference position and the reference direction, respectively, and the pedestrian feels uncomfortable.
A walking sensation can be given without giving discomfort.

According to the virtual walker of claim 2, as the supporting means, a plurality of reciprocating endless members and each endless member are rotatably supported, and the rotation axis is in the traveling direction of the endless member. It has a large number of roller members arranged in a state of forming a predetermined angle and a rotary pedestal supporting all endless members,
The plurality of endless members are divided into two groups which are driven to move in the same direction at the same time, and the endless members belonging to each division are arranged alternately.
A roller member included in the endless member belonging to the group 1
Since the roller members included in the endless members belonging to the other groups are those symmetrically arranged with respect to the boundary between the endless members as a reference, stop, forward movement of the endless members belonging to each group, By controlling the backward movement independently of each other, the position of the pedestrian can be changed two-dimensionally, and further, the direction of the pedestrian can be changed by operating the rotary pedestal. Therefore, the same operation as that of the first aspect can be achieved.

According to the virtual walking machine of claim 3, as the support means, a plurality of rotating members capable of rotating around the axis in the vertical direction, an inclined member for inclining the rotating members, and a rotation for supporting all the rotating members. Since the one with the pedestal is adopted, by tilting the rotating member in a desired direction while rotating it, only a part of the rotating member can be brought into contact with the pedestrian, and only this part can prevent the pedestrian from walking. It can be moved and the position can be changed two-dimensionally. Further, the direction of the pedestrian can be changed by operating the rotary pedestal. Therefore, the same operation as that of the first aspect can be achieved.

According to the virtual walker of claim 4, as the support means, the first endless member capable of reciprocating in a predetermined direction and the first endless member are supported, and the moving direction of the first endless member. Since the one having a plurality of second endless members capable of reciprocating in a direction orthogonal to and a rotary pedestal supporting the first endless member is adopted, the first endless member and the second endless member are adopted. The position of the pedestrian can be changed two-dimensionally by the action of. Further, the direction of the pedestrian can be changed by operating the rotary pedestal. Therefore, the same operation as that of the first aspect can be achieved.

According to the virtual walker of claim 5, as the supporting means, the first rotating members capable of reciprocating rotation about the mutually parallel first rotating shafts are supported in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows, and these first rotating members are supported. A first endless member that reciprocates the first rotating member in the direction of the first rotating shaft, and a second rotating member that can reciprocate around a second rotating shaft that is oriented in a direction orthogonal to the first rotating shaft. A plurality of columns and a plurality of rows, and a second endless member that reciprocates these second rotation members in the direction of the second rotation axis, and a rotation base that supports the first endless member and the second endless member. And a second endless member is disposed inside the first endless member, and a second rotating member located above the second endless member is located above the first endless member. Since the one engaged with the first rotating member is used,
By engaging the second rotation member, the first and second endless members can be operated without any inconvenience, and further, by operating the second endless member, the first rotation member can be rotated. You can As a result, the position of the pedestrian can be changed two-dimensionally. Further, the direction of the pedestrian can be changed by operating the rotary pedestal. Therefore, the same operation as that of the first aspect can be achieved.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing embodiments. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a system for achieving artificial reality. In this system, the virtual walker 2 is arranged at a substantially central position with respect to the cylindrical screen 1, and the cylindrical screen 1
A projector 3 for projecting an image is arranged above. In addition, the pedestrian 4 standing on the virtual walker 2
The liquid crystal shutter glasses 5 are attached. Further, a position / posture detector 6 for detecting the position and posture of the pedestrian 4 is provided at a predetermined position. Furthermore, with the position and orientation detected by the position and orientation detector 6 as input, the pedestrian 4
Image data corresponding to the position and orientation of the pedestrian 4 and the projector 3 and a predetermined control signal to the liquid crystal shutter glasses 5, and the position and orientation of the pedestrian 4 are set as reference positions on the virtual walker 2. A control unit 7 that supplies an operation command to the virtual walker 2 to restore the reference orientation is provided.

Two projectors 3 are provided, for example, a left half image and a right half image are projected on the cylindrical screen 1. Then, each of the projectors 3 alternately displays the image for the left eye and the image for the right eye,
The liquid crystal shutter glasses 5 operate in synchronism with the operation of alternately displaying the images, and the images for the left eye and the images for the right eye are visually recognized by only the left eye and the right eye, respectively, to achieve stereoscopic viewing of the images. However, a flat screen may be used instead of the cylindrical screen, and an HMD may be attached instead of the cylindrical screen 1 and the liquid crystal shutter glasses 5. Also, use a projection system such as CAVE {see "Development of TVs that fit in", Michitaka Hirose, Yoshiyuki Nakagaki, Masaaki Taniguchi, Shinya Komori, Takaaki Endo, Graphics and CAD69-1 (1994, 7, 8)}. Is also possible. The control unit 7 performs shading, light source setting, color setting, texture mapping, shadowing, and the like based on the viewpoint position and orientation that are changed corresponding to the virtual walking of the pedestrian 4, to achieve artificial reality. It is necessary to generate an image and restore the pedestrian 4 to the reference position and the reference orientation on the virtual walker 2 based on the position and the posture of the pedestrian 4 detected by the position and posture detector 6. An operation command is generated and supplied to the virtual walker 2. Also,
Since the virtual walk of the pedestrian 4 is realized, the interference between the wall and the like in the image and the pedestrian 4 is checked to prevent the pedestrian 4 from penetrating the wall or the like.

The virtual walker 2 is capable of two-dimensionally changing the position of the pedestrian 4 and also changing the direction of the pedestrian 4 in response to an operation command supplied from the control unit 7. If so, various configurations can be applied. The position / orientation detector 6 can have various configurations as long as it can detect the two-dimensional position and orientation of the pedestrian 4, and for example, three quadrature oscillation coils and three quadrature measurement coils can be used. , One of them is attached to the pedestrian 4 to obtain 9 equations, and these equations are solved to determine the position,
It is possible to adopt a pedestrian that can obtain a direction.
By installing three ultrasonic oscillating elements with different frequencies to each other, arranging the ultrasonic receiving elements at the four corners close to the virtual walker, and calculating the delay time of the sound wave received by each ultrasonic receiving element. It is also possible to adopt a device that detects the position and orientation (Tachi ▲ Susumu ▼, Michitaka Hirose: “Virtual Tech Lab”, P37-P45, Industrial Research Board, 1
992).

Therefore, when the pedestrian 4 moves on the virtual walker 2 in an arbitrary direction by an arbitrary distance, the position / orientation detector 6 detects the position / orientation of the pedestrian 4, and the detected position is detected. The control unit 7 generates image data whose viewpoint is changed based on the posture, and the projector 3 projects the corresponding image on the cylindrical screen 1. Pedestrian 4
Can stereoscopically view this image through the liquid crystal shutter glasses 5. Further, since the control unit 7 supplies the operation command to the virtual walker 2, the pedestrian 4 can be moved so as to have the reference position and the reference direction on the virtual walker 2.

By repeating the above series of processing,
It is possible to make the pedestrian 4 experience the state of freely walking in the image that is stereoscopically viewed. That is, artificial reality can be achieved.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining the processing of the above system. In step SP1, three-dimensional C
The shape data of a building or the like created by AD or the like is read, and in step SP2, the position and orientation (direction) of the pedestrian 4 standing in the virtual space are initially set as the reference position and reference orientation (reference direction). And step SP3
In, the two-dimensional movement amount and rotation amount of the virtual walker 2 are initialized (for example, these amounts are set to 0), and it is determined whether or not the end is instructed in step SP4.
Then, if termination is instructed, the series of processing is terminated as it is. On the contrary, if the end is not instructed, the pedestrian 4 is detected by the position / orientation detector 6 in step SP5.
Of the pedestrian 4 is calculated based on the measured position and azimuth in step SP6, and the pedestrian 4 is set to the reference position and reference azimuth in step SP7. An operation speed required for the restoration is calculated, and in step SP8, the pedestrian 4 is restored to the reference position and the reference azimuth on the virtual walker 2 by operating the virtual walker 2 based on the calculated operation speed. Let Next, in step SP9, the position and orientation of the pedestrian 4 in the virtual space are calculated from the two-dimensional motion amount of the virtual walker 2, the cumulative total of the rotary motion amount and the position, and the measurement value by the posture detector 6, and step SP10. In step SP11, an image viewed from the pedestrian 4 in the virtual space is generated, and sound is also generated as necessary.
Present the generated image and sound, and just step SP
The judgment of 4 is made.

Therefore, while the pedestrian 4 is always restored to the reference position and the reference azimuth, the image and the sound determined based on the cumulative value of the motion amount of the virtual walker 2 are presented to achieve the artificial reality. . Note that the acceleration is calculated in step SP6 in order to set the operation speed of the virtual walker 2 so that the pedestrian 4 does not fall when the pedestrian 4 is restored by the virtual walker 2, for example. Is.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the virtual walker 2, FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged plan view, FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged front view, FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged side view, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged perspective view, and FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a drive mechanism. This virtual walker 2
The rotary base 2b is provided on the base 2a, and the pair of drive shafts 2c1 and 2c2 is provided on the rotary base 2b via a support member (not shown). The gears 2d1 and 2d2 facing each other are respectively driven by the drive shaft 2c.
1 and 2c2. However, one of the pair of gears is provided so as to be rotationally driven by the drive shaft, and the other gear is provided so as not to receive the driving force of the drive shaft. The gears 2d1 and 2d2 are adapted to alternately transmit the driving force by the drive shaft. Further, the endless member 2e is provided so as to be stretched over the pair of gears 2d1 and 2d2.
Is provided. Therefore, the endless member 2e is
It is divided into a group to which the driving force is transmitted by the drive shaft 2c1 and a group to which the driving force is transmitted by the drive shaft 2c2.

In the endless member 2e, a large number of pairs of L-shaped members 2ea are connected in series, and each pair of L-shaped members 2ea are connected by a connecting pin 2eb. The L-shaped member on one side and the L-shaped member on the other side are set in opposite directions. The roller member 2ec is rotatably provided between the upper ends of the pair of L-shaped members 2ea. Further, the roller members provided on the endless members belonging to each group are set such that the mounting angles of the endless members with respect to the traveling direction are opposite to each other.

Therefore, as shown in FIG.
If the endless members 2e belonging to both groups are run in the same direction, the pedestrian can be moved in the running direction of the endless member 2e, and as shown in FIG. 9B, the endless members belonging to one group. By stopping 2e, the pedestrian can be moved in a direction inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the traveling direction of the endless member 2e belonging to the other group, and as shown in FIG. Endless member 2e belonging to
If the pedestrians are run in opposite directions,
Can be moved in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of.

Therefore, the pedestrian can be freely moved two-dimensionally. Further, when changing the direction of the pedestrian, the rotary base 2b may be rotated. Therefore, by adopting the virtual walker of this configuration as the virtual walker of FIG. 1, the same operation can be achieved.

[0026]

Second Embodiment FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing another embodiment of the virtual walker of the present invention, FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged perspective view, and FIG.
Is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a rotational force transmission mechanism, and FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a rotating member. The base 2b that supports the rotary pedestal 2a is not shown.

This virtual walker 2 has a rotary base 2b,
A large number of rotating members 2f rotatable about an axis in the vertical direction are provided, and a rotating force transmitting mechanism 2g for transmitting a rotating force to the rotating member 2f and an inclining mechanism 2h for inclining the rotating member 2f are provided. . The rotating member 2f is a supporting portion 2f1 having a wide upper portion, and the driven roller 2g near the lower portion.
1 and has a supporting portion 2f1 and a driven roller 2
Universal mechanism 2h1 (for example, in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, a cross-shaped member is interposed. Of course, although not particularly shown, the lowermost portion is rotatably supported by the rotation base 2b. A driving belt 2g2 for transmitting a rotational force to the driven roller 2g1 is provided so that all the rotating members 2f are rotated in the same direction. However, driven roller 2g
Instead of one, a gear may be adopted, and a configuration in which an auxiliary gear for sequentially transmitting a rotational force is interposed between adjacent gears may be adopted. In addition, a mechanism 2h2 for applying a tilting force to a predetermined position above the universal mechanism 2h1 (see, for example, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of long members extending in a direction orthogonal to each other sandwiches a predetermined position of the rotating member 2f, and each pair of long members is moved in a direction orthogonal to the length direction. A mechanism for inclining 2f) is provided. The driven roller 2g1 and the driving belt 2g
2 forms a rotational force transmission mechanism 2g, and a universal mechanism 2h1 and a mechanism 2h2 for applying a tilting force form a tilting mechanism 2h. In addition, the driven roller 2
Gears may be used in place of g1, and chains may be used in place of the drive belt 2g2.

Therefore, in this case, the rotating member 2f
The mechanism 2h
When the rotating member 2f is tilted by operating 2, the supporting portion 2f1 is in a state in which only a part of the supporting portion 2f1 supports the pedestrian, and the moving force can be given to the pedestrian only by this portion. A pedestrian can be moved in an arbitrary direction by controlling the inclination direction of the member 2f. Of course, the direction of the pedestrian can be changed by rotating the rotary pedestal 2b.

[0029]

Third Embodiment FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view showing still another embodiment of the virtual walker according to the present invention. This virtual walker
The rotary base 2a has a rotary base 2b rotatably supported by the base 2a, and a pair of driving shafts 2i and driven shafts 2j are supported on the rotary base 2b via a supporting member (not shown) so as to rotate freely. Have The pair of driving shafts 2i are
The driven shafts 2j are positioned so that they are oriented in directions orthogonal to each other, and the pair of driven shafts 2j correspond to the corresponding driving shafts
It is positioned parallel to i. In addition, between the driving shaft 2i and the driven shaft 2j that are parallel to each other, a large number of endless belts 2k having a width significantly smaller than the lengths of these shafts are stretched over, and the endless belts 2k that are orthogonal to each other.
The relative positions are set so that they form a checkered pattern. That is, the relative positions of the arbitrary endless belt 2k and the many endless belts 2k orthogonal to this are set so that the arbitrary endless belt 2k is alternately on the upper side and the lower side.

Further, a large number of grooves extending in the width direction are formed on the upper surface of each endless belt 2k, and the endless belt 2k located above the endless belt 2k can be smoothly moved. . This groove makes the foot of a pedestrian slip easily in the width direction of the belt and hard to slip in the length direction. So in this case,
A pedestrian can be moved in the traveling direction of the endless belt 2k by driving only one of the driving shafts 2i,
By driving both drive shafts 2i, a pedestrian can be moved in a direction forming a predetermined angle with respect to the traveling direction of the endless belt 2k. Of course, the direction of the pedestrian can be changed by rotating the rotary pedestal 2b.

[0031]

Fourth Embodiment FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the virtual walker according to the present invention. This virtual walking machine has a rotating base 2b rotatably supported by a base 2a, and a driving shaft 2i and a driven shaft which are rotatably supported on the rotating base 2b via a supporting member (not shown). Have 2j. Then, the first shaft is placed between the driving shaft 2i and the driven shaft 2j.
The endless member 2m is hung over and the driven shaft 2n2 is attached to both ends of the first endless member 2m via the support members 2n1.
2n3 is provided, and a second endless member (endless belt) 2n3 is hung between each pair of driven shafts 2n2 facing each other. Further, a driving shaft 2n4 for transmitting the driving force for traveling is provided by sandwiching the second endless member 2n3 located at the upper part with the driven shaft 2n2.

Therefore, in this case, by running either of the first and second endless members 2m and 2n3,
Pedestrians can be moved in the running direction.
By running in the direction of the endless members 2m, 2n3,
It is possible to move a pedestrian in a direction forming a predetermined angle with respect to the traveling direction. Of course, the direction of the pedestrian can be changed by rotating the rotary pedestal 2b.

[0033]

[Embodiment 5] FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the virtual walker of the present invention, and FIG. 17 is a partially enlarged perspective view. This virtual walker has a rotary base 2b rotatably supported by a base 2a, and is rotatably supported on the rotary base 2b via a support member (not shown).
Each pair has a driving shaft 2p and a driven shaft 2q. The pair of driving shafts 2p are positioned so as to face in directions orthogonal to each other, and the pair of driven shafts 2q are positioned in parallel with the corresponding driving shafts 2p. Further, an endless member 2r is stretched between a driving shaft 2p and a driven shaft 2q which are parallel to each other. In this endless member 2r, a large number of support members 2r2 are provided in parallel with each other between end members 2r1 that form the end portion in the width direction, and a large number of rotation members are provided between adjacent support members 2r2. 2s is rotatably supported. Therefore,
The rotation member 2s rotates about an axis parallel to the traveling direction of the endless member 2r. The rotation member 2s is sized so as to project above and below the support member 2r2.

Further, the pair of endless members 2r are provided so as to be able to travel in directions orthogonal to each other, and one endless member (second endless member) 2r is the other endless member (first endless member). It is provided inside 2r. And
The upper part of the rotation member 2s supported on the upper surface of the one endless member 2r is engaged with the lower part of the rotation member 2s supported on the upper surface of the other endless member 2r.

Therefore, the pedestrian can be moved in the traveling direction by traveling only the other endless member 2r, and the rotation member 2s of the other endless member 2r can be moved by traveling only one endless member 2r. The pedestrian can be rotated to move in the traveling direction of the one endless member 2r. Further, by running both endless members 2r, it is possible to move a pedestrian in a direction forming a predetermined angle with respect to the running direction of the endless members 2r. Of course, the direction of the pedestrian can be changed by rotating the rotary pedestal 2b.

[0036]

According to the invention of claim 1, even if the position and the posture of the pedestrian are not restricted, the position and the posture of the pedestrian are fixed to the reference position and the reference direction, respectively. A unique effect that a walking sensation can be given to a person without giving a feeling of discomfort or discomfort to the person.

The invention of claim 2 is also equivalent to fixing the position and posture of the pedestrian to the reference position and the reference direction, respectively, even if the position and the posture of the pedestrian are not restricted. A unique effect is that a walking sensation can be provided without giving a feeling of strangeness or discomfort. The invention of claim 3 is also equivalent to fixing the position and the posture of the pedestrian to the reference position and the reference direction, respectively, even if the position and the posture of the pedestrian are not constrained. A unique effect that a walking sensation can be given without giving a pleasant feeling.

The invention of claim 4 is also equivalent to fixing the position and orientation of the pedestrian to the reference position and the reference orientation, respectively, even if the position and orientation of the pedestrian are not constrained. A unique effect is that a walking sensation can be provided without giving a feeling of strangeness or discomfort. The invention of claim 5 is also equivalent to fixing the position and posture of the pedestrian to the reference position and the reference orientation, respectively, even if the position and the posture of the pedestrian are not restrained. A unique effect that a walking sensation can be given without giving a pleasant feeling.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a system for achieving artificial reality.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating processing of the system of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of a virtual walker.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged plan view of the same.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged front view of the above.

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged side view of the same.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the same.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a drive mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a moving direction of a pedestrian.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing another embodiment of the virtual walker of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the same.

FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a rotational force transmission mechanism.

FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a rotating member.

FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view showing still another embodiment of the virtual walker of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing still another example of the virtual walker of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the virtual walker of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the same.

FIG. 18 is a schematic view showing a conventional virtual walking machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Virtual walker 2b Rotation base 2e Endless member 2ec Roller member 2f Rotating member 2h Inclination mechanism 2m First endless member 2n3 Second endless member 2r Endless member 2s Rotating member 4 Pedestrian

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A support means (2) for supporting a pedestrian (4) and changing the support position and orientation of the pedestrian (4) two-dimensionally, and detecting the position and orientation of the pedestrian (4). And a position detecting means (6) for operating the position detecting means (6) for detecting the position and orientation of the pedestrian by the position detecting means (6).
A virtual control system including a control means (7) for giving an operation command to the support means (2) to restore the support position and orientation of the pedestrian (4) to the reference position and reference orientation of the support means. Walker. 2. A support means (2) is rotatably supported by a plurality of reciprocable endless members (2e) and each endless member (2e), and a rotation axis is in the traveling direction of the endless member. A large number of roller members (2e) arranged at a predetermined angle.
c) and a rotary pedestal (2b) supporting all the endless members (2e), and the plurality of endless members (2e) are divided into two groups which are driven to move in the same direction at the same time. In addition, the endless members (2e) belonging to each section are alternately arranged, and the roller members (2ec) included in the endless members (2e) belonging to one group.
And the roller member (2ec) included in the endless member (2e) belonging to another group are symmetrically arranged with respect to the boundary between the endless members (2e).
The virtual walker described in. 3. The support means (2) comprises a plurality of rotating members (2f) rotatable about an axis in the vertical direction, and a rotating member (2).
The virtual walker according to claim 1, further comprising an inclination member (2h) for inclining f) and a rotating pedestal (2b) for supporting all the rotation members (2f). 4. A first endless member (2m) having a support means (2) reciprocable in a predetermined direction, and a first endless member (2).
m) supports a plurality of second endless members (2n3) reciprocable in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the first endless member (2m) and the first endless member (2m). The virtual walker according to claim 1, further comprising a rotating base (2b). 5. A support means (2) supports a plurality of first rotating members (2s) capable of reciprocating rotation about first rotating shafts parallel to each other in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows, and these first rotating members (2s). A first endless member (2r) that reciprocates the member (2s) in the direction of the first rotation axis, and a second endless member that can reciprocate about a second rotation axis that is orthogonal to the first rotation axis. Rotating member (2
s) is supported in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows, and the second rotation member (2s) is reciprocated in the direction of the second rotation axis.
Endless member (2r) and a rotation base (2b) supporting the first endless member (2r) and the second endless member (2r), the second endless member (2r) being the first endless member (2r). Endless member (2
r) is located inside the second endless member (2r) and is located above the second rotating member (2s), which is located above the first endless member (2r). The virtual walker according to claim 1, which is engaged with a member (2s).