JPH08329282A - Three-dimensional video display system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To map face images corresponding to the directions of respective users on respective other-self objects and display them in a virtual space. CONSTITUTION: A display device 15 displays the virtual space that plural users share. A user inputs his position and direction in the virtual space through a position information input part 11. A virtual space generation part 12 updates the virtual space screen with the input information from the 11, generates character objects with position information on other users sent from a control server, and further finds the relative angles between the users and instructs a face image data base 13 to output face images of the respective users. The data base 13 stores face images of all users picked up from various directions. An image mapping part 14 maps the face images outputted from 13 to the respective other-self objects of the users generated by 12 and displays them on the display device 15.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention, in a three-dimensional virtual space shared by a plurality of users and freely movable by each user's own will, provides a facial image corresponding to the orientation of each user. The present invention relates to a virtual space type three-dimensional video display system for mapping and displaying on a user's alter ego object.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a three-dimensional image display system which is shared by a plurality of users and is freely movable by each user. In the figure, a plurality of user terminals 1
Is connected to the control server 2 through a communication line 3.
The user of each user terminal 1 shares the virtual space transmitted from the control server 2 in advance and operates the operation unit to freely move in the virtual space. Each user terminal 1 transmits to the control server 2 the position information and orientation information of the user in the virtual space input by the operation device. The control server 2 transmits the position information and orientation information of all the users collected from each user terminal 1 to the other user terminals 1. Each user terminal 1
Displays the alternation object of each user in the virtual space based on the position information and orientation information of the own user and the other user.

In such a virtual space type three-dimensional image display system, in the conventional method, only the front face image of each user is registered in advance, and this front face image is mapped to the alternation object of each user. Displayed in a virtual space (for example, IEICE technical report IE92-
120 "Cyber Community Examination" 1993 2
Issued monthly).

FIG. 3 is a view of the positions of three users A, B, and C seen from above in a three-dimensional virtual space that can be shared by a plurality of users. FIG. 4 is an example of a view of the user C in the virtual space, that is, a screen in the conventional method on the display device used by the user C. The user's alternation objects A ′ and B configured by planes. The front face image is mapped and displayed on ‘.

[0005]

In the prior art,
When the user is facing diagonally (example of user A in FIG. 4), the alternation object of the front face image is displayed as it is, so that the face image of the user is difficult to see and There was a problem that it was difficult to understand where you were looking.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and provide a virtual space type three-dimensional image display system for displaying a face image corresponding to the direction of each user by mapping it onto an alter ego object. Especially.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a plurality of users share the data, and each user inputs in the three-dimensional virtual space in which the user can freely move. A face image captured from various angles of each user is accumulated in a three-dimensional virtual space display system that displays the alternation object of each user in the three-dimensional virtual space based on the position information and orientation information of each user. Face image database, means for measuring a relative angle between users existing in a virtual space, and a face image of the corresponding angle of each user is output from the face image database based on the measured relative angle. The main feature is to have means and means for mapping the output face image to the alternation object of each user.

[0008]

In the present invention, since the face image corresponding to the direction of each user can be mapped and displayed on the alternation object,
It is easy to see the face image of the user, and it is easy to see where the user is looking.

[0009]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a user terminal in the three-dimensional image display system of the present invention. The position information input unit 11 is for inputting information for controlling which position and direction the user places himself / herself in the virtual space, and is composed of an operation device such as a joystick. The position information and orientation information of the own user input by the position information input unit 11 are given to the virtual space generation unit 12 and at the same time transmitted to the control server through the communication line 31.
The control server transmits the position information and the orientation information collected from each user terminal to each other user terminal. The position information and orientation information of other users transmitted from the control server through the communication line 32 are input to the virtual space generation unit 12. The virtual space generation unit 12 updates the display screen of the virtual space according to an instruction from the own position information input unit 11, and also uses the position information from the other user terminal of the other party to communicate with other users in the virtual space. Generate an alter ego object. Further, the virtual space generation unit 12 calculates a relative angle based on the orientation information of the own user and the orientation information of other users, and based on the relative angle, the face image of each user selected from the face image database 13 is calculated. Give instructions. The face image database 13 stores face images captured from various directions of all users in advance. The image mapping unit 14 maps the face image of the corresponding user, which is output from the face image database 13, to the alternation object of another user generated by the virtual space generation unit 12. A state of a person in the virtual space including the mapped face image is perspectively displayed on the display device 15. Note that the image mapping unit 14 reduces the facial images of other users located far away and enlarges the facial images of other users located nearby according to the relative positions of the own user and the other user. You may make it map.

FIG. 5 shows users A, B and C in the virtual space.
3 shows the position of a person on the xy plane. In addition, FIG. 6 shows an example of a field of view of the user C in the present invention, that is, a screen on a display device used by the user C.

The virtual space generation unit 12 measures the relative position and orientation of each object based on the world coordinate value (Xi, Yi, θi) of each alternation object in the virtual space. Here, Xi and Yi are position coordinates on the x and y planes, and θi is a rotation angle with respect to the y axis. For example, in FIG. 5, the relative angle θac between the users A and C is θ
It is represented by ac = θa−θc. In this case, as the face image of the user A, a face image having an angle θac ′ = (180 ° −θac) is output from the face image database 43, and is displayed as the alternation object A ′ of the user A as shown in FIG. It should be mapped and displayed. Here, when θac ′ is 0 °, the face image of the user A facing the user C is mapped. The alternation object A ′ of the user A is always in a position orthogonal to the line-of-sight direction of the user C, that is,
The position is indicated by the broken line A'in FIG. The same applies to user B. The face image mapped to each alternation object is sequentially updated each time the viewpoint changes and the relative angle changes. Further, the face image of the partner located far from the user is reduced, and the face image of the partner located near is enlarged and mapped.

In the above description of the embodiments, each user terminal has a face image database for accumulating face images taken from various directions of all users. However, the control server has the face image database. It is also possible for the control server to calculate the relative position and relative angle between each user, read the face image corresponding to each user from the database, and send it to each user terminal. In this case, since it is not necessary for each user terminal to have a face image database, the cost of the entire system can be reduced.

[0014]

As described above, according to the present invention,
According to the orientation of the user in the three-dimensional virtual space, the face image to be mapped to the alter ego object of the user configured by the plane is selected, so that the user can change the orientation in the three-dimensional space. There is an advantage that a face image is easy to see and a display method that is easy to understand where the user is looking is possible. In addition, there is an advantage that a realistic sensation in a real space can be realized by enlarging / reducing a face image to be mapped to an alternation object according to a relative position between users.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional image display system targeted by the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a user terminal according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating face image mapping according to a conventional method.

FIG. 4 is an example of a screen on a display device according to a conventional method.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating face image mapping according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an example of a screen on the display device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 User Terminal 2 Control Server 3 Communication Line 11 Position Information Input Section 12 Virtual Space Generation Section 13 Face Image Database 14 Image Mapping Section 15 Display Device

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A use in a three-dimensional virtual space which is shared by a plurality of users and in which each user can move freely, based on position information and orientation information of each user input by an operating device. In a three-dimensional image display system for displaying a person's alter ego object in the three-dimensional virtual space, a face image database accumulating face images taken from various angles of each user and a relative between users existing in the virtual space Means for measuring an angle, means for outputting a face image of each user at a corresponding angle from the face image database based on the measured relative angle, and the output face image for each user's alternation object And a means for mapping to the 3D image display system. 2. The three-dimensional image display system according to claim 1, wherein in addition to the relative angle between the users existing in the virtual space, the relative position between the users is also measured, and based on the measured relative position. A three-dimensional image display system characterized by enlarging / reducing a face image output from the face image database and mapping the face image onto the alter ego object of the user.