JPH10283151A - Virtual space display method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a virtual space display method which overlaps and displays the virtual space of other users upon the real space where you exist and makes a user who is at a remote place seen as if he exists where you are. SOLUTION: In plural virtual space display terminals 12 which are connected to a virtual space management server 11 through a network 13 and are separately operated by plural users, a real space in which a user himself exists is shown on a head mounted video display device 14 of each user's virtual space display terminal 12, and also the doubles of other users that are sent from the server 11 are overlapped and shown on the real space.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method in which a number of participants communicate with each other through a network using a computer terminal, and all participants share a three-dimensional virtual space constructed using computer graphics technology. The present invention relates to a virtual space display method effective as a means for performing communication as if a plurality of users scattered in remote places exist in the same real space in a system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional virtual space display method employs a method in which a user goes to a computer terminal, looks at the display device of the terminal, and moves the user's self displayed in the virtual space. .

[0003]

Conventionally, as a method for displaying a three-dimensional virtual space created by a computer, a three-dimensional virtual space is projected on a screen or a screen provided in front of each user. Therefore, the real space and the virtual space are separated from each other as separate worlds, and it is difficult to capture the world in the virtual space as a real world. Therefore, the user is in a remote place using such a three-dimensional virtual space. When trying to communicate with a person, there is a problem that the other person has no presence, the movement of the person is difficult to be transmitted, and the width of the communication is limited as compared with the interpersonal communication in the real space.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above,
The goal is to provide a virtual space display method in which the virtual space of another user is superimposed on the real space in which he or she is, and a remote user appears to be present at that location. is there.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a virtual space management server connected to a virtual space management server via a communication line and operated by a plurality of users. In the space display terminal, each user's virtual space display terminal displays the real space in which the user himself is present, and the virtual space of another user transmitted from the virtual space management server is the real space. The gist is to be superimposed and displayed in space.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a virtual space display terminal of each user displays a real space in which the user himself is present, and the real space is transmitted from a virtual space management server. Since the transmitted virtual spaces of other users are displayed in a superimposed manner, each user is overlapped with the real space and the alter ego of the other user in the virtual space, and it appears that the other party is present at the place.

The present invention according to claim 2 is based on claim 1.
In the invention described above, the gist is that the alter ego of another user is displayed in the virtual space, and the movement of the alter ego can be operated so that the alter ego can freely move around in the virtual space.

[0008] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the alter ego of another user displayed in the virtual space can freely move around in the virtual space, and it appears as if the user is there.

Further, the present invention according to claim 3 provides the invention according to claim 1.
In the invention described above, the virtual space is created by simulating a real space, and it is possible to control the position of the alter ego of the user in the virtual space so as to match the position of the user in the real space. I do.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the position of the user's alter ego in the virtual space simulating the real space can be adjusted to the position of the user in the real space.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, each user views the real space and the virtual space through a transmissive head mounted display connected to the virtual space display terminal. The point is to be able to do.

According to the present invention, each user can see the real space and the virtual space through the transmissive head mounted display.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a virtual space display system for implementing a virtual space display method according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in the figure, a network 13 has a virtual space management server 11 provided in a center.
A plurality of virtual space display terminals 12 respectively provided for a plurality of users are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other, and a head mounted video display device 14 is connected to each of the virtual space display terminals 12.

The virtual space management server 11 manages a virtual space shared between users, and each virtual space display terminal 12 displays information on the virtual space transmitted from the virtual space management server 11 and other virtual space displays. Information of other users transmitted from the terminal 12 is received via the network 13 and displayed on the head-mounted video display device 14.

The head mounted image display device 14 connected to each virtual space display terminal 12 is mounted so as to fit over the head of each user, and as shown in FIG. It has a display 21 and a magnetic sensor 22. The magnetic sensor 22 detects a three-dimensional position and a rotation angle of the user wearing the transmission type head-mounted display 21 in the real space, transmits the detected position and rotation angle information to the virtual space management server 11, and By transmitting from the space management server 11 to all users, the user is informed of where in the virtual space the alter ego of the user should be displayed.

The operation of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, 31
Indicates the appearance of the real space 32 where two users 33 are present, 34 indicates the appearance of another real space 35 where the other two users 36 are present, and 37 indicates the usage of the two users. Party 33
Are displayed in the real space 32 in which the other two users 36 are displayed in the virtual space.

In the present embodiment, a virtual space that imitates the real space where each user exists is created in advance,
Each user can display and see the real space where the user exists through the transmissive head-mounted display 21 used by the user, for example, as shown at 31 in FIG. The other user's alter ego (for example, 38 in FIG. 3) can be displayed in an overlapping manner as shown by 37 in FIG. Virtual space management server 11
Collects the position information of this user and other users, and displays the position and size of the alter ego on the head mounted video display device 14 so as to match the relative relationship between the positions of the users. This user can communicate with other users while moving in the real space 32.

That is, in the present embodiment, a three-dimensional virtual space simulating a real space where a user exists is created by computer graphics, and this three-dimensional virtual space is created by the transmission type head mounted display 2 of the virtual space display terminal 12.
1 and the virtual space is shared between the virtual space display terminals 12 of the respective users connected via the network 13 via the virtual space management server 11. And
Each user can operate his / her alter ego displayed in the virtual space, move in the virtual space, and communicate with other users through voice and face images.
The translucent head-mounted display 21 of the user displays the alternation of the user in the real space and the user in the virtual space so as to overlap each other.

As described above, in the real space displayed on the transmissive head-mounted display 21 of each user, an alter ego of another user participating in the virtual space from a remote place is present on the spot. Since the information is displayed so as to overlap with, communication that is quite close to interpersonal communication, including grasping the presence and detailed behavior of the other party, can be achieved.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention,
On each user's virtual space display terminal, the real space in which the user is present is displayed, and in this real space, the virtual space of another user transmitted from the virtual space management server is displayed in an overlapping manner. Therefore, each user overlaps the alter ego of the other user in the real space and the virtual space, it seems that the other person is present at the place, and even grasps the presence of the other person and detailed behavior It is possible to achieve communication very similar to interpersonal communication including this.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a virtual space display system that implements a virtual space display method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a head mounted video display device used in the virtual space display system shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the virtual space display system shown in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Virtual space management server 12 Virtual space display terminal 13 Network 14 Head mounted video display device 21 Transmissive head mounted display 22 Magnetic sensor

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of virtual space display terminals connected to a virtual space management server via a communication line and operated by a plurality of users, respectively. A virtual space display method, wherein an existing real space is displayed, and a virtual space of another user transmitted from the virtual space management server is displayed over the real space. 2. The virtual space displays another user's alter ego, and can operate the alter ego so that the alter ego can freely move around in the virtual space. Item 7. The virtual space display method according to Item 1. 3. The virtual space is created by simulating a real space, and can be controlled so that the position of the user's alter ego in the virtual space matches the position of the user in the real space. The virtual space display method according to claim 1, wherein 4. The virtual space display method according to claim 1, wherein each user can view the real space and the virtual space via a transmission type head mounted display connected to the virtual space display terminal. .