KR20220037351A - Temperature reproducing apparatus for metaverse - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a device for reproducing a temperature comprising: a content playback part that playbacks a content; a temperature measuring part that measures an ambient temperature using at least one temperature sensor; a processor that determines a temperature to be reproduced to the user based on at least one among the content, the ambient temperature, and a temperature set by the user; and a temperature reproduction part that reproduces the temperature determined by the processor using at least one temperature reproduction means. Therefore, the present invention is capable of minimizing a power consumption during heating and cooling.

Description

METAVERSE TEMPERATURE REPRODUCING APPARATUS FOR METAVERSE

The present invention relates to a temperature reproduction device.

Extended reality (XR) refers to the combination of all virtual reality created by computer technology and wearable devices, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality, MR) is a concept that includes all of them. With the growth of the extended reality market, the demand for a multimodal system that inputs and reproduces data about human five senses is increasing. In particular, the multi-modal system can be effectively used in various virtual training systems, such as medical fields such as surgery, defense fields such as shooting training or pilot training, and education fields such as driving or playing musical instruments. It can also be used to implement a metaverse where users can interact with each other, such as buying and selling.

A multimodal system requires a plurality of extended reality output devices, such as a display device, a headphone, and a haptic device, to deliver human five senses to a user. In order to reproduce the five senses more realistically, contents such as video, audio, and haptics must be synchronized and reproduced in each extended reality output device.

Meanwhile, when providing content such as audio or video to a user, a method of processing the content itself, such as 3D audio mix, is used to increase realism and immersion.

US Patent Publication US 2018/0095534 A1 (2018.04.05.)

An object of the present invention is to provide content so that users can feel realism and immersion, and to provide a temperature reproduction device for minimizing power consumption during heating and cooling.

However, the problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be variously expanded without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

A temperature reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a content reproducing unit that reproduces content, a temperature measuring unit that measures an ambient temperature using at least one temperature sensor, and the ambient temperature includes a user's body temperature -, using a processor that determines a temperature to be reproduced to the user based on at least one of the content, the ambient temperature, and a temperature set by the user, and at least one temperature reproduction means to reproduce the temperature determined by the processor Includes temperature reproducibility.

According to one aspect, the processor determines a first temperature to be reproduced to the user based on the content, and corrects the first temperature to be reproduced to the user based on the ambient temperature, thereby providing a second temperature to be reproduced to the user. temperature can be determined.

According to one aspect, the processor generates a first temperature map indicating the first temperature, and a first ambient temperature measured by the temperature measuring unit and a second ambient temperature indicating a second ambient temperature estimated based on the first ambient temperature. generating a second temperature map, and generating a third temperature map representing a correction value of the first temperature based on the first ambient temperature and the second ambient temperature, based on the first temperature map and the third temperature map Thus, a fourth temperature map indicating the second temperature may be generated.

According to one aspect, the temperature measuring unit may measure the ambient temperature in a three-dimensional form.

According to one aspect, the temperature sensor may be a non-contact type temperature sensor that measures the ambient temperature in a state that is not in contact with the user.

According to one aspect, the temperature reproducing means may include a first temperature reproducing means for heating the user by an exothermic reaction and a second temperature reproducing means for cooling the user by an endothermic reaction. .

According to one aspect, the at least one temperature sensor and the at least one temperature reproducing means may be distributed by a predetermined distance from each other and arranged in a grid pattern.

According to one aspect, the at least one temperature sensor and the at least one temperature reproducing means are arranged to form a plurality of layers and may be arranged on different layers.

According to one aspect, when the content is audio, the processor determines the temperature to be reproduced to the user based on at least one of a frequency, a pattern, a tempo, and a beat of the audio. can decide

According to an aspect, when the content is a virtual reality (VR) simulation, the processor may determine a temperature to be reproduced to the user based on a relative position of the user and an object included in the VR simulation within the VR simulation. .

The disclosed technology may have the following effects. However, this does not mean that a specific embodiment should include all of the following effects or only the following effects, so the scope of the disclosed technology should not be understood as being limited thereby.

According to the temperature reproduction apparatus according to the above-described embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide content so that a user can feel realism and immersion, and to minimize power consumption during heating and cooling.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a temperature reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A and 2B illustrate various arrangement examples of a temperature sensor and a thermoelectric element in a temperature reproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart of a method for determining a relative temperature to be transmitted to a user by the temperature reproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a data flow diagram of a temperature reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 shows an example in which the temperature reproduction device according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented as a headphone.
6 is a diagram illustrating a data processing flow in the headphone of FIG. 5 .
7 shows an example in which the temperature reproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented as an HMD.
8A to 8D illustrate a method of generating a second temperature map in the HMD of FIG. 7 .
Figure 9 shows an example in which the temperature reproduction device according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented in clothes.
10a to 10d illustrate a method of generating first to fourth temperature maps in the garment of FIG. 9 .

Since the present invention can have various changes and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail.

However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component.

When a component is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another component, it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but it should be understood that other components may exist in between. something to do. On the other hand, when it is said that a certain element is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that the other element does not exist in the middle.

The terms used in the present application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and are not interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present application. .

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and in detail so that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily practice the present invention.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a temperature reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, temperature-reproducing devices may be used in direct contact with the user, such as headphones, head mounted displays (HMDs), face mounted displays (FMDs), helmet mounted displays, hats, gloves, shoes, or garments. It may be implemented as a device, and may be implemented as a non-contact device that uses a non-contact means (eg, wind) to reproduce the temperature. In addition, the temperature reproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may synchronize the operation of each component using a multi-modal interface.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a temperature reproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a content reproduction unit 100 , a temperature measurement unit 200 , a processor 300 , and a temperature reproduction unit 400 .

The content reproducing unit 100 reproduces content. For example, the content player 100 may be a speaker that reproduces audio content or a display that displays video content such as a virtual reality (VR) simulation.

Here, the content may include all of pre-produced and stored internal content, external content transmitted from the outside, and generated content generated within the temperature reproducing apparatus. In addition, the content may be temporarily or non-temporarily stored in a storage device such as RAM or FLASH, and the external content includes data transmitted by various wireless communication methods such as cellular (eg 4G, 5G, etc.), WiFi, and Bluetooth. do. That is, the content may include not only the audio and video exemplified above, but also any other form of content.

The temperature measuring unit 200 measures the ambient temperature using at least one temperature sensor. Here, "ambient" means the surroundings of the temperature transfer device itself, and thus "ambient temperature" includes the user's body temperature as well as air temperature or room temperature. The more the number of temperature sensors, the more precise measurement is possible.

The temperature measuring unit 200 may measure the ambient temperature not only in a two-dimensional form but also in a three-dimensional form. For example, when measuring the temperature of the user's face, if it is measured in a three-dimensional form, the temperature that changes according to the height difference such as the forehead, nose, and cheek can be measured.

The temperature sensor may be attached to the user's body and consist of a contact type temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the attached point, or a non-contact type temperature sensor that measures the temperature without contact with the user, such as a thermal imaging camera. may be configured.

The processor 300 determines a temperature to be reproduced to the user based on at least one of content, ambient temperature, and a temperature set by the user.

The temperature based on the content may be determined according to the detailed content of the content.

If the content is audio (eg, music), the processor 300 may determine the temperature to be reproduced according to the pitch (ie, frequency), pattern, tempo, beat, etc. of the sound. there is. The processor 300 may determine to reproduce a relatively high temperature in a treble sound, and may determine to reproduce a relatively low temperature in a low sound. Also, the processor 300 may determine to reproduce a relatively high temperature at a fast tempo and determine to reproduce a relatively low temperature at a slow tempo.

In addition, the processor 300 may provide a temperature maintenance function according to a change in the user's body temperature. When listening to audio, the user's body temperature may change depending on the pitch, tempo, and beat. For example, if a user listens to music or sound with a strong beat, the user's body temperature rises, and the user may feel uncomfortable because it becomes relatively hot. In this case, the processor 300 may allow the user to comfortably listen to the audio by determining the temperature to be reproduced to the user according to the user's body temperature measured by the temperature measuring unit 200 .

When the content is a video (eg, VR simulation), the processor 300 may determine a temperature to be reproduced according to the VR object. When there is a hot object near the user in the VR simulation, the processor 300 may determine to reproduce a relatively high temperature in a direction in which the hot object is located and a relatively low temperature in the opposite direction. The temperature transfer device may additionally include a sensor (eg, a 9-axis sensor) that can measure the user's rotation, and when the user rotates and the relative position of the hot object and the user changes in the VR simulation, the processor 300 is Based on the changed relative position, the temperature to be reproduced can be determined.

Meanwhile, the determination of the temperature based on the content may be performed not only by the processor 300 analyzing the content, but also by the content creator or user, as in the above-described example. For example, the producer of the audio content may determine in advance what temperature the user will experience for each playback time of the audio according to his/her creative intention, and insert temperature information for each playback time into the audio content. In this case, the processor 300 may determine the temperature to be reproduced by extracting temperature information for each reproduction time. Also, for example, like setting an equalizer for audio, the user can set the temperature to be reproduced according to pitch, pattern, tempo, beat, playback time, etc. temperature can be determined.

The temperature based on the ambient temperature may be a correction of the temperature based on the content, or it may be determined based on the outside temperature (eg air temperature or room temperature).

The processor 300 may allow the user to reproduce the relative temperature by correcting the reproduction temperature determined based on the content based on the ambient temperature. For example, even if it is determined to reproduce a temperature of 38°C based on the content, the processor 300 may correct the temperature based on the content by reproducing the temperature of 37°C if the user's body temperature is 35°C, If the body temperature is 37°C, the temperature can be corrected based on the content by reproducing the temperature of 39°C. Conversely, even if it is determined to reproduce a temperature of 34°C based on the content, the processor 300 may correct the temperature based on the content by reproducing the temperature of 33°C if the user's body temperature is 35°C, and the user's body temperature is If it is 37°C, it is possible to correct the temperature based on the content by reproducing the temperature of 35°C.

The processor 300 may generate a temperature map based on the ambient temperature measured by the temperature measuring unit 200 in order to correct the reproduced temperature based on the ambient temperature. The temperature map may be configured in the form of a matrix.

Specifically, the processor 300 may generate a first temperature map indicating a temperature to be reproduced to the user determined based on the content. The first temperature map is composed of cells (or components) corresponding to a point at which a temperature is to be reproduced, and a temperature based on content to be reproduced at the corresponding point may be recorded in each cell. The temperature determined based on the content may be determined, for example, assuming that the user's body temperature is 36°C.

The processor 300 may generate a second temperature map indicating the first ambient temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit 200 and the second ambient temperature estimated based on the ambient temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit 200 . . Here, the second ambient temperature means that the temperature at a point where the temperature measuring unit 200 does not directly measure the temperature is estimated based on the first ambient temperature.

The processor 300 may generate a third temperature map indicating a correction value of a temperature to be reproduced to the user determined based on the content based on the first ambient temperature and the second ambient temperature. For example, if the temperature determined based on the content is determined by assuming that the user's body temperature is 36°C, the correction value gives the user the same feeling (that is, based on the measured and estimated temperature recorded in the second temperature map) temperature difference) can be determined as a reproducible temperature.

The processor 300 may generate a fourth temperature map indicating a temperature to be transmitted to the user determined (ie, corrected) based on the ambient temperature based on the first temperature map and the third temperature map.

The estimation of the ambient temperature through the temperature map and the correction of the reproduced temperature will be described later through specific examples with reference to other drawings.

Meanwhile, the processor 300 may determine a temperature to be reproduced to the user according to an external temperature (eg, temperature or room temperature). As described above, the temperature measuring unit 200 may measure not only the user's body temperature but also the external temperature. The processor 300 may determine a temperature to be reproduced to the user so as to deliver a specific temperature according to the measured external temperature. When the external temperature is low, such as in winter, the processor 300 may provide a heating function to the user by determining a temperature to be reproduced to the user as a relatively high temperature. Conversely, when the external temperature is high, such as in summer, the processor 300 may provide a cooling function to the user by determining the temperature to be reproduced to the user as a relatively low temperature.

The temperature reproduction unit 400 reproduces the temperature determined by the processor using at least one temperature reproduction means. For example, the temperature reproducing means may be composed of a thermoelectric element capable of heating the user by an exothermic reaction and cooling the user by an endothermic reaction, and heating the user only It may be composed of a hot thermoelectric element that can do this and a cold thermoelectric element that can only cool the user. The temperature reproduction means can generate a temperature determined by a user or a processor, as well as an element having a thermoelectric effect, such as the Seebeck effect, the Peltier effect, and the Thompson effect. It may be constructed of any element using similar techniques in other ways. As another example, the temperature reproduction means may use water (hot water/cold water) or may use wind (hot air/cold air). On the other hand, when there are a plurality of temperature reproducing means, the temperature reproducing unit 400 may reproduce different temperatures for each target position of each of the temperature reproducing means.

2A and 2B show various arrangement examples of a temperature sensor and a temperature reproduction means in a temperature reproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The temperature sensor and the temperature reproducing means may be disposed according to the convenience of implementation without special rules, but may be disposed in a grid pattern while being distributed by a predetermined distance from each other as shown in FIG. 2A . That is, by placing a temperature sensor (indicated by TS in Fig. 2a) at a certain point, the temperature at that point can be directly measured, the temperature of the remaining points can be estimated, and the temperature reproduction means ( The temperature can be transferred successfully by placing TE in Fig. 2a). At this time, it is important to distribute the temperature sensor and the temperature reproduction means by a predetermined distance so that they do not affect each other.

On the other hand, even when the temperature reproducing means is composed of individual hot thermoelectric elements and cold thermoelectric elements, as shown in FIG. 2B , they may be distributed by a predetermined distance from each other and arranged in a grid pattern.

In addition, the temperature sensor and the temperature reproducing means are arranged to constitute one layer to measure the temperature at a position corresponding to each temperature sensor, and reproduce the temperature at a position corresponding to each temperature reproducing means, A plurality of layers may be configured, but the temperature sensor and the temperature reproducing means may be disposed on different layers. Even in this case, the temperature sensor and the temperature reproducing means can be distributed by a predetermined distance from each other as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B and arranged in a grid pattern, and when they are composed of a plurality of layers, efficiency in terms of control, interference, etc. can increase

3 is a flowchart of a method for determining a relative temperature to be transmitted to a user by the temperature reproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , in step S301, a temperature sensor measures a temperature for each location of the user. At this time, there may be more than one temperature sensor, and the more the number, the more precise measurement is possible. As described above, the temperature sensor may be a non-contact type sensor such as a thermal imaging camera as well as a contact type sensor attached to the user's body.

In step S303, the processor 300 generates a temperature matrix including the non-measurement point. As shown in FIGS. 8C, 8D, and 10A , the processor 300 may estimate the temperature of the non-measurement point by using the temperature of the measuring point. Estimation of temperature may be performed by generating a temperature map as described above. In this case, the estimation may be performed using two or more measured values or pre-estimated values, and may be performed in various ways such as an average, a median, and a weighted average. On the other hand, 3D temperature estimation is possible not only when the measurement position is 2D but also in the case of a 3D shape.

In step S305, the processor 300 generates a reproduction temperature map according to the content temperature reproduction information. That is, the processor 300 generates a final temperature map to be reproduced to the user by using the temperature determined according to the content and the temperature measured and estimated in step S303. At this time, a temperature map according to absolute temperature (ie, temperature based on content) can be created as illustrated in FIG. 10B , and a temperature corrected by taking into account relative temperature (ie, temperature measurement and estimate) as illustrated in FIG. 10D . ) to create a temperature map according to

In step S307 , the temperature reproduction means reproduces the temperature to the user according to the temperature map generated by the processor 300 . As described above, the temperature reproduction means can reproduce the temperature in various ways, such as a cold thermoelectric element, a warm thermoelectric element, a device using water, a device using wind, and the like.

In step S309, the effect of temperature reproduction is measured by measuring the temperature for each location of the user. Step S309 is to confirm whether the temperature reproduced by the temperature reproduction means is actually well transmitted to the user, and to reflect the relative temperature reproduction using the corresponding information. In this case, in the temperature measurement, the temperature may not be transmitted or the temperature of the temperature reproducing means may be separately measured at the moment of measurement so as to minimize the effect of the temperature reproduced by the temperature reproducing means. Step S309 may be selectively applied according to an embodiment.

4 is a data flow chart of a temperature reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the temperature reproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention performs calculation (estimation) for each location by a temperature map generation routine using content temperature data, a temperature measurement value, and a temperature value generated through a processor. A reproducible temperature map is generated, and the temperature is reproduced according to the result. The content temperature data may be, for example, temperature data corresponding to a hot or cold object in a VR simulation, a fast beat portion of audio content, or the like. The temperature measurement value may be a temperature around the temperature reproduction device measured by the temperature sensor. The temperature map generation routine may be a process to be described later with reference to FIGS. 8C, 8D, and 10A to 10D.

Hereinafter, as a specific implementation example of the temperature reproduction device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the operation when implemented with headphones, HMD, and clothes will be described. In this specification, it is described as an example implemented in headphones, HMD, and clothes, but the implementation method of the present invention is not limited thereto.

5 shows an example in which the temperature reproduction device according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented as a headphone.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the headphones include speakers 101-1 and 101-2, a headband 201, temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-4, and temperature reproducing means 400-1 and 400-2. may include Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 5 , the headphone may include a processor, and the processor may be located inside the headband 201 .

The speakers 101-1 and 101-2 reproduce audio content such as music. Although two speakers 101-1 and 101-2 are shown in FIG. 5, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may include a larger number of speakers to implement multiple channels, such as, for example, 5.1-channel or 7.1-channel. can

The headband 201 may be configured to cover the user's head so that the user can wear headphones. Speakers 101-1 and 101-2, temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-4, and temperature reproduction means 400-1 and 400-2 may be coupled to the headband 201 . 5, on the inner surface of the headband 201, speakers 101-1 and 101-2, temperature sensors 300-1 and 300-2, and temperature reproduction means 400-1 and 400- 2) may be coupled, and the temperature sensors 300-3 and 300-4 may also be coupled to the outer surface of the headband 201 .

The temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-4 measure the temperature of the position to which they are attached. Although four temperature sensors 300 - 1 to 300 - 4 are illustrated in FIG. 5 , the present invention is not limited thereto, and a larger number or a smaller number of temperature sensors may be included. The temperature sensors 300-1 and 300-2 attached to the inner surface of the headband 201 may come into contact with the user's skin to measure the user's body temperature when the user wears the headphones. The temperature sensors 300 - 3 and 300 - 4 attached to the outer surface of the headband 201 may measure an external temperature (eg, temperature or room temperature) when the user wears the headphones.

The temperature reproduction means 400-1 and 400-2 reproduce the temperature determined by the processor. In FIG. 5 , two temperature reproduction means 400-1 and 400-2 in the form of being in contact with the inner surface of the headband 201 and in contact with the user's head are shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. , may include a larger number of temperature reproduction means to subdivide the temperature transfer points.

On the other hand, the headphones may be used alone to reproduce audio content, but may also be used together with other devices including a display to reproduce content in which video and audio are combined.

6 is a diagram illustrating a data processing flow in the headphone of FIG. 5 . The data processing shown in FIG. 6 may be performed by the processor 300 .

The audio data may include at least one of audio mono data and audio stereo data, and when there is only audio mono data, it may be converted into audio stereo data using UP MIX. Audio mono data and audio stereo data may be separated into a left output and a right output after 3D audio conversion. Separate left and right outputs can be reproduced through each speaker.

Meanwhile, temperature leveling may be performed based on content haptic data, audio data, and measured temperature. At this time, the audio data separated into the left and right outputs may be separated for each frequency by an equalizer and used for temperature leveling. As described above, the temperature leveling may be to determine the temperature to be delivered to the user based on factors determined by the content creator (ie, content haptic data and audio data in the example of FIG. 4 ) and the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.

7 shows an example in which the temperature reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented as an HMD.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the HMD may include a display 103 , a body 203 , temperature sensors 301-1 to 301-3 , and temperature reproduction means 400-1 to 400-12 . Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 7 , the HMD may include a processor, and the processor may be located inside the body 203 .

The display 103 plays video content (eg, VR simulation).

A display 103, temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3, and temperature reproducing means 400-1 to 400-12 may be coupled to the body 203 . As shown in FIG. 7 , temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3 and temperature reproducing means 400-1 to 400-12 may be coupled to the inner surface of the body 203 .

The temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3 measure the temperature of the position to which they are attached. Although three temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3 are illustrated in FIG. 7, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a larger number or a smaller number of temperature sensors may be included. In addition, although not explicitly shown in FIG. 7 , a temperature sensor is also attached to the outer surface of the body to measure the external temperature.

When the user wears the HMD, the temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3 may contact the user's skin to measure the user's body temperature. The temperature of the point where the temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3 are not attached may be estimated using the temperature of the point where the temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3 are attached. The estimation of the temperature will be described later with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8D .

The temperature reproduction means 400-1 to 400-12 reproduce the temperature determined by the processor. In FIG. 7, as another example from the headphone of FIG. 5, 12 temperature reproducing means 400-1 to 400-12 are attached to the inner surface of the body 203, but the present invention is not limited thereto. does not

Meanwhile, the HMD may be used alone to reproduce video content, but may also be used together with other devices including speakers to reproduce content in which video and audio are combined.

8A to 8D describe a method of generating a second temperature map in the HMD of FIG. 7 .

8A and 8B are plan views of the HMD of FIG. 7 as viewed from the direction A;

Referring to FIG. 8A , as shown in FIG. 7 , three temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3 and 12 temperature reproducing means 400-1 to 400-12 are attached to the inner surface of the HMD. The temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3 each measure the temperature of the point to which they are attached, and the temperature reproduction means 400-1 to 400-12 transmit the temperature determined by the processor to the user. At this time, the processor performs the temperature reproduction means 400-1 to 400- attached to a point to which the temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3 are not attached based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3. 12) should determine the temperature at which this will be reproduced.

To this end, the processor determines the points P1, P1-1, P1-2, and the temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3 to which the temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3 are not attached, based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3. The temperatures of P2, P2-1, P2-2, P3, P3-1, P3-3) can be estimated. For example, the processor uses the average of the temperatures measured by the temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3 to determine the points P1, P1-1, and P1 to which the temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3 are not attached. -2, P2, P2-1, P2-2, P3, P3-1, P3-3) can be estimated.

Referring to FIG. 8B , for example, the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 300-1 is 36°C, the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 300-2 is 39°C, and the temperature sensor 300-3 is When the measured temperature is 35°C, the processor may estimate the temperature of the points P1 , P2 , and P3 as an average of the temperatures measured by the respective temperature sensors 300 - 1 to 300 - 3 . That is, the processor may estimate the temperature of the point P1 as 37.5°C, the temperature of the point P2 as 38.5°C, and the temperature of the point P3 as 37°C. In addition, the processor estimates the temperature of the points (P1-1, P1-2, P2-1, P2-2, P3-1, P3-2) at the points (P1, P2, P3) and the temperature sensor 300- 1 to 300-3) can be estimated as the average of the measured temperatures. That is, the processor sets the temperature of the point P1-1 to 36.75° C., the temperature of the point P1-2 to 38.25° C., the temperature of the point P2-1 to 38.75° C., and the temperature of the point P2-2. It can be estimated that the temperature is 38.25°C, the temperature of the point P3-1 is 37.5°C, and the temperature of the point P3-2 is 36.5°C.

In the example of FIGS. 8A and 8B , the processor estimates the temperature of the point to which the temperature sensors 300-1 to 300-3 are not attached using the average, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a person skilled in the art can use the average In addition, the temperature can be estimated using other representative values such as the median and mode, and a weighted average with different weights according to the location where the temperature sensor is attached or the distance between each temperature sensor is used to estimate the temperature. It will be appreciated that the temperature can also be estimated.

As described above, the processor may estimate the temperature by generating a temperature map. As shown in FIG. 8C , the temperature of the entire face of the user may be estimated by generating a temperature map based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensors 300-1, 300-2, and 300-3, indicated by thick lines. there is. At this time, the temperature corresponding to each component of the temperature map is, for example, based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensors 300-1, 300-2, 300-3, a specific component (eg, the intermediate component of the temperature map, temperature It can be estimated by estimating the temperature corresponding to the outermost intermediate component of the map), estimating the temperature corresponding to the other component based on the measured temperature and the temperature estimation value of the specific component, and repeating the same.

Also, as shown in FIG. 8D , when the number of temperature sensors is increased, it is possible to more precisely measure and estimate the temperature distribution of a part to be measured.

When the temperature is estimated by generating a temperature map as shown in FIGS. 8C and 8D, the temperature distribution of the user's face can be estimated, so that the processor can estimate the current temperature distribution compared to the example of FIGS. 8A and 8B. A more suitable reproduction temperature can be determined.

Figure 9 shows an example in which the temperature reproduction device according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented in clothes. The garment may be used with the headphones or HMD described above.

Referring to FIG. 9 , a temperature sensor may be attached to a portion of the clothes corresponding to the specific portion to measure the temperature of a specific part (eg, each joint part) of the user's body. In this case, the temperature sensor may be attached to the rear as well as the front of the user.

The temperature of the location to which the temperature sensor is not attached may be estimated by the processor. In the case of a face, it can be estimated by predicting the 3D matrix distribution of the temperature based on the temperature measured at the point where the temperature sensor is attached. This will be described later with reference to FIGS. 10A to 10D.

On the other hand, clothes can be implemented so that both temperature measurement and temperature reproduction can be performed using dual materials capable of sensing the temperature of the entire region and haptic output.

10a to 10d illustrate a method of generating first to fourth temperature maps in the garment of FIG. 9 .

10A shows a first temperature map. Referring to FIG. 10A , when temperature sensors are disposed at the points indicated by thick lines in the first temperature map (that is, four on the head, one on the neck, one on each hand, one on each elbow, One on the chest, one on the abdomen, one on each knee, two on each foot), the temperature of the area where the temperature cannot be directly measured is the same as the method described above with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8D can be estimated as

10B shows a second temperature map. For example, if the content is a VR simulation and the user has a hot object or environment in the upper left corner and a cold object or environment in the upper right corner, the processor may determine a reproduction temperature based on the content, such as the numerical values shown in FIG. 10B . In this case, the processor may determine a reproduction temperature based on the content based on a specific temperature (eg, 36°C). Therefore, in Fig. 10b, it was decided to transmit 41 °C from the left end and 34 °C from the right end.

10C shows a third temperature map. That is, since the processor in FIG. 10B determined the reproduction temperature based on the content based on 36° C., it is enough to reproduce the relative temperature as much as the temperature shown in FIG. 10C to the user. As a result, the processor 300 adds the correction value recorded in the third temperature map of FIG. 10C to the user's body temperature recorded in the first temperature map of FIG. 8A , and reproduces based on the ambient temperature as shown in the fourth temperature map of FIG. 10D . The temperature may be determined, and the temperature reproduction means may transmit the temperature to the user.

As described above, when the relative temperature is reproduced by correcting the content-based reproduction temperature based on the ambient temperature, the user can recognize a high temperature even if a relatively lower temperature is actually reproduced according to the user's body temperature, There is an advantage to adding a temperature change, and the user can feel the temperature change with certainty. In addition, even if a relatively low temperature is reproduced in some cases, the user can recognize the high temperature, so that power consumption can be reduced. Meanwhile, the relative temperature can be individually set for each user, so that it is possible to provide customized temperature reproduction for the elderly or the physically and mentally weak. Additionally, it may be used for treatment in the medical field as well as for content reproduction.

Although described above with reference to the drawings and embodiments, it does not mean that the protection scope of the present invention is limited by the drawings or embodiments, and those skilled in the art will appreciate the spirit and scope of the present invention described in the claims below. It will be understood that various modifications and variations of the present invention can be made without departing from the scope thereof.

100: content playback unit
200: temperature measurement unit
300: processor
400: temperature reproduction part

Claims (10)

a content reproducing unit for reproducing content;
a temperature measuring unit measuring an ambient temperature using at least one temperature sensor, wherein the ambient temperature includes a user's body temperature;
a processor configured to determine a temperature to be reproduced to the user based on at least one of the content, the ambient temperature, and a temperature set by the user; and
a temperature reproducing unit that reproduces the temperature determined by the processor using at least one temperature reproducing means;
Including, temperature reproduction device. According to claim 1,
the processor is
determine a first temperature to be reproduced to the user based on the content;
and determining a second temperature to be reproduced to the user by correcting the first temperature to be reproduced to the user based on the ambient temperature. 3. The method of claim 2,
the processor is
generating a first temperature map representing the first temperature;
generating a second temperature map indicating a first ambient temperature measured by the temperature measuring unit and a second ambient temperature estimated based on the first ambient temperature;
generating a third temperature map indicating a correction value of the first temperature based on the first ambient temperature and the second ambient temperature;
and generating a fourth temperature map indicating the second temperature based on the first temperature map and the third temperature map. According to claim 1,
The temperature measuring unit measures the ambient temperature in a three-dimensional form, a temperature reproduction device. According to claim 1,
The temperature sensor is a non-contact type temperature sensor for measuring the ambient temperature in a state in which the user is not in contact, the temperature reproduction device. According to claim 1,
wherein the temperature reproducing means includes a first temperature reproducing means for heating the user by an exothermic reaction and a second temperature reproducing means for cooling the user by an endothermic reaction. According to claim 1,
and the at least one temperature sensor and the at least one temperature reproducing means are distributed by a predetermined distance from each other and arranged in a grid pattern. 8. The method of claim 7,
wherein the at least one temperature sensor and the at least one temperature reproduction means are arranged to constitute a plurality of layers and are arranged in different layers. According to claim 1,
If the content is audio
and the processor determines the temperature to be reproduced to the user based on at least one of a frequency, a pattern, a tempo, and a beat of the audio. According to claim 1,
When the content is a virtual reality (VR) simulation
wherein the processor determines a temperature to be reproduced to the user based on a relative position of the user and an object included in the VR simulation within the VR simulation.

Images