WO2021131935A1

WO2021131935A1 - Program, method, and information processing device

Info

Publication number: WO2021131935A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/046873
Authority: WO
Inventors: 一晃澤木; 英太菊地
Original assignee: 株式会社コロプラ
Priority date: 2019-12-26
Filing date: 2020-12-16
Publication date: 2021-07-01
Also published as: JP2021105790A

Abstract

Provided is a program, wherein a processor is made to execute: a step for defining a virtual space; a step for accepting input of an image obtained by imaging with a 360° camera; a step for arranging a virtual viewpoint in the virtual space; a step for arranging a display object in the virtual space; a step for displaying the inputted image at the display object; a step for specifying a tracking subject in the virtual space; a step for detecting movement of the head of a user with whom a head-mounted device has been associated; a step for controlling the field of vision from the virtual viewpoint in accordance with the movement of the head; a step for controlling rotation of the virtual space, if the tracking subject is not included in the field of vision from the virtual viewpoint, so that the tracking subject will be included in the field of vision from the virtual viewpoint; and a step for displaying, at the head-mounted device, a vision field image corresponding to the field of vision from the virtual viewpoint.

Description

Programs, methods and information processing equipment

The present disclosure relates to programs, methods and information processing devices.

Conventionally, a program for displaying a 360-degree moving image on a head-mounted display is known. Patent Document 1 discloses an invention in which the time axis of a 360-degree moving image displayed on a head-mounted display is controlled according to the inclination of the head-mounted display.

Japanese Patent No. 6130478

However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, there is room for improvement in improving convenience when a user views a 360-degree moving image.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a program, a method, and an information processing device capable of improving convenience when a user views a 360-degree moving image.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the program comprises a step of defining a virtual space in the processor, a step of accepting an input of an image taken by a 360-degree camera, and a step of arranging a virtual field of view in the virtual space. A user associated with a head mount device, a step of arranging a display object in the virtual space, a step of displaying the input image on the display object, a step of identifying a tracking object in the virtual space, and a user associated with the head mount device. When the tracking object is not included in the step of detecting the movement of the head of the head, the step of controlling the field of view from the virtual viewpoint according to the movement of the head, and the field of view from the virtual viewpoint. A step of controlling the rotation of the virtual space so that the tracking object is included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint, and a step of displaying a field image corresponding to the field of view from the virtual viewpoint on the head mount device. To execute.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a program, a method, and an information processing device capable of improving convenience when a user views a 360-degree moving image.

It is a figure which shows the outline of the structure of the HMD system according to a certain embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware composition of the computer according to a certain embodiment. It is a figure that conceptually represents the uvw field coordinate system set in the HMD according to a certain embodiment. It is a figure that conceptually represents one aspect of expressing a virtual space according to a certain embodiment. It is a figure which showed the head of the user who wears an HMD according to a certain embodiment from the top. It is a figure which shows the YZ cross section which looked at the visual field area from the X direction in the virtual space. It is a figure which shows the XZ cross section which looked at the field of view area from the Y direction in a virtual space. It is a figure which shows the schematic structure of the controller according to a certain embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of each direction of yaw, roll, and pitch defined for the right hand of the user according to a certain embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware configuration of the server according to a certain embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the computer according to a certain embodiment as a module structure. FIG. 5 is a sequence chart representing a portion of the processing performed in an HMD set according to an embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the situation that each HMD provides a virtual space to a user in a network. It is a figure which shows the field of view image of the user 5A in FIG. 12A. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process to perform in the HMD system according to a certain embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the module of the computer according to a certain embodiment. It is a figure which shows the outline of the structure which concerns on the 360 degree camera according to a certain embodiment. It is a figure which shows the zenith of a virtual space. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship between the visual field area and the tracking object, and is the figure which shows the case where the tracking object is located in the visual field area. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship between the visual field area and the tracking object, and is the figure which shows the case where the tracking object is located outside the visual field area. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process related to control of a 360-degree camera, which is a part of the process executed in the HMD set according to a certain embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the automatic tracking process shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example which divided the virtual space into three equal parts.

Hereinafter, embodiments of this technical idea will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are the same. Therefore, the detailed description of them will not be repeated. In one or more embodiments set forth in the present disclosure, the elements included in each embodiment may be combined with each other, and the combined deliverables shall also form part of the embodiments set forth in the present disclosure.

[HMD system configuration]
The configuration of the HMD (Head-Mounted Device) system 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the HMD system 100 according to the present embodiment. The HMD system 100 is provided as a home system or a business system.

The HMD system 100 includes a server 600,

HMD sets

110A, 110B, 110C, 110D, an external device 700, and a network 2. Each of the

HMD sets

110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D is configured to be able to communicate with the server 600 and the external device 700 via the network 2. Hereinafter, the HMD set 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D are collectively referred to as the HMD set 110. The number of HMD sets 110 constituting the HMD system 100 is not limited to four, and may be three or less or five or more. The HMD set 110 includes an HMD 120, a computer 200, an HMD sensor 410, a display 430, and a controller 300. The HMD 120 includes a monitor 130, a gaze sensor 140, a first camera 150, a second camera 160, a microphone 170, and a speaker 180. The controller 300 may include a motion sensor 420.

In some aspects, the computer 200 can connect to the Internet or other network 2 and communicate with the server 600 or other computer connected to the network 2. Examples of other computers include computers of other HMD sets 110 and external devices 700. In another aspect, the HMD 120 may include a sensor 190 instead of the HMD sensor 410.

The HMD 120 may be worn on the head of the user 5 and provide the user 5 with a virtual space during operation. More specifically, the HMD 120 displays an image for the right eye and an image for the left eye on the monitor 130, respectively. When each eye of the user 5 visually recognizes the respective image, the user 5 can recognize the image as a three-dimensional image based on the parallax of both eyes. The HMD 120 may include both a so-called head-mounted display including a monitor and a head-mounted device capable of mounting a smartphone or other terminal having a monitor.

The monitor 130 is realized as, for example, a non-transparent display device. In one aspect, the monitor 130 is arranged in the body of the HMD 120 so that it is located in front of both eyes of the user 5. Therefore, the user 5 can immerse himself in the virtual space when he / she visually recognizes the three-dimensional image displayed on the monitor 130. In one aspect, the virtual space includes, for example, a background, an object that the user 5 can manipulate, and an image of a menu that the user 5 can select. In a certain aspect, the monitor 130 can be realized as a liquid crystal monitor or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) monitor included in a so-called smartphone or other information display terminal.

In another aspect, the monitor 130 can be realized as a transmissive display device. In this case, the HMD 120 may be an open type such as a glasses type, instead of a closed type that covers the eyes of the user 5 as shown in FIG. The transmissive monitor 130 may be temporarily configured as a non-transparent display device by adjusting its transmittance. The monitor 130 may include a configuration in which a part of the image constituting the virtual space and the real space are displayed at the same time. For example, the monitor 130 may display an image of the real space taken by the camera mounted on the HMD 120, or may make the real space visible by setting a part of the transmittance to be high.

In some aspects, the monitor 130 may include a sub-monitor for displaying an image for the right eye and a sub-monitor for displaying an image for the left eye. In another aspect, the monitor 130 may be configured to display the image for the right eye and the image for the left eye as a unit. In this case, the monitor 130 includes a high speed shutter. The high-speed shutter operates so that the image for the right eye and the image for the left eye can be alternately displayed so that the image is recognized by only one of the eyes.

In one aspect, the HMD 120 includes a plurality of light sources (not shown). Each light source is realized by, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) that emits infrared rays. The HMD sensor 410 has a position tracking function for detecting the movement of the HMD 120. More specifically, the HMD sensor 410 reads a plurality of infrared rays emitted by the HMD 120 and detects the position and inclination of the HMD 120 in the real space.

In another aspect, the HMD sensor 410 may be implemented by a camera. In this case, the HMD sensor 410 can detect the position and tilt of the HMD 120 by executing the image analysis process using the image information of the HMD 120 output from the camera.

In another aspect, the HMD 120 may include a sensor 190 as a position detector in place of the HMD sensor 410 or in addition to the HMD sensor 410. The HMD 120 can use the sensor 190 to detect the position and tilt of the HMD 120 itself. For example, if the sensor 190 is an angular velocity sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, or an accelerometer, the HMD 120 may use any of these sensors instead of the HMD sensor 410 to detect its position and tilt. As an example, when the sensor 190 is an angular velocity sensor, the angular velocity sensor detects the angular velocity around the three axes of the HMD 120 in real space over time. The HMD 120 calculates the temporal change of the angle around the three axes of the HMD 120 based on each angular velocity, and further calculates the inclination of the HMD 120 based on the temporal change of the angle.

The gaze sensor 140 detects the directions in which the eyes of the user 5's right eye and left eye are directed. That is, the gaze sensor 140 detects the line of sight of the user 5. The detection of the direction of the line of sight is realized by, for example, a known eye tracking function. The gaze sensor 140 is realized by a sensor having the eye tracking function. In certain aspects, the gaze sensor 140 preferably includes a sensor for the right eye and a sensor for the left eye. The gaze sensor 140 may be, for example, a sensor that irradiates the right eye and the left eye of the user 5 with infrared light and detects the angle of rotation of each eyeball by receiving the reflected light from the cornea and the iris with respect to the irradiation light. .. The gaze sensor 140 can detect the line of sight of the user 5 based on each of the detected rotation angles.

The first camera 150 captures the lower part of the user 5's face. More specifically, the first camera 150 captures the nose, mouth, and the like of the user 5. The second camera 160 captures the eyes, eyebrows, and the like of the user 5. The housing on the user 5 side of the HMD 120 is defined as the inside of the HMD 120, and the housing on the side opposite to the user 5 of the HMD 120 is defined as the outside of the HMD 120. In some aspects, the first camera 150 may be located outside the HMD 120 and the second camera 160 may be located inside the HMD 120. The images generated by the first camera 150 and the second camera 160 are input to the computer 200. In another aspect, the first camera 150 and the second camera 160 may be realized as one camera, and the face of the user 5 may be photographed by this one camera.

The microphone 170 converts the utterance of the user 5 into an audio signal (electric signal) and outputs it to the computer 200. The speaker 180 converts the voice signal into voice and outputs it to the user 5. In another aspect, the HMD 120 may include earphones instead of the speaker 180.

The controller 300 is connected to the computer 200 by wire or wirelessly. The controller 300 receives an instruction input from the user 5 to the computer 200. In one aspect, the controller 300 is configured to be grippable by the user 5. In another aspect, the controller 300 is configured to be wearable on a part of the user 5's body or clothing. In yet another aspect, the controller 300 may be configured to output at least one of vibration, sound, and light based on a signal transmitted from the computer 200. In yet another aspect, the controller 300 receives from the user 5 an operation for controlling the position and movement of the object arranged in the virtual space.

In one aspect, the controller 300 includes a plurality of light sources. Each light source is realized by, for example, an LED that emits infrared rays. The HMD sensor 410 has a position tracking function. In this case, the HMD sensor 410 reads a plurality of infrared rays emitted by the controller 300 and detects the position and inclination of the controller 300 in the real space. In another aspect, the HMD sensor 410 may be implemented by a camera. In this case, the HMD sensor 410 can detect the position and tilt of the controller 300 by executing the image analysis process using the image information of the controller 300 output from the camera.

The motion sensor 420 is attached to the user 5's hand in a certain aspect to detect the movement of the user 5's hand. For example, the motion sensor 420 detects the rotation speed, the number of rotations, and the like of the hand. The detected signal is sent to the computer 200. The motion sensor 420 is provided in the controller 300, for example. In a certain aspect, the motion sensor 420 is provided in, for example, a controller 300 configured to be grippable by the user 5. In another aspect, for safety in real space, the controller 300 is attached to something that does not easily fly by being attached to the user 5's hand, such as a glove type. In yet another aspect, a sensor not attached to the user 5 may detect the movement of the user 5's hand. For example, the signal of the camera that shoots the user 5 may be input to the computer 200 as a signal representing the operation of the user 5. As an example, the motion sensor 420 and the computer 200 are wirelessly connected to each other. In the case of wireless communication, the communication mode is not particularly limited, and for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or other known communication method is used.

The display 430 displays an image similar to the image displayed on the monitor 130. As a result, users other than the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 can also view the same image as the user 5. The image displayed on the display 430 does not have to be a three-dimensional image, and may be an image for the right eye or an image for the left eye. Examples of the display 430 include a liquid crystal display and an organic EL monitor.

The server 600 may send the program to the computer 200. In another aspect, the server 600 may communicate with another computer 200 to provide virtual reality to the HMD 120 used by another user. For example, in an amusement facility, when a plurality of users play a participatory game, each computer 200 communicates a signal based on the operation of each user with another computer 200 via a server 600, and a plurality of users are used in the same virtual space. Allows users to enjoy a common game. Each computer 200 may communicate a signal based on the operation of each user with another computer 200 without going through the server 600.

The external device 700 may be any device as long as it can communicate with the computer 200. The external device 700 may be, for example, a device capable of communicating with the computer 200 via the network 2, or a device capable of directly communicating with the computer 200 by short-range wireless communication or a wired connection. Examples of the external device 700 include, but are not limited to, smart devices, PCs (Personal Computers), and peripheral devices of the computer 200.

[Computer hardware configuration]
The computer 200 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the computer 200 according to the present embodiment. The computer 200 includes a processor 210, a memory 220, a storage 230, an input / output interface 240, and a communication interface 250 as main components. Each component is connected to bus 260, respectively.

The processor 210 executes a series of instructions included in the program stored in the memory 220 or the storage 230 based on the signal given to the computer 200 or when a predetermined condition is satisfied. In a certain aspect, the processor 210 is realized as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or other devices.

The memory 220 temporarily stores programs and data. The program is loaded from storage 230, for example. The data includes data input to the computer 200 and data generated by the processor 210. In a certain aspect, the memory 220 is realized as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or other volatile memory.

Storage 230 holds programs and data permanently. The storage 230 is realized as, for example, a ROM (Read-Only Memory), a hard disk device, a flash memory, or other non-volatile storage device. The program stored in the storage 230 includes a program for providing a virtual space in the HMD system 100, a simulation program, a game program, a user authentication program, and a program for realizing communication with another computer 200. The data stored in the storage 230 includes data, objects, and the like for defining the virtual space.

In another aspect, the storage 230 may be realized as a removable storage device such as a memory card. In yet another aspect, a configuration that uses programs and data stored in an external storage device may be used instead of the storage 230 built into the computer 200. According to such a configuration, for example, in a scene where a plurality of HMD systems 100 are used such as an amusement facility, it is possible to update programs and data at once.

The input / output interface 240 communicates signals with the HMD 120, the HMD sensor 410, the motion sensor 420, and the display 430. The monitor 130, the gaze sensor 140, the first camera 150, the second camera 160, the microphone 170, and the speaker 180 included in the HMD 120 can communicate with the computer 200 via the input / output interface 240 of the HMD 120. In a certain aspect, the input / output interface 240 is realized by using USB (Universal Serial Bus), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) and other terminals. The input / output interface 240 is not limited to the above.

In some aspects, the input / output interface 240 may further communicate with the controller 300. For example, the input / output interface 240 receives input of signals output from the controller 300 and the motion sensor 420. In another aspect, the input / output interface 240 sends an instruction output from the processor 210 to the controller 300. The command instructs the controller 300 to vibrate, output voice, emit light, and the like. Upon receiving the command, the controller 300 executes either vibration, voice output, or light emission in response to the command.

The communication interface 250 is connected to the network 2 and communicates with another computer (for example, the server 600) connected to the network 2. In a certain aspect, the communication interface 250 is realized as, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) or other wired communication interface, or a WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC (Near Field Communication) or other wireless communication interface. Will be done. The communication interface 250 is not limited to the above.

In one aspect, the processor 210 accesses the storage 230, loads one or more programs stored in the storage 230 into the memory 220, and executes a series of instructions contained in the program. The one or more programs may include an operating system of a computer 200, an application program for providing a virtual space, game software that can be executed in the virtual space, and the like. The processor 210 sends a signal to the HMD 120 to provide virtual space via the input / output interface 240.
The HMD 120 displays an image on the monitor 130 based on the signal.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the computer 200 is configured to be provided outside the HMD 120, but in another aspect, the computer 200 may be built in the HMD 120. As an example, a portable information communication terminal (for example, a smartphone) including a monitor 130 may function as a computer 200.

The computer 200 may have a configuration commonly used for a plurality of HMD 120s. According to such a configuration, for example, the same virtual space can be provided to a plurality of users, so that each user can enjoy the same application as other users in the same virtual space.

In a certain embodiment, in the HMD system 100, a real coordinate system, which is a coordinate system in the real space, is preset. The real coordinate system has three reference directions (axises) that are parallel to the vertical direction in the real space, the horizontal direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and the front-back direction orthogonal to both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The horizontal direction, the vertical direction (vertical direction), and the front-back direction in the real coordinate system are defined as the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis, respectively. More specifically, in the real coordinate system, the x-axis is parallel to the horizontal direction in real space. The y-axis is parallel to the vertical direction in real space. The z-axis is parallel to the front-back direction of the real space.

In some aspects, the HMD sensor 410 includes an infrared sensor. When the infrared sensor detects infrared rays emitted from each light source of the HMD 120, the presence of the HMD 120 is detected. The HMD sensor 410 further detects the position and inclination (orientation) of the HMD 120 in the real space according to the movement of the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 based on the value of each point (each coordinate value in the real coordinate system). To do. More specifically, the HMD sensor 410 can detect a temporal change in the position and inclination of the HMD 120 by using each value detected over time.

Each inclination of the HMD 120 detected by the HMD sensor 410 corresponds to each inclination of the HMD 120 around three axes in the real coordinate system. The HMD sensor 410 sets the uvw field coordinate system to the HMD 120 based on the inclination of the HMD 120 in the real coordinate system. The uvw field-of-view coordinate system set in the HMD 120 corresponds to the viewpoint coordinate system when the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 sees an object in the virtual space.

[Uvw field coordinate system]
The uvw field coordinate system will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram conceptually representing the uvw field coordinate system set in the HMD 120 according to an embodiment. The HMD sensor 410 detects the position and tilt of the HMD 120 in the real coordinate system when the HMD 120 is activated. Processor 210 sets the uvw field coordinate system to HMD 120 based on the detected values.

As shown in FIG. 3, the HMD 120 sets a three-dimensional uvw visual field coordinate system centered (origin) on the head of the user 5 wearing the HMD 120. More specifically, the HMD 120 defines the real coordinate system in the horizontal, vertical, and front-back directions (x-axis, y-axis, z-axis) by the inclination of the HMD 120 around each axis in the real coordinate system. The three directions newly obtained by tilting each around the axis are set as the pitch axis (u axis), the yaw axis (v axis), and the roll axis (w axis) of the uvw field coordinate system in the HMD 120.

In a certain aspect, when the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 is upright and visually recognizing the front, the processor 210 sets the uvw field coordinate system parallel to the real coordinate system to the HMD 120. In this case, the horizontal direction (x-axis), vertical direction (y-axis), and front-back direction (z-axis) in the real coordinate system are the pitch axis (u-axis) and yaw-axis (v-axis) of the uvw field coordinate system in the HMD 120. , And the roll axis (w axis).

After the uvw field coordinate system is set to the HMD 120, the HMD sensor 410 can detect the tilt of the HMD 120 in the set uvw field coordinate system based on the movement of the HMD 120. In this case, the HMD sensor 410 detects the pitch angle (θu), yaw angle (θv), and roll angle (θw) of the HMD 120 in the uvw visual field coordinate system as the inclination of the HMD 120. The pitch angle (θu) represents the tilt angle of the HMD 120 around the pitch axis in the uvw field coordinate system. The yaw angle (θv) represents the tilt angle of the HMD 120 around the yaw axis in the uvw visual field coordinate system. The roll angle (θw) represents the tilt angle of the HMD 120 around the roll axis in the uvw field coordinate system.

The HMD sensor 410 sets the uvw field coordinate system in the HMD 120 after the HMD 120 has moved to the HMD 120 based on the detected inclination of the HMD 120. The relationship between the HMD 120 and the uvw field coordinate system of the HMD 120 is always constant regardless of the position and inclination of the HMD 120. When the position and inclination of the HMD 120 change, the position and inclination of the uvw visual field coordinate system of the HMD 120 in the real coordinate system change in conjunction with the change of the position and inclination.

In one aspect, the HMD sensor 410 determines the HMD 120 based on the infrared light intensity obtained based on the output from the infrared sensor and the relative positional relationship between the points (eg, the distance between the points). The position of the above in the real space may be specified as a relative position with respect to the HMD sensor 410. The processor 210 may determine the origin of the uvw visual field coordinate system of the HMD 120 in real space (real coordinate system) based on the identified relative position.

[Virtual space]
The virtual space will be further described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram conceptually representing one aspect of expressing the virtual space 11 according to a certain embodiment. The virtual space 11 has an all-sky spherical structure that covers the entire center 12 in the 360-degree direction. In FIG. 4, the celestial sphere in the upper half of the virtual space 11 is illustrated so as not to complicate the explanation. Each mesh is defined in the virtual space 11. The position of each mesh is predetermined as a coordinate value in the XYZ coordinate system, which is a global coordinate system defined in the virtual space 11. The computer 200 associates each partial image constituting the panoramic image 13 (still image, moving image, etc.) expandable in the virtual space 11 with each corresponding mesh in the virtual space 11.

In a certain aspect, the virtual space 11 defines an XYZ coordinate system with the center 12 as the origin. The XYZ coordinate system is, for example, parallel to the real coordinate system. The horizontal direction, vertical direction (vertical direction), and front-back direction in the XYZ coordinate system are defined as the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis, respectively. Therefore, the X-axis (horizontal direction) of the XYZ coordinate system is parallel to the x-axis of the real coordinate system, and the Y-axis (vertical direction) of the XYZ coordinate system is parallel to the y-axis of the real coordinate system. The Z-axis (front-back direction) is parallel to the z-axis of the real coordinate system.

At the time of starting the HMD 120, that is, in the initial state of the HMD 120, the virtual camera 14 is arranged at the center 12 of the virtual space 11. In one aspect, the processor 210 displays an image captured by the virtual camera 14 on the monitor 130 of the HMD 120. The virtual camera 14 moves in the virtual space 11 in the same manner in conjunction with the movement of the HMD 120 in the real space. As a result, changes in the position and inclination of the HMD 120 in the real space can be similarly reproduced in the virtual space 11.

As in the case of the HMD 120, the virtual camera 14 is defined with an uvw field-of-view coordinate system. The uvw field-of-view coordinate system of the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11 is defined to be linked to the uvw field-of-view coordinate system of the HMD 120 in the real space (real coordinate system). Therefore, when the inclination of the HMD 120 changes, the inclination of the virtual camera 14 also changes accordingly. The virtual camera 14 can also move in the virtual space 11 in conjunction with the movement of the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 in the real space.

The processor 210 of the computer 200 defines the field of view 15 in the virtual space 11 based on the position and tilt (reference line of sight 16) of the virtual camera 14. The visual field area 15 corresponds to an area in the virtual space 11 that is visually recognized by the user 5 wearing the HMD 120. That is, the position of the virtual camera 14 can be said to be the viewpoint of the user 5 in the virtual space 11.

The line of sight of the user 5 detected by the gaze sensor 140 is a direction in the viewpoint coordinate system when the user 5 visually recognizes an object. The uvw field-of-view coordinate system of the HMD 120 is equal to the viewpoint coordinate system when the user 5 visually recognizes the monitor 130. The uvw field-of-view coordinate system of the virtual camera 14 is linked to the uvw field-of-view coordinate system of the HMD 120. Therefore, the HMD system 100 according to a certain aspect can consider the line of sight of the user 5 detected by the gaze sensor 140 as the line of sight of the user 5 in the uvw field of view coordinate system of the virtual camera 14.

[User's line of sight]
The determination of the line of sight of the user 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a top view of the head of the user 5 who wears the HMD 120 according to an embodiment.

In one aspect, the gaze sensor 140 detects each line of sight of the user 5's right and left eyes. In a certain aspect, when the user 5 is looking near, the gaze sensor 140 detects the lines of sight R1 and L1. In another aspect, when the user 5 is looking far away, the gaze sensor 140 detects the lines of sight R2 and L2. In this case, the angle formed by the lines of sight R2 and L2 with respect to the roll axis w is smaller than the angle formed by the lines of sight R1 and L1 with respect to the roll axis w. The gaze sensor 140 transmits the detection result to the computer 200.

When the computer 200 receives the detection values of the lines of sight R1 and L1 from the gaze sensor 140 as the detection result of the line of sight, the computer 200 identifies the gaze point N1 which is the intersection of the lines of sight R1 and L1 based on the detected values. On the other hand, when the computer 200 receives the detected values of the lines of sight R2 and L2 from the gaze sensor 140, the computer 200 identifies the intersection of the lines of sight R2 and L2 as the gaze point. The computer 200 identifies the line of sight N0 of the user 5 based on the position of the specified gazing point N1. The computer 200 detects, for example, the extending direction of the straight line passing through the midpoint of the straight line connecting the right eye R and the left eye L of the user 5 and the gazing point N1 as the line of sight N0. The line of sight N0 is the direction in which the user 5 actually directs the line of sight with both eyes. The line of sight N0 corresponds to the direction in which the user 5 actually directs the line of sight with respect to the view area 15.

In another aspect, the HMD system 100 may include a television broadcast receiving tuner. According to such a configuration, the HMD system 100 can display a television program in the virtual space 11.

In yet another aspect, the HMD system 100 may include a communication circuit for connecting to the Internet or a telephone function for connecting to a telephone line.

[Visibility area]
The field of view 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a YZ cross section of the field of view region 15 viewed from the X direction in the virtual space 11. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an XZ cross section of the field of view region 15 viewed from the Y direction in the virtual space 11.

As shown in FIG. 6, the field of view region 15 in the YZ cross section includes the region 18. The region 18 is defined by the position of the virtual camera 14, the reference line of sight 16, and the YZ cross section of the virtual space 11. The processor 210 defines a range including the polar angle α centered on the reference line of sight 16 in the virtual space as a region 18.

As shown in FIG. 7, the field of view region 15 in the XZ cross section includes the region 19. The region 19 is defined by the position of the virtual camera 14, the reference line of sight 16, and the XZ cross section of the virtual space 11. The processor 210 defines a range including the azimuth angle β centered on the reference line of sight 16 in the virtual space 11 as a region 19. The polar angles α and β are determined according to the position of the virtual camera 14 and the inclination (orientation) of the virtual camera 14.

In a certain aspect, the HMD system 100 provides the user 5 with a field of view in the virtual space 11 by displaying the field of view image 17 on the monitor 130 based on the signal from the computer 200. The visual field image 17 is an image corresponding to a portion of the panoramic image 13 corresponding to the visual field region 15. When the user 5 moves the HMD 120 attached to the head, the virtual camera 14 also moves in conjunction with the movement. As a result, the position of the visual field region 15 in the virtual space 11 changes. As a result, the field-of-view image 17 displayed on the monitor 130 is updated to an image of the panoramic image 13 superimposed on the field-of-view area 15 in the direction in which the user 5 faces in the virtual space 11. The user 5 can visually recognize a desired direction in the virtual space 11.

As described above, the inclination of the virtual camera 14 corresponds to the line of sight (reference line of sight 16) of the user 5 in the virtual space 11, and the position where the virtual camera 14 is arranged corresponds to the viewpoint of the user 5 in the virtual space 11. Therefore, by changing the position or tilt of the virtual camera 14, the image displayed on the monitor 130 is updated, and the field of view of the user 5 is moved.

While wearing the HMD 120, the user 5 can visually recognize only the panoramic image 13 developed in the virtual space 11 without visually recognizing the real world. Therefore, the HMD system 100 can give the user 5 a high sense of immersion in the virtual space 11.

In a certain aspect, the processor 210 may move the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11 in conjunction with the movement of the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 in the real space. In this case, the processor 210 identifies an image region (field of view region 15) projected onto the monitor 130 of the HMD 120 based on the position and tilt of the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11.

In some aspects, the virtual camera 14 may include two virtual cameras, a virtual camera for providing an image for the right eye and a virtual camera for providing an image for the left eye. Appropriate parallax is set for the two virtual cameras so that the user 5 can recognize the three-dimensional virtual space 11. In another aspect, the virtual camera 14 may be realized by one virtual camera. In this case, an image for the right eye and an image for the left eye may be generated from the image obtained by one virtual camera. In the present embodiment, the virtual camera 14 includes two virtual cameras, and the roll axis (w) generated by synthesizing the roll axes of the two virtual cameras is adapted to the roll axis (w) of the HMD 120. The technical idea of the present disclosure is illustrated as being configured as such.

[controller]
An example of the controller 300 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a controller 300 according to an embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, in some aspects, the controller 300 may include a right controller 300R and a left controller (not shown). The right controller 300R is operated by the right hand of the user 5. The left controller is operated by the left hand of the user 5. In a certain aspect, the right controller 300R and the left controller are symmetrically configured as separate devices. Therefore, the user 5 can freely move the right hand holding the right controller 300R and the left hand holding the left controller. In another aspect, the controller 300 may be an integrated controller that accepts operations of both hands. Hereinafter, the right controller 300R will be described.

The right controller 300R includes a grip 310, a frame 320, and a top surface 330. The grip 310 is configured to be gripped by the right hand of the user 5. For example, the grip 310 may be held by the palm of the user 5's right hand and three fingers (middle finger, ring finger, little finger).

The grip 310 includes

buttons

340, 350 and a motion sensor 420. The button 340 is arranged on the side surface of the grip 310 and accepts an operation by the middle finger of the right hand. The button 350 is arranged in front of the grip 310 and accepts an operation by the index finger of the right hand. In one aspect, the buttons 340,350 are configured as trigger-type buttons. The motion sensor 420 is built in the housing of the grip 310. If the movement of the user 5 can be detected from around the user 5 by a camera or other device, the grip 310 may not include the motion sensor 420.

The frame 320 includes a plurality of infrared LEDs 360 arranged along its circumferential direction. The infrared LED 360 emits infrared rays as the program progresses while the program using the controller 300 is being executed. The infrared rays emitted from the infrared LED 360 can be used to detect each position and orientation (tilt, orientation) of the right controller 300R and the left controller. In the example shown in FIG. 8, infrared LEDs 360 arranged in two rows are shown, but the number of arrays is not limited to that shown in FIG. An array of one column or three or more columns may be used.

The top surface 330 includes

buttons

370, 380 and an analog stick 390. The

buttons

370 and 380 are configured as push-type buttons.

Buttons

370 and 380 accept operations by the thumb of the user 5's right hand. The analog stick 390 accepts an operation 360 degrees in any direction from the initial position (neutral position) in a certain aspect. The operation includes, for example, an operation for moving an object arranged in the virtual space 11.

In one aspect, the right controller 300R and the left controller include a battery for driving the infrared LED 360 and other components. Batteries include, but are not limited to, rechargeable, button type, dry cell type and the like. In another aspect, the right controller 300R and the left controller may be connected to, for example, the USB interface of the computer 200. In this case, the right controller 300R and the left controller do not require batteries.

As shown in the states (A) and (B) of FIG. 8, for example, the yaw, roll, and pitch directions are defined with respect to the right hand of the user 5. When the user 5 extends the thumb and the index finger, the direction in which the thumb extends is the yaw direction, the direction in which the index finger extends is the roll direction, and the direction perpendicular to the plane defined by the yaw direction axis and the roll direction axis is the pitch direction. Is defined as.

[Server hardware configuration]
The server 600 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server 600 according to a certain embodiment. The server 600 includes a processor 610, a memory 620, a storage 630, an input / output interface 640, and a communication interface 650 as main components. Each component is connected to bus 660, respectively.

The processor 610 executes a series of instructions contained in the program stored in the memory 620 or the storage 630 based on the signal given to the server 600 or the condition that a predetermined condition is satisfied. In some aspects, the processor 610 is implemented as a CPU, GPU, MPU, FPGA or other device.

Memory 620 temporarily stores programs and data. The program is loaded from storage 630, for example. The data includes data input to the server 600 and data generated by the processor 610. In one aspect, the memory 620 is realized as a RAM or other volatile memory.

Storage 630 permanently holds programs and data. The storage 630 is realized as, for example, a ROM, a hard disk device, a flash memory, or other non-volatile storage device. The program stored in the storage 630 may include a program for providing a virtual space in the HMD system 100, a simulation program, a game program, a user authentication program, and a program for realizing communication with the computer 200. The data stored in the storage 630 may include data, objects, and the like for defining the virtual space.

In another aspect, the storage 630 may be realized as a removable storage device such as a memory card. In yet another aspect, a configuration using programs and data stored in an external storage device may be used instead of the storage 630 built into the server 600. According to such a configuration, for example, in a scene where a plurality of HMD systems 100 are used such as an amusement facility, it is possible to update programs and data at once.

The input / output interface 640 communicates a signal with the input / output device. In some aspects, the input / output interface 640 is implemented using USB, DVI, HDMI® and other terminals. The input / output interface 640 is not limited to the above.

The communication interface 650 is connected to the network 2 and communicates with the computer 200 connected to the network 2. In some aspects, the communication interface 650 is implemented as, for example, a LAN or other wired communication interface, or a WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC or other wireless communication interface. The communication interface 650 is not limited to the above.

In one aspect, the processor 610 accesses the storage 630, loads one or more programs stored in the storage 630 into the memory 620, and executes a series of instructions contained in the program. The one or more programs may include an operating system for the server 600, an application program for providing the virtual space, game software that can be executed in the virtual space, and the like. The processor 610 may send a signal to the computer 200 to provide virtual space via the input / output interface 640.

[HMD control device]
The control device of the HMD 120 will be described with reference to FIG. In certain embodiments, the control device is implemented by a computer 200 having a well-known configuration. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a computer 200 according to an embodiment as a module configuration.

As shown in FIG. 10, the computer 200 includes a control module 510, a rendering module 520, a memory module 530, and a communication control module 540. In some aspects, the control module 510 and the rendering module 520 are implemented by the processor 210. In another aspect, the plurality of processors 210 may operate as the control module 510 and the rendering module 520. The memory module 530 is realized by the memory 220 or the storage 230. The communication control module 540 is realized by the communication interface 250.

The control module 510 controls the virtual space 11 provided to the user 5. The control module 510 defines the virtual space 11 in the HMD system 100 by using the virtual space data representing the virtual space 11. The virtual space data is stored in, for example, the memory module 530. The control module 510 may generate virtual space data or acquire virtual space data from a server 600 or the like.

The control module 510 arranges an object in the virtual space 11 by using the object data representing the object. The object data is stored in, for example, the memory module 530. The control module 510 may generate object data or acquire object data from a server 600 or the like. The objects are, for example, an avatar object that is the alter ego of the user 5, a character object, an operation object such as a virtual hand operated by the controller 300, a landscape including forests, mountains, etc. arranged as the story of the game progresses, a cityscape, and animals. Etc. may be included.

The control module 510 arranges the avatar object of the user 5 of another computer 200 connected via the network 2 in the virtual space 11. In a certain aspect, the control module 510 arranges the avatar object of the user 5 in the virtual space 11. In a certain aspect, the control module 510 arranges an avatar object imitating the user 5 in the virtual space 11 based on the image including the user 5. In another aspect, the control module 510 arranges in the virtual space 11 an avatar object that has been selected by the user 5 from among a plurality of types of avatar objects (for example, an object imitating an animal or a deformed human object). To do.

The control module 510 identifies the tilt of the HMD 120 based on the output of the HMD sensor 410. In another aspect, the control module 510 identifies the tilt of the HMD 120 based on the output of the sensor 190, which functions as a motion sensor. The control module 510 detects organs (for example, mouth, eyes, eyebrows) constituting the face of the user 5 from the images of the face of the user 5 generated by the first camera 150 and the second camera 160. The control module 510 detects the movement (shape) of each detected organ.

The control module 510 detects the line of sight of the user 5 in the virtual space 11 based on the signal from the gaze sensor 140. The control module 510 detects the viewpoint position (coordinate value in the XYZ coordinate system) at which the detected line of sight of the user 5 and the celestial sphere in the virtual space 11 intersect. More specifically, the control module 510 detects the viewpoint position based on the line of sight of the user 5 defined by the uvw coordinate system and the position and inclination of the virtual camera 14. The control module 510 transmits the detected viewpoint position to the server 600. In another aspect, the control module 510 may be configured to transmit line-of-sight information representing the line-of-sight of the user 5 to the server 600. In such a case, the viewpoint position can be calculated based on the line-of-sight information received by the server 600.

The control module 510 reflects the movement of the HMD 120 detected by the HMD sensor 410 on the avatar object. For example, the control module 510 detects that the HMD 120 is tilted and tilts and arranges the avatar object. The control module 510 reflects the detected movement of the facial organ on the face of the avatar object arranged in the virtual space 11. The control module 510 receives the line-of-sight information of the other user 5 from the server 600 and reflects it in the line-of-sight of the avatar object of the other user 5. In a certain aspect, the control module 510 reflects the movement of the controller 300 on the avatar object and the operation object. In this case, the controller 300 includes a motion sensor, an acceleration sensor, a plurality of light emitting elements (for example, infrared LEDs), and the like for detecting the movement of the controller 300.

The control module 510 arranges an operation object for receiving the operation of the user 5 in the virtual space 11 in the virtual space 11. By operating the operation object, the user 5 operates, for example, an object arranged in the virtual space 11. In a certain aspect, the operation object may include, for example, a hand object which is a virtual hand corresponding to the hand of the user 5. In a certain aspect, the control module 510 moves the hand object in the virtual space 11 so as to be linked to the movement of the user 5's hand in the real space based on the output of the motion sensor 420. In some aspects, the manipulation object can correspond to the hand portion of the avatar object.

When each of the objects arranged in the virtual space 11 collides with another object, the control module 510 detects the collision. The control module 510 can detect, for example, the timing at which the collision area of one object and the collision area of another object touch each other, and when the detection is made, a predetermined process is performed. The control module 510 can detect the timing when the object and the object are separated from the touching state, and when the detection is made, a predetermined process is performed. The control module 510 can detect that the object is in contact with the object. For example, when the operation object touches another object, the control module 510 detects that the operation object touches the other object and performs a predetermined process.

In one aspect, the control module 510 controls the image display on the monitor 130 of the HMD 120. For example, the control module 510 arranges the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11. The control module 510 controls the position of the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11 and the inclination (orientation) of the virtual camera 14. The control module 510 defines the field of view 15 according to the inclination of the head of the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 and the position of the virtual camera 14. The rendering module 520 generates a visual field image 17 to be displayed on the monitor 130 based on the determined visual field region 15. The field of view image 17 generated by the rendering module 520 is output to the HMD 120 by the communication control module 540.

When the control module 510 detects an utterance using the microphone 170 of the user 5 from the HMD 120, the control module 510 identifies the computer 200 to which the voice data to be transmitted corresponding to the utterance is transmitted. The voice data is transmitted to the computer 200 identified by the control module 510. When the control module 510 receives voice data from another user's computer 200 via the network 2, the control module 510 outputs the voice (utterance) corresponding to the voice data from the speaker 180.

The memory module 530 holds data used by the computer 200 to provide the virtual space 11 to the user 5. In a certain aspect, the memory module 530 holds spatial information, object information, and user information.

Spatial information holds one or more templates defined to provide the virtual space 11.

The object information includes a plurality of panoramic images 13 constituting the virtual space 11 and object data for arranging the objects in the virtual space 11. The panoramic image 13 may include a still image and a moving image. The panoramic image 13 may include an image in the unreal space and an image in the real space. Examples of images in unreal space include images generated by computer graphics.

The user information holds a user ID that identifies the user 5. The user ID may be, for example, an IP (Internet Protocol) address or a MAC (Media Access Control) address set in the computer 200 used by the user. In another aspect, the user ID may be set by the user. The user information includes a program for operating the computer 200 as a control device of the HMD system 100 and the like.

The data and programs stored in the memory module 530 are input by the user 5 of the HMD 120. Alternatively, the processor 210 downloads a program or data from a computer (for example, a server 600) operated by a business operator that provides the content, and stores the downloaded program or data in the memory module 530.

The communication control module 540 may communicate with the server 600 and other information communication devices via the network 2.

In certain aspects, the control module 510 and the rendering module 520 may be implemented using, for example, Unity® provided by Unity Technologies. In another aspect, the control module 510 and the rendering module 520 can also be realized as a combination of circuit elements that realize each process.

The processing in the computer 200 is realized by the hardware and the software executed by the processor 210. Such software may be pre-stored in a hard disk or other memory module 530. The software may be stored on a CD-ROM or other computer-readable non-volatile data recording medium and distributed as a program product. Alternatively, the software may be provided as a downloadable program product by an information provider connected to the Internet or other networks. Such software is read from a data recording medium by an optical disk drive or other data reader, or downloaded from a server 600 or other computer via a communication control module 540, and then temporarily stored in a storage module. .. The software is read from the storage module by the processor 210 and stored in RAM in the form of an executable program. Processor 210 executes the program.

[Control structure of HMD system]
The control structure of the HMD set 110 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a sequence chart showing a part of the processing performed in the HMD set 110 according to an embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11, in step S1110, the processor 210 of the computer 200 specifies the virtual space data as the control module 510 and defines the virtual space 11.

In step S1120, the processor 210 initializes the virtual camera 14. For example, the processor 210 arranges the virtual camera 14 at a predetermined center 12 in the virtual space 11 in the work area of the memory, and directs the line of sight of the virtual camera 14 in the direction in which the user 5 is facing.

In step S1130, the processor 210 generates the field of view image data for displaying the initial field of view image as the rendering module 520. The generated field of view image data is output to the HMD 120 by the communication control module 540.

In step S1132, the monitor 130 of the HMD 120 displays the field of view image based on the field of view image data received from the computer 200. The user 5 wearing the HMD 120 can recognize the virtual space 11 when he / she visually recognizes the field view image.

In step S1134, the HMD sensor 410 detects the position and tilt of the HMD 120 based on the plurality of infrared rays emitted from the HMD 120. The detection result is output to the computer 200 as motion detection data.

In step S1140, the processor 210 identifies the visual field direction of the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 based on the position and the inclination included in the motion detection data of the HMD 120.

In step S1150, the processor 210 executes the application program and arranges the object in the virtual space 11 based on the instruction included in the application program.

In step S1160, the controller 300 detects the operation of the user 5 based on the signal output from the motion sensor 420, and outputs the detection data representing the detected operation to the computer 200. In another aspect, the operation of the controller 300 by the user 5 may be detected based on an image from a camera arranged around the user 5.

In step S1170, the processor 210 detects the operation of the controller 300 by the user 5 based on the detection data acquired from the controller 300.

In step S1180, the processor 210 generates the field of view image data based on the operation of the controller 300 by the user 5. The generated field of view image data is output to the HMD 120 by the communication control module 540.

In step S1190, the HMD 120 updates the visual field image based on the received visual field image data, and displays the updated visual field image on the monitor 130.

[Avatar Object]
An avatar object according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12A and 12B. Hereinafter, it is a figure explaining the avatar object of each user 5 of the HMD set 110A, 110B. Hereinafter, the user of the HMD set 110A will be referred to as a user 5A, the user of the HMD set 110B will be referred to as a user 5B, the user of the HMD set 110C will be referred to as a user 5C, and the user of the HMD set 110D will be referred to as a user 5D. A is added to the reference code of each component related to the HMD set 110A, B is added to the reference code of each component related to the HMD set 110B, and C is added to the reference code of each component related to the HMD set 110C. A D is added to the reference code of each component with respect to 110D. For example, the HMD 120A is included in the HMD set 110A.

FIG. 12A is a schematic diagram showing a situation in which each HMD 120 provides the virtual space 11 to the user 5 in the network 2. The computers 200A to 200D provide the virtual spaces 11A to 11D to the users 5A to 5D via the HMDs 120A to 120D, respectively. In the example shown in FIG. 12A, the virtual space 11A and the virtual space 11B are composed of the same data. In other words, the computer 200A and the computer 200B share the same virtual space. In the virtual space 11A and the virtual space 11B, the avatar object 6A of the user 5A and the avatar object 6B of the user 5B exist. The avatar object 6A in the virtual space 11A and the avatar object 6B in the virtual space 11B are each equipped with the HMD 120, but this is for the sake of clarity, and in reality, these objects are equipped with the HMD 120. Not.

In one aspect, the processor 210A may place a virtual camera 14A that captures the field of view image 17A of the user 5A at the eye position of the avatar object 6A.

12 (B) is a diagram showing the field of view image 17A of the user 5A in FIG. 12 (A). The field of view image 17A is an image displayed on the monitor 130A of the HMD 120A. The field view image 17A is an image generated by the virtual camera 14A. The avatar object 6B of the user 5B is displayed in the field of view image 17A. Although not shown in particular, the avatar object 6A of the user 5A is also displayed in the field of view image of the user 5B.

In the state of FIG. 12B, the user 5A can communicate with the user 5B through the virtual space 11A by dialogue. More specifically, the voice of the user 5A acquired by the microphone 170A is transmitted to the HMD 120B of the user 5B via the server 600, and is output from the speaker 180B provided in the HMD 120B. The voice of the user 5B is transmitted to the HMD 120A of the user 5A via the server 600, and is output from the speaker 180A provided in the HMD 120A.

The operation of the user 5B (the operation of the HMD 120B and the operation of the controller 300B) is reflected in the avatar object 6B arranged in the virtual space 11A by the processor 210A. As a result, the user 5A can recognize the operation of the user 5B through the avatar object 6B.

FIG. 13 is a sequence chart showing a part of the processing executed in the HMD system 100 according to the present embodiment. Although the HMD set 110D is not shown in FIG. 13, the HMD set 110D operates in the same manner as the HMD sets 110A, 110B, and 110C. Also in the following description, A is added to the reference code of each component related to the HMD set 110A, B is added to the reference code of each component related to the HMD set 110B, and C is added to the reference code of each component related to the HMD set 110C. It shall be attached and D shall be attached to the reference code of each component with respect to the HMD set 110D.

In step S1310A, the processor 210A in the HMD set 110A acquires the avatar information for determining the operation of the avatar object 6A in the virtual space 11A. This avatar information includes information about the avatar such as motion information, face tracking data, and voice data. The motion information includes information indicating a temporal change in the position and inclination of the HMD 120A, information indicating the hand motion of the user 5A detected by the motion sensor 420A or the like, and the like. Examples of the face tracking data include data for specifying the position and size of each part of the face of the user 5A. Examples of the face tracking data include data indicating the movement of each organ constituting the face of the user 5A and line-of-sight data. Examples of the voice data include data indicating the voice of the user 5A acquired by the microphone 170A of the HMD 120A. The avatar information may include information that identifies the avatar object 6A or the user 5A associated with the avatar object 6A, information that identifies the virtual space 11A in which the avatar object 6A exists, and the like. Information that identifies the avatar object 6A and the user 5A includes a user ID. Information that identifies the virtual space 11A in which the avatar object 6A exists includes a room ID. The processor 210A transmits the avatar information acquired as described above to the server 600 via the network 2.

In step S1310B, the processor 210B in the HMD set 110B acquires the avatar information for determining the operation of the avatar object 6B in the virtual space 11B and transmits it to the server 600, as in the process in step S1310A. Similarly, in step S1310C, the processor 210C in the HMD set 110C acquires the avatar information for determining the operation of the avatar object 6C in the virtual space 11C and transmits it to the server 600.

In step S1320, the server 600 temporarily stores the player information received from each of the HMD set 110A, the HMD set 110B, and the HMD set 110C. The server 600 integrates the avatar information of all users (users 5A to 5C in this example) associated with the common virtual space 11 based on the user ID, room ID, and the like included in each avatar information. Then, the server 600 transmits the integrated avatar information to all the users associated with the virtual space 11 at a predetermined timing. As a result, the synchronization process is executed. By such a synchronization process, the HMD set 110A, the HMD set 110B, and the HMD 110C can share each other's avatar information at substantially the same timing.

Subsequently, each HMD set 110A to 110C executes the process of steps S1330A to S1330C based on the avatar information transmitted from the server 600 to each HMD set 110A to 110C. The process of step S1330A corresponds to the process of step S1180 in FIG.

In step S1330A, the processor 210A in the HMD set 110A updates the information of the avatar object 6B and the avatar object 6C of the other users 5B and 5C in the virtual space 11A. Specifically, the processor 210A updates the position and orientation of the avatar object 6B in the virtual space 11 based on the motion information included in the avatar information transmitted from the HMD set 110B. For example, the processor 210A updates the information (position, orientation, etc.) of the avatar object 6B included in the object information stored in the memory module 530. Similarly, the processor 210A updates the information (position, orientation, etc.) of the avatar object 6C in the virtual space 11 based on the motion information included in the avatar information transmitted from the HMD set 110C.

In step S1330B, the processor 210B in the HMD set 110B updates the information of the avatar objects 6A, 6C of the users 5A, 5C in the virtual space 11B, as in the process in step S1330A. Similarly, in step S1330C, the processor 210C in the HMD set 110C updates the information of the avatar objects 6A, 6B of the users 5A, 5B in the virtual space 11C.

[Detailed configuration of module]
The details of the module configuration of the computer 200 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a module of the computer 200 according to an embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 14, the control module 510 includes a virtual camera control module 1421, a view area determination module 1422, a reference line-of-sight identification module 1423, a facial organ detection module 1424, a motion detection module 1425, and a virtual space definition. It includes a module 1426, a virtual object generation module 1427, an operation object control module 1428, and an avatar control module 1429. The rendering module 520 includes a field image generation module 1438. The memory module 530 holds spatial information 1431, object information 1432, user information 1433, and face information 1434.

The virtual camera control module 1421 arranges the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11. The virtual camera control module 1421 controls the arrangement position of the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11 and the orientation (tilt) of the virtual camera 14. The field-of-view area determination module 1422 defines the field-of-view area 15 according to the orientation of the head of the user wearing the HMD 120 and the arrangement position of the virtual camera 14. The visual field image generation module 1438 generates a visual field image 17 to be displayed on the monitor 130 based on the determined visual field region 15.

The reference line-of-sight identification module 1423 identifies the line-of-sight of the user 5 based on the signal from the gaze sensor 140. The facial organ detection module 1424 detects organs (for example, mouth, eyes, eyebrows) constituting the face of the user 5 from the images of the face of the user 5 generated by the first camera 150 and the second camera 160. The motion detection module 1425 detects the motion (shape) of each organ detected by the facial organ detection module 1424.

The virtual space definition module 1426 defines the virtual space 11 in the HMD system 100 by generating virtual space data representing the virtual space 11.

The virtual object generation module 1427 generates an object to be arranged in the virtual space 11. Objects can include, for example, landscapes, animals, etc., including forests, mountains, etc., which are arranged as the story of the game progresses.

The operation object control module 1428 arranges an operation object for receiving a user's operation in the virtual space 11 in the virtual space 11. By manipulating the operation object, the user operates, for example, an object arranged in the virtual space 11. In some aspects, the operating object may include, for example, a hand object corresponding to the hand of the user wearing the HMD 120. In some aspects, the manipulation object may correspond to the hand portion of the avatar object described below.

The avatar control module 1429 generates data for arranging the avatar object of another computer 200 user connected via the network 2 in the virtual space 11. In a certain aspect, the avatar control module 1429 generates data for arranging the avatar object of the user 5 in the virtual space 11. In one aspect, the avatar control module 1429 creates an avatar object that mimics the user 5 based on an image that includes the user 5. In another aspect, the avatar control module 1429 creates an avatar object in the virtual space 11 that has been selected by the user 5 from among a plurality of types of avatar objects (for example, an object imitating an animal or a deformed human object). Generate data for placement.

The avatar control module 1429 reflects the movement of the HMD 120 detected by the HMD sensor 410 on the avatar object. For example, the avatar control module 1429 detects that the HMD 120 is tilted and generates data for tilting and arranging the avatar object. In one aspect, the avatar control module 1429 reflects the movement of the controller 300 on the avatar object. In this case, the controller 300 includes a motion sensor, an acceleration sensor, a plurality of light emitting elements (for example, infrared LEDs), and the like for detecting the movement of the controller 300. The avatar control module 1429 reflects the movement of the facial organ detected by the motion detection module 1425 on the face of the avatar object arranged in the virtual space 11. That is, the avatar control module 1429 reflects the movement of the face of the user 5A on the avatar object.

When each of the objects arranged in the virtual space 11 collides with another object, the control module 510 detects the collision. The control module 510 can detect, for example, the timing at which a certain object and another object touch each other, and when the detection is made, a predetermined process is performed. The control module 510 can detect the timing when the object and the object are separated from the touching state, and when the detection is made, a predetermined process is performed. The control module 510 can detect that the object is in contact with the object. Specifically, the operation object control module 1428 detects that the operation object touches the other object when the operation object touches the other object, and performs a predetermined process. ..

The memory module 530 holds data used by the computer 200 to provide the virtual space 11 to the user 5. In a certain aspect, the memory module 530 holds spatial information 1431, object information 1432, user information 1433, and face information 1434.

Spatial information 1431 holds one or more templates defined to provide the virtual space 11.

The object information 1432 holds the content to be reproduced in the virtual space 11, the object used in the content, and the information (for example, position information) for arranging the object in the virtual space 11. The content may include, for example, a game, content representing a landscape similar to that of the real world, and the like.

The user information 1433 holds a program for operating the computer 200 as a control device of the HMD system 100, an application program for using each content held in the object information 1432.

In the face information 1434, the face organ detection module 1424 holds a template stored in advance for detecting the face organ of the user 5. In one aspect, the face information 1434 holds a mouth template 1435, an eye template 1436, and an eyebrow template 1437. Each template can be an image corresponding to the organs that make up the face. For example, the mouth template 1435 can be an image of the mouth. Each template may contain multiple images.

[Shooting 360-degree video]
Next, shooting of a 360-degree moving image according to a certain embodiment will be described. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration according to a 360-degree camera according to an embodiment. In certain embodiments, the external device 700 shown in FIG. 1 includes a 360 degree camera 1539. The 360-degree camera 1539 is configured to be able to communicate with the server 600 and the computer 200 of the HMD set 110 via the network 2. A plurality of 360-degree cameras 1539 may be provided. The 360-degree camera 1539 captures an omnidirectional moving image (360-degree moving image) which is an omnidirectional image at an installation position in a real space. The installation position of the 360-degree camera 1539 may be indoors or outdoors.

The 360-degree camera 1539 may be a camera capable of photographing the whole celestial sphere using two ultra-wide-angle lenses, or a camera capable of photographing a hemisphere using one ultra-wide-angle lens.
The 360-degree camera 1539 captures 360-degree moving images in all directions at the installed position. The 360-degree camera 1539 is, for example, provided with one camera on each surface of the regular hexahedron to shoot in all directions, and synthesizes moving images taken by a total of six cameras provided on each surface to produce a 360-degree moving image. You may try to get it. Further, the 360-degree camera 1539 may be a camera that captures a three-dimensional 360-degree moving image capable of stereoscopic viewing by parallax.

In the present embodiment, the display object is arranged in the virtual space 11, and the 360-degree moving image taken by the 360-degree camera 1539 is displayed on the display object, so that the rendering module 520 generates the view image data as described above. Then, a 360-degree moving image is displayed on the monitor 130 of the HMD 120. In a certain embodiment, the 360-degree moving image taken by the 360-degree camera 1539 may be displayed on the monitor 130 by superimposing it on the visual field image data of the visual field coordinate system in step S1180 of FIG. Further, in a certain embodiment, the 360-degree moving image taken by the 360-degree camera 1539 may be displayed on the monitor 130 by using it as the field-of-view image data output in step S1180 of FIG.

The virtual camera 14 moves in the virtual space 11 in conjunction with the movement of the HMD 120 in the real space. As a result, changes in the position and tilt of the HMD 120 in the real space are reproduced in the virtual space 11 as changes in the movement of the virtual camera 14. The 360-degree moving image displayed on the display object of the virtual space 11 is used as an image constituting the panoramic image 13, and the area of the 360-degree moving image taken by the virtual camera 14 moves in conjunction with the movement of the HMD 120 in the real space. To do.

[Display 360-degree video]
Subsequently, the display of the 360-degree moving image on the monitor 130 of the HMD 120 will be described. When the user 5 uses the HMD set 110 to watch a 360-degree video shot by the 360-degree camera 1539, the moving object (for example, a person) shown in the 360-degree video is a moving object (for example, a favorite). You may want to pay attention to the behavior of the girl) and always see the moving object you are looking for. In this case, the user 5 moves the head to follow the target moving object and moves the visual field area 15. For example, when the moving object moves to a position beyond the range of motion of the neck, the user 5 moves. If you are watching a 360-degree video while sitting, you have to stand up and turn your body, which is inconvenient. Therefore, in a certain embodiment, the target moving object is set as the tracking target, the virtual space 11 is moved so that the tracking target is in the center of the field of view image 17, and the convenience when the user 5 views the 360-degree moving image is improved. improves. In one embodiment, the target moving object is set as the tracking object, the virtual space 11 is moved so that the tracking object is included in the field of view area 15, and the convenience of the user 5 when viewing the 360-degree moving image is improved. The control for moving the virtual space 11 can be performed without being linked to the movement of the HMD 120. Moving the virtual space 11 means moving the relative positional relationship between the virtual camera 14 and the virtual space 11.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of how to move the virtual space 11. In a certain embodiment, when the zenith portion of the virtual space 11 having a hemispherical shape is set to the zenith 1641 as shown in FIG. 16, the virtual space 11 is rotated about the line connecting the zenith 1641 and the center 12. .. According to this embodiment, by rotating the virtual space 11, it is possible to control the tracking object to be located in the field of view region 15.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the viewing area and the tracking object, and is a diagram showing a case where the tracking object is located in the viewing area. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the viewing area and the tracking object, and is a diagram showing a case where the tracking object is located outside the viewing area. 17 and 18 are plan views of the virtual space 11 as viewed from above, that is, from the Y direction. In FIGS. 17 and 18, reference numeral 1742 is a tracking object. In one embodiment, the virtual space 11 is not moved when the tracked object 1742 is located within the field of view 15 as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 18, when the tracked object 1742 is located outside the field of view 15, the virtual space 11 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 1843 around the line connecting the zenith 1641 and the center 12, and tracked. The rotation of the virtual space 11 is stopped when the object 1742 comes to the center of the view image 17.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a process related to display control of a 360-degree moving image taken by a 360-degree camera, which is a part of the process executed in the HMD set according to a certain embodiment. In step S1944, the initial setting is performed. In the initial setting of step S1944, the automatic tracking mode can be set. The automatic tracking mode is a mode in which the virtual space 11 is automatically moved so that the tracking object 1742 is located in the visual field area 15 when the tracking object 1742 deviates from the visual field area 15. Whether or not to set the automatic tracking mode can be registered by the user 5 operating the controller 300 while referring to the display on the monitor 130.

Further, in the initial setting of step S1944, the tracking object can be set. When displaying a 360-degree video of a person, the person may be tracked, or a 360-degree video of an animal such as a pet animal such as a dog or cat is displayed. In some cases, animals may be tracked. As the setting of the tracking object, when the person is the tracking object, for example, it may be set to track a specific person, it may be set to track a man, or it may be set to track a woman. May be set to track. Further, as the setting of the tracking object, when the animal is the tracking object, for example, it may be set to track a specific animal, or it may be set to track a certain kind of animal. Good. In some embodiments, it is not necessary to set the tracking object in the initial setting of step S1944.

In step S1945 following step S1944, it is determined whether or not the automatic tracking mode is set. If the automatic tracking mode is not set (step S1945: No), the process ends. If the automatic tracking mode is set in step S1945 (step S1945: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1946 to execute the automatic tracking process. The automatic tracking process in step S1946 will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of the automatic tracking process shown in step S1946 of FIG. First, in step S2051, a tracking object identification process is performed. When the tracking object is set in the initial setting of step S1944 of FIG. 19, the tracking object identification process of step S2051 specifies the tracking object set in step S1944 as the tracking object. Identification of a tracked object is to acquire identification information that can distinguish the tracked object from other moving objects. As the identification information, for example, the face of a person who is a tracking object can be recognized from an image taken by a 360-degree camera 1539, and the result of this face recognition can be used as the identification information. In this case, the tracking object set in step S1944 may also be identified as another moving object by face recognition and set as the tracking object.

Also, in certain embodiments, the color of the clothing of the tracked object can be used as identification information that can distinguish the tracked object from other moving objects. For example, in the image taken by the 360-degree camera 1539, the color of the pixel at a position 30 pixels below the face of the tracking object can be detected as the color of the clothes of the tracking object. Also, in certain embodiments, the result of face recognition of the tracked object and the color of the clothes can be used as identification information that can distinguish the tracked object from other moving objects. According to this embodiment, twins can be identified by having the twins wear clothes of different colors in advance when it is difficult to identify the twins only by their faces, such as when the tracking object is twins.

In a certain embodiment, a person who is a moving object shown in a 360-degree moving image taken by a 360-degree camera 1539 may be able to earn financial income by being shown in the 360-degree moving image. In this case, the amount of income may be increased or decreased depending on the number of objects to be tracked. By doing so, the person appearing in the 360-degree video will actively change the color of the clothes so that he / she can be distinguished from other people, thereby improving the identification accuracy of the tracked object. can do.

If the tracking object is not set in step S1944, which moving object is specified as the tracking object in step S2051 can be specified as follows. As described above, the HMD set 110 can detect the line of sight of the user 5 by the gaze sensor 140. Therefore, in a certain embodiment, when the line of sight of the user 5 is directed to the same moving object for a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute) or more, the moving object is specified as a tracking object. Further, in a certain embodiment, when a moving object is out of the field of view area 15, if the line of sight of the user 5 is directed to the moving object, the moving object is specified as a tracking target.

In step S2052 following step S2051, tracking object tracking processing is performed. In the tracking object tracking process of step S2052, the tracking object identified in step S2051 is tracked. That is, where the tracking object, which is a moving object of the identification information acquired in step S2051, is located in the field of view region 15 is tracked.

In step S2053 following step S2052, it is determined whether the tracked object tracked in step S2052 is outside the field of view area 15. If the tracked object is not outside the field of view 15, that is, the tracked object is located within the field of view 15 (step S2053: No), the process returns to step S2052 to continue the process.

If the tracked object is outside the field of view area 15 in step S2053 (step S2053: Yes), the process proceeds to step S2054 and the virtual space movement process is performed. When the virtual space movement process in step S2054 is completed, the process returns to step S2052 to continue the process. The virtual space movement process in step S2054 will be described below.

In one embodiment, the virtual space 11 is radially equally divided (divided at angles equal to the radial) about a line connecting the center 12 and the zenith 1641. FIG. 21 shows an example in which the virtual space 11 is divided into three equal parts. FIG. 21 is a plan view of the virtual space 11 as viewed from above, that is, from the Y direction. The virtual space 11 of FIG. 21 is radially equally divided into a region 2155, a region 2156, and a region 2157 with a line connecting the center 12 and the zenith 1641 as the center. The number of divisions of the virtual space 11 may be four or more. Further, the virtual space 11 may be divided radially at different angles. In the present embodiment, the virtual space movement process in step S2052 moves the virtual space 11 by exchanging the positions of the

areas

2155, 2156, and 2157 that divide the virtual space 11 shown in FIG. 21. For example, the region 2157 is moved to the position where the region 2155 is located in FIG. 21, the region 2156 is moved to the position where the region 2157 is located in FIG. 21, and the region 2155 is moved to the position where the region 2156 is located in FIG. Further, for example, the region 2156 is moved to the position where the region 2155 is located in FIG. 21, the region 2157 is moved to the position where the region 2156 is located in FIG. 21, and the region 2155 is moved to the position where the region 2157 is located in FIG. In the present embodiment, the tracking object moves in the virtual space 11 so that the tracking object is always within the field of view 15. In one embodiment, the virtual space 11 does not move in units of the size of the

areas

2155, 2156 and 2157, eg, with the center 12 and the zenith 1641 until the tracked object is in the center of the field of view 15. The virtual space 11 is rotated around the line connecting the above. In addition, in order to prevent VR sickness and the like, it is desirable to reduce the time and the number of times to move the virtual space 11.

In one embodiment, the direction of rotation when rotating the virtual space 11 around the line connecting the center 12 and the zenith 1641 is the direction in which the shortest distance between the current position of the tracked object and the center of the view area 15 is shortened. Is.

In one embodiment, in the virtual space movement process of step S2052, the HMD sensor 410 detects rotation of the HMD 120 in the yaw angle direction by a predetermined angle (for example, 45 degrees) or more after the tracked object goes out of the field of view area 15. However, when the visual field area 15 does not include the tracking object (that is, when the user 5 rotates the head left and right by a predetermined angle or more but the visual field area 15 does not include the tracking object), the HMD The virtual space 11 is rotated around the line connecting the center 12 and the zenith 1641 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the HMD 120 detected by the sensor 410 so that the tracking object is within the field of view region 15.

In one embodiment, the virtual space movement process of step S2052 monitors the HMD 120 when the tracked object goes out of the field of view 15 in a situation where the user 5 is rotating his head to follow the tracked object. The scene displayed on the 130 is switched, and the virtual space 11 is rotated around the line connecting the center 12 and the zenith 1641 so that the tracking object is within the field of view region 15.

In a certain embodiment, in the virtual space movement process of step S2052, when the tracking object goes out of the field of view area 15, the display on the display object of the virtual space 11 is displayed at 360 degrees until now. Switch from a video to a black black image. After that, the virtual space 11 is rotated around the line connecting the center 12 and the zenith 1641 so that the tracking object is in the visual field area 15, and the virtual space is triggered when the tracking object is in the visual field area 15. The display on the display object of 11 is switched from the darkened image to the 360-degree moving image.

Further, in a certain embodiment, in face recognition of a tracked object, machine learning such as recursive type can be performed to accumulate data and improve the accuracy of face recognition.

The tracking object may be a CG such as an avatar object arranged in the virtual space 11.

In the above embodiment, the virtual space (VR space) in which the user is immersed by the HMD has been illustrated and described, but a transparent HMD may be adopted as the HMD. In this case, augmented reality (AR) space or mixed reality (AR) space or mixed reality (AR: Augmented Reality) space or mixed reality (AR) space or mixed reality (AR) MR: Mixed Reality) A virtual experience in space may be provided to the user. In this case, instead of the operation object, an action on the target object in the virtual space may be generated based on the movement of the user's hand. Specifically, the processor may specify the coordinate information of the position of the user's hand in the real space, and may define the position of the target object in the virtual space in relation to the coordinate information in the real space. As a result, the processor can grasp the positional relationship between the user's hand in the real space and the target object in the virtual space, and can execute the process corresponding to the collision control and the like described above between the user's hand and the target object. .. As a result, it becomes possible to give an action to the target object based on the movement of the user's hand.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

(Constitution)
The technical features disclosed above can be summarized as follows.

(Structure 1)
According to an embodiment, in a program, a step of defining a virtual space in a processor, a step of accepting an input of an image taken by a 360-degree camera, a step of arranging a virtual field of view in the virtual space, and the virtual space. A step of placing a display object on the display object, a step of displaying the input image on the display object, a step of identifying a tracking object in the virtual space, and a user's head associated with a head mount device. The step of detecting the movement of the head, the step of controlling the field of view from the virtual viewpoint according to the movement of the head, and the virtual viewpoint when the tracking object is not included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint. A step of controlling the rotation of the virtual space so that the tracking object is included in the field of view from the above, and a step of displaying a field of view image corresponding to the field of view from the virtual viewpoint on the head mount device are executed. ..
(Structure 2)
According to one embodiment, in the program described in Configuration 1, the step of controlling the rotation of the virtual space is to rotate the virtual space so that the tracked object is in the center of the field of view from the virtual viewpoint. Control.
(Structure 3)
According to an embodiment, in the program described in Configuration 1, the step of controlling the rotation of the virtual space divides the virtual space into a plurality of regions, and the tracking object exists in the plurality of regions. The rotation of the virtual space is controlled so that the region is included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint.
(Structure 4)
According to an embodiment, in the program according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, the display step captures a darkened image when the tracked object is not included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint. It is displayed on the head mount device, and when the tracking object is included in the view from the virtual viewpoint, the view image corresponding to the view from the virtual viewpoint is displayed on the head mount device.
(Structure 5)
According to an embodiment, in the program according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, the step of controlling the rotation of the virtual space is a state in which the tracking object is not included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint. Therefore, when the tracking object remains not included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint even if the user's head is rotated by a predetermined angle in one direction of the yaw angle, the virtual space is described. Rotate in the other direction of the yaw angle around the line connecting the zenith and center of the virtual space.
(Structure 6)
According to an embodiment, in the program according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, the user's head is moving in a direction of moving the tracking object to the center of the field of view from the virtual viewpoint. Then, when the tracking object is not included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint, the head mount is an image in which the display step is different from the field of view image corresponding to the field of view from the virtual viewpoint. The step of displaying on the device and controlling the rotation of the virtual space includes the tracking object in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint when an image different from the field of view image is displayed on the head mount device. The rotation of the virtual space is controlled so as to be performed.
(Structure 7)
According to an embodiment, in the program according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, the tracking object is a person, and the identifying step uses an image taken by the 360-degree camera. Identify the tracked object.
(Structure 8)
According to one embodiment, in the program described in configuration 7, the identifying step recognizes a person's face and identifies the tracking object by the recognized face.
(Structure 9)
According to one embodiment, in the program of configuration 8, the identifying step performs machine learning in recognizing a person's face.
(Structure 10)
According to certain embodiments, in the program of configuration 8 or 9, the identifying step further recognizes the color of the person's clothing and identifies the tracking object by the recognized face and clothing color.
(Structure 11)
According to one embodiment, in the program described in configuration 7, the identifying step recognizes the color of a person's clothing and identifies the tracking object by the recognized clothing color.
(Structure 12)
According to an embodiment, in the program according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, the identifying step identifies a moving object moving in the virtual space as the tracking object.
(Structure 13)
According to certain embodiments, in the program according to any one of configurations 1-12, the processor is further subjected to a step of tracking the tracked object identified in the identified step.
(Structure 14)
According to an embodiment, in the program described in configuration 13, the identifying step identifies a person who is the tracking object by face recognition, and the tracking step is a step of identifying the person specified in the identifying step. Track feature points.
(Structure 15)
According to one embodiment, a method executed by a processor includes a step of defining a virtual space, a step of accepting an input of an image taken by a 360-degree camera, and a step of arranging a virtual field of view in the virtual space. , A step of arranging a display object in the virtual space, a step of displaying the input image on the display object, a step of identifying a tracking object in the virtual space, and a head mount device are associated with each other. A step of detecting the movement of the user's head, a step of controlling the field of view from the virtual viewpoint according to the movement of the head, and a case where the tracking object is not included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint. A step of controlling the rotation of the virtual space so that the tracking object is included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint, and a step of displaying a field image corresponding to the field of view from the virtual viewpoint on the head mount device. , Equipped with.
(Structure 16)
According to an embodiment, the information processing apparatus includes a processor and a memory in which a program is stored, and the program inputs a step of defining a virtual space to the processor and an image taken by a 360-degree camera. A step of accepting, a step of arranging a virtual field of view in the virtual space, a step of arranging a display object in the virtual space, a step of displaying the input image on the display object, and a step in the virtual space. A step of identifying a tracking object, a step of detecting the movement of the user's head associated with the head mount device, a step of controlling the field of view from the virtual viewpoint according to the movement of the head, and the above-mentioned step. When the tracking object is not included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint, a step of controlling the rotation of the virtual space so that the tracking object is included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint, and a step from the virtual viewpoint. The step of displaying the field of view image corresponding to the field of view on the head mount device is executed.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims rather than the above description, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

2 ... network, 5 ... user, 6 ... avatar object, 11 ... virtual space, 12 ... center, 14 ... virtual camera, 15 ... view area, 100 ... HMD system, 110 ... HMD set, 130 ... monitor, 170 ... microphone, 180 ... Speaker, 190 ... Sensor, 200 ... Computer, 210 ... Processor, 220 ... Memory, 230 ... Storage, 240 ... Input / Output Interface, 250 ... Communication Interface, 300 ... Controller, 310 ... Grip, 320 ... Frame, 340, 350 370, 380 ... Button, 390 ... Analog Stick, 410 ... HMD Sensor, 420 ... Motion Sensor, 430 ... Display, 510 ... Control Module, 520 ... Rendering Module, 530 ... Memory Module, 540 ... Communication Control Module, 600 ... Server , 610 ... Processor, 620 ... Memory, 630 ... Storage, 640 ... Input / output interface, 650 ... Communication interface, 1421 ... Virtual camera control module, 1422 ... View area determination module, 1423 ... Reference line-of-sight identification module, 1424 ... Motion detection module , 1424 ... Face organ detection module, 1425 ... Motion detection module, 1426 ... Virtual space definition module, 1427 ... Virtual object generation module, 1428 ... Operation object control module, 1429 ... Avatar control module, 1431 ... Spatial information, 1432 ... Object information , 1433 ... User information, 1434 ... Face information, 1435 ... Mouth template, 1438 ... Visibility image generation module.

Claims

To the processor
Steps to define virtual space and
A step of accepting input of an image taken by a 360-degree camera, a step of arranging a virtual viewpoint in the virtual space, and a step of arranging a virtual viewpoint.
The step of arranging the display object in the virtual space and
A step of displaying the input image on the display object, a step of identifying a tracking object in the virtual space, and a step of specifying the tracking object.
A step of detecting the movement of the user's head associated with the head mount device, and a step of controlling the field of view from the virtual viewpoint according to the movement of the head.
When the tracking object is not included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint, a step of controlling the rotation of the virtual space so that the tracking object is included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint.
A step of displaying a field of view image corresponding to the field of view from the virtual viewpoint on the head mount device, and
A program that runs.
The step of controlling the rotation of the virtual space controls the rotation of the virtual space so that the tracking object comes to the center of the field of view from the virtual viewpoint.
The program according to claim 1.
The step of controlling the rotation of the virtual space divides the virtual space into a plurality of regions so that the region in which the tracking object exists among the plurality of regions is included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint. , Control the rotation of the virtual space,
The program according to claim 1.
The display step displays a dark image on the head mount device when the tracking object is not included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint, and the tracking object is included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint. In some cases, the field of view image corresponding to the field of view from the virtual viewpoint is displayed on the head mount device.
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The step of controlling the rotation of the virtual space is described even if the user's head rotates by a predetermined angle in one direction of the yaw angle from the state where the tracking object is not included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint. When the tracked object remains not included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint, the virtual space is rotated in the other direction of the yaw angle about the line connecting the zenith and the center of the virtual space.
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The tracking object is not included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint while the user's head is moving in the direction of moving the tracking object to the center of the field of view from the virtual viewpoint. In this case, the step of displaying an image different from the field-of-view image corresponding to the field of view from the virtual viewpoint on the head mount device and controlling the rotation of the virtual space is different from the field-of-view image. When the image is displayed on the head mount device, the rotation of the virtual space is controlled so that the tracking object is included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint.
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The tracked object is a person, and the identifying step is
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an image taken by the 360-degree camera is used to identify the tracking object.
The identifying step recognizes a person's face and
The program according to claim 7, wherein the tracking object is identified by the recognized face.
The specific step is
The program according to claim 8, wherein machine learning is performed in recognizing a person's face.
The specific step is
Further recognize the color of the person's clothes,
The program according to claim 8 or 9, which identifies the tracking object by the recognized face and clothing colors.
The identifying step recognizes the color of a person's clothing and
The program of claim 7, wherein the tracked object is identified by the recognized clothing color.
The identifying step identifies a moving object moving in the virtual space as the tracking object.
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
To the processor
Further executing the step of tracking the tracking object specified in the specifying step.
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 12.
In the identifying step, the person who is the tracking object is identified by face recognition, and the person is identified.
13. The program of claim 13, wherein the tracking step tracks feature points of a person identified in the identifying step.
A method executed by a processor, with steps to define a virtual space,
A step of accepting input of an image taken by a 360-degree camera, a step of arranging a virtual viewpoint in the virtual space, and a step of arranging a virtual viewpoint.
The step of arranging the display object in the virtual space and
A step of displaying the input image on the display object, a step of identifying a tracking object in the virtual space, and a step of specifying the tracking object.
A step of detecting the movement of the user's head associated with the head mount device, and a step of controlling the field of view from the virtual viewpoint according to the movement of the head.
When the tracking object is not included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint, a step of controlling the rotation of the virtual space so that the tracking object is included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint.
A step of displaying a field of view image corresponding to the field of view from the virtual viewpoint on the head mount device, and
A method.
With the processor
It has a memory for storing programs and
The program includes a step of defining a virtual space in the processor.
A step of accepting input of an image taken by a 360-degree camera, a step of arranging a virtual viewpoint in the virtual space, and a step of arranging a virtual viewpoint.
The step of arranging the display object in the virtual space and
A step of displaying the input image on the display object, a step of identifying a tracking object in the virtual space, and a step of specifying the tracking object.
A step of detecting the movement of the user's head associated with the head mount device, and a step of controlling the field of view from the virtual viewpoint according to the movement of the head.
When the tracking object is not included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint, a step of controlling the rotation of the virtual space so that the tracking object is included in the field of view from the virtual viewpoint.
A step of displaying a field of view image corresponding to the field of view from the virtual viewpoint on the head mount device, and
Information processing device that executes.