JP6722244B2 - Program, information processing method, and information processing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a program, an information processing method, and an information processing device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a game program and the like that can encourage the player to wear so that the physical movement of the player wearing the head mounted display does not exceed a certain speed, and further improve the safety of the player. ing.

Patent No. 5996138

Depending on the virtual object displayed in the VR space, it may be necessary to hide a specific part of the virtual object. However, the conventional technique as described in Patent Document 1 cannot sufficiently meet such a request, and there is room for improvement in improving the virtual experience of the user.

The present disclosure aims to provide a program, an information processing method, and an information processing apparatus that improve a virtual experience of a user.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a step of defining, in a computer, a virtual space including a virtual viewpoint, an occlusion target, and a first object; a step of defining a field of view from the virtual viewpoint; Is included, a program for executing the steps of controlling the arrangement of the first object and generating a view image corresponding to the view is provided so that the object to be covered is covered by the first object. It

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a program, an information processing method, and an information processing apparatus that improve a user's virtual experience.

It is a figure showing the outline of the composition of the HMD system according to a certain embodiment. FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a computer according to an embodiment. It is a figure which represents notionally the uvw visual field coordinate system set to HMD according to a certain embodiment. It is a figure which represents notionally one aspect expressing the virtual space according to one embodiment. It is a figure showing from above the head of the user wearing the HMD according to an embodiment. It is a figure showing the YZ section which looked at the field of view from the X direction in virtual space. It is a figure showing the XZ section which looked at the field of view from the Y direction in virtual space. It is a figure showing the schematic structure of the controller according to a certain embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of yaw, roll, and pitch directions defined for a user's right hand according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware constitutions of the server according to a certain embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a computer according to an embodiment as a module configuration. 7 is a sequence chart showing a part of processing executed in the HMD set according to an embodiment. It is a schematic diagram showing the situation where each HMD provides a virtual space to a user in a network. It is a figure which shows the visual field image of the user 5A in FIG. 12(A). FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing a process executed in the HMD system according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a module of a computer according to an embodiment. 7 is a sequence chart showing a part of processing executed in the HMD set according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an XZ cross section of the field of view seen from the Y direction in a virtual space including an occluded object according to an embodiment, and a diagram showing a field of view image seen from a virtual camera. A view showing an XZ cross section of a field of view in a virtual space including an occluded object and an occluded object according to an embodiment and an occlusion target part of the occluded object seen from a virtual camera are occluded by the occluded object. It is a figure which shows the visual field image. A view showing an XZ cross section of a field of view in a virtual space including an occluded object and an occluded object according to an embodiment and an occlusion target part of the occluded object seen from a virtual camera are occluded by the occluded object. It is a figure which shows the visual field image. A view showing an XZ cross section of a field of view in a virtual space including an occluded object and an occluded object according to an embodiment and an occlusion target part of the occluded object seen from a virtual camera are occluded by the occluded object. It is a figure which shows the visual field image. It is a figure showing the XZ section which looked at the field-of-view field from the Y direction in the virtual space containing an occlusion object and an occlusion object according to a certain embodiment. A diagram showing an XZ cross section of the view area viewed from the Y direction in the virtual space including the occluded object and the occluded object when the distance between the virtual camera and the occluded object is longer than that in the example of FIG. 18A. Is. It is a figure which shows the visual field image in which the shielding target part of the to-be-shielded object according to one embodiment is shielded by the shielding object. In one HMD set according to one embodiment, a field-of-view image in which a part of the hidden object to be covered is not covered by the covering object is displayed, and in another HMD set, the covering target part of the covered object is the covering object. It is a figure which shows the example which displays the visual field image shielded by.

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 also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated. In one or more embodiments shown in the present disclosure, elements included in each embodiment can be combined with each other, and the resultant product is also a part of the embodiment shown in the present disclosure.

[Configuration of HMD system]
The configuration of an HMD (Head-Mounted Device) system 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an 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 and 110D, an external device 700, and a network 2. Each of the HMD sets 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D is configured to be communicable with the server 600 and the external device 700 via the network 2. Hereinafter, the HMD sets 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D are collectively referred to as the HMD set 110. The number of HMD sets 110 configuring 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 one aspect, the computer 200 can be connected to the Internet or other network 2 and can communicate with the server 600 or other computers connected to the network 2. Examples of other computers include computers of other HMD sets 110 and external devices 700. In another aspect, HMD 120 may include sensor 190 instead of HMD sensor 410.

The HMD 120 may be mounted on the head of the user 5 and provide the virtual space to the user 5 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 each image, the user 5 can recognize the image as a three-dimensional image based on the parallax of both eyes. The HMD 120 can include both a so-called head mounted display including a monitor and a head mounted device to which a terminal having a monitor such as a smartphone can be mounted.

The monitor 130 is realized as, for example, a non-transmissive display device. In one aspect, the monitor 130 is arranged on the main body of the HMD 120 so as to be located in front of both eyes of the user 5. Therefore, the user 5 can immerse himself in the virtual space when viewing 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 operate, and an image of a menu that the user 5 can select. In one 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 spectacle type instead of the closed type that covers the eyes of the user 5 as shown in FIG. 1. The transmissive monitor 130 may be temporarily configurable as a non-transmissive display device by adjusting the transmittance thereof. The monitor 130 may include a configuration for simultaneously displaying a part of an image forming the virtual space and the real space. For example, the monitor 130 may display an image of the real space taken by a camera mounted on the HMD 120, or may make the real space visible by setting a part of the transmittances high.

In one aspect, 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 integrally display an image for the right eye and an image for the left eye. 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 displayed alternately 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 physical 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 inclination 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 instead of the HMD sensor 410 or in addition to the HMD sensor 410. The HMD 120 can detect the position and the tilt of the HMD 120 itself using the sensor 190. For example, when the sensor 190 is an angular velocity sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, or an acceleration sensor, the HMD 120 may use any one of these sensors instead of the HMD sensor 410 to detect its own 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 the physical 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 right and left eyes of the user 5 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 one aspect, 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 receives the reflected light from the cornea and the iris with respect to the irradiated light to detect the rotation angle of each eyeball. .. The gaze sensor 140 can detect the line of sight of the user 5 based on each detected rotation angle.

The first camera 150 photographs the lower part of the face of the user 5. More specifically, the first camera 150 photographs the nose and mouth of the user 5. The second camera 160 captures the eyes and eyebrows of the user 5. The housing of the HMD 120 on the user 5 side is defined as the inside of the HMD 120, and the housing of the HMD 120 opposite to the user 5 is defined as the outside of the HMD 120. In an aspect, the first camera 150 may be arranged outside the HMD 120 and the second camera 160 may be arranged 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 captured by this one camera.

The microphone 170 converts the utterance of the user 5 into a voice signal (electrical signal) and outputs it to the computer 200. The speaker 180 converts the voice signal into voice and outputs the voice to the user 5. In another aspect, HMD 120 may include earphones instead of 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 attachable to a part of the body or clothing of the user 5. 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 still another aspect, the controller 300 receives an operation from the user 5 for controlling the position and movement of the object arranged in the virtual space.

In one aspect, the controller 300 includes multiple 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 physical 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 inclination 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 hand of the user 5 in one aspect, and detects the movement of the hand of the user 5. For example, the motion sensor 420 detects the rotation speed, the rotation speed, etc. 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 one aspect, the motion sensor 420 is provided, for example, in the controller 300 that is configured to be held by the user 5. In another aspect, for safety in the real space, the controller 300 is attached to something that does not easily fly by being attached to the hand of the user 5 like a glove type. In yet another aspect, a sensor not attached to the user 5 may detect the movement of the hand of the user 5. For example, a signal of a camera that captures the user 5 may be input to the computer 200 as a signal representing the operation of the user 5. The motion sensor 420 and the computer 200 are wirelessly connected to each other, for example. In the case of wireless, the communication form is not particularly limited, and, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or other known communication methods are used.

The display 430 displays an image similar to the image displayed on the monitor 130. As a result, a user 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 can send the program to the computer 200. In another aspect, the server 600 may communicate with other computers 200 for providing virtual reality to the HMD 120 used by other users. For example, when a plurality of users play a participation-type game at an amusement facility, each computer 200 communicates a signal based on the operation of each user with another computer 200 via the server 600 to allow a plurality of users in the same virtual space. Allows users to enjoy common games. Each computer 200 may communicate a signal based on the operation of each user with another computer 200 without passing through the server 600.

The external device 700 may be any device that 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 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 a hardware configuration of 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 the bus 260.

The processor 210 executes a series of instructions included in a program stored in the memory 220 or the storage 230 based on a signal given to the computer 200 or when a predetermined condition is satisfied. In one 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 device.

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

The storage 230 permanently holds programs and data. The storage 230 is realized as, for example, a ROM (Read-Only Memory), a hard disk device, a flash memory, or another non-volatile storage device. The programs stored in the storage 230 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 another computer 200. The data stored in the storage 230 includes data and objects 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, instead of storage 230 built in computer 200, a configuration using programs and data stored in an external storage device may be used. With such a configuration, for example, in a situation where a plurality of HMD systems 100 are used, such as in an amusement facility, it is possible to collectively update programs and data.

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 one aspect, the input/output interface 240 is realized by using a USB (Universal Serial Bus), a DVI (Digital Visual Interface), an HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), and other terminals. The input/output interface 240 is not limited to the above.

In certain aspects, the input/output interface 240 may also be in communication 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 the instruction output from the processor 210 to the controller 300. The command instructs the controller 300 to perform vibration, voice output, light emission, or the like. Upon receiving the command, the controller 300 executes any one of vibration, voice output, and light emission according 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 one aspect, the communication interface 250 is implemented 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. To 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 included in the program. The one or more programs may include an operating system of the computer 200, an application program for providing a virtual space, game software executable in the virtual space, and the like. The processor 210 sends a signal for providing a virtual space to the HMD 120 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 shown 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 the monitor 130 may function as the computer 200.

The computer 200 may be configured to be commonly used by the plurality of HMDs 120. 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 one embodiment, in the HMD system 100, a real coordinate system that is a coordinate system in the real space is preset. The real coordinate system has three reference directions (axes) that are respectively 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, vertical direction (vertical direction), and 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 of the real space. The y-axis is parallel to the vertical direction of the real space. The z-axis is parallel to the front-back direction in real space.

In one aspect, HMD sensor 410 includes an infrared sensor. When the infrared sensor detects the infrared rays emitted from the respective light sources of the HMD 120, the presence of the HMD 120 is detected. The HMD sensor 410 further detects the position and inclination (direction) 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 around the three axes of the HMD 120 in the real coordinate system. The HMD sensor 410 sets the uvw visual field coordinate system to the HMD 120 based on the inclination of the HMD 120 in the actual coordinate system. The uvw visual field coordinate system set in the HMD 120 corresponds to the viewpoint coordinate system when the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 views an object in the virtual space.

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

As shown in FIG. 3, the HMD 120 sets a three-dimensional uvw visual field coordinate system with the head of the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 as the center (origin). More specifically, the HMD 120 defines the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, and the front-rear direction (x axis, y axis, z axis) that define the real coordinate system by the inclination around each axis of the HMD 120 within the real coordinate system. Three directions newly obtained by inclining about the axis are set as a pitch axis (u axis), a yaw axis (v axis), and a roll axis (w axis) of the uvw visual field coordinate system in the HMD 120.

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

After the uvw visual field coordinate system is set in the HMD 120, the HMD sensor 410 can detect the tilt of the HMD 120 in the set uvw visual field coordinate system based on the movement of the HMD 120. In this case, the HMD sensor 410 detects the pitch angle (θu), the yaw angle (θv), and the 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 visual 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 visual field coordinate system.

The HMD sensor 410 sets the uvw visual 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 visual field coordinate system of the HMD 120 is always constant regardless of the position and inclination of the HMD 120. When the position and the inclination of the HMD 120 change, the position and the inclination of the uvw visual field coordinate system of the HMD 120 in the actual coordinate system change in association with the change of the position and the inclination.

In one aspect, the HMD sensor 410 uses the HMD 120 based on the light intensity of infrared light acquired based on the output from the infrared sensor and the relative positional relationship between the points (for example, the distance between the points). The position in the real space may be specified as the 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 the real space (real coordinate system) based on the specified relative position.

[Virtual space]
The virtual space will be further described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram conceptually showing one aspect of expressing virtual space 11 according to an embodiment. The virtual space 11 has a spherical structure that covers the entire center 12 in the 360° direction. In FIG. 4, the celestial sphere in the upper half of the virtual space 11 is illustrated in order not to complicate the description. Each mesh is defined in the virtual space 11. The position of each mesh is defined in advance as coordinate values in the XYZ coordinate system, which is the global coordinate system defined in the virtual space 11. The computer 200 associates each partial image forming 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, in the virtual space 11, an XYZ coordinate system whose origin is the center 12 is defined. The XYZ coordinate system is, for example, parallel to the real coordinate system. The horizontal direction, the vertical direction (vertical direction), and the 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 of the XYZ coordinate system (horizontal direction) is parallel to the x axis of the real coordinate system, the Y axis of the XYZ coordinate system (vertical direction) is parallel to the y axis of the real coordinate system, and the X axis of the XYZ coordinate system is The Z axis (front-back direction) is parallel to the z axis of the real coordinate system.

When the HMD 120 is activated, 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 an aspect, the processor 210 displays the image captured by the virtual camera 14 on the monitor 130 of the HMD 120. The virtual camera 14 similarly moves in the virtual space 11 in association with the movement of the HMD 120 in the physical space. As a result, changes in the position and inclination of the HMD 120 in the physical space can be reproduced in the virtual space 11 as well.

The uvw visual field coordinate system is defined for the virtual camera 14 as in the case of the HMD 120. The uvw visual field coordinate system of the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11 is defined so as to be linked to the uvw visual field 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 view area 15 in the virtual space 11 based on the position and the inclination (reference line of sight 16) of the virtual camera 14. The field-of-view area 15 corresponds to an area of 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 the direction in the viewpoint coordinate system when the user 5 visually recognizes an object. The uvw visual field coordinate system of the HMD 120 is equal to the viewpoint coordinate system when the user 5 visually recognizes the monitor 130. The uvw view coordinate system of the virtual camera 14 is linked to the uvw view coordinate system of the HMD 120. Therefore, HMD system 100 according to an aspect can regard the line of sight of user 5 detected by gaze sensor 140 as the line of sight of user 5 in the uvw visual field coordinate system of 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 diagram showing the head of user 5 wearing HMD 120 according to an embodiment from above.

In an aspect, the gaze sensor 140 detects each line of sight of the right eye and the left eye of the user 5. In one aspect, when the user 5 is looking close, the gaze sensor 140 detects the sight lines R1 and L1. In another aspect, when the user 5 is looking far away, the gaze sensor 140 detects the sight lines 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 sight lines R1 and L1 from the gaze sensor 140 as the detection result of the sight line, the computer 200 specifies the attention point N1 which is the intersection of the sight lines R1 and L1 based on the detection value. On the other hand, when the computer 200 receives the detection values of the sight lines R2 and L2 from the gaze sensor 140, the computer 200 specifies the intersection of the sight lines R2 and L2 as the gaze point. The computer 200 specifies the line of sight N0 of the user 5 based on the specified position of the gazing point N1. The computer 200 detects, as the line of sight N0, for example, the extending direction of a straight line passing through the gazing point N1 and the midpoint of the straight line connecting the right eye R and the left eye L of the user 5. The line of sight N0 is the direction in which the user 5 is actually directing his or her eyes with both eyes. The line-of-sight N0 corresponds to the direction in which the user 5 is actually looking at the field of view 15.

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

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

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

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

As shown in FIG. 7, the view region 15 in the XZ section includes a region 19. The area 19 is defined by the position of the virtual camera 14, the reference line of sight 16, and the XZ section of the virtual space 11. The processor 210 defines a range including the azimuth angle β around 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 (direction) of the virtual camera 14.

In one aspect, the HMD system 100 provides the user 5 with a view in the virtual space 11 by displaying the view image 17 on the monitor 130 based on a 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 worn on the head, the virtual camera 14 also moves in conjunction with the movement. As a result, the position of the view field 15 in the virtual space 11 changes. As a result, the view image 17 displayed on the monitor 130 is updated to the image of the panorama image 13 that is superimposed on the view region 15 in the direction in which the user 5 is facing in the virtual space 11. The user 5 can visually recognize a desired direction in the virtual space 11.

Thus, the inclination of the virtual camera 14 corresponds to the line of sight of the user 5 (reference line of sight 16) 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 inclination 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 an 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 specifies the image area (visual field area 15) projected on the monitor 130 of the HMD 120 based on the position and inclination of the virtual camera 14 in the virtual space 11.

In one aspect, 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, the image for the right eye and the 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 combining the roll axes of the two virtual cameras is adapted to the roll axis (w) of the HMD 120. The technical idea according to the present disclosure will be exemplified as one configured as described above.

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

As shown in FIG. 8, in one aspect, 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 one 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 receives operations of both hands. The right controller 300R will be described below.

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

The frame 320 includes a plurality of infrared LEDs 360 arranged along the circumferential direction thereof. The infrared LED 360 emits infrared light according to the progress of the program 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 posture (tilt, orientation) of the right controller 300R and the left controller. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the infrared LEDs 360 arranged in two rows are shown, but the number of arrays is not limited to that shown in FIG. A single row or an array of three or more rows may be used.

The top surface 330 includes buttons 370 and 380 and an analog stick 390. Buttons 370 and 380 are configured as push buttons. Buttons 370 and 380 accept an operation by the thumb of the right hand of user 5. The analog stick 390 receives an operation in an arbitrary direction of 360 degrees from an 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 batteries for driving the infrared LEDs 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 the USB interface of the computer 200, for example. In this case, the right controller 300R and the left controller do not require batteries.

As shown in states (A) and (B) of FIG. 8, for example, the yaw, roll, and pitch directions are defined for the right hand of the user 5. When the user 5 extends his thumb and forefinger, 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 a hardware configuration of server 600 according to an 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 the bus 660.

Processor 610 executes a series of instructions included in a program stored in memory 620 or storage 630 based on a signal provided to server 600 or when a predetermined condition is satisfied. In one aspect, processor 610 is implemented as a CPU, GPU, MPU, FPGA or other device.

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

The 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 another non-volatile storage device. The programs 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 and objects 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 still another aspect, instead of the storage 630 built in the server 600, a configuration using programs and data stored in an external storage device may be used. With such a configuration, for example, in a situation where a plurality of HMD systems 100 are used, such as in an amusement facility, it is possible to collectively update programs and data.

The input/output interface 640 communicates signals with input/output devices. In one aspect, the input/output interface 640 is implemented using a USB, DVI, HDMI, or other terminal. 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 one aspect, the communication interface 650 is realized as a wired communication interface such as a LAN or a wireless communication interface such as WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC or the like. 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 included in the program. The one or more programs may include an operating system of the server 600, an application program for providing a virtual space, game software executable in the virtual space, and the like. The processor 610 may send a signal for providing the virtual space to the computer 200 via the input/output interface 640.

[HMD controller]
The control device of the HMD 120 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. In one embodiment, the control device is realized by 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 one aspect, control module 510 and rendering module 520 are implemented by processor 210. In another aspect, multiple processors 210 may operate as control module 510 and 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 uses the virtual space data representing the virtual space 11 to define the virtual space 11 in the HMD system 100. 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 the server 600 or the like.

The control module 510 arranges the object in the virtual space 11 by using the object data representing the object. The object data is stored in the memory module 530, for example. The control module 510 may generate the object data or acquire the object data from the server 600 or the like. The objects include, for example, avatar objects that are the altercations of the user 5, character objects, operation objects such as virtual hands operated by the controller 300, landscapes including forests, mountains, etc. arranged according to the progress of the game story, cityscapes, animals. And the like.

The control module 510 arranges the avatar object of the user 5 of the other computer 200 connected via the network 2 in the virtual space 11. In one aspect, the control module 510 arranges the avatar object of the user 5 in the virtual space 11. In one aspect, control module 510 arranges an avatar object imitating user 5 in virtual space 11 based on an image including 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 an object of a deformed person). To do.

The control module 510 identifies the inclination of the HMD 120 based on the output of the HMD sensor 410. In another aspect, control module 510 identifies the tilt of HMD 120 based on the output of sensor 190 that functions as a motion sensor. The control module 510 detects organs (for example, mouth, eyes, eyebrows) forming 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 a viewpoint position (coordinate value in the XYZ coordinate system) at which the detected line of sight of the user 5 and the celestial sphere of 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 in 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, control module 510 may be configured to send line-of-sight information representing the line-of-sight of user 5 to server 600. In this 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 the avatar object. The control module 510 reflects the detected motion 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 on the line-of-sight of the avatar object of the other user 5. In one aspect, control module 510 reflects the movement of controller 300 on an avatar object or an operation object. In this case, the controller 300 includes a motion sensor for detecting the movement of the controller 300, an acceleration sensor, or a plurality of light emitting elements (for example, infrared LEDs).

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. The user 5 operates, for example, an object arranged in the virtual space 11 by operating the operation object. In one aspect, the operation object may include, for example, a hand object that is a virtual hand corresponding to the hand of the user 5. In one aspect, the control module 510 moves the hand object in the virtual space 11 based on the output of the motion sensor 420 so as to interlock with the movement of the hand of the user 5 in the real space. In an aspect, the operation object may correspond to the hand part 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, a timing at which a collision area of a certain object and a collision area of another object touch, and when the detection is performed, a predetermined process is performed. The control module 510 can detect the timing when the object is separated from the state in which the objects are in contact with each other, and when the detection is performed, a predetermined process is performed. The control module 510 can detect that the objects are in contact with each other. For example, control module 510, when the operation object touches another object, detects that the operation object touches the other object and performs a predetermined process.

In one aspect, control module 510 controls image display on monitor 130 of 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 (direction) of the virtual camera 14. The control module 510 defines the field of view 15 according to the tilt of the head of the user 5 wearing the HMD 120 and the position of the virtual camera 14. The rendering module 520 generates the visual field image 17 displayed on the monitor 130 based on the determined visual field area 15. The visual field 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 corresponding to the utterance is transmitted. The voice data is transmitted to the computer 200 specified 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 a 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 one aspect, the memory module 530 holds spatial information, object information, and user information.

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

The object information includes a plurality of panoramic images 13 forming the virtual space 11, and object data for arranging 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 unreal space and an image in real space. Examples of the image in the unreal space include an image 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 or the like for causing the computer 200 to function as a control device of the HMD system 100.

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, the 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 can communicate with the server 600 and other information communication devices via the network 2.

In one aspect, the control module 510 and the rendering module 520 can be implemented using Unity (registered trademark) provided by Unity Technologies, Inc., for example. In another aspect, the control module 510 and the rendering module 520 can be implemented as a combination of circuit elements that implement each process.

The processing in the computer 200 is realized by hardware and software executed by the processor 210. Such software may be stored in advance in the memory module 530 such as a hard disk. The software may be stored in a computer-readable non-volatile data recording medium such as a CD-ROM 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 network. Such software is read from a data recording medium by an optical disk drive or other data reading device, or downloaded from the server 600 or other computer via the communication control module 540, and then temporarily stored in the storage module. .. The software is read from the storage module by the processor 210 and stored in the RAM in the form of an executable program. The 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. 11. FIG. 11 is a sequence chart showing a part of the processing executed in HMD set 110 according to an embodiment.

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

In step S1120, processor 210 initializes virtual camera 14. For example, the processor 210 arranges the virtual camera 14 at the center 12 defined in advance 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, processor 210, as rendering module 520, generates view field image data for displaying an initial view field image. The generated visual field image data is output to the HMD 120 by the communication control module 540.

In step S1132, monitor 130 of HMD 120 displays the visual field image based on the visual field image data received from computer 200. The user 5 wearing the HMD 120 can recognize the virtual space 11 when viewing the visual field image.

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

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

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

In step S1160, controller 300 detects the operation of user 5 based on the signal output from motion sensor 420, and outputs the detection data representing the detected operation to 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, processor 210 detects the operation of controller 300 by user 5 based on the detection data acquired from controller 300.

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

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

[Avatar object]
An avatar object according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12(A) and 12(B). Hereinafter, it is a figure explaining the avatar object of each user 5 of HMD set 110A, 110B. Hereinafter, a user of the HMD set 110A will be referred to as a user 5A, a user of the HMD set 110B will be referred to as a user 5B, a user of the HMD set 110C will be referred to as a user 5C, and a user of the HMD set 110D will be referred to as a user 5D. The reference numeral of each component related to the HMD set 110A is attached with A, the reference numeral of each component related to the HMD set 110B is attached with B, the reference numeral of each component related to the HMD set 110C is attached with C, and the HMD set D is attached to the reference numeral of each component related 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 user 5 with the virtual space 11 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. The avatar object 6A of the user 5A and the avatar object 6B of the user 5B exist in the virtual space 11A and the virtual space 11B. 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 easy understanding of the description. In reality, these objects are equipped with the HMD 120. Not not.

In an aspect, the processor 210A may arrange the virtual camera 14A that captures the visual field image 17A of the user 5A at the eye position of the avatar object 6A.

FIG. 12B is a diagram showing a visual field image 17A of the user 5A in FIG. 12A. The visual field image 17A is an image displayed on the monitor 130A of the HMD 120A. The view image 17A is an image generated by the virtual camera 14A. The avatar object 6B of the user 5B is displayed in the view image 17A. Although not particularly shown, the avatar object 6A of the user 5A is also displayed in the 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 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 output from the speaker 180A provided in the HMD 120A.

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

FIG. 13 is a sequence chart showing a part of the processing executed in HMD system 100 according to the present embodiment. Although the HMD set 110D is not shown in FIG. 13, the HMD set 110D operates similarly to the HMD sets 110A, 110B, and 110C. Also in the following description, the reference numeral of each component regarding the HMD set 110A is attached with A, the reference numeral of each component regarding the HMD set 110B is attached with B, and the reference numeral of each component regarding the HMD set 110C is attached with C. It is assumed that D is added to the reference symbols of the respective components related to the HMD set 110D.

In step S1310A, the processor 210A in the HMD set 110A acquires avatar information for determining the action 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 movement information includes information indicating a temporal change in the position and inclination of the HMD 120A, information indicating a movement of the hand of the user 5A detected by the motion sensor 420A, and the like. The face tracking data may be data that specifies the position and size of each part of the face of the user 5A. The face tracking data includes data indicating the movement of each organ forming the face of the user 5A and line-of-sight data. The voice data may be data indicating the voice of the user 5A acquired by the microphone 170A of the HMD 120A. The avatar information may include information specifying the avatar object 6A, the user 5A associated with the avatar object 6A, information specifying the virtual space 11A in which the avatar object 6A exists, and the like. User ID is mentioned as information which specifies avatar object 6A and user 5A. Room ID is mentioned as information which identifies 11 A of virtual spaces in which avatar object 6A exists. 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 avatar information for determining the action 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, processor 210C in HMD set 110C acquires avatar information for determining the action of avatar object 6C in virtual space 11C, and transmits it to server 600.

In step S1320, server 600 temporarily stores the player information received from each of HMD set 110A, HMD set 110B, and HMD set 110C. The server 600 integrates the avatar information of all users (in this example, users 5A to 5C) associated with the common virtual space 11 based on the user ID, the 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. Through such synchronization processing, the HMD set 110A, the HMD set 110B, and the HMD 110C can share their avatar information at almost the same timing.

Then, each HMD set 110A-110C performs the process of step S1330A-S1330C based on the avatar information transmitted from the server 600 to each HMD set 110A-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 objects 6B and 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 and 6C of the users 5A and 5C in the virtual space 11B, similarly to the processing in step S1330A. Similarly, in step S1330C, the processor 210C in the HMD set 110C updates the information of the avatar objects 6A and 6B of the users 5A and 5B in the virtual space 11C.

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

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

The virtual camera control module 1421 arranges the virtual camera 14 (virtual viewpoint) 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 visual field determination module 1422 defines the visual field 15 (visual field) 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 the visual field image 17 displayed on the monitor 130 based on the determined visual field region 15 and virtual space data described below.

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 motion detection module 1424 detects organs (for example, mouth, eyes, eyebrows) forming 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, and Detects organ movement (shape).

The virtual space definition module 1425 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 1426 generates one or a plurality of virtual objects arranged in the virtual space 11. The virtual object may include, for example, members, structures, and people, but is not limited thereto, and may include landscapes including forests, mountains, and the like arranged according to the progress of the game story, animals, and the like. Further, the virtual object includes an avatar object described later.

The occlusion target identification module 1427 identifies the target to be occluded by the occluding object described later. The shielding target may be at least a part (shielding target portion) of the virtual object such as the person, or may be the entire virtual object. Further, the occlusion target may be an object appearing on the 360-degree image. The objects displayed on the 360-degree image may include, for example, members, structures, and people, but are not limited to these, and may include landscapes including forests, mountains, and the like, animals, and the like. The shielding target identification module 1427 may identify the shielding target site of the virtual object when the virtual object generation module 1426 generates the virtual object or after generating the virtual object.

The virtual object control module 1428 arranges the shielding target and the shielding object (first object) for shielding the shielding target in the virtual space 11. The virtual object control module 1428 controls the arrangement (for example, including at least one of the position and the inclination) of the first object such that the shielding target is shielded by the first object when the field of view includes the shielding target. .. Here, the occluding object (first object) is an object that can occlude the occluding target, and is, for example, a so-called mosaic image or an image colored in black or the like so that the occluding object can be occluded. Including. Further, the shielding object may be an object imitating a member having a flat surface or a three-dimensional shape, and the member may include frosted glass or another semitransparent member having a high refractive index.

The virtual object control module 1428 generates data for arranging the avatar object of the user of the other computer 200 connected via the network 2 in the virtual space 11. In an aspect, the virtual object control module 1428 generates data for arranging the avatar object of the user 5 in the virtual space 11. In one aspect, the virtual object control module 1428 generates an avatar object imitating the user 5 based on the image including the user 5. In another aspect, the virtual object control module 1428 selects 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 an object of a deformed person) in the virtual space 11. Generate data for placement in.

The virtual object control module 1428 reflects the movement of the HMD 120 detected by the HMD sensor 410 on the avatar object. For example, the virtual object control module 1428 detects that the HMD 120 is tilted and generates data for tilting the avatar object. In an aspect, the virtual object control module 1428 reflects the movement of the controller 300 on the avatar object. In this case, the controller 300 includes a motion sensor for detecting the movement of the controller 300, an acceleration sensor, or a plurality of light emitting elements (for example, infrared LEDs). The virtual object control module 1428 reflects the motion of the facial organs detected by the motion detection module 1424 on the face of the avatar object arranged in the virtual space 11. That is, the virtual object control module 1428 reflects the facial movement of the user 5A in the avatar object.

The operation object control module 1429 arranges an operation object for receiving a user operation in the virtual space 11 in the virtual space 11. The user can move the shielding target arranged in the virtual space 11, for example, by operating the operation object. The operation object control module 1429 associates the operation object with the occluded object (second object) having the occluding target part, which is arranged in the virtual space 11. The virtual object control module 1428 controls the placement of the hidden object associated with the operation object in accordance with the movement of the operation object by the operation object control module 1429. The virtual object control module 1428 arranges the occluding object so that the occluding target part is occluded by the occluding object (first object) in response to the change of the arranging position of the occluding target part due to the movement of the occluded object. You may control.

In one aspect, the operation object may include, for example, a hand object corresponding to the hand of the user wearing the HMD 120. In one aspect, the operation object may correspond to the hand part of the avatar object described above. For example, the operation object control module 1429 moves a hand object corresponding to the hand of the user wearing the HMD 120 according to the movement of the controller 300 shown in FIG. A collision area is set in the virtual space for each of the hand object and the occluded object, and when the collision areas of both are in contact with each other, it is determined that the hand object and the occluded object are in contact with each other. Further, when the bending of the finger of the user's hand is detected by pressing various buttons 340, 350, 370, 380 and the like of the controller 300 shown in FIG. 8, the finger of the hand object is also bent. For example, when the hand object and the shielded object are in contact with each other, the shield object can be grasped by the hand object by bending the finger of the user's hand. Then, when the placement of the hand object is controlled in a state where the hand object holds the hidden object, the placement of the hidden object also changes to correspond to the change in the placement of the hand object. Accordingly, the user can operate the controller 300 to grip or move the hidden object with the hand object in the virtual space.

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 an object touches another object, and when the detection is made, performs a predetermined process. The control module 510 can detect the timing when the object is separated from the state in which the objects are in contact with each other, and when the detection is performed, a predetermined process is performed. The control module 510 can detect that the objects are in contact with each other. Specifically, the operation object control module 1428, when the operation object touches another object, detects that 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 one aspect, the memory module 530 holds space information 1431, object information 1432, and user information 1433.

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

The object information 1432 holds content reproduced in the virtual space 11, objects used in the content, and information (eg, 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 in the real world, or the like.

The user information 1433 holds a program for causing the computer 200 to function as a control device of the HMD system 100, an application program that uses each content held in the object information 1432, and the like.

[Control structure of HMD system]
The control structure of the HMD set 110 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a sequence chart showing a part of processing executed in HMD set 110 according to an embodiment. Note that steps S1110 to S1140 and steps S1160 to S1190 in FIG. 15 are the same processes as steps S1110 to S1140 and steps S1160 to S1190 in FIG.

In step S1550, processor 210 executes the application program, and specifies the shielding target among the one or more virtual objects arranged in virtual space 11 based on the instruction included in the application program. Further, the processor 210 may specify at least a part of the occluded object as the occlusion target site.

In step S1560, processor 210 executes the application program and controls the placement of the occluding object such that the occluding object is occluded by the occluding object in virtual space 11 based on the instruction included in the application program.

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining control of hiding the hidden object 8A (covering target) by the blocking object 8C. FIG. 16A is a diagram showing the view field 15 viewed from the Y direction in a virtual space including the occluded object 8A and a view image 17B viewed from the virtual camera 14. FIG. 16B is a diagram showing the view field 15 viewed from the Y direction in a virtual space including the occluded object 8A and the occluded object 8C, and a view image 17B viewed from the virtual camera 14. In the example of FIG. 16B, compared with the example of FIG. 16A, the virtual camera 14 and the virtual camera 14 are shielded from each other in the Z-axis direction so that the shielded object 8A is shielded by the shielded object 8C when viewed from the virtual camera 14. A occluding object 8C is newly arranged between the occluding object 8A. The shielding object 8C has a shape having a plane S. The placement of the occluding object is performed under the control of the virtual object control module 1428 shown in FIG.

The virtual object control module 1428 also controls the orientation of the occluding object (first object), for example, controls so that the plane S of the occluding object 8C is perpendicular to the Z axis direction of the virtual camera 14. In this case, compared with the case where the plane S is not perpendicular to the Z-axis direction of the virtual camera 14, it is possible to realize the shielding of a wide range.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining control when the occluded object 8A (occlusion target) moves so that the occluding object 8C follows the movement and constantly occludes the occluded object 8A. FIG. 17A is a view of a virtual space including the occluded objects 8A and 8C viewed from the Y direction, and a view image of the occluded object 8A occluded by the occluding object 8C viewed from the virtual camera 14. FIG.

FIG. 17(B) shows a state after the shielded object 8A has moved from the example shown in FIG. 17(A), and the view area in the Y direction in the virtual space including the shielded object 8A and the shielded object 8C. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing a view image and a view field image seen from the virtual camera 14. The shielded object 8A has moved from the position shown in FIG. 17A to the position shown in FIG. 17B. Following this movement, under the control of the virtual object control module 1428, the occluding object 8C also moves so that the occluded object 8A is occluded by the occluding object 8C. At this time, the shielding object 8C may be moved while always maintaining the positional relationship in which the plane S of the shielding object 8C is perpendicular to the Z-axis direction of the virtual camera 14. In this example, the example in which the occluding object 8C follows the moved occluded object 8A has been described. However, the occluded object 8C does not move but the occluded object 8C does not move as a result of the movement of the virtual camera 14. When the occluding object 8A is likely to come off, the occluding object 8C may be moved to maintain the occluded state.

Various methods can be adopted as a method of controlling the arrangement of the occluding object 8C. For example, virtual object control module 1428 may employ billboard control. The virtual object control module 1428 controls the occluding object 8C such that the plane of the occluding object 8C having a plane is always perpendicular to the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera 14, for example. That is, the virtual object control module 1428 controls the occluding object 8C so that the plane of the occluding object 8C having the plane always faces the front as seen from the user 5 shown in FIG.

According to this configuration, even if the placement of at least one of the virtual camera 14 and the shielded object 8A is changed, the shielded object 8A appropriately shields the shielded object 8A.

FIG. 18A is a diagram of the view field viewed from the Y direction in the virtual space including the occluded object and the occluded object. FIG. 18B shows a state in which the distance between the virtual camera and the occluded object is larger than that in the example of FIG. 18A. As shown in each figure, the virtual object control module 1428 shown in FIG. 14 is configured such that the distance in the Z direction (depth direction) of the occluding object (first object) with respect to the occluded object 8A (occlusion target) is the same as that of the virtual camera 14 and the occluded object. The arrangement of the occluding object is controlled so that the occluding object has a distance according to the distance in the Z direction from the occluding object 8A. For example, when the distance between the virtual camera 14 and the shielded object 8A becomes long (when it becomes longer from L3 in FIG. 18A to L4 in FIG. 18B), the virtual object control module 1428 is shielded. The distance between the object 8A and the occlusion object 8C is controlled to be L2, which is longer than L1. More specifically, when obtaining the distance L2, the virtual object control module 1428 refers to the following equation indicating the ratio of the distance between the virtual camera 14 and the hidden object 8A. The method of calculating the distance L2 of the virtual object control module 1428 is not limited to the method of referring to the following formula.
[formula]
L2=(distance L4 between virtual camera 14 and shielded object 8A/distance L3 between virtual camera 14 and shielded object 8A)×L1

According to this configuration, the distance between the hidden object 8A and the hidden object 8C is dynamically controlled according to the distance between the virtual camera 14 and the hidden object 8A. The occluded object 8A is appropriately occluded by the occluding object 8C regardless of the change in the distance from the object 8A.

The virtual object control module 1428 controls the distance between the occluded object 8A and the occluded object 8C according to the distance between the virtual camera 14 and the occluded object 8A, instead of controlling the shape of the occluded object 8C. May be controlled. Further, the virtual object control module 1428 controls the distance between the occluded object 8A and the occluded object 8C in accordance with the distance between the virtual camera 14 and the occluded object 8A. The shape of may be controlled. The virtual object control module 1428 may not only control the position of the occluding object 8C, but may further control the inclination of the occluding object 8C.

According to this configuration, the shape of the occluding object 8C is controlled according to the distance between the virtual camera 14 and the occluded object 8A, so that the change in the distance between the virtual camera 14 and the occluded object 8A may result. Instead, the hidden object 8A is appropriately shielded by the shielding object 8C.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a field-of-view image 17D in which the face (shielding target portion) of the shielded object 8A is shielded by the shield object 8C. As shown in FIG. 19, the occlusion object 8C may employ a circular member in which “?” is arranged at the center of the circle in order to obstruct the face of the hidden object 8A. The occluding object 8C is not limited to this, and may be a virtual object that imitates a member having a planar or three-dimensional shape. The member may include frosted glass or another semitransparent member having a high refractive index, which can shield at least a part of the shielded object 8A. The occlusion object 8C may include a mosaic image showing a picture or an image in which small pieces are put together, or an image colored in black or the like so as to be able to obstruct at least a part of the hidden object 8A.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the view image, the occluding object is controlled so that the occluding object of the occluded object is occluded by the occluding object and between the virtual camera and the occluded object. .. Therefore, for example, depending on attributes such as the age of the player, it is possible to sufficiently meet the request that the specific part of the virtual object displayed in the VR space forming the game needs to be kept secret. As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to improve the virtual experience of the user.

The above-described embodiments are for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. The present invention can be modified/improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

In the virtual object control module 1428 shown in FIG. 14, for example, the avatar object 6B associated with the user 5B wearing the HMD 120B shown in FIG. 12 may be the hidden object. In this case, the virtual object control module 1428 acquires motion data for operating the avatar object 6B from the computer 200B, and operates the avatar object 6B according to the acquired motion data. Then, the virtual object control module 1428 causes the shielding target portion to be shielded by the shielding object in response to the arrangement of the shielding target portion, which is at least a part of the avatar object 6B, changing with the movement of the avatar object 6B, The placement of the occluding object may be controlled. Here, the case where the shielded object is the avatar object 6B that operates in conjunction with the movement of the user B has been described. However, the shielded object is not limited to this and is an NPC (Non Player Character) controlled avatar object. It may be.

The virtual object control module 1428 may control the display form of the occluding object at any timing. In addition, the virtual object control module 1428 displays the occluding object (first object) before the predetermined condition is satisfied in the first mode, and the occluding object after the predetermined condition is satisfied as compared with the first mode. Is displayed in the second mode in which the degree of shielding is low. Here, the mode in which the degree of shielding is low includes a mode in which the shielding range is narrow, a mode in which the transmittance of the shield portion is high, and the like. The predetermined condition includes, for example, a condition relating to at least one of progress of a game configured in the virtual space, billing in the game, and use of an item in the game. Specifically, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, an event in a game is cleared, a charge (for example, payment of cash, electronic money, or the like is performed in the game) is executed, or , Including consumption of items in the game (including charging items obtained by paying cash or electronic money).

This embodiment can also be applied to the following games. For example, in the sample version and the beta version, the target part to be shielded is shielded, but if you get the regular version, the shield of the part is released, the game that applies the masked part with mosaic, Depending on the, the mosaic will be released in stages, or the mosaic will be released in stages according to the progress of other games or events, or the game will be released as a reward for clearing the game or event. Are listed.

The above-described view image may be a 360-degree moving image, and the virtual object included in the view image may correspond to a person included in the 360-degree moving image. For example, the computer 200 performs image recognition processing on a 360-degree moving image, and includes it in the 360-degree moving image based on predetermined setting information, for example, setting information indicating that the head of a person is shielded in advance. At least a part of the shielding target part such as a person to be shielded may be specified. In addition, the 360-degree moving image may be captured in a state in which a marker or the like is attached to a position to be shielded in advance based on preset setting information, and the captured image may be acquired and recorded as image data.

On the other hand, the computer 200 may specify at least a part of the shielding target part such as a person included in the 360-degree moving image based on an instruction from the user. For example, the user may confirm at least a part of the shielding target part such as a person included in the 360-degree moving image while confirming the 360-degree moving image on the monitor or another display device, and may instruct the computer 200. The user may notify the computer of the shielding target portion by designating the shielding target portion on the display device. In addition, the computer 200 may specify the shielding target site by detecting the line of sight of the user using a line-of-sight sensor such as a gaze sensor mounted on the HMD.

FIG. 20 shows a field-of-view image (first field-of-view image) in which the occluded object part of the occluded object is not occluded by the occluding object in the HMD set, and in other HMD sets, the occluded object part of the occluded object FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of displaying a field-of-view image (second field-of-view image) that is blocked by a blocking object. The HMD set 110A associated with the user 5 shown in FIG. 1 generates a view field image in which the cover object 8C is arranged between a virtual camera (not shown) and the covered object 8A, and the cover object 8C in the view image. The position information PI of is specified. Note that the position information PI is information indicating the position of the occluding object 8C, and in the example of FIG. 20, indicates the outer periphery of the occluding object 8C, but is not limited to this, and coordinate information such as the center point of the occluding object 8C. May be

Then, as shown in FIG. 20, the HMD set 110A displays, in the HMD 120A, a visual field image 17E in which the shielding object 8C is displayed in a transparent state, that is, the shielding object 8C is hidden. Regarding the display form of the shield object 8C, it is sufficient if the shielded object 8A can be visually recognized. Therefore, not only the display form of the shield object 8C is made transparent, but the display form of the shield object 8C is made semitransparent, and A display form may be adopted.

In addition, the HMD set 110A transmits the view field image in which the occluding object 8C is arranged between the virtual camera and the occluded object 8A and the position information PI to the HMD set associated with another user. Therefore, in the HMD 120B of the HMD set associated with another user, the visual field image 17F in which the occluding object 8C is arranged between the virtual camera and the occluded object 8A is displayed. The visual field image 17F may be displayed not on the HMD 120B but on another display device that can be visually recognized by one or more users other than the user 5.

According to this configuration, even when it is not necessary to conceal a specific part of a certain virtual object when displaying the field-of-view image on its own HMD or display device, it is appropriately concealed from other users. It is possible to

In the above embodiment, the virtual space (VR space) in which the user is immersed by the HMD has been described as an example, but a transparent HMD may be adopted as the HMD. In this case, by outputting a view image in which a part of the image forming the virtual space is combined with the real space visually recognized by the user via the transmissive HMD, the augmented reality (AR) space or the mixed reality (AR) is output. The user may be provided with a virtual experience in MR (Mixed Reality) space. In this case, instead of the operation object, the 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 physical space, and define the position of the target object in the virtual space in relation to the coordinate information in the physical 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 above-described collision control or the like between the user's hand and the target object. .. As a result, it becomes possible to act on the target object based on the movement of the user's hand.

2... network, 5... user, 6A, 6B... avatar object, 8A... occluded object, 8C... occluding object, 11, 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D... virtual space, 12... center, 13... panoramic image, 14... Virtual camera, 15... View area, 16... Reference line of sight, 17, 17A, 17B, 17C, 17D, 17E, 17F... View image, 18... Area, 19... Area, 100... HMD system, 110, 110A, 110B, 110C , 110D... HMD set, 120... HMD, 130... Monitor, 140... Gaze sensor, 150... First camera, 160... Second camera, 170... Microphone, 180... Speaker, 190... Sensor, 200, 200A, 200B, 200C , 200D... Computer, 210... Processor, 220... Memory, 230... Storage, 240... Input/output interface, 250... Communication interface, 260... Bus, 300... Controller, 300R... Right controller, 310... Grip, 320... Frame, 330 ...Top surface, 340... button, 350... button, 360... infrared LED, 370... button, 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, 660... Bus, 700... External device , 1421... Virtual camera control module, 1422... View area determination module, 1423... Reference line of sight identification module, 1424... Motion detection module, 1425... Virtual space definition module, 1426... Virtual object generation module, 1427... Occlusion target identification module, 1428 ... virtual object control module, 1429... operation object control module, 1431... spatial information, 1432... object information, 1433... user information, 1438... view image generation module, 1620... visual axis

Claims (19)

On the computer,
Defining a virtual space including a virtual viewpoint, an occlusion target, and a first object,
Defining a field of view from the virtual viewpoint,
Controlling the arrangement of the first object so that the shielding target is shielded by the first object when the shielding target is included in the field of view;
Generating a visual field image corresponding to the visual field,
A program for executing,
The virtual space includes a second object,
The shielding target is a shielding target portion that constitutes at least a part of the second object,
Controlling the placement of the shielding object,
Acquiring the motion data for operating the second object, further causing the computer to execute:
The step of controlling the placement of the shielding target includes operating the second object according to the motion data,
In the step of controlling the arrangement of the first object, the shielding target portion is shielded by the first object in response to a change in the arrangement of the shielding target portion due to the movement of the second object, Controlling the placement of the first object,
Program . The virtual viewpoint is associated with a first user,
The first user has a head mounted device associated with it,
Causing the computer to further execute the step of controlling the field of view from the virtual viewpoint according to the movement of the head of the first user,
The step of controlling the arrangement of the first object includes controlling the arrangement of the first object such that the shielding target is shielded by the first object in response to a change in the field of view,
Causing the computer to further perform the step of displaying the view image on the head mounted device,
The program according to claim 1 . The virtual space includes an operation object and a second object,
The shielding target is a shielding target portion that constitutes at least a part of the second object,
Controlling the movement of the operation object according to the movement of a part of the body of the first user;
Associating the operation object and the second object with each other,
The step of controlling the placement of the occluding object includes moving the associated second object according to the movement of the operation object,
In the step of controlling the arrangement of the first object, the shielding target portion is shielded by the first object in response to a change in the arrangement of the shielding target portion due to the movement of the second object, Controlling the placement of the first object,
The program according to claim 1 or 2 . The first object has a plane,
In the step of controlling the placement of the first object, the first object is placed between the virtual viewpoint and the shielding target in the depth direction of the virtual viewpoint, and the plane is in the depth direction of the virtual viewpoint. Controlling the placement of the first object so that it is placed vertically with respect to
Program according to any one of claims 1-3. In the step of controlling the arrangement of the first object, the depth direction distance of the first object with respect to the occlusion target is set to be a distance according to a depth direction distance between the virtual viewpoint and the occlusion target. Control the placement of the first object,
Program according to any one of claims 1-4. In the second mode, the first object before the predetermined condition is satisfied is displayed in the first mode, and the first object after the predetermined condition is satisfied in the second mode in which the degree of hiding of the shielding target is lower than in the first mode. Causing the computer to further execute the displaying step,
Program according to any one of claims 1-5. The step of generating the view image generates a first view image corresponding to the view and not including the first object, and a second view image corresponding to the view and including the first object. Including doing
Displaying on the head-mounted device comprises displaying the first view image on the head-mounted device,
The program according to claim 2 , further causing the computer to execute the step of displaying the second view image on a display device different from the head mounted device. Computer
Defining a virtual space including a virtual viewpoint, an occlusion target, and a first object,
Defining a field of view from the virtual viewpoint,
Controlling the arrangement of the first object so that the shielding target is shielded by the first object when the shielding target is included in the field of view;
Generating a visual field image corresponding to the visual field,
The execution,
The virtual space includes a second object,
The shielding target is a shielding target portion that constitutes at least a part of the second object,
Controlling the placement of the shielding object,
Further obtaining a motion data for operating the second object,
The step of controlling the placement of the shielding target includes operating the second object according to the motion data,
In the step of controlling the arrangement of the first object, the shielding target portion is shielded by the first object in response to a change in the arrangement of the shielding target portion due to the movement of the second object, An information processing method comprising controlling the arrangement of the first object . A virtual space defining unit that defines a virtual space including a virtual viewpoint, an occlusion target, and a first object,
A field-of-view definition unit that defines a field of view from the virtual viewpoint,
A first placement control unit that controls the placement of the first object so that the blocking target is blocked by the first object when the field of view includes the blocking target;
E Bei and a view image generation unit for generating a visual image corresponding to said field of view,
The virtual space includes a second object,
The shielding target is a shielding target portion that constitutes at least a part of the second object,
A second placement control unit that controls placement of the shielding target;
An acquisition unit that acquires motion data for operating the second object,
The second placement control unit operates the second object according to the motion data,
The first placement control unit controls the first object so that the blocking target site is blocked by the first object in response to a change in the placement of the blocking target site with the movement of the second object. Control the placement of
Information processing device. On the computer,
Defining a virtual space including a virtual viewpoint, an occlusion target, and a first object,
Defining a field of view from the virtual viewpoint,
Controlling the arrangement of the first object so that the shielding target is shielded by the first object when the shielding target is included in the field of view;
Generating a visual field image corresponding to the visual field,
Is a program for executing
The virtual space includes an operation object and a second object,
The shielding target is a shielding target portion that constitutes at least a part of the second object,
Controlling the placement of the shielding object,
Controlling the movement of the operation object according to the movement of a part of the body of the first user;
Associating the operation object and the second object with each other,
The step of controlling the placement of the occluding object includes moving the associated second object according to the movement of the operation object,
In the step of controlling the arrangement of the first object, the shielding target portion is shielded by the first object in response to a change in the arrangement of the shielding target portion due to the movement of the second object, Controlling the placement of the first object,
program. Computer
Defining a virtual space including a virtual viewpoint, an occlusion target, and a first object,
Defining a field of view from the virtual viewpoint,
Controlling the arrangement of the first object so that the shielding target is shielded by the first object when the shielding target is included in the field of view;
Generating a visual field image corresponding to the visual field,
Run
The virtual space includes an operation object and a second object,
The shielding target is a shielding target portion that constitutes at least a part of the second object,
Controlling the placement of the shielding object,
Controlling the movement of the operation object according to the movement of a part of the body of the first user;
Associating the operation object with the second object,
The step of controlling the placement of the occluding object includes moving the associated second object according to the movement of the operation object,
In the step of controlling the arrangement of the first object, the shielding target portion is shielded by the first object in response to a change in the arrangement of the shielding target portion due to the movement of the second object, Controlling the placement of the first object,
Information processing method. A virtual space defining unit that defines a virtual space including a virtual viewpoint, an occlusion target, and a first object,
A field-of-view definition unit that defines a field of view from the virtual viewpoint,
A first placement control unit that controls the placement of the first object so that the blocking target is blocked by the first object when the field of view includes the blocking target;
A visual field image generation unit that generates a visual field image corresponding to the visual field,
The virtual space includes an operation object and a second object,
The shielding target is a shielding target portion that constitutes at least a part of the second object,
A second placement control unit that controls placement of the shielding target;
A motion control unit that controls the motion of the operation object according to the motion of a part of the body of the first user;
An association unit that associates the operation object with the second object,
The second placement control unit moves the associated second object according to the movement of the operation object,
The first placement control unit controls the first object so that the blocking target site is blocked by the first object in response to a change in the placement of the blocking target site with the movement of the second object. Control the placement of
Information processing device. On the computer,
Defining a virtual space including a virtual viewpoint, an occlusion target, and a first object,
Defining a field of view from the virtual viewpoint,
Controlling the arrangement of the first object so that the shielding target is shielded by the first object when the shielding target is included in the field of view;
Generating a visual field image corresponding to the visual field,
Is a program for executing
The first object has a plane,
In the step of controlling the placement of the first object, the first object is placed between the virtual viewpoint and the shielding target in the depth direction of the virtual viewpoint, and the plane is in the depth direction of the virtual viewpoint. Controlling the placement of the first object so that it is placed vertically with respect to
program. Computer
Defining a virtual space including a virtual viewpoint, an occlusion target, and a first object,
Defining a field of view from the virtual viewpoint,
Controlling the arrangement of the first object so that the shielding target is shielded by the first object when the shielding target is included in the field of view;
Generating a visual field image corresponding to the visual field,
Run
The first object has a plane,
In the step of controlling the placement of the first object, the first object is placed between the virtual viewpoint and the shielding target in the depth direction of the virtual viewpoint, and the plane is in the depth direction of the virtual viewpoint. Controlling the placement of the first object so that it is placed vertically with respect to
Information processing method. A virtual space defining unit that defines a virtual space including a virtual viewpoint, an occlusion target, and a first object,
A field-of-view definition unit that defines a field of view from the virtual viewpoint,
An arrangement control unit that controls the arrangement of the first object so that the shielding target is shielded by the first object when the shielding target is included in the field of view,
A visual field image generation unit that generates a visual field image corresponding to the visual field,
The first object has a plane,
The arrangement control unit arranges the first object between the virtual viewpoint and the occlusion target in the depth direction of the virtual viewpoint, and arranges the plane in a direction perpendicular to the depth direction of the virtual viewpoint. Controlling the placement of the first object,
Information processing device. On the computer,
Defining a virtual space including a virtual viewpoint, an occlusion target, and a first object,
Defining a field of view from the virtual viewpoint,
Controlling the arrangement of the first object so that the shielding target is shielded by the first object when the shielding target is included in the field of view;
Generating a visual field image corresponding to the visual field,
Is a program for executing
In the step of controlling the placement of the first object, the depth-direction distance of the first object with respect to the occlusion target is set to be a distance according to a depth-direction distance between the virtual viewpoint and the occlusion target. Control the placement of the first object,
program. Computer
Defining a virtual space including a virtual viewpoint, an occlusion target, and a first object,
Defining a field of view from the virtual viewpoint,
Controlling the arrangement of the first object so that the shielding target is shielded by the first object when the shielding target is included in the field of view;
Generating a visual field image corresponding to the visual field,
Run
In the step of controlling the placement of the first object, the depth-direction distance of the first object with respect to the occlusion target is set to be a distance according to a depth-direction distance between the virtual viewpoint and the occlusion target. Control the placement of the first object,
Information processing method. A virtual space defining unit that defines a virtual space including a virtual viewpoint, an occlusion target, and a first object,
A field-of-view definition unit that defines a field of view from the virtual viewpoint,
An arrangement control unit that controls the arrangement of the first object so that the shielding target is shielded by the first object when the shielding target is included in the field of view,
A visual field image generation unit that generates a visual field image corresponding to the visual field,
The arrangement control unit arranges the first object so that the distance in the depth direction of the first object with respect to the occlusion target is a distance according to the distance in the depth direction between the virtual viewpoint and the occlusion target. Control,
Information processing device. On the computer,
Causing the steps of any one of claims 2 to 7 to be performed,
The program according to any one of claims 10, 13 and 16.