Information processing method and information processing system

• US 10,088,900 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2016
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Colopl, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Colopl, Inc.
• Inventors: Kondo, Ippei
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, PRIYANK J
• Application Number:
  US15/372,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20170185148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

To enable a state of an object to be changed based on a relationship between a line of sight of a user wearing a head-mounted display and a position of the object arranged in a virtual space, a specific object is arranged at a predetermined position in the virtual space. A determination is made whether the specific object is located outside a certain range from the line of sight of the user wearing the head-mounted display for a first predetermined period. Then, when the specific object is located outside the certain range from the line of sight of the user for the first predetermined period, a sound associated with the specific object is generated.

Claims

1. A method of providing a virtual reality space to which a user is immersed with use of a head-mounted display, the method comprising:

defining the virtual reality space in which a specific object is arranged at a predetermined position, wherein a first object sound characterizes a first sound produced by a graphic of the specific object in the virtual reality space, and a second object sound characterizes a second sound produced by the graphic of the specific object in the virtual reality space;

specifying a reference line of sight of the user wearing the head-mounted display and specifying, from the virtual reality space, a field-of-view region visually recognizable by the user;

determining whether the specific object is located outside a certain range from the reference line of sight for a first predetermined period;

generating the first object sound or the second object sound in response to a determination that the specific object is outside the certain range for the first predetermined period; and

drawing a second graphic of the specific object in the predetermined position, wherein the drawing of the second graphic, and the generating of the first object sound or the second object sound are executed in response to the specific object being outside field-of-view region for the first predetermined period.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first object sound or the second object sound is a sound effect based, at least in part, on a position of the specific object in the virtual reality space.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the certain range from the line of sight of the user is defined as the field-of-view region at a maximum.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first object sound or the second object sound is a sound effect cast from a position of the specific object in the virtual reality space at a time the specific object is outside the field-of-view region visually recognizable by the user.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first object sound or the second object sound is based on an event in a context of the virtual reality space.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first object sound or the second object sound is a sound effect based on a type of the specific object and an event in a context of the virtual reality space that causes a change in state of the specific object to occur.

7. A method of providing a virtual reality space to which a user is immersed with use of a head-mounted display, the method comprising:

defining the virtual reality space in which a specific object is arranged at a predetermined position;

specifying a reference line of sight of the user wearing the head-mounted display and specifying, from the virtual reality space, a field-of-view region visually recognizable by the user;

determining whether the specific object is located within the field of view;

in response to a determination that the specific object is located within the field of view, generating a field-of-view image in which the specific object is drawn by first graphics in the predetermined position;

determining whether the specific object is thereafter located outside the field of view for a first predetermined period; and

generating a field-of-view image in which the specific object is drawn by second graphics in the predetermined position in response to a determination that the specific object is thereafter located outside the field of view for the first predetermined period, wherein

the virtual reality space outside of the field of view is not visible to the user.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising generating a sound associated with the specific object in response to a determination that the specific object is thereafter located outside the field of view for the first predetermined period.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the sound associated with the specific object is generated based on a position of the specific object in the virtual reality space.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the field of view from the line of sight of the user is defined as the field-of-view region at a maximum.

11. A system for providing a virtual reality space to which a user is immersed with use of a head-mounted display, the system comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer readable medium for storing instructions, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions for;

defining the virtual reality space in which a specific object is arranged at a predetermined position, wherein a first object sound characterizes a first sound produced by a graphic of the specific object in the virtual reality space, and a second object sound characterizes a second sound produced by the graphic of the specific object;

specifying a reference line of sight of the user wearing the head-mounted display and specifying, from the virtual reality space, a field-of-view region visually recognizable by the user;

determining whether the specific object is located outside a certain range from the reference line of sight for a first predetermined period;

generating the first object sound or the second object sound in response to a determination that the specific object is outside the certain range for the first predetermined period; and

drawing a second graphic of the specific object in the predetermined position, wherein the drawing of the second graphic, and the generating of the first object sound or the second object sound are executed in response to the specific object being outside field-of-view region for the first predetermined period.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the first object sound or the second object sound is a sound effect based, at least in part, on a position of the specific object in the virtual reality space.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the certain range from the line of sight of the user is defined as the field-of-view region at a maximum.