Information processing device and information processing method

• US 10,130,883 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2014
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirata, Shinichi, Numaguchi, Naoki, Yamagishi, Takeshi, Osawa, Hiroshi, Togawa, Keiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hall, Shauna-Kay
• Application Number:
  US15/110,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20160332075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,492 Days
• Field of Search: 463 36
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/025 within occluders, e.g. responsive to Korotkoff sounds electric stethoscopes A61B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera

Abstract

An information processing device communicates with a block set assembled by a user, and thereby obtains information on the structure of the block set. In addition, a corresponding position setting screen including an image of an object corresponding to the block set is displayed on a display device. The user moves a joint of the block set which joint is desired to be associated, by for example bending and stretching the joint. Next, the user indicates a joint to be associated on a 3D object side in the image of the 3D object by a cursor, and performs a determination input. The joint of the block set and the joint of the 3D object are thereby associated with each other. The block set and the object are interlocked with each other bidirectionally by thus setting the corresponding positions of the block set and the object.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising:

a structural information obtaining section obtaining, from an assembled external object formed by coupling blocks prepared individually to each other, information related to respective positions and amounts of movement of a plurality of movable parts in an overall structure of the assembled external object; and

an information processing section displaying, on a display device, a setting screen for receiving a setting input related to an interlocking rule for the plurality of movable parts from a user in order to interlock the assembled external object with an object model associated with the assembled external object, generating information related to the interlocking rule on a basis of the received setting input, and storing the information related to the interlocking rule in a storage device,

wherein the information provides operational details for the information processing section to interlock the assembled external object and the object model with each other by reflecting, on a basis of information on correspondence between the plurality of movable parts of the assembled external object and another plurality of movable parts of the object model, changes in the other plurality of movable parts of the object model in response to changes in the plurality of movable parts of the assembled external object,

wherein a first subset containing a first number of the plurality of movable parts of the assembled external object may be grouped and set to be in correspondence with a second subset containing a second number of the other plurality of movable parts of the object model, and

the first and second numbers are selectable from among the following relationships;

(i) first and second numbers are the same;

(ii) the first and second numbers are different from one another;

(iii) first number is larger than the second number; and

(iv) the second number is larger than the first number.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein

the structural information obtaining section obtains information related to a position of a part moved by the user among the plurality of movable parts of the assembled external object, and

the information processing section obtains the part moved by the user and a part of the object model displayed on the setting screen, the part of the object model being specified by the user via an input device, as movable parts to be associated with each other, and generates the correspondence information by associating the movable parts with each other.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the information processing section assists in the setting input by the user by showing the plurality of movable parts capable of being associated on the setting screen according to constraint conditions individually given to the movable parts of the assembled external object and the object model.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the information processing section displays, together with an image of the object model, an image of the assembled external object on the setting screen on a basis of the information related to the positions of the plurality of movable parts in the overall structure of the assembled external object, obtains the plurality of movable parts in the image of the assembled external object and the plurality of movable parts in the image of the object model as movable parts to be associated with each other, the plurality of movable parts in the image of the assembled external object and the plurality of movable parts in the image of the object model being specified by the user via an input device, and generates the correspondence information by associating the plurality of movable parts with each other.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the information processing section further displays, on the display device, an object model selecting screen displaying images of a plurality of object models as candidates to be made to correspond to the assembled external object, and receives an input for selecting one object model to be made to correspond to the object from the user.

6. The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein the information processing section extracts an object model to be displayed as a candidate from a plurality of object models prepared in advance by comparing information related to the plurality of movable parts of the assembled external object with information related to the plurality of movable parts of the plurality of object models and evaluating degrees of similarity.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the information processing section allows the user to confirm a result of the association by moving one or more of the plurality of movable parts on a side of the object model according to movement of associated one or more of the plurality of movable parts on a side of the assembled external object after the setting input, and cancels the immediately previous association when the user performs an input for performing the association again.

8. An information processing method performed by an information processing device, the information processing method comprising:

obtaining, from an assembled external object formed by coupling blocks prepared individually to each other, information related to respective positions and amounts of movement of a plurality of movable parts in an overall structure of the assembled external object;

displaying, on a display device, a setting screen for receiving a setting input related to an interlocking rule for the plurality of movable parts from a user in order to interlock the assembled external object with an object model associated with the assembled external object, generating information related to the interlocking rule on a basis of the received setting input, and storing the information related to the interlocking rule in a storage device,

wherein the information provides operational details for the information processing section to interlock the assembled external object and the object model with each other by reflecting, on a basis of information on correspondence between the plurality of movable parts of the assembled external object and another plurality of movable parts of the object model, changes in the other plurality of movable parts of the object model in response to changes in the plurality of movable parts of the assembled external object,

wherein a first subset containing a first number of the plurality of movable parts of the assembled external object may be grouped and set to be in correspondence with a second subset containing a second number of the other plurality of movable parts of the object model, and

the first and second numbers are selectable from among the following relationships;

(i) first and second numbers are the same;

(ii) the first and second numbers are different from one another;

(iii) first number is larger than the second number; and

(iv) the second number is larger than the first number.

9. A non-transitory, computer readable storage medium containing a computer program, which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to implement elements, comprising:

obtaining, from an assembled external object formed by coupling blocks prepared individually to each other, information related to respective positions and amounts of movement of a plurality of movable parts in an overall structure of the assembled external object;

displaying, on a display device, a setting screen for receiving a setting input related to an interlocking rule for the plurality of movable parts from a user in order to interlock the assembled external object with an object model associated with the assembled external object, generating information related to the interlocking rule on a basis of the received setting input, and storing the information related to the interlocking rule in a storage device,

wherein the information provides operational details for the information processing section to interlock the assembled external object and the object model with each other by reflecting, on a basis of information on correspondence between the plurality of movable parts of the assembled external object and another plurality of movable parts of the object model, changes in the other plurality of movable parts of the object model in response to changes in the plurality of movable parts of the assembled external object,

wherein a first subset containing a first number of the plurality of movable parts of the assembled external object may be grouped and set to be in correspondence with a second subset containing a second number of the other plurality of movable parts of the object model, and

the first and second numbers are selectable from among the following relationships;

(i) first and second numbers are the same;

(ii) the first and second numbers are different from one another;

(iii) first number is larger than the second number; and

(iv) the second number is larger than the first number.