Information processing apparatus, information processing system, and information processing method for haptic output based on distance-related delay

• US 10,324,534 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2017
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Komori, Akihiro, Nakagawa, Yusuke, Yamano, Ikuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ritchie, Darlene M
• Application Number:
  US15/813,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20180074590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/015 Force feedback applied to a joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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

Abstract

There is provided an information processing apparatus including a delay amount decision unit configured to decide a delay amount of a haptic output from occurrence of an event on the basis of an event occurring position in a virtual space, and a haptic output control unit configured to delay the haptic output according to the delay amount decided by the delay amount decision unit.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a Central Processing Unit (CPU) configured to;

determine a haptic delay time of a haptic output based on a virtual distance between a user viewpoint position and an occurrence position of a virtual event and based on a distance from a display screen to a user position in a real space;

control display of a visual output on the display screen, output of a sound output by a sound output device, and output of the haptic output by a vibration actuator;

delay the haptic output based on the determined haptic delay time,

wherein the determined haptic delay time elapses from a time at which the visual output of the virtual event is displayed on the display screen; and

control the vibration actuator to generate the delayed haptic output based on the virtual event,

wherein the vibration actuator is different from the sound output device.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the visual output of the virtual event includes an image in which the occurrence position of the virtual event is away from the user viewpoint position.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the virtual event comprises an explosion event, and

wherein the haptic output corresponds to a blast of the explosion event.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the vibration actuator comprises one of an eccentric motor and a linear resonant actuator.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sound output device comprises at least one of a speaker and a headphone.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to delay the sound output based on a delay time of the sound output.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the delay time of the sound output is different from the determined haptic delay time of the haptic output.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to determine the haptic delay time based on a medium of a virtual space in which the virtual event occurs.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the medium of the virtual space comprises water.

10. An information processing method, comprising:

determining a haptic delay time of a haptic output based on a virtual distance between a user viewpoint position and an occurrence position of a virtual event and based on a distance from a display screen to a user position in a real space;

controlling display of a visual output on the display screen, output of a sound output by a sound output device, and output of the haptic output by a vibration actuator;

delaying the haptic output based on the determined haptic delay time,

wherein the determined haptic delay time elapses from a time at which the visual output of the virtual event is displayed on the display screen; and

controlling the vibration actuator to generate the delayed haptic output based on the virtual event,

wherein the vibration actuator is different from the sound output device.

11. The information processing method of claim 10, wherein the visual output of the virtual event includes an image in which the occurrence position of the virtual event is away from the user viewpoint position.

12. The information processing method of claim 10,

wherein the virtual event comprises an explosion event, and

wherein the haptic output corresponds to a blast of the explosion event.

13. The information processing method of claim 10,

wherein the sound output device comprises at least one of a speaker and a headphone.

14. The information processing method of claim 10, further comprising delaying the sound output based on a delay time of the sound output.

15. The information processing method of claim 14, wherein the delay time of the sound output is different from the determined haptic delay time of the haptic output.

16. The information processing method of claim 10, further comprising determining the haptic delay time based on a medium of a virtual space in which the virtual event occurs.

17. The information processing method of claim 16, wherein the medium of the virtual space comprises water.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations, the operations comprising:

determining a haptic delay time of a haptic output based on a virtual distance between a user viewpoint position and an occurrence position of a virtual event and based on a distance from a display screen to a user position in a real space;

controlling display of a visual output on the display screen, output of a sound output by a sound output device, and output of the haptic output by a vibration actuator;

delaying the haptic output based on the determined haptic delay time,

wherein the determined haptic delay time elapses from a time at which the visual output of the virtual event is displayed on the display screen; and

controlling the vibration actuator to generate the delayed haptic output based on the virtual event,

wherein the vibration actuator is different from the sound output device.