User voice mixing device, virtual space sharing system, computer control method, and information storage medium

• US 8,219,388 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2006
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Kaneko, Hiromasa, Takeuchi, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Smits, Talivaldis Ivars
• Assistant Examiner(s): PULLIAS, JESSE SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US11/916,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20100145701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,225 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 704/201
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6081 generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/033 Voice editing, e.g. manipulating the voice of the synthesiser

Abstract

A sensation of presence of voice chat in a virtual space is enhanced. A user speech synthesizer used in a virtual space sharing system where information processing devices share the virtual space. The user speech synthesizer comprises a speech data acquiring section (60) for acquiring speech data representing a speech uttered by the user of one of the information processing devices, an environment sound storage section (66) for storing an environment sound associated with one or more regions defined in the virtual space, a region specifying section (64) for specifying a region corresponding to the user in the virtual space, and an environment sound synthesizing section (68) for acquiring the environment sound associated with the specified region from the environment sound storage section (66), combining the acquired environment sound and the speech data and synthesizing synthesized speech data.

Claims

1. A user voice mixing device used in a virtual space sharing system in which a plurality of information processing devices share a virtual space, said user voice mixing device comprising:

means for receiving voice data representing a voice uttered by a first user of one of the plurality of information processing devices and a first region corresponding to a first position coordinate of the first the user in the virtual space;

means for storing predetermined environmental sounds in association with each of one or more regions defined in the virtual space;

means for acquiring a second position corresponding to a second user in the virtual space, who receives the voice data of the first at the user voice mixing device;

means for specifying a second region corresponding to the second user according to the second acquired position coordinate, the second region being different from the first region;

means for creating mixed voice data by acquiring a first predetermined environmental sound associated with the first region received by the means for receiving from the means for storing, and mixing the acquired first predetermined environmental sound and the voice data, and acquiring a second predetermined environmental sound associated with the second region corresponding to the second user, and mixing the voice data with the first predetermined environmental sound associated with the first region corresponding to the user and the second predetermined environmental sound associated with the second region corresponding to the second user; and

means for outputting the mixed voice data,

wherein said acquired first environmental sound is independent of the voice data and not directly associated with the acquired position coordinate of the user, and

wherein, when said voice data, said first environmental sound and said second environmental sound occur at a same time, said voice data is mixed with said first and second environmental sounds to generate a modified output indicative of said first and second environmental sounds reducing the comprehensibility of said voice data.

2. A user voice mixing device according to claim 1, wherein:

the user voice mixing device is communicably connected to the plurality of information processing devices through a communication network;

the means for acquiring receives the voice data from the one of the plurality of information processing devices;

the means for transmitting transmits the mixed voice data to another one of the plurality of information processing devices; and

the other one of the plurality of information processing devices receives the mixed voice data and outputs the mixed voice data.

3. A user voice mixing device according to claim 2, further comprising means for receiving, from the one of the plurality of information processing devices, transfer destination identification data for identifying the other one of the plurality of information processing devices, wherein

the means for transmitting the mixed voice data transmits the mixed voice data based on the transfer destination identification data.

4. A user voice mixing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising means for receiving, from the one of the plurality of information processing devices, region identification data for identifying a region corresponding to the user in the virtual space, wherein

the means for specifying specifies a region corresponding to the user in the virtual space based on the received region identification data.

5. The user voice mixing device of claim 1, further comprising a correlation table that provides a correlation between respective ones of said region and ones of said environmental sound.

6. The user voice mixing device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined environmental sounds are sound effects corresponding to a scene in a game.

7. The user voice mixing device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined environmental sounds are different from voice uttered by other users of the plurality of information processing devices.

8. A control method for a computer used in a virtual space sharing system in which a plurality of information processing devices share a virtual space, the control method for a computer comprising:

acquiring voice data representing a voice uttered by a user of one of the plurality of information processing devices;

acquiring a first position coordinate corresponding to the user in the virtual space and acquiring a second position coordinate corresponding to a receiver of the voice data in the virtual space;

specifying a first region corresponding to the user in the virtual space according to the first acquired position coordinate, and specifying a second region corresponding to the receiver of the voice data according to the second acquired position coordinate, second region being different from the first region;

transmitting the first region and the voice data to the receiver;

creating mixed voice data at the receiver by acquiring, with reference to storing predetermined environmental sounds in association with each of one or more regions defined in the virtual space, a first predetermined environmental sound associated with the first region specified in the specifying, and mixing the acquired first predetermined environmental sound and the voice data, and acquiring a second predetermined environmental sound associated with the second region corresponding to the receiver, and mixing the voice data with the first predetermined environmental sound associated with the first region corresponding to the user and the second predetermined environmental sound associated with the second region corresponding to the receiver; and

outputting the mixed voice data at the receiver,

wherein said acquired first environmental sound is independent of the voice data and not directly associated with the acquired position coordinate of the user, and

wherein, when said voice data, said first environmental sound and said second environmental sound occur at a same time, said voice data is mixed with said first and second environmental sounds to generate a modified output indicative of said first and second environmental sounds reducing the comprehensibility of said voice data.

9. The control method of claim 8, further comprising a correlation table that performs correlation between respective ones of said region and ones of said environmental sound.

10. The control method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined environmental sounds are sound effects corresponding to a scene in a game.

11. The control method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined environmental sounds are different from voice uttered by other users of the plurality of information processing devices.

12. A non-transitory information storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function, the computer being used in a virtual space sharing system in which a plurality of information processing devices share a virtual space, the program causing the computer to function as:

means for acquiring voice data representing a voice uttered by a user of one of the plurality of information processing devices;

means for storing predetermined environmental sounds in association with each of one or more regions defined in the virtual space;

means for acquiring a first position coordinate corresponding to the user in the virtual space and acquiring a second position coordinate corresponding to a receiver of the voice data in the virtual space;

means for specifying a first region corresponding to the user in the virtual space according to the first acquired position coordinate, and specifying a second region corresponding to the receiver of the voice data according to the second acquired position coordinate, second region being different from the first region;

transmitting the first region and the voice data to the receiver;

means for creating mixed voice data at the receiver by acquiring a first predetermined environmental sound associated with the first region specified by the means for specifying from the environmental sound storing means, and mixing the acquired first predetermined environmental sound and the voice data, and acquiring a second predetermined environmental sound associated with the second region corresponding to the receiver, and mixing the voice data with the first predetermined environmental sound associated with the first region corresponding to the user and the second predetermined environmental sound associated with the second region corresponding to the receiver; and

means for outputting the mixed voice data at the receiver,

wherein said acquired first environmental sound is independent of the voice data and not directly associated with the acquired position coordinate of the user, and

wherein, when said voice data, said first environmental sound and said second environmental sound occur at a same time, said voice data is mixed with said first and second environmental sounds to generate a modified output indicative of said first and second environmental sounds reducing the comprehensibility of said voice data.

13. The non-transitory information storage medium of claim 12, further comprising a correlation table that provides a correlation between respective ones of said region and ones of said environmental sound.

14. The non-transitory information storage medium of claim 12, wherein the predetermined environmental sounds are sound effects corresponding to a scene in a game.

15. The non-transitory information storage medium of claim 12, wherein the predetermined environmental sounds are different from voice uttered by other users of the plurality of information processing devices.

16. A virtual space sharing system in which a plurality of information processing devices share a virtual space, comprising:

means for acquiring voice data representing a voice uttered by a user of one of the plurality of information processing devices;

means for storing predetermined environmental sounds in association with each of one or more regions defined in the virtual space;

means for acquiring a first position coordinate corresponding to the user in the virtual space and acquiring a second position coordinate corresponding to a receiver of the voice data in the virtual space;

means for specifying a first region corresponding to the user in the virtual space according to the first acquired position coordinate, and specifying a second region corresponding to the receiver of the voice data according to the second acquired position coordinate, the second region being different from the first region;

means for transmitting the first region and the voice data to the receiver;

means for creating mixed voice data at the receiver by acquiring a first predetermined environmental sound associated with the first region specified by the means for specifying from the means for storing, and mixing the acquired first predetermined environmental sound and the voice data, and acquiring a second predetermined environmental sound associated with the second region corresponding to the receiver, and mixing the voice data with the first predetermined environmental sound associated with the first region corresponding to the user and the second predetermined environmental sound associated with the second region corresponding to the receiver, and

means for outputting the mixed voice data at the receiver;

wherein said acquired first environmental sound is independent of the voice data and not directly associated with the acquired position coordinate of the user, and

wherein, when said voice data, said first environmental sound and said second environmental sound occur at a same time, said voice data is mixed with said first and second environmental sounds to generate a modified output indicative of said first and second environmental sounds reducing the comprehensibility of said voice data.

17. The virtual space sharing system of claim 16, further comprising a correlation table that provides a correlation between respective ones of said region and ones of said environmental sound.

18. The virtual space sharing system of claim 16, wherein the predetermined environmental sounds are sound effects corresponding to a scene in a game.

19. The virtual space sharing system of claim 16, wherein the predetermined environmental sounds are different from voice uttered by other users of the plurality of information processing devices.