Olfactory media output system and control system therefor

Abstract

To adapt to the fact that objects of aroma generation sources in a metaverse appear in groups and a user moves toward objects and solve the problem in which a user may become accustomed to an aroma if an aroma is continuously output.SOLUTION: The present invention provides a control method of a dynamic output timing of an aroma by a computer 11 in a virtual park 9 comprising: an avatar of a user P; a set 23 of cherry trees as an aroma generation source; and an aroma space 28. The aroma space 28 contains both of a fixed space 24 and a dynamic fluctuation space 27 where the avatar can move, and the fixed space 24 contains each aroma space of cherry trees 22, and includes one end 25 and the other end 26 as a whole space. The dynamic fluctuation space 27 contains a first dynamic fluctuation space 27a and a second dynamic fluctuation space 27b. The dynamic fluctuation space 27 is a space that can be changed according to a movement speed and / or a direction and / or an acceleration speed corresponding to the set 23 of cherry trees of the avatar measured in a constant period interval.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an olfactory media output method, in other words, a method and system for controlling the dynamic output timing of scents. [Background technology]

[0002] In a multimedia environment using olfactory media, the output timing of olfactory media (scents) may affect the user's Quality of Experience (QoE).

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an information processing system and information processing method that can enhance the entertainment value of content through the sense of smell while using limited fragrances. The information processing system includes an aroma device that has one or more cartridges filled with ready-made fragrances and emits fragrance by releasing the fragrance from the cartridge, a reading unit that reads information about the observed object from an observed object in real space, a conversion unit that converts the information about the observed object into content parameters that can be placed in a virtual space within the content and that include at least elements related to fragrance, a generation unit that generates an object associated with aroma control information according to the elements related to fragrance based on the content parameters, and an aroma control unit that controls the aroma device based on the aroma control information depending on the progress of the content including the object.

[0004] In Patent Document 2, the inventors disclosed the following to improve the quality of the scent experienced by the user of the three-dimensional virtual environment system and to enhance the sense of realism of the three-dimensional virtual environment system. That is, each terminal in the network transmits to the other terminals the types and three-dimensional coordinates of objects such as various flowers and scissors, the three-dimensional coordinates of the cursor, and on-off information indicating the operation of grabbing or releasing these objects via the three-dimensional haptic input / output device. Each terminal receives information from the other terminals. Based on this information, the three-dimensional coordinates and reaction force of the various flowers and scissors are updated, and it is determined whether the three-dimensional coordinates of each user's viewpoint are within the three-dimensional coordinates of the scent space.

[0005] Regarding the timing of scent output, in the past, in non-patent document 1, the inventors defined a scent space (one per scent source) within a three-dimensional virtual space, and dynamically changed the timing of scent output depending on the moving speed and direction of the scent source object relative to the user's viewpoint. As a result of investigating this through QoE evaluation, the effectiveness of this control became clear. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-106963 A [Patent Document 2] Patent Application No. 2013-105415 [Non-patent literature]

[0007] [Non-Patent Document 1] Huang Pingguo, Ishibashi Yutaka, Fukushima Yoshishige, Sugawara Shinji, “User Experience Quality Evaluation of Dynamic Output Timing Control of Scent in Distributed Virtual Environments,” Human Information, vol. 66, no. 12, pp. J495-499, Dec. 2012. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, in the metaverse, objects that are scent sources are not always present individually, but often appear as a group. Furthermore, in the metaverse, it is common for people (users) to move toward objects, rather than objects moving toward people. In addition, in the disclosure of Non-Patent Document 1, scent output continues as long as the user (point of view) is within the scent space, so if this is directly applied to a collection of scent objects in the metaverse space, the output time will be long, and there is a risk of scent adaptation. The object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and provide a dynamic output timing control method and a control system for applying dynamic output timing control of scents to the metaverse space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention which solves the above problems is as follows. [1] A method for controlling the dynamic output timing of a scent by a computer in a metaverse space comprising a user's avatar, a collection of objects that are sources of scent, and a scent space in which the user can perceive the scent, wherein the scent space includes a fixed space and a dynamically changing space in which the avatar can move, the fixed space includes the scent spaces of each of the objects and has one end and the other end as the entire space, the dynamically changing space includes a first dynamically changing space outside the fixed space up to a first certain distance beyond the one end, and a second dynamically changing space outside the fixed space up to a second certain distance beyond the other end, and the dynamically changing space is a space that can be changed according to the moving speed and / or direction and / or acceleration of the avatar relative to the collection of objects measured at regular periodic intervals. [2] A method for controlling the dynamic output timing of a scent described in (1), in which the output of the scent from the source is periodically repeated by outputting the scent for N seconds followed by stopping the output for M seconds from the time the user enters the scent space to the time the user exits the scent space. [3] A method for controlling the dynamic output timing of a scent described in (1) or (2), in which the first constant distance and the second constant distance are the same. [4] The i-th dynamic fluctuation space R in the n-th period of the constant periodic interval n (i) is a method for controlling the dynamic output timing of a scent described in (1) or (2), given by equation (4). (Number 4) TIFF2025067284000002.tif21154 [5] A control system for dynamic output timing of a scent comprising a computer that executes the control of dynamic output timing of a scent described in (1) or (2), a display means that displays the metaverse space, and a scent presentation means that cooperates with the computer to present to the user a scent corresponding to the scent of the source. A control system for dynamic output timing of a scent comprising a computer that executes the control of dynamic output timing of a scent described in [6] (3), a display means that displays the metaverse space, and a scent presentation means that cooperates with the computer to present to the user a scent corresponding to the scent of the source. A control system for dynamic output timing of a scent comprising a computer that executes the control of dynamic output timing of a scent described in [7] (4), a display means that displays the metaverse space, and a scent presentation means that cooperates with the computer to present to the user a scent corresponding to the scent of the source. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to output high-quality olfactory media for a collection of objects that are scent sources that are not addressed by current technology, thereby addressing the problem of scent adaptation and enabling high-quality olfactory media output. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 13 shows (a) a virtual park as a metaverse including a video space and a CG space, (b) an example of the video space included in (a), and (c) an example of the CG space included in (a). [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of a metaverse. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a scent space (dynamically varying space and fixed space) model. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram further illustrating the scent space (dynamically varying space and fixed space) model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and changes, modifications, and improvements can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0013] (The Fragrant Metaverse) As shown in FIG. 1, the video spaces 2a, 2b, 2b', 2c, and 2c' included in the virtual park 9 can display realistic scenes of the park captured by a 360° camera. Users P and P' (see FIG. 2) can enjoy the side view, but are limited to moving forward and backward so that they can concentrate on walking. In the CG spaces 3 and 3', a virtual environment is constructed using computer graphics, and the avatars of P and P' representing the users can move in various directions. Each user can also communicate with other avatars through voice dialogue. In the virtual park 9, multiple routes are available from the start 1, and users P and P' can select their preferred route at each branch point 4a, 4b, and 4b'. The video space in FIG. 1(b) is 2a, and the CG space in FIG. 1(c) is 3, and the video space 2a includes, for example, a collection of flowers 23.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 2, the metaverse system configuration 19 includes PCs 11, 11', speakers 12, 12', microphones 13, 13', olfactory displays 14, 14', Bluetooth (registered trademark) receivers 15, 15', a server 17, and a network 18 connecting the PCs 11, 11' and the server 17. The VR walking device includes wearable waist and ankle sensors 16, 16' that can be attached to the waist and ankles of users P, P'. The image of the CG space 3 is displayed on the display of PC 11, and the image of the video space 2a is displayed on the display of PC 11'.

[0015] A number of PCs, e.g., PCs 11 and 11', can download the virtual park 9 from the server 17. A user of each PC, e.g., users P and P', can operate an avatar in the metaverse (virtual park 9) via a VR walking device that includes Bluetooth® receivers 15 and 15' and wearable waist and ankle sensors 16 and 16' attached to the waist and ankles. The sensors 16 and 16' are connected to the PCs 11 and 11' via the Bluetooth® receivers 15 and 15'.

[0016] The moving speed of the avatar changes dynamically according to the walking pace of the user P, P'. In the metaverse (virtual park 9), the source of the scent (such as flowers) is presented in both the video space 2a, 2b, 2b', 2c, 2c' and the CG space 3, 3'. When the avatar approaches a collection of flowers (e.g., collection of flowers 23), the scent of the flowers is output by the olfactory display 14, 14'. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to extend the dynamic output timing control of the scent for flowers in the metaverse (virtual park 9).

[0017] (Expanding dynamic scent output timing control) Define a scent space in which the scent of flowers can be perceived. Since a collection of flowers (objects that are the source of the scent) can take various shapes, the scent space itself can also take various shapes. Therefore, it will be described based on the scent space model 29 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, which applies an extended control that extends the dynamic output timing control of the scent. In this case, the scent space 28 is defined as not overlapping, and only the plane of the scent space 28 is considered, and the spatial height is omitted for simplicity. The scent space 28 is composed of a fixed space 24 and two dynamic change spaces R(i) 27, 27' in which the user can perceive the scent of flowers (cherry tree) 22, where i is the number assigned to the scent space.

[0018] The fixed space 24 is a space including the path 21 along which the avatar can move, with clusters 23', 23'' of flowers 22 on both sides of the path 21, and has one end 25 and the other end 26. The dynamic change space R(i) 27 includes a first dynamic change space R(i) 27a extending outside the fixed space 24 to a first constant distance d1 beyond the one end 25, and a second dynamic change space R(i) 27b extending outside the fixed space 24 to a second constant distance d2 beyond the other end 26. In FIG. 3, the first constant distance d1 and the second constant distance d2 are equal, but the first constant distance d1 and the second constant distance d2 may be different.

[0019] The fixed space 24 has, for example, one end 25 and the other end 26 as the entire space, and is a columnar space from the one end 25 to the other end 26, and the height and width of the column can be selected appropriately. The fixed space 24 may also be spherical or of a finite height (such as freesia). For example, even if the shape is spherical, it is sufficient to specify the one end and the other end of the shape as a whole.

[0020] In Figure 3, the scent space is set assuming that the avatar can only walk along the road. In other words, it is assumed that the avatar cannot move off the road toward the row of cherry trees. If the avatar could move toward the row of cherry trees, the scent space would be larger and would include not only the row of cherry trees but also the opposite side.

[0021] On the other hand, a description will be given based on a scent space model 29' of another embodiment shown in Fig. 4. One side of a road 21' along which an avatar can move is provided with a set 23A of three cherry trees (objects that are scent sources) 22a, 22b, and 22c, and a set 23B of two cherry trees (cherry trees 22d and 22e). Scent space 28a (part surrounded by dotted line) is a scent space created by flower 22a, scent space 28b (part surrounded by dashed line) is a scent space created by flower 22b, and scent space 28c (part surrounded by dotted line) is a scent space created by flower 22c. Also, scent space 28d (part surrounded by dotted line) is a scent space created by flower 22d, and scent space 28e (part surrounded by dashed line) is a scent space created by flower 22e.

[0022] Then, scent space 28a and scent space 28b form an overlapping scent space 30, and scent space 28b and scent space 28c, and scent space 28d and scent space 28e also form overlapping scent spaces. In this case, the scent spaces of the three cherry trees 22a, 22b, and 22c on the left overlap and are considered to be one scent space 28A, and the scent spaces of the two cherry trees 22d and 22e on the right are also considered to be one scent space 28B. Note that in scent space model 29', only the planes of scent spaces 28A and 28B are considered, and the spatial height is omitted for simplicity.

[0023] In the extended control, the moving speed and direction of the avatar are measured in cycle T (>0). The value of R(i) changes dynamically according to the speed and direction of the moment. As with the dynamic output timing control in Non-Patent Document 1, in the nth (n≧1) measurement cycle, if the avatar moves toward the cherry blossom tree (flowers) and no scent is output, the dynamic change space (R n (i) ≧ 0) is calculated as follows: (Number 1) TIFF2025067284000003.tif580 where k1 is a coefficient, D1 is a constant value, v n-1 is the avatar's moving speed in the n-1th measurement cycle.

[0024] When the avatar moves away from the cherry blossom tree (flower), the dynamic change space R n (i) is calculated as follows: (Number 2) TIFF2025067284000004.tif579 where k2 is a coefficient and D2 is a constant value.

[0025] In addition, the value of R1 has not been determined, and Equation (1) and Equation (2) are in different forms. It is assumed that R1 is set as follows: (Number 3) TIFF2025067284000005.tif577 Also, for simplicity, we assume that v0=0. However, using only the above formula may cause the following problems. For example, if the avatar changes its moving speed or direction, if the scent of the flower is not output, it can move away from the flower to output the scent, and if the scent is being output, it can move toward the flower to stop outputting the scent. Therefore, R n (i)(n≧2) is given by the following equation.

[0026] (Number 4) TIFF2025067284000006.tif25164 Note that equation (4´) is equation (4) with the object changed to a flower (cherry tree).

[0027] Also, in the scent space, the continuous release of floral scents may cause adaptation problems. Therefore, the output time is set to an interval of N seconds of output followed by M seconds of pause in the scent space, for example, N and M can be set to 3 seconds and 2 seconds, respectively. The optimal values ​​of N and M can be investigated by QoE evaluation.

[0028] (Parameter design) The parameters in the extended control (e.g., k 1, k 2, D 1, In order to clarify D2), we conduct a QoE evaluation to investigate the relationship between the optimal value of the olfactory space and the moving speed (Huang Pingguo, Ishibashi Yasuji, Fukushima Naoki, Sugawara Satoshi, “QoE Evaluation of Olfactory Media in Remote Flower Arrangement Using Haptic Media,” IEEE CQR Proceedings, May 2012). In the evaluation, the distance between each subject's olfactory display and their nose was set to about 0.3 m, and the video selected a path of cherry trees. Each subject is asked to perform two types of tasks (called tasks 1 and 2). In task 1, the subject (avatar) moves toward a flower at a constant speed and begins to perceive the flower's scent. In task 2, after the subject perceives the flower's scent, he or she moves away from the flower at a constant speed until he or she becomes insensitive to the scent.

[0029] In tasks 1 and 2, the moving speed is different, e.g., 1 / s and 2 / s (here, we assume that one step is for the camera operator to capture image 1). The scent space is of a fixed size (e.g., k 1, k 2, D 1, D2), and each subject was presented with the sizes in a random order. Each subject judged how good the scent output timing was, and gave each test a score form 1 to 5 (see Table 1) to obtain a Mean Opinion Score (MOS) (ITU-R BT. 500-11, “Methodology for subjective assessment of quality of television pictures,” International Telecommunication Union, June 2002.). To eliminate the effect of human olfactory adaptation to the lingering scent in the air, the subjects took a 30-second rest after each judgment (Non-Patent Document 1). Parameters may be calculated based on the evaluation results, and both the evaluation results and the calculated parameters may be presented.

[0030] (Table 1) TIFF2025067284000007.tif4087 In the present invention, dynamic scent output timing control can be expanded to expand applications to the metaverse. [Industrial Applicability]

[0031] The present invention makes it possible to realize high-quality olfactory media output, which can be used for supporting the elderly using the metaverse, for example, applications in elderly walking support systems, as well as applications in a variety of fields and industries, including medicine, rehabilitation, virtual travel, games, movies, and other entertainment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1: Start 2a, 2b, 2b´, 2c, 2c´: Video Space 3, 3´:CG space 4a, 4b, 4b´: each branch point 9: Virtual Park 11, 11´:PC 12, 12´: Speaker 13, 13´: Microphone 14, 14´: Olfactory display 15, 15´: Bluetooth (registered trademark) receiver 16, 16´: Sensor 17: Server 18: Network 19: Metaverse system configuration 21, 21´: road 22, 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, 22e: Flowers (cherry tree) 23, 23´, 23´´: Collection of flowers (cherry tree) 23A, 23B: A collection of cherry trees 24: Fixed space 25: One end 26:Other end 27: Dynamically Changing Space 27a: First dynamic change space 27b: Second dynamic change space 28, 28a, 28b, 28c, 28d, 28e, 28A, 28B: Fragrance Space 29, 29´: Aroma space model 30: Layered scent space d1: First constant distance d2: The second fixed distance P, P´: User

Claims

1. A method for controlling the dynamic output timing of a scent by a computer in a metaverse space comprising a user's avatar, a collection of objects that are sources of scent, and a scent space in which the user can perceive the scent, wherein the scent space includes a fixed space and a dynamically changing space in which the avatar can move, the fixed space includes the scent spaces of each of the objects and has one end and the other end as the entire space, the dynamic changing space includes a first dynamically changing space outside the fixed space up to a first certain distance beyond the one end, and a second dynamically changing space outside the fixed space up to a second certain distance beyond the other end, and the dynamic changing space is a space that can be changed according to the moving speed and / or direction and / or acceleration of the avatar relative to the collection of objects measured at regular periodic intervals.

2. A method for controlling dynamic scent output timing as described in claim 1, wherein the output of scent from the source is periodically repeated by outputting scent for N seconds followed by stopping the output for M seconds from the time the user enters the scent space to the time the user exits the scent space.

3. The method for controlling dynamic output timing of a scent according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first constant distance and the second constant distance are the same.

4. The i-th dynamic fluctuation space R ｎ A method for controlling dynamic output timing of a fragrance as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein (i) is given by equation (4). (Equation 4)

5. A control system for dynamic output timing of a scent comprising a computer that executes the control of dynamic output timing of a scent as described in claim 1 or 2, a display means that displays the metaverse space, and a scent presentation means that cooperates with the computer to present to the user a scent corresponding to the scent of the source.

6. A control system for dynamic output timing of a scent comprising: a computer that executes the control of dynamic output timing of a scent as described in claim 3; a display means that displays the metaverse space; and a scent presentation means that cooperates with the computer to present to the user a scent corresponding to the scent of the source.

7. A control system for dynamic output timing of a scent comprising a computer that executes the control of dynamic output timing of a scent as described in claim 4, a display means that displays the metaverse space, and a scent presentation means that cooperates with the computer to present to the user a scent corresponding to the scent of the source.

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