Somatosensory system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a motion sensing system which enables a somatosensory person to safely sense at least one of the power and the speed of an object contacted with a sensor device. A motion sensing system (100) is provided with: a sensor device (10) having a piston (12) displaced by contact with a ball (X), the sensor device (10) detecting a force acting on the piston (12) or a velocity or acceleration at which the piston (12) is displaced; an air cannon device (20) that discharges smoke; and a controller (50) for controlling at least one of the size and speed of the smoke ejected from the air cannon device (20) on the basis of the detection result of the sensor device (10).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a somatosensory system. Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a method for quantitatively evaluating the hitting feeling of a sports hitting tool. A pressure sensor measures the force generated between a person and the sports hitting tool when the person swings the sports hitting tool, and changes in the measured force are displayed on a display unit.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-228351 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] For example, by allowing spectators to physically sense the power or speed of a professional athlete's hits or pitches, they can appreciate the prowess of the professional athlete. However, the structure described in Patent Document 1 only displays numerical data on the display unit, preventing spectators from physically sensing the power or speed of the professional athlete's hits or pitches. Furthermore, when allowing spectators to physically sense the power or speed of a professional athlete's hits or pitches, spectator safety must be considered.

[0008] An object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to enable a user to safely sense at least one of the force and speed of an object that has contacted a sensor device.

[0009] Solutions for solving problems

[0010] To address the aforementioned issues, a somatosensory system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a sensor device having a movable portion that is displaced by contact with an object, the sensor device detecting a force acting on the movable portion, or a velocity or acceleration of the displacement of the movable portion; an air cannon device that ejects smoke; and a controller that controls at least one of the size and velocity of the smoke ejected from the air cannon device based on the detection results of the sensor device.

[0011] Effects of the Invention

[0012] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a user can safely sense at least one of the force and speed of an object that has contacted a sensor device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a somatosensory system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing the internal structure of a controller included in the motion sensing system of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 3 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a control method executed by the somatosensory system of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] (Overview of the Motion Sensing System 100)

[0017] Below, refer to Figure 1 The schematic structure of a somatosensory system 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a somatosensory system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] The sensory system 100 includes a sensor device 10, an air cannon device 20, and a controller 50. The sensory system 100 may also include a display 30. The sensory system 100 replaces the force of an object contacting the sensor device 10 with at least one of the size and velocity of smoke ejected from the air cannon device 20, allowing a user to physically sense the force of the object. The sensory system 100 is used, for example, in facilities such as sports stadiums and event venues.

[0019] In the following description, the object brought into contact with the sensor device 10 is described as a ball X. Ball X is not particularly limited and may be, for example, a basketball, baseball, or soccer ball. Furthermore, the object is not limited to a ball. For example, the object may be a hitting tool such as a baseball bat or golf club. In this case, the subject may strike the sensor device 10 with the hitting tool. Furthermore, the object is not limited to objects such as a ball or hitting tool; for example, it may be an animal such as a human. If the object is a human, the person may strike the sensor device 10 with their hand, for example, to bring a part of their body into contact with the sensor device 10.

[0020] The sensor device 10 includes a cylinder 11, a piston 12, a first sensor 15, and a second sensor 16. The sensor device 10 may include only one of the first sensor 15 and the second sensor 16.

[0021] The cylinder 11 is a cylindrical member with a bottom. An opening 11A is formed at the bottom 11B of the cylinder 11 to allow gas to enter and exit between the inside and outside of the cylinder 11. The inside of the cylinder 11 may also be filled with liquid.

[0022] The piston 12 is displaced by contact with an object. The piston 12 is an example of a movable portion. The piston 12 reciprocates within the cylinder 11. The piston 12 reciprocates along the longitudinal direction of the cylinder 11. The piston 12 can also be biased in a direction away from the bottom 11B along the longitudinal direction of the cylinder 11. The piston 12 has a head 13 and a leg 14.

[0023] The head 13 is located outside the cylinder 11. A first surface 13A of the head 13 is the surface that contacts an object. First surface 13A is the surface of the head 13 opposite the surface facing the cylinder 11. The leg 14 is connected to the head 13. The leg 14 is housed so as to be movable within the cylinder 11. The diameter of the leg 14 is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical interior of the cylinder 11. When the ball X contacts the first surface 13A, the piston 12 moves toward the bottom 11B of the cylinder 11.

[0024] The first sensor 15 detects the force acting on the piston 12. The first sensor 15 outputs the detection result of the force acting on the piston 12 to the controller 50. The first sensor 15 is provided at the opening 11A of the cylinder 11. Alternatively, the first sensor 15 may be provided at the piston 12. Examples of the first sensor 15 include a pressure sensor and a flow sensor.

[0025] The second sensor 16 detects the speed or acceleration of the piston 12. The second sensor 16 outputs the detected speed or acceleration of the piston 12 to the controller 50. The second sensor 16 is provided on the piston 12. Examples of the second sensor 16 include an acceleration sensor.

[0026] The air cannon device 20 is a device that emits smoke. It emits smoke at a size and / or speed corresponding to the detection results of the sensor device 10. The air cannon device 20 includes a main body 21, a throttle 23, an actuator 24, and a smoke generator 25.

[0027] The main body 21 constitutes the main part of the air cannon device 20. A storage space for storing smoke supplied from the smoke generating device 25 is formed inside the main body 21. The main body 21 is formed with an opening 22 for ejecting the smoke stored inside the main body 21 to the outside.

[0028] The throttle portion 23 is driven by a drive unit (not shown) to change the opening diameter of the opening 22. Since the opening diameter of the opening 22 changes with the help of the throttle portion 23, the size of the smoke ejected from the air cannon device 20 changes. The throttle portion 23 is driven based on a control signal from the controller 50. The throttle portion 23 can, for example, have a plurality of metal gate members (not shown). In this case, the plurality of gate members are respectively configured to be movable in the radial direction of the opening 22. For example, each gate member is supported on the main body 21 in a rotatable manner and is connected to a rotating member that is rotated by a driving force from the drive unit. When the rotating member rotates forward, each gate member rotates relative to the main body 21 and moves toward the radial inner side of the opening 22. As a result, the opening diameter of the opening 22 is reduced. When the rotating member is reversed, each gate member rotates relative to the main body 21 and moves toward the radial outer side of the opening 22. As a result, the opening diameter of the opening 22 is expanded.

[0029] Actuator 24 is a device for ejecting smoke contained within main body 21 to the exterior. When actuator 24 is driven, smoke is ejected from air cannon device 20 in a mass. The smoke ejected from air cannon device 20 can be spherical or annular. Actuator 24 compresses the smoke contained within main body 21, and the compressed smoke is ejected from main body 21 through opening 22. By varying the pressure of the smoke applied by actuator 24, the velocity of the smoke ejected from air cannon device 20 varies. Actuator 24 is driven based on a control signal input from controller 50.

[0030] The smoke generating device 25 generates smoke and supplies the generated smoke to the interior of the main body 21. Examples of the smoke generating device 25 include a smoke generator (Japanese: Smok generator), a fog machine (Japanese: Smok machine), and a mist machine (Japanese: Fog machine). The smoke generating device 25 may also use, for example, a glycol-based smoke generating agent to generate aqueous smoke. In addition, as a characteristic of aqueous smoke, it is preferably odorless, non-irritating, non-toxic, or non-flammable. In addition, the smoke may be white smoke, but may also be red or blue smoke. In addition, the air cannon device 20 may not have the smoke generating device 25. In this case, for example, dry ice or incense sticks may be used to fill the storage space of the main body 21 with smoke.

[0031] The display 30 displays various data. The display 30 may be a display provided in a complex facility such as an arena or a venue where an event is held.

[0032] The controller 50 controls each unit of the somatosensory system 100 .

[0033] (Internal Structure of Controller 50)

[0034] Next, refer to Figure 2 Next, the internal structure of the controller 50 included in the body sensing system 100 will be described. Figure 2 2 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the controller 50 included in the body sensing system.

[0035] The controller 50 includes a processor 51, a primary memory 52, a secondary memory 53, a communication interface 54, and an input / output interface 55. The processor 51, the primary memory 52, the secondary memory 53, the communication interface 54, and the input / output interface 55 are connected to each other via a bus.

[0036] The control program P1 is stored in the secondary memory 53. The processor 51 expands the control program P1 stored in the secondary memory 53 onto the primary memory 52. ​​Furthermore, the processor 51 executes each process included in the control method M1 described later according to the instructions included in the control program P1 expanded onto the primary memory 52. ​​As a device that can be used as the processor 51, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be cited. Furthermore, as a device that can be used as the primary memory 52, for example, a semiconductor RAM (Random Access Memory) can be cited. Furthermore, as a device that can be used as the secondary memory 53, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) can be cited.

[0037] Furthermore, the control program P1 can be recorded on a computer-readable, non-transitory, tangible recording medium. This recording medium can be each secondary memory 53 or another recording medium. For example, a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used as another recording medium.

[0038] The communication IF 54 is an interface for performing wired or wireless communication with the first sensor 15 and the second sensor 16 of the sensor device 10 via a network. Examples of interfaces that can be used as the communication IF 54 include an interface for performing wired or wireless communication with the sensor device 10 via a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0039] The input / output IF 55 is an interface for connecting the air cannon device 20 and the display 30. Examples of the input / output IF 55 include USB (Universal Serial Bus) and HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) (registered trademark).

[0040] (Control Method M1 of Motion Sensing System 100)

[0041] Next, refer to Figure 3 The control method M1 executed by the somatosensory system 100 will be described. Figure 3 1 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the control method M1 executed by the somatosensory system 100 .

[0042] The subject throws a ball X toward sensor device 10. When ball X contacts first surface 13A of head 13, piston 12 is displaced. The contact of ball X applies a force to piston 12, and the displacement of piston 12 changes its velocity or acceleration.

[0043] like Figure 3 As shown, in step S11, the sensor device 10 outputs the detection result of the force acting on the piston 12 after the ball X contacts the piston 12 and / or the detection result of the speed or acceleration of the displacement of the piston 12 as an output signal to the controller 50. More specifically, in step S11, the first sensor 15 outputs the detection result of the force acting on the piston 12 as an output signal to the controller 50. In addition, in step S11, the second sensor 16 outputs the detection result of the speed or acceleration of the piston 12 as an output signal to the controller 50.

[0044] In step S12, the processor 51 outputs a control signal generated based on the output signals from the first sensor 15 and the second sensor 16 input via the communication interface 54 to the air cannon device 20 via the input / output interface 55. The control signal includes information regarding at least one of the size and speed of the smoke ejected from the air cannon device 20. More specifically, the processor 51 can generate a control signal to control the throttle 23 to eject smoke at a size corresponding to the detection result of the first sensor 15. In other words, the processor 51 generates a control signal to eject smoke from the air cannon device 20 at a size corresponding to the force of the ball X contacting the piston 12. Alternatively, the processor 51 can generate a control signal to control the actuator 24 to eject smoke at a speed corresponding to the detection result of the second sensor 16. In other words, the processor 51 generates a control signal to eject smoke from the air cannon device 20 at a speed corresponding to the speed of the ball X contacting the piston 12.

[0045] In step S13, the processor 51 outputs the generated image signal to the display 30 via the input / output interface 55. In step S13, the processor 51 generates a display screen to be displayed on the display 30 based on the output signals from the first sensor 15 and the second sensor 16 input via the communication interface 54. The generated display screen includes information representing the detection results of the sensor device 10. The processor 51 outputs information related to the generated display screen to the display 30 as an image signal.

[0046] In step S14, the air cannon device 20, based on the control signal input in step S12, emits smoke at a size and / or speed corresponding to the detection result of the sensor device 10. Specifically, the air cannon device 20 emits smoke corresponding to the force and / or speed of the ball X contacting the piston 12. In step S14, the air cannon device 20 drives the throttle 23 to adjust the opening diameter of the opening 22 to a size corresponding to the detection result of the first sensor 15. In step S14, the air cannon device 20 drives the actuator 24 to emit smoke. At this time, the air cannon device 20 drives the actuator 24 so that the speed of the emitted smoke matches the speed of the detection result of the second sensor 16.

[0047] In step S15, the display screen generated by the controller 50 in step S13 is displayed on the display 30. In step S15, the display screen containing data representing the detection results of the first sensor 15 and / or data representing the detection results of the second sensor 16 is displayed on the display 30. By displaying the detection results of the first sensor 15 and / or the second sensor 16 on the display 30 in this manner, the user can correlate at least one of the size and velocity of the smoke ejected from the air cannon device 20 with information related to the power or velocity of the ball X that actually contacted the sensor device 10.

[0048] According to the sensor system 100, the air cannon device 20 emits smoke of a size or speed corresponding to the detection result of the sensor device 10. This allows the user to safely sense at least one of the power and speed of the ball X that has hit the sensor device 10.

[0049] 〔Summarize〕

[0050] The somatosensory system involved in mode 1 of the present disclosure includes: a sensor device having a movable portion that is displaced due to contact with an object, the sensor device detecting a force acting on the movable portion, or a speed or acceleration of the displacement of the movable portion; an air cannon device that ejects smoke; and a controller that controls at least either the size or speed of the smoke ejected from the air cannon device based on the detection result of the sensor device.

[0051] According to the sensor system of embodiment 1, the air cannon device emits smoke of a size or speed corresponding to the detection result of the sensor device, thereby allowing the user to safely sense at least one of the force and speed of the object contacting the sensor device.

[0052] Regarding the somatosensory system involved in Mode 2 of the present disclosure, in the above-mentioned Mode 1, the sensor device has a first sensor for detecting the force acting on the movable part, and the controller controls the size of the smoke ejected from the air cannon device based on the force acting on the movable part detected by the first sensor.

[0053] Regarding the somatosensory system involved in mode 3 of the present disclosure, in the above-mentioned mode 1 or 2, the sensor device has a second sensor for detecting the speed or acceleration of the displacement of the movable part, and the controller controls the speed of the smoke ejected from the air cannon device based on the speed or acceleration of the movable part detected by the second sensor.

[0054] [Additional Notes]

[0055] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A somatosensory system comprising: a sensor device having a movable portion that is displaced by contact with an object, the sensor device detecting a force acting on the movable portion, or a velocity or acceleration of the displacement of the movable portion; an air cannon device that emits smoke; as well as A controller controls at least one of the size and speed of the smoke ejected from the air cannon device based on the detection result of the sensor device.

2. The somatosensory system according to claim 1, wherein: The sensor device includes a first sensor for detecting a force acting on the movable part. The controller controls the size of the smoke ejected from the air cannon device according to the force acting on the movable part detected by the first sensor.

3. The somatosensory system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The sensor device includes a second sensor for detecting a displacement speed or acceleration of the movable part. The controller controls the speed of the smoke ejected from the air cannon device based on the speed or acceleration of the movable part detected by the second sensor.

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