Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To accurately grasp a power reception state of a power supplied device even in a case where a positional relation between a wireless power supplying device and the power supplied device changes.SOLUTION: An information processing device for predicting a power reception state of a power supplied device that receives wireless power supply from a wireless power supplying device, includes: an acquisition unit that acquires positional information indicating a position of the power supplied device in a prescribed space; and a prediction unit that predicts, on the basis of the positional information, predicts the power reception state of the power supplied device in the position by referring to reference information for estimating the power reception state of the power supplied device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a technology is known in which a wireless power supply device provided in a head mounted display (HMD) supplies power to a power supply receiving device by wireless power transmission. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which power is supplied from first and second batteries provided in a head mounted display to a plurality of power receiving units by wireless transmission from a power transmitting unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-188117 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the positional relationship between a power transmitting unit, which is a wireless power supply device, and a power receiving unit, which is a power-supplied device, is fixed. Therefore, in the conventional technology, when the positional relationship between the wireless power supply device and the power-supplied device changes, the power receiving state of the power-supplied device cannot be accurately grasped, and the power receiving efficiency of the power-supplied device may decrease.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can accurately grasp the power receiving state of a powered device even when the positional relationship between the wireless power supply device and the powered device changes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An embodiment of the present invention is an information processing device that predicts a power receiving state of a powered device that receives power wirelessly from a wireless power supply device, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires position information indicating the position of the powered device within a specified space, and a prediction unit that predicts the power receiving state of the powered device at the position based on the position information, by referring to reference information for estimating the power receiving state of the powered device. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to this embodiment, even if the positional relationship between the wireless power supplying device and the power supplied device changes, the power receiving state of the power supplied device can be accurately grasped. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a usage environment of an information processing device 100 according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power supplied device 30. [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates an example of a configuration of an information processing device 100. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a situation in which content control is executed by the control unit 130. [Diagram 5] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a change in the amount of movement of the HMD 20 controlled by the control unit 130. FIG. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a change in d in the HMD 20 controlled by the control unit 130. FIG. [Figure 7] 13 is a diagram showing an example of suppression content RC that the control unit 130 causes the HMD 20 to output. FIG. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram showing another example of suppression content RC that the control unit 130 causes the HMD 20 to output. FIG. [Figure 9] 11 is a diagram showing an example of guidance content GC that the control unit 130 causes the HMD 20 to output. [Figure 10] 13 is a diagram showing an example of alert information AL that the control unit 130 causes the HMD 20 to output. FIG. [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the information processing device 100. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [overview] Hereinafter, an information processing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a usage environment of the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment. The information processing device 100 operates in cooperation with, for example, a camera 10, a head mounted display (HMD) 20, a power-supplied device 30, and a wireless power supply device 40. The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state imaging element such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), or a smartphone or tablet terminal equipped with a digital camera function. The camera 10 is installed at a position where it can capture an image of the entire indoor space S (for example, outside or above the indoor space S), and periodically transmits moving image data of the indoor space S to the information processing device 100. Here, the moving image data is, for example, video data or time-series image data. The camera 10 and the information processing device 100 may be connected by wire or wirelessly. 1, one camera 10 is installed as an example, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and two or more cameras 10 may be installed so as to be able to capture an image of the entire indoor space S. The camera 10 is an example of an "imaging device" in the claims, and the indoor space S is an example of a "predetermined space" in the claims.

[0010] The HMD 20 is a glasses-type see-through HMD used as a core device of Augmented Reality (AR), or an immersive HMD used as a core device of Virtual Reality (VR). In this embodiment, the HMD 20 is an immersive HMD, but may be a see-through HMD. When the user U wears the HMD 20 on his / her head, the user U's view of the surrounding environment is completely blocked. In this case, the user U can only view a moving image (hereinafter referred to as a content) displayed in the HMD 20. The HMD 20 is connected to a power source PS1 and receives power from the power source PS1 via a wired cable CB. Alternatively, the HMD 20 may receive power from a wireless power supply device 40 described later by wireless power transmission. The HMD 20 further includes a communication interface for wirelessly communicating with the power supply device 30 and the information processing device 100.

[0011] The powered device 30 includes a controller 30A and a tracker 30B. The controller 30A is a device worn by the user U and allows the user U to operate an object of the content displayed in the HMD 20. The tracker 30B is, for example, an inertial sensor including one or more accelerometers and / or gyroscopes for measuring the movement of the part worn by the user U. By wearing the tracker 30B on a specific part, the user U can link the movement of the part to the content displayed in the HMD 20. Hereinafter, a configuration common to the controller 30A and the tracker 30B will be simply referred to as the powered device 30.

[0012] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the power-supplied device 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the power-supplied device 30 includes, for example, a power-receiving coil 32, a capacitor 34, a power sensor 36, and a communication module 38. The power-receiving coil 32 is, for example, a meander coil provided inside the mounting part of the power-supplied device 30 formed in a ring shape so as to follow the curvature of the ring. The power-receiving coil 32 receives power by wireless power transmission from the wireless power supply device 40 and operates the functions of the power-supplied device 30 (i.e., the functions of the controller 30A and the tracker 30B). That is, in this embodiment, the wireless power supply by the wireless power supply device 40 functions as the main power source of the power-supplied device 30.

[0013] The capacitor 34 stores surplus electric charge of the electric power supplied to the power-supplied device 30 from the wireless power supply device 40. The capacitor 34 functions as a secondary power source for the power-supplied device 30. The power sensor 36 is a sensor that measures the electric power (an example of a "power receiving state" in the claims) when the power-receiving coil 32 receives power from the wireless power supply device 40. The power sensor 36 further measures the amount of charge stored by the capacitor 34. The communication module 38 is a communication interface for wirelessly communicating with the information processing device 100. The communication module 38 transmits to the information processing device 100 the power-receiving state of the power-receiving coil 32 and the amount of charge of the capacitor 34 measured by the power sensor 36. The capacitor 34 is an example of a "charging unit" in the claims, and the power sensor 36 is an example of a "measuring unit" in the claims.

[0014] For example, when the amount of charge stored by the capacitor 34 is equal to or greater than a first threshold Th1 and the power indicated by the power receiving state measured by the power sensor 36 is equal to or less than a second threshold Th2, the power-supplied device 30 supplies power from the capacitor 34 to the power-supplied device 30 simultaneously with (or instead of) wireless power supply from the wireless power supply device 40 (hereinafter, the power supply from the capacitor 34 to the power-supplied device 30 may be referred to as "assisted power supply"). This allows the operation of the functions of the power-supplied device 30 (i.e., the functions of the controller 30A and the tracker 30B) to continue even when the power receiving state of the power-supplied device 30 is not good. In order to prepare for the execution of assisted power supply, the power-supplied device 30 charges the capacitor 34 when the power indicated by the power receiving state measured by the power sensor 36 is sufficient and the amount of charge stored by the capacitor 34 is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

[0015] The wireless power supply device 40 is a power supply device including a power transmission coil for wirelessly transmitting power to the power-supplied device 30. Here, the power transmission coil may have any shape, and may generate a magnetic field by at least flowing a current inside the power transmission coil, and may generate an induced current in the power-supplied device 30 by electromagnetic induction. For example, the power transmission coil may be a wound coil, a plate-shaped coil, or a laminated coil obtained by laminating conductor metals. When the power transmission coil is a wound coil, its shape is not limited to a circular shape, and may be an elliptical shape, a hexagonal shape, or a rectangular shape. In addition, the power transmission coil is not limited to a single coil, and may be a combination of multiple coils to enhance a single power transmission function. The wireless power supply device 40 is installed, for example, at a fixed position under the floor of the indoor space S, and supplies power to the power-supplied device 30 by wireless power transmission. Furthermore, the wireless power supply device 40 may supply power to the HMD 20 having a power-receiving coil by wireless power transmission. In addition, the secondary power source of the above-mentioned powered device 30 may be a secondary battery (battery) instead of a capacitor, and when one of the controller 30A and the tracker 30B has a capacitor as a secondary power source and the other has a secondary battery, the wireless power supply device 40 may prioritize wireless power transmission to the capacitor, taking into account the electrical characteristics of the capacitor (rapid charging / rapid discharging).

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the power receiving state of the power-supplied device 30 at each position in the indoor space S changes depending on the installation position of the wireless power supply device 40. For example, FIG. 1 shows a situation in which an area AR1 of the indoor space S located directly above the wireless power supply device 40 has the best power receiving state (i.e., the power received is large), a surrounding area AR2 has the next best power receiving state, and a surrounding area AR3 has the next best power receiving state. The relationship between each position in the indoor space S and the power receiving state can be specified by simulating the strength of the magnetic field (goodness of the power receiving state) received at each position when the power transmission coil of the wireless power supply device 40 generates a magnetic field, with the installation position of the wireless power supply device 40 as a given condition. An example of the simulation includes the finite element method, which divides the indoor space S into a plurality of meshes, equates each mesh with each position, and calculates the magnetic field strength in the mesh as a theoretical value.

[0017] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 100. The information processing device 100 is a computer device that predicts a power receiving state of a power-supplied device 30 that receives wireless power from a wireless power supply device 40. The information processing device 100 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 110, a prediction unit 120, a control unit 130, and a storage unit 140. The acquisition unit 110, the prediction unit 120, and the control unit 130 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transient storage medium) such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (non-transient storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and installed by mounting the storage medium in a drive device. The storage unit 140 is, for example, a HDD, a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 140 stores, for example, mapping data 142.

[0018] The mapping data 142 is data in which each position in the indoor space S is associated in advance with a power receiving state by the above-mentioned simulation. Alternatively, the mapping data 142 may be acquired by associating the power receiving state actually measured by the power sensor 36 when the power supplied device 30 is installed at each position in the indoor space S with the position, without using a simulation. The mapping data 142 is an example of "reference information" in the claims.

[0019] The acquisition unit 110 acquires video data of the indoor space S captured by the camera 10, and performs an arbitrary object detection process on the acquired video data to detect the position of the power-supplied device 30 and acquire the position information. For example, the acquisition unit 110 first performs the object detection process by matching an image (and / or its feature points) of the power-supplied device 30 registered in advance with each object (and / or its feature points) detected from the video data, thereby identifying the power-supplied device 30 from the video data. In this case, the matching is, for example, a process of determining whether or not the degree of agreement between images or feature points is equal to or greater than a reference value, and the acquisition unit 110 may use a known trained model that has been trained to output the degree of agreement when two images or sets of feature points are input for the matching. Next, the acquisition unit 110 acquires the two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinates of the identified power-supplied device 30 as position information, for example, by referring to coordinate space information that defines the indoor space S as a two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinate space stored by the storage unit 140.

[0020] The prediction unit 120 uses the acquired position information as a key to refer to the mapping data 142 to predict the power receiving state of the power supplied device 30 at the detected position of the power supplied device 30. By storing the mapping data 142 in advance, it is possible to predict the power receiving state of the power supplied device 30 based only on the position information of the power supplied device 30.

[0021] The prediction unit 120 further predicts a future position of the powered device 30 from video data of the indoor space S captured by the camera 10. The prediction unit 120 can predict the future position of the powered device 30 from the video data using a known method such as VSLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) or optical flow. The prediction unit 120 can predict the power receiving state of the powered device 30 at the future position, similar to the case of the current position, by referring to the mapping data 142 using the predicted future position as a key.

[0022] The control unit 130 executes content control for operating the content displayed on the HMD 20, based on the power receiving state of the current position or future position of the power supplied device 30 predicted by the prediction unit 120. Details of the content control executed by the control unit 130 will be described below.

[0023] [Content control by HMD20] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which content control is executed by the control unit 130. Fig. 4 shows, as an example, a scene in which a user U wearing an HMD 20 moves in a counterclockwise direction DL1, and the prediction unit 120 predicts that the user U will deviate from an area AR3. In the following description, for convenience, it is assumed that the power received by the power-supplied device 30 at the future position will be reduced (for example, below a second threshold value Th2) due to the deviation from the area AR3.

[0024] As an example of content control, when the power received by the power-supplied device 30 at the predicted future position is equal to or less than a second threshold Th2, the control unit 130 controls the HMD 20 so that the amount of movement in the content displayed on the HMD 20 changes compared to the amount of actual movement of the user of the HMD 20. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the change in the amount of movement controlled by the control unit 130. FIG. 5 shows an example of content displayed on the HMD 20 and visually recognized by the user U. In FIG. 5, the symbol MA1 represents the amount of movement in the content corresponding to the actual amount of movement of the user before the control by the control unit 130 is executed, and the symbol MA2 represents the amount of movement in the content corresponding to the actual amount of movement of the user after the control by the control unit 130 is executed.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 5, when the power received by the power-supplied device 30 at the predicted future position is equal to or less than the second threshold Th2, the control unit 130 controls the HMD 20 so that the amount of movement in the content displayed on the HMD 20 is greater than the amount of actual movement of the user of the HMD 20. This means that the actual amount of movement required of the user U to realize the intended movement in the content of the HMD 20 becomes smaller. Therefore, the user U can actually realize, for example, a left turn in the content of the HMD 20 shown in FIG. 5 with a smaller amount of movement. As a result, the user U stops moving in the counterclockwise direction DL1 at an earlier stage, and the user U can be prevented from departing from the area AR3.

[0026] As another example of content control, when the power received by the power-supplied device 30 at the predicted future position is equal to or less than the second threshold Th2, the control unit 130 controls the HMD 20 so that the moving direction in the content displayed on the HMD 20 changes compared to the actual moving direction of the user of the HMD 20. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the change in the moving direction in the HMD 20 controlled by the control unit 130. In Fig. 6, the symbol DL1 represents the actual moving direction of the user U.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 6, before the control by the control unit 130, the HMD 20 outputs the content so that the actual moving direction of the user U coincides with the moving direction in the HMD 20. When the power received by the power-supplied device 30 at the predicted future position is equal to or less than the second threshold Th2, the control unit 130 controls the HMD 20 so that the moving direction in the content displayed on the HMD 20 is at a steeper angle than the actual moving direction of the user of the HMD 20. This means that the actual moving direction required of the user U to realize the intended movement in the content of the HMD 20 is at a shallower angle. Therefore, the user U can actually realize, for example, a left turn in the content of the HMD 20 shown in FIG. 6 at a shallower angle. As a result, the user U reduces the moving angle corresponding to the counterclockwise direction DL1, and the user U can be prevented from departing from the area AR3.

[0028] As yet another example of content control, when the power received by the power-supplied device 30 at the predicted future position is equal to or less than the second threshold Th2, the control unit 130 controls the HMD 20 to output suppression content RC that restricts the user of the HMD 20 from moving to the predicted future position. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of suppression content that the control unit 130 causes the HMD 20 to output. As shown in FIG. 7, when the future position of the user U is predicted to be in a counterclockwise direction DL1 from the current position, for example, the control unit 130 causes the suppression content RC to be displayed in the counterclockwise direction DL1 in the content of the HMD 20. This allows the user U to recognize the deterioration of the power receiving state as part of the content displayed on the HMD 20, and to naturally prevent the user U from departing from the area AR3.

[0029] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of the suppression content RC that the control unit 130 causes the HMD 20 to output. The suppression content RC shown in FIG. 7 is the suppression content RC that the control unit 130 causes the HMD 20 to output as a software function. As another embodiment, the control unit 130 may cause the HMD 20 to output the suppression content RC as a hardware function. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 130 may control the HMD 20 to reduce the luminance of the image within a predetermined range (for example, within a range in which the user U does not feel uncomfortable) for an area where the movement of the user U is desired to be suppressed (i.e., an area where the suppression content RC is desired to be displayed). In addition, for example, the control unit 130 may reduce the resolution of the image quality or apply a blurring process (filter) to the area where the movement of the user U is desired to be suppressed. With such a method, the movement of the user U in a direction that deteriorates the power receiving state of the power supplied device 30 can be suppressed. Furthermore, the reduction in brightness and blurring (filtering) described above may be achieved by the control unit 130 as part of software displayed by the HMD 20, instead of being achieved by the hardware functions of the HMD 20. That is, the control unit 130 may darken the screen of an area in which it is desired to suppress the movement of the user U, or may apply blurring (filtering) to the HMD 20 as content.

[0030] As yet another example of content control, when the power received by the power-supplied device 30 at the predicted future position is equal to or less than the second threshold Th2, the control unit 130 controls the HMD 20 to output guidance content GC that guides the user U to move to a position where the received power is equal to or more than the second threshold Th2. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of guidance content GC that the control unit 130 causes the HMD 20 to output. As in the scenes of FIGS. 5 to 7, FIG. 9 shows a scene in which the user U wearing the HMD 20 moves along the counterclockwise direction DL1 and the prediction unit 120 predicts that the user U will deviate from the area AR3. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 130 causes the HMD 20 to output guidance content GC for preventing the user U from deviating from the area AR3 and for guiding the user U in a direction that improves the power receiving state (i.e., a clockwise direction). This allows the user U to be guided in a direction that improves the power receiving state of the power-supplied device 30.

[0031] In another embodiment, the control unit 130 may output the suppression content RC and the guidance content GC in combination to the HMD 20. More specifically, when the power received by the power-supplied device 30 at the predicted future position is equal to or less than the second threshold Th2, the control unit 130 may output one of the suppression content RC and the guidance content GC to the HMD 20, and when the power is still equal to or less than the second threshold Th2 after a certain period of time has elapsed, the control unit 130 may output the other of the suppression content RC and the guidance content GC. For example, the control unit 130 may output both the suppression content RC and the guidance content GC from the beginning.

[0032] Here, after the control unit 130 executes the content control, the power receiving state at the predicted future position may still remain equal to or less than the second threshold Th2. In addition, for example, even though the control unit 130 executes the content control, the user U may move to a position where the power receiving state is equal to or less than the second threshold Th2. In other words, only the execution of the content control may not effectively guide the user U in a direction in which the power receiving state of the power supplied device 30 improves.

[0033] Therefore, after the HMD 20 executes the content control, if the power receiving state at the predicted future position remains equal to or less than the second threshold Th2, or if the user U moves to a position where the power receiving state becomes equal to or less than the second threshold Th2, the control unit 130 transmits instruction information to the power supplied device 30 to perform assistive power supply from the capacitor 34 of the power supplied device 30 to the power supplied device 30. That is, even if the power receiving state of the power supplied device 30 is not good, the control unit 130 instructs the power supplied device 30 to continue the operation of the power supplied device 30. At this time, the control unit 130 may estimate a time during which assistive power supply is possible to the capacitor 34 based on the charge amount of the capacitor 34 acquired from the power sensor 36, and cause the HMD 20 to output a notification by text information to move to a position where the power indicated by the power receiving state becomes greater than the second threshold Th2 within the estimated time. Thereafter, when the charge amount stored in the capacitor 34 falls below the third threshold Th3 (i.e., when it becomes difficult to continue the assisted power supply), the control unit 130 causes the HMD 20 to output alert information AL to warn that the charge amount of the power supply device 30 is decreasing.

[0034] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of alert information AL that the control unit 130 causes the HMD 20 to output. Fig. 10 shows, as an example, alert information AL that warns that the charge level of the controller 30A of the power supplied device 30 is decreasing. The alert information AL may be output together with directional information indicating in which direction the user should move to improve the power receiving state, in addition to indicating that the charge level is decreasing.

[0035] Unlike content control, the alert information AL is outputted independently (with low affinity) of the content in the HMD 20. Therefore, it is possible to more strongly suppress movement of the power-supplied device 30 in a direction that deteriorates the power receiving state for the user U. In addition, by outputting a warning in a format that is highly compatible with the content in the HMD 20, such as the suppression content RC or the guidance content GC, before outputting the alert information AL, it is possible to prevent the alert information AL from being issued excessively, thereby preventing the content experience of the user U from being impaired.

[0036] 10, an example in which the HMD 20 outputs the alert information AL as text information is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and for example, the HMD 20 may output the alert information AL as audio information or vibration information. The alert information AL may be output at least independently of the content in the HMD 20.

[0037] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the information processing device 100. The processing of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0038] First, the acquisition unit 110 acquires video data of the powered device 30 from the camera 10 (step S100). Next, the prediction unit 120 predicts the future position of the powered device 30 from the video data of the powered device 30 (step S102). Next, the prediction unit 120 refers to the mapping data 142 using the predicted future position as a key, and predicts the power receiving state of the powered device 30 at the future position (step S104).

[0039] Next, the control unit 130 judges whether the power indicated by the predicted power receiving state is equal to or greater than the threshold (step S106). If it is judged that the power indicated by the predicted power receiving state is equal to or greater than the threshold, the control unit 130 returns the process to step S100. On the other hand, if it is judged that the power indicated by the predicted power receiving state is less than the threshold, the control unit 130 controls the HMD 20 to execute content control and waits for a certain period of time (step S108). Here, execution of content control means, as described above, executing at least one of the control of changing the amount of movement in the content displayed on the HMD 20 compared to the actual amount of movement of the user U, the control of changing the direction of movement in the content displayed on the HMD 20 compared to the actual direction of movement of the user U, the output of the inhibition content RC, and the output of the guidance content GC.

[0040] Next, the control unit 130 again determines whether the power indicated by the power receiving state at the future position predicted from the video image data of the power-supplied device 30 acquired from the camera 10 is equal to or greater than the threshold (step S108). If it is determined that the power indicated by the predicted power receiving state is equal to or greater than the threshold, this means that the user U has moved to a position with a good power receiving state in accordance with the content control. Therefore, the control unit 130 returns the process to step S100.

[0041] On the other hand, if it is determined that the power indicated by the predicted power receiving state is not equal to or greater than the threshold, the control unit 130 acquires the charge amount of the capacitor 34 measured by the power sensor 36 from the power supplied device 30 (step S114). Next, the control unit 130 determines whether the acquired charge amount of the capacitor 34 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (step S116).

[0042] If it is determined that the acquired charge amount of the capacitor 34 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the control unit 130 controls the power supplied device 30 to perform assist power supply from the capacitor 34 to the power supplied device 30 (step S118). Thereafter, the control unit 130 returns the process to step S108, and controls the HMD 20 to execute content control while continuing the assist power supply (step S108). On the other hand, if it is determined that the acquired charge amount of the capacitor 34 is not equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the control unit 130 controls the HMD 20 to output alert information AL (step S120). This ends the process of this flowchart.

[0043] In step S110 of the above flowchart, the control unit 130 again determines whether the power indicated by the power receiving state at the future position is equal to or greater than the threshold. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the control unit 130 may determine whether the power indicated by the power receiving state at the current position is equal to or greater than the threshold in the second determination, and may execute assist power supply by the capacitor 34 and / or output of alert information AL by the HMD 20 only when it is determined that the power indicated by the power receiving state at the current position is equal to or less than the threshold.

[0044] Furthermore, in the above flowchart, the control unit 130 performs assist power supply by the capacitor 34 (step S118) and outputs alert information by the HMD 20 (step S120) after content control by the HMD 20 (step S108). However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and when the control unit 130 determines in step S106 that the power indicated by the predicted power receiving state is less than the threshold, it may first perform assist power supply by the capacitor 34 and then perform content control by the HMD 20. It is sufficient that at least the content control by the HMD 20 is performed before the output of alert information by the HMD 20.

[0045] Furthermore, in the above flowchart, the control unit 130 causes the HMD 20 to output alert information in step S120. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the control unit 130 may cause the HMD 20 to execute content control again instead of (or in combination with) outputting the alert information. In this case, the control unit 130 may cause the HMD 20 to execute content control different from the content control performed in step S108. For example, the control unit 130 may cause the HMD 20 to output guidance content GC in step S108, while causing the HMD 20 to output inhibition content RC in step S120. In this way, by causing the HMD 20 to execute multiple types of content control, the user U can be more effectively encouraged to improve the power receiving state of the power supplied device 30.

[0046] When the content control is to be re-executed in combination with the output of the alert information, the control unit 130 may determine whether to output the alert information or to re-execute the content control, depending on the charge amount acquired in step S116. For example, when the charge amount acquired in step S116 is equal to or greater than the third threshold Th3 and less than the fourth threshold Th4 (here, the fourth threshold Th4 is a value greater than the third threshold Th3 and equal to or less than the predetermined value in step S116), the control unit 130 may cause the HMD 20 to re-execute the content control, while when the charge amount acquired in step S116 is less than the third threshold Th3, the control unit 130 may cause the HMD 20 to output the alert information. In this configuration, when the charge amount of the capacitor 34 is determined to be equal to or greater than the third threshold Th3 and a certain time has elapsed after the control unit 130 has caused the HMD 20 to re-execute the content control, the control unit 130 may cause the HMD 20 to output the alert information when the charge amount is re-determined to be less than the fourth threshold Th4. In this way, by switching the control depending on the obtained charge amount of the capacitor 34, it is possible to encourage the user U to improve the power receiving state of the powered device 30 without impairing the content experience of the user U with the HMD 20 as much as possible.

[0047] According to the process of the flowchart described above, when the power indicated by the power receiving state of the power supplied device 30 at the future position drops, the content control prompts the user U to move to a position where the power receiving state improves, and assist power is supplied from the capacitor 34 to the power supplied device 30 to operate the power supplied device 30 normally. After that, when the charge amount of the capacitor 34 falls below a predetermined value, the HMD 20 is caused to output alert information having a stronger warning level than the content control, thereby further strongly prompting the user U to move to a position where the power receiving state improves. This makes it possible to encourage the user U to improve the power receiving state of the power supplied device 30 without impairing the content experience of the HMD 20 by the user U as much as possible.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the camera 10 is installed outside the indoor space S in which the user U can move. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the camera 10 may be installed at least in a place where the position of the powered device 30 in the indoor space S can be identified. For example, the camera 10 may be mounted on the HMD 20. This is because the positional relationship between the HMD 20 worn by the user U and the powered device 30 (i.e., the controller 30A and the tracker 30B) is approximately fixed, and therefore, by identifying the position of the HMD 20 based on an image captured by the camera 10, it is possible to approximately identify the position of the powered device 30.

[0049] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the information processing device 100 is configured as a separate server device. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the functions of the information processing device 100 described above may be installed as a program in the HMD 20 or the wireless power supply device 40.

[0050] According to the present embodiment described above, position information indicating the position of the power-supplied device within a predetermined space is acquired, and the power-receiving state of the power-supplied device at the position is predicted based on the position information by referring to reference information for estimating the power-receiving state of the power-supplied device. This makes it possible to accurately grasp the power-receiving state of the power-supplied device even if the positional relationship between the wireless power supply device and the power-supplied device changes.

[0051] Further, in this embodiment, only one wireless power supply device 40 is installed under the floor of the indoor space S. In general, even if the number of installed wireless power supply devices 40 is small, when the user U uses the HMD 20 and the power supply device 30 while standing still (i.e., statically), the power receiving state of the power receiving coil 32 actually measured by the power sensor 36 of the power supply device 30 is constant, so that the user U can be notified of a power shortage at an appropriate time via the HMD 20. On the other hand, when the user U uses the HMD 20 and the power supply device 30 while moving (i.e., dynamically), the power receiving state of the power receiving coil 32 rapidly deteriorates with the movement of the user U, and there are cases where the user U cannot be notified of a power shortage at an appropriate time via the HMD 20. As a result, in the conventional technology, there are cases where the usability of the HMD 20 and the power supply device 30 is hindered, such as deterioration of the screen display and control response. According to this embodiment, even when the user U moves, the information processing device 100 predicts in advance the future power receiving state of the power supplied device 30 by using the position information of the user U and reference information such as the mapping data 142, and notifies the user of a power shortage based on the predicted future power receiving state via the HMD 20. This makes it possible to maintain the usability of the HMD 20 and the power supplied device 30 even when the number of installed wireless power supply devices 40 is small. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 10. Camera 20 Head-Mounted Display (HMD) 30 Powered Equipment 30A Controller 30B Tracker 40 Wireless power supply device 100 Information processing device 110 Acquisition Department 120 Prediction Department 130 Control section 140 Storage section 142 Mapping Data

Claims

1. An information processing device that predicts a power receiving state of a power supply receiving device that receives wireless power from a wireless power supply device, an acquisition unit that acquires position information indicating a position of the power supply device within a predetermined space; a prediction unit that predicts the power receiving state of the power supply device at the position by referring to reference information for estimating the power receiving state of the power supply device based on the position information, Information processing device.

2. the power supply device includes a measurement unit that measures a power receiving state of the power supply device, The acquisition unit acquires power receiving state information indicating the measured power receiving state from the power supplied device, The reference information is information in which the location information and the power receiving state information are associated with each other in advance. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the wireless power supply device includes a power transmission coil for transmitting power to the power supply receiving device, The reference information is information in which each position in the specified space and a power receiving state of the power supply device are previously associated with each other by a simulation under a given condition that the power transmission coil is installed at a fixed position in the specified space. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. the power supply receiving device includes a charging unit capable of storing electric charge, and a measuring unit that measures a charging state in the charging unit and a power receiving state of the power supply receiving device, When the measured amount of charge stored in the charging unit is equal to or greater than a first threshold value and the measured power indicated by the power receiving state is equal to or less than a second threshold value, the power supply device causes the charging unit to supply power to the power supply device. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

5. The charging unit is a capacitor, The information processing device further includes a control unit that controls an operation of a head mounted display (HMD) based on the power receiving state of the power supply device, When the capacitor supplies power to the power-supplied device, the control unit estimates a time during which the power can be supplied, and notifies the HMD to move to a position where the power indicated by the power receiving state becomes greater than the second threshold within the estimated time. The information processing device according to claim 4.

6. The acquisition unit acquires a moving image of the predetermined space from an imaging device that images the predetermined space, The prediction unit predicts a future position of the power supply device based on the acquired moving image, and predicts the power receiving state of the power supply device at the future position. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

7. The imaging device is installed in a head mounted display (HMD) or outside the specified space. The information processing device according to claim 6.

8. The information processing device further includes a control unit that executes content control for operating content displayed on a head mounted display (HMD) based on the power receiving state of the power supply device at the predicted future position. The information processing device according to claim 6.

9. The control unit controls the HMD such that a movement amount in the content displayed on the HMD is different from an actual movement amount of a user of the HMD when the power indicated by the power receiving state of the power supply device at the future position is equal to or less than a second threshold value, as the content control. The information processing device according to claim 8.

10. The control unit controls the HMD such that a moving direction in the content displayed on the HMD is different from an actual moving direction of the user of the HMD when the power indicated by the power receiving state of the power supply device at the future position is equal to or less than a second threshold value as the content control. The information processing device according to claim 8.

11. The control unit controls the HMD to output suppression content that restricts a user of the HMD from moving to the future position when the power indicated by the power receiving state of the power supply device at the future position is equal to or less than a second threshold value as the content control. The information processing device according to claim 8.

12. The control unit controls the HMD to output guidance content that guides a user of the HMD to move to a position other than the future position when the power indicated by the power receiving state of the power supply device at the future position is equal to or less than a second threshold value as the content control. The information processing device according to claim 8.

13. the power supply receiving device includes a charging unit capable of storing electric charge, and a measuring unit that measures a charging state in the charging unit and a power receiving state of the power supply receiving device, the control unit causes the charging unit to supply power to the power-supplied device when the user of the HMD moves to a position where the power is equal to or less than a second threshold after the HMD executes the content control; The control unit controls the HMD to output alert information when an amount of charge stored in the charging unit becomes equal to or less than a third threshold value due to power being supplied from the charging unit to the power supply device. The information processing device according to claim 9 .

14. the power supply receiving device includes a charging unit capable of storing electric charge, and a measuring unit that measures a charging state in the charging unit and a power receiving state of the power supply receiving device, the control unit causes the charging unit to supply power to the power-supplied device when the user of the HMD moves to a position where the power is equal to or less than a second threshold after the HMD executes the content control; When an amount of charge stored in the charging unit becomes equal to or less than a third threshold value due to the supply of power from the charging unit to the power supply device, the control unit controls the HMD to perform the content control again. The information processing device according to claim 9 .

15. the power-supplied device includes a charging unit capable of storing electric charge, and a control unit that measures and manages a charging state in the charging unit and a power-receiving state of the power-supplied device; the control unit controls the HMD to output alert information when, after the HMD executes the content control, the power indicated by the power receiving state of the power supply device at the future position is still equal to or less than the second threshold and the amount of charge stored in the charging unit is equal to or less than a third threshold. The information processing device according to claim 9 .

16. An information processing method for predicting a power receiving state of a power supply receiving device that receives power wirelessly from a wireless power supplying device, the method comprising: acquiring position information indicating a position of the power supply device within a predetermined space; predicting the power receiving state of the power supply device at the position based on the position information by referring to reference information for estimating the power receiving state of the power supply device; Information processing methods.

17. A program for predicting a power receiving state of a power supply receiving device that receives wireless power from a wireless power supply device, On the computer, acquiring position information indicating a position of the power supply device within a predetermined space; predicting the power receiving state of the power supply device at the position based on the position information by referring to reference information for estimating the power receiving state of the power supply device; program.

Images