Virtual space management system and virtual space management method

Abstract

To smoothly reach consensus by suppressing discrepancies in understanding between users in a situation where multiple people are discussing while looking at the same data group.SOLUTION: In a virtual space management system 100 according to the present invention, multiple users log in to the same space. The virtual space management system registers and manages data linked to coordinates within the virtual space, and the users communicate within the virtual space. The system includes an in-space discussion identification unit 106 that identifies that a discussion has occurred within the virtual space, and a data display synchronization unit 108 that synchronizes the data display content between users participating in the discussion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a virtual space management system and a virtual space management method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the use of three-dimensional virtual spaces (metaverses) built on the Internet has been increasing. In virtual spaces, users can freely explore the space using their avatars, which are their own avatars, and communicate with other users. For example, multiple people can simultaneously view real-time on-site information, simulation results in virtual spaces, etc. from multiple devices, and share each other's viewpoints and pointing, which can support consensus building.

[0003] In the field of virtual space, there is a technology for displaying three-dimensional data accompanied by two-dimensional data that is reference information for that data (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 states, "When creating a 3D model of an item group generated by the item model unit of the display data generation unit, three-dimensional coordinate axes for modeling the item group and each item are defined in the virtual space. The item model unit then plots the coordinate values ​​read from the three-dimensional data in the virtual space to create a 3D model that shows the shapes and positional relationships of the item group and each item in the virtual space." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-25953 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, when multiple people hold a discussion while looking at a virtual space (metaverse) or the same data group (a collection of multiple data registered at nearby spatial coordinates) stored there, they view the space and data from different perspectives. In this case, if multiple people do not know what data each other is discussing, misunderstandings will occur between users, making it difficult to reach a consensus. The conventional technology described in Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration the issue of misunderstandings occurring between users when multiple people hold a discussion while looking at the same data group.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of this situation, and aims to provide a virtual space management system and a virtual space management method that can prevent misunderstandings between users and facilitate consensus building in situations where multiple people are discussing while looking at the same set of data. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The virtual space management system of the present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, is a virtual space management system in which multiple users log in to the same space, register and manage data linked to coordinates within the virtual space, and communicate between users within the virtual space, and is equipped with an in-space discussion identification unit that identifies when a discussion has occurred within the virtual space, and a data display synchronization unit that synchronizes the data display content between users participating in the discussion.

[0008] In addition, the virtual space management method of the present invention for solving the above problems is a virtual space management method in which multiple users log in to the same space, register and manage data linked to coordinates within the virtual space, and communicate between users within the virtual space, and identifies when a discussion has occurred within the virtual space and synchronizes the data display content between users participating in the discussion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, in a situation where multiple people are discussing while looking at the same data group, the display system of a specific user can be adjusted to match the display system of other users, thereby preventing misunderstandings between users and facilitating consensus building.

[0010] Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the mode for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as the embodiment). [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of a virtual space management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of 3D coordinates in a space in which data is registered and stored in a space database in a virtual space management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a diagram explaining a method for identifying the location where a discussion occurs, related users, and data groups being discussed within a virtual space. [Figure 4] This figure explains an alternative method for identifying the location where a discussion occurs, the users involved, and the data group being discussed within a virtual space. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of temporary information stored in a temporary information for discussion database in a virtual space management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a data display position control unit in the virtual space management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a discussion scene in a specific processing example of a data display synchronization unit in a virtual space management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a specific example of processing by a data display synchronization unit in the virtual space management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a transparency process for a shielding object transparency section in a virtual space management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing on the discussion host side in a virtual space management method in a virtual space management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing on the discussion guest side in a virtual space management method in a virtual space management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functions or configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0013] <Example of virtual space management system configuration> FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of a virtual space management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The virtual space management system 100 according to this embodiment is a system in which multiple users log in to the same space, register and manage data linked to coordinates in a three-dimensional virtual space (metaverse) constructed on the Internet, and communicate between users in the virtual space. Within the virtual space, various data linked to spatial coordinates is managed in a database (DB).

[0014] The virtual space management system 100 of this embodiment comprises a user input reception unit 101, a user position update unit 102, a space display unit 103, a 3D (three-dimensional) model database 104, an in-space database 105, an in-space discussion identification unit 106, a data display position control unit 107, a data display synchronization unit 108, a temporary information storage database for discussion 109, and an obstruction transparency unit 110.

[0015] In the virtual space management system 100 configured as described above, the user input receiving unit 101 receives user operation information from an input unit such as a keyboard or mouse. The user position update unit 102 controls the position of the user avatar in the virtual space (metaverse). The space display unit 103 displays the virtual space to the user. The 3D model database 104 is a database that stores 3D models that make up the virtual space. The in-space database 105 is a database that holds data registered in the virtual space. The in-space database 105 stores not only the contents of the data but also the 3D coordinates within the space in which the data is registered. An example of 3D coordinates within the space in which the data is registered is shown in Figure 2.

[0016] The in-space discussion identification unit 106 identifies the location where a discussion is taking place in the virtual space, information on related users, and data groups that are the subject of discussion, and registers these in the discussion temporary information storage database 109 as temporary information to be used in the discussion. For data groups that are determined to be the subject of discussion, temporary spatial coordinate display information (temporary coordinate information) that is used only during the discussion is stored for each user, separate from the spatial coordinates originally linked to the virtual space. The function of the in-space discussion identification unit 106 will be described in detail later.

[0017] The data display position control unit 107 controls the display position of the data group for each user by using the temporary information stored in the discussion temporary information storage database 109. The function of the data display position control unit 107 will be described in detail later.

[0018] The data display synchronization unit 108 controls the display system of other users to match the display system of a specific user by using temporary information stored in the discussion temporary information storage database 109. The function of the data display synchronization unit 108 will be described in detail later.

[0019] If an obstruction exists between the users in discussion and the data group under discussion, the obstruction transparency unit 110 performs transparency processing on the obstruction. The function of the obstruction transparency unit 110 will be described in detail later.

[0020] The temporary information (temporary coordinate information) stored in the discussion temporary information database 109 is discarded at the end of each discussion.

[0021] [In-space discussion specific section] The intra-space discussion identification unit 106 identifies the location of the discussion, the participating users, and the data group to be discussed within the virtual space, and registers them in the temporary discussion information storage database 109. The identification method used by the intra-space discussion identification unit 106 is also the discussion start method. There are several methods for starting a discussion (identification methods) in the intra-space discussion identification unit 106, but the most basic method is for the user starting the discussion to manually set the various information necessary for the discussion (the users to be discussed and the data to be discussed). For example, a discussion setting button is always displayed on the metaverse screen, and pressing this button transitions to the discussion setting screen shown in Figure 3. The discussion setting screen in Figure 3 displays a list of users logged in to the metaverse space and a discussion start button, superimposed on the regular metaverse space displaying 3D models and registered data. On the screen in Figure 3, users can click and specify the data group to be discussed (the data group to be discussed) among the data groups displayed in the metaverse space. The user who presses the discussion start button becomes the discussion host, and the discussion host's spatial coordinates are registered as the discussion start location. In addition, the user who is the other party in the discussion will automatically move to the spatial coordinates of the discussion start position.

[0022] As an alternative to the above method of starting a discussion, in which the user initiating the discussion manually sets various information, the group of users and data to be discussed that are within a certain range centered on the user initiating the discussion can be forcibly registered, as shown in Figure 4. When this method is implemented, a discussion start button, rather than a discussion setting button, is always displayed in the metaverse space, and when this button is pressed, it becomes possible to start a discussion without going through the discussion setting screen in Figure 3.

[0023] [Temporary information database for discussions] An example of temporary information stored in the discussion temporary information storage database 109 is shown in Figure 5. The discussion temporary information storage database 109 has two types of tables: a discussion general management table and a contribution data temporary coordinate management table stored for each discussion. The discussion general management table manages information such as the discussion ID (identification) which is the identification information for each discussion, the location where the discussion occurred, the host user who started the discussion, all users involved in the discussion, and the related data group of the discussion. On the other hand, the contribution data temporary coordinate management table is created for each discussion ID and stores the temporary coordinates for each user related to the data involved in the discussion, as well as the original coordinates stored in the spatial DB 105.

[0024] [Data display position control section] If the user is involved in the discussion, the data display position control unit 107 moves the data to any position in space by acting on the coordinate information managed in the discussion temporary information storage database 109. Specifically, the data display position control unit 107 acts to improve the visibility of the data by arbitrarily moving the data groups that are the subject of discussion to an arrangement or position that makes them easier to see, as shown in the diagram on the right side of Fig. 6, instead of the situation where the data groups overlap each other and are difficult to see, as shown in the diagram on the left side of Fig. 6.

[0025] Here, whether or not a user is involved in the discussion can be determined by referring to information in the discussion temporary information storage database 109. Display position control is an operation that only affects how each individual user sees the display. Since moving to an unrelated, distant location is meaningless, a movement limit may be set based on the distance from the location where the discussion occurred. Data may also be automatically sorted using a predetermined algorithm.

[0026] Regarding the display position of the data under discussion for users in a discussion, the temporary coordinate information managed in the discussion temporary information storage database 109 takes priority for each user over the original registered coordinates managed in the in-space database 105. This allows each discussion participant to move the spatial position of the data group under discussion to a location (space) that is easy for them to see.

[0027] As described above, the data display position control unit 107 allows each discussion participant to move the spatial position of the data group being discussed to a location (space) that is easy for them to see, thereby avoiding failures in information transmission and the occurrence of information gaps.

[0028] [Data display synchronization section] When a user is involved in a discussion, the data display synchronization unit 108 synchronizes the spatial arrangement and position of the data under discussion with users participating in the same discussion, thereby aligning the display system of the specific user with the display systems of other users so that the data under discussion appears the same among users.

[0029] Here, a specific example of processing by the data display synchronization unit 108 will be described using the case of a discussion scene in which data groups DATA 1 to DATA 5 exist between user A and user B, as shown in the center of FIG. 7. Here, user A is the discussion host, and user B is a participant. The left side of FIG. 7 schematically shows the data group as viewed from user A's temporary coordinate system. Also, the right side of FIG. 7 schematically shows the data group as viewed from user B's temporary coordinate system. The following two pieces of information are targeted in the synchronization process. One is the relative positional relationship defined by the center coordinates of the data group and the user's position coordinates, which is indicated by a dotted arrow in the figure. The other is the data positional relationship defined by the center coordinates of the data group and the position coordinates of each data, which is indicated by a solid arrow in the figure.

[0030] The data display synchronization unit 108 calculates the center coordinates Dc of the data group in the temporary coordinate system of user A, who is the discussion host. ua(xc ua ,yc ua ,zc ua ) will be the starting point for processing. ua (xc ua ,yc ua ,zc ua ) can be calculated from the average value of the temporary coordinates of the data related to the discussion stored in the discussion temporary information storage database 109. In addition, the two pieces of information that are the subject of the synchronization process described above are located at the center coordinates Dc ua First, the relative positional relationship between the user and the data group can be calculated by using the following formula: a (x a ,y a ,z a ) then Gc a -P a The data position is calculated by dividing the coordinates of each data by Dn ua (xn ua ,yn ua ,zn ua ) (in Figure 7, n = 1 to 5), then Gc a -Dn ua is obtained from

[0031] The following describes how the data display synchronization unit 108 synchronizes User B's display with User A's display in the discussion scene shown in Figure 7. Figure 8 shows User B's state before and after the data synchronization process. The data display synchronization unit 108 first calculates the positional relationship between each user and the data group in the temporary coordinate system as two types of information: the relative positional relationship between the user and the data group and the data arrangement relationship. Next, it obtains the information necessary to convert User A's relationship with the data group into the relationship with User B's data group. Specifically, it obtains two types of information: a rotation matrix R and a translation vector t of three-dimensional coordinates. The rotation matrix R can be estimated using means such as Rodrigues' rotation formula from two vectors: a vector indicating the relative positional relationship between User A and the data group, and a vector indicating the relative positional relationship between User A and the data group. The translation vector t can be obtained from the difference between User A's spatial coordinates and User B's spatial coordinates.

[0032] By applying these rotation matrix R and translation vector t to two types of information, namely, the relative positional relationship with respect to the data group of user A and the data arrangement relationship, respectively, these pieces of information can be converted into information based on user B's spatial coordinates and the viewpoint direction to the data group. These pieces of conversion information are then replaced with the original relative positional relationship between user B and the data group and the data arrangement relationship. As a result, as shown in Figure 8, it is possible to unify the way user B sees the arrangement of data (spatial arrangement) within the data group under discussion with the way user A sees it.

[0033] It is also possible to limit the information to be synchronized to the positional relationship of the data only, and easily set it so that the relative positional relationship between the user and the data group is not synchronized. In this case, the state in which each user has moved the data group itself to a position that is easy for them to see in the data display position control unit 107 remains, and only the positional relationship between the data within the data group is synchronized with user A. Furthermore, even if there are multiple users to be synchronized, this can be handled by replacing the processing performed for user B with the information of each user and executing it.

[0034] In other words, according to the synchronization processing of the data display synchronization unit 108, in a situation where multiple people are discussing while looking at the same data group, the display system of a specific user can be adjusted to match the display system of other users, thereby preventing misunderstandings between users and facilitating consensus building.

[0035] [Occluded object transmission part] When a user is involved in a certain discussion, the obstruction transparency unit 110 performs transparency processing on an obstruction between the user and a data group under discussion.

[0036] The determination of whether or not a user is involved in the discussion can be made by referring to the information stored in the temporary discussion information database 109 .

[0037] Regarding whether or not there is an obstruction between the data group under discussion and the user, it is determined that an obstruction exists if the center coordinates of the data group under discussion are in the user's line of sight. For example, when a ray of light or the like is emitted from the user in the line of sight, it can be determined whether or not an obstruction exists by determining whether or not the ray reaches the target data group without obstruction.

[0038] For example, in a discussion held in a small space, if there is not enough space for the users involved in the discussion to fit inside the room, and if the data being discussed cannot be seen from outside the room due to walls, this can lead to failure to transmit information or the creation of an information gap, which can hinder consensus building.

[0039] In such a case, as shown in Fig. 9, a transparency process is performed on an obstacle that exists between the data group under discussion and the users involved in the discussion, such as a part 201 of a wall 200. A well-known transparency process can be used as this transparency process. This transparency process makes the part 201 of the wall 200 transparent, allowing users outside the room to see the data group under discussion inside the room.

[0040] In other words, the transparency processing by the obstruction transparency unit 110 allows users outside the room to participate in discussions in small spaces, thereby eliminating failures in information transmission and information gaps and facilitating consensus building.

[0041] <<Example of virtual space management method>> Next, we will explain a processing example of the virtual space management method in the virtual space management system 100 according to this embodiment with the above configuration. Here, we will explain a processing example from the start to the end of a discussion in the virtual space management system 100, specifically, a processing example on the discussion host side and a processing example on the discussion guest side.

[0042] [Example of processing on the discussion host side] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing on the discussion host side in the virtual space management method in the virtual space management system 100 according to this embodiment.

[0043] First, the intra-space discussion identification unit 106 starts a discussion using a predetermined discussion start method (one of the discussion start methods described above) (step S11), and then determines whether an action to end the discussion has been taken (step S12). The action to end the discussion is taken by operating the discussion end button or by exiting the metaverse.

[0044] If no action regarding the end of the discussion has been taken (NO in S12), the data display position control unit 107 arbitrarily changes or rearranges the position of the data to be discussed by the above-mentioned process (step S13).

[0045] Next, the data display synchronization unit 108 arbitrarily synchronizes the appearance of the layout and position of the data of the users participating in the discussion by the above-mentioned process (step S14), and then returns to step S12.

[0046] If an action to end the discussion is taken in the processing of step S12 (YES in S12), the in-space discussion identification unit 106 ends the discussion, returns the display of the data group to the state it was in at the time of registration (step S15), and ends the series of processes on the discussion host side.

[0047] [Example of processing from the discussion guest side] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing on the discussion guest side in the virtual space management method in the virtual space management system 100 according to this embodiment.

[0048] First, the in-space discussion identification unit 106 receives a request to join a discussion and agrees, or automatically joins the discussion when it is in the vicinity of the discussion host (step S21), and then determines whether an action to end the discussion has been taken (step S22). An action to end the discussion is taken by operating the discussion end button or by exiting the metaverse.

[0049] If no action to end the discussion has been taken (NO in S22), the data display position control unit 107 arbitrarily changes or rearranges the position of the data to be discussed by the above-mentioned process (step S23).

[0050] Next, the data display synchronization unit 108 accepts synchronization regarding the view of the data of the discussion host (step S24). Here, the arrangement is mandatory, and the position is optional.

[0051] Next, the obstruction transmission unit 110 determines whether or not there is an obstruction on the line connecting the line of sight of the users involved in the discussion and the data group being discussed using the method described above (step S25), and if there is no obstruction (NO in S25), returns to step S21.

[0052] If an obstruction is present (YES in S25), the obstruction transmission unit 110 executes the above-described transmission process on the obstruction (step S26), and then returns to step S21.

[0053] If an action to end the discussion is taken in the processing of step S22 (YES in S22), the in-space discussion identification unit 106 ends the discussion, returns the display of the data group to the state it was in at the time of registration (step S27), and ends the series of processes on the discussion guest's side.

[0054] According to the processing of the above-described virtual space management method, in a situation where multiple people are discussing while viewing the same data group, the display system of a specific user can be adjusted to match the display system of other users, thereby reducing the occurrence of misunderstandings between users and facilitating consensus building. Furthermore, since each participant in the discussion can move the spatial location of the data group being discussed to a location (space) that is easy for them to see, failures in information transmission and the occurrence of information gaps can be avoided. Furthermore, in a discussion scene in a small space, users outside the room can also participate in the discussion.

[0055] <<Variations>> It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various other applications and modifications are possible as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the present invention as set forth in the claims. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail and specifically to explain the configuration of the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to an embodiment having all of the components described. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 100...Virtual space management system, 101...User input reception unit, 102...User position update unit, 103...Space display unit, 104...3D (three-dimensional) model database, 105...In-space database, 106...In-space discussion identification unit, 107...Data display position control unit, 108...Data display synchronization unit, 109...Temporary information storage database for discussion, 110...Obstruction transparency unit

Claims

1. A virtual space management system in which multiple users log in to the same space, register and manage data linked to coordinates within the virtual space, and communicate with each other within the virtual space, an in-space discussion identification unit that identifies that a discussion has occurred in the virtual space; and a data display synchronization unit that synchronizes the data display contents between users participating in the discussion. Virtual space management system.

2. The system further includes a data display position control unit that controls the spatial position and arrangement of data being discussed by each user participating in the discussion. The virtual space management system according to claim 1 .

3. The system further includes an obstruction transparency unit that performs transparency processing on an obstruction when an obstruction exists between an individual user participating in the discussion and the data being discussed. The virtual space management system according to claim 1 .

4. A virtual space management method in which multiple users log in to the same space, register and manage data linked to coordinates within the virtual space, and communicate with each other within the virtual space, Identify the occurrence of a discussion in the virtual space, Synchronize data display between users participating in a discussion Virtual space management method.

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