Virtual housing sharing system, virtual housing sharing device and program

Abstract

This invention provides a virtual housing sharing system, virtual housing sharing device, and program that allow people living separately to experience cohabitation in a virtual space. [Solution] The virtual housing sharing system 100 acquires user information, including the location within the home of a home user who lives in their parents' home H, who is one of several users within the group. It generates a virtual housing in the virtual space where the group users communicate. It places the home user's avatar at the location in the generated virtual housing that corresponds to the location in the acquired user information relating to the home user. It detects access to the virtual space from terminal 3 by the group users, and, on the condition that access from terminal 3 is detected, outputs an image of the virtual housing, including the placed avatar, to terminal 3.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a virtual housing sharing system, a virtual housing sharing device, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Family members usually live together in the same house. However, for example, due to work, school, etc., family members may live apart. When family members live apart, it is more difficult to communicate with each other than when living together. Therefore, for example, chat is used for communication between family members (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the chat as described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult for each other to grasp the situation at that time of those living apart. In addition, chat is used not only for conversations between family members but also for conversations between friends. However, in the case of family members, just knowing that they are at home even without talking can give a sense of security. Furthermore, in addition to the case where they are already family members, it would be convenient if those who are going to become family members could experience a pseudo common life of living together without actually living together.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a virtual housing sharing system, a virtual housing sharing device, and a program that enable those living apart to experience living together in a virtual space.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention relates to a virtual dwelling sharing system comprising: a user acquisition means for acquiring user information, including the location within a dwelling of a home user who lives in one of the group users, which is a group of multiple users; a virtual dwelling generation means for generating a virtual dwelling in a virtual space for the group users to communicate; an avatar placement means for placing the home user's avatar at a location in the virtual dwelling generated by the virtual dwelling generation means, corresponding to the location in the user information of the home user acquired by the user acquisition means; an access detection means for detecting access to the virtual space from a terminal by the group users; and an image output means for outputting an image of the virtual dwelling, including the avatar placed by the avatar placement means, to the terminal, provided that the access detection means has detected access from the terminal.

[0007] Furthermore, in the virtual housing sharing system, the virtual housing generation means may generate a virtual housing that has the same floor plan as the first housing.

[0008] Furthermore, in the virtual dwelling sharing system, the user acquisition means may further acquire user information, including the virtual location of the external user in the virtual dwelling, which is entered from the terminal by external users among the group users, excluding the internal user, and the avatar placement means may place the avatar of the external user corresponding to the user information acquired by the user acquisition means at the virtual location in the virtual dwelling.

[0009] Furthermore, the virtual dwelling sharing system may also include notification means that notifies the in-home user of the access when the access detection means detects access to the virtual space from the terminal by the out-of-home user.

[0010] Furthermore, in the virtual housing sharing system, the notification means may notify the in-house user corresponding to the avatar, provided that the virtual location of the out-of-house user and the location of the in-house user's avatar are in the same section of the floor plan.

[0011] Furthermore, in the virtual housing sharing system, the image output means may output an image of the virtual housing from the viewpoint of the virtual location of the user outside the home to the terminal of the user outside the home.

[0012] Furthermore, in the virtual housing sharing system, the virtual housing generation means generates virtual housing with floor plans desired by the multiple users, which is different from the first housing; the user acquisition means further acquires user information, including the location within the housing of off-site users who live in housing other than the first housing; and the avatar placement means may further place the avatar of the off-site user at a location in the virtual housing generated by the virtual housing generation means that corresponds to the location included in the user information relating to the off-site user acquired by the user acquisition means.

[0013] Furthermore, in the virtual housing sharing system, the image output means may output an image of the virtual housing from the viewpoint of the avatar's position to the user's terminal corresponding to the avatar.

[0014] Furthermore, the virtual housing sharing system may include notification means for notifying the in-home user and the out-home user when the virtual location of the out-home user in the virtual housing and the virtual location of the in-home user in the virtual housing are located in the same section of the floor plan.

[0015] Furthermore, in the virtual housing sharing system, the user acquisition means may acquire user information using a wearable device worn by the user.

[0016] Furthermore, in the virtual housing sharing system, the user acquisition means may acquire user information including the user's status, and the avatar placement means may place an avatar that reflects the user's status.

[0017] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a virtual dwelling sharing device comprising: a user acquisition means for acquiring user information including the location within a dwelling of a home user who lives in one of the group users, which is a group of multiple users; a virtual dwelling generation means for generating a virtual dwelling in a virtual space for the group users to communicate; an avatar placement means for placing the home user's avatar at a location in the virtual dwelling generated by the virtual dwelling generation means that corresponds to the location in the user information relating to the home user acquired by the user acquisition means; an access detection means for detecting access to the virtual space from a terminal by the group users; and an image output means for outputting an image of the virtual dwelling, including the avatar placed by the avatar placement means, to the terminal, provided that the access detection means has detected access from the terminal.

[0018] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a program for causing a computer to function as: a user acquisition means for acquiring user information including the location within a house of a home user who lives in one of the group users, which is a group of multiple users; a virtual house generation means for generating a virtual house in a virtual space where the group users communicate; an avatar placement means for placing the home user's avatar at a location in the virtual house generated by the virtual house generation means, corresponding to the location in the user information of the home user acquired by the user acquisition means; an access detection means for detecting access to the virtual space from a terminal by the group users; and an image output means for outputting an image of the virtual house, including the avatar placed by the avatar placement means, to the terminal, provided that the access detection means has detected access from the terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a virtual housing sharing system, a virtual housing sharing device, and a program that allow people living separately to experience cohabitation in a virtual space. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0020] [Figure 1] It is an overall configuration diagram of a virtual housing sharing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a functional block diagram of a virtual housing sharing server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an example of a group storage unit of a virtual housing sharing server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a functional block diagram of a terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a functional block diagram of a wearable device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a flowchart showing an image generation process of a virtual housing sharing server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an example of a generated virtual house according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart showing user information processing of a virtual housing sharing server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an example of a virtual house in which an avatar according to the first embodiment is arranged. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart showing a housing sharing process of a virtual housing sharing server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a continuation of FIG. 10. [Figure 12] It is a diagram for explaining an example of display on a terminal corresponding to the appearance of a home according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing an example of display on a terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] It is an overall schematic diagram in a virtual housing sharing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] It is a functional block diagram of a virtual housing sharing server according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] It is a diagram showing an example related to association by a virtual housing sharing server according to the second embodiment. [Figure 17] It is a flowchart showing a housing sharing process of a virtual housing sharing server according to the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0021] The following describes embodiments for carrying out the present invention with reference to the figures. However, this is merely an example, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. (First Embodiment) [Overall configuration of virtual housing sharing system 100] Figure 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the virtual housing sharing system 100 according to the first embodiment. The virtual housing sharing system 100 shown in Figure 1 is a system that allows a person living in a separate house D to check on the activities of a family member living in their family home H. Furthermore, the virtual housing sharing system 100 enables communication between family members in family home H and those living in house D, as if they were all at family home H. Here, the members that make up the family are also called group users, those who live in the family home H are called in-home users, and those who live in residence D are called out-of-home users.

[0022] The virtual housing sharing system 100 comprises a virtual housing sharing server 1 (virtual housing sharing device), a terminal 3, and a wearable device 4. The virtual housing sharing server 1, terminal 3, and wearable device 4 are connected to the data communication network N. The terminal 3 and wearable device 4 are connected to the data communication network N via a relay device 9, such as a router. Figure 1 illustrates a single family as an example. In this family, the home user (from User PA to User PC) lives at the family home H, while the remote user (User PD) lives at a separate residence D. In this example, User PA is the father, User PB is the mother, and User PC is the younger sister (eldest daughter). User PD is the older brother (eldest son). The older brother, User PD, is a university student and lives in the area where his school is located. In the virtual housing sharing system 100, multiple terminals 3 and wearable devices 4 owned by multiple families are actually connected to the data communication network N via relays 9, etc., and are connected to the virtual housing sharing server 1 in a communicative manner.

[0023] [Virtual Housing Shared Server 1] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the virtual residential shared server 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 3 shows an example of the group storage unit 22 of the virtual residential shared server 1 according to the first embodiment. The virtual housing sharing server 1 is owned by a company that provides services related to the sharing of virtual housing among family members, for example, which are realized by the virtual housing sharing system 100 (hereinafter referred to as the "virtual housing sharing service"). The company providing the virtual housing sharing service is, for example, a house builder that actually provides housing, or a company that provides a platform for the service.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, the virtual residential shared server 1 comprises a control unit 10, a storage unit 20, and a data communication interface 29. The control unit 10 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the entire virtual residential shared server 1. The control unit 10 works in cooperation with the aforementioned hardware to perform various functions by appropriately reading and executing the OS (Operating System) and application programs stored in the memory unit 20. Before explaining the control unit 10, let's explain the storage unit 20.

[0025] The storage unit 20 is a storage area such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory element for storing programs, data, etc., necessary for the control unit 10 to perform various processes. The memory unit 20 stores the program memory unit 21, the group memory unit 22, the virtual dwelling memory unit 23, and the avatar memory unit 24. The program storage unit 21 is a storage area that stores application programs for executing various functions performed by the control unit 10, which will be described later.

[0026] The group memory unit 22 is a memory area that stores information about a group, where members who communicate with each other are grouped together. Figure 3 shows an example of the group storage unit 22. The group storage unit 22, for example, treats a family as one group and stores information about users within the group using the group ID (IDentification) as the key. The group ID is identification information that identifies a group. When registering family members who will use the service, the control unit 10 may assign a unique identification information to the group ID. A user ID is an identifier that identifies a user within a group. Attributes include, for example, family relationships. The location indicates whether the person lives at their parents' home H (in-home) or at a different location from their parents' home H (outside home). The group memory unit 22 may also store an avatar ID for identifying the avatar, a username, and other similar information. The example of the group ID "G01" in the group memory unit 22 shown in Figure 3 relates to the family shown in Figure 1.

[0027] The virtual dwelling memory unit 23 is a memory area that stores data related to virtual dwellings. For example, the virtual dwelling memory unit 23 stores image data of virtual dwellings using the group ID as the key. The avatar storage unit 24 is a memory area that stores various types of avatars. The avatar storage unit 24 stores avatar image data, for example, using an avatar ID that identifies the avatar as a key. The data stored in the memory unit 20 is not limited to those described above. Also, the items in the group memory unit 22 shown in Figure 3 are just examples, and there may be other items or items that replace these items.

[0028] Next, the control unit 10 will be described. The control unit 10 includes a virtual house generation unit 11 (virtual house generation means), a location association unit 12, a user information acquisition unit 13 (user acquisition means), an avatar placement unit 14 (avatar placement means), an access detection unit 15 (access detection means), an image output unit 16 (image output means), and a notification unit 17 (notification means).

[0029] The virtual housing generation unit 11 generates a virtual housing in the virtual space as a place for family members to communicate. For example, the virtual housing generation unit 11 generates a virtual housing with the same floor plan as the homeowner's family home H (the first house) where the user lives. The location association unit 12 associates the location of the home H where the user lives with the location of the virtual residence. Here, the location association unit 12 may associate the location of the home H with the location of the virtual residence in an approximate manner. For example, it may associate the location of one section of the home H with the location of one section of the virtual residence. Here, a section refers to, for example, the living room, dining room, bathroom, master bedroom, children's room, etc.

[0030] The user information acquisition unit 13 acquires user information of the home user received from the wearable device 4 worn by the home user. Here, the user information of the home user includes information about the home user's location at the home H. The user information of the home user also includes information about the home user's state at the home H. The home user's state refers to things like sleeping, eating, relaxing, etc. Furthermore, the user information acquisition unit 13 acquires user information, including the virtual location of the user in the virtual home, which is entered by the user outside the home from terminal 3. The user outside the home can, for example, move their avatar using terminal 3, thereby changing their location in the virtual home. The user information acquisition unit 13 then receives and acquires user information, including information regarding the avatar's location, from terminal 3.

[0031] The avatar placement unit 14 places an image of an avatar corresponding to a user at a virtual location in the virtual dwelling that corresponds to the location of the user inside the home, as acquired by the user information acquisition unit 13. The avatar placement unit 14 also places an avatar of an external user, corresponding to the user information of the external user acquired by the user information acquisition unit 13, at a virtual location in the virtual dwelling. The access detection unit 15 detects access to the virtual space from terminal 3 by a user within the group.

[0032] The image output unit 16 outputs an image of the virtual house, including the avatar placed by the avatar placement unit 14, to terminal 3, provided that the access detection unit 15 has detected access from terminal 3. If the access detection unit 15 detects access from terminal 3 by an external user, the image output unit 16 may output an image of the virtual house from the viewpoint of the external user's virtual location to the external user's terminal 3. Alternatively, if the access detection unit 15 detects access from terminal 3 by an internal user, the image output unit 16 may output an image of the virtual house from, for example, a position from which the virtual house can be viewed from above to the internal user's terminal 3. Or, the image output unit 16 may output an image of the virtual house from, for example, the viewpoint of the avatar corresponding to the internal user to the internal user's terminal 3.

[0033] The notification unit 17 notifies the in-home user about the access, provided that the access detection unit 15 has detected access to the virtual space from the out-of-home user's terminal 3. The notification unit 17 also notifies the in-home user corresponding to the avatar, provided that the out-of-home user's virtual location and the in-home user's avatar location are in the same area.

[0034] Data communication IF29 ​​is the interface with the data communication network N. Furthermore, a computer refers to an information processing device equipped with a control unit, memory device, etc., and the virtual residential shared server 1 is an information processing device equipped with a control unit 10, a memory unit 20, etc., and is included in the concept of a computer. Furthermore, the virtual residential shared server 1 may be implemented not as a single server device, but as a combination of multiple server devices, or it may be a cloud server.

[0035] [Terminal 3] Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of terminal 3 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, terminal 3 is used by both off-site and on-site users. Terminal 3 is used to display the virtual house and move the user's avatar. In Figure 1, terminal 3 is explained using a tablet as an example, but it could also be a mobile device such as a smartphone or a personal computer (PC) such as a notebook computer.

[0036] As shown in Figure 4, terminal 3 comprises a control unit 30, a storage unit 35, a touch panel 38, and a data communication IF 39. The control unit 30 is a CPU that controls the entire terminal 3. The control unit 30 works in cooperation with the aforementioned hardware to perform various functions by appropriately reading and executing the OS and application programs stored in the memory unit 35. The control unit 30 includes an operation reception processing unit 31 and an image reception processing unit 32. The operation reception processing unit 31 receives user operations via the touch panel 38 and sends data corresponding to the operations to the virtual dwelling shared server 1. More specifically, the operation reception processing unit 31 receives an operation to move its own avatar and sends data related to the avatar's movement to the virtual dwelling shared server 1. The image receiving processing unit 32 receives images of the virtual dwelling from the virtual dwelling sharing server 1 and outputs them to the touch panel 38.

[0037] The memory unit 35 is a storage area such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory element for storing programs, data, etc., necessary for the control unit 30 to perform various processes. The memory unit 35 stores the program memory unit 36. The program memory unit 36 ​​is a memory area that stores various programs, including programs for executing the functions of the control unit 30 described above. The touch panel 38 has the function of an input unit that accepts touch operations from the user, and the function of a display unit that is composed of an LCD panel or the like. Data communication IF39 is the interface with the data communication network N.

[0038] [Wearable Device 4] Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of the wearable device 4 according to the first embodiment. Wearable device 4 is a device that a home user at their parents' house H would use, for example, by wearing it on their arm. In Figure 1, the wearable device 4 is illustrated using a wristwatch as an example, but it is not limited to this. The wearable device 4 may also be a wristband, glasses, ring, clip, or the like. As shown in Figure 5, the wearable device 4 comprises a control unit 40, a storage unit 45, a sensor 47, a notification unit 48, and a data communication IF 49.

[0039] The control unit 40 is a CPU that controls the entire wearable device 4. The control unit 40 works in cooperation with the aforementioned hardware to perform various functions by appropriately reading and executing the OS and application programs stored in the memory unit 45. The control unit 40 includes a detection data acquisition processing unit 41 and a signal reception processing unit 42. The detection data acquisition processing unit 41 acquires detection data from the sensor 47 and transmits user information based on the detection data to the virtual dwelling shared server 1. The signal receiving processing unit 42 receives a signal from the virtual residential shared server 1 and processes it to notify the notification unit 48.

[0040] The memory unit 45 is a memory area such as a semiconductor memory element for storing programs, data, etc., necessary for the control unit 40 to perform various processes. The memory unit 45 stores the program memory unit 46. The program memory unit 46 is a memory area that stores various programs, including programs for executing the functions of the control unit 40 described above. Sensor 47 is a device that detects the location and state of the user wearing it. Sensor 47 may include, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) for detecting location information. Sensor 47 may also include devices for detecting, for example, heart rate, body temperature, posture, etc. Sensor 47 may have multiple devices depending on what is being detected.

[0041] The notification unit 48 is a device for notifying the user. The notification unit 48 may be, for example, a device that outputs light, or an audio output device such as a speaker that outputs sound. The notification unit 48 may also be a device that generates vibrations, or a display device such as a display. Furthermore, the notification unit 48 may have a device that corresponds to multiple means, including the examples described above, and may provide notification by multiple means. Data communication IF49 is the interface with the data communication network N.

[0042] [Explanation of the process] Next, we will explain the processing in the virtual housing sharing system 100. First, let's explain the image generation process that is performed beforehand. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the image generation process of the virtual residential shared server 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 7 shows an example of a virtual house 50 generated according to the first embodiment.

[0043] In step S (hereinafter referred to simply as "S") 11 of Figure 6, the control unit 10 (virtual house generation unit 11) of the virtual house sharing server 1 generates a virtual house in the virtual space. A family who wants to use the virtual housing sharing service can, for example, send the floor plan of their family home H to the virtual housing sharing server 1 using terminal 3, and the control unit 10 can then generate a virtual house using the received floor plan. If the family home H is built by a house builder that provides a virtual housing sharing service, that house builder may have information regarding the floor plan and interior design. In such cases, the control unit 10 may generate a virtual house using the floor plan and interior design information stored by the house builder. In this case, it is possible to generate a virtual house with the same interior design as the family home H. Then, the control unit 10 registers the generated virtual house in the virtual house storage unit 23.

[0044] Figure 7 shows an example of the generated virtual house 50. The virtual house 50 is, for example, image data of the family home H in which the family actually lives, rendered as 3DCG (3-Dimensional Computer Graphics). The virtual house 50 shown in Figure 7 is an example of an image of the first floor of the family home H. If the virtual house 50 is a multi-story building, the control unit 10 may create and display images of each of the multiple floors. The virtual house 50 may also have furniture and other items laid out in the same way as the family home H. The furniture and other items can be placed by the user P by editing them using tools or the like on the generated virtual house 50. In this way, the virtual house 50 can be made to resemble the family home H.

[0045] In S12 of Figure 6, the control unit 10 (location association unit 12) associates the location of the generated virtual house with the location of the real house H. For example, if a family member at the real house H moves using the wearable device 4 and specifies the location of the virtual house relative to the location of the wearable device 4 using the terminal 3, the control unit 10 can associate the location of the generated virtual house with the location of the real house H.

[0046] In S13, the control unit 10 generates avatars for the family. For example, a family member at the parent-child home H may send family photos to the virtual home shared server 1 using terminal 3, and the control unit 10 may generate avatars corresponding to each user from the received photos. Alternatively, the virtual home shared server 1 may pre-prepare avatars according to the attributes of the family and store them in the storage unit 20, and for example, one of the family members at the parent-child home H may associate the user with an avatar using terminal 3. The control unit 10 registers the family avatars in the avatar storage unit 24. In S14, the control unit 10 associates the wearable device 4 with the avatar. For example, a family member at the parent's home H may use terminal 3 to associate an identification code that identifies the wearable device 4 with the avatar. This association is stored in the storage unit 20. After that, the control unit 10 terminates this process.

[0047] Next, we will explain the process using virtual housing. First, let's explain the process of reflecting user information in the virtual residence. Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the user information processing of the virtual residential shared server according to the first embodiment. Figure 9 shows an example of a virtual house 50 in which an avatar 51 according to the first embodiment is placed.

[0048] In S21 of Figure 8, the control unit 10 (user information acquisition unit 13) of the virtual home shared server 1 determines whether or not user information has been acquired. For example, in the wearable device 4 worn by the in-home user, the control unit 40 (detection data acquisition processing unit 41) acquires detection data from the sensor 47 and transmits user information based on the acquired detection data to the virtual home shared server 1 as needed. In this way, the control unit 10 acquires user information. If user information has been acquired (S21: YES), the control unit 10 moves the process to S22. On the other hand, if user information has not been acquired (S21: NO), the control unit 10 remains in this process until user information is acquired.

[0049] In S22, the control unit 10 (avatar placement unit 14) places the avatar based on the acquired user information at the location of the generated virtual house. After that, the control unit 10 moves the process to S21. Figure 9 shows an example of a virtual house 50 where an avatar 51 is placed. Avatar 51-A corresponds to User PA (see Figure 1), Avatar 51-B corresponds to User PB, and Avatar 51-C corresponds to User PC.

[0050] This process ensures that when a user is wearing the wearable device 4 at their parents' home H, the avatar corresponding to the user is placed in the same section of the virtual house as the section of their parents' home H. Furthermore, when the user moves around within the house, the avatar corresponding to the user moves around the virtual house accordingly. In addition, the user's state is reflected in the avatar. For example, if the user is sleeping, the avatar is shown as sleeping. Therefore, the displayed virtual house can reflect the user's lifestyle.

[0051] Next, we will explain the processing related to communication between family members using a virtual residence. Figures 10 and 11 are flowcharts showing the housing sharing process of the virtual housing sharing server 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of display on terminal 3 corresponding to the state of the family home H according to the first embodiment. Figure 13 shows an example of the display on terminal 3 according to the first embodiment.

[0052] In step S31 of Figure 10, the control unit 10 (access detection unit 15) of the virtual residential shared server 1 detects access from terminal 3. In S32, the control unit 10 (access detection unit 15) determines whether the access originates from the home user's terminal 3. For example, when a home user logs into the virtual home shared server 1, the control unit 10 can detect that the access originates from the home user's terminal 3 to the virtual space. If the access originates from the home user's terminal 3 (S32: YES), the control unit 10 moves the process to S33. On the other hand, if the access does not originate from the home user's terminal 3 (S32: NO), the control unit 10 moves the process to S35.

[0053] In S33, the control unit 10 (image output unit 16) outputs an image of the virtual house to the in-home user's terminal 3. The image of the virtual house output here is one in which the avatar image is placed according to the process shown in Figure 8. The control unit 10 may output the image of the virtual house to terminal 3 as either an image from a position that allows an overhead view of the virtual house, or an image from the viewpoint of the avatar corresponding to the in-home user. The control unit 10 (image output unit 16) may also switch between outputting each image based on a switching instruction from terminal 3. In this way, the control unit 30 (image reception processing unit 32) of terminal 3 displays the received image on the touch panel 38.

[0054] In S34, the control unit 10 determines whether or not it is detecting access from terminal 3. If it is detecting access (S34: YES), the control unit 10 moves the process to S33. On the other hand, if, for example, the home user logs out of the virtual home shared server 1 and access from terminal 3 is no longer detected (S34: NO), the control unit 10 terminates this process.

[0055] On the other hand, in S35, the control unit 10 (notification unit 17) notifies the in-home user about the access. Here, the processing in S35 is performed when the detected access is from the terminal 3 of an outside-home user. More specifically, the control unit 10 sends a notification signal to the in-home user's wearable device 4. As a result, in the wearable device 4 of the user inside the home, the control unit 40 (signal reception processing unit 42) receives a signal and processes a notification to the notification unit 48. Therefore, the user inside the home can be notified by the notification from the notification unit 48 that the user outside the home has entered the virtual space. This notification allows the user inside the home to feel that the user outside the home has returned to their family home H. For example, one notification could be a voice message saying, "I'm home." By pre-registering voice messages from users outside the home, a more realistic notification can be achieved.

[0056] In S36, the control unit 10 (image output unit 16) outputs an image of the virtual house to terminal 3. The image of the virtual house output here contains the avatar's image. The control unit 10 outputs an image of the virtual house from the viewpoint of the virtual location of the user outside the home as the image of the virtual house to be output to terminal 3. After that, the control unit 10 moves the process to S41 in Figure 11.

[0057] Figure 12(A) shows the actual state of user PB, the mother, in the kitchen of her family home H. Figure 12(B) also shows an image 60 of the location of the kitchen in the virtual house 50 as seen from the virtual location of a user outside the home. In image 60 of Figure 12(B), avatar 51-B is positioned in the kitchen. In this way, the user outside the home can view image 60 of the virtual house 50 from the viewpoint of the user's virtual location. Therefore, the user outside the home can see image 60 of avatar 51-B in the virtual house 50 and confirm that their mother is in the kitchen, which is an example of what their parents' house H looks like.

[0058] In step S41 of Figure 11, the control unit 10 determines whether or not it has received data related to the movement operation of the avatar corresponding to the user outside the home. The user outside the home can move their avatar in the virtual home displayed on the touch panel 38 by operating the touch panel 38. By doing so, the control unit 30 (operation reception processing unit 31) of the terminal 3 receives the operation and transmits data corresponding to the operation to the virtual home shared server 1. If data related to movement operations is received (S41: YES), the control unit 10 moves the processing to S42. On the other hand, if data related to movement operations is not received (S41: NO), the control unit 10 moves the processing to S46. In S42, the control unit 10 performs avatar movement processing corresponding to the received data.

[0059] In S43, the control unit 10 determines whether the virtual location of the user outside the home is in the same area as the user inside the home as a result of the movement. If they are in the same area (S43: YES), the control unit 10 moves the process to S44. On the other hand, if they are not in the same area (S43: NO), the control unit 10 moves the process to S46. In S44, the control unit 10 determines whether or not notification has already been given. This process is to ensure that if notification of being in the same area has been given once, notification is not given again while the user is in the same area. If notification has already been given (S44: YES), the control unit 10 moves the process to S46. On the other hand, if notification has not been given (S44: NO), the control unit 10 moves the process to S45.

[0060] In S45, the control unit 10 (notification unit 17) notifies the in-home user who is in the same area as the virtual location of the out-of-home user. More specifically, the control unit 10 transmits a notification signal to the in-home user's wearable device 4. As a result, the control unit 40 (signal reception processing unit 42) in the wearable device 4 of the in-home user receives a signal and processes a notification to the notification unit 48. Therefore, the in-home user can be notified that the out-of-home user is in the same area. Note that the notification when the out-of-home user is in the same area may be different from the notification when the out-of-home user enters the virtual dwelling (S35 in Figure 10). Here, the terminal 3 of the user outside the home and the wearable device 4 of the user inside the home, which has received a notification, can be used to activate functions such as voice conversation or chat on each device, enabling them to communicate with each other. In this way, the user outside the home and the user inside the home can communicate as if they were actually in the same area.

[0061] In S46, the control unit 10 determines whether or not it is detecting access from terminal 3. If it is detecting access (S46: YES), the control unit 10 moves the process to S36 in Figure 10. On the other hand, if, for example, an external user logs out of the virtual home shared server 1 and access from terminal 3 is no longer detected (S46: NO), the control unit 10 moves the process to S47.

[0062] In S47, the control unit 10 (notification unit 17) notifies the in-home user. More specifically, the control unit 10 sends a notification signal to the in-home user's wearable device 4. After that, the control unit 10 terminates this process. As a result, in the wearable device 4 of the user inside the home, the control unit 40 (signal reception processing unit 42) receives a signal and processes a notification to the notification unit 48. Therefore, the user inside the home can be notified that the user outside the home has left the virtual space.

[0063] Next, we will explain other display examples for terminal 3. Figure 13 shows image 61 of the virtual home 50 of avatar 51-D of an external user. Image 61 can be displayed, for example, on the terminal 3 of a user inside the home. When the user inside the home performs an operation on the image of the virtual house 50 output to terminal 3, the control unit 10 transmits the image 61 of the virtual house 50, including the location of the avatar 51-D of the user outside the home, to terminal 3. This process allows the user inside the home to feel as if the user outside the home is at their parents' house H.

[0064] Thus, the virtual housing sharing system 100 of the first embodiment has the following effects. (1) The virtual dwelling shared server 1 acquires user information, including the location within the home of a user who lives in their parents' home H, among the group users, generates a virtual dwelling in the virtual space for the group users to communicate, places the home user's avatar at the location in the generated virtual dwelling corresponding to the location in the user information of the home user, and outputs an image of the virtual dwelling including the placed avatar to terminal 3, provided that access to the virtual space by a group user from terminal 3 is detected. Furthermore, the virtual housing shared server 1 is configured to generate a virtual housing unit with the same floor plan as the actual home H. Therefore, an image of the virtual house 50, where the avatar of the user residing at their family home H is placed, can be output to terminal 3. This allows the user's lifestyle at their family home H to be reflected in the virtual space as the virtual house 50.

[0065] (2) The virtual dwelling shared server 1 further acquires user information, including the virtual location in the virtual dwelling, which is entered by the off-site user from terminal 3 among the group users, and places the off-site user's avatar corresponding to the acquired user information in the virtual location in the virtual dwelling. Therefore, for example, an in-home user can refer to terminal 3 to see what the out-of-home user is doing in the virtual home.

[0066] (3) The virtual dwelling shared server 1 is configured to notify users inside the dwelling when it detects access to the virtual space from terminal 3 by an external user. Therefore, the in-home user who receives the notification may get the impression that there is an external user present.

[0067] (4) The virtual dwelling shared server 1 is configured to notify the in-house user corresponding to the avatar, provided that the virtual location of the out-of-house user and the location of the in-house user's avatar are in the same section of the floor plan. Therefore, it can serve as an opportunity for in-home users to initiate conversations with out-of-home users.

[0068] (5) The virtual dwelling shared server 1 is configured to output an image of the virtual dwelling from the viewpoint of the virtual location of the user outside the home to the user's terminal 3. Therefore, users outside their home can view images of a virtual residence that makes them feel as if they are at their parents' home H.

[0069] (6) The virtual dwelling shared server 1 is configured to acquire user information using the wearable device 4 worn by the user. Therefore, simply by wearing the wearable device 4 while at home H, the user's avatar can be reflected in the virtual house.

[0070] (7) The virtual dwelling shared server 1 acquires user information, including the user's status, and places an avatar that reflects the user's status. Therefore, a user's avatar can also represent the user's state.

[0071] (Second Embodiment) In the second embodiment, we will describe a system that allows individuals who are not family, such as lovers or friends, to experience living together in a virtual house. In the following description, parts that perform the same functions as in the first embodiment described above will be denoted by the same reference numerals or the same reference numerals at the end, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

[0072] [Overall configuration of the virtual housing sharing system 200] Figure 14 is an overall configuration diagram of the virtual housing sharing system 200 according to the second embodiment. The virtual housing sharing system 200 shown in Figure 14 is a system that enables a simulated experience of living together with people who are not family, such as lovers or friends. Here, among those who wish to live together and experience a simulated communal living environment (group users), those who live in residence X (one residence) are also called users PX (in-home users), and those who live in residence Y (another residence) different from residence X are also called users PY (out-of-home users). The virtual housing sharing system 200 comprises a virtual housing sharing server 201 (virtual housing sharing device), a terminal 3, and a wearable device 4. The terminal 3 and the wearable device 4 are connected to a data communication network N via a relay device 9, such as a router.

[0073] [Virtual Housing Shared Server 1] Figure 15 is a functional block diagram of the virtual dwelling shared server 201 according to the second embodiment. The virtual residential shared server 201 comprises a control unit 210, a storage unit 220, and a data communication IF 29. The control unit 210 includes a virtual house generation unit 211, a location association unit 212, a user information acquisition unit 213, an avatar placement unit 214, an access detection unit 15, an image output unit 216, and a notification unit 217.

[0074] The virtual housing generation unit 211 generates a virtual housing in a virtual space for prospective cohabitants to use as a simulated experience. For example, the virtual housing generation unit 211 generates a virtual housing with a floor plan desired by the prospective cohabitants. The location association unit 212 associates the location of the house X where user PX lives with the location of the virtual house. The location association unit 212 also associates the location of the house Y where user PY lives with the location of the virtual house. Here, the location association unit 212 may associate the locations of houses X and Y with the location of the virtual house based on approximate locations.

[0075] The user information acquisition unit 213 acquires user information of user PX and user PY received from the wearable device 4 worn by user PX and user PY. The avatar placement unit 214 places the images of each avatar corresponding to user PX and user PY at the virtual house locations corresponding to the user PX and user PY locations acquired by the user information acquisition unit 213.

[0076] The image output unit 216 outputs an image of the virtual house, including the avatar placed by the avatar placement unit 214, to terminal 3, provided that the access detection unit 15 has detected access from terminal 3. Here, the image output unit 216 may also output an image of the virtual house from the viewpoint of each user's (user PX or user PY) virtual location to each user's terminal 3. The notification unit 217 notifies user PX and user PY when the virtual location of user PX and the virtual location of user PY are in the same area.

[0077] The memory unit 220 stores the program memory unit 221, the group memory unit 222, the virtual dwelling memory unit 23, and the avatar memory unit 24. The program storage unit 221 is a storage area that stores application programs for executing the various functions performed by the control unit 210 described above. The group memory unit 222, for example, groups together people who wish to live in a single virtual residence, and uses the group ID as a key to store information about the users within the group, such as user IDs.

[0078] [Explanation of the process] Next, we will explain the processing in the virtual housing sharing system 200. Figure 16 shows an example of association by the virtual dwelling shared server 201 according to the second embodiment. The image generation process performed in advance is the same as in the first embodiment (Figure 6). As the process corresponding to S11 in Figure 6, a couple who wish to use the virtual housing sharing service can, for example, use terminal 3 to send a floor plan of their desired house to the virtual housing sharing server 201. The control unit 210 (virtual housing generation unit 211) of the virtual housing sharing server 201 then generates a virtual house using the received floor plan.

[0079] As the process corresponding to S12 in Figure 6, the control unit 210 (location association unit 212) of the virtual dwelling sharing server 201 associates the location of the generated virtual dwelling with the location of dwelling X. The control unit 210 (location association unit 212) of the virtual dwelling sharing server 201 also associates the location of the generated virtual dwelling with the location of dwelling Y. As processing for S13 in Figure 6, the control unit 210 of the virtual dwelling shared server 201 generates avatars for user PX and user PY. In S14 of Figure 6, the control unit 210 of the virtual dwelling shared server 201 associates the wearable device 4 with the avatar.

[0080] Figure 16 shows an example of association. Figure 16 shows floor plans 271 of house X where user PX lives, and floor plans 272 of house Y where user PY lives. Furthermore, Figure 16 shows floor plans 275 of the houses desired by users PX and PY. Once the association is established, floor plan 275 will show avatar 251-X, corresponding to user PX, and avatar 251-Y, corresponding to user PY, in the same area. Note that floor plan 275 has more rooms than floor plan 271 of house X and floor plan 272 of house Y. In such cases, when associating the location of the virtual house with that of the real house, it is possible to divide the area of ​​the real house and associate each area with each room of the virtual house.

[0081] Next, we will explain the process using virtual housing. The user information processing that reflects user information in the virtual residence is the same as in the first embodiment (Figure 8). This section explains communication between prospective cohabitants using virtual housing. Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the housing sharing process of the virtual housing sharing server 201 according to the second embodiment. In S231 of Figure 17, the control unit 210 (access detection unit 15) of the virtual residential shared server 201 determines whether or not it has detected access from terminal 3. If access from terminal 3 is detected (S231: YES), the control unit 210 moves the process to S232. On the other hand, if access from terminal 3 is not detected (S231: NO), the control unit 210 moves the process to S233.

[0082] In S232, the control unit 210 (image output unit 216) outputs an image of the virtual house to terminal 3. The control unit 210 outputs an image of the virtual house from the viewpoint of the user's virtual location on terminal 3 as the image of the virtual house to be output to terminal 3. In S233, the control unit 210 determines whether each user's virtual location is in the same partition. If they are in the same partition (S233: YES), the control unit 210 moves the process to S234. On the other hand, if they are not in the same partition (S233: NO), the control unit 210 moves the process to S236. In S234, the control unit 210 determines whether or not notification has been given. If notification has been given (S234: YES), the control unit 210 moves the process to S236. On the other hand, if notification has not been given (S234: NO), the control unit 210 moves the process to S235.

[0083] In S235, the control unit 210 (notification unit 217) notifies each user whose avatar is in the same area. More specifically, the control unit 210 sends a notification signal to each user's wearable device 4. As a result, in each user's wearable device 4, the control unit 40 (signal reception processing unit 42) receives a signal and processes a notification to the notification unit 48. Therefore, each user can be informed that the other party is in the same area, and subsequent communication can be facilitated. In S236, the control unit 210 determines whether or not it is detecting access from terminal 3. If it is detecting access (S236: YES), the control unit 210 moves the process to S232. On the other hand, if it is no longer detecting access from terminal 3 (S236: NO), the control unit 210 moves the process to S233.

[0084] Thus, the virtual housing sharing system 200 of the second embodiment has the following effects. (1) The virtual housing sharing server 201 generates virtual housings with floor plans desired by multiple users, which are different from the first housing. It further acquires user information, including the location within the housing of off-site users who live in other housings different from the first housing. The server then places the off-site users' avatars in the generated virtual housings at locations corresponding to the locations included in the acquired user information relating to the off-site users. Therefore, it is possible to place the avatars of both user PX, who lives in house X, and user PY, who lives in house Y, in the virtual houses they desire. Therefore, virtual housing can be used to realize the experience of living in the housing desired by those who wish to live together.

[0085] (2) The virtual house sharing server 201 outputs an image of the virtual house from the viewpoint of the avatar's location to the user terminal 3 corresponding to the avatar. Therefore, it is possible to give users the feeling that they are living in a virtual home.

[0086] (3) The virtual dwelling shared server 201 is configured to notify both the in-home and out-home users when the virtual location of an out-home user and the virtual location of an in-home user are located in the same section of the floor plan. Therefore, when in the same area, both parties can sense the other's proximity.

[0087] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Furthermore, the effects described in the embodiments are merely a list of the most preferred effects arising from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiments. The embodiments described above and the modified forms described later can be used in combination as appropriate, but a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0088] (Transformed form) (1) In each embodiment, the example described uses a wearable device 4 to acquire user information, but is not limited to this. For example, sensors may be installed in each room, and the location of family members may be acquired by these sensors. In this case, it is not possible to know who is there, but it is possible to know where someone is. Alternatively, for example, a camera may be used. Camera images allow for a better understanding of the user's details, but may raise privacy issues.

[0089] (2) In the first embodiment, the example of a university student living away from his family home H was used as an example of a family home H and other residences D, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the father may be working away from home. Alternatively, a foreign worker may be working in Japan.

[0090] (3) In the first embodiment, we described an example in which, for a user PD who is in a different house D than his real home H, the family at his real home H can see the avatar operated by the user PD, which is placed in a virtual house with the same floor plan as his real home H. However, we are not limited to this. For example, a virtual house with the same floor plan as the house D in which the user PD lives may be created, the user information of the user PD may be obtained, and the avatar may be reflected in the virtual house with the same floor plan as house D, so that the PC can be seen by the user PA at his real home H. Alternatively, both the avatar operated by the user PD placed in the virtual house with the same floor plan as his real home H and the avatar placed in the virtual house with the same floor plan as house D may be visible.

[0091] (4) In the second embodiment, an example of a man and a woman as cohabitants was described, but the example is not limited to this. For example, it may be two people of the same sex. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the service provider of the virtual housing sharing service may offer a service that periodically changes the desired housing location where the avatar will be placed. This would allow users to use the avatar as a reference when choosing a housing to buy or rent when actually living together.

[0092] (5) The systems described in each embodiment may be, for example, those that involve launching an application, or they may be web-based systems. (6) In each embodiment, an example has been described in which various types of information are stored in the memory unit, but the system is not limited thereto. Various types of information may also be stored in an external device connected to the virtual residential shared server. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0093] 1,201 Virtual Housing Shared Server (Virtual Housing Shared Device) 3 terminals 4. Wearable devices 10,30,40,210 Control Unit 11,211 Virtual Housing Generation Unit 12,212 Position association section 13,213 User Information Acquisition Unit 14,214 Avatar placement section 15 Access detection unit 16,216 Image output section 17,217 Notification Department 20,35,45,220 Storage section 21,36,46,221 Program storage 22,222 Group Memory Units 23 Virtual Housing Memory Unit 24 Avatar Memory Unit 38 Touch Panel 47 Sensors 48 Hochi Department 50 Virtual Housing 51-A, 51-B, 51-C, 51-D, 251-X, 251-Y Avatars Images 60, 61 100,200 Virtual Housing Sharing System Floor plans 271, 272, 275 D,X,Y Housing H's family home N Data Communication Network PA, PB, PC, PD, PX, PY users

Claims

1. A user acquisition means that acquires user information including the location within a house of one of the group users who lives in a house, among multiple users within a group, A virtual dwelling generation means for generating a virtual dwelling in a virtual space for users within the aforementioned group to communicate, An avatar placement means for placing the avatar of the in-home user at the location of the virtual dwelling generated by the virtual dwelling generation means, which corresponds to the location of the user information relating to the in-home user acquired by the user acquisition means, Access detection means for detecting access to the virtual space from a terminal by a user within the group, Conditional on the access detection means detecting access from the terminal, an image output means outputs an image of the virtual house, including the avatar placed by the avatar placement means, to the terminal. A virtual housing sharing system equipped with these features.

2. In the virtual housing sharing system described in claim 1, The virtual housing generation means is a virtual housing sharing system that generates a virtual housing that has the same floor plan as the first housing.

3. In the virtual housing sharing system described in claim 2, The user acquisition means further acquires the user information, including the virtual location of the external user in the virtual residence, which is entered from the terminal by external users among the users in the group, excluding the internal user. The avatar placement means is a virtual dwelling sharing system that places the avatar of the off-site user corresponding to the user information acquired by the user acquisition means at a virtual location in the virtual dwelling.

4. In the virtual housing sharing system described in claim 3, A virtual dwelling sharing system comprising a notification means that notifies an in-home user of access when the access detection means detects access to the virtual space from the terminal by the out-of-home user.

5. In the virtual housing sharing system described in claim 4, A virtual dwelling sharing system in which the notification means notifies the in-house user corresponding to the avatar, on the condition that the virtual location of the out-of-house user and the location of the in-house user's avatar are in the same section of the floor plan.

6. In the virtual housing sharing system described in claim 3, The image output means outputs an image of the virtual house from the viewpoint of the virtual location of the user outside the home to the terminal of the user outside the home, in a virtual house sharing system.

7. In the virtual housing sharing system described in claim 1, The virtual housing generation means generates virtual housings that are different from the one housing, and have floor plans desired by the multiple users. The user acquisition means further acquires user information including the location within a residence of an external user who lives in a residence other than the first residence, A virtual dwelling sharing system in which the avatar placement means further places the avatar of the off-site user at the location of the virtual dwelling generated by the virtual dwelling generation means, which corresponds to the location included in the user information relating to the off-site user acquired by the user acquisition means.

8. In the virtual housing sharing system described in claim 7, The image output means is a virtual dwelling sharing system that outputs an image of the virtual dwelling from the viewpoint of the avatar's position to the user's terminal corresponding to the avatar.

9. In the virtual housing sharing system described in claim 7, A virtual dwelling sharing system comprising notification means for notifying the in-home user and the out-of-home user in response to the fact that the virtual location of the out-of-home user in the virtual dwelling and the virtual location of the in-home user in the virtual dwelling are located in the same section of the floor plan.

10. In the virtual housing sharing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, The user acquisition means is a virtual housing sharing system that acquires user information using a wearable device worn by the user.

11. In the virtual housing sharing system according to claim 10, The user acquisition means acquires the user information, including the user's status, The avatar placement means is a virtual housing sharing system that places the avatar reflecting the user's state.

12. A user acquisition means that acquires user information including the location within a house of one of the group users who lives in a house, among multiple users within a group, A virtual dwelling generation means for generating a virtual dwelling in a virtual space for users within the aforementioned group to communicate, An avatar placement means for placing the avatar of the in-home user at the location of the virtual dwelling generated by the virtual dwelling generation means, which corresponds to the location of the user information relating to the in-home user acquired by the user acquisition means, Access detection means for detecting access to the virtual space from a terminal by a user within the group, Conditional on the access detection means detecting access from the terminal, an image output means outputs an image of the virtual house, including the avatar placed by the avatar placement means, to the terminal. A virtual residential shared device equipped with the following features.

13. Computers, A user acquisition means that acquires user information including the location within a house of one of the group users who lives in a house, among multiple users within a group, A virtual dwelling generation means for generating a virtual dwelling in a virtual space for users within the aforementioned group to communicate, An avatar placement means for placing the avatar of the in-home user at the location of the virtual dwelling generated by the virtual dwelling generation means, which corresponds to the location of the user information relating to the in-home user acquired by the user acquisition means, Access detection means for detecting access to the virtual space from a terminal by a user within the group, Conditional on the access detection means detecting access from the terminal, an image output means outputs an image of the virtual house, including the avatar placed by the avatar placement means, to the terminal. A program to make it work.

Images