Virtual vehicle gear shifting method and apparatus, device and computer program

Abstract

This application discloses a method, apparatus, device, and storage medium for shifting gears in a virtual vehicle, which is related to applications supporting virtual environments. The method includes the steps of: displaying a virtual environment and a virtual vehicle running in the virtual environment on a user interface (602); acquiring device motion data collected by a motion sensor within the device during the process of displaying the user interface (604); identifying a tap operation on the device based on the device motion data (606); and displaying at least one of shifting the virtual vehicle up a gear and shifting the virtual vehicle down a gear in response to a gear shift command triggered by the tap operation (608). The tap operation, which is different from a touch operation on a display screen of the device, does not interfere with a user's touch operation on the display screen and has high operation precision. Therefore, the user can precisely control the gears of the virtual vehicle with just a tap operation, thereby achieving precise control of the virtual vehicle.

Description

Related Applications

[0001] This application claims priority from a Chinese patent application filed on April 28, 2023, bearing application number 202310489031.7, and entitled "Virtual vehicle gear shifting method and device, equipment and storage medium," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Technical Field]

[0002] This application relates to the field of application programs supporting virtual environments, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for shifting gears in a virtual vehicle, a device, and a storage medium. [Background technology]

[0003] In a car racing game, a user can control a virtual vehicle to travel in a virtual environment. The user's control of the virtual vehicle includes control over the virtual vehicle's traveling direction (e.g., forward, backward, left turn, right turn), traveling speed, and virtual items (e.g., nitrogen gas acceleration items) to be used. A vehicle in the real world may shift gears while traveling, and the gear is inversely proportional to the vehicle's acceleration capability but proportional to the vehicle's top speed. In related art, virtual vehicles typically employ an automatic gear shift mode, i.e., a client installed and operating on a computer device (e.g., a terminal) automatically shifts the gears of the virtual vehicle.

[0004] By automatically controlling the gears of the virtual vehicle in automatic mode, the user may not be able to manually control the gears of the virtual vehicle, resulting in inaccurate control of the virtual vehicle. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present application provides a gear shifting method and apparatus for a virtual vehicle, a device, and a storage medium that can achieve precise control of the virtual vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present application, there is provided a method for shifting gears in a virtual vehicle executed by a computing device, comprising: displaying on a user interface a virtual environment and the virtual vehicle moving in the virtual environment, the virtual vehicle having at least two gears; acquiring terminal motion data collected by a motion sensor in the terminal during the process of displaying the user interface; a step of identifying a tap operation on the terminal based on the terminal motion data, the tap operation being an operation of tapping on a surface of the terminal; and in response to the gear shift command triggered by the tap operation, displaying at least one of a gear increase of the virtual vehicle and a gear decrease of the virtual vehicle in response to the gear shift command.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a display module for displaying on a user interface a virtual environment and the virtual vehicle traveling in the virtual environment, the virtual vehicle having at least two gears; an acquisition module for acquiring terminal motion data collected by a motion sensor in the terminal during the process of displaying the user interface; an identification module that identifies a tap operation on the terminal based on the terminal motion data, the tap operation being an operation of tapping on a surface of the terminal; The display module provides a gearshift device of the virtual vehicle that, in response to a gearshift command triggered by the tap operation, displays at least one of an increase in gear of the virtual vehicle and a decrease in gear of the virtual vehicle in response to the gearshift command.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a computer device including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores at least a portion of a program that, when loaded and executed by the processor, implements the gear shifting method for a virtual vehicle described in the above aspect.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon at least a portion of a program that, when loaded and executed by a processor, implements the gear shifting method for a virtual vehicle described in the above aspect.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a computer program product or computer program including computer instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, the computer instructions being read by a processor of a computing device from the computer-readable storage medium and executed by the processor to cause the computing device to perform a method for shifting gears in a virtual vehicle as provided by various alternative implementations of the above aspect. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The solution according to the present application can achieve at least the following beneficial effects:

[0012] By performing a tap operation on a computer device (terminal), a gear change of a virtual vehicle (virtual vehicle) can be triggered, i.e., the virtual vehicle can be shifted up and / or down. This tap operation, which is different from a touch operation on the display screen of the terminal, does not interfere with the user's touch operation on the display screen and has high operation precision. Therefore, the user can precisely control the gear of the virtual vehicle by simply tapping, thereby achieving precise control of the virtual vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] In the following, in order to more clearly explain the solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings necessary for explaining the embodiments will be briefly described. However, the drawings described below are only related to some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that a person skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative work. [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between vehicle speed and engine speed according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state of an object in three-dimensional space according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a terminal according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application; [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a computer system according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of performing a gear shift on a virtual vehicle according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of a virtual vehicle gear shifting method according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application; [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a user interface according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of a virtual vehicle gear shifting method according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application; [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a user interface according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating virtual sampling points according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application; [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a steering wheel of a racing car according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application; [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating virtual sampling points according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application; [Figure 13] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation process of shifting gears according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application; [Figure 14]1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a gearshift device of a virtual vehicle according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application; [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a terminal according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0014] The drawings herein are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application, and together with the specification, serve to explain the principles of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] In order to make the object, solution and advantages of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the nouns related to the embodiments of the present application will be described.

[0016] Virtual environment: A virtual environment that is displayed (or provided) when an application program runs on a terminal. The virtual environment may be an environment that simulates the real world, an environment that is half simulated and half virtualized, or a completely virtualized environment. The virtual environment may be any one of a 2D virtual environment, a 2.5D virtual environment, and a 3D virtual environment, but is not limited thereto in the embodiments of the present application.

[0017] Virtual vehicle: refers to at least one movable object controlled by a user in a virtual environment. The virtual vehicle may be a vehicle that simulates a vehicle in the real world, a vehicle that is half simulated and half virtual, or a completely virtual vehicle. The virtual vehicle includes at least one of an air vehicle, a water vehicle, and a land vehicle. Each virtual vehicle has its own shape and volume in the virtual environment and occupies a portion of the space in the virtual environment. This application mainly uses an example in which the virtual vehicle is a virtual car.

[0018] User Interface (UI) Control: Any visible control or element seen in the user interface of an application program. Examples include pictures, input boxes, text boxes, buttons, tags, and other controls, some of which respond to user interaction.

[0019] Manual: In the real world, a manual is a manual gearshift mechanical transmission (also known as MT) used in automobiles. In a manual automobile, the driver manually moves a gearshift lever to change the engagement position of the gears in the transmission, thereby changing the gear ratio and achieving the goal of changing the vehicle's speed. In this application, manual refers to an operation mode in which the user operates a virtual vehicle (virtual vehicle) to change the gear ratio of the virtual vehicle, thereby adjusting the rotational speed output from the virtual vehicle (e.g., the speed of the virtual vehicle).

[0020] Transmission: The role of the transmission can be expressed by the following formula.

[0021]

number

[0022] where N is the rotational speed and r is the reduction ratio. wheel represents the wheel rotation speed, and N eng represents the rotational speed of the engine crankshaft (engine speed), and r trans represents the variable (different gear) reduction ratio of the transmission, and r final is the other non-variable part of the powertrain. The higher the gear, the higher the r trans becomes smaller, and similar N wheel N required to maintain eng There will also be fewer.

[0023] Shifting up / down: If the accelerator pedal is not depressed after downshifting, the vehicle (virtual vehicle) will slow down. If the accelerator pedal is depressed after downshifting, the vehicle's rotation speed will increase more quickly, achieving an acceleration effect. Shifting down the vehicle increases torque and improves acceleration ability. On the other hand, shifting up the vehicle increases the vehicle's top speed, which refers to the maximum vehicle speed (engine speed) that the vehicle can reach.

[0024] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between vehicle speed and engine speed according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1, the higher the gear of the vehicle, the faster the vehicle speed at the same engine speed, so the main purpose of upshifting is to improve the vehicle's top speed. On the other hand, the lower the gear of the vehicle, the faster the engine speed at the same vehicle speed, so the main purpose of downshifting is to improve the vehicle's acceleration capability.

[0025] 6-Dimensional (6D) Detection: FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the state of an object in a three-dimensional space according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2, an object (e.g., a mobile phone) located in the 3D space can be divided into six directions based on the spatial coordinate axes, as shown in (a) to (f) of FIG. 2. Based on this, a hardware device (e.g., a terminal) can obtain its current spatial direction information and develop related interaction operation applications, such as "tap," "flip," etc.

[0026] The method according to the present application can be applied to an application program having a virtual environment and a virtual vehicle. Exemplarily, the application program supporting a virtual environment is an application program in which a user can control a virtual vehicle to move within the virtual environment. Exemplarily, the method according to the present application can be applied to any one of a virtual reality (VR) application program, an augmented reality (AR) program, a 3D map program, a virtual reality game, an augmented reality game, a first-person shooter game (FPS), a third-person shooter game (TPS), a multiplayer online battle arena game (MOBA), and a simulation game (SLG). For example, a game in a virtual environment may consist of one or more game world maps, and the virtual environment in the game may be a simulation of a scene in the real world. Users may operate and control virtual characters in the game to walk, run, jump, shoot, fight, drive, etc. in the virtual environment, and may control virtual vehicles to travel in the virtual environment, which is highly interactive and allows multiple users to team up online to play competitive games.

[0027] In some embodiments, the application program may be a program such as a shooting game, a racing game, a car racing game, a role-playing game, an adventure game, a sandbox game, or a tactical game. The client may support at least one of the following operating systems: Windows, Apple, Android, iOS, and Linux. Clients of different operating systems may connect and communicate with each other. In some embodiments, the client is a program applicable to a mobile terminal having a touchscreen. For example, a method for shifting gears in a virtual vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application may be applied to an application program supporting a car racing game, allowing a player to control the virtual vehicle to engage in a virtual race. Also, for example, a method for shifting gears in a virtual vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application may be applied to an application program supporting a role-playing game, allowing a player to control the virtual vehicle to move through a virtual scene, thereby satisfying the player's sightseeing needs.

[0028] In some embodiments, the client is an application program developed based on a 3D engine, for example, the 3D engine is the Unity engine. The terminal in this application may be a desktop computer, a laptop portable computer, a mobile phone, a tablet, an e-reader, an MP3 (Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer III) player, an MP4 (Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer IV) player, or the like. A client supporting a virtual environment, for example, a client of an application program supporting a 3D virtual environment, is installed and running on the terminal. The application program may be any one of a battle royale (BR) game, a virtual reality application program, an augmented reality program, a 3D map program, a third-person shooter game, a first-person shooter game, a multiplayer online battle arena game, a car racing game, and a racing game. Alternatively, the application program may be a standalone application program, such as a standalone 3D game program, or a network-connected application program.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The terminal includes a processor 301, a touchscreen 302, and a memory 303. The processor 301 may be at least one of a single-core processor, a multi-core processor, an embedded chip, and a processor with instruction execution capabilities. The touchscreen 302 includes a general touchscreen or a pressure-sensitive touchscreen. A general touchscreen can measure a pressing or sliding operation applied to the touchscreen 302, while a pressure-sensitive touchscreen can measure a pressing force applied to the touchscreen 302. The memory 303 stores programs executable by the processor 301. For example, the memory 303 stores a virtual environment program A, an application program B, an application program C, a touch (and pressure) sensing module 38, and an operating system kernel layer 39. Here, the virtual environment program A is an application program developed based on a 3D virtual environment module 37. Optionally, the virtual environment program A includes at least one of a game program, a virtual reality program, a 3D map program, and a 3D presentation program developed by a 3D virtual environment module (also referred to as a virtual environment module) 37, but is not limited thereto. For example, if the terminal's operating system is the Android operating system, the virtual environment program A is developed using the Java programming language and the C# language. Also, for example, if the terminal's operating system is the IOS operating system, the virtual environment program A is developed using the Object-C programming language and the C# language. The 3D virtual environment module 37 is a module that supports multiple operating system platforms. For example, the 3D virtual environment module may be used for program development in multiple fields, such as game development, virtual reality (VR), and 3D map development. However, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific type of the 3D virtual environment module 37.The touch (and pressure) sensing module 38 is a module that receives touch events (and pressure touch events) reported from the touchscreen driver program 391. Alternatively, the touch sensing module may not have a pressure sensing function and not receive pressure touch events. A touch event includes a touch event type and coordinate values. Touch event types include, but are not limited to, a touch start event, a touch move event, and a touch drop event. A pressure touch event includes a pressure value and coordinate values ​​of the pressure touch event. The coordinate values ​​indicate the touch position of the pressure touch operation on the display screen. Exemplarily, the kernel layer 39 includes a touchscreen driver program 391 and other driver programs 392. The touchscreen driver program 391 is a module that detects pressure touch events and, upon detecting a pressure touch event, transmits the detected pressure touch event to the touch (and pressure) sensing module 38. The other driver programs 392 may be a driver program for the processor 301, a driver program for the memory 303, a driver program for a network component, a driver program for an audio component, a driver program for an acceleration measurement component, etc. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the above is merely a schematic example of the configuration of the terminal. In different embodiments, the terminal may have more or fewer components. For example, the terminal may further include an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a power supply, etc.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a computer system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The computer system 400 includes a terminal 410 and a server cluster 420. A client 411 supporting a virtual environment is installed and running on the terminal 410. The client 411 may be an application supporting the virtual environment. When the client 411 runs on the terminal, a user interface of the client 411 is displayed on the screen of the terminal 410. The client may be any one of an FPS game, a TPS game, an MOBA game, a competitive game, a SLG game, a racing game, and a car racing game. In this embodiment, the client 411 is a car racing game. The terminal 410 is used by a first user 412. The first user 412 uses the terminal 410 to control the running of a virtual vehicle located in the virtual environment. The control of the virtual vehicle by the first user 412 includes moving forward, backward, turning left, turning right, shifting up and down, accelerating, braking, and accelerating using a virtual item. The device types of the terminal 410 include at least one of a smartphone, a tablet, an e-reader, an MP3 player, an MP4 player, a laptop portable computer, and a desktop computer.

[0031] Although only one terminal is shown in FIG. 4 , in different embodiments, multiple other terminals 440 are present. In some embodiments, at least one other terminal 440 is also present, which corresponds to a developer. A platform for developing and editing a virtual environment client is installed on the other terminal 440. The developer edits and updates the client on the other terminal 440 and transmits the updated client installation package to the server cluster 420 via a wired or wireless network. The terminal 410 can download the client installation package from the server cluster 420 to update the client. The terminal 410 and the other terminals 440 are connected to the server cluster 420 via a wireless or wired network. The server cluster 420 includes at least one of a single server, multiple servers, a cloud computing platform, and a virtualization center. The server cluster 420 provides background services to clients supporting the three-dimensional virtual environment. Alternatively, the server cluster 420 may be responsible for the main computing tasks, and the terminals may be responsible for the secondary computing tasks; alternatively, the server cluster 420 may be responsible for the secondary computing tasks, and the terminals may be responsible for the main computing tasks; or the server cluster 420 and the terminals may collaborate in a distributed computing architecture to perform computing. Alternatively, the terminals and servers may both be computer devices. In one illustrative example, the server cluster 420 includes a server 421 and a server 426, and the server 421 includes a processor 422, a user account database 423, a match service module 424, and a user-facing input / output interface (I / O interface) 425. Here, the processor 422 loads instructions stored in the server 421 to process data in the user account database 423 and the match service module 424.The user account database 423 stores data on user accounts used by the terminal 410 and other terminals 440, such as the avatar of the user account, the nickname of the user account, the virtual vehicle owned by the user account, and the service area where the user account is located. The battle service module 424 provides multiple battle rooms for users to battle each other. The user I / O interface 425 establishes communication and exchanges data with the terminal 410 via a wireless network or a wired network.

[0032] A method for shifting gears of a virtual vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application will now be described with reference to the above description of the virtual environment and the implementation environment. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a gear shifting process of a virtual vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Take for example a case where the virtual vehicle is a virtual vehicle, the computer device is a terminal, and a client is installed and running on the terminal. As shown in FIG. 5(a), the client displays a user interface 501, which displays a virtual environment 502 and a virtual vehicle 503 in a running state, as well as a current gear 504 of the virtual vehicle 503. For example, the current gear of the virtual vehicle 503 is fourth gear. As shown in FIG. 5(b), when the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle 503 is manual, the terminal determines that a first gear shift command is to be triggered in response to m consecutive first tap operations, where the tap position is located on a first side of the rear surface of the terminal (the left side in FIG. 5(b)) and the tap direction is toward the inside of the terminal. As shown in (c) of FIG. 5, the terminal responds to one first gear shift command, and the client displays that the gear 504 of the virtual vehicle 503 has been shifted up one gear. For example, the gear 504 of the virtual vehicle 503 is shifted up from fourth gear to fifth gear. As shown in (b) of FIG. 5, when the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle 503 is manual, the terminal responds to n consecutive second tap operations in which the tap position is located on the second side of the rear surface of the terminal (the right side in (b)) and the tap direction is toward the inside of the terminal, and the client determines that one second gear shift command is triggered. As shown in (d) of FIG. 5, the terminal responds to one second gear shift command, and the client displays that the gear 504 of the virtual vehicle 503 has been shifted down one gear. For example, the gear 504 of the virtual vehicle 503 is shifted down from fourth gear to third gear.

[0033] Illustratively, the back surface of the terminal is the surface opposite to the surface on which the display screen of the terminal is located. Optionally, continuing to refer to (b) of FIG. 5, the first side of the back surface of the terminal (the left side in (b)) corresponds to the right side of the surface on which the display screen is located (mirror image relationship), and the second side of the back surface of the terminal (the right side in (b)) corresponds to the left side of the surface on which the display screen is located. Both m and n are 2. Optionally, when the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle is in automatic mode, the terminal responds to a continuous tap operation, and the client displays on the user interface 501 that the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle has been switched to manual mode. The continuous tap operation is an operation of tapping the terminal x times in succession, where x is optionally 3. Tapping the terminal can trigger a gear change of the virtual vehicle, i.e., the virtual vehicle can be shifted up and / or down. In the embodiments of the present application, the tap operation on the terminal has a corresponding tap position, tap direction, tap force, etc., and the tap operation can be continuous m, n, or x times. However, since the touch operation on the display screen of the terminal is generally a single touch or a long press, the tap operation in the embodiments of the present application is different from the touch operation on the display screen of the terminal, does not interfere with the touch operation on the display screen by the user, and has high operation accuracy. Therefore, the user can accurately control the gear of the virtual vehicle through the tap operation, thereby achieving accurate control of the virtual vehicle.

[0034] 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a flow of a virtual vehicle gear shifting method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The method can be executed by a computer device, and the method can be specifically used in a terminal or a client in a terminal as shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 6, the method includes the following steps 602, 604, 606, and 608.

[0035] In step 602, a virtual environment and a virtual vehicle moving in the virtual environment are displayed on a user interface.

[0036] The user interface may be any interface that provides a function for controlling the running of a virtual vehicle on a client. Illustratively, the user interface may be an interface that is displayed when a user account controls a virtual vehicle to race against virtual vehicles controlled by other user accounts, an interface that is displayed when a user account completes a game task by controlling the running of a virtual vehicle, or an interface that is displayed when a user account controls a virtual vehicle to race against a virtual vehicle of a non-player character (NPC) controlled by the client / server.

[0037] The virtual environment may be any one of a simulated real-world environment, a half-simulated and half-virtual environment, and a fully virtual environment. The virtual environment may be any one of a 2D virtual environment, a 2.5D virtual environment, and a 3D virtual environment. The virtual environment displays an area supporting the travel of a virtual vehicle, and the virtual vehicle can travel within the area. Optionally, the virtual environment may also display an area that does not support the travel of a virtual vehicle, such as a virtual stream, a virtual lake, or a virtual ocean, where the virtual vehicle cannot travel. For example, for a virtual vehicle, the area supporting the travel of the virtual vehicle may include a virtual road and a non-virtual road. The virtual road is a simulation of a road in the real world, such as a street, a public road, or a race course. Optionally, presentation elements such as road shoulders, signs, and driving direction guidance lines are further displayed around the virtual road. The non-virtual road is an area other than the virtual road, such as a virtual lawn, a virtual sidewalk, or a virtual forest.

[0038] A virtual vehicle refers to at least one movable object controlled by a user account in a virtual environment. The virtual vehicle may be a simulation of a real-world vehicle, a half-simulated and half-virtual vehicle, or a completely virtual vehicle. The virtual vehicle is a virtual vehicle capable of gearshifting, and has at least two gears. For example, the virtual vehicle may be a virtual car, and the gears corresponding to the virtual vehicle may be first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth gears, respectively. Optionally, the virtual vehicle may include at least one of a vehicle that travels in airspace (flying), a vehicle that travels on water (sailing), and a vehicle that travels on land. For example, when the virtual vehicle is a virtual vehicle, the virtual vehicle may include a virtual passenger car, a sports car, a square car, a racing kart, a bus, an electric car, a motorcycle, etc.

[0039] Alternatively, the user account may control the behavior of the virtual vehicle driver, thereby controlling the driving of the virtual vehicle. For example, the user account may control the virtual vehicle driver to perform actions such as steering, upshifting, downshifting, accelerating, and braking. Alternatively, the user account may directly control the driving of the virtual vehicle. Illustratively, the control of the virtual vehicle by the user account may include control over the virtual vehicle's forward movement, reverse movement, left and right turns, upshifting, downshifting, accelerating, braking, drifting, and use of virtual items (e.g., acceleration items).

[0040] Illustratively, FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a user interface according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Taking the virtual vehicle as an example, as shown in FIG. 7 , a virtual vehicle 720 is displayed on a user interface 710, and the virtual vehicle 720 drives in a virtual environment displayed on the user interface 710. The user interface 710 includes at least one of a brake control 701, an energy control 702, an accelerator control 703, a direction control 704, a handbrake control 705, and a reset control 706. The function of each control will be described below. The brake control 701 provides a function for controlling the virtual vehicle 720 to decrease its speed. In response to a trigger operation on the brake control 701, the terminal controls the client to decrease the speed of the virtual vehicle 720. For example, in response to a single click operation on the brake control 701, the terminal controls the virtual vehicle 720 to decrease its speed accordingly. If the brake control 701 is maintained pressed and held, the speed of the virtual vehicle 720 is controlled to continue decreasing. The rate at which the speed of the virtual vehicle 720 decreases can be determined based on the force and / or duration of the touch on the brake control 701. For example, the greater the force (e.g., exceeding a force threshold), the faster the speed of the virtual vehicle 720 decreases, and the longer the duration (e.g., exceeding a time threshold), the faster the speed of the virtual vehicle 720 decreases. The energy control 702 indicates the remaining amount of acceleration energy of the virtual vehicle 720. In response to a trigger operation on the energy control 702, the client can consume one unit of acceleration energy to provide the virtual vehicle 720 with a function of acceleration beyond the fixed amount (different from acceleration achieved by pressing the accelerator). Optionally, an acceleration energy storage amount control 707 is displayed around the energy control 702. The storage amount control 707 indicates the amount of acceleration energy stored corresponding to the virtual vehicle 720.For example, assuming that the acceleration energy is nitrogen gas, the energy control 702 indicates the remaining amount of nitrogen gas available for accelerating the virtual vehicle 720, for example, the remaining amount of one bottle of nitrogen gas. Here, the storage amount control 707 indicates the number of nitrogen gas cylinders corresponding to the virtual vehicle 720. In response to a trigger operation on the energy control 702, the terminal displays that the client is consuming one bottle of nitrogen gas to accelerate the virtual vehicle 720, and displays information on the user interface 710 indicating that the nitrogen gas has been consumed. The accelerator control 703 provides a function for controlling the virtual vehicle 720 to increase its speed (engine RPM). In response to a trigger operation on the accelerator control 703, the terminal controls the virtual vehicle 720 to accelerate and travel. Here, the trigger operation may be at least one of a single click operation, a double click operation, a touch operation, a continuous press operation, and the like. Alternatively, the terminal may automatically maintain the accelerator corresponding to the virtual vehicle 720 in a pressed state in response to a trigger operation on the accelerator control 703, so that the virtual vehicle 720 maintains a continuous acceleration state. For example, if the user performs a single click on the accelerator control 703 and then immediately releases his / her hand, the virtual vehicle 720 enters a continuous acceleration state.

[0041] Optionally, when virtual vehicle 720 is in a continuous acceleration state, brake control 701 realizes at least one of the following functions: acceleration stop, deceleration, and reverse of virtual vehicle 720. Optionally, after the virtual vehicle enters the continuous acceleration state, the terminal responds to a trigger operation on brake control 701, and the client controls virtual vehicle 720 to stop acceleration to simulate an accelerator pop-up state. Here, if the trigger operation on brake control 701 is a single-click operation, the client controls virtual vehicle 720 to stop acceleration and enter a natural deceleration state. The natural deceleration state refers to a state in which virtual vehicle 720 continues to decelerate due to resistance elements, where the resistance elements include at least one of road resistance, air resistance, and mechanical loss. If the trigger operation on brake control 701 is a continuous pressing operation, the client controls virtual vehicle 720 to stop acceleration and enter a continuous deceleration state. The continuous deceleration state refers to a state in which virtual vehicle 720 continues to decelerate due to resistance elements and brake braking resistance, where the brake braking resistance is generated by the continuous pressing operation on brake control 701. The road resistance refers to the frictional force between the tires of the virtual vehicle 720 and the ground. The air resistance refers to the resistance force that the virtual vehicle 720 experiences due to friction with the air during travel. The mechanical loss refers to the loss of kinetic energy in the powertrain of the virtual vehicle 720. The magnitude of the braking resistance can be set according to actual needs. The natural deceleration state is related to the current vehicle speed, and the higher the current vehicle speed, the faster the deceleration. The continuous deceleration state decelerates faster than the natural deceleration state. For example, if the initial vehicle speed is 100 km / h, it takes 60 seconds for the virtual vehicle 720 to decelerate to 0 km / h in the natural deceleration state, but only 2.5 seconds in the continuous deceleration state. Alternatively, when the virtual vehicle 720 is in the continuous deceleration state, if the speed of the virtual vehicle 720 decreases to 0 km / h and the brake control 701 is still continuously pressed, the virtual vehicle 720 is controlled to enter a reverse state. The direction control 704 provides a function for controlling the direction of travel (steering) of the virtual vehicle 720 .Optionally, the direction control 704 includes a left turn control and a right turn control for steering the virtual vehicle 720 to the left and right, respectively. The handbrake control 705 provides a function for braking / drifting the virtual vehicle 720. When the virtual vehicle 720 is traveling on flat ground (a non-drifting state, e.g., a straight-ahead state), the client controls the virtual vehicle 720 to slow down in response to a trigger operation on the handbrake control 705. Optionally, the terminal controls the virtual vehicle 720 to enter a drift state in response to a simultaneous trigger operation on the direction control 704 and the handbrake control 705. For example, when turning left, the client controls the direction control 704 to make a left turn and triggers the handbrake control 705 to drift through the curve, or when turning right, the client controls the direction control 704 to make a right turn and triggers the handbrake control 705 to drift through the curve. The reset control 706 provides a function for controlling the virtual vehicle 720 to restart. The terminal responds to the trigger operation of the reset control 706, and the client controls the virtual vehicle 720 to redisplay on an open road around the current virtual environment and restart the virtual vehicle 720. Here, the reset control 706 is generally used in the process of the virtual vehicle 720 escaping a difficult situation.

[0042] FIG. 7 shows that the client triggers the functions related to controlling the movement of the virtual vehicle through a human-machine interaction operation (signal) detected on the display screen of the terminal. In addition, the client can also trigger the functions related to controlling the movement of the virtual vehicle through a signal generated by an operation control member integrated in the terminal or an operation control device external to the terminal. For example, the movement of the virtual vehicle can be controlled through a signal generated by a joystick or physical button integrated in the terminal, or an external device such as a mouse, keyboard, or gamepad. Optionally, the terminal and the external device can be connected via a wire or wirelessly. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the manner in which the movement of the virtual vehicle is controlled.

[0043] In step 604, terminal motion data collected by a motion sensor in the terminal is obtained during the process of displaying the user interface.

[0044] The motion sensor is a sensor that detects the motion state of the terminal. For example, the motion sensor may include at least one of an acceleration sensor that measures acceleration and a gyro sensor that identifies the direction of a moving object. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of the motion sensor.

[0045] The motion state of the terminal includes at least one of the changes in the terminal's position and posture and the terminal's movement status (movement direction, movement speed). When the terminal is subjected to an external force and the motion state changes, the output data of the motion sensor in the terminal also changes accordingly, reflecting the change in the terminal's motion state.

[0046] In step 606, a tap operation on the terminal is identified based on the terminal motion data.

[0047] The tap operation is an operation of tapping on the surface of the terminal. Optionally, the tap operation is triggered by at least one of a tap on the surface on which the display screen of the terminal is located, a tap on the back surface of the terminal, and a tap on the frame surrounding the terminal. The back surface of the terminal is the surface opposite to the surface on which the display screen of the terminal is located. That is, the tap position of the tap operation includes at least one of the surface on which the display screen is located, the back surface of the terminal, and the frame surrounding the terminal. The tap direction of the tap operation is a direction toward the inside of the terminal.

[0048] In addition, in the case of a foldable phone, there may be multiple display screens, and in this case, the surface on which the display screens are located includes the surface on which the display screen currently being used by the user is located, i.e., the surface on which the display screen displaying the user interface is located.

[0049] The client determines whether a tap operation is currently occurring and at least one of the tap position, tap direction, and tap force of the tap operation based on data collected by a motion sensor in the terminal. Optionally, the client determines and acquires the tap operation by periodically acquiring data collected by the motion sensor. Exemplarily, a user triggers a tap operation by tapping the terminal with the tip of one of his fingers, or by tapping the terminal with the pad of one of his fingers, or by tapping the terminal with the knuckle of one of his fingers. The user may also trigger a tap operation by tapping the terminal with another part of his body or an implement, but this is not a limitation in the embodiments of the present application.

[0050] In addition, when the client controls the running of the virtual vehicle by a signal generated by an operation control device external to the terminal, the client can also receive the above tap operation by the external device. For example, when a user taps on a game pad, the client determines and acquires the tap operation by data collected by a motion sensor in the game pad.

[0051] In step 608, in response to a gear shift command triggered by the tap operation, at least one of an indication that the virtual vehicle has shifted up a gear and an indication that the virtual vehicle has shifted down a gear in response to the gear shift command is displayed.

[0052] The client displays that the virtual vehicle has shifted up a gear and / or that the virtual vehicle has shifted down a gear in response to the gear shift command, where one type of gear shift command corresponds to either shifting up a gear of the virtual vehicle or shifting down a gear of the virtual vehicle. Optionally, the gear shift command includes a first gear shift command and a second gear shift command, where the first gear shift command corresponds to shifting up a gear of the virtual vehicle and the second gear shift command corresponds to shifting down a gear of the virtual vehicle. Then, the client displays that the virtual vehicle has shifted up a gear by one each time the first gear shift command is triggered and / or displays that the virtual vehicle has shifted down a gear by one each time the second gear shift command is triggered.

[0053] The first gear shift command and the second gear shift command are triggered by different tap operations. Optionally, the different tap operations include tap operations at different tap positions, tap operations in different tap directions, and tap operations at different tap positions and tap directions. For example, a tap operation on a first side of the back surface of the terminal can trigger the first gear shift command, and a tap operation on a second side of the back surface of the terminal can trigger the second gear shift command. The first side of the back surface of the terminal refers to the side of the back surface of the terminal facing the right side of the display screen, and the second side of the back surface of the terminal refers to the side of the back surface of the terminal facing the left side of the display screen. Optionally, a single gear shift command may be triggered by a single tap operation, or by multiple consecutive tap operations. In the embodiments of the present application, "multiple consecutive taps" refers to multiple taps within a predetermined time period. That is, a single gear shift command is triggered when a client obtains multiple consecutive tap operations within a predetermined time period. Alternatively, a gear shift command may be triggered by a tap operation only when the tap force satisfies a condition (e.g., the tap force is greater than a force threshold). This is because triggering a gear shift command with a small tap force may result in an erroneous trigger. Furthermore, since the tap operation is detected by a motion sensor, a large tap force may indicate that the device has been dropped or flipped. The tap force condition may be set by a developer or a user according to actual usage conditions. Alternatively, the client may trigger a gear shift command by other means, for example, a human-machine interaction operation detected on the display screen of the device, but this is not limited to this embodiment. The method according to this embodiment further triggers a gear shift command only when the force and direction of the tap operation satisfy a condition, thereby avoiding erroneous triggering of a gear shift command.

[0054] The client triggers a gear shift command in response to a tap operation only when the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle is manual mode. The gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle further includes automatic mode. The client can switch the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle between manual mode and automatic mode in response to a user operation. For example, the client can set manual mode as a default and then switch to automatic mode in response to a user operation. Alternatively, the client can set automatic mode as a default and then switch to manual mode in response to a user operation. Optionally, when the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle is automatic mode, the terminal responds to a continuous tap operation on the terminal, and the client displays that the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle has been switched to manual mode. The continuous tap operation is an operation of tapping the terminal x times (x is a positive integer) in succession. In one example, x may be 3.

[0055] As described above, the method according to this embodiment allows a user to trigger a gear change of a virtual vehicle, i.e., to shift up a gear and / or shift down a gear, simply by tapping on the terminal. This tap operation is different from a touch operation on the display screen of the terminal, and does not interfere with the user's touch operation on the display screen, resulting in high operational accuracy. Therefore, the user can precisely control the gear of the virtual vehicle with just a tap, thereby achieving precise control of the virtual vehicle.

[0056] 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of a virtual vehicle gear shifting method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The method can be applied to a terminal or a client at a terminal as shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the method includes the following steps 802, 804, 806, 808, and 810.

[0057] In step 802, a virtual environment and a virtual vehicle moving in the virtual environment are displayed on a user interface.

[0058] The user interface is any interface that can provide a function for controlling the travel of a virtual vehicle on a client. The user interface is a horizontal user interface or a vertical user interface. A horizontal user interface is a user interface whose horizontal side length is greater than its vertical side length, and a vertical user interface is a user interface whose horizontal side length is smaller than its vertical side length.

[0059] The virtual environment displays an area supporting the operation of a virtual vehicle, and the virtual vehicle can operate within the area. The virtual vehicle may be a simulation of a real-world vehicle, a half-simulated, half-virtual vehicle, or a completely virtual vehicle. Illustratively, control of the virtual vehicle by a user account includes control over the virtual vehicle's forward movement, reverse movement, left and right turns, upshifting, downshifting, acceleration, braking, drifting, use of virtual items (e.g., acceleration items), etc.

[0060] In step 804, terminal motion data collected by a motion sensor in the terminal is acquired during the process of displaying the user interface.

[0061] The motion sensor is a sensor that detects the motion state of the terminal. For example, the motion sensor includes at least one of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor. Here, the acceleration sensor is a sensor that measures acceleration, and the gyro sensor is a sensor that identifies the direction of a moving object. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of the motion sensor.

[0062] The motion state of the terminal includes at least one of the changes in the terminal's position and posture and the terminal's movement status (movement direction, movement speed). When the terminal is subjected to an external force and the motion state changes, the output data of the motion sensor in the terminal also changes accordingly, reflecting the change in the terminal's motion state.

[0063] In step 806, a tap operation on the terminal is identified based on the terminal movement data.

[0064] The tap operation is an operation of tapping on the surface of the terminal. Optionally, the tap operation is triggered by at least one of a tap on the surface on which the display screen of the terminal is located, a tap on the back surface of the terminal, and a tap on the frame surrounding the terminal. The back surface of the terminal is the surface opposite to the surface on which the display screen of the terminal is located.

[0065] The client determines whether a tap operation is currently occurring based on data collected by a motion sensor in the terminal, and accepts the tap operation. For example, if the data collected by the motion sensor has changed, i.e., if the position and orientation of the terminal has changed, the client accepts the tap operation. The terminal can also determine at least one of a tap position, a tap direction, and a tap force based on the data collected by the motion sensor, and execute subsequent steps. Exemplarily, the motion sensor includes at least one of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor. Optionally, the client periodically acquires data collected by the motion sensor to determine and acquire the tap operation.

[0066] Alternatively, for a virtual vehicle in a moving state, the client may receive a tap operation to trigger execution of the steps of switching the gear shift mode and switching the gears of the virtual vehicle, as described below. For a virtual vehicle in a non-moving state, the client may not determine or receive a tap operation. Alternatively, for a virtual vehicle in a non-moving state, the client may determine and receive a tap operation to trigger execution of the steps described below. Illustratively, a moving state is a state in which the virtual vehicle is not stationary.

[0067] In step 808, if the gearshift mode of the virtual vehicle is in automatic mode, in response to the continuous tap operation, a display is displayed on the user interface indicating that the gearshift mode of the virtual vehicle has been switched to manual mode.

[0068] In automatic mode, the client / server automatically controls the gears of the virtual vehicle based on the speed (acceleration / deceleration) of the virtual vehicle. In manual mode, the client / server switches the gears of the virtual vehicle in response to user operation. The client can switch the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle between manual mode and automatic mode in response to user operation.

[0069] The continuous tap operation is an operation of tapping the terminal x times (x is a positive integer). Tapping x times means that x taps are detected within a first preset time period. Here, the first preset time period is set by the developer or user, and x is set by the developer or user. For example, x is 3. The tap positions of each tap in the continuous tap operation may be the same or different, and the tap positions may include at least one of the front surface of the terminal where the display screen is located, the back surface of the terminal, and the frame of the terminal. For example, the continuous tap operation refers to an operation of tapping the back surface of the terminal three times in succession. Optionally, the continuous tap operation can switch from manual mode to automatic mode in addition to switching from automatic mode to manual mode. In the method according to this embodiment, when the virtual vehicle is in automatic mode, the continuous tap operation triggers a switch to manual mode, allowing the user to flexibly switch the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle according to their needs, thereby improving the user experience.

[0070] Illustratively, FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a user interface according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application. Taking the virtual vehicle as an example, as shown in FIG. 9(a), a user interface 901 displayed on a client includes a virtual environment 902 and a virtual vehicle 903 traveling in the virtual environment 902. In this case, the gearshift mode of the virtual vehicle 903 is automatic mode. Optionally, the client displays information indicating the current gearshift mode on the user interface 901, such as "automatic" in FIG. 9(a). As shown in FIG. 9(b), in response to receiving three consecutive tap operations on the back of the terminal, the client switches the gearshift mode of the virtual vehicle 903 to manual mode. As shown in FIG. 9(c), the client displays gearshift mode switching information 904 on the user interface 901, such as "manual mode is already activated, tap the back panel to shift gears up / down," to indicate that the gearshift mode of the virtual vehicle 903 has been changed. Optionally, the client displays information for indicating the current gear shift mode on the user interface 901, for example, "manual" in Fig. 9(c). Optionally, the client specifies that the tap operation is valid only when it is specified that the force of the tap operation satisfies a certain condition, thereby causing the tap operation to switch the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle to manual mode or trigger a change in gear of the virtual vehicle. Detection of the tap operation will be described in detail below.

[0071] Note that a tap on a device may change the data of the device's motion sensors (accelerometer and / or gyro sensor). To determine whether the device has been tapped, it is first necessary to define the device's stable state. The purpose of checking the stable state is to reduce false positives and improve the accuracy of determining interaction operations. The specific determination process can be achieved using virtual sampling points.

[0072] 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating virtual sampling points according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 10, in order to easily determine the stable state of the terminal 1001, the terminal 1001 can be understood as a plane in 3D space (i.e., a plane perpendicular to the back surface of the terminal, for example, without taking into account the thickness of the terminal). A plurality of virtual sampling points 1002 (e.g., 100, the number is configurable) are provided on the plane. The virtual sampling points 1002 may be considered to transmit data (e.g., acceleration of a single point) to a motion sensor built into the terminal 1001 to obtain output data from the motion sensor. Conversely, if the components of the output data from the motion sensor at the position of each virtual sampling point 1002 can be identified, the data, e.g., acceleration, collected by the motion sensor for the position of each virtual sampling point 1002 can be obtained. If the number of virtual sampling points is set to max(A), a change in the absolute value of the acceleration of one virtual sampling point indicates that an interaction may have occurred with the terminal. For example, when a user clicks on the screen in front of the device, the device may generate a slight spatial acceleration. Optionally, a developer can set a trigger interval a1 to b1 for confirming a tap interaction (i.e., whether the tap operation is valid) in the client according to the actual test results. a1 and b1 are positive numbers and indicate the interval of the absolute value of the acceleration of a valid tap operation. Continuing to refer to FIG. 10, when a user holds the device 1001 in their hand, a typical tap interaction occurs on the Z axis (a direction perpendicular to the back of the device). The acceleration of a virtual sampling point on the Z axis is set as Z, and its absolute value is set as |Z|. The acceleration of a certain virtual sampling point can be divided as follows:

[0073] When |Z| < a1, there may be a less forceful interaction such as a click on the terminal 1001. When a1 ≤ |Z| ≤ b1, the terminal 1001 is located in the tap interval, and there may be a valid tap operation. When |Z| > b1, there may be an interaction such as a fall or a flip on the terminal 1001. When |Z| > 0 for a certain virtual sampling point, it can be considered that an interaction has occurred at the virtual sampling point of the terminal 1001. Conversely, when |Z| = 0 for all virtual sampling points, it can be considered that the terminal 1001 has reached a stable state.

[0074] The client can identify the acceleration component in the Z-axis direction of each virtual sampling point by identifying the acceleration components at each virtual sampling point of the acceleration output from the motion sensor. When the absolute value of the acceleration component is located in the trigger interval and the direction is the positive direction of the Z-axis, the client identifies that it has received a valid tap operation on the back surface of the terminal once. Note that for the detection principle of tap operations on the front surface of the terminal and the frame of the terminal, reference can be made to the above description, so the description is omitted in the embodiments of the present application.

[0075] Optionally, the client can also switch the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle through a human-machine interaction operation on the display screen. For example, the client displays a gear shift mode control on a user interface, and the current gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle is displayed on the gear shift mode control. The terminal responds to a touch operation on the gear shift mode control, and the client switches the current gear shift mode, for example, switching from automatic mode to manual mode, or from manual mode to automatic mode. Optionally, the client displays the gear shift mode control in a predetermined scene, such as a scene in which the user may need to manually control gears, and the predetermined scene includes at least one of the following: a distance between the virtual vehicle and a counterpart virtual vehicle in the virtual environment is less than a first distance threshold; and a distance between the virtual vehicle and a curve section in the virtual environment is less than a second distance threshold.

[0076] Alternatively, the client can predict the time to display the gear shift mode control using a machine learning model. The machine learning model is trained using manually labeled data. The manually labeled data includes manually labeled game parameters for a period when manual mode is required. The game parameters reflect, for example, the game operating status, such as the current game mode (ranking mode, normal matching mode, task achievement mode, etc.), the speed of the virtual vehicle, the type of road on which the virtual vehicle is currently located (straight road, curved road, U-turn, continuous curves), and the distance between the virtual vehicle and other virtual vehicles. The client periodically acquires the game parameters during operation and predicts whether manual mode is required based on the game parameters using the machine learning model. If the prediction indicates that manual mode is required, the client displays the gear shift mode control or directly switches to manual mode. If the prediction indicates that manual mode is not required and the current mode is manual, the client displays the gear shift mode control or directly switches to automatic mode. Note that this solution and the aforementioned solution for switching gear shift mode by tapping may be implemented simultaneously.

[0077] In step 810, if the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle is manual mode, in response to a gear shift command triggered by a tap operation, at least one of a gear change of the virtual vehicle being increased in response to the gear shift command and a gear change of the virtual vehicle being decreased is displayed.

[0078] The client can trigger a gear shift command in response to a tap operation only when the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle is manual. Optionally, the terminal responds to a first gear shift command triggered by a first tap operation, and the client displays that the virtual vehicle has shifted up a gear, and / or the terminal responds to a second gear shift command triggered by a second tap operation, and the client displays that the virtual vehicle has shifted down a gear, where the first tap operation and the second tap operation differ in at least one of the tap position, the tap direction, and the tap force.

[0079] The terminal responds to a single first gear shift command triggered by m consecutive first tap operations, and the client indicates that the gear of the virtual vehicle has shifted up one gear. That is, when the client detects m first tap operations (m is a positive integer) within a second preset time period, the client triggers a single first gear shift command to shift up one gear of the virtual vehicle. m and the second preset time period are set by the developer or the user. The terminal responds to a single second gear shift command triggered by n consecutive second tap operations to shift down one gear of the virtual vehicle. That is, when the client detects n second tap operations (n ​​is a positive integer) within a third preset time period, the client triggers a single second gear shift command to shift down one gear of the virtual vehicle. n and the third preset time period are set by the developer or the user. The method according to this embodiment further provides precise control over the gear of the virtual vehicle by allowing different tap operations to trigger either increasing the gear of the virtual vehicle or decreasing the gear of the virtual vehicle.

[0080] Tapping on the back of the device The terminal responds to a first tap operation where the tap position is located on a first side of the back surface of the terminal and the tap direction is toward the inside of the terminal, and the client determines that a first gear shift command is to be triggered. Thereafter, in response to the first gear shift command, the client displays that the virtual vehicle has been shifted up in gear. The terminal responds to a second tap operation where the tap position is located on a second side of the back surface of the terminal and the tap direction is toward the inside of the terminal, and the client determines that a second gear shift command is to be triggered. Thereafter, in response to the second gear shift command, the client displays that the virtual vehicle has been shifted down in gear.

[0081] Alternatively, the first side of the back surface of the terminal refers to the side of the back surface of the terminal that faces the right side of the front surface of the terminal (the surface on which the display screen is located), and the second side of the back surface of the terminal refers to the side of the back surface of the terminal that faces the left side of the front surface of the terminal. Alternatively, the first side of the back surface of the terminal refers to the side of the back surface of the terminal that faces the left side of the front surface of the terminal, and the second side of the back surface of the terminal refers to the side of the back surface of the terminal that faces the right side of the front surface of the terminal. Alternatively, the first side of the back surface of the terminal refers to the side of the back surface of the terminal that faces the lower side of the front surface of the terminal, and the second side of the back surface of the terminal refers to the side of the back surface of the terminal that faces the upper side of the front surface of the terminal. Note that the front surface of the terminal and the back surface of the terminal are mirror images.

[0082] When the back plate (rear surface) corresponding to the right side of the front face of the device is used to shift up a gear and the back plate (rear surface) corresponding to the left side of the front face of the device is used to shift down a gear, the user can easily manually shift gears by tapping the back plate of the device. This experience is similar to the gear shift experience using the shift paddles on a racing car steering wheel. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a racing car steering wheel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 11, a right shift paddle 1101 and a left shift paddle 1102 are provided on the rear surface of the steering wheel. Tapping the right shift paddle 1101 shifts up a gear, and tapping the left shift paddle 1102 shifts down a gear. The tapping process involves tapping the shift paddle from the side away from the steering wheel toward the steering wheel. The above gear shifting mode according to the embodiment of the present application is intuitive and allows users to operate a car racing game more easily and enjoy a better gaming experience. Compared to automatic acceleration (automatic mode), users can experience the fun of decision-making with each gear shift, further improving game playability. The above-described gear shifting aspects according to the embodiments of the present application, through creatively designed interaction operations for manual gear shifting, succinctly solve the problem of lack of concise manual gear shifting interaction in current car racing games, and meet various demands of users in car racing games.

[0083] Similar to the description in step 806 above, optionally, the client can only detect the received tap operation to determine whether the tap operation is valid (whether it can trigger a gear shift command) and whether it is the first gear shift command or the second gear shift command.

[0084] Optionally, a motion sensor is provided within the terminal. The client acquires acceleration generated by a tap operation on the terminal using the motion sensor and identifies an acceleration component of the acceleration at each virtual sampling point of the multiple virtual sampling points. Here, the direction of the acceleration component is perpendicular to the back surface of the terminal, and the multiple virtual sampling points are distributed in a grid pattern on a plane parallel to the back surface of the terminal. For details about the virtual sampling points, see the description in FIG. 10.

[0085] The client identifies a first virtual sampling point, from the virtual sampling points located on the first side, whose acceleration component satisfies a tap condition. The client identifies a second virtual sampling point, from the virtual sampling points located on the second side, whose acceleration component satisfies the tap condition. Here, the tap condition indicates that a tap has been received at the virtual sampling point along a tap direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the back surface of the device and toward the interior of the device. Then, if the first number is greater than the second number, the client identifies the tap operation as a first tap operation and triggers a first gear shift command. If the first number is less than the second number, the client identifies the tap operation as a second tap operation and triggers a second gear shift command. Here, the first number is the number of first virtual sampling points, and the second number is the number of second virtual sampling points.

[0086] Optionally, each virtual sampling point corresponds to a mark, and the marks corresponding to the virtual sampling points located on the first side have the same first feature, and the marks corresponding to the virtual sampling points located on the second side have the same second feature. Optionally, the mark includes the number of the virtual sampling point and / or the coordinates of the virtual sampling point (coordinates on the distribution plane). For example, when the mark is the number of the virtual sampling point, the same feature means that a certain digit or multiple digits of the number are the same. For example, the ones digit of the numbers on the first side is 1 to 5, and the ones digit of the numbers on the second side is 6 to 10 (0). When the symbols are coordinates of virtual sampling points, the same feature means that the abscissas of the virtual sampling points on the first side are all greater than a certain value and the abscissas of the virtual sampling points on the second side are all less than a certain value, or the abscissas of the virtual sampling points on the first side are all less than a certain value and the abscissas of the virtual sampling points on the second side are all greater than a certain value, or the ordinates of the virtual sampling points on the first side are all greater than a certain value and the ordinates of the virtual sampling points on the second side are all less than a certain value, or the ordinates of the virtual sampling points on the first side are all less than a certain value and the ordinates of the virtual sampling points on the second side are all greater than a certain value. For example, the ones digit of the numbers on the first side ranges from 1 to 5, and the ones digit of the numbers on the second side ranges from 6 to 10 (0). For example, the abscissas of the first side are all less than 50, and the abscissas of the second side are all greater than 50.

[0087] When determining the number of first virtual sampling points and the number of second virtual sampling points, the client determines a target virtual sampling point from the plurality of virtual sampling points, where the acceleration component satisfies the tap condition. If the mark corresponding to the target virtual sampling point has a first characteristic, the client determines that the target virtual sampling point is the first virtual sampling point. If the mark corresponding to the target virtual sampling point has a second characteristic, the client determines that the target virtual sampling point is the second virtual sampling point.

[0088] Optionally, if the absolute value of the acceleration component of the virtual sampling point is greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold, and the direction of the acceleration component of the virtual sampling point is the tap direction, the client determines that the virtual sampling point satisfies the tap condition. For example, the direction perpendicular to the back surface of the device and extending into the device is defined as the positive direction, and if the absolute value of the acceleration component is greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold, and the acceleration component is positive, the client determines that the virtual sampling point satisfies the tap condition. Illustratively, the first threshold is a1 and the second threshold is b1.

[0089] For example, FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing virtual sampling points according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 12, the number of virtual sampling points 1202 corresponding to a terminal 1201 is set to max(A)=50. In this case, all virtual sampling points 1202 can be numbered. That is, in FIG. 12, they are numbered from 1 to 50. When a tap interaction is performed on the terminal 1201, as shown in FIG. 12(a), if there are many virtual sampling points 1202 with numbers whose ones digit is 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 among the virtual sampling points 1202 where acceleration is generated (satisfying the tap condition), the positions where the tap operation is performed are biased to the right. Conversely, as shown in FIG. 12(b), if there are many virtual sampling points 1202 with numbers whose ones digit is 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10, the positions where the tap operation is performed are biased to the left. Due to the characteristics of the posture in which a person holds a terminal, the probability of an interaction situation close to the center is low, so it can be determined that most tap operations have a clear bias, i.e., biased to the left or right.

[0090] Note that the detection of a tap operation by the client, the detection of the tap position of the tap operation, and the detection of whether the tap operation is valid (i.e., whether it is a first tap operation or a second tap operation) may be implemented as two separate steps or as a single step. The method according to this embodiment allows a user to trigger a virtual vehicle to shift up or down a gear by tapping different positions on the back of the terminal. A user can selectively switch the gear of the virtual vehicle by simply tapping different positions on the back of the terminal, thereby achieving precise control over the gear of the virtual vehicle. The method according to this embodiment further provides a solution for accurately identifying a tap operation and triggering a gear shift command by determining the gear shift command triggered by the tap operation based on the acceleration at the virtual sampling point. The method according to this embodiment further provides a solution for conveniently identifying the position of a tap operation by determining whether the tap operation is located on the first side or the second side based on the markings of the virtual sampling point.

[0091] When tapping the device frame The terminal determines that a first tap operation, the tap position of which is located on a frame on the third side of the terminal and the tap direction of which is toward the inside of the terminal, is to trigger a first gear shift command, and in response to the first gear shift command, the client displays that the virtual vehicle has shifted into gear.

[0092] The terminal responds to a second tap operation, the tap position of which is located on the fourth side frame of the terminal and the tap direction of which is toward the inside of the terminal, by determining that the client triggers a second gear shift command, and in response to the second gear shift command, displays that the virtual vehicle has been shifted down a gear.

[0093] Alternatively, the third side may be the left side and the fourth side may be the right side. Alternatively, the third side may be the right side and the fourth side may be the left side. Alternatively, the third side may be the top side and the fourth side may be the bottom side. Alternatively, the third side may be the bottom side and the fourth side may be the top side. In addition, the client also detects the validity of a tap operation on the frame of the terminal. For a specific process of detecting a tap operation on the frame of the terminal, refer to the process of detecting a tap operation on the back side of the terminal described above, and therefore, a description thereof will be omitted in the embodiments of the present application. The method according to the present embodiment further provides a solution for conveniently and accurately triggering a gear shift command by tapping the frame of the terminal.

[0094] Triggering a gear shift command by other means The terminal responds to a first double-finger slide operation along a first direction on the user interface, and the client indicates that the virtual vehicle has been geared up, and / or the terminal responds to a second double-finger slide operation along a second direction on the user interface, and the client indicates that the virtual vehicle has been geared down, where the two slide trajectories of the first double-finger slide operation are located on opposite sides of the user interface, and the two slide trajectories of the second double-finger slide operation are located on opposite sides of the user interface.

[0095] Optionally, the two slide trajectories of the first double-finger slide operation and the second double-finger slide operation are located on the left and right sides of the user interface, respectively. The first direction is opposite to the second direction, for example, the first direction is upward and the second direction is downward. Since a user generally uses both hands to perform operations on the left and right sides of the user interface, when performing gear switching using the above solution, the user can trigger the virtual vehicle to shift up one gear by simultaneously sliding the thumbs of both hands upward, and / or trigger the virtual vehicle to shift down one gear by simultaneously sliding the thumbs of both hands downward. Although the gear switching is triggered by a double-finger operation, since other operations in the game are generally single-finger operations, the client is less likely to make an erroneous judgment, thereby achieving accurate control of the virtual vehicle's gear.

[0096] Optionally, the client displays a gear shift control on the user interface when at least one of a distance between the virtual vehicle and a counterpart virtual vehicle in the virtual environment is less than a first distance threshold and a distance between the virtual vehicle and a curve section in the virtual environment is less than a second distance threshold (in this case, the virtual vehicle is a virtual car). Here, the counterpart virtual vehicle is a virtual vehicle controlled by another user or the client / server. The first distance threshold and the second distance threshold are set by the client or the user. The gear shift control triggers at least one of lowering a gear of the virtual vehicle and raising a gear of the virtual vehicle. Optionally, the gear shift control includes a first control and a second control, the first control triggering a gear increase of the virtual vehicle, and the second control triggering a gear decrease of the virtual vehicle. To facilitate user operation, the user can set a position in the user interface for the gear shift control.

[0097] It should be noted that the above-described solution for triggering a gear shift command by a method other than tapping in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented simultaneously with the solution for triggering a gear shift command by tapping. The method of this embodiment also provides a solution for triggering a gear shift command by a double-finger slide operation in different directions, which is different from the normal operation control of a virtual vehicle and can trigger a gear shift command. That is, it avoids conflicts with normal operations while also achieving precise control of the gear shift of the virtual vehicle. The method of this embodiment displays a gear shift control in a scene where manual control of the gear of the virtual vehicle may be required, allowing the user to manually control the gear of the virtual vehicle through the gear shift control in the scene, thereby achieving precise control of the virtual vehicle.

[0098] The method according to the present embodiment allows users to easily and smoothly operate a virtual vehicle manually on a mobile terminal device, and the gear shifting process can be implemented in a manner similar to the operation of shift paddles in real-world cars, thereby diversifying interaction modes. At the same time, the introduction of a manual design makes the operation of racing games more interesting and improves the game experience. Users can conveniently and smoothly switch between low and high gears, increasing the upper limit of operation and enhancing the enjoyment of the game. Furthermore, in games using the method according to the present embodiment, the experience of controlling a virtual vehicle to negotiate curves increases the uncertainty of the game because users can control the gears of the virtual vehicle, thereby improving the game operation experience for advanced players.

[0099] As described above, the method according to this embodiment allows a user to trigger a gear change of a virtual vehicle, i.e., to shift up a gear and / or shift down a gear, simply by tapping on the terminal. This tap operation is different from a touch operation on the display screen of the terminal, and does not interfere with the user's touch operation on the display screen, resulting in high operational accuracy. Therefore, the user can precisely control the gear of the virtual vehicle with just a tap, thereby achieving precise control of the virtual vehicle.

[0100] The method of this embodiment further realizes precise control over the gear of the virtual vehicle by triggering different tap operations to raise or lower the gear of the virtual vehicle. The method of this embodiment enables tap operations at different positions on the back of the terminal to trigger raising or lowering the gear of the virtual vehicle. A user can selectively switch the gear of the virtual vehicle by simply tapping different positions on the back of the terminal, thereby achieving precise control over the gear of the virtual vehicle. The method of this embodiment further provides a solution for accurately identifying tap operations and triggering gear shift commands by determining the gear shift command triggered by the tap operation based on the acceleration at the virtual sampling point. The method of this embodiment further provides a solution for conveniently identifying the location of the tap operation by determining whether the tap operation is located on the first side or the second side based on the markings of the virtual sampling point. The method of this embodiment further prevents erroneous triggering of a gear shift command by triggering a gear shift command only when the force and direction of the tap operation meet certain conditions. The method of this embodiment further prevents erroneous recognition of a tap operation by triggering a gear shift command by multiple consecutive taps. The method of this embodiment further provides a solution for conveniently and accurately triggering a gear shift command by tapping the terminal frame. The method of this embodiment further provides a solution for triggering a gear shift command by performing a double-finger slide operation in different directions, which is different from the normal operation control of a virtual vehicle and can trigger a gear shift command. That is, it avoids conflicts with normal operations and also achieves precise control of the gear shift of the virtual vehicle. The method of this embodiment displays a gear shift control in a scene where manual control of the gear of the virtual vehicle may be required, allowing the user to manually control the gear of the virtual vehicle through the gear shift control in the scene, thereby achieving precise control of the virtual vehicle.In the method according to this embodiment, when the virtual vehicle is in automatic mode, successive tapping operations can trigger a switch to manual mode, allowing the user to flexibly switch the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle according to their own needs, thereby improving the user experience.

[0101] Note that the present application may display a presentation interface, a pop-up, or output audio prompting information before and during the process of collecting user-related data (e.g., motion sensor data). The presentation interface, pop-up, or audio prompting information is intended to notify the user that the user-related data is currently being collected. Therefore, the present application begins to execute the relevant step of acquiring user-related data only after receiving a user confirmation on the presentation interface or pop-up; otherwise (i.e., if the user confirmation on the presentation interface or pop-up is not received), the relevant step of acquiring user-related data is terminated, i.e., the user-related data is not acquired. In other words, all user data collected in the present application is collected with the user's consent and authorization, and the collection, use, and processing of related user data must comply with the relevant laws, regulations, and standards of the relevant countries and regions. The order of steps in the method according to the embodiments of the present application may be appropriately adjusted, and steps may be increased or decreased depending on the circumstances. Variations that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed herein are intended to be within the scope of protection of the present application, and therefore will not be described here.

[0102] In one specific example, FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a gear-switching operation process according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 13, in step A1, a user taps the back panel of a device (terminal) three times. In step A2, a client detects whether the device is in a stable state, i.e., whether the tap operation is valid. In step A3, the client does not enter manual mode if the device is in a stable state. In step A4, the client activates manual mode if the device is not in a stable state. In step A5, the client maintains manual mode. In step A6, a user taps the back panel of the device twice. In step A7, the client detects whether the absolute value of the acceleration of the tap is within a set trigger interval. In step A8, if the tap is not within the trigger interval, the client determines that the tap operation is invalid. In step A9, if the tap is within the trigger interval, the client determines that the tap operation is valid and that a tap interaction exists. In step A10, the client determines whether a majority of the virtual sampling points where an interaction exists are on the right side. In step A11, if the majority of the virtual sampling points are on the right side, the client determines that the tap operation is on the right side. In step A12, the client controls the virtual vehicle to complete one gear-up operation. In step A13, if the majority of the virtual sampling points where an interaction exists are not on the right side, the client determines whether the majority of the virtual sampling points are on the left side. In step A14, if the majority of the virtual sampling points are on the left side, the client determines that the tap operation is on the left side. In step A15, the client controls the virtual vehicle to complete one gear-down operation. The above-mentioned tap operation detection process will be described.

[0103] 1. Distribution of virtual sampling points The virtual sampling points are not actual hardware, but are a data analysis model for the device's acceleration sensor. They are uniformly distributed on the 3D plane where the device is located, forming a single surface. In a stable state, the acceleration of each virtual sampling point is zero. When the acceleration of one or more virtual sampling points varies, the device's stable state can be determined.

[0104] 2. Tap identification (whether the tap is valid or not) The acceleration caused by the tap is processed by combining it with the 3D spatial coordinates using the device's motion sensor, and this is used to determine whether the tap is valid. First, the client processes the parameters of the motion sensor to obtain the absolute value of the acceleration at the virtual sampling point. If it is determined that the absolute value is unstable, it can be assumed that the device has definitely been subjected to force, and a specific tap determination can be made. If the absolute value of the acceleration is located within the trigger section defined above, that is, if a1≦|Z|≦b1, it can be determined that a tap interaction (tap operation) exists on the device.

[0105] 3. Tap position (left and right) recognition Referring to the virtual sampling points described above in the first paragraph, some virtual sampling points are numbered, and the number of virtual sampling points should not be too small to ensure accurate identification. As shown in FIG. 12, if there are 50 sampling points, when a tap interaction is performed on the device, the sampling points whose ones digit is 1 to 5 can be defined as right sampling points representing the right side of the device based on their position in space. Conversely, the sampling points whose ones digit is 6 to 10 are left sampling points.

[0106] 10, a current mobile device can generally be considered as a single, overall rigid body. Since no obvious deformation occurs in a rigid body, the device generally displaces in space as a whole, and the direction of displacement (tap direction) can be determined by the positive or negative value of the acceleration in space. When acceleration in the positive direction of the Z axis occurs at the left sampling point of the device in spatial coordinates, it is considered that the left side of the device has been tapped, and it is determined as a left tap. When acceleration in the negative direction of the Z axis occurs at the left sampling point of the device in spatial coordinates, it is considered that the right side of the device has been tapped, and it is determined as a right tap.

[0107] 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a gearshift device for a virtual vehicle according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 14, the device includes: The display module 1401 displays a virtual environment and the virtual vehicle running in the virtual environment on a user interface, the virtual vehicle having at least two gears; an acquisition module 1402 acquires terminal movement data collected by a motion sensor in the terminal in the process of displaying the user interface; and an identification module 1403 identifies a tap operation on the terminal based on the terminal movement data, the tap operation being an operation of tapping on the surface of the terminal; and the display module 1401 further displays at least one of a gear shift command triggered by the tap operation, in response to the gear shift command, that the virtual vehicle has shifted up in gear and a gear shift command that the virtual vehicle has shifted down in gear.

[0108] In one alternative design, the display module 1401 displays a gear up of the virtual vehicle in response to a first gear shift command triggered by a first tap operation, and / or displays a gear down of the virtual vehicle in response to a second gear shift command triggered by a second tap operation.

[0109] In one alternative design, the identifying module 1403 identifies the first tap operation, the tap position of which is located on a first side of the back surface of the terminal and the tap direction of which is toward the inside of the terminal, to trigger the first gear shift command, and the display module 1401 displays that the virtual vehicle has shifted up a gear in response to the first gear shift command.

[0110] The identification module 1403 further determines that the second gear shift command is triggered in response to the second tap operation, where the tap position is located on a second side of the back surface of the terminal and the tap direction is toward the inside of the terminal, and the display module 1401 further displays that the gear of the virtual vehicle has been lowered in response to the second gear shift command.

[0111] In one alternative design, the identification module 1403 acquires acceleration generated by the tap operation of the terminal through the motion sensor, identifies an acceleration component of the acceleration at each virtual sampling point of a plurality of virtual sampling points, identifies a first virtual sampling point from the virtual sampling points located on the first side whose acceleration component satisfies a tap condition, identifies a second virtual sampling point from the virtual sampling points located on the second side whose acceleration component satisfies the tap condition, and identifies the tap operation as the first tap operation if the first number is greater than the second number, and identifies the tap operation as the second tap operation if the first number is less than the second number. The direction of the acceleration component is perpendicular to the back surface of the terminal, the multiple virtual sampling points are distributed in a grid pattern on a plane parallel to the back surface of the terminal, the tap condition indicates that a tap has been received at the virtual sampling point along a tap direction, and the tap direction is a direction perpendicular to the back surface of the terminal toward the interior of the terminal, the first number is the number of the first virtual sampling points, and the second number is the number of the second virtual sampling points.

[0112] In one alternative design, each of the virtual sampling points has a corresponding indicator, the indicators corresponding to the virtual sampling points located on the first side have the same first feature, and the indicators corresponding to the virtual sampling points located on the second side have the same second feature, and the identification module 1403 identifies a target virtual sampling point from the plurality of virtual sampling points at which the acceleration component satisfies the tap condition, and identifies the target virtual sampling point as the first virtual sampling point if the indicator corresponding to the target virtual sampling point has the first feature, and identifies the target virtual sampling point as the second virtual sampling point if the indicator corresponding to the target virtual sampling point has the second feature.

[0113] In one alternative design, the identification module 1403 identifies the virtual sampling point as satisfying the tap condition if the absolute value of the acceleration component of the virtual sampling point is greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold, and the direction of the acceleration component of the virtual sampling point is the tap direction.

[0114] In one alternative design, the display module 1401 displays that the virtual vehicle has shifted up one gear in response to a single first gear shift command triggered by m consecutive first tap operations (m being a positive integer), and that the virtual vehicle has shifted down one gear in response to a single second gear shift command triggered by n consecutive second tap operations (n ​​being a positive integer).

[0115] In one alternative design, the identification module 1403 determines that the first gear shift command is triggered in response to the first tap operation, where the tap position is located on a frame on a third side of the terminal and the tap direction is toward the inside of the terminal, and the display module 1401 displays that the virtual vehicle has shifted up in gear in response to the first gear shift command; the identification module 1403 determines that the second gear shift command is triggered in response to the second tap operation, where the tap position is located on a frame on a fourth side of the terminal and the tap direction is toward the inside of the terminal, and the display module 1401 displays that the virtual vehicle has shifted down in gear in response to the second gear shift command.

[0116] In one alternative design, the display module 1401 displays a gear up of the virtual vehicle in response to a first double-finger slide operation along a first direction on the user interface, and / or displays a gear down of the virtual vehicle in response to a second double-finger slide operation along a second direction on the user interface, with two slide trajectories of the first double-finger slide operation located on opposite sides of the user interface, and two slide trajectories of the second double-finger slide operation located on opposite sides of the user interface.

[0117] In one alternative design, the display module 1401 displays a gear shift control on the user interface when a distance between the virtual vehicle and a counterpart virtual vehicle in the virtual environment is less than a first distance threshold and when a distance between the virtual vehicle and a curve section in the virtual environment is less than a second distance threshold, wherein the gear shift control triggers at least one of shifting the virtual vehicle up a gear and shifting the virtual vehicle down a gear.

[0118] In one alternative design, the display module 1401, in response to a continuous tap operation, displays on the user interface that the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle has been switched to a manual mode when the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle is an automatic mode, and, in response to the gear shift command triggered by the tap operation, displays at least one of that the gear of the virtual vehicle has been increased in accordance with the gear shift command and that the gear of the virtual vehicle has been decreased in accordance with the gear shift command. The continuous tap operation is an operation of tapping the terminal x times (x is a positive integer) in succession.

[0119] Although the above-described embodiment of the virtual vehicle gearshift device has been described using only the division of each functional module as an example, in actual applications, the above functions may be allocated to different functional modules as needed, i.e., the internal structure of the device may be divided into different functional modules to achieve all or part of the above-described functions. Furthermore, the virtual vehicle gearshift device according to the above-described embodiment is based on the same concept as the embodiment of the virtual vehicle gearshift method, and the specific implementation process thereof may be referred to in the method embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0120] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer device including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores at least a portion of a program that is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the gear shift method for a virtual vehicle according to each of the above method embodiments. For example, FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a terminal according to one exemplary embodiment of the present application. Generally, a terminal 1500 includes a processor 1501 and a memory 1502. The processor 1501 may include one or more processing cores, such as a 4-core processor, an 8-core processor, etc. The processor 1501 may be implemented by at least one hardware component selected from the group consisting of a digital signal processing (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and a programmable logic array (PLA). The processor 1501 may include a main processor and a coprocessor. The main processor processes data in a wake-up state and is also referred to as a central processing unit (CPU), and the coprocessor is a low-power processor that processes data in a standby state. In some embodiments, the processor 1501 may include an integrated graphics processing unit (GPU) responsible for rendering and drawing content to be displayed on a display screen. In some embodiments, the processor 1501 may further include an artificial intelligence (AI) processor for processing computational operations related to machine learning. The memory 1502 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media. The memory 1502 may further include high-speed random access memory and non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices or flash memory. In some embodiments, the non-transitory computer-readable storage media of the memory 1502 store at least one instruction that, when executed by the processor 1501, implements a method for shifting gears in a virtual vehicle according to a method embodiment of the present application.

[0121] In some embodiments, terminal 1500 may further optionally include a peripheral interface 1503 and at least one peripheral. Processor 1501, memory 1502, and peripheral interface 1503 may be connected by a bus or signal lines. Each peripheral may be connected to peripheral interface 1503 via a bus, signal lines, or circuit board. Specifically, the peripherals include at least one of RF circuitry 1504, display screen 1505, camera assembly 1506, audio circuitry 1507, and power supply 1508. Peripheral interface 1503 connects at least one I / O (Input / Output) peripheral to processor 1501 and memory 1502. In some embodiments, processor 1501, memory 1502, and peripheral interface 1503 are integrated on the same chip or circuit board. In some other embodiments, any one or two of the processor 1501, memory 1502, and peripheral device interface 1503 may be implemented on independent chips or circuit boards, but this is not a limitation of the embodiments of the present application. The RF circuit 1504 transmits and receives RF (Radio Frequency) signals, also known as electromagnetic signals. The RF circuit 1504 communicates with communication networks and other communication devices via electromagnetic signals. The RF circuit 1504 converts electrical signals into electromagnetic signals for transmission, or converts received electromagnetic signals into electrical signals. Optionally, the RF circuit 1504 may include an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, an oscillator, a digital signal processor, a codec chipset, a user identity module card, etc. The RF circuit 1504 can communicate with other terminals via at least one wireless communication protocol. Such wireless communication protocols include, but are not limited to, the World Wide Web, metropolitan area networks, intranets, mobile communication networks of various generations (2G, 3G, 4G and 5G), wireless local area networks and / or WIFI (Wireless Fidelity) networks.In some embodiments, RF circuitry 1504 may further include circuitry related to Near Field Communication (NFC), although this application is not limited thereto. Display screen 1505 displays a User Interface (UI). The UI may include graphics, text, icons, video, and any combination thereof. If display screen 1505 is a touchscreen, display screen 1505 also has the ability to collect touch signals on or above its surface. The touch signals may be input to processor 1501 as control signals for processing. In this case, display screen 1505 may also provide virtual buttons and / or a virtual keyboard (also referred to as soft buttons and / or a soft keyboard). In some embodiments, there is one display screen 1505 and it may be located on the front panel of terminal 1500. In other embodiments, there are at least two display screens 1505 and they may be located on different surfaces of terminal 1500 or may be folded. In some further embodiments, the display screen 1505 may be a flexible display screen and may be provided on a curved or folded surface of the terminal 1500. Furthermore, the display screen 1505 may be provided in an irregular shape other than a rectangle, i.e., may be an irregularly shaped screen. The display screen 1505 may be made of a material such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED). The camera assembly 1506 captures images or videos. Optionally, the camera assembly 1506 includes a front camera and a rear camera. Typically, the front camera is provided on the front panel of the terminal 1500, and the rear camera is provided on the back surface of the terminal.In some embodiments, the rear camera includes at least two cameras, each of which may be a main camera, a depth-of-field camera, a wide-angle camera, or a telephoto camera. The main camera and the depth-of-field camera may cooperate to achieve a background blur function, the main camera and the wide-angle camera may cooperate to achieve panoramic photography and virtual reality (VR) photography, or other photography functions. In some embodiments, the camera assembly 1506 may further include a flash lamp. The flash lamp may be a single-color temperature flash lamp or a dual-color temperature flash lamp. The dual-color temperature flash lamp is a combination of a warm-light flash lamp and a cold-light flash lamp and can be used for light compensation at different color temperatures. The audio circuit 1507 includes a microphone and a speaker. The microphone collects sound waves from the user or the environment and converts the sound waves into electrical signals that are input to the processor 1501 for processing or to the RF circuit 1504 for voice communication. The microphone may be multiple microphones provided at different locations on the terminal 1500 for the purpose of stereo sound collection or noise reduction. The microphone may be an array microphone or an omnidirectional microphone. The speaker converts electrical signals from the processor 1501 or the RF circuit 1504 into sound waves. The speaker may be a conventional film speaker or a piezoelectric ceramic speaker. If the speaker is a piezoelectric ceramic speaker, it can convert electrical signals into sound waves that are audible to humans as well as into sound waves that are inaudible to humans for purposes such as distance measurement. In some embodiments, the audio circuit 1507 may further include an earphone jack. The power source 1508 supplies power to each component in the terminal 1500. The power source 1508 may be an AC power source, a DC power source, a primary battery, or a secondary battery. If the power source 1508 is a secondary battery, the secondary battery may be a wired secondary battery or a wireless secondary battery. A wired secondary battery is a battery that is charged via a wired line, and a wireless secondary battery is a battery that is charged by a wireless coil. The secondary battery may be used to support fast charging technology.

[0122] In some embodiments, the terminal 1500 further includes one or more sensors 1509. The one or more sensors 1509 may include, but are not limited to, an acceleration sensor 1510, a gyro sensor 1511, a pressure sensor 1512, an optical sensor 1513, and a proximity sensor 1514. The acceleration sensor 1510 may detect the magnitude of acceleration in three coordinate axes of a coordinate system established by the terminal 1500. For example, the acceleration sensor 1510 may detect components of gravitational acceleration in the three coordinate axes. The processor 1501 may control the touch display screen 1505 to display the user interface in a landscape view or a portrait view based on the gravitational acceleration signal obtained from the acceleration sensor 1510. The acceleration sensor 1510 may collect game or user movement data. The gyro sensor 1511 can detect the orientation and rotation angle of the terminal 1500, and can cooperate with the acceleration sensor 1510 to collect 3D movements of the terminal 1500 by the user. The processor 1501 can realize functions such as motion detection (e.g., changing the UI in response to the user's tilt operation), image stabilization during shooting, game control, and inertial navigation based on the data collected by the gyro sensor 1511. The pressure sensor 1512 can be provided on the side frame of the terminal 1500 and / or below the touch display screen 1505. When the pressure sensor 1512 is provided on the side frame of the terminal 1500, it can detect a grip signal of the terminal 1500 by the user, and the processor 1501 can distinguish between left and right hands and perform shortcut operations based on the grip signal collected by the pressure sensor 1512. Furthermore, if a pressure sensor 1512 is provided below the touch display screen 1505, the processor 1501 can control operable controls in the UI interface based on a user's pressing operation on the touch display screen 1505. The operable controls include at least one of a button control, a scroll bar control, an icon control, and a menu control. The optical sensor 1513 collects the intensity of ambient light.In one embodiment, the processor 1501 can control the display brightness of the touch display screen 1505 according to the intensity of the ambient light collected by the optical sensor 1513. Specifically, when the intensity of the ambient light is high, the display brightness of the touch display screen 1505 is increased, and when the intensity of the ambient light is low, the display brightness of the touch display screen 1505 is decreased. In another embodiment, the processor 1501 can dynamically adjust the shooting parameters of the camera assembly 1506 according to the intensity of the ambient light collected by the optical sensor 1513. The proximity sensor 1514, also called a distance sensor, is generally provided on the front panel of the terminal 1500. The proximity sensor 1514 collects the distance between the user and the front of the terminal 1500. In one embodiment, when the proximity sensor 1514 detects that the distance between the user and the front of the terminal 1500 is gradually decreasing, the processor 1501 controls the touch display screen 1505 to switch from a screen-on state to a screen-off state, and when the proximity sensor 1514 detects that the distance between the user and the front of the terminal 1500 is gradually increasing, the processor 1501 controls the touch display screen 1505 to switch from a screen-off state to a screen-on state.

[0123] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that terminal 1500 is not limited to the structure shown in FIG. 15 and may include more or fewer components than those shown, combine some components, or employ different component arrangements.

[0124] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing at least a portion of a program that, when loaded and executed by a processor of a computer device, realizes the gear shifting method for a virtual vehicle according to each of the above method embodiments.

[0125] The present application further provides a computer program product or computer program comprising computer instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium, wherein a processor of a computing device reads the computer instructions from the computer readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions, thereby causing the computing device to perform the virtual vehicle gear shifting method according to each of the method embodiments above.

[0126] As can be understood by those skilled in the art, all or part of the steps in the above embodiments may be performed by hardware, or may be instructed by a program to be executed by related hardware, and the program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the above-mentioned readable storage medium storage medium may be a ROM, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc.

[0127] The above are merely selective embodiments of the present application and do not limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent changes, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. 1. A method for shifting gears in a virtual vehicle implemented by a computing device, comprising: displaying on a user interface a virtual environment and the virtual vehicle moving in the virtual environment, the virtual vehicle having at least two gears; acquiring terminal motion data collected by a motion sensor in the terminal during the process of displaying the user interface; a step of identifying a tap operation on the terminal based on the terminal motion data, the tap operation being an operation of tapping on a surface of the terminal; and in response to a gear shift command triggered by the tap operation, indicating at least one of a gear increase of the virtual vehicle and a gear decrease of the virtual vehicle in response to the gear shift command. A method for shifting gears in a virtual vehicle.

2. The step of displaying at least one of a gear shift of the virtual vehicle being increased in response to the gear shift command triggered by the tap operation and a gear shift of the virtual vehicle being decreased in response to the gear shift command includes: In response to a first gear shift command triggered by a first tap operation, indicating that the virtual vehicle has shifted into a higher gear; and indicating that the virtual vehicle has shifted down a gear in response to a second gear shift command triggered by a second tap operation; The first tap operation and the second tap operation differ in at least one of a tap position, a tap direction, and a tap force.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual vehicle gear shifting is performed in accordance with claim 1.

3. The step of indicating that the virtual vehicle has shifted up a gear in response to a first gear shift command triggered by a first tap operation includes: determining that the first gear shift command is to be triggered in response to the first tap operation, the tap position being located on a first side of a back surface of the terminal and the tap direction being toward the inside of the terminal; and in response to the first gear shift command, indicating that the virtual vehicle is in a higher gear; The step of indicating that the virtual vehicle has been shifted down in gear in response to a second gear shift command triggered by a second tap operation includes: determining that the second gear shift command is to be triggered in response to the second tap operation, the tap position being located on a second side of the back surface of the terminal and the tap direction being toward the inside of the terminal; and in response to the second gear shift command, indicating that the virtual vehicle has shifted down a gear; The back surface of the terminal refers to a surface of the terminal opposite to a surface on which a display screen is located, the first side of the back surface of the terminal refers to a side of the back surface of the terminal opposite to a right side of the display screen, and the second side of the back surface of the terminal refers to a side of the back surface of the terminal opposite to a left side of the display screen.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the virtual vehicle gear shifting is performed in accordance with claim 2.

4. acquiring, by the motion sensor, an acceleration generated by the tap operation by the terminal; a step of identifying an acceleration component of the acceleration at each virtual sampling point of a plurality of virtual sampling points, the direction of the acceleration component being perpendicular to a rear surface of the terminal, and the plurality of virtual sampling points being distributed in a grid pattern on a plane parallel to the rear surface of the terminal; a step of identifying a first virtual sampling point from the virtual sampling points located on the first side, the acceleration component of which satisfies a tap condition, and identifying a second virtual sampling point from the virtual sampling points located on the second side, the acceleration component of which satisfies the tap condition, the tap condition indicating that a tap has been received at the virtual sampling point along a tap direction, the tap direction being a direction perpendicular to the back surface of the terminal toward the interior of the terminal; if the first number is greater than the second number, identifying the tap operation as the first tap operation, and if the first number is less than the second number, identifying the tap operation as the second tap operation, wherein the first number is the number of the first virtual sampling points and the second number is the number of the second virtual sampling points.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the virtual vehicle gear shifting is performed in accordance with claim 3.

5. Each of the virtual sampling points has a corresponding mark, and the marks corresponding to the virtual sampling points located on the first side have the same first feature, and the marks corresponding to the virtual sampling points located on the second side have the same second feature; The step of identifying a first virtual sampling point, whose acceleration component satisfies a tap condition, from the virtual sampling points located on the first side, and identifying a second virtual sampling point, whose acceleration component satisfies the tap condition, from the virtual sampling points located on the second side, includes: identifying a target virtual sampling point at which the acceleration component satisfies the tap condition from the plurality of virtual sampling points; identifying the target virtual sampling point as the first virtual sampling point if the mark corresponding to the target virtual sampling point has the first characteristic, and identifying the target virtual sampling point as the second virtual sampling point if the mark corresponding to the target virtual sampling point has the second characteristic.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the virtual vehicle gear shifting is performed in accordance with claim 4.

6. the method further includes a step of identifying the virtual sampling point as satisfying the tap condition when the absolute value of the acceleration component of the virtual sampling point is greater than a first threshold value and less than a second threshold value, and the direction of the acceleration component of the virtual sampling point is the tap direction.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the virtual vehicle gear shifting is performed in accordance with claim 4.

7. The step of indicating that the virtual vehicle has shifted up a gear in response to a first gear shift command triggered by a first tap operation includes: displaying a one-speed increase in gear of the virtual vehicle in response to a single first gear shift command triggered by m consecutive first tap operations (m being a positive integer); The step of indicating that the virtual vehicle has been shifted down in gear in response to a second gear shift command triggered by a second tap operation includes: and displaying a shift of the virtual vehicle down one gear in response to one second gear shift command triggered by n consecutive second tap operations (n ​​being a positive integer).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the virtual vehicle gear shifting is performed in accordance with claim 2.

8. The step of indicating that the virtual vehicle has shifted up a gear in response to a first gear shift command triggered by a first tap operation includes: determining that the first gear shift command is to be triggered in response to the first tap operation, the tap position of which is located on a third side frame of the terminal and the tap direction of which is toward the inside of the terminal; and in response to the first gear shift command, indicating that the virtual vehicle is in a higher gear; The step of indicating that the virtual vehicle has been shifted down in gear in response to a second gear shift command triggered by a second tap operation includes: determining that the second gear shift command is to be triggered in response to the second tap operation, the tap position being located on a fourth side frame of the terminal and the tap direction being toward an interior of the terminal; and in response to the second gear shift command, indicating that the virtual vehicle has shifted down a gear. A method for shifting gears in a virtual vehicle according to any one of claims 2 to 7.

9. a step of indicating that the virtual vehicle has been shifted up in gear in response to a first double-finger slide operation on the user interface along a first direction, the two slide trajectories of the first double-finger slide operation being located on opposite sides of the user interface; and and further including at least one of the steps of: indicating that the gear of the virtual vehicle has been lowered in response to a second double-finger slide operation on the user interface along a second direction, wherein two slide trajectories of the second double-finger slide operation are located on opposite sides of the user interface, respectively. A method for shifting gears in a virtual vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. the distance between the virtual vehicle and a counterpart virtual vehicle in the virtual environment is less than a first distance threshold; and displaying a gear shift control on the user interface when at least one of the virtual vehicle and a curve section in the virtual environment is less than a second distance threshold; the gear shift control triggers at least one of a gear shift of the virtual vehicle down and a gear shift of the virtual vehicle up; A method for shifting gears in a virtual vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

11. If the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle is an automatic mode, in response to a successive tap operation, displaying on the user interface that the gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle has been switched to a manual mode, the successive tap operation being an operation of tapping the terminal x times (x is a positive integer), The step of displaying at least one of a gear shift of the virtual vehicle being increased in response to the gear shift command triggered by the tap operation and a gear shift of the virtual vehicle being decreased in response to the gear shift command includes: and when a gear shift mode of the virtual vehicle is the manual mode, in response to the gear shift command triggered by the tap operation, displaying at least one of a gear change of the virtual vehicle that has been increased in accordance with the gear shift command and a gear change of the virtual vehicle that has been decreased in accordance with the gear shift command. A method for shifting gears in a virtual vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

12. a display module for displaying on a user interface a virtual environment and the virtual vehicle moving in the virtual environment, the virtual vehicle having at least two gears; an acquisition module for acquiring terminal motion data collected by a motion sensor in the terminal during the process of displaying the user interface; an identification module that identifies a tap operation on the terminal based on the terminal motion data, the tap operation being an operation of tapping on a surface of the terminal; The display module further displays, in response to a gear shift command triggered by the tap operation, at least one of a gear shift of the virtual vehicle being increased in response to the gear shift command and a gear shift of the virtual vehicle being decreased in response to the gear shift command. A gear shift device for a virtual vehicle.

13. a processor and a memory, The memory stores at least a part of a program that, when loaded and executed by the processor, realizes the gear shift method for a virtual vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

1. A computer device characterized by:

14. At least a part of a program that is loaded and executed by a processor to realize the gear shift method for a virtual vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is stored. A computer-readable storage medium comprising:

15. computer instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium; a processor of a computer device reading the computer instructions from the computer readable storage medium and executing the computer instructions to cause the computer device to perform the virtual vehicle gear shifting method of any one of claims 1 to 11; 1. A computer program product comprising:

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