Content distribution server, system, terminal, method, content distribution method and program

Abstract

To increase an interest of educational content provided by a remote education system and encourage a students' desire to attend courses.SOLUTION: A content distribution server according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a material data distribution unit, a received data acquisition unit, and a material data changing unit. The material data distribution unit distributes first specification data indicating specifications of a plurality of objects arranged in a virtual space that constitutes educational content for remote learning and motion data indicating movements of a plurality of objects to an educational terminal. The received data acquisition unit acquires a request for changing at least part of the first specification data, which is received from an external device. The material data changing unit changes the first specification data into second specification data different from the first specification data in response to the request. The material data distribution unit distributes the second specification data to the educational terminal after the first specification data is changed to the second specification data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to distance education using ICT (Information and Communication Technology). [Background technology]

[0002] There have been attempts to use ICT to provide distance education. For example, in a typical e-learning system, a server distributes pre-recorded educational content to students' terminals via the Internet. Therefore, students can study without being restricted by location or time, as compared to traditional face-to-face classes.

[0003] Moreover, Patent Document 1 discloses a teaching system that provides ongoing lesson data to student terminals in real time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6227816 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Simply delivering pre-recorded educational content makes it difficult for students to sense the presence of teachers and other students. Students also have no opportunity to participate in the lesson other than watching the video and listening to the audio, which tends to lead to a passive attitude.

[0006] On the other hand, by delivering educational content in real time, students can feel the presence of the teacher in a real way, and vice versa. Also, by providing communication tools such as chat and comment functions, students can be encouraged to actively participate in the class in anticipation of the reactions of the teacher and other students.

[0007] However, whether providing pre-recorded educational content or providing recorded educational content in real time, the content itself remains the same unless it is re-recorded. Therefore, even if a student wants to retake a class on the same topic, they have to replay the exact same content they viewed in the past, which creates a problem of low motivation to review or re-learn.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to increase the interest of educational content provided by a distance education system and to encourage students to take the courses. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A content distribution server according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a material data distribution unit, a received data acquisition unit, and a material data change unit. The material data distribution unit distributes to an education terminal first specification data indicating specifications of a plurality of objects arranged in a virtual space constituting educational content for a distance learning, and motion data indicating the movements of the plurality of objects. The received data acquisition unit acquires a request for changing at least a part of the first specification data received from an external device. The material data change unit changes the first specification data to second specification data different from the first specification data in response to the request. The material data distribution unit distributes the second specification data to the education terminal after the first specification data is changed to the second specification data.

[0010] A content creation device according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a playback unit, an input data acquisition unit, and a material data generation unit. The playback unit plays reference content based on first specification data indicating specifications of an object related to the presentation of lesson content and first motion data indicating the movement of the object. The input data acquisition unit acquires second motion data based on the movement of a user during the playback of the reference content, and voice data based on an utterance of the user during the playback of the reference content. The material data generation unit generates material data used to reproduce a virtual space constituting educational content for distance learning based on the first specification data, second specification data indicating specifications of an avatar corresponding to the user, the first motion data, the second motion data, and the voice data.

[0011] An educational terminal according to a third aspect of the present invention includes an input data acquisition unit and a playback unit. The input data acquisition unit acquires input data corresponding to a request for changing at least a part of first specification data indicating specifications of a plurality of objects arranged in a virtual space constituting educational content for a distance learning. The playback unit plays back, together with the educational audio data, lesson video data obtained by capturing the virtual space reproduced based on second specification data obtained by modifying the first specification data based on the request and motion data indicating the movements of the plurality of objects. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the interest of educational content provided by a distance education system, thereby encouraging students to take the courses. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an educational terminal according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram illustrating a distance education system including the education terminal of FIG. 1; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a content distribution server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4]2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a playback screen of educational content on the educational terminal of FIG. 1; [Diagram 5] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the playback screen of the educational content on the educational terminal of FIG. 1 after the teacher's avatar in the educational content of FIG. 4 has been changed based on a request from a user. [Figure 6] 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the playback screen of the educational content on the educational terminal of FIG. 1 after student avatars have been added to the educational content of FIG. 5 based on a user request. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the educational terminal of FIG. 1; [Figure 8] 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the content distribution server in FIG. 2; [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a content creation device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the content creating device of FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an educational terminal according to a third embodiment. [Figure 12] 12 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the education terminal of FIG. 11 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, hereinafter, elements that are the same or similar to elements already described will be given the same or similar reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will basically be omitted. For example, when there are multiple identical or similar elements, a common reference numeral may be used to describe each element without distinguishing between them, and a subnumber may be used in addition to the common reference numeral to describe each element with distinction between them.

[0015] (First embodiment) The education terminal and the content distribution server according to the first embodiment can be incorporated into a distance education system exemplified in Fig. 2. This system includes education terminals 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, ... according to the embodiments, and a content distribution server 20. The content distribution server 20 is connected to each education terminal 10 via a network such as the Internet, and can transmit and receive data between them. The content distribution server 20 may also be connected to other servers (not shown), such as a Web server or a comment server, via the network, and can transmit and receive data between them.

[0016] The educational terminal 10 may be an electronic device such as a computer, for example, a PC (Personal Computer), a mobile terminal (for example, a tablet, smartphone, laptop, feature phone, portable game console, etc.), an HMD (Head Mounted Display), a game console, a television set (including Internet television), etc., but is not limited to these.

[0017] Users of the educational terminal 10 are primarily students in a class, but may also include a teacher in the class. For example, a teacher may use the educational terminal 10 to record, transmit (upload) educational content for a distance learning class, add teaching material objects to the educational content, and the like. When the educational terminal 10 is used to record educational content, the educational terminal 10 will incorporate or be connected to a motion detection device and a microphone for capturing the teacher's movements. The motion detection device may be, for example, an inertial sensor, a Doppler sensor, a 3D camera, and the like.

[0018] The content distribution server 20 provides educational content in response to a distribution start request from the education terminal 10. The content distribution server 20 may provide the educational content in real time while the educational content is being recorded, or may provide the recorded educational content. The content distribution server 20 may also provide the educational content provided in real time after the educational content is recorded. The educational content may be recorded by the content distribution server 20 connected to, for example, a motion detection device, a microphone, etc., or may be recorded by the teacher's education terminal 10 or another terminal and sequentially transmitted to the content distribution server 20.

[0019] The educational content may typically include virtual content such as VR (Virtual Reality), AR (Augmented Reality), MR (Mixed Reality), and SR (Substitutional Reality), which allows remote students to experience a realistic lesson. The content distribution server 20 may distribute to the educational terminal 10 lesson video data in which a virtual space constituting such educational content is shot from a certain viewpoint, or may distribute to the educational terminal 10 material data including materials for rendering the lesson video data.

[0020] The education terminal 10 may receive comment data posted by students or teachers on educational content from a comment server (not shown), and display the comments indicated by the comment data superimposed on the educational content. The comments may be displayed, for example, by moving over a predetermined period of time on the surface of an object for displaying comments that is placed in a virtual space constituting the educational content. On the other hand, the education terminal 10 may generate comment data to be posted on the educational content based on text input from the user, and transmit the data to the comment server. This allows teachers and students to have synchronous communication (in the case of real-time distribution) and / or asynchronous communication on a text basis.

[0021] The education terminal 10 also receives and plays back lesson audio data as part of the education content from the content distribution server 20. This lesson audio data includes the voice of the teacher when recording, and may also include (a part of) the voice of the students. In this case, (a part of) the education terminal 10 may generate audio data based on the voice of the students detected by a microphone (not shown), and transmit the audio data to the content distribution server 20. This allows the students to experience a more realistic lesson, and enables the teacher and students to have synchronous communication (in the case of real-time distribution) and / or asynchronous communication based on audio.

[0022] Note that the number of each device shown in Fig. 2 is merely an example. For example, the number of educational terminals 10 changes from moment to moment, and may be 0 or may be several hundred or several thousand. Furthermore, a Web server, a comment server, and the like not shown in Fig. 2 may be further provided.

[0023] The configuration of the education terminal 10 will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the education terminal 10 includes a communication I / F (interface) 101, an input / output I / F 102, a processor 110, and a memory 120.

[0024] The communication I / F 101 communicates with the content distribution server 20 via a network, typically the Internet, using communication technologies such as mobile communication (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, mobile WiMAX), Wi-Fi, WiMAX, etc. The communication I / F 101 can receive various data from the processor 110 and transmit it to the content distribution server 20, and can receive various data from the content distribution server 20 and send it to the processor 110.

[0025] Specifically, the communication I / F 101 receives material data from the content distribution server 20 and sends it to the received data acquisition unit 111. The material data may or may not be encoded. In the former case, the material data needs to be decoded by a decoder (not shown) before being read into the material data storage unit 121 or after being read from the material data storage unit 121.

[0026] The input / output I / F 102 is an interface terminal (port) used for inputting and outputting data between the processor 110 and an external device, and can also be called an I / O (Input / Output) unit. The input / output I / F 102 can be used for data exchange between the processor 110 and an input device such as a touch screen, a keyboard, a mouse, a numeric keypad, a microphone, a motion detection device, etc. Similarly, the input / output I / F 102 can be used for data exchange between the processor 110 and an output device such as a display (which can include a touch screen) and a speaker, etc.

[0027] For example, the input / output I / F 102 receives played lesson video data and lesson audio data from the processor 110, and outputs them to the display and speaker, respectively. The input / output I / F 102 also receives input data (user input) corresponding to a request to change (at least a part of) the specification data of an object described below from an input device, and sends this to the processor 110. In addition, the input data may include voice data based on the user's voice generated by a microphone, comment data generated by a keyboard (which may include a screen keyboard), and requests related to the playback control of educational content, such as specifying the playback time, rewinding, fast-forwarding, changing the playback speed, skipping, and the like.

[0028] Processor 110 is typically a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and / or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), but may also be a microcontroller, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or other general-purpose or dedicated processor.

[0029] The memory 120 includes a memory for temporarily storing programs executed by the processor 110 to realize each process, such as an OS (Operating System), firmware, a distance education application, and the like, and data used by the processor 110, such as material data, lesson video data, and the like. The memory may include a RAM (Random Access Memory) having a work area in which such programs / data are deployed.

[0030] 1 by executing a program stored in memory 120. In addition, memory 120 may include a material data storage unit 121.

[0031] The received data acquisition unit 111 acquires received data from the content distribution server 20 via the communication I / F 101, and stores this in the memory 120. For example, the received data acquisition unit 111 acquires material data from the communication I / F 101, and stores this in the material data storage unit 121.

[0032] The renderer 112 reads out data that is the material for reproducing the virtual space that constitutes the educational content from among the material data stored in the material data storage unit 121, specifically, specification data indicating the specifications of multiple objects placed in this virtual space and motion data indicating the movements of the multiple objects. The renderer 112 then reproduces the virtual space (the appearance, movement, etc. of each object placed in the virtual space) based on the specification data and motion data, and generates lesson video data that captures these from a reference viewpoint (virtual camera). The renderer 112 sends the generated lesson video data to the content playback unit 113.

[0033] The content playback unit 113 receives the lesson video data from the renderer 112, and reads the lesson audio data from the material data storage unit 121. The content playback unit 113 then plays back the lesson audio data together with the lesson video data, and outputs the educational content to an output device via the input / output I / F 102.

[0034] The input data acquisition unit 114 acquires input data from the input / output I / F 102, and sends at least a part of the input data to the input data reporting unit 115. The input data acquisition unit 114 sends input data to be reported to the content distribution server 20 or the comment server to the input data reporting unit 115, and can send other input data, such as a request for controlling the playback of educational content, to the renderer 112 and / or the content playback unit 113, for example.

[0035] The input data reporting unit 115 receives input data from the input data acquisition unit 114, and reports it to the content distribution server 20 or the comment distribution server via the communication I / F 101. For example, the input data reporting unit 115 may transmit a request to change the specification data of an object and voice data to the content distribution server 20, and transmit comment data to the comment server. Here, the request to change the specification data of an object may include, for example, a request to replace the appearance, voice character, sound effects, music, etc. of a specific object (which may include an avatar) included in the multiple objects for which specification data is defined, a request to delete the specification data of the specific object, a request to add specification data of a new object (which may include an avatar) not included in the multiple objects, and the like.

[0036] The material data storage unit 121 stores material data. Here, the material data includes specification data and motion data of objects, and lesson audio data. The material data storage unit 121 may store material data for reproducing a virtual space constituting a certain educational content, for example, in association with an identifier that identifies the educational content. The material data storage unit 121 may also store specification data and motion data of each object in association with an identifier that identifies the object.

[0037] The specification data may include, for example, appearance data of an object, and sound effect data or music data representing a sound effect or music to be generated when a specific condition is satisfied for the object. Furthermore, for an object that can speak, such as an avatar, voice character data representing a voice character who is in charge of the voice of the object may also be included in the specification data of the object. Note that at least a part of the specification data of an object may be preset in the material data storage unit 121, for example, before the start of playback of the educational content.

[0038] The motion data represents the movement, orientation (posture), and position coordinates of the object's entire body or each part for each playback time of the educational content. If the object is an avatar that is an alter ego of a teacher, student, or other related person, the motion data of the object may be generated by a motion detection device based on the person's entire body or each part's movement. For example, known techniques based on sensing signals from an inertial sensor or Doppler sensor and / or image data from a 3D camera can be used to generate motion data based on the human's entire body or each part's movement.

[0039] The material data is written to the material data storage unit 121 by the received data acquisition unit 111. Of the material data stored in the material data storage unit 121, the specification data and motion data of the object are read by the renderer 112. Of the material data stored in the material data storage unit 121, the lesson audio data is read by the content playback unit 113.

[0040] When the input data reporting unit 115 reports input data corresponding to a request for changing the specification data of an object to the content distribution server 20, the content distribution server 20 can change the specification data of the object in response to this request. Note that the content distribution server 20 does not necessarily need to respond to such requests from all of the education terminals 10, and may respond under certain conditions, such as by charging, majority vote, lottery, or first come first served.

[0041] When the content distribution server 20 changes the specification data of an object based on a request, it distributes the specification data, which is the original specification data modified based on the request, to each educational terminal 10. This modified specification data is received by the communication I / F 101 together with unreceived motion data, acquired by the received data acquisition unit 111, and stored in the material data storage unit 121. Note that the motion data received here may be the same regardless of whether the specification data has been modified. Also, the specification data before the modification that was stored in the material data storage unit 121 is overwritten by the modified specification data.

[0042] The changed specification data and motion data stored in the material data storage unit 121 are read by the renderer 112 and rendered as lesson video data. This allows the students to, for example, change the appearance and / or voice character of the teacher or student avatar, add new objects (which may include avatars), and change the sound effects and / or music that can be generated by the objects in the educational content subsequently distributed by the content distribution server 20.

[0043] For example, if a student does not like the appearance or tone of voice of teacher avatar 31 appearing in the educational content shown in Figure 4, he or she can change to a different teacher avatar 33 with a preferred appearance and tone of voice as shown in Figure 5 and take the class.

[0044] Also, students can add their own avatars to the virtual space that constitutes the educational content. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, in addition to the teacher avatar 33, student avatars 34 to 36 appear in the educational content, so that students can feel the presence of other students, and the number of student avatars that appear in the educational content can be an index for grasping the popularity of the content. For example, students can roughly grasp whether the educational content is popular or not from the number of student avatars that appear in the preview of the educational content. Furthermore, depending on the number of student avatars, the size, appearance, etc. of the classroom object placed in this virtual space may be automatically changed. In other words, the size and / or appearance of the classroom object indicated by the changed specification data may depend on the number of avatars for which this specification data is specified. For example, as the number of avatars increases, a classroom object with a size / appearance according to the number of people that can be accommodated may be selected, and further objects of desks and chairs may be added. Furthermore, as the size of the classroom object increases, the size of the blackboard object 32 may also be enlarged.

[0045] In the examples of Figures 4 to 6, in addition to the avatars of the teacher and students, a blackboard object 32 is provided as an object related to the presentation of lesson content, but any object such as a whiteboard, projector, etc. can be used as such an object.

[0046] Teaching materials such as text, graphs, figures, photos, videos, etc. displayed on the blackboard object 32 or objects related to the presentation of other lesson contents may be defined as teaching material objects separate from the object. For example, a teacher can add, delete, or replace teaching material objects, change the font type, color, size, etc. of text, or change the size and layout of graphs, figures, photos, etc., based on the students' comments, voices, etc., during real-time distribution or post-recording distribution. Such adjustments to educational content can motivate students to re-view educational content that they have already viewed. To create a classroom-like atmosphere, objects such as the date, the person on duty, and graffiti that would be written on a blackboard in a real classroom may be attached to the blackboard object 32.

[0047] Furthermore, objects of works such as answer sheets, grade rankings, drawings, etc., made by students may be posted on the walls of the classroom object. The appearance of the answer sheet object may be generated based on the students' answers to questionnaires or other types of tests distributed during the reproduction of the educational content. The appearance of the grade ranking object may be generated based on the user's scores in such tests and updated every time a new student who has obtained a high score appears, or periodically. A teacher may add a comment or a voice praising a student who has obtained a high score after the fact, or such a production may be automatically performed in the educational terminal 10 of the student. Exposing such postings to the eyes of teachers and other students may motivate students to retake the test in order to aim for a higher score or to work on a more complete work.

[0048] The configuration of the content distribution server 20 will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the content distribution server 20 includes a communication I / F 201, a processor 210, and a memory 220.

[0049] The communication I / F 201 communicates with the education terminal 10 via a network, typically the Internet, using a communication technology such as optical communication. The communication I / F 201 can receive various data from the processor 210 and transmit it to the education terminal 10, and can receive various data from the education terminal 10 and send it to the processor 210.

[0050] Specifically, the communication I / F 201 receives data, such as a request to change specification data, from the education terminal 10 and sends it to the processor 210. The communication I / F 201 also receives material data from the processor 210 and sends it to the education terminal 10. The material data may or may not be encoded. In the former case, the content distribution server 20 may be provided with an encoder that encodes the material data.

[0051] The lesson audio data and motion data among the material data may be uploaded to the content distribution server 20 from the educational terminal 10 for the teacher, for example, or may be generated by a microphone and a motion detection device (not shown) connected to the content distribution server 20. In the latter case, the content distribution server 20 may include an input / output I / F for connecting to the microphone and the motion detection device, and an input data acquisition unit for acquiring the motion data and lesson audio data from them. The initial values ​​of the specification data among the material data may be specified by the teacher or the administrator of the distance education system, for example, before recording the educational content.

[0052] The processor 210 is typically a CPU and / or GPU, but may also be a microcontroller, an FPGA, a DSP, or any other general-purpose or dedicated processor.

[0053] The memory 220 includes a memory for temporarily storing programs executed by the processor 210 to realize each process, such as an OS, firmware, a distance education application, etc., and data used by the processor 210, such as material data, lesson video data, etc. The memory may include a RAM having a work area in which such programs / data are deployed.

[0054] The processor 210 can execute a program stored in the memory 220 to function as the received data acquisition section 211, the material data change section 212, and the material data delivery section 213 shown in FIG.

[0055] The received data acquisition unit 211 acquires received data from the educational terminal 10 or other external devices, such as the terminal of an administrator of the distance education system, via the communication I / F 201, and sends it to the material data modification unit 212. The received data acquisition unit 211 sends received data (user input) corresponding to a request to change the specification data to the material data modification unit 212. On the other hand, the received data acquisition unit 211 can write other received data, such as motion data and lesson audio data uploaded from the educational terminal 10 for the teacher, audio data uploaded from the educational terminal 10 for the student, etc., to the material data storage unit 221.

[0056] The material data modification unit 212 receives received data corresponding to a request for modifying the specification data from the received data acquisition unit 211, and modifies the specification data stored in the material data storage unit 221 accordingly. For example, when the material data modification unit 212 is requested to replace the specification data of a specific object, it may rewrite the target specification data in the material data storage unit 221 with the specification data included in the request. When the material data modification unit 212 is requested to add the specification data of a new object, it may write the specification data included in the request to the material data storage unit 221 in association with the identifier of the target educational content. When the material data modification unit 212 is requested to delete the specification data of a specific object, it may delete the specification data of the target object from the material data storage unit 221.

[0057] As described above, the material data modification unit 212 does not necessarily need to comply with all requests, that is, the material data modification unit 212 only needs to modify the specification data in response to requests under certain conditions.

[0058] The material data distribution unit 213 reads out the material data from the material data storage unit 221, and distributes it to the education terminal 10 via the communication I / F 201. After the material data is changed by the material data change unit 212, the material data distribution unit 213 distributes the changed specification data to the education terminal 10.

[0059] The material data storage unit 221 stores material data. The material data storage unit 221 may store material data for reproducing a virtual space constituting a certain educational content, for example, in association with an identifier that identifies the educational content. The material data storage unit 221 may also store specification data and motion data of each object in association with an identifier that identifies the object.

[0060] The material data may be written to material data storage unit 221 by, for example, received data acquisition unit 211 or an input data acquisition unit (not shown). The material data may be rewritten by material data change unit 212. The material data stored in material data storage unit 221 is read out by material data distribution unit 213.

[0061] The operation of the education terminal 10 will be described below with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 shows an example of the operation of the education terminal 10 from when the user of the education terminal 10 starts viewing a certain educational content to when the user ends the viewing.

[0062] 7 starts, the process proceeds to step S301. In step S301, the received data acquisition unit 111 acquires material data received by the communication I / F 101, and stores the material data in the material data storage unit 121.

[0063] The material data received in step S301 may include, for example, motion data and lesson audio data associated with a predetermined period of playback time of the educational content to be played back by the educational terminal 10. Furthermore, this material data may include initial specification data or changed specification data.

[0064] Next, the renderer 112 renders the lesson video data based on the specification data and motion data of the material data received in step S301 (step S302).

[0065] Then, the content playback unit 113 plays back the lesson video data rendered in step S302 together with the lesson audio data of the material data received in step S301 (step S303).

[0066] On the other hand, when the input data acquisition unit 114 acquires input data corresponding to a request for changing the specification data via the input / output I / F 102, the process proceeds to step S305 (step S304). In step S305, the input data report unit 115 reports the input data corresponding to the request for changing the specification data to the content distribution server 20.

[0067] 7, steps S304 and S305 are depicted as being executed after step S303, but this is not essential. That is, independent of the process from receiving material data to playing educational content (steps S301 to S303), which may be executed in a pipeline manner, the request to change the specification data may be used as a trigger to report the request to content distribution server 20.

[0068] The operation of the content distribution server 20 will be described below with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 shows an example of the operation of the content distribution server 20 from when the user of the education terminal 10 starts viewing a certain educational content to when the user ends the viewing.

[0069] 8 starts, the process proceeds to step S401. In step S401, the material data delivery unit 213 reads out material data from the material data storage unit 221, and delivers it to the education terminal 10 via the communication I / F 201.

[0070] The material data distributed in step S401 may include, for example, motion data and lesson audio data associated with a predetermined period of playback time of the educational content that is about to be played back by the educational terminal 10. Furthermore, this material data may include initial specification data or changed specification data.

[0071] The content distribution server 20 basically repeats this step S401. However, when the communication I / F 201 receives a request to change the specification data from the education terminal 10, the process proceeds to step S403 (step S402).

[0072] In step S403, the received data acquisition unit 211 acquires a request for changing the specification data received by the communication I / F 201. Next, the material data change unit 212 changes the specification data stored in the material data storage unit 221 in response to the request acquired in step S403 (step S404).

[0073] Then, in step S401 which is executed after step S404, the material data delivery section 213 delivers the material data including the changed specification data to the education terminal 10.

[0074] As described above, the educational terminal according to the first embodiment acquires input data corresponding to a request for changing at least a part of the specification data indicating the specifications of a plurality of objects arranged in a virtual space that constitutes educational content, and transmits this to the content distribution server according to the present embodiment. This content distribution server (conditionally) changes the specification data in response to this request, and distributes the changed specification data. Therefore, with these educational terminals and content distribution servers, students, teachers, or administrators of the distance education system can adjust educational content to events that occur during or after its recording, such as the needs and reactions of students, trends in society, promotions, etc., to increase its interest. In other words, it is possible to encourage students' motivation to take the course.

[0075] Conventional pre-recorded educational content may be regarded by students as simply a recorded program. In this case, for students, watching such educational content is no different from receiving education through video playback or television broadcasting, so it is difficult to feel a sense of realism, tension, participation, and motivation to learn. On the other hand, according to this embodiment, for example, answer sheets and report cards of students who have watched the educational content are posted in the classroom, the number of student avatars taking classes in the virtual classroom increases, the teacher's avatar can be changed to an avatar that the students can relate to instead of a character that the students do not know, and exchanges such as questions and answers between the teacher and other students in the classroom can be viewed. Therefore, according to this embodiment, even when pre-recorded educational content is distributed as well as educational content being recorded, students can feel as if they are participating in a live class, which is an exceptional effect that easily generates a sense of realism, tension, participation, and motivation to learn.

[0076] Second embodiment In the first embodiment described above, the educational content is made more interesting by allowing users to modify the educational content. On the other hand, by reusing a part of the educational content, such as the specification data and motion data of the teaching material object, it is possible to create new educational content on the same theme at low cost.

[0077] As illustrated in FIG. 9, the content creation device 50 according to the second embodiment includes an input / output I / F 501, a processor 510, and a memory 520.

[0078] The input / output I / F 501 is an interface terminal (port) used for inputting and outputting data between the processor 510 and an external device. The input / output I / F 501 can be used for data exchange between the processor 510 and an input device such as a touch screen, a keyboard, a mouse, a numeric keypad, a microphone, a motion detection device, etc. Similarly, the input / output I / F 501 can be used for data exchange between the processor 510 and an output device such as a display (which may include a touch screen) and a speaker, etc.

[0079] For example, the input / output I / F 501 receives the played reference content from the processor 510 and outputs it to the display (and speaker). The input / output I / F 501 also receives motion data based on the user's movements during playback of the reference content from a motion detection device (not shown) and sends this to the processor 510. The input / output I / F 501 receives voice data based on the user's voice during playback of the reference content from a microphone (not shown) and sends this to the processor 510.

[0080] The processor 510 is typically a CPU and / or GPU, but may also be a microcontroller, an FPGA, a DSP, or other general-purpose or dedicated processor.

[0081] The memory 520 includes a memory for temporarily storing programs executed by the processor 510 to realize each process, such as an OS, firmware, a content creation application, a distance learning application, and the like, and data used by the processor 510, such as material data, and the like. The memory may include a RAM having a work area in which such programs / data are deployed.

[0082] 9 by executing a program stored in memory 520. In addition, memory 520 may include a material data storage unit 521.

[0083] The renderer 511 reads out specification data indicating the specification of an object related to the presentation of lesson contents, such as a teaching material object, and motion data indicating the movement of this object from among the material data stored in the material data storage unit 521. Here, the specification data and motion data of this object may be, for example, part of the material data related to an existing base educational content, or may be created for reuse among multiple educational contents on the same theme even if there is no such existing base educational content. Note that the reference content may be rendered in advance, in which case the content creating device 50 does not require the renderer 511.

[0084] Based on the specification data and motion data, the renderer 511 reproduces at least the appearance, movement, etc. of objects related to the presentation of the lesson content, and generates reference content (which can also be called reference video data) shot from a reference viewpoint (virtual camera). This reference content corresponds to a script that allows a user (typically a teacher) to grasp in real time the development of the lesson content to be reused. The user will teach the lesson using gestures while checking this reference content. The renderer 511 sends the generated reference content to the content playback unit 512.

[0085] The content playback unit 512 receives the reference content from the renderer 511. Then, the content playback unit 512 plays back the reference content and outputs it to the output device via the input / output I / F 501. The reference content may include audio. In this case, the content playback unit 512 may read out (lesson) audio data stored in the material data storage unit 521. The reference content may also be existing educational content itself that serves as a base.

[0086] The input data acquisition unit 513 acquires input data from the input / output I / F 501, and sends at least a part of this to the material data generation unit 514. The input data acquisition unit 513 sends to the material data generation unit 514 input data corresponding to motion data and movement data.

[0087] The material data generating unit 514 receives the motion data and audio data from the input data acquiring unit 513, and generates material data for the new educational content being created based on the motion data and audio data. Specifically, the material data generating unit 514 assigns to the motion data and audio data the playback time of the reference content at the time of their generation, input, or reception. The material data generating unit 514 then stores the motion data and audio data in the material data storage unit 521 in association with the identifier of the new educational content.

[0088] Furthermore, the material data generating unit 514 stores specification data indicating the specifications of the user's avatar and material data (e.g., specification data and motion data of a teaching material object) that is the source of the reference content in the material data storage unit 521 in association with an identifier of the new educational content being created. Note that the specification data indicating the specifications of the user's avatar may be determined based on an input by the user himself, or may be specified by an administrator of the distance education system, for example.

[0089] In short, the material data generating unit 514 stores the material data that is the source of the reference content, i.e., the reused material data, the motion data and voice data indicating the user's movements and voice during playback of the reference content, and the specification data indicating the specifications of the user's avatar, as material data for new educational content in the material data storage unit 521. In the educational content created in this way, the development of the lesson content is the same as in the reference content, but the teacher can demonstrate his or her own individuality through the movements of the teacher avatar and the lesson voice.

[0090] The material data storage unit 521 stores material data. Here, the material data includes specification data and motion data of objects, and lesson audio data. The material data storage unit 521 may store material data for reproducing a virtual space constituting a certain educational content, for example, in association with an identifier that identifies the educational content. The material data storage unit 521 may also store specification data and motion data of each object in association with an identifier that identifies the object.

[0091] Specifically, before new educational content is created, at least specification data and motion data that are the basis of reference content are stored in material data storage unit 521. The specification data and motion data are read by renderer 511. During the creation of this educational content, user voice data and motion data are sequentially written into material data storage unit 521. The user voice data is used as lesson voice data for this educational content, and the user motion data is used as motion data for a teacher avatar for this educational content.

[0092] The operation of the content creating device 50 will be described below with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 shows an example of the operation of the content creating device 50 from the start to the end of creating new educational content by using a certain reference content.

[0093] 10 starts, the process proceeds to step S601. In step S601, the renderer 511 reads out specification data and motion data of objects related to the presentation of lesson content from the material data storage unit 521, and renders reference content based on these.

[0094] The material data read in step S601 may include, for example, motion data associated with a predetermined period of playback time of the reference content that is to be played back by the content-producing device 50. Furthermore, this material data may include specification data.

[0095] Then, the content playback unit 512 plays back the reference content rendered in step S601 (step S602).

[0096] On the other hand, the input data acquisition unit 513 acquires motion data and voice data based on the user's movements and vocalizations during playback of the reference content (step S603).Then, the material data generation unit 514 generates material data of new educational content based on the motion data and voice data acquired in step S603, and stores the generated material data in the material data storage unit 521 (step S604).

[0097] 10, steps S603 and S604 are depicted as being executed after step S602, but this is not essential. That is, new educational content material data may be added sequentially based on the acquired motion data and audio data, independently of the rendering and playback of the reference content (steps S601 to S602) which may be executed in a pipeline manner.

[0098] As described above, the content creation device according to the second embodiment plays back reference content equivalent to a script that the teacher can refer to in real time for the development of the lesson content to be reused, and generates material data for new educational content based on the teacher's movements and vocalizations during the playback. Therefore, this content creation device makes it possible to easily provide educational content on the same theme, in which the development of the lesson content is the same but the movements of the teacher avatar and the lesson audio data are different. Therefore, students can select and view educational content that stimulates their motivation to take the course.

[0099] In addition, when selecting educational content to be taken, students may place importance on sensory elements, such as visual and auditory elements, that they receive from the content. Therefore, even if the development of the lesson content is the same, educational content in which the teacher's appearance, movements, and speaking style are different may be completely different in popularity. Therefore, it is significant to be able to easily provide educational content on the same theme by reusing the development of the lesson content, as in this embodiment.

[0100] The content creation device may upload new educational content to the content distribution server while creating the new educational content. This allows the new educational content to be distributed in real time. Alternatively, the content creation device may upload the new educational content to the content distribution server after completing the creation of the new educational content. Alternatively, the content creation device may be incorporated into the content distribution server.

[0101] The second embodiment can be combined with the first embodiment described above or the third embodiment described below. That is, for the educational content created by the content creation device according to this embodiment, it may be possible to change the specification data as described in the first or third embodiment.

[0102] (Third embodiment) In the first embodiment described above, the specification data stored in the material data storage unit 521 of the content distribution server 20 is changed in response to a request to change the specification data. That is, the change in the specification data affects all students who view the same educational content. Therefore, when the change in the specification data is reflected globally in this way, it may be necessary to make the conditions for allowing the change stricter.

[0103] On the other hand, it is also possible to allow only students who requested a change in the specification data to view educational content that reflects the change. If the change in the specification data is reflected locally in this way, its influence is limited, so it is easy to relax the conditions for allowing the change. This allows students to freely customize objects, including avatars, to suit their preferences when attending classes.

[0104] As illustrated in FIG. 11, the education terminal 70 according to the third embodiment includes a communication I / F 701, an input / output I / F 702, a processor 710, and a memory 720.

[0105] The communication I / F 701, the input / output I / F 702, the processor 710, and the memory 720 may be the same or similar hardware as the communication I / F 101, the input / output I / F 102, the processor 110, and the memory 120 in FIG. 1, respectively.

[0106] 11 , by executing a program stored in memory 720. In addition, memory 720 may include a material data storage unit 721.

[0107] Here, the received data acquisition unit 711, the renderer 712, and the content playback unit 713 may be the same as or similar to the received data acquisition unit 111, the renderer 112, and the content playback unit 113 in FIG. 1, respectively.

[0108] The input data acquisition unit 714 acquires input data from the input / output I / F 702 and sends at least a part of the input data to the material data modification unit 715. The input data acquisition unit 714 sends input data corresponding to a request for modifying the specification data to the material data modification unit 715. The input data acquisition unit 714 may also send a request for controlling the playback of educational content to the renderer 712 and / or the content playback unit 713. In addition, the input data acquisition unit 714 may send input data to be reported to the content distribution server or comment server, such as voice data or comment data, to an input data reporting unit (not shown). In this case, the input data reporting unit may report such data to the content distribution server or comment server via the communication I / F 701.

[0109] Here, since the content distribution server of the third embodiment does not receive a request to change the specification data from the educational terminal 70, it may be configured such that the functional unit related to the request, such as the material data modification unit 212, is removed from the content distribution server 20 described above.

[0110] The material data modification unit 715 receives input data corresponding to a request for modifying the specification data from the input data acquisition unit 714, and modifies the specification data stored in the material data storage unit 721 accordingly. For example, when the material data modification unit 715 is requested to replace the specification data of a specific object, the material data modification unit 715 may rewrite the target specification data in the material data storage unit 721 with the specification data included in the request. When the material data modification unit 715 is requested to add the specification data of a new object, the material data modification unit 715 may write the specification data included in the request to the material data storage unit 721 in association with the identifier of the target educational content. When the material data modification unit 715 is requested to delete the specification data of a specific object, the material data modification unit 715 may delete the specification data of the target object from the material data storage unit 721.

[0111] The material data storage unit 721 stores material data. The material data storage unit 721 may store material data for reproducing a virtual space constituting a certain educational content, for example, in association with an identifier that identifies the educational content. The material data storage unit 721 may also store specification data and motion data of each object in association with an identifier that identifies the object.

[0112] The material data is written to the material data storage unit 721 by the received data acquisition unit 711. The material data can also be rewritten by the material data change unit 715. Of the material data stored in the material data storage unit 721, the specification data and motion data of objects are read by the renderer 712. Of the material data stored in the material data storage unit 721, the lesson audio data is read by the content playback unit 713.

[0113] The change in the specification data of an object made by the material data modification unit 715 is applied only to the educational content played back by the educational terminal 70 including the material data modification unit 715. On the other hand, other educational terminals 70 can play back educational content based on material data distributed from a content distribution server, or educational content based on material data modified within the educational terminal 70.

[0114] The changed specification data is stored in the material data storage unit 721 together with the motion data received from the content distribution server. Note that the motion data received here may be the same regardless of whether the specification data has been changed. The changed specification data and motion data stored in the material data storage unit 721 are read out by the renderer 712 and rendered as lesson video data. This allows the students to freely change the appearance and / or voice character of the teacher or student avatar, add new objects (which may include avatars), and change the sound effects and / or music that can be generated by the objects in the educational content played back by their own educational terminals 70.

[0115] Hereinafter, the operation of the education terminal 70 will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 shows an example of the operation of the education terminal 70 from when the user of the education terminal 70 starts viewing a certain educational content to when the user ends the viewing.

[0116] 12 starts, the process proceeds to step S801. In step S801, the received data acquisition unit 711 acquires material data received by the communication I / F 701, and stores it in the material data storage unit 721.

[0117] The material data received in step S801 may include, for example, motion data and lesson audio data associated with a predetermined period of playback time of the educational content to be played back by the educational terminal 70. Furthermore, this material data may include initial specification data.

[0118] Next, the renderer 712 renders the lesson video data based on the specification data and motion data of the material data received in step S801 (step S802).

[0119] Then, the content playback unit 713 plays back the lesson video data rendered in step S802 together with the lesson audio data of the material data received in step S801 (step S803).

[0120] On the other hand, when the input data acquisition unit 714 acquires input data corresponding to a request for changing the specification data via the input / output I / F 702, the process proceeds to step S805 (step S804). In step S805, the material data change unit 715 changes the specification data stored in the material data storage unit 721 in response to the request acquired in step S804. Then, in step S802 executed after step S805, the renderer 712 renders the lesson video data based on the material data including the changed specification data.

[0121] 12, steps S804 and S805 are depicted as being executed after step S803, but this is not essential. That is, independent of the steps from receiving material data to playing educational content (steps S801 to S803), which may be executed in a pipeline manner, the specification data may be changed in response to a request to change the specification data, triggered by the acquisition of the request.

[0122] As described above, the educational terminal according to the third embodiment acquires input data corresponding to a request for changing at least a part of the specification data indicating the specifications of a plurality of objects arranged in a virtual space that constitutes educational content, and changes the specification data stored in the educational terminal accordingly. Therefore, with this educational terminal, students can freely modify educational content to suit their own preferences, and increase its interest. In other words, students can customize and view educational content to increase their motivation to take the course.

[0123] It is also possible to combine the first and third embodiments. As an example, a request to replace or delete specification data of a particular object may be reflected locally, and a request to add specification data of a new object may be reflected globally.

[0124] (Modification) In the first and third embodiments described above, the educational terminal renders the lesson video data. However, this is merely an example. The content distribution server may render the lesson video data. In this case, the educational terminal receives and stores the lesson video data from the content distribution server instead of the specification data and motion data, so no renderer is required. On the other hand, the content distribution server transmits the lesson video data to the educational terminal instead of the specification data and motion data, so a renderer is required.

[0125] The above-described embodiment is merely a specific example for helping to understand the concept of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Various components may be added, deleted, or transformed in the embodiment without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0126] In the above-described embodiment, several functional units have been described, but these are merely examples of implementation of each functional unit. For example, multiple functional units described as being implemented in one device may be implemented across multiple separate devices, and conversely, multiple functional units described as being implemented across multiple separate devices may be implemented in one device.

[0127] The various functional units described in the above embodiments may be realized by using a circuit. The circuit may be a dedicated circuit for realizing a specific function, or a general-purpose circuit such as a processor.

[0128] At least a part of the processing of each of the above embodiments can be realized by using, for example, a processor mounted on a general-purpose computer as basic hardware. The program for realizing the above processing may be provided by being stored in a computer-readable recording medium. The program is stored in the recording medium as a file in an installable format or an executable format. The recording medium may be a magnetic disk, an optical disk (CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD, etc.), a magneto-optical disk (MO, etc.), a semiconductor memory, etc. The recording medium may be any one that can store the program and is readable by a computer. In addition, the program for realizing the above processing may be stored on a computer (server) connected to a network such as the Internet, and downloaded to a computer (client) via the network. [Explanation of symbols]

[0129] 10,70···Educational terminal 20 Content distribution server 31,33...Teacher Avatar 32...Blackboard Object 34, 35, 36... Student avatars 50 Content creation device 101, 201, 701...Communication I / F 102,501,702... Input / Output Interface 110, 210, 510... Processor 111, 211, 711... Received data acquisition section 112,511,712···Renderer 113,512,713···Content playback department 114,513,714... Input data acquisition section 115 Input data report section 120, 220, 520...Memory 121, 221, 521...Material data storage section 212,715···Material data change section 213···Material Data Distribution Department 514: Material data generation unit

Claims

1. A content distribution server capable of providing predetermined content to a terminal, a first material data storage unit configured to store material data including first specification data indicating specifications of a plurality of objects to be placed in a virtual space that constitutes the predetermined content; a received data acquisition unit that acquires a request for changing at least a part of the first specification data from the terminal; a material data changing unit that changes the stored first specification data to second specification data different from the first specification data in response to the request from the terminal under a condition; A content distribution server comprising:

2. 2. The content distribution server according to claim 1, wherein said material data changing section responds to said request with a condition including at least one of charging, majority vote, lottery, and first come, first served.

3. The content distribution server according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first specification data includes at least one of an appearance of an object, a voice character, a sound effect, and music.

4. 4. The content distribution server according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined content is educational content for distance learning.

5. A content distribution server according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the request includes at least one of a request to replace specification data of a specific object, a request to add specification data of a new object, or a request to delete specification data of a specific object.

6. A content distribution server according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the material data modification unit modifies the appearance of an avatar, a voice character, or sound effects and / or music that can be generated by the multiple objects, or adds new objects.

7. 7. The content distribution server according to claim 1, wherein the material data includes initial specification data.

8. A system comprising: a content distribution server capable of providing a predetermined content to a terminal, The content distribution server includes: a first material data storage unit configured to store material data including first specification data indicating specifications of a plurality of objects to be placed in a virtual space that constitutes the provided predetermined content; a received data acquisition unit that acquires a request for changing at least a part of the first specification data from the terminal; a material data changing unit that changes the stored first specification data to second specification data different from the first specification data in response to the request from the terminal under a condition; a material data distribution unit that distributes the material data in response to a distribution request from the terminal; Equipped with The terminal includes: a received data acquisition unit that acquires the material data from the content distribution server; A second material data storage unit that stores the material data; Equipped with system.

9. A terminal that receives a predetermined content from a content distribution server that can provide the predetermined content, the content distribution server is configured to store material data including first specification data indicating specifications of a plurality of objects to be placed in a virtual space constituting the predetermined content, and, in response to a request from the terminal to change at least a part of the first specification data under a condition, change the stored first specification data to second specification data different from the first specification data, and distribute the material data; The terminal includes: a received data acquisition unit that acquires the material data from the content distribution server; A second material data storage unit that stores the material data; Equipped with Terminal.

10. A method executed by an apparatus for distributing content to a terminal, comprising: The apparatus, storing material data including first specification data indicating specifications of a plurality of objects arranged in a virtual space that constitutes the content to be reproduced; obtaining, from the terminal, a request to change at least a portion of the first specification data; and changing the stored first specification data to second specification data different from the first specification data in conditional response to the request from the terminal. method.

11. A content distribution method in a system having a content distribution server capable of providing a predetermined content to a terminal, comprising: The content distribution server includes: storing material data including first specification data indicating specifications of a plurality of objects to be placed in a virtual space constituting the provided predetermined content in a first material data storage unit; obtaining, from the terminal, a request to change at least a portion of the first specification data; changing the stored first specification data to second specification data different from the first specification data in conditional response to the request from the terminal; and distributing material data including the first specification data in response to a distribution request from the terminal, The terminal includes: receiving the distributed material data; storing the received material data in a second material data storage unit; Equipped with Content delivery methods.

12. A program that causes a processor to execute processing of each unit included in the content distribution server according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

13. A program that causes a processor to execute the processing of each unit included in the terminal according to claim 9.

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