Aura display device

Abstract

To provide a sign-of-presence presentation device capable of presenting a sign of the presence of an object.SOLUTION: A sign-of-presence presentation device 1 includes a virtual object position calculation unit 23 configured to calculate the position of a virtual object with respect to a user, a real object position measurement unit 30 configured to measure the position of a real object with respect to the user, and a sign-of-presence presentation control unit 25 configured to determine whether the virtual object or the real object has entered a sign-of-presence presentation area and drive a non-contact skin stimulation unit 31 that is closest to the virtual object or the real object that has entered the sign-of-presence presentation area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an aura presentation device that presents the aura of an object to a user.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, due to the development of AR (Augmented Reality) technology and VR (Virtual Reality) technology, by wearing AR glasses or a head-mounted display (HMD), it is possible to make users feel as if they are sharing the same space as users in a remote location (Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] Currently commercially available AR glasses and HMDs do not have sufficient viewing angles and resolutions for the human visual function. For example, it is difficult to direct attention to a person or information that is not temporarily within the field of view. In response to this, a method of displaying an arrow or a map of the entire space within the field of view and visually presenting the location to which attention is to be directed is known. In addition, a first prior art has been proposed that effectively uses the sound localization, which is vibration through the air, to present the aura of a person outside the field of view (Non-Patent Document 2). Furthermore, a second prior art has been proposed that presents the walking direction by presenting vibrations in eight directions around the head and torso (Non-Patent Document 3).

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0004]

Non-Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Document 2

Non-Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the above-described first prior art, in the case of content accompanied by highly immersive video and sound, it is difficult to direct the user's attention by sound localization. Further, in the above-described second prior art, since the vibration stimulation source is in direct contact with the user, it is difficult to direct the user's attention to an object away from the user's body.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an aura presentation device that can present the aura of an object.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the above problems, an aura presentation device according to the present invention includes a non-contact skin stimulation unit that generates non-contact skin stimulation for stimulating the skin without contact, and uses the non-contact skin stimulation to present the aura of a virtual object in a virtual space or a real object in a real space to the user, and is configured to include a virtual object position calculation unit, a real object position measurement unit, an aura presentation area setting unit, and an aura presentation control unit.

[0008] According to such a configuration, a plurality of non-contact skin stimulation units are arranged at regular intervals around the user. The virtual object position calculation unit calculates the position of the virtual object with respect to the user. The real object position measurement unit measures the position of the real object with respect to the user.

[0009] The aura presentation area setting unit presets, in the virtual space, an aura presentation area, which is an area for presenting an aura, outside the user's effective visual field. The presence indication control unit determines whether a virtual object or a real object has entered the presence indication area based on the positions of the virtual object and the real object, and drives the non-contact skin stimulation unit closest to the virtual object or the real object that has entered the presence indication area. The non-contact skin stimulation unit applies a noise stimulation to the user as the non-contact skin stimulation. The presence indication control unit stops the output of the noise stimulation for the non-contact skin stimulation unit closest to the virtual object or real object that has entered the presence indication area, and outputs the noise stimulation for the other non-contact skin stimulation units.

[0010] In this way, the presence indication device uses non-contact skin stimulation to indicate the presence of objects existing around the user in the virtual space or the real space. Thereby, the presence indication device can direct the user's attention to the object in the AR environment or the VR environment.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, the presence of an object can be indicated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, each embodiment described below is for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following unless there is a specific description. Also, the same means may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description may be omitted.

[0014] (First Embodiment) [Structure of Aura Presentation Device] Referring to FIG. 1, the structure of the aura presentation device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. The aura presentation device 1 uses non-contact skin stimulation to present the aura of a virtual object in a virtual space or a real object in a real space to the user U. As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the aura presentation device 1 includes a main body portion 2, a plurality of non-contact skin stimulation units 3 (31 to 34), and headphones 4.

[0015] Here, the aura refers to the feeling that some object exists there, regardless of whether it can be visually recognized, and includes the sense of presence described later. Also, the sense of presence refers to the feeling that a visually recognized object exists there.

[0016] Also, non-contact skin stimulation means stimulating the skin without contact, and is sometimes called non-contact tactile stimulation. For example, examples of non-contact skin stimulation include acoustic radiation pressure by ultrasonic waves, wind pressure by blowing, warm feeling by infrared rays, or cold feeling by spraying. In FIG. 1, the non-contact skin stimulation generated by the aura presentation device 1 is illustrated by the symbol α.

[0017] An object refers to a person, animal, or object existing in a virtual space or the real space. When multiple users U share the same virtual space, the avatars of each user U are also included in the objects. The virtual space refers to a virtual three-dimensional space generated by the presence presentation device 1. Hereinafter, an object existing in the virtual space may be described as a virtual object. Needless to say, this virtual object does not actually exist around the user U in the real space. The real space refers to the three-dimensional space in which the user U actually exists. Hereinafter, an object existing in the real space may be described as a real object.

[0018] The main body 2 has a function as a VR display device like a general HMD. In this embodiment, the main body 2 stereoscopically displays a virtual space according to the position and posture of the user U in a binocular manner. Further, the main body 2 controls the non-contact skin stimulation unit 3 described later. For example, the main body 2 has a goggle-like shape and is worn on the head of the user U by a belt 2A.

[0019] The non-contact skin stimulation unit 3 applies non-contact skin stimulation to the user U. In this embodiment, four non-contact skin stimulation units 31 to 34 are arranged via a frame 3A so as to surround the back of the head of the user U. Further, the non-contact skin stimulation unit 3 is arranged at a certain distance from the head of the user U so as not to contact the skin of the user U. Further, the non-contact skin stimulation unit 3 has a cylindrical shape and incorporates a real object position measurement unit 30 and a non-contact skin stimulation unit 31 described later (FIG. 2).

[0020] The headphones 4 reproduce an acoustic signal according to the stereoscopic video displayed by the main body 2. This headphones 4 is arranged to cover both ears of the user U in the same manner as general headphones.

[0021] Note that the presence indication device 1 may be provided with controllers for the right hand and the left hand (not shown). By the user U changing the posture of the controller or the user U pressing various buttons, the user U can perform various operations in the virtual space.

[0022] [Configuration of the presence indication device] Referring to FIG. 2, the configuration of the presence indication device 1 will be described. Here, the configuration of the non-contact skin stimulation unit 3 will be described first, and then the configuration of the main body unit 2 will be described.

[0023] <Non-contact skin stimulation unit> As shown in FIG. 2, the non-contact skin stimulation unit 3 includes an actual object position measurement unit 30 and a non-contact skin stimulation unit 31. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that all the non-contact skin stimulation units 31 to 34 have the same configuration.

[0024] The actual object position measurement unit 30 measures the position (distance and direction) of the actual object with respect to the user U. That is, the actual object position measurement unit 30 measures the distance between the actual object and the user U and the direction of the actual object with respect to the user U. Here, the actual object position measurement unit 30 is a rangefinder having directivity. For example, as the actual object position measurement unit 30, a ToF (Time of Flight) type rangefinder using laser, ultrasonic wave or infrared ray can be mentioned. Then, the actual object position measurement unit 30 outputs the measured position to the presence indication control unit 25.

[0025] The non-contact skin stimulation unit 31 generates a non-contact skin stimulation α that non-contact stimulates the skin in response to a command from the presence indication control unit 25. In the present embodiment, the non-contact skin stimulation unit 31 applies to the user U, as the non-contact skin stimulation α, any one of acoustic radiation pressure by ultrasonic waves, wind pressure by blowing, warmth sensation by infrared rays, or cold sensation by spraying, or a combination of two or more thereof. Which type of non-contact skin stimulation α to use can be arbitrarily set. For example, the user U may select the non-contact skin stimulation α according to their own preferences, or the content producer may select the non-contact skin stimulation α according to the content. In the present embodiment, all the non-contact skin stimulation units 31 generate the same type of non-contact skin stimulation α.

[0026] <<Measurement range of the actual object>> Referring to FIG. 3, the measurement range β of the actual object in the non-contact skin stimulation unit 3 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, four non-contact skin stimulation units 31 to 34 are arranged at regular intervals so as to surround the back of the head of the user U. Therefore, the four non-contact skin stimulation units 311 to 314 are arranged at regular intervals around the user U. In the present embodiment, the non-contact skin stimulation units 311 to 314 are arranged facing the back of the head of the user U so that the non-contact skin stimulations α1 to α4 can be transmitted to the back of the head of the user U. Further, the four actual object position measurement units 301 to 304 are arranged radially around the user U so as to correspond to the non-contact skin stimulation units 311 to 314. As described above, the actual object position measurement unit 30 has directivity in the measurement range β of the actual object. Therefore, the actual object position measurement units 301 to 304 are arranged facing the side opposite to the back of the head of the user U so that the positions of the actual objects existing around the user U can be measured.

[0027] In the rightmost non-contact skin stimulation unit 31, the actual object position measurement unit 301 measures the measurement range β1 behind the left of the user U. Then, in the non-contact skin stimulation unit 31, when an actual object enters the measurement range β1 of the actual object position measurement unit 301, the non-contact skin stimulation unit 311 generates a non-contact skin stimulation α1.

[0028] In the second non-contact skin stimulation unit 32 from the right, the actual object position measurement unit 302 measures the measurement range β2 on the left side of the center behind the user U. Then, in the non-contact skin stimulation unit 32, when an actual object enters the measurement range β2 of the actual object position measurement unit 302, the non-contact skin stimulation unit 312 generates a non-contact skin stimulation α2.

[0029] In the third non-contact skin stimulation unit 33 from the right, the actual object position measurement unit 303 measures the measurement range β3 on the right side of the center behind the user U. Then, in the non-contact skin stimulation unit 33, when an actual object enters the measurement range β3 of the actual object position measurement unit 303, the non-contact skin stimulation unit 313 generates a non-contact skin stimulation α3.

[0030] In the leftmost non-contact skin stimulation unit 34, the actual object position measurement unit 304 measures the measurement range β4 behind the right of the user U. Then, in the non-contact skin stimulation unit 34, when an actual object enters the measurement range β4 of the actual object position measurement unit 304, the non-contact skin stimulation unit 314 generates a non-contact skin stimulation α4.

[0031] In this way, the non-contact skin stimulation units 31 to 34 share the measurement ranges β1 to β4 of the actual object, and apply non-contact skin stimulations α1 to α4 in directions corresponding to the measurement ranges β1 to β4. As a result, even when the actual object is not within the effective visual field, the user U can recognize the direction of the actual object from the directions where the non-contact skin stimulations α1 to α4 are applied. At this time, in the non-contact skin stimulation unit 3, it is preferable to reduce the overlap of the measurement ranges β of the actual object so that the user U can accurately recognize the direction of the actual object.

[0032] <Main body part> Returning to FIG. 2, the configuration of the main body part 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body part 2 includes a position and orientation detection unit 20, a virtual space display unit 21, a virtual space display control unit 22, a virtual object position calculation unit 23, an aura presentation area setting unit 24, an aura presentation control unit 25, and a storage unit 26.

[0033] The position and orientation detection unit 20 detects the position and orientation of the user U. That is, the position and orientation detection unit 20 detects the position and orientation of the aura presentation device 1 worn by the user U as the position and orientation of the user U. For example, similar to a general HMD, the position and orientation detection unit 20 is composed of any one or more of a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or an infrared camera. Then, the position and orientation detection unit 20 outputs the detected position and orientation of the user U to the virtual space display control unit 22.

[0034] The virtual space display unit 21 displays a virtual space. For example, similar to a general HMD, the virtual space display unit 21 is a small flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays a right-eye image and a left-eye image.

[0035] The virtual space display control unit 22 causes the virtual space display unit 21 to display a virtual space corresponding to the position and orientation of the user U input from the position and orientation detection unit 20. Here, the virtual space display control unit 22 generates a virtual space according to the position and orientation of the user U, and displays the generated virtual space on the virtual space display unit 21 as a stereoscopic image.

[0036] Note that the position and orientation detection unit 20, the virtual space display unit 21, and the virtual space display control unit 22 provide the functions of the HMD 27. With these configurations, the aura presentation device 1 can realize VR display and make the user U feel that a virtual world or object exists in front of the user U.

[0037] The virtual object position calculation unit 23 calculates the position (distance and direction) of the virtual object with respect to the user U. In the present embodiment, the virtual object position calculation unit 23 calculates the position of the virtual object with respect to the user U in the virtual space displayed by the virtual space display control unit 22. Here, the 3DCG scene of the virtual space describes information such as the shape and coordinates of the user U or the avatar representing the user U, and the shape and coordinates of each virtual object. Therefore, the virtual object position calculation unit 23 can calculate the position of the virtual object by referring to this information. Then, the virtual object position calculation unit 23 outputs the calculated position to the aura presentation control unit 25 via the virtual space display control unit 22.

[0038] The aura presentation area setting unit 24 presets the aura presentation area outside the effective visual field based on the position of the user U. Here, the user U operates a controller (not shown) to set the aura presentation area to the aura presentation area setting unit 24 with an arbitrary size.

[0039] <<Effective Visual Field and Aura Presentation Area>> Referring to FIG. 4, the effective visual field V and the aura presentation area K will be described in detail. Here, the effective visual field V is the range within which the user U wearing the aura presentation device 1 can visually recognize the virtual space, that is, the range of the virtual space visible from the user U. In the present embodiment, the effective visual field V is equal to the visual field of the HMD. In the example of FIG. 4, the effective visual field V is a fan-shaped area that spreads 120 degrees centered on the front of the user U, and its diameter is 10 meters from the user U.

[0040] Also, the aura presentation area K is the area where the aura is presented. That is, the aura presentation device 1 presents the aura of the object located in the aura presentation area K and does not present the aura of the object located outside the aura presentation area K. In the present embodiment, it is a semi-circular area surrounding the user U excluding the effective visual field V. In the example of FIG. 4, the diameter of the aura presentation area K is shorter than the diameter of the effective visual field V and is 5 meters from the user U.

[0041] Note that in FIG. 4, virtual object T V (T V1 ~T V3 ) and real object T R are illustrated. Details of these virtual object T V and real object T R will be described later.

[0042] Returning to FIG. 2, the description of the configuration of the main body 2 will be continued. The presence indication control unit 25 determines whether the virtual object T V or the real object T R has entered the presence indication area K based on the positions of the virtual object T V or the real object T R . Then, the presence indication control unit 25 drives the non-contact skin stimulation unit 31 closest to the virtual object T V or the real object T R that has entered the presence indication area K.

[0043] In the present embodiment, the presence indication control unit 25 refers to the presence indication object correspondence table stored in the storage unit 26 to control the non-contact skin stimulation unit 31. Further, the presence indication control unit 25 updates the presence indication object correspondence table in the storage unit 26 as necessary.

[0044] The storage unit 26 is a storage device such as a memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or an SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores the presence indication object correspondence table.

[0045] <<Presence Indication Object Correspondence Table>> Referring to FIG. 5, the presence indication object correspondence table 250 will be described in detail. The presence indication object correspondence table 250 includes virtual object T V and real object T RIt is a table that manages whether to present the presence. As shown in Fig. 5(a), the presence presentation object correspondence table 250 has four data items: ID 251, type 252, position 253, and flag 254.

[0046] ID 251 represents identification information that uniquely identifies the virtual object T V and the real object T R In the example of Fig. 4, the ID of the virtual object T V1 is '001', the ID of the virtual object T V2 is '002', the ID of the virtual object T V3 is '003', and the ID of the real object T R is '004'.

[0047] Type 252 represents the type of the object, that is, whether the object is a virtual object T V or a real object T R Specifically, type 252 represents a virtual object with 'V' and a real object with 'R'. In the example of Fig. 4, the types of the virtual objects T V1 ~T V3 are 'V', and the type of the real object T R is 'R'.

[0048] Position 253 represents the position of the virtual object T V or the real object T R with respect to the user U. Here, position 253 can be described by the relative distance and direction between the virtual object T V or the real object T R and the user U. Also, position 253 may be described in an absolute coordinate system with the user U as the origin.

[0049] Flag 254 represents the virtual object T V and the real object T Ris a flag indicating whether it has entered the presence indication area K. Specifically, flag 254 indicates that 'T' has entered the presence indication area K, and 'F' indicates that it has not entered the presence indication area K. In the example of FIG. 4, the virtual object T V1 ,T V2 has a flag of 'F', and the virtual object T V3 has a flag of 'T', and the real object T R has a flag of 'F'.

[0050] <<First Example of Presence Indication>> Returning to FIG. 4, the first example of presence indication will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, in the virtual space generated by the presence indication device 1, there are three virtual objects T V1 ~T V3 existing around the user U. Here, the virtual object T V1 ,T V3 is not within the effective visual field V, and the virtual object T V2 is within the effective visual field V. Also, another user sharing the same virtual space as the user U exists as the real object T R . This real object T R is also not within the effective visual field V. That is, the user U wearing the presence indication device 1 can only see the virtual object T V2 , and cannot see the virtual objects T V1 ,T V3 and the real object T R .

[0051] The real object position measurement units 301 to 304 measure the position of the real object T R relative to the user U in their respective measurement ranges β1 to β4 (FIG. 3). In FIG. 4, for ease of viewing the drawing, only the measurement range β3 of FIG. 3 is shown. Here, since the real object T R is within the measurement range β3, the real object position measurement unit 303 measures the position of the real object T R relative to the user U. And the real object position measurement unit 303 measures the real object TR Output the position to the aura presentation control unit 25.

[0052] The aura presentation control unit 25 compares the position input from the real object position measurement unit 303 with the position of the aura presentation area K, and determines whether the real object T R enters the aura presentation area K. In the example of FIG. 4, the aura presentation control unit 25 determines that the real object T R does not enter the aura presentation area K.

[0053] Next, the aura presentation control unit 25 writes the information of the real object T R to the aura presentation object correspondence table 250 in the storage unit 26. As shown in FIG. 5(a), the aura presentation control unit 25 sets the ID of the real object T R to '004', the type of the real object T R to 'R', the position of the real object T measured by the real object position measurement unit 303 R to '…', and the flag of the real object T R to 'F'.

[0054] Here, since the flag of the real object T R in the aura presentation object correspondence table 250 is 'F', none of the non-contact skin stimulation units 311 to 314 are driven, and the aura of the real object T R is not presented to the user U.

[0055] Next, the virtual object position calculation unit 23 calculates the positions of the virtual objects V1 ~T V3 for the user U respectively. Then, the virtual object position calculation unit 23 outputs the positions of the virtual objects T V1 ~T V3 to the aura presentation control unit 25 via the virtual space display control unit 22.

[0056] The aura presentation control unit 25 compares the positions input from the virtual object position calculation unit 23 with the position of the aura presentation area K, and the virtual objects T V1 ~TV3 Determine whether each of them is within the aura presentation area K. In the example of FIG. 4, the aura presentation control unit 25 determines that the virtual object T V1 , T V2 is not within the aura presentation area K, while determining that the virtual object T V3 is within the aura presentation area K.

[0057] Next, the aura presentation control unit 25 writes the information of the virtual objects T V1 ~T V3 to the aura presentation object correspondence table 250 in the storage unit 26. As shown in FIG. 5(a), the aura presentation control unit 25 sets the ID of the virtual object T V1 as '001', the type of the virtual object T V1 as 'V', the position of the virtual object T V1 calculated by the virtual object position calculation unit 23 as '…', and the flag of the virtual object T V1 as 'F'. Also, the aura presentation control unit 25 sets the ID of the virtual object T V2 as '002', the type of the virtual object T V2 as 'V', the position of the virtual object T V2 calculated by the virtual object position calculation unit 23 as '…', and the flag of the virtual object T V2 as 'F'. Further, the aura presentation control unit 25 sets the ID of the virtual object T V3 as '003', the type of the virtual object T V3 as 'V', the position of the virtual object T V3 calculated by the virtual object position calculation unit 23 as '…', and the flag of the virtual object T V3 as 'T'.

[0058] For example, the aura presentation control unit 25 can determine the non-contact skin stimulation parts 311 to 314 closest to each virtual object T V in the virtual space by presetting the positions of the non-contact skin stimulation parts 311 to 314 in the virtual space. Here, since the flag of the virtual object T V3 in the aura presentation object correspondence table 250 is 'T', the virtual object TV3 Drive the non-contact skin stimulation part 313 closest to it, and the virtual object T V3 's aura is presented to the user U.

[0059] Note that the aura presentation control unit 25 may increase the intensity of the non-contact skin stimulation α generated by the non-contact skin stimulation part 31 as the virtual object T V gets closer to the user U. For example, the aura presentation control unit 25 subtracts the distance from the radius of the aura presentation area K to the virtual object T V and the user U, and generates the non-contact skin stimulation α with an intensity proportional to the subtraction result.

[0060] On the other hand, since the flag of the virtual object T V1 ,T V2 in the aura presentation object correspondence table 250 is 'F', none of the non-contact skin stimulation parts 311 to 314 are driven, and the aura of the virtual object T V1 ,T V2 is not presented to the user U.

[0061] <<Second example of aura presentation>> Referring to FIG. 6, a second example of aura presentation will be described. In this second example, it is assumed that the real object T R enters the aura presentation area K. Note that the description of the virtual objects T V1 ~T V3 is omitted.

[0062] The real object position measurement units 301 to 304 measure the position of the real object T R with respect to the user U in their respective measurement ranges β1 to β4 (FIG. 3). Here, since the real object T R enters the measurement range β3, the real object position measurement unit 303 measures the position of the real object T R with respect to the user U. Then, the real object position measurement unit 303 outputs the position of the real object T R to the aura presentation control unit 25.

[0063] The presence indication control unit 25 compares the position input from the actual object position measurement unit 303 with the position of the presence indication area K, and determines whether the actual object T R has entered the presence indication area K. In the example of FIG. 6, the presence indication control unit 25 determines that the actual object T R has entered the presence indication area K.

[0064] Next, the presence indication control unit 25 writes the information of the actual object T R to the presence indication object correspondence table 250 in the storage unit 26. As shown in FIG. 5(b), the presence indication control unit 25 sets the ID of the actual object T R to '004', the type of the actual object T R to 'R', the position of the actual object T measured by the actual object position measurement unit 303 R to '…', and the flag of the actual object T R to 'T'.

[0065] Here, since the flag of the actual object T R in the presence indication object correspondence table 250 is 'T', the non-contact skin stimulation unit 313 closest to the actual object T R is driven to present the presence of the actual object T R to the user U. At this time, the presence indication control unit 25 may increase the intensity of the non-contact skin stimulation α generated by the non-contact skin stimulation unit 313 as the actual object T R gets closer to the user U. For example, the presence indication control unit 25 subtracts the distance between the user U and the actual object T R from the radius of the presence indication area K, and generates the non-contact skin stimulation α with an intensity proportional to the subtraction result.

[0066] Note that in the presence indication object correspondence table 250, it has been described that whether the virtual object T V or the actual object T R has entered the presence indication area K is managed by the flag 254, but it is not limited to this. For example, the presence indication control unit 25 may, when the virtual object T enters the presence indication area KV or the actual object T R records may be added to the aura presentation object correspondence table 250. Further, the aura presentation control unit 25, from the virtual object T that has exited the aura presentation area K V or the actual object T R records may be deleted from the aura presentation object correspondence table 250.

[0067] [Operation of the Aura Presentation Device] With reference to FIG. 7, the operation of the aura presentation device 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, in step S1, the aura presentation area setting unit 24 preliminarily sets the aura presentation area K, which is the area for presenting the aura, outside the effective visual field V based on the position of the user U. In step S2, the virtual object position calculation unit 23 calculates the position of the virtual object T V with respect to the user U.

[0068] In step S3, the actual object position measurement unit 30 measures the position of the actual object T R with respect to the user U. In step S4, the aura presentation control unit 25 stores the information of the actual object T R and the virtual object T V in the aura presentation object correspondence table 250 of the storage unit 26.

[0069] In step S5, the aura presentation control unit 25 determines whether the actual object T R and the virtual object T V have entered the aura presentation area K. If the actual object T R and the virtual object T V have entered the aura presentation area K (Yes in step S5), the aura presentation control unit 25 proceeds to the process of step S6. If the actual object T R and the virtual object T VWhen it has not entered the presence indication area K (No in step S5), the presence indication control unit 25 proceeds to the process of step S7.

[0070] In step S6, the presence indication control unit 25 drives the non-contact skin stimulation unit 31 closest to the actual object T R and the virtual object T V entering the presence indication area K. At this time, the presence indication control unit 25 may increase the intensity of the non-contact skin stimulation α generated by the non-contact skin stimulation unit 31 as the actual object T R or the virtual object T V gets closer to the user U.

[0071] In step S7, the presence indication device 1 determines whether to end the process. For example, when the user U turns off the power switch of the presence indication device 1, the presence indication device 1 determines to end the process. When not ending the process (No in step S7), or after ending the process of step S6, the presence indication device 1 returns to the process of step S2.

[0072] [Operation and Effect] As described above, the presence indication device 1 according to the first embodiment presents the presence of an object existing around the user in the virtual space or the real space by using the non-contact skin stimulation α. Thereby, the presence indication device 1 can direct the attention of the user U to the object in the VR environment. Further, since the presence indication device 1 represents the distance of the object by the intensity of the non-contact skin stimulation α, it becomes easier to direct the attention of the user U to the object.

[0073] Furthermore, the presence indication device 1 can use any one of acoustic radiation pressure, wind pressure, temperature sensation, or cold sensation, or a combination of two or more thereof as the non-contact skin stimulation α. That is, since the presence indication device 1 can arbitrarily select the non-contact skin stimulation α according to the type of the object or content, the sense of presence can be improved.

[0074] (Second Embodiment) [Configuration of the Aura Presentation Device] Referring to FIG. 8, the differences between the configuration of the aura presentation device 1B according to the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be described.

[0075] In the first embodiment, it was described that the non-contact skin stimulation unit 31 closest to the object presents non-contact skin stimulation. That is, in the first embodiment, it indicates that an object exists in the direction in which the non-contact skin stimulation α is presented. On the other hand, each non-contact skin stimulation unit 31 presents a weak noise stimulation, and the non-contact skin stimulation unit 31 closest to the object stops presenting the weak noise stimulation. That is, in the second embodiment, it indicates that an object exists in the direction in which no non-contact skin stimulation is presented. That is, in the first embodiment, the non-contact skin stimulation α that explicitly indicates the aura of the object is presented from that direction. In contrast, in the second embodiment, when no object exists, a weak noise stimulation that represents the aura generated from the environment around the user U is presented.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 8, the aura presentation device 1B includes a main body unit 2B, a plurality of non-contact skin stimulation units 3B (3B1 to 3B4), and headphones 4 (FIG. 1). Here, the configuration of the non-contact skin stimulation unit 3B will be described first, and then the configuration of the main body unit 2B will be described.

[0077] The non-contact skin stimulation unit 3B includes an actual object position measurement unit 30 and a non-contact skin stimulation unit 31B. In this embodiment, it is assumed that all the non-contact skin stimulation units 3B1 to 3B4 have the same configuration. Since the actual object position measurement unit 30 is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0078] The non-contact skin stimulation unit 31B generates a noise stimulation as a non-contact skin stimulation that non-contactly stimulates the skin in response to a command from the presence indication control unit 25B. In the present embodiment, the non-contact skin stimulation unit 31B applies a weak noise stimulation (for example, an acoustic radiation pressure by ultrasonic waves generated from a random waveform signal such as white noise or pink noise) to the user U. In other respects, since the non-contact skin stimulation unit 31B is the same as that in the first embodiment, further description thereof is omitted.

[0079] The main body unit 2 includes a position and orientation detection unit 20, a virtual space display unit 21, a virtual space display control unit 22, a virtual object position calculation unit 23, a presence indication area setting unit 24, a presence indication control unit 25B, and a storage unit 26. Note that since each means other than the presence indication control unit 25B is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

[0080] The presence indication control unit 25B stops the output of the noise stimulation to the non-contact skin stimulation unit 31B that is closest to the virtual object T V or the real object T R entering the presence indication area K. Further, the presence indication control unit 25B outputs a noise stimulation to the other non-contact skin stimulation units 31B.

[0081] <The Third Example of Presence Indication> Referring to FIG. 9, the third example of presence indication will be described. In this third example, it is assumed that the real object T R has entered the presence indication area K. Note that the description of the virtual objects T V1 to T V3 is omitted.

[0082] The real object position measurement units 301 to 304 (FIG. 8) measure the position of the real object T R with respect to the user U in their respective measurement ranges β1 to β4. Here, since the real object T R is within the measurement range β3, the real object position measurement unit 303 measures the position of the real object T Rwill measure the position. Then, the actual object position measurement unit 303 outputs the position of the actual object T R to the presence indication control unit 25B.

[0083] The presence indication control unit 25B compares the position input from the actual object position measurement unit 303 with the position of the presence indication area K, and determines whether the actual object T R enters the presence indication area K. In the example of FIG. 9, the presence indication control unit 25B determines that the actual object T R has entered the presence indication area K. Then, similar to the first embodiment, the presence indication control unit 25B writes the information of the actual object T R into the presence indication object correspondence table 250 in the storage unit 26.

[0084] Here, since the flag of the actual object T R in the presence indication object correspondence table 250 is 'T', the output of the noise stimulus γ to the non-contact skin stimulation unit 313 closest to the actual object T R is stopped. On the other hand, the presence indication control unit 25B outputs the noise stimulus γ to the other non-contact skin stimulation units 311, 312, 314.

[0085] [Operation and Effect] As described above, similar to the first embodiment, the presence indication device 1B according to the second embodiment can direct the attention of the user U to the object in the VR environment. Further, since the presence indication device 1B stops the noise stimulus γ in the direction where the object exists, the width of the content expression can be widened.

[0086] Although the embodiments have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and design changes and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included. In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the number of non-contact skin stimulation units is four, but this is not limiting. That is, the number of non-contact skin stimulation units may be two or more.

[0087] In the above-described embodiment, all the non-contact skin stimulation parts have been described as generating the same type of non-contact skin stimulation, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, each non-contact skin stimulation part may generate different types of non-contact skin stimulation.

[0088] In the above-described embodiment, the aura presentation device has been described as being applied to a VR display device such as an HMD, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the aura presentation device can also be applied to an AR display device such as AR glasses.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0089] 1,1B Aura Presentation Device 2 Main Body 2A Belt 3,3B Non-Contact Skin Stimulation Unit 3A Frame 4 Headphone 20 Position and Orientation Detection Unit 21 Virtual Space Display Unit 22 Virtual Space Display Control Unit 23 Virtual Object Position Calculation Unit 24 Aura Presentation Area Setting Unit 25,25B Aura Presentation Control Unit 26 Storage Unit 30 Real Object Position Measurement Unit 31,31B Non-Contact Skin Stimulation Part 250 Aura Presentation Object Correspondence Table 251 ID 252 Type 253 Position 254 Flag K Aura Presentation Area U User T R Real Object T V Virtual Object V Effective Visual Field α Non-Contact Skin Stimulation β Measurement Range γ Noise Stimulation

Claims

1. A presence presentation device comprising a non-contact skin stimulation unit that generates non-contact skin stimulation for stimulating the skin without contact, and presenting to the user the presence of a virtual object in a virtual space or a real object in a real space by using the non-contact skin stimulation, wherein a plurality of the non-contact skin stimulation units are arranged at regular intervals around the user, a virtual object position calculation unit that calculates the position of the virtual object with respect to the user, a real object position measurement unit that measures the position of the real object with respect to the user, a presence presentation area setting unit that presets, outside the effective visual field of the user, a presence presentation area that is an area for presenting the presence in the virtual space, a presence presentation control unit that determines whether the virtual object or the real object has entered the presence presentation area based on the positions of the virtual object and the real object, and drives the non-contact skin stimulation unit closest to the virtual object or the real object that has entered the presence presentation area, and comprising, wherein the non-contact skin stimulation unit applies a noise stimulation to the user as the non-contact skin stimulation, and the presence presentation control unit stops the output of the noise stimulation to the non-contact skin stimulation unit closest to the virtual object or the real object that has entered the presence presentation area, and outputs the noise stimulation to the other non-contact skin stimulation units. The presence presentation device is characterized by this.

2. The presence presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the non-contact skin stimulation unit applies to the user any one of acoustic radiation pressure, wind pressure, warm feeling, or cold feeling, or a combination of two or more thereof as the non-contact skin stimulation.

3. further comprising a position and orientation detection unit that detects the position and orientation of the user, a virtual space display unit that displays the virtual space, and a virtual space display control unit that causes the virtual space display unit to display the virtual space according to the position and orientation of the user, wherein the virtual object position calculation unit calculates the position of the virtual object with respect to the user in the virtual space displayed by the virtual space display control unit. The presence presentation device according to claim 1 or claim 2 is characterized by this.

4. The real object position measurement unit is, a rangefinder having directivity, and is arranged radially around the user so as to correspond to the non-contact skin stimulation unit. The presence presentation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is characterized by this.

5. The air presence display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the air presence display device is an AR display device or a VR display device.

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