Virtual space image generation device and method

Abstract

To provide a virtual space image generation device and method, which allow for generating a virtual space image that provides visibility closed to how things look in the real space when a viewpoint of a user moves.SOLUTION: A virtual space image generation device 2 generates a virtual space image including a visibility changing region where visibility changes according to movement of a viewpoint of a user U. The virtual space image generation device 2 comprises an image generation unit 14 configured to generate a virtual space image with a visibility changing region where the degree of change in visibility changes over time when the user U moves the viewpoint.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a virtual space image generating device and method. [Background technology]

[0002] As a conventional technique for generating a virtual space image and displaying it on a display device, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a virtual space image providing method for providing a virtual space image visually recognized by a user to a head mounted display (HMD). In this virtual space image providing method, the rotation direction and rotation speed of the HMD are acquired, and blurring is performed on both edge areas of the virtual space image in the on-screen direction corresponding to the rotation direction, with a range and strength according to the rotation speed, thereby reducing virtual reality (VR) sickness. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-138701 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In vehicle development and the like, an object to be evaluated may be displayed on a virtual space image to evaluate the visibility of the object in real space. In this case, it is necessary to make the appearance of the object displayed on the virtual space image closer to the appearance in real space. For example, in real space, immediately after a user's viewpoint changes or immediately after the position or distance of an object in the field of view changes, the surrounding area of ​​the viewpoint or object appears blurred. The degree of blurring of the surrounding area accompanying such a movement of the viewpoint changes over time depending on the focal adjustment characteristics of the eye, the state of the user, the state around the vehicle, and the like. Therefore, when displaying an object on a virtual space image to evaluate visibility, it is desirable to reproduce the temporal change in blurring in real space as described above.

[0005] However, in the conventional technology described above, the range and strength of the blurring applied to the virtual space image are set according to the rotation speed of the HMD, without taking into account the temporal change in the state of the blurring applied to the set range. Typically, the blurring of image data is performed at a speed according to the performance of the hardware responsible for the image processing, and image data in a blurred state with the desired strength is generated faster than the eye's focusing speed. Therefore, in the conventional technology, when the HMD is rotated, i.e., when the user's head direction changes and the viewpoint on the virtual space image moves, the temporal change in the blurring of the virtual space image displayed on the HMD differs from the appearance of the real space, leaving room for improvement in evaluating the visibility of objects in the virtual space image.

[0006] The present invention has been made with the above points in mind, and aims to provide a virtual space image generation device and method that can generate virtual space images that achieve visibility close to how real space appears when the user's viewpoint moves. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides a virtual space image generation device that generates a virtual space image including a visibility changing area whose visibility changes based on a movement of the user's viewpoint. When the user's viewpoint moves, this virtual space image generation device: Display to the user who has moved the viewpoint The image generating unit generates the virtual space image in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility changing area changes over time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the virtual space image generation device of the present invention, the visibility state of the visibility change area gradually changes over time, making it possible to generate a virtual space image that achieves visibility close to how real space appears when the user's viewpoint moves. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a driving simulator system to which a virtual space image generation device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual space image before blurring processing is performed in the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual space image after blurring processing has been applied to the outside of the peripheral area of ​​the viewpoint in the embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a movement of the user's viewpoint on the virtual space image of FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of the viewpoint movement in the virtual space shown in FIG. 4 viewed from above. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual space image after a required time has elapsed since the user moved their viewpoint in the embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for generating a virtual space image in the embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a graph showing an example of a change in visibility over time when the viewpoint moves away in the embodiment. [Figure 9]9 is a graph showing an example of a change when the value of the time constant of the function representing the shape of the curve in the graph of FIG. 8 is changed. [Figure 10] 10 is a graph showing an example of a change in visibility over time when the viewpoint moves in a direction approaching in the embodiment. [Figure 11] 11 is a graph showing an example of a deformation when the value of the time constant of the function representing the shape of the curve in the graph of FIG. 10 is changed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a driving simulator system to which a virtual space image generating device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied. 1, a driving simulator system 1 is used, for example, to evaluate the visibility of various objects in the development of vehicles such as automobiles, or to simulate vehicle driving experiences. This driving simulator system 1 includes a virtual space image generation device 2 according to this embodiment, a sensor 3, and an image formation device 4.

[0011] The virtual space image generating device 2 detects the user U's movements based on the output signal from the sensor 3, and generates a virtual space image including an area whose visibility changes in response to the detected user U's movements. The virtual space image generating device 2 then transmits the generated virtual space image to the user U via an image forming device 4, such as a head-mounted display (HMD), worn on the user U's head. The image forming device 4 of this embodiment has left and right display units corresponding to the user's left and right eyes, respectively. The image forming device 4 displays virtual space images with parallax on each of the left and right display units, allowing the user to perceive a three-dimensional virtual space. As a method for displaying virtual space images with parallax on each of the left and right display units, different virtual space images may be displayed on each of the left and right display units, or a common virtual space image may be output to each of the left and right display units while optical shutters are provided on the left and right display units to generate parallax between the virtual space images output from each display unit.

[0012] Note that the image forming device 4 is not limited to a configuration in which a display device that displays a virtual space image is worn on the head of the user U, such as an HMD, but may also be an image display device such as a liquid crystal display that is placed in front of the user U. Furthermore, the image forming device 4 may also be an image projection device that projects a virtual space image onto a predetermined projection surface (screen, glass, wall surface), such as a projector or a head-up display. In this case, it is preferable to separately wear optical shutter devices on the left and right eyes of the user in order to perceive the virtual space from the projected virtual space image.

[0013] In such a driving simulator system 1, virtual space images with different parallaxes are input to each of the left and right eyes of the user U via the image forming device 4 (or an optical shutter device), allowing the user U to view (perceive) the virtual space. This allows various objects in the real space to be reproduced in the virtual space, enabling the user U to evaluate the visibility of the various objects on the virtual space image and to experience a simulated driving experience on the virtual space image.

[0014] Specifically, virtual space image generation device 2 includes, as its functional blocks, for example, viewpoint detection unit 11, input unit 12, storage unit 13, image generation unit 14, and display control unit 15. Although not shown in the drawings, the hardware configuration of virtual space image generation device 2 includes, for example, a computer system including a processor, memory, a user input interface, and a communication interface. In other words, in virtual space image generation device 2, the processor of the computer system reads and executes programs stored in the memory, thereby realizing the functions of viewpoint detection unit 11, image generation unit 14, and display control unit 15.

[0015] The viewpoint detection unit 11 detects the viewpoint of the user U using the output signal of the sensor 3. The viewpoint of the user U is the point on the image forming device 4 at which the user U's gaze is fixed. The sensor 3 may be, for example, a gaze sensor built into the HMD worn by the user U. The sensor 3 detects the movement of the user U's eyes to measure the gaze direction and outputs a signal indicating the gaze direction to the viewpoint detection unit 11 via a communication interface of the computer system. The viewpoint detection unit 11 detects the position of the user U's gaze (coordinates on a two-dimensional plane) on the image forming device 4 based on the gaze direction of the user U measured by the sensor 3, the positional relationship between the user U's eyes and the image forming device 4, and position information in the virtual space provided using image data of the virtual space stored in the storage unit 13. Such a function of detecting the viewpoint of the user U by the viewpoint detection unit 11 is sometimes called eye tracking. The viewpoint detection unit 11 transmits the detected viewpoint position information to the image generation unit 14.

[0016] In addition to the eye tracking function of the viewpoint detection unit 11, the virtual space image generation device 2 may also have a head tracking function for detecting the movement of the head of the user U and a position tracking function for detecting the movement of the body of the user U. The detection results of these head tracking and position tracking functions are also transmitted to the image generation unit 14 together with the detection results of the viewpoint detection unit 11. The detection results include, for example, information related to the direction of the head of the user U, and the direction of the line of sight of the user U may be estimated based on this information.

[0017] The input unit 12 is realized by a user input interface of a computer system and includes, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, an operation controller, etc. The input unit 12 also includes a receiving unit that receives information from the outside via a wired or wireless connection and functions as an external information input interface that receives information from an external computer. The input unit 12 receives predetermined conditions, such as environmental conditions of the virtual space (hereinafter referred to as "environmental conditions"), conditions of the user U (hereinafter referred to as "user conditions"), and vehicle driving conditions (route, speed) in the virtual space. The environmental conditions include the weather of the virtual space (sunny, cloudy, rainy, foggy, etc.), humidity, driving environment (outdoors, indoors, tunnels, etc.), windshield conditions, or a combination thereof. The user conditions include the user U's age, gender, eyesight, eye health, eye openness, dominant eye, or a combination thereof. Information regarding the predetermined conditions input by the input unit 12 is transmitted to the image generation unit 14 and stored in the memory unit 13.

[0018] The above user conditions may be obtained by conducting a preliminary experiment on a subject who is assumed to be the user U of the driving simulator system 1, and the values ​​may be input to the virtual space image generating device 2 using the input unit 12. Alternatively, the user U may be photographed using a camera or the like separately provided in the virtual space image generating device 2, and the user conditions may be determined or detected based on the photographed user image.

[0019] The storage unit 13 is realized by a storage device (e.g., a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a flash memory, etc.) connected to the computer system, and stores various setting information such as the positional relationship between the eyes of the user U and the image forming device 4, environmental conditions, user conditions, and vehicle driving conditions. The storage unit 13 also stores image data of the virtual space including various objects. The various objects are various objects included in the view that the user U can see from the driver's seat of the vehicle in the virtual space.

[0020] Image generation unit 14 generates a virtual space image to be displayed on image forming device 4 using image data stored in storage unit 13, image data received from input unit 12, and various setting information. At this time, image generation unit 14 generates a virtual space image in which visibility within a predetermined visibility change area is in a first state and visibility outside the visibility change area is in a second state different from the first state, based on the viewpoint detected by viewpoint detection unit 11. In other words, the virtual space image generated by image generation unit 14 includes an image portion having relatively high visibility and an image portion having relatively low visibility. Then, image generation unit 14 updates the virtual space image so that the image transitions between the first state in which image portions located within the visibility change area have relatively higher visibility than image portions located outside the visibility change area and the second state in which image portions located within the visibility change area have relatively lower visibility than image portions located outside the viewpoint peripheral area. The visibility change area includes not only the viewpoint peripheral area of ​​the movement source and the viewpoint peripheral area of ​​the movement destination, which will be described later, but also areas other than the viewpoint peripheral area.

[0021] The visibility state is controlled, for example, by applying a blurring process to the image displayed in the target area. Bluring is a process that changes the amount of information in image data to make the image appear blurred. In other words, blurring is an image process that reduces the amount of information that the user U can visually confirm. Specific examples of blurring include a process that reduces the amount of information, a process that reduces the resolution, a process that gradually reduces the display area, or a process that gradually increases the display area, or a combination of these processes, for the image (object) displayed in the target area. An example of a combination of processes is a process that gradually increases the display area and a process that gradually decreases the display area, performed sequentially or alternately, which makes it easier to reproduce an out-of-focus state. Therefore, the first state in which visibility is relatively high is, for example, a focused state before blurring is applied, and represents a state in which the user U can visually confirm a large amount of information about the image. The second state in which visibility is relatively low is, for example, an out-of-focus blurred state after blurring processing has been applied, and represents a state in which the amount of information that the user U can visually confirm about the image is small.

[0022] FIG. 2 shows an example of a virtual space image before blurring processing is applied. This virtual space image is input to one of the left and right eyes. Another virtual space image (not shown) with a different parallax from the virtual space image of FIG. 2 is input to the other of the left and right eyes. User U can perceive the virtual space through the virtual space images with different parallaxes input to the left and right eyes, respectively. FIG. 3 shows an example of a virtual space image after blurring processing is applied to the area outside the peripheral area of ​​the viewpoint.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the virtual space image generated by the image generation unit 14 depicts a scene in the virtual space that the user U can see from the driver's seat of the vehicle. In the illustrated example, the virtual space image includes, as objects representing the vehicle, the top of the steering wheel, the top of the dashboard, the right front pillar, the front end of the roof, the rearview mirror, and the right side mirror. The number "8" displayed in the center of the bottom of the virtual space image is an object for evaluating the visibility near the top end of the steering wheel. The virtual space image also includes, as objects representing stationary objects outside the vehicle, roads, sidewalks, buildings, and road signs (stop signs).

[0024] In the virtual space image (FIG. 2) before blurring, all objects are in focus, and visibility of the entire virtual space image is high. On the other hand, in the virtual space image (FIG. 3) after blurring, the user U's viewpoint (□) is at position P on the number "8" object displayed near the top of the steering wheel, and objects located inside the viewpoint peripheral area A surrounded by a dashed line in the figure are in focus, while objects located outside the viewpoint peripheral area A are out of focus, resulting in a blurred image. In other words, the virtual space image generated by the image generation unit 14 and blurred according to the user U's viewpoint position P is in a first state in which visibility within the viewpoint peripheral area A is relatively high, and in a second state in which visibility outside the viewpoint peripheral area A is relatively low. Note that the □ mark indicating the user U's viewpoint is not displayed in the actual virtual space image.

[0025] Furthermore, the image generation unit 14 updates the blurred virtual space image when the user U's viewpoint moves. This virtual space image update process can be performed for any movement of the user U's viewpoint. For example, in FIG. 3, if the user U's viewpoint position P moves to a different position within the viewpoint peripheral area A, the image of the portion of the viewpoint peripheral area where a shift occurs before and after the movement is updated. Also, for example, if the user U's viewpoint position P moves to a position away from the viewpoint peripheral area A and the new viewpoint peripheral area is located outside the original viewpoint peripheral area, the image of the entire new viewpoint peripheral area and the image of the entire original viewpoint peripheral area are updated. In the former case where the amount of movement of the viewpoint is small, the amount of image data to be updated is small, and the image processing load on the image generation unit 14 is reduced. Below, image processing in the latter case where the amount of movement of the viewpoint is large will be described in detail using a specific example.

[0026] FIG. 4 shows an example of the movement of the viewpoint of the user U. In the example of FIG. 4, the viewpoint of the user U (indicated by a square) moves from a position Pn on a number "8" object (first object) displayed near the top end of the steering wheel to a position Pf on a road sign object (second object) installed on the left sidewalk in front of the vehicle. The road sign object is located farther in the depth direction in the virtual space than the object near the top end of the steering wheel. Therefore, the viewpoint of the user U moves upward and left on a two-dimensional plane (on the virtual space image) extending in the left-right and up-down directions in the virtual space, and also moves farther in the depth direction.

[0027] The depth direction in the virtual space differs depending on the type of the image forming device 4. Specifically, in the case of an image forming device 4 in which the position of the user U's head does not change, the depth direction is a predetermined specific direction (for example, the front-to-back direction) in the virtual space. On the other hand, in the case of an image forming device 4 in which the position of the user U's head changes due to head tracking or the like, the depth direction is a predetermined direction that changes relatively depending on the position of the head. For example, the depth direction may be the direction in which the head is facing, or the line of sight of the user U relative to the viewpoint before the user U's movement, that is, the direction connecting the user U's eyes E with the viewpoint before the movement in reality or the viewpoint before the movement in the virtual space.

[0028] FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the movement of the user U's viewpoint in the virtual space as viewed from above. In FIG. 5, the arrow Z direction indicates the depth direction of the virtual space (the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle), and the arrow X direction indicates the horizontal direction of the virtual space (the width direction of the vehicle). As shown in FIG. 5, the viewpoint of the user U moves from position Pn to position Pf on the image forming device 4 (on the virtual space image). A first object (the number "8") displayed at the viewpoint position Pn of the source is located at position Pn', a distance Zn away from the image forming device 4 in the depth direction in the virtual space. A second object (a road sign) displayed at the viewpoint position Pf of the destination is located at position Pf', a distance Zf away from the image forming device 4 in the depth direction in the virtual space. The distance Zf is longer than the distance Zn by a distance ΔZ.

[0029] The focus (in focus) of the user U's eye E in real space is aligned with position Pn on the image forming device 4 at the origin of the viewpoint movement, and is aligned with position Pf on the image forming device 4 at the destination of the viewpoint movement. In other words, the actual focal length of the user U's eye E is the distance Fn from the eye E to position Pn at the origin of the viewpoint movement, as shown by the solid arrow in FIG. 5, and is the distance Ff from the eye E to position Pf at the destination of the viewpoint movement. d represents the distance between the user U's eye E and the image forming device 4 in the depth direction. In FIG. 5, the user U changes his line of sight by moving his eyes, so the distance d is different between position Pn and position Fn, but the change Δd (not shown) in the distance d before and after the movement is small.

[0030] On the other hand, as shown by the dotted arrows in FIG. 5, the virtual focal length of the user U's eye E is the distance Fn' from the eye E to position Pn' at the origin of the viewpoint movement, and is the distance Ff' from the eye E to position Pf' at the destination of the viewpoint movement. That is, in the virtual space, position Pn' is located a distance Zn behind position Pn in the depth direction, and position Pf' is located a distance Zf behind position Pf in the depth direction. Position Pf' is also located a distance ΔZ behind position Pn' in the depth direction. Furthermore, in FIG. 5, distance ΔZ is much larger than distance Δd. In this embodiment, a virtual space image to be displayed on the image forming device 4 is generated (updated) so as to minimize the difference in appearance caused by the difference between the changes in the actual focal lengths Fn and Ff and the changes in the virtual focal lengths Fn' and Ff' that accompany such a movement of the user U's viewpoint.

[0031] When the viewpoint of user U moves as described above, image generation unit 14 determines the direction and amount of movement of the viewpoint on image forming device 4 (on the virtual space image) from changes in viewpoint positions Pn, Pf (coordinates on a two-dimensional plane) detected by viewpoint detection unit 11. Furthermore, image generation unit 14 determines the viewpoint positions Pn', Pf' in the virtual space from the depth information corresponding to the viewpoint positions Pn, Pf detected by viewpoint detection unit 11, among the depth information defined for each pixel (or each object) on the virtual space image, and determines whether the viewpoint is moving at least in the depth direction in the virtual space, that is, whether the viewpoint is moving away or toward in the virtual space. Then, image generation unit 14 performs an update process for the virtual space image when the viewpoint moves in the depth direction in the virtual space.

[0032] In this update process, the image generation unit 14 performs a first process of updating the virtual space image so that the visibility in the destination viewpoint peripheral region Af (visibility change region) increases from the second state to the first state and the degree of increase (degree of change) in visibility changes over time, and a second process of updating the virtual space image so that the visibility in the source viewpoint peripheral region An decreases from the first state to the second state. That is, in the virtual space image update process by the image generation unit 14, a virtual space image is generated in which the visibility in the destination viewpoint peripheral region Af gradually increases from the second state to the first state and transitions to the first state, and the visibility in the source viewpoint peripheral region An decreases from the first state to the second state. In the viewpoint movement illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the degree of change in visibility in the second process is made larger than the degree of change in visibility in the first process (the change in visibility is made faster), making it easier for the user U to view the destination viewpoint peripheral region Af.

[0033] In this embodiment, an example in which the first process and the second process are performed simultaneously will be described, but the first process and the second process do not necessarily have to be performed simultaneously. For example, when the user U moves their viewpoint, what the user U is aware of is the area surrounding the viewpoint at the destination. Therefore, it is possible to perform only the first process in accordance with the movement of the user U's viewpoint, and to advance or delay the timing of performing the second process. Furthermore, when performing the first process, it is also possible to omit the second process.

[0034] In the virtual space image immediately after the user U's viewpoint has moved, the visibility within the viewpoint peripheral area An of the source of the viewpoint is in a first state (in focus), and the visibility within the viewpoint peripheral area Af of the destination of the viewpoint is in a second state (out of focus and blurred), as shown in Fig. 4. The visibility state (blurring state) in the virtual space image immediately after such a viewpoint has moved is the same as the visibility state in the virtual space image (before the user U's viewpoint has moved) shown in Fig. 3 above.

[0035] Fig. 6 shows an example of a virtual space image after a required time has elapsed since the viewpoint of the user U. In the virtual space image after the required time has elapsed and the update processes (first process and second process) have been completed, the visibility within the viewpoint peripheral area An of the source of the movement has transitioned to the second state (a blurry, out of focus state), and the visibility within the viewpoint peripheral area Af of the destination of the movement has transitioned to the first state (an in-focus state), as shown in Fig. 6.

[0036] When the image generation unit 14 receives the detection results from the head tracking or position tracking described above, the image generation unit 14 may change the virtual space image in accordance with the head movement or body movement of the user U. For example, when the user U turns his / her head to the left, the image generation unit 14 changes the virtual space image so that a scene to the left of the user U is displayed in the virtual space in accordance with the head movement of the user U detected by head tracking. Also, when the user U moves and the position of his / her body changes, the image generation unit 14 changes the virtual space image so that the field of view of the user U changes in accordance with the current position of the user U detected by position tracking.

[0037] Display control unit 15 (FIG. 1) generates a control signal for causing image forming device 4 to display the virtual space image generated by image generation unit 14, and outputs the control signal to image forming device 4. Upon receiving the control signal from display control unit 15, image forming device 4 displays the virtual space image in accordance with the control signal.

[0038] Next, the operation of the virtual space image generating device 2 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for generating a virtual space image by the virtual space image generating device 2. 7, first, in step S10, the viewpoint detection unit 11 detects the position of the viewpoint of the user U on the image forming device 4 (coordinates on a two-dimensional plane) using the output signal of the sensor 3. The viewpoint detection process by the viewpoint detection unit 11 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle. The position information of the viewpoint of the user U detected by the viewpoint detection unit 11 is transmitted to the image generation unit 14.

[0039] In the next step S20, the image generation unit 14, which has received the position information of the viewpoint from the viewpoint detection unit 11, generates a virtual space image to be displayed on the image forming device 4, using the image data stored in the storage unit 13 (or the image data received from the input unit 12) and various setting information. At this time, the image generation unit 14 performs a blurring process on the image portion located outside the viewpoint peripheral area A based on the viewpoint position P of the user U, as in the example shown in FIG. 3 above. This generates a virtual space image in a first state where the visibility within the viewpoint peripheral area A is relatively high, and in a second state where the visibility outside the viewpoint peripheral area A is relatively low.

[0040] In the next step S30, the image generation unit 14 executes a process of determining whether the user U's viewpoint has moved based on the viewpoint position information transmitted at a predetermined cycle from the viewpoint detection unit 11. In this determination process, it is determined whether the viewpoint after the movement has moved at least in the depth direction relative to the viewpoint before the movement. If the viewpoint has moved (YES), the process proceeds to the next step S40, and if the viewpoint has not moved (NO), the process proceeds to step S50.

[0041] In step S40, the image generation unit 14 performs an update process of the virtual space image in accordance with the movement of the user's viewpoint. When the update process is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S50, where the display control unit 15 controls the image forming device 4 to display the virtual space image generated (or updated) by the image generation unit 14. Once the virtual space image is displayed on the image forming device 4, the process returns to step S30 and the same process is repeatedly executed.

[0042] Here, the virtual space image update process in step S40 will be specifically described. As described above, the image generation unit 14 in this embodiment performs a first process of updating the virtual space image when the user U's viewpoint moves, such that the visibility within the destination viewpoint peripheral area Af increases from the second state to the first state and the degree of increase (degree of change) of the visibility changes over time, and a second process of updating the virtual space image such that the visibility within the source viewpoint peripheral area An decreases from the first state to the second state.

[0043] In such a virtual space image update process, the visibility within the area surrounding the viewpoint of the destination is improved by reducing the blurring applied to the image within the area surrounding the viewpoint of the destination. In other words, the visibility within the area can be improved by reducing the amount of blurring (blurring ratio) of the blurred image to bring it closer to a focused state. The degree of improvement in visibility represents the degree to which the amount of blurring is reduced, and corresponds to the degree to which the amount of blurring is reduced.

[0044] The reduction in visibility within the area surrounding the viewpoint of the source of movement is achieved by blurring the image within the area surrounding the viewpoint of the source of movement. In other words, the visibility within the area can be reduced by increasing the amount of blurring (blur ratio) of the image in the blurring process. The degree of reduction in visibility represents the degree to which the amount of blurring is increased, and corresponds to the increase in the amount of blurring.

[0045] In the first processing of the virtual space image by the image generation unit 14, the degree of increase in visibility (the degree of decrease in the amount of blur) in the area surrounding the viewpoint at the destination changes over time. Furthermore, the way in which the degree of increase in visibility changes over time differs depending on whether the viewpoint of the user U is moving in a direction away from the user U or in a direction toward the user U. The movement of the viewpoint of the user U from position Pn to position Pf illustrated in the above-mentioned FIGS. 4 to 6 corresponds to viewpoint movement in a direction away from the user U, and the reverse movement (movement from position Pf to position Pn) corresponds to viewpoint movement in a direction toward the user U. Below, the way in which the degree of increase in visibility changes over time will be described in detail using specific examples for each direction of viewpoint movement.

[0046] FIG. 8 is a graph showing an example of a change in visibility over time when the viewpoint moves away. The upper graph in FIG. 8 corresponds to the viewpoint peripheral area Af at the destination, and the lower graph in FIG. 8 corresponds to the viewpoint peripheral area An at the source. The vertical axis of each graph represents the state of visibility V, and the horizontal axis represents time t. The state of visibility V on the vertical axis increases as it moves away from the intersection with the horizontal axis (the origin). Note that, as described above, the state of visibility V corresponds to the amount of blurring (blur ratio) of an image in a blurring process. Therefore, the vertical axis of each graph in FIG. 8 also represents the amount of blurring of an image, and the amount of blurring decreases as it moves away from the origin.

[0047] 8, the viewpoint of user U is at position Pn (on a first object, the number "8") at time t1, and moves to position Pf (on a second object, a road sign) at time t2. At time t1, the visibility within the viewpoint peripheral area Af of the destination is in a second state V2, which is relatively low, and the visibility within the viewpoint peripheral area An of the source is in a first state V1, which is relatively high.

[0048] The dashed lines in each graph in Figure 8 represent the change in visibility over time corresponding to the blurring process applied to the virtual space image in the conventional technology described above. In the conventional technology, the blurring process applied to the virtual space image is performed at a speed that depends on the performance of the hardware responsible for image processing. Therefore, the transition of visibility (blurring amount) between the first state V1 and the second state V2 is completed in a short period (time t1 to t2) approximately simultaneously with the movement of the user U's viewpoint.

[0049] On the other hand, in the virtual space image update process by the image generation unit 14 in this embodiment, as shown by the solid lines in each graph, the visibility within the viewpoint peripheral area Af of the destination gradually increases from the second state V2 and transitions to the first state V1, while the visibility within the viewpoint peripheral area An of the source immediately decreases from the first state V1 and transitions to the second state V2.

[0050] Specifically, as shown in the upper graph of Fig. 8, the visibility in the viewpoint peripheral area Af of the destination changes over time such that the visibility is maintained at the second state V2 during the period from when the user U completes the viewpoint movement until a predetermined delay time L1 has elapsed (times t2 to t3), and then begins to increase at time t3. After time t3, the visibility in the viewpoint peripheral area Af of the destination changes gradually over time, and at time t7 it increases to the first state V1.

[0051] That is, after the user U has completed moving their viewpoint, a delay time L1 is allowed to elapse, and then a process is initiated to reduce the blurring applied to the image in the destination viewpoint peripheral area Af. The amount of blurring (blurring rate) of the image is gradually reduced over time, causing the visibility in the destination viewpoint peripheral area Af to transition from the second state V2 (a blurry, out-of-focus state) to the first state V1 (an in-focus state). The transition time α1 from the start to the completion of the transition is from time t3 to time t7. The transition completion time T1 (time t2 to time t7), which is required from the completion of the user U's viewpoint movement until the transition of visibility is completed, is the sum of the delay time L1 and the transition time α1.

[0052] The degree of increase in visibility (the degree of decrease in the amount of blur) during transition time α1 is controlled to increase as time passes. This corresponds to the fact that in the upper graph of FIG. 8, the slope of the tangent to curve C1 over transition time α1 (the degree of increase in visibility) becomes steeper as time passes. In other words, the increase in visibility ΔV from time t3 to t4 3-4 The increase in visibility ΔV between t4 and t5 4-5 is increasing, and the increase amount ΔV 4-5 The increase in visibility ΔV between t5 and t6 5-6 is further increasing, and the increase amount ΔV 5-6 The increase in visibility ΔV between t6 and t7 6-7 is further increasing.

[0053] Here, the state in which the image within the destination viewpoint peripheral region Af is in focus corresponds to the state in which the focus of the user U's eye E is aligned with the virtual position Pf' of the destination viewpoint, as described above with reference to Figure 5. In other words, the image processing for increasing the visibility within the destination viewpoint peripheral region Af to the first state in the virtual space image corresponds to the action of the user U adjusting the focal length to Ff' by activating the focus adjustment function of the eye E in real space. Therefore, if the temporal change in visibility when increasing the visibility to the first state V1 approaches the temporal change in the focal length when the focus adjustment function of the eye E sets the focal length to Ff', it becomes possible to generate a virtual space image that achieves visibility close to how it appears in real space.

[0054] 8, a curve C1 over a transition time α1 represents the change in visibility over time when the visibility in the destination viewpoint peripheral area Af is increased to the first state V1. For example, by making the shape of this curve C1 follow the function shown in the following equation (1), it is possible to approximate the change in focal length over time due to the focus adjustment function of the eye E.

number

[0055] The focal length F in the above formula (1) corresponds to the state of visibility V at time t. Specifically, the first visibility state V1 corresponds to the state where the focal length F in formula (1) becomes the virtual focal length Ff' shown in Figure 5 (F = Ff'). Furthermore, the second visibility state V2 corresponds to the state where the focal length F in formula (1) becomes the virtual focal length Fn' in Figure 5 (F = Fn').

[0056] Furthermore, the time constant τ in the above equation (1) is set according to the environmental conditions and user conditions described above, and the shape of the curve C1 (the length of the transition time α1) changes depending on the time constant τ. FIG. 9 illustrates the change in the shape of the curve C1 when the value of the time constant τ is changed. In the example of FIG. 9, as the value of the time constant τ increases from 0.1 to 0.2 to 0.3, the slope of the tangent to the curve C1 (the degree of increase in visibility) becomes gentler for the same time (e.g., 0.6 [s]). Furthermore, the transition time α1′ when τ=0.2 is longer than the transition time α1 when τ=0.1, and the transition time α1″ when τ=0.3 is even longer than the transition time α1′.

[0057] In contrast to the temporal change in visibility within the destination viewpoint peripheral region Af as described above, the temporal change in visibility within the source viewpoint peripheral region An, as shown in the lower graph of FIG. 8, begins to decrease from the first state V1 immediately after the user U completes the viewpoint movement and decreases to the second state V2 at time t3'. In other words, blurring of the image within the source viewpoint peripheral region An begins immediately after the user U completes the viewpoint movement. Then, by increasing the amount of blurring (blur ratio) of the image over time, the visibility within the source viewpoint peripheral region An transitions from the first state V1 (in-focus state) to the second state V2 (out-of-focus, blurred state) in a short time. By changing the visibility within the source viewpoint peripheral region An in this way, it is possible to prevent the user U from feeling uncomfortable with the way the source viewpoint peripheral region An looks.

[0058] Fig. 10 is a graph showing an example of a change in visibility over time when the viewpoint moves in a direction approaching. The upper graph in Fig. 10 corresponds to the viewpoint peripheral area An at the destination, and the lower graph in Fig. 10 corresponds to the viewpoint peripheral area Af at the source. As with Fig. 8 described above, the vertical axis of each graph represents the state of visibility V (amount of blur), and the horizontal axis represents time t. The state of visibility V on the vertical axis increases the further it is from the intersection with the horizontal axis (the origin) (the further it is from the origin, the less blur it becomes).

[0059] 10, the viewpoint of user U is at position Pf (on the second object, a road sign) at time t1, and moves to position Pn (on the first object, the number "8") at time t2. At time t1, the visibility in the viewpoint peripheral area An of the destination is in a second state V2, which is relatively low, and the visibility in the viewpoint peripheral area Af of the source is in a first state V1, which is relatively high.

[0060] The dashed lines in each graph in Figure 10, as in the case of Figure 8 described above, represent the change in visibility over time corresponding to the blurring process applied to the virtual space image in conventional technology, and the transition between the first visibility state V1 and the second visibility state V2 is completed in a short period of time (time t1 to t2).

[0061] On the other hand, in the virtual space image update process by the image generation unit 14 in this embodiment, as shown by the solid lines in each graph, the visibility within the viewpoint peripheral area An of the destination gradually increases from the second state V2 and transitions to the first state V1, while the visibility within the viewpoint peripheral area Af of the source immediately decreases from the first state V1 and transitions to the second state V2.

[0062] Specifically, as shown in the upper graph of Fig. 10, the visibility in the destination viewpoint peripheral area An changes over time such that the visibility is maintained at the second state V2 during the period from when the user U completes the viewpoint movement until a predetermined delay time L2 has elapsed (times t2 to t3), and then begins to increase at time t3. After time t3, the visibility in the destination viewpoint peripheral area Af gradually changes over time, and at time t8 it increases to the first state V1.

[0063] That is, after the user U completes the viewpoint movement, a delay time L2 is awaited, and then a process of reducing the blurring applied to the image in the viewpoint peripheral area An of the destination is initiated. Then, the blurring amount (blur ratio) of the image is gradually reduced over time, and the visibility in the viewpoint peripheral area An of the destination transitions from the second state V2 (a blurred, out-of-focus state) to the first state V1 (an in-focus state). The transition time α2 from the start to the completion of the transition is from time t3 to time t8. The transition time α1 for the viewpoint movement in the direction away from the user U is set to be longer than the transition time α2 for the viewpoint movement in the direction approaching the user U (α1>α2). The transition completion time T2 (time t2 to time t8) required from the completion of the viewpoint movement of the user U to the completion of the visibility transition is the sum of the delay time L2 and the transition time α2.

[0064] The degree of increase in visibility (the degree of decrease in the amount of blur) during transition time α2 (times t3 to t8) is controlled to decrease over time. This corresponds to the fact that in the upper graph of FIG. 10, the slope of the tangent to curve C2 over transition time α2 (degree of increase in visibility) becomes gentler over time. In other words, the increase in visibility ΔV from time t3 to t4 3-4 The increase in visibility ΔV between t4 and t5 4-5 is decreasing, and the increase amount ΔV 4-5 The increase in visibility ΔV between t5 and t6 5-6 The increase ΔV 5-6 The increase in visibility ΔV between t6 and t7 6-7 is decreasing, and the increase amount ΔV 6-7 The increase in visibility ΔV between t7 and t8 7-8 is decreasing further.

[0065] In this embodiment, the degree of increase in visibility is smaller in the period from when the visibility reaches the intermediate state Vm (times t4 to t8) than in the period from when the visibility reaches the intermediate state Vm (times t3 to t4) between the second state V2 and the first state V1. In the example of Fig. 10, the visibility increases linearly (the degree of increase is large and constant) in the period from the second state V2 to the intermediate state Vm, and increases in a curved line (the degree of increase gradually decreases) in the period from the intermediate state Vm to the first state V1.

[0066] The shape of the curve C2 over the transition time α2 can be made to approximate the temporal change in focal length due to the focus adjustment function of the eye E by, for example, following the function shown in the above-mentioned equation (1). When the viewpoint moves in the approaching direction as shown in FIG. 10, Do in the above equation (1) represents 1 / Ff', and Dt represents 1 / Fn'. The time constant τ is set according to the above-mentioned environmental conditions and user conditions, and the shape of the curve C2 (the length of the transition time α2) changes depending on the time constant τ. FIG. 11 illustrates the change in the shape of the curve C2 when the value of the time constant τ is changed. In FIG. 11, when the value of the time constant τ is set to τ=0.2, the change in the degree of decrease over time of the curve C2 is smaller than the change in the degree of decrease over time of the curve C2 when τ=0.1. When τ=0.3, the change in the degree of decrease over time of the curve C2 is even smaller than the change in the degree of decrease over time of the curve C2 when τ=0.2.

[0067] In contrast to the temporal change in visibility within the destination viewpoint peripheral region An as described above, the temporal change in visibility within the source viewpoint peripheral region Af, as shown in the lower graph of FIG. 10, begins to decrease from the first state V1 immediately after the user U completes the viewpoint movement and decreases to the second state V2 at time t3′. In other words, blurring of the image within the source viewpoint peripheral region Af begins immediately after the user U completes the viewpoint movement. Then, as the amount of blurring (blur ratio) of the image increases over time, the visibility within the source viewpoint peripheral region Af transitions from the first state V1 (in-focus state) to the second state V2 (out-of-focus, blurred state) in a short time. By changing the visibility within the source viewpoint peripheral region Af in this way, it is possible to prevent the user U from feeling uncomfortable with the way the source viewpoint peripheral region Af looks.

[0068] As described above, in the virtual space image generation device 2 according to this embodiment, the image generation unit 14 generates a virtual space image in which the degree of change in visibility of a visibility change area located around the user U's viewpoint changes over time as the user U moves. This causes the visibility of the visibility change area to gradually increase from the second state V2 to the first state V1, thereby enabling a virtual space image to be generated that achieves visibility similar to that of real space even when the user U's viewpoint moves, and the generated virtual space image can be displayed on the image forming device 4. By using this virtual space image generation device 2 to build a driving simulator system 1, various objects in real space can be reproduced in a virtual space during vehicle development and the visibility of the various objects can be accurately evaluated on the virtual space image. Furthermore, using the driving simulator system 1 to simulate vehicle driving can provide the user U with a more realistic driving experience.

[0069] Furthermore, in the virtual space image generating device 2 of this embodiment, when the user's viewpoint moves in the depth direction of the virtual space image, a virtual space image is generated in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility changing area changes over time. In the eye's focus adjustment function, the focus adjustment time differs depending on whether the viewpoint moves in a direction away from or toward the user. Therefore, the appearance (blurring) of the area surrounding the viewpoint in real space changes depending on the direction of viewpoint movement. By making the temporal change in the degree of change in visibility in the processing of the virtual space image different depending on the direction of viewpoint movement in accordance with such eye properties, the visibility of the generated virtual space image can be made closer to the appearance of real space.

[0070] Furthermore, in the virtual space image generation device 2 of this embodiment, when the viewpoint moves away from the viewer, a virtual space image is generated in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility change area increases over time (FIG. 8). In the eye's focus adjustment function, when the viewpoint moves away from the viewer in real space, the amount of change in focal length gradually increases. By adjusting the temporal change in the degree of change in visibility in the processing of the virtual space image to match this characteristic of the eye, the visibility of the generated virtual space image can be made even closer to how it appears in real space.

[0071] Furthermore, in the virtual space image generating device 2 of this embodiment, a virtual space image is generated in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility change area decreases over time as the viewpoint moves in the approaching direction (FIG. 10). In the eye's focus adjustment function, when the viewpoint moves in the approaching direction in real space, the amount of change in focal length gradually decreases. By adjusting the temporal change in the degree of change in visibility in the processing of the virtual space image to match this property of the eye, the visibility of the generated virtual space image can be made even closer to how it appears in real space.

[0072] Furthermore, in the virtual space image generating device 2 of this embodiment, when the viewpoint moves in the approaching direction, the degree of change in visibility of the visibility changing region is smaller in the period (t4 to t8) after the visibility rises to the intermediate state Vm of the change range (from the second state V2 to the first state V1) than in the period (t3 to t4) until the visibility reaches the intermediate state Vm (from the second state V2 to the first state V1) (FIG. 10). In the eye's focus adjustment function, when the viewpoint moves in the approaching direction in real space, the focal length changes suddenly, and then the amount of change gradually decreases. By adjusting the temporal change in the degree of change in visibility in the processing of the virtual space image to match this property of the eye, the visibility of the generated virtual space image can be made even closer to how it appears in real space.

[0073] Furthermore, in the virtual space image generating device 2 of this embodiment, a virtual space image is generated in which visibility in the area surrounding the viewpoint at the destination of the movement begins to change after a predetermined delay time L1, L2 has elapsed since the user U's viewpoint movement is completed (FIGS. 8 and 10). In the eye focus adjustment function, the focal length when the viewpoint is moved in real space begins to change after a predetermined time has elapsed. By setting the delay times L1, L2 for the change in visibility in the processing of the virtual space image to match this predetermined time, the visibility of the generated virtual space image can be made even closer to how it appears in real space.

[0074] Furthermore, the virtual space image generating device 2 of this embodiment generates a virtual space image in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility-changing area gradually changes over time. In the eye's focus adjustment function, the focal length when the viewpoint is moved in real space gradually changes over time, and the degree of blurring of the area surrounding the viewpoint changes in accordance with this change in focal length. By changing the degree of change in visibility over time in the processing of the virtual space image to match this characteristic of the eye, the visibility of the generated virtual space image can be reliably brought closer to the appearance of real space.

[0075] Furthermore, the virtual space image generating device 2 of this embodiment generates a virtual space image in which the degree of change in visibility changes in accordance with a temporal change in the focal length (Fn', Ff') of the user U's eye, which corresponds to a change in the virtual position (Pn', Pf') of the user U's viewpoint in the virtual space. In the eye's focus adjustment function, the degree of blurring of the area around the viewpoint when the viewpoint is moved in real space changes depending on the amount of change in focal length. By changing the degree of change in visibility in the processing of the virtual space image in accordance with a temporal change in the focal length of the eye to match this characteristic of the eye, it is possible to reliably bring the visibility of the generated virtual space image closer to how it appears in real space.

[0076] Furthermore, the virtual space image generating device 2 of this embodiment generates a virtual space image in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility-changing area changes based on conditions related to the virtual space environment (environmental conditions) and conditions related to the user U (user conditions). In the eye focus adjustment function, the degree of blurring of the area around the viewpoint when the viewpoint is moved in real space changes depending on the environment of the virtual space (weather, humidity, driving environment, windshield condition, etc.) and the user's condition (age, gender, eyesight, eye health, eye opening degree, dominant eye, etc.). By changing the degree of change in visibility in the processing of the virtual space image based on environmental conditions and user conditions to match these eye characteristics, the visibility of the generated virtual space image can be effectively made closer to how it appears in real space.

[0077] Furthermore, in the virtual space image generating device 2 of this embodiment, when the user U's viewpoint moves and the viewpoint peripheral area of ​​the new destination is located outside the viewpoint peripheral area of ​​the original destination, a virtual space image is generated in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility change area changes over time. This makes it possible to reliably make the visibility of the entire viewpoint peripheral area of ​​the new destination closer to how it appears in real space, even when the user U's viewpoint moves significantly to a position far outside the viewpoint peripheral area.

[0078] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiments, an example was described in which the user U's viewpoint moves in the depth direction (moving away or approaching) within the virtual space. However, even in cases where the viewpoint moves without movement in the depth direction, such as when the user U's viewpoint moves between the left and right taillights of a leading vehicle displayed in a virtual space image, by applying the virtual space image generation technology of the present invention, it is possible to realize a virtual space image that is close to how the real space appears.

[0079] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which visibility within the area surrounding the viewpoint of the destination is maintained in the second state for a period from when the user U's viewpoint movement is completed until the delay times L1 and L2 have elapsed, but a virtual space image may be generated in which visibility increases slightly during the delay times L1 and L2. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the temporal change in visibility during the transition time follows a function such as equation (1), but visibility may also be changed using a map that associates visibility states with focal lengths.

[0080] In the above-described embodiment, when the temporal change in visibility during the transition time is made to follow the function shown in equation (1), an example has been shown in which the reciprocals of the virtual focal lengths Fn', Ff' of the user U's eye E are used as the diopter Do (the reciprocal of the focal length at the start of the viewpoint movement) and the diopter Dt (the reciprocal of the focal length at the end of the viewpoint movement) in equation (1), but instead of the reciprocals of Fn', Ff', the reciprocals of the depth direction distances Zn, Zf may also be used.

[0081] In addition, the degree of change in visibility of the visibility changing area can also be changed according to the difference between the focal length at the start of the viewpoint movement and the focal length at the end of the viewpoint movement. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1. Driving simulator system 2...Virtual space image generation device 3...Sensor 4...Image forming device 11...Viewpoint detection unit 12...Input section 13...Storage section 14...Image generation unit 15...Display control unit A, An, Af...Areas surrounding the viewpoint F,Fn,Fn',Ff,Ff'...focal length L1, L2...Delay time P, Pn, Pf...viewpoint position Pn', Pf'... Viewpoint position in virtual space T1,T2…Transition completion time U...User V1...first state V2: Second state Vm: Intermediate state α1, α2…Transition time τ: time constant

Claims

1. A virtual space image generation device that generates a virtual space image including a visibility changing area in which visibility changes based on a user's viewpoint movement, A virtual space image generation device characterized by comprising an image generation unit that generates a virtual space image in which, when the user's viewpoint moves, the degree of change in visibility of the visibility change area displayed to the user who has moved the viewpoint changes over time.

2. A virtual space image generation device that generates a virtual space image including a visibility changing area in which visibility changes based on a user's viewpoint movement, an image generation unit that generates the virtual space image in which a degree of change in visibility of the visibility changing area changes over time when the user's viewpoint moves; The virtual space image generating device is characterized in that the image generation unit is configured to generate the virtual space image in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility change area changes over time when the user's viewpoint moves in the depth direction of the virtual space image.

3. The virtual space image generation device according to claim 2, characterized in that the image generation unit is configured to generate the virtual space image in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility change area increases over time when the user's viewpoint moves away.

4. The virtual space image generation device according to claim 2, characterized in that the image generation unit is configured to generate the virtual space image in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility change area decreases over time when the user's viewpoint moves in a direction approaching.

5. The virtual space image generation device of claim 4, characterized in that the image generation unit is configured to generate the virtual space image in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility change area is smaller in the period after the visibility reaches the intermediate state of the change range than in the period until the visibility reaches the intermediate state of the change range.

6. The virtual space image generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the image generating unit is configured to generate the virtual space image in which the visibility of the visibility change area begins to change after a predetermined delay time has elapsed since the user's viewpoint movement is completed.

7. The virtual space image generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the image generating unit is configured to generate the virtual space image in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility changing area gradually changes over time.

8. A virtual space image generation device that generates a virtual space image including a visibility changing area in which visibility changes based on a user's viewpoint movement, an image generation unit that generates the virtual space image in which a degree of change in visibility of the visibility changing area changes over time when the user's viewpoint moves; The image generation unit is configured to generate the virtual space image in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility change area changes in accordance with the temporal change in the focal length of the user's eye corresponding to the change in the virtual position of the user's viewpoint within the virtual space.

9. A virtual space image generation device described in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the image generation unit is configured to generate the virtual space image in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility change area changes based on conditions related to the environment of the virtual space.

10. A virtual space image generating device as described in Claim 9, characterized in that the environmental conditions include at least one of the vehicle driving conditions within the virtual space, the weather, humidity, driving environment, and windshield conditions of the virtual space.

11. The virtual space image generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the image generating unit is configured to generate the virtual space image in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility changing area changes based on conditions related to the user.

12. The virtual space image generating device described in Claim 11, characterized in that the conditions related to the user include at least one of the user's age, gender, eyesight, eye health, eye openness, and dominant eye.

13. The virtual space image generating device of any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the image generation unit is configured to generate the virtual space image in which the degree of change in visibility of the visibility change area changes over time when the user's viewpoint moves and the peripheral area of ​​the viewpoint to which the user has moved is located outside the peripheral area of ​​the viewpoint from which the user has moved.

14. A virtual space image generation method for generating a virtual space image including a visibility changing area in which visibility changes based on a user's viewpoint movement, A virtual space image generation method characterized by generating a virtual space image in which, when the user's viewpoint moves, the degree of change in visibility of the visibility change area displayed to the user who has moved the viewpoint changes over time.

Images