Information processing device and method

Abstract

To prevent making users in the real world feel uncomfortable in a meeting using avatars in a virtual space.SOLUTION: An information processing device transmits first information used for drawing avatars generated based on values of drawing parameters for each of a plurality of avatars participating in a gathering held in a virtual space to terminals of a plurality of users corresponding to the respective avatars. The information processing device controls values of parameters related to avatar drawing for at least one first avatar among the plurality of avatars based on relationships between the plurality of users.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device and method. [Background technology]

[0002] When multiple users gather in a VR (Virtual Reality) meeting, It has been disclosed that the occurrence of communication delays and processing delays can be suppressed by determining the transmission rate for transmitting the location information and behavior information of each avatar to a terminal device corresponding to the avatar based on the location information of each avatar (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-028789 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] One aspect of the disclosure aims to provide an information processing device and method that can prevent avatar gatherings in a virtual space from causing discomfort to users in the real world. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is transmitting first information used for drawing avatars, which is generated based on values ​​of parameters related to drawing for each of a plurality of avatars participating in a gathering held in a virtual space, to terminals of a plurality of users corresponding to each of the plurality of avatars; controlling a value of a parameter related to avatar drawing for at least one first avatar among the plurality of avatars based on a relationship between the plurality of users; A control unit that executes The information processing device is provided with:

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure is The computer transmitting first information used for drawing avatars, which is generated based on values ​​of parameters related to drawing for each of a plurality of avatars participating in a gathering held in a virtual space, to terminals of a plurality of users corresponding to each of the plurality of avatars; controlling a value of a parameter related to avatar drawing for at least one first avatar among the plurality of avatars based on a relationship between the plurality of users; This is a method for doing this. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent a conference using avatars in a virtual space from causing discomfort to users in the real world. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the system configuration of the VR conference system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a server. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the server. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows an example of information stored in the user information DB. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows an example of information stored in the avatar information DB. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows an example of information stored in the priority information DB. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an example of a flowchart of the processing of the server. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a change in the load on the server due to control of parameters related to avatar rendering by the server according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A conference held in a virtual space with multiple avatars is hereinafter referred to as a VR conference. An avatar is a user's alter ego in the virtual space. An avatar is a character in the virtual space with an appearance specified by the user. Even in a VR conference, since it is a gathering of people, it is important to be aware of the relationships between users. Therefore, in one aspect of the disclosure, the relationships between users in the real world are reflected in the depiction of avatars in the VR conference.

[0010] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device including a control unit that executes transmitting first information about each of a plurality of avatars participating in a meeting held in a virtual space to the terminals of a plurality of users corresponding to the avatars. The first information is information used to draw the avatars, generated based on values ​​of parameters related to the drawing of the avatars. The control unit controls values ​​of parameters related to the drawing of the avatars for at least one first avatar among the plurality of avatars, based on relationships between a plurality of users corresponding to the avatars participating in the meeting.

[0011] The information processing device is, for example, a server that controls the virtual space. The control unit is, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The avatar is, for example, a 3D computer. An avatar is an object rendered using computer graphics. Avatar rendering parameters include, for example, the number of polygons used to render the avatar, color depth, the frame rate at which the avatar is rendered, and whether or not shading is enabled. The avatar rendering parameters are not limited to these, and may also include the avatar's form, avatar accessories, etc.

[0012] The first information is, for example, the result of a rendering process for an avatar, which is executed based on the values ​​of the above-mentioned parameters. The avatar is displayed on the user's device based on the first information. The first information includes, for example, the position in 3D space, color, normal, and texture for each of multiple vertices of a 3D object corresponding to the avatar. The number of polygons is related to the number of vertices of the 3D object corresponding to the avatar and is related to the data size of the first information. Furthermore, the greater the number of polygons, the greater the processing load related to rendering. The color depth indicates the number of bits used to represent colors and is related to the first data size. The frame rate for rendering the avatar is related to the frequency at which the first information is generated and transmitted to the user's device. The presence or absence of shading is related to, for example, the processing load related to rendering. The form of the avatar is related to, for example, the texture size and is related to the data size of the first information. In other words, the processing load and communication load related to the information processing device vary depending on the values ​​of the above-mentioned parameters related to rendering of the avatar. Note that the information included in the first information varies depending on the extent to which the rendering process is performed on the system side.

[0013] Gatherings held in virtual spaces include, for example, conferences, lectures, ceremonies, concerts, performances, parties, etc. Gatherings held in virtual spaces are not limited to these. Relationships between users may include, for example, within a company, job titles, years of service, age, etc. For example, in a lecture, there is a relationship between the speaker and the audience. In a ceremony, there is a relationship between the guest, the organizer, and the general participants. The relationships between users are not limited to these, but are determined by the nature of the gathering, etc. The relationships between users have a priority order, which is also called a hierarchical relationship.

[0014] More specifically, controlling the values ​​of parameters related to avatar rendering based on the relationships between users is as follows. The control unit selects the avatar of a user who is ranked a predetermined number lower in the priorities established based on the relationships between multiple users as the first avatar, and changes the values ​​of parameters related to the avatar rendering so that the rendering quality of the first avatar is lower than that of avatars of users with higher priorities. For example, the control unit may reduce the number of polygons by a predetermined number to make the avatar look coarser, change the color depth to a smaller number of bits to simplify the avatar's colors, lower the frame rate by a predetermined amount to make the avatar's movements coarser, or disable shading to eliminate the avatar's shadows. The control unit may also, for example, change the avatar's form to data indicating a simpler form, thereby simplifying the avatar's form.

[0015] This allows the rendering quality of the avatars to reflect the priorities between users. For example, at a lecture, if the avatars of the audience are more vivid, move more smoothly, or are more flashy and conspicuous than the speaker's avatar, the speaker may feel uncomfortable. However, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the relationships between users in the real world are reflected in the rendering of the avatars, thereby preventing users from feeling uncomfortable.

[0016] In one aspect of the present disclosure, while a first condition indicating a high communication load or processing load is satisfied, the control unit may select an avatar as the first avatar, starting with an avatar corresponding to a user with a lower priority, and change the values ​​of parameters related to the rendering of the avatar. The first condition indicating a high communication load or processing load is set, for example, based on CPU usage, memory usage, communication throughput, etc. The values ​​of parameters related to the rendering of the avatar are changed so that the rendering quality of the first avatar is lower than that of an avatar of a user with a higher priority. As described above, the values ​​of the avatar parameters are related to the data size, generation and transmission frequency, etc. of the first information. Therefore, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, when the communication load or processing load becomes high, the values ​​of parameters related to the rendering of the avatar are changed starting with an avatar with a lower priority, thereby reducing communication delays and the load related to the generation of the first information.

[0017] Furthermore, when a second condition indicating a decrease in the communication load or processing load is satisfied, the control unit may restore the parameter values ​​of the avatars whose parameter values ​​have been changed, starting with the avatar corresponding to the user with the highest priority. The second condition is set, for example, based on CPU usage, memory usage, communication throughput, etc. Furthermore, in the second condition, the CPU usage, memory usage, communication throughput, etc. are set to values ​​smaller than those in the first condition. As a result, when the high communication load or processing load is resolved, the avatars are restored to their original drawing starting with the avatar of the user with the highest priority, allowing consideration to be given between avatars based on the hierarchical relationships between users.

[0018] Another aspect of the present disclosure can be identified as a method in which a computer transmits first information used to draw avatars, which is generated based on the values ​​of parameters related to drawing for each of a plurality of avatars participating in a gathering held in a virtual space, to the terminals of a plurality of users corresponding to each of the plurality of avatars, and controls the values ​​of parameters related to drawing for at least one first avatar among the plurality of avatars based on the relationships between the plurality of users. Another aspect of the present disclosure can be specified as a program for causing a computer to execute the method. Another aspect of the present disclosure can be specified as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium for the program.

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments.

[0020] First Embodiment Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a VR conference system 100 according to the first embodiment. The VR conference system 100 includes a server 1 that manages a virtual space where a VR conference is held, and user terminals 2 of users who use the virtual space. Although Fig. 1 shows user terminal 2A and user terminal 2B, when there is no need to distinguish between the user terminals, they are simply referred to as user terminal 2.

[0021] In the VR conference system 100, one avatar can be registered per user, and a meeting can be held by gathering multiple avatars. In the first embodiment, the VR conference system 100 is assumed to be a system that provides a service of providing a virtual space as a place to hold business-related meetings such as internal meetings.

[0022] The server 1 and the user terminal 2 are connected to a connection network N1 and are capable of communicating with each other through the network N1. The network N1 is, for example, a public line network such as the Internet.

[0023] In the first embodiment, the server 1 controls the VR conference. In the VR conference, the server 1 sequentially receives, from each user terminal 2, information related to the operation of an avatar, such as position information of the avatar in the virtual space, behavior information indicating the behavior of the avatar, and speech information indicating the speech of the avatar. The position information of the avatar is, for example, coordinates in the virtual space. The speech information includes, for example, voice data, image data, and / or voice data. Note that the information related to the operation of the avatar received from the user terminal 2 is not limited to that described above.

[0024] The server 1 updates the virtual space by positioning avatars and updating the posture and orientation of each avatar based on the data received from each user terminal 2, and sequentially transmits information about the updated virtual space to each user terminal 2. In this way, the server 1 compiles information about the avatar operations performed by each user terminal 2 and transmits and shares the information to each user terminal 2, thereby realizing a VR conference. In the first embodiment, the server 1 performs rendering processing, so that when the virtual space is updated by each user operating an avatar, the server 1 performs rendering processing of the virtual space including each avatar. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the information about the virtual space transmitted from the server 1 to each user terminal 2 is the execution result of the rendering processing performed on the virtual space. Furthermore, the information about the updated virtual space may include all information within the virtual space, or may include difference information about parts that have changed.

[0025] Among the information about the virtual space, information about avatars is hereinafter referred to as avatar drawing information. Avatar drawing information exists for each avatar. Avatar drawing information is information used when drawing an avatar. Avatars are drawn as, for example, 3D objects. 3D object drawing parameters include, for example, the number of polygons, frame rate, color depth, and shading.

[0026] 3D objects are expressed by combining polygons. The number of polygons is a parameter that determines the smoothness of the shape of a 3D object. If the number of polygons is small, for example, The curved parts of a 3D object will have a rough appearance, and the more polygons there are, the smoother the curved parts of the 3D object will be. The frame rate is a parameter that indicates the frequency at which a 3D object is drawn. The lower the frame rate, the stiffer the movement of the 3D object will be, and the higher the frame rate, the smoother the movement of the 3D object will be.

[0027] Color depth is a parameter that determines the number of different colors used to draw 3D objects. The higher the color depth, the more vivid the 3D objects will be. Shading is a parameter that determines the shade of the 3D objects. When shading is enabled, the three-dimensional appearance of the 3D objects will increase.

[0028] In the first embodiment, when the communication load or processing load becomes high, the server 1 lowers the parameters related to avatar rendering, starting with the avatar corresponding to the user with the lowest priority. In the first embodiment, the priority of a user is set higher the higher the position. When the values ​​of the parameters related to avatar rendering are changed, the processing load and communication load of the server 1 change.

[0029] The avatar rendering information includes, for example, the position, color, normal, and texture in virtual space for each vertex of a polygon combination. For example, reducing the number of polygons reduces the number of vertices of a 3D object, thereby reducing the size of the avatar rendering information. Furthermore, since the number of polygons affects the processing load, reducing the number of polygons also reduces the processing load. For example, lowering the frame rate reduces the generation rate and transmission rate of the avatar rendering information, thereby reducing the processing load and communication bandwidth consumption of the server 1. For example, lowering the color depth reduces the number of bits used to represent colors, thereby reducing the size of the avatar rendering information and the processing load. For example, disabling shading eliminates the drawing of parts other than the avatar itself (shadow areas), thereby reducing the size of the avatar rendering information. Furthermore, eliminating shading processing reduces the processing load of the server 1.

[0030] Therefore, by lowering the parameter values ​​related to the rendering of the avatar, it becomes possible to more quickly alleviate the high communication load or processing load. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the priority of users corresponding to avatars participating in a VR conference is set by job title, so the appearance and movements of subordinate avatars are changed to be rougher before those of superior avatars. This demonstrates consideration by prioritizing and maintaining high rendering quality for the superior avatar, and makes it possible to prevent the superior from feeling uncomfortable during a virtual conference.

[0031] The extent to which the server 1 performs rendering processing for the virtual space depends on the system design. Therefore, the information contained in the above-mentioned avatar drawing information is an example, and the information contained in the avatar drawing information varies depending on the system design. Furthermore, the rendering processing may not be performed by server 1 alone, but may be shared among multiple servers. Server 1 is an example of an "information processing device." The avatar drawing information is an example of "first information." The hierarchical relationship based on job title is an example of a "relationship between users."

[0032] 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the server 1. The server 1 is, for example, a dedicated computer. However, the server 1 is not limited to this. The hardware configuration of the server 1 includes a CPU 101, a memory 102, an auxiliary storage device 103, and a communication unit 104. The memory 102 and the auxiliary storage device 103 are each an example of a computer-readable recording medium.

[0033] The auxiliary storage device 103 stores various programs and the CPU 1 The auxiliary storage device 103 stores data used by the VR / VR system 101. The auxiliary storage device 103 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). Programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 include, for example, an operating system (OS) and a VR conference control program.

[0034] The memory 102 is a storage device that provides the CPU 101 with a storage area for loading programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 103, a working area, and is used as a buffer. The memory 102 may be, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like. This includes semiconductor memory such as EEPROM (Advanced Access Memory).

[0035] The CPU 101 executes various processes by loading the OS and various other programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 into the memory 102 and executing them. The number of CPUs 101 is not limited to one, and may be multiple. The CPU 101 is an example of a "control unit."

[0036] The communication unit 104 is a module that is connected to, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) card and a network cable such as an optical module, and that includes a signal processing circuit. The communication unit 104 is not limited to a circuit that can be connected to a wired network, but may also be a wireless signal processing circuit that can process wireless signals of a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi. Note that the hardware configuration of the server 1 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 2.

[0037] The user terminal 2 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a PC, or a wearable terminal. The user terminal 2 has a hardware configuration including a CPU, a memory, an auxiliary storage device, a wireless communication unit, and a touch panel display. In addition to an OS, the auxiliary storage device of the user terminal stores, for example, a client application program of the VR conference system 100. The wireless communication unit of the user terminal uses, for example, a mobile communication method such as 5G (5th Generation), 6G, 4G, or LTE (Long Term Evolution). It is a wireless communication circuit that complies with wireless communication standards such as LTE, WiMAX, and WiFi, and connects to an access network via wireless communication, connects to the Internet through the access network, and enables communication with external devices.

[0038] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server 1. The server 1 includes, as its functional configuration, a communication unit 11, a control unit 12, a user information DB 13, an avatar information DB 14, and a priority information DB 15. The processing by these functional components is achieved by the CPU 101 of the server 1 executing a control program for the VR conference system 100 stored in the auxiliary storage device 103.

[0039] The communication unit 11 is an interface with the network N1. In the first embodiment, the communication unit 11 receives information related to the operation of the avatar from the user terminal 2 via the network N1 and outputs the information to the control unit 12. In the first embodiment, the communication unit 11 also transmits information related to the virtual space input from the control unit 12 to the user terminal 2 via the network N1.

[0040] The control unit 12 generates information about the virtual space at a predetermined timing and transmits it to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 11. The timing at which the information about the virtual space is generated is, for example, when information about avatar operation is received from any of the user terminals 2, and at timings that occur periodically according to the frame rate of each avatar. Upon receiving the information about the virtual space, the user terminal 2 draws the virtual space based on the information about the virtual space, generates an image showing the virtual space, and outputs it to a display or the like. The information about the virtual space includes avatar drawing information of each avatar that exists in the virtual space where the VR conference is being held. Contains information.

[0041] In the first embodiment, the control unit 12 monitors the communication load and processing load of the server 1. When the communication load and / or processing load becomes high, the control unit 12 changes parameter values ​​so as to reduce the rendering quality of the avatars participating in the VR conference, starting with the avatars corresponding to users with the lowest priority, thereby imposing limitations on the rendering of the avatars. The parameters whose values ​​are changed include, for example, one or more of the number of polygons of the avatar, the frame rate, the color depth, and whether or not shading is enabled. When changing the number of polygons, the control unit 12 reduces the number to a predetermined value, for example. When changing the frame rate, the control unit 12 reduces the number of bits used for color to a smaller predetermined number of bits, for example. When changing the color depth, the control unit 12 changes the number of bits used for color to a smaller predetermined number of bits, for example. When changing shading, the control unit 12 disables shading, for example. In the case of shading, the control unit 12 may change to a shading method with a lower processing load.

[0042] In addition, when the state of high communication load and / or processing load is resolved, the control unit 12 restores the parameter values ​​to their original values ​​and removes the restrictions, starting with the avatar with the highest priority among the avatars on which restrictions have been imposed.

[0043] When the parameter value of any avatar is changed, the control unit 12 updates the virtual space based on the changed parameter value at the time of the change or at the next timing based on the frame rate of the avatar, performs rendering on the updated virtual space, generates information about the updated virtual space, and transmits it to each user terminal 2 via the communication unit 11. The information about the updated virtual space includes avatar drawing information for the avatar whose parameter has been updated. This changes the appearance and / or movement of the avatar whose parameter value has been changed and is displayed on each user terminal 2.

[0044] The control unit 12 determines the communication load of the server 1, for example, based on the throughput and / or delay time of the communication unit 104. The control unit 12 also determines the processing load of the server 1, for example, based on the usage rate of the CPU 101 and / or the usage amount of the memory 102. However, the elements for determining the communication load and processing load of the server 1 are not limited to these.

[0045] The condition for determining whether to start restricting parameters related to avatar rendering when the communication load and / or processing load on the server 1 is high is hereinafter referred to as the restriction start condition. Also, the condition for determining whether to lift restrictions on parameters related to avatar rendering when the communication load and / or processing load on the server 1 is resolved is hereinafter referred to as the restriction lift condition.

[0046] The restriction start condition and the restriction release condition are defined by, for example, one or a combination of two or more of the throughput of the communication unit 104, the usage rate of the CPU 101, and the usage amount of the memory 102. The restriction release condition is set to a value that indicates a lower load for each element than the restriction start condition.

[0047] For example, if the restriction start condition and the restriction release condition are defined by the utilization rate of the CPU 101, the restriction start condition is that the utilization rate of the CPU 101 is equal to or greater than threshold 1, and the restriction release condition is that the utilization rate of the CPU 101 is less than threshold 2. In this case, threshold 2 is set to be less than threshold 1. Note that if the restriction start condition and the restriction release condition include conditions of multiple determination elements, it may be determined that the restriction start condition or the restriction release condition is satisfied when all of the multiple conditions are satisfied (AND), or it may be determined that the restriction start condition or the restriction release condition is satisfied when any of the conditions is satisfied (OR). Which condition is used is arbitrarily set by, for example, the administrator of the VR conference system 100. The restriction start condition is an example of a "first condition." The restriction release condition is an example of a "second condition." .

[0048] The user information DB 13, avatar information DB 14, and priority information DB 15 are created in the storage area of ​​the auxiliary storage device 103. The user information DB 13 holds information about users. The avatar information DB 14 holds information about avatars. The priority information DB 15 holds priority setting information. The user information DB 13, avatar information DB Details of the information held in the priority information DB 14 and the priority information DB 15 will be described later. Note that the functional configuration of the server 1 is not limited to that shown in FIG.

[0049] FIG. 4 is an example of information stored in the user information DB 13. The user information DB 13 stores information about users. FIG. 4 shows information about users who belong to a certain company. One record in the user information DB 13 corresponds to one user. The record of the user information DB 13 shown in FIG. 4 includes fields for user ID, affiliation, position, work history, age, and avatar ID.

[0050] The user ID field stores user identification information. The affiliation field stores information indicating the department to which the user belongs. The job title field stores information indicating the job title held by the user. The information indicating the department and the information indicating the job title may each be represented by, for example, a keyword, a code, or a flag.

[0051] The years of service field stores the years of service of the user. The age field stores the age of the user. The avatar ID field stores identification information of the avatar corresponding to the user. Note that the information stored in the user information DB 13 is not limited to the information shown in FIG. 4.

[0052] FIG. 5 shows an example of information stored in the avatar information DB 14. The avatar information DB 14 stores information about avatars. The control unit 12 generates avatar drawing information based on the information about avatars stored in the avatar information DB 14. One record in the avatar information DB 14 corresponds to one avatar. The avatar information DB shown in FIG. The 14 records include the following items: avatar ID, user ID, texture data, and parameter 1, ...

[0053] The avatar ID field stores identification information of the avatar. The user ID field stores identification information of the user corresponding to the avatar. The texture data field stores, for example, an address indicating the storage location of texture data showing the appearance of the avatar. The parameter 1, ... fields store the values ​​of the corresponding parameters. The parameter 1, ... fields are updated by the control unit 12 when the value of the corresponding parameter is changed. Furthermore, when a user participates in a VR conference other than an in-house conference with the same user ID, a field may be added that stores information indicating the user's attributes according to the type of VR conference to be participated in.

[0054] 5 is an example and is not limiting. In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the same initial value is used for each parameter for all avatars. If this is not the case, one record in the avatar information DB 14 may include a field for storing the initial value of each parameter. Furthermore, one record in the avatar information DB 14 may include information such as the position, orientation, and posture of the avatar in the virtual space.

[0055] FIG. 6 shows an example of information stored in the priority information DB 15. The priority information DB 15 stores setting information of the priority of users according to the type of VR conference. In FIG. , the priorities are shown for when the VR conference is an internal conference and when it is a lecture. When the VR conference is an internal conference, the priorities are set by job title, for example, in the order of president, executive vice president / director, department head, general manager, section manager, and no job title. When the VR conference is a lecture, the priority is set, for example, in the order of speaker, attendees, and organizer. Note that the priorities may differ depending on the type of VR conference, or may be specified by the organizer of the VR conference.

[0056] <Processing flow> Fig. 7 is an example of a flowchart of the processing of the server 1. The processing shown in Fig. 7 is repeatedly executed while the VR conference is being held. The processing shown in Fig. 7 is executed mainly by the CPU 101, but for convenience, the processing will be described mainly with respect to the functional components.

[0057] In OP101, the control unit 12 determines whether or not the restriction start condition is satisfied. If the restriction start condition is satisfied (OP101: YES), the process proceeds to OP102. If the restriction start condition is not satisfied (OP101: NO), the process shown in FIG. 7 ends.

[0058] In OP102, the control unit 12 changes the values ​​of the parameters related to avatar drawing for the user with the lowest priority among users who are not subject to restrictions on the parameters related to avatar drawing so as to reduce the drawing quality of the avatar. The changed parameter values ​​may be predetermined for each parameter, or may be determined based on the communication load, processing load, or the number of avatars subject to the parameter restrictions. Hereinafter, users who are subject to restrictions on the parameters related to avatar drawing will be referred to as "restricted users," and users who are not subject to restrictions on the parameters related to avatar drawing will be referred to as "unrestricted users."

[0059] In OP103, the control unit 12 determines whether the restriction removal condition is satisfied. If the restriction removal condition is satisfied (OP103: YES), the process proceeds to OP105. If the restriction removal condition is not satisfied (OP103: NO), the process proceeds to OP104.

[0060] In OP104, the control unit 12 determines whether the restriction start condition is satisfied. If the restriction start condition is satisfied (OP104: YES), the process proceeds to OP102, where the control unit 12 decreases the parameter value of the avatar corresponding to the user with the lowest priority among the unrestricted users. If the restriction start condition is not satisfied (OP104: NO), the process proceeds to OP103.

[0061] In OP105, since the restriction removal condition is satisfied, the control unit 12 restores the parameter value of the user with the highest priority among the restricted users to the value before the restriction, and removes the restriction. In OP106, the control unit 12 determines whether the parameter restrictions have been removed for all users. If the parameter restrictions have been removed for all users (OP106: YES), the processing shown in Fig. 7 ends. If there are any users whose parameter restrictions have not been removed (OP106: NO), the processing proceeds to OP103.

[0062] In OP101, OP103, and OP104, a positive determination is made if the state in which the restriction start condition or the restriction release condition is satisfied continues for a predetermined time, and a negative determination is made if the state does not continue for the predetermined time. This is to prevent frequent changes in the parameter values ​​related to avatar drawing due to momentary load fluctuations. Alternatively, the values ​​of each element used to determine the control start condition and the restriction release condition may be the average value over the most recent predetermined time. Even in this case, in OP101, OP103, and OP104, even if the restriction start condition or the restriction release condition is satisfied momentarily due to momentary load fluctuations, a positive determination is not made, and a negative determination is made only if the state in which the restriction start condition or the restriction release condition is satisfied continues for a certain period of time. It's not a positive decision.

[0063] Furthermore, the user whose avatar drawing parameters are changed in OP102 and OP105 is not limited to the lowest or highest priority user among the target users, but may be any of a plurality of users with lower or higher priorities.

[0064] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a change in communication load due to control of parameters related to avatar rendering by the server 1 according to the first embodiment. The example shown in FIG. 8 is an example of a case where the VR conference is an internal conference. In the example shown in FIG. 8, for convenience, it is assumed that the restriction start condition and the restriction release condition are configured by factors related to the communication load, that is, for example, the throughput of the communication unit 104. Therefore, in the graph shown in FIG. 8, the vertical axis represents the communication load and the horizontal axis represents time. Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 8, it is assumed that the priority setting shown in FIG. 6 is used.

[0065] At time T1, the communication load increases and the restriction start condition is satisfied (OP101: YES), so the values ​​of parameters related to the drawing of the avatar corresponding to the user without a title, who is ranked sixth and has the lowest priority, are changed (OP102). As a result, the drawing quality of the avatar of the user without a title displayed on the user terminal 2 deteriorates.

[0066] Although the communication load begins to decrease thereafter, the restriction start condition remains satisfied at time T2 (OP104: YES), so the parameter values ​​related to avatar drawing are further changed for the avatar corresponding to the section manager user, who is ranked fifth with the lowest priority among the unrestricted users (OP102). That is, at time T2, the section manager user is added to the restricted users.

[0067] After that, at time T3, the restriction start condition is no longer met, but the restriction release condition is not met (OP103: NO, OP104: YES), so the restricted users are neither added nor released, and the drawing quality of the avatars corresponding to the section manager and users without titles continues to be degraded.

[0068] Further thereafter, the communication load continues to decrease due to external factors such as a decrease in the amount of communication to the server 1, and at time T4, the restriction removal condition is satisfied (OP103: YES), so the parameters of the avatar corresponding to the section manager user, who has the highest priority among the restricted users, are restored to their original values ​​(OP105). As a result, the restriction on the section manager user is lifted, and the drawing quality of the section manager user's avatar is restored on each user terminal 2.

[0069] After that, the condition for removing the restriction continues to be satisfied (OP103: YES), and at time T5, the parameters of the avatars of users without titles are also restored to their original values ​​(OP105), thereby removing the restriction on all users (OP107: YES).

[0070] <Effects of the First Embodiment> In the first embodiment, in a VR conference, the values ​​of rendering parameters for avatars corresponding to users with low priority are changed, resulting in a decrease in rendering quality. Priority is set based on the relationships between users in the real world. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, the relationships between users in the real world can be reflected in the rendering quality of avatars in a VR conference, allowing consideration to be given to users participating in the VR conference. This makes it possible to prevent the VR conference from affecting the relationships between users in the real world.

[0071] In the first embodiment, when the server 1 is under heavy load, the avatar drawing The value of the parameter is changed so as to reduce the rendering quality, thereby reducing the amount of communication data between the user terminals 2 participating in the VR conference and the server 1, and the processing load on the server 1, thereby helping to alleviate the high load on the server 1.

[0072] <Other variations> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure can be modified and implemented as appropriate within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the disclosure.

[0073] In the first embodiment, the parameter values ​​related to the rendering of the avatar are changed when the server 1 is under a high load, but this is not limiting. The parameter values ​​related to the rendering of the avatar may be changed without any special conditions.

[0074] In the first embodiment, the priority order among users is set in advance, but is not limited to this. For example, the server 1 may determine the priority order among users based on the utterances of avatars in a VR conference and their contents, and use this to change the values ​​of parameters related to the rendering of avatars.

[0075] 6, for example, the priority of users may be further refined by setting priorities based on age and / or years of service among users with the same job title, and parameters may be changed in stages. Also, multiple changeable parameters may be set, and the parameters may be changed in stages according to fluctuations in the load on the server 1. In this way, the granularity of control when changing the values ​​of parameters related to avatar rendering can be set as desired.

[0076] The parameters related to the rendering of the avatar to be changed may include avatar form data. For example, form data with a tall figure and decorations such as clothing is usually used, but when restrictions are imposed, simply deformed form data such as a scarecrow may be used. By changing the avatar form data to a simpler form, the size of the form data can be reduced, thereby reducing, for example, the processing load.

[0077] The processes and means described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0078] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by a single device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed.

[0079] The present disclosure can also be realized by providing a computer program implementing the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors in the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer via a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the computer's system bus or via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disk, such as a magnetic disk (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (e.g., a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, a Blu-ray disk), a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1. Server 2. User terminal 11. Communications Department 12 Control section 13. User information database 14. Avatar Information DB 15...Priority information DB 100··VR conference system 101 CPU 102 Memory 103...Auxiliary storage device 104··Communications Department

Claims

1. transmitting first information used for drawing avatars, which is generated based on values ​​of parameters related to drawing for each of a plurality of avatars participating in a gathering held in a virtual space, to terminals of a plurality of users corresponding to each of the plurality of avatars; a control unit that controls a value of a parameter related to drawing of at least one first avatar among the plurality of avatars based on a relationship between the plurality of users. Equipped with The control unit selecting, as the first avatar, an avatar of a user who is in a predetermined number of lowest priorities among the priorities set based on the relationships between the plurality of users; changing values ​​of parameters relating to the rendering of the first avatar so that the rendering quality of the first avatar is lower than that of an avatar of a user with a higher priority; The priorities of three or more are set for the plurality of users, An information processing device, wherein the values ​​of parameters related to the drawing of the avatar for each of the plurality of avatars are the same in all of the first information transmitted to the terminals of the plurality of users.

2. The control unit while a first condition indicating a high communication load or a high processing load is satisfied, selecting an avatar corresponding to a user with a low priority as the first avatar, and changing values ​​of parameters related to drawing of the avatar; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit when a second condition indicating that the communication load or the processing load has decreased is satisfied, the parameter values ​​are restored to the values ​​before the change in order from the avatars corresponding to users with higher priorities among the avatars whose parameter values ​​have been changed. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls at least one of the number of polygons, color depth, frame rate, and presence or absence of shading as the parameters related to rendering of the avatar.

5. the control unit changes data indicating a form of the first avatar to first data indicating a simpler form as a parameter related to the rendering of the avatar, so that the rendering quality of the first avatar is reduced; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

6. The computer transmitting first information used for drawing avatars, which is generated based on values ​​of parameters related to drawing for each of a plurality of avatars participating in a gathering held in a virtual space, to terminals of a plurality of users corresponding to each of the plurality of avatars; and controlling a value of a parameter related to avatar drawing for at least one first avatar among the plurality of avatars based on a relationship between the plurality of users; The computer selecting, as the first avatar, an avatar of a user who is in a predetermined number of lowest priorities among the priorities set based on the relationships between the plurality of users; changing values ​​of parameters relating to the rendering of the first avatar so that the rendering quality of the first avatar is lower than that of an avatar of a user with a higher priority; The priorities of three or more are set for the plurality of users, A method, wherein the value of a parameter related to the drawing of the avatar for each of the plurality of avatars is the same in all of the first information transmitted to the terminals of the plurality of users.

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