Positioning device

Abstract

To make it possible to stop vibration of a position indicating device that can indicate a position.SOLUTION: A position indicating device for indicating a position in a virtual reality space includes: a vibration unit which generates vibration; a pressure sensor which detects a pressure applied by a user to the position indicating device; and a processing unit which ceases vibration of the vibration unit when the pressure is detected by the pressure sensor in a state in which the position can be indicated in the virtual reality space and the vibration unit vibrates.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a position indicating device and a spatial position indicating system, and particularly to a position indicating device and a spatial position indicating system corresponding to haptics.

Background Art

[0002] In a virtual reality (VR: including Virtual Reality, AR: Augmented Reality, MR: Mixed Reality) space, technologies for writing characters or drawing pictures on a virtual plane have emerged. For example, "Tilt Brush" described in Non-Patent Document 1 realizes drawing pictures in the air of a virtual reality space using a dedicated controller. Further, Patent Document 1 discloses a game for creating art works or graffiti works on a virtual surface or an actual surface using virtual markers, paintbrushes, and paint spray cans.

[0003] Regarding virtual reality, a technology called haptics has been attracting attention. Haptics gives vibrations to users of virtual reality. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology of providing an actuator to each of marker-type, paintbrush-type, and paint spray can-type controllers and applying vibrations to this actuator. Further, Non-Patent Document 2 discloses a technology of performing interference determination between a surgical instrument such as a virtual catheter and a 3D model based on the position and direction of a stylus mechanically connected to a robotic arm and generating a feeling corresponding to each part (force sense characteristics such as viscosity, rigidity, friction, etc.).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Documents

[0005]

Non-Patent Document 1

[0006] Incidentally, there are known pen-type styluses (hereinafter referred to as "electronic pens") that are configured to allow input to a tablet (including tablet computers and digitizers) by sending and receiving signals to and from the tablet. Traditionally, this type of electronic pen could not be used in virtual reality spaces, but in recent years, there has been a growing demand to use electronic pens in virtual reality spaces.

[0007] Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a positioning device that enables the use of an electronic pen in a virtual reality space.

[0008] Furthermore, when using an electronic pen in a virtual reality space, it is preferable to be able to input not only on a real tablet but also on a virtual tablet. In this case, it is desirable for the electronic pen to generate force feedback when its tip touches the surface of an object in the virtual reality space. However, position sensors for detecting the position of the electronic pen are of a certain size, and at least at present, there are no small position sensors that can be attached to the tip of the pen. As a result, even if force feedback is generated when the detected position touches the surface of an object, the pen tip may not necessarily be on the surface of the object at that moment, which can cause the user to feel uneasy.

[0009] Therefore, another object of the present invention is to provide a spatial position indication system that can generate force feedback without causing discomfort to the user when the user uses an electronic pen in a virtual reality space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A position indication device according to one aspect of the present invention is a position indication device comprising: a housing configured to mount an electronic pen having a pen tip; a force sensing unit that generates force sensation; and a controller that controls the force sensing unit to generate force sensation when the distance between the position of the pen tip of the electronic pen mounted on the housing in the virtual reality space and an object in the virtual reality space is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention is a position indicating device comprising: a position indicating unit; a force sensing unit that generates force sensation; and a controller that controls the force sensing unit to generate force sensation when the distance between the position of the position indicating unit in the virtual reality space and an object in the virtual reality space is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

[0012] The spatial position indication system according to the present invention is a spatial position indication system including a computer that performs the following steps: acquiring the position of a position indication part of a position indication device in real space; acquiring the position of the position indication part in a virtual reality space based on the position of the position indication part in real space; determining whether the distance between the position of the position indication part in the virtual reality space and an object in the virtual reality space is less than or equal to a predetermined value; and transmitting a control signal to control the force sensing part of the position indication device having a force sensing part, according to the determination result of the determination step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, a position indication device can be equipped with an electronic pen, making it possible to use the electronic pen in a virtual reality space.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, the electronic pen itself operates as a spatial positioning device, making it possible to use the electronic pen in a virtual reality space.

[0015] According to the position indication device and spatial position indication system of the present invention, force sensation can be generated in the force-generating part of the position indication device (or electronic pen) based on the position of the pen tip, rather than the position of the position indication device (or electronic pen) indicated by position information. Therefore, it is possible to generate force sensation without causing discomfort to the user using the electronic pen in a virtual reality space. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This figure shows the configuration of the spatial position indication system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] (a) is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the electronic pen 5, and Figure 2(b) is a schematic block diagram showing the functional blocks of the electronic pen 5. [Figure 3]It is a diagram showing a first example of the configuration of the force sensation generation unit 56 shown in Fig. 2(b). [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing a second example of the configuration of the force sensation generation unit 56 shown in Fig. 2(b). [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing a third example of the configuration of the force sensation generation unit 56 shown in Fig. 2(b). [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing a fourth example of the configuration of the force sensation generation unit 56 shown in Fig. 2(b). [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing a fifth example of the configuration of the force sensation generation unit 56 shown in Fig. 2(b). [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing a sixth example of the configuration of the force sensation generation unit 56 shown in Fig. 2(b). [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing a seventh example of the configuration of the force sensation generation unit 56 shown in Fig. 2(b). [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an example of a control signal generated by the computer 2 when the force sensation generation unit 56 is configured to move the housing 5a by utilizing the change in the hardness of the magnetic fluid. [Figure 11] It is a processing flow diagram showing the processing performed by the control unit 2a of the computer 2. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing the details of the virtual reality space pen tip position acquisition processing executed in steps S2 and S6 of Fig. 11. [Figure 13] It is an explanatory diagram of the processing executed in Fig. 11. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing the spatial position indicating device 6 used in the spatial position indicating system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] It is a processing flow diagram showing the processing performed by the processing unit 50 shown in Fig. 2.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 shows the configuration of a spatial position indication system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the spatial position indication system 1 according to this embodiment comprises a computer 2, a virtual reality display 3, a tablet 4, an electronic pen 5, lightning houses 7a and 7b, and position sensors 8a to 8c. Position sensors 8a to 8c are provided on the tablet 4, the virtual reality display 3, and the electronic pen 5, respectively.

[0019] Each device shown in Figure 1 is, in principle, placed within a room. In the spatial positioning system 1, almost the entire room can be used as a virtual reality space.

[0020] Computer 2 includes a control unit 2a and a memory 2b. Each process performed by Computer 2, as described below, can be realized by the control unit 2a reading and executing a program stored in the memory 2b.

[0021] Computer 2 is connected to the virtual reality display 3, Lightning House 7a, 7b, and tablet 4 by wire or wireless connection. For wired connections, USB (Universal Serial Bus) is preferred. For wireless connections, Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi®) or Bluetooth (Bluetooth®) is preferred. If tablet 4 or virtual reality display 3 has built-in computer functionality, computer 2 may be configured using that computer.

[0022] Computer 2 is configured to have the function of displaying a virtual reality space on a virtual reality display 3. This virtual reality space may be a VR (Virtual Reality) space, an AR (Augmented Reality) space, or an MR (Mixed Reality) space. When a VR space is displayed, the user wearing the virtual reality display 3 recognizes the virtual reality and is separated from the real world. On the other hand, when an AR space or an MR space is displayed, the user wearing the virtual reality display 3 will recognize a space in which the virtual reality and the real world are mixed.

[0023] Computer 2 functions as a rendering device that renders various 3D objects in a virtual reality space set based on the locations of Lightning Houses 7a and 7b, and is configured to update the display on the virtual reality display 3 based on the rendering results. As a result, various 3D objects will appear in the virtual reality space displayed on the virtual reality display 3. Rendering by Computer 2 is performed based on 3D object information stored in memory 2b. 3D object information is information indicating the shape, position, and orientation of 3D objects in the virtual reality space set by Computer 2, and is stored in memory 2b for each 3D object to be rendered.

[0024] The 3D objects rendered by computer 2 include 3D objects that exist in reality, such as the tablet 4 and electronic pen 5 shown in Figure 1 (hereinafter referred to as "first 3D objects"), and 3D objects that do not exist in reality, such as a virtual tablet (not shown) (hereinafter referred to as "second 3D objects"). In rendering these 3D objects, computer 2 first detects the position and orientation of the position sensor 8b in real space, and based on the detection results, acquires viewpoint information indicating the user's viewpoint.

[0025] When rendering the first 3D object, computer 2 further detects the position and orientation in real space of position sensors (e.g., position sensors 8a, 8c) attached to the corresponding object, and stores the detection results in memory 2b. Then, based on the stored position and orientation, the viewpoint information described above, and the shape stored for the first 3D object, computer 2 renders the first 3D object in the virtual reality space. Furthermore, with respect to the electronic pen 5 in particular, computer 2 detects operations performed by the user in the virtual reality space by detecting the position of position sensor 8c, and based on the results, it creates a new second 3D object (i.e., stores new 3D object information in memory 2b), or moves or updates an already held second 3D object (i.e., updates the 3D object information already stored in memory 2b). This point will be explained in more detail later.

[0026] On the other hand, when rendering a second 3D object, computer 2 is configured to render the second 3D object in the virtual reality space based on the 3D object information stored in memory 2b and the viewpoint information described above.

[0027] Computer 2 further determines whether or not to generate force feedback in the force feedback generating unit 56 (described later) of the electronic pen 5 based on the position of the pen tip (position in the virtual reality space) of the electronic pen 5 in the virtual reality space and the position of the 3D object displayed in the virtual reality space. If it determines that force feedback should be generated, it sends a control signal to the electronic pen 5 to activate the force feedback generating unit 56. In a specific example, the system is configured to send a control signal to the electronic pen 5 to activate the force feedback generating unit 56 when the pen tip of the electronic pen 5 touches the touch surface of the virtual tablet in the virtual reality space. This point will be explained in more detail later.

[0028] Virtual reality display 3 is a VR display (head-mounted display) that is worn on the human head. While commercially available virtual reality displays come in various types, such as "transparent" or "opaque," and "glasses-type" or "hat-type," any of these can be used for virtual reality display 3.

[0029] The virtual reality display 3 is connected to the position sensor 8a and the electronic pen 5 (including the position sensor 8c) by wire or wireless connection. The position sensors 8a and 8c are configured to notify the virtual reality display 3 of the light reception level information, which will be described later, through this connection. The virtual reality display 3 notifies the computer 2 of the light reception level information notified from each of the position sensors 8a and 8c, along with the light reception level information from the position sensor 8b which is built into the virtual reality display 3. Based on the light reception level information thus notified, the computer 2 detects the position and orientation of each of the position sensors 8a to 8c in real space.

[0030] The tablet 4 is a device having a tablet surface 4a. The tablet surface 4a is preferably a flat surface and may be made of a material suitable for sliding the tip of the electronic pen 5. In one example, the tablet 4 is a so-called digitizer and is configured to have a touch sensor that detects the indicated position of the electronic pen 5 within the touch surface and a communication function that notifies the computer 2 of the detected indicated position. In this case, the tablet surface 4a is made of the touch surface of the digitizer. In another example, the tablet 4 is a so-called tablet computer and is configured to have a display, a touch sensor that detects the indicated position of the electronic pen 5 within the display surface of the display, and a communication function that notifies the computer 2 of the detected indicated position. In this case, the tablet surface 4a is made of the display surface of the display.

[0031] The position sensor 8a is fixedly mounted on the surface of the tablet 4. Therefore, the position and orientation of the position sensor 8a detected by the computer 2 represent the position and orientation of the tablet surface 4a in the virtual reality coordinate system.

[0032] The electronic pen 5 is a stylus with a pen-like shape and is configured to have two functions: an input device for the tablet 4 (hereinafter referred to as the "tablet input function") and an input device for the computer 2 (hereinafter referred to as the "virtual reality space input function"). The tablet input function includes a function to indicate the position on the touch surface of the tablet 4. On the other hand, the virtual reality space input function includes a function to indicate the position in the virtual reality space. Details of each function will be described separately later.

[0033] Lightning Houses 7a and 7b are base station devices that constitute a position detection system for detecting the positions of position sensors 8a to 8c, and are configured to emit laser signals while changing direction according to control by Computer 2. Each of the position sensors 8a to 8c is composed of multiple light receiving sensors, and is configured to receive the laser signals emitted by Lightning Houses 7a and 7b with each light receiving sensor, and to acquire light receiving level information including the respective light receiving levels. The light receiving level information thus acquired is supplied to Computer 2 via the virtual reality display 3, as described above.

[0034] Figure 2(a) is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the electronic pen 5, and Figure 2(b) is a schematic block diagram showing the functional blocks of the electronic pen 5. As shown in Figure 2(a), the electronic pen 5 is composed of a roughly cylindrical housing 5a and a pen tip 5b provided at the tip of the housing 5a. In reality, various components for realizing the force feedback unit 56, which will be described later, may be attached to the surface of the electronic pen 5, but these are omitted from the drawing in Figure 2(a). Although not shown, various switches may also be provided on the side or end of the electronic pen 5.

[0035] When using the tablet input function, the user grasps the casing 5a with one hand and places the pen tip 5b in contact with the touch surface of the tablet 4. Then, while maintaining contact, the user moves the pen tip 5b on the touch surface to perform input with the electronic pen 5. On the other hand, when using the virtual reality space input function, the user grasps the casing 5a with one hand and moves the electronic pen 5 in the air to perform input with the electronic pen 5.

[0036] Input via the virtual reality input function includes input to the virtual tablet described above. In this case, the user wearing the virtual reality display 3 sees the virtual tablet, but in reality, the tablet does not exist at that location. Therefore, it is not possible to make contact with the touch surface of the virtual tablet, which would make input operations on the virtual tablet difficult. To address this, the spatial position indication system 1 generates force feedback when the pen tip 5b is located at the position of the touch surface of the virtual tablet, thereby giving the user the sensation that the pen tip 5b is in contact with the touch surface of the virtual tablet. This point will be explained in more detail later.

[0037] Referring to Figure 2(b), the electronic pen 5 is functionally composed of a processing unit 50, communication units 51 and 53, a pressure detection unit 52, a position detection unit 54, a switch unit 55, and a force sensing unit 56.

[0038] The processing unit 50 is connected to and controls the other parts within the electronic pen 5, and is composed of a processor that performs various processes described later. In this embodiment, the processing unit 50 is located inside the electronic pen 5, but it is not limited to this, and the processing unit 50 may be located outside the electronic pen 5.

[0039] The communication unit 51 and the pen pressure detection unit 52 are functional units that realize the tablet input function.

[0040] The communication unit 51 has the function of sending and receiving signals to and from the touch sensor of the tablet 4, in accordance with the control of the processing unit 50. This signal transmission and reception includes cases where a signal is unilaterally transmitted from the electronic pen 5 to the tablet 4, and cases where signals are transmitted and received bidirectionally between the electronic pen 5 and the tablet 4. Furthermore, specific methods for signal transmission and reception may include, for example, electromagnetic induction or active electrostatic methods.

[0041] The pressure detection unit 52 is a functional unit that detects the pressure (pen pressure) applied to the pen tip 5b. In a specific example, it is composed of a capacitive sensor (not shown) whose capacitance value changes depending on the pen pressure. The tablet input function will be explained in detail below, using the case where the communication unit 51 sends and receives signals using an active electrostatic method as an example.

[0042] A touch sensor compatible with the active electrostatic method is configured to transmit beacon signals at predetermined time intervals from sensor electrodes (not shown) placed within the touch surface. The beacon signals include commands for controlling the electronic pen 5 from the touch sensor. The content of the control by commands includes, for example, transmitting pressure data indicating the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit 52, transmitting the pressed state of various switches (not shown) provided on the electronic pen 5, and transmitting a unique ID pre-stored in the memory (not shown) of the electronic pen 5.

[0043] The communication unit 51 detects the beacon signal via a pen tip electrode (not shown) provided at the tip of the electronic pen 5 and supplies the detected beacon signal to the processing unit 50. The processing unit 50 generates a pen signal in response to the supplied beacon signal, which includes a burst signal that is an unmodulated carrier wave and a data signal obtained by modulating the carrier wave with data corresponding to a command, and supplies it to the communication unit 51. The communication unit 51 transmits the supplied pen signal to the touch sensor via the pen tip electrode.

[0044] The touch sensor attempts to detect a burst signal using the sensor electrodes and, based on the detection result, detects the position of the electronic pen 5 within the touch surface. Furthermore, by detecting and demodulating the data signal using the sensor electrodes, it receives the data transmitted by the electronic pen 5 in response to a command.

[0045] The tablet 4 is configured to sequentially transmit the acquired position of the electronic pen 5 and the data transmitted by the electronic pen 5 to the computer 2. The computer 2 determines that the electronic pen 5 is in contact with the touch surface of the tablet 4 when the pressure indicated by the pressure data included in the data received from the tablet 4 is greater than a predetermined value (for example, 0). While the computer 2 has determined that the electronic pen 5 is in contact with the touch surface of the tablet 4, it continuously generates ink data (curve data obtained by interpolating multiple positions using a predetermined interpolation curve) based on a series of sequentially received positions and stores it in the memory 2b shown in Figure 1. This realizes the tablet input function. If the tablet 4 has a display, the computer 2 may sequentially render the ink data stored in the memory 2b and display the result on the display of the tablet 4.

[0046] The communication unit 53, position detection unit 54, switch unit 55, and force generation unit 56 are functional units that realize the virtual reality space input function.

[0047] The communication unit 53 has the function of sending and receiving signals to and from the computer 2 via the virtual reality display 3, in accordance with the control of the processing unit 50. This signal transmission and reception is achieved by wired or wireless means, as described above.

[0048] The position detection unit 54 is a functional unit composed of the position sensor 8c shown in Figure 1. It has the function of detecting the laser signals (position detection signals for detecting positions in real space) transmitted by the Lightning Houses 7a and 7b, and generating light reception level information (position information) corresponding to the detected laser signals. The light reception level information generated by the position detection unit 54 is transmitted to the computer 2 by the communication unit 53.

[0049] The switch unit 55 is a switch provided on the surface of the housing 5a of the electronic pen 5, and is configured to be pressable by the user. Switch information indicating the pressed state of the switch unit 55 is also transmitted to the computer 2 by the communication unit 53.

[0050] The force sensation generation unit 56 has the function of generating force sensation in response to a control signal supplied from an external source. This control signal is supplied from the computer 2 via the communication unit 53. The force sensation generation unit 56 will be described in more detail later.

[0051] Computer 2 sequentially detects the position and orientation of the position sensor 8c based on the received light level information, and determines whether the switch unit 55 is pressed based on the received switch information. While it is determined that the switch unit 55 is pressed, it continuously generates 3D ink data based on a series of sequentially detected positions and stores it in the memory 2b shown in Figure 1. The 3D ink data thus generated corresponds to the second 3D object described above and is the subject of the rendering described above. This realizes the virtual reality space input function.

[0052] In this case, if the virtual tablet described above is displayed in the virtual reality space, computer 2 generates 3D ink data only when the touch surface of the virtual tablet and the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 are in contact in the virtual reality space. This allows the user to input on the virtual tablet in the same way as they would on a real tablet 4. In this case, the generation of 3D ink data may be performed regardless of the state in which the switch unit 55 is pressed.

[0053] The above is an overview of the spatial position indication system 1. Next, we will explain in detail the configuration of the force sensor generation unit 56 provided in the electronic pen 5. Since the force sensor generation unit 56 can take various configurations, we will give seven examples below and explain them in order.

[0054] Figures 3 to 9 show the first to seventh examples of the configuration of the force sensor 56, respectively. Figures 3 to 5 (a) and (b), 6, and 7 are cross-sectional views of the electronic pen 5, and Figure 8(a) is a perspective view of the electronic pen 5. Figure 8(b) is an exploded perspective view of part D shown in Figure 8(a). Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the electronic pen 5 in use.

[0055] As shown in Figure 3, the force sensor generating unit 56 in the first example is composed of a flat contact portion 56a positioned in front of the pen tip 5b, a cylindrical sliding portion 56b positioned to cover the housing 5a, and bridge portions 56c fixed to the contact portion 56a and the sliding portion 56b, respectively.

[0056] The sliding part 56b is configured to slide relative to the housing 5a in the longitudinal direction of the housing 5a over the illustrated range A, from the position shown in Figure 3(a) to the position shown in Figure 3(b). However, when the user is holding the electronic pen 5, the sliding part 56b is fixed to the user's hand, so it is the housing 5a that actually moves due to this sliding. When the sliding part 56b is in the position shown in Figure 3(a), the pen tip 5b is not in contact with the contact part 56a. On the other hand, when the sliding part 56b is in the position shown in Figure 3(b), the pen tip 5b is in contact with the contact part 56a.

[0057] The processing unit 50 moves the housing 5a from the position shown in Figure 3(a) to the position shown in Figure 3(b) in response to a control signal received from the computer 2. As a result, the pen tip 5b collides with the contact portion 56a. Therefore, by configuring the computer 2 to send a control signal in response to the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 contacting the touch surface of the virtual tablet in the virtual reality space, the user can feel the contact of the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 with the touch surface of the virtual tablet as a real impact.

[0058] Here, it is preferable that the force-generating unit 56 is composed of a magnetic fluid. The magnetic fluid is a material whose hardness can be controlled by the frequency of the applied pulse current. By changing the frequency of the pulse current applied to the magnetic fluid, a continuous transition between a relatively hard state and a relatively soft state is caused, and a person in contact with the magnetic fluid will feel as if vibration is occurring. Furthermore, by changing the hardness of the magnetic fluid, various objects can also be moved.

[0059] Figure 10 shows an example of a control signal generated by the computer 2 when the force sensation generation unit 56 is configured to move the housing 5a by utilizing changes in the stiffness of the magnetic fluid. As shown in the figure, the control signal in this case consists of a pulse current signal that repeats a burst period BU and a blank period BL with a constant duty cycle. According to this control signal, the magnetic fluid becomes stiffer as the proportion of the burst period BU in the entire section increases. Therefore, the computer 2 controls the stiffness of the magnetic fluid by controlling the duty cycle of the control signal, and as a result moves the housing 5a. In this way, force sensation is generated by the magnetic fluid.

[0060] The force sensor generating unit 56 in the second example, as shown in Figure 4, is composed of a flat contact portion 56a positioned in front of the pen tip 5b, a bridge portion 56c fixed to the housing 5a, and a hinge portion 56d provided between the contact portion 56a and the bridge portion 56c.

[0061] The contact portion 56a is configured to be rotatable over the illustrated range B, from the position shown in Figure 4(a) to the position shown in Figure 4(b), with respect to one end connected to the hinge portion 56d. When the contact portion 56a is in the position shown in Figure 4(a), the pen tip 5b is not in contact with the contact portion 56a. On the other hand, when the contact portion 56a is in the position shown in Figure 4(b), the pen tip 5b is in contact with the contact portion 56a. In this example as well, it is preferable to achieve the movement of the contact portion 56a using magnetic fluid.

[0062] The processing unit 50 moves the contact portion 56a from the position shown in Figure 4(a) to the position shown in Figure 4(b) in response to a control signal received from the computer 2. As a result, the pen tip 5b collides with the contact portion 56a, and, as in the first example, the user can feel the contact of the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 with the touch surface of the virtual tablet as a real impact.

[0063] The force sensor generating unit 56 in the third example, as shown in Figure 5, is configured to include a flat contact portion 56a positioned in front of the pen tip 5b, a bridge portion 56c fixed to the housing 5a, and a sliding portion 56e formed integrally with the contact portion 56a.

[0064] As shown in Figure 5, the sliding portion 56e has a tenon that accommodates, for example, the end of the bridge portion 56c, and the bridge portion 56c slides within this tenon, so that it can move in the longitudinal direction of the electronic pen 5 over the illustrated range C from the position shown in Figure 5(a) to the position shown in Figure 5(b). When the sliding portion 56e is in the position shown in Figure 5(a), the pen tip 5b is not in contact with the contact portion 56a. On the other hand, when the sliding portion 56e is in the position shown in Figure 5(b), the pen tip 5b is in contact with the contact portion 56a. In this example as well, it is preferable to use magnetic fluid to achieve the movement of the sliding portion 56e.

[0065] The processing unit 50 moves the sliding part 56e from the position shown in Figure 5(a) to the position shown in Figure 5(b) in response to a control signal received from the computer 2. As a result, the pen tip 5b collides with the contact part 56a, and, as in the first and second examples, the user can feel the contact between the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 and the touch surface of the virtual tablet as a real impact.

[0066] The force-generating unit 56 according to the fourth example is configured to include a stiffness-changing unit 56f, which is positioned to be exposed on the surface of the housing 5a, as shown in Figure 6. The stiffness-changing unit 56f is made of vinyl containing the magnetic fluid described above.

[0067] The processing unit 50 changes the stiffness of the stiffness-changing unit 56f by providing a control signal received from the computer 2 to the stiffness-changing unit 56f. As a result, the stiffness of the stiffness-changing unit 56f is perceived as if it were vibrating, allowing the user to feel, as in the first to third examples, that the tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 has come into contact with the touch surface of the virtual tablet as a real impact.

[0068] The force generation unit 56 according to the fifth example is configured as shown in Figure 7, and comprises a base unit 56g fixed to the housing 5a, a vibrating unit 56h disposed within the base unit 56g, and an actuator 56i, which is a high-rigidity member, positioned with one end pressed against the vibrating unit 56h and the other end pressed against the inner wall of the housing 5a.

[0069] The processing unit 50 vibrates the vibration unit 56h by providing a control signal received from the computer 2 to the vibration unit 56h. This vibration is then transmitted to the housing 5a via the actuator 56i, causing the housing 5a to vibrate as well. As a result, the user can feel the contact of the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 with the touch surface of the virtual tablet as a real impact, similar to the first to fourth examples.

[0070] The force-generating unit 56 according to the sixth example, as shown in Figure 8(a), is composed of a groove 5c provided in the housing 5a and a vibrating unit 56j disposed inside the housing 5a. A portion of the vibrating unit 56j is exposed to the outside through the groove 5c. The vibrating unit 56j is also composed of the magnetic fluid described above.

[0071] Figure 8(b) shows the specific structure of the groove 5c and the vibrating part 56j. As shown in the figure, the vibrating part 56j is composed of a base part 56ja, which is a cylindrical member placed inside the housing 5a, and three protrusions 56jb that are provided to protrude from the side surface of the base part 56ja. The three protrusions 56jb are formed integrally with the base part 56ja and are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the base part 56ja. The groove 5c is provided corresponding to each of these three protrusions 56jb.

[0072] The processing unit 50 vibrates the vibrating unit 56j by providing a control signal received from the computer 2 to the vibrating unit 56j. The user can directly feel this vibration through the three protrusions 56jb exposed through the groove 5c, and, as in the first to fifth examples, can feel the contact of the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 with the touch surface of the virtual tablet as a real impact.

[0073] The force sensor generating unit 56 according to the seventh example, as shown in Figure 9, is provided separately from the body of the electronic pen 5, and specifically comprises a flat contact portion 56a positioned in front of the pen tip 5b and a bridge portion 56k that is fixed to the user's arm. An opening 56ka is provided near one end of the bridge portion 56k, and the bridge portion 56k is fixed to the user's arm by the user inserting their arm into this opening 56ka.

[0074] The contact portion 56a is configured to move within the illustrated range E near the other end of the bridge portion 56k. The specific range of movement of the contact portion 56a is determined so that it contacts the pen tip 5b when it is closest to the electronic pen 5. Considering that the size of the hands of users differs, it is preferable to adjust the range of movement of the contact portion 56a for each user by performing a calibration process in advance. In this example as well, it is preferable to realize the movement of the contact portion 56a using magnetic fluid.

[0075] The processing unit 50 provides a control signal received from the computer 2 to the force sensor generation unit 56, causing the contact portion 56a to collide with the pen tip 5b. This allows the user to feel, as in the first to sixth examples, that the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 has come into contact with the touch surface of the virtual tablet as a real impact.

[0076] The configuration of the force feedback unit 56 provided in the electronic pen 5 has been explained above with seven examples. Next, the generation of control signals for the force feedback unit 56 by the computer 2 will be explained in detail.

[0077] Figure 11 is a processing flow diagram showing the processing performed by the control unit 2a (see Figure 1) of the computer 2. Figure 12 is a detailed diagram showing the process of acquiring the pen tip position in the virtual reality space, which is performed in steps S2 and S6 of Figure 11. Figure 13 is an explanatory diagram of the processing performed in Figure 11. The generation of control signals for the force sensor generation unit 56 by the computer 2 will be described in detail below with reference to these figures.

[0078] First, referring to Figure 11, computer 2 first displays an object in the virtual reality space (step S1). This object is the second 3D object described above (for example, a virtual tablet). Figure 13(a) shows the surface S of the object thus displayed in three-dimensional coordinate space.

[0079] Next, computer 2 performs a process to acquire the position VP2 of the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 in the virtual reality space (step S2). Specifically, as shown in Figure 12, computer 2 first acquires light reception level information (step S20). This light reception level information is generated by the position detection unit 54 of the electronic pen 5 (see Figure 2), and computer 2 acquires this light reception level information by receiving it from the electronic pen 5.

[0080] Computer 2, having acquired the light reception level information, obtains (calculates) a real-world position P1 (first real-world position) indicating the position of the electronic pen 5 in real space based on the acquired light reception level information (step S21). The position P1 thus obtained is the position of the position sensor 8c shown in Figure 1, and not the position of the pen tip 5b. Therefore, Computer 2 converts the position of the position sensor 8c to the position of the pen tip 5b based on the shape of the electronic pen 5 stored in memory 2b beforehand, thereby obtaining (calculating) a real-world position P2 (second real-world position) indicating the position of the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 in real space (step S22).

[0081] Next, computer 2 obtains (calculates) a virtual reality position VP2, which indicates the position of the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 within the virtual reality space, based on the acquired position P2 (step S23). The process of acquiring the pen tip position within the virtual reality space is completed at this point.

[0082] Returning to Figure 11, the computer 2, having acquired position VP2, determines whether the tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 has collided with the surface S based on position VP2 and the position of the surface S of the object (displayed in step S1) in the virtual reality space (second determination step; steps S3, S4). Specifically, it determines that a collision has occurred if the point position VP2 is included within the region that constitutes the surface S, and determines that no collision has occurred otherwise.

[0083] If a collision is determined in step S4 (affirmative determination in step S4), the computer 2 generates a control signal to generate force feedback and transmits it to the electronic pen 5 (second force feedback generation step; step S5). This control signal is, for example, the pulse current signal shown in Figure 10. The processing unit 50 of the electronic pen 5 generates force feedback in the force feedback generation unit 56 in response to this control signal, allowing the user to experience a collision with the surface S (for example, the touch surface of a virtual tablet).

[0084] Next, computer 2 performs the process of acquiring the position VP2 in the virtual reality space again (step S6), and determines whether the distance between surface S and position VP2 is less than or equal to a predetermined value L (first determination step; steps S7, S8). This process can be performed by determining whether the distance between the point where the normal of surface S passing through position VP2 intersects surface S and position Vp2 is less than or equal to a predetermined value L.

[0085] If it is determined in step S8 that the value is less than or equal to a predetermined value L (affirmative determination in step S8), the computer 2 generates a control signal to generate force sensation again and transmits it to the electronic pen 5 (first force sensation generation step; step S9). As a result, even if the user's hand shakes and the tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 moves away from the surface S, if it is not too far away, the user can still feel that it is in contact with the surface S. Since it is difficult to intentionally keep the pen tip 5b in contact with a surface S that does not actually exist, this process is very effective in a virtual reality space.

[0086] Having completed step S9, computer 2 returns to step S6 and continues processing. This allows the user to continue to feel contact with surface S as long as the distance between surface S and position VP2 is less than or equal to a predetermined value L (i.e., as long as the determination result in step S8 is positive).

[0087] Furthermore, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 11, the computer 2 may, along with performing step S9, perform a process to move the object's position so that position VP2 is on the surface S (step S10). This makes it possible to maintain the contact state not only through force but also visually.

[0088] If the computer determines in step S4 that there is no collision (negative determination of step S4), or if it determines in step S8 that the value is not less than or equal to a predetermined value L (negative determination of step S8), the computer 2 returns to step S2 and continues processing. In this case, no force sensation is generated by the force sensation generation unit 56, thus preventing the generation of force sensation even though the distance between position VP2 and surface S is large. Therefore, it becomes possible to generate force sensation in the force sensation generation unit 56 without causing discomfort to the user using the electronic pen 5 in the virtual reality space.

[0089] In the example shown in Figure 11, the condition for ceasing force sensation generation after the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 collides with the surface S (i.e., the condition for returning to step S2) was that the distance between the surface S and position VP2 was no longer less than a predetermined value L. However, other events may be used as conditions for ceasing force sensation generation. For example, force sensation generation may be ceasing when the distance traveled by the electronic pen 5 after collision with the surface S exceeds a predetermined value, when the movement speed of the electronic pen 5 exceeds a predetermined value, when the acceleration of the electronic pen 5 exceeds a predetermined value, when the user performs a predetermined gesture using the electronic pen 5, when a microphone (not shown) detects that the user has made a predetermined voice input, or when a pressure sensor (not shown) (for example, a pressure sensor provided on the side of the electronic pen 5 to measure the gripping force of the electronic pen 5) detects that the user has applied a predetermined pressure.

[0090] As described above, the electronic pen 5 according to this embodiment has a position detection unit 54, and therefore the electronic pen 5 operates as a spatial position indication device, making it possible to use the electronic pen 5 in a virtual reality space.

[0091] Furthermore, according to the spatial position indication system 1 of this embodiment, force sensation can be generated in the force sensation generation unit 56 based on the position of the pen tip 5b, rather than the position of the electronic pen 5 indicated by the light reception level information. Therefore, it is possible to generate force sensation without causing discomfort to the user using the electronic pen 5 in the virtual reality space.

[0092] Figure 14 shows a spatial position indication device 6 used in a spatial position indication system 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 14(a) is a perspective view showing the usage state of the spatial position indication device 6, and Figure 14(b) is a schematic block diagram showing the functional blocks of the spatial position indication device 6. As shown in Figure 14(a), the spatial position indication device 6 is configured to be usable by inserting an electronic pen 5. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the virtual reality space input function, which is one of the functions of the electronic pen 5 described with reference to Figure 2(b), is provided on the spatial position indication device 6 side. The electronic pen 5 according to this embodiment is a general electronic pen that does not have a virtual reality space input function. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are used for components that are the same as in the first embodiment, and the differences from the first embodiment will be described in detail.

[0093] First, referring to Figure 14(b), the spatial position indication device 6 is functionally composed of a processing unit 50, a communication unit 53, a position detection unit 54, a switch unit 55, and a force sensing unit 56. These basic functions are the same as those described with reference to Figure 2(b). However, the switch unit 55 is provided on the surface of the spatial position indication device 6, rather than the electronic pen 5.

[0094] Next, referring to Figure 14(a), the spatial position indicating device 6 is composed of a housing 6a, a handle portion 6b, a position sensor 8c as shown in Figure 1, a bridge portion 6d for fixing the position sensor 8c to the housing 6a, a direction indicator 6e, a flat contact portion 56a, and a bridge portion 56m fixed between the housing 6a. Of these, the contact portion 56a and the bridge portion 56m constitute the force sensing portion 56 of the spatial position indicating device 6.

[0095] The housing 6a is a component that constitutes the main body of the spatial position indication device 6 and is configured to accommodate the electronic pen 5. More specifically, the housing 6a has a slot for inserting the electronic pen 5. The handle portion 6b is a component for the user to hold the spatial position indication device 6. As shown in Figure 14, the user inserts the electronic pen 5 into the slot of the housing 6a and uses the spatial position indication device 6 while holding the handle portion 6b with one hand. The direction indicator 6e is a component that improves the user's experience and is configured so that the user can rest their right thumb when holding the handle portion 6b with their right hand.

[0096] The contact portion 56a is positioned in front of the pen tip 5b via the bridge portion 56m. The contact portion 56a is configured to be movable over the illustrated range F near one end of the bridge portion 56m. The movement of the contact portion 56a is preferably achieved using the magnetic fluid described above. The specific position of the contact portion 56a is determined so that it contacts the pen tip 5b when the contact portion 56a is closest to the electronic pen 5. When the processing unit 50 moves the contact portion 56a to the right in the drawing in response to a control signal received from the computer 2, the pen tip 5b collides with the contact portion 56a. As a result, similar to the first embodiment, the user can feel the contact of the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 with the touch surface of the virtual tablet as a real impact.

[0097] The processing performed by computer 2 in this embodiment is basically the same as that described in the first embodiment. However, in step S3 shown in Figure 11, in the first embodiment, the position of the position sensor 8c is converted to the position of the pen tip 5b based on the shape of the electronic pen 5 which is stored in memory 2b in advance. In this embodiment, computer 2 is configured to store the shape of the spatial position indicator device 6 with the electronic pen 5 inserted in memory 2b in advance, and to convert the position of the position sensor 8c to the position of the pen tip 5b based on that. This makes it possible to generate force feedback in the force feedback unit 56 based on the position of the pen tip 5b, rather than the position of the position sensor 8c.

[0098] As described above, the electronic pen 5 according to this embodiment can be mounted on the spatial position indication device 6. Therefore, it becomes possible to use the electronic pen 5 in a virtual reality space.

[0099] Furthermore, according to the spatial position indication system 1 of this embodiment, force sensation can be generated in the force sensation generation unit 56 based on the position of the pen tip 5b, rather than the position of the position sensor 8c indicated by the light reception level information. Therefore, it is possible to generate force sensation without causing discomfort to the user using the spatial position indication device 6 and electronic pen 5 in the virtual reality space.

[0100] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its essence.

[0101] For example, in each of the embodiments described above, the computer 2 generates force feedback in the force feedback unit 56 when the tip of the electronic pen 5 comes into contact with the touch surface of the virtual tablet in the virtual reality space. However, the force feedback unit 56 may also generate force feedback when the tip of the electronic pen 5 comes into contact with the surface of a second 3D object other than the virtual tablet. Furthermore, the force feedback unit 56 may generate force feedback not by contact, but when input using the virtual reality space input function is initiated (i.e., when the computer 2 starts generating a 3D object; or, if input is being made to the virtual tablet, when the generation of 3D ink data is initiated).

[0102] Furthermore, although the second embodiment described above describes an example in which the force sensing unit 56 is configured to include a contact portion 56a, the force sensing unit 56 may also be configured by providing a mechanism similar to the examples shown in Figures 6 to 8 in the housing 6 or the handle portion 6b.

[0103] Furthermore, although the above embodiments describe an example in which a control signal for activating the force feedback unit 56 is generated within the computer 2, this control signal may also be generated within the electronic pen 5 or the spatial position indication device 6. Below, the processing performed by the processing unit 50 shown in Figure 2 when the electronic pen 5 is configured in this way will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the process is the same even when the control signal is generated within the spatial position indication device 6, except that the processing unit 50 shown in Figure 14 performs the processing instead of Figure 2.

[0104] Figure 15 is a processing flow diagram showing the processing performed by the processing unit 50 shown in Figure 2. As shown in the figure, the processing unit 50 first acquires information about an object displayed in the virtual reality space (step S30). This object is the second 3D object described above (for example, a virtual tablet), and the processing unit 50 acquires information about the object by receiving it from the computer 2.

[0105] Next, the processing unit 50 performs a process to acquire the position VP2 of the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 in the virtual reality space (step S31). The details of this process are the same as those described with reference to Figure 12, so a detailed explanation will be omitted. The processing unit 50 also acquires light reception level information from the position detection unit 54 shown in Figure 2.

[0106] The processing unit 50, having acquired position VP2, determines whether the tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 has collided with the surface S of the object (information acquired in step S1) in the virtual reality space, based on position VP2 and the position of the surface S (information acquired in step S1) (steps S32, S33). This process is the same as steps S3 and S4 in Figure 11.

[0107] If a collision is determined in step S33 (affirmative determination in step S33), the processing unit 50 generates a control signal to generate force feedback and supplies it to the force feedback generation unit 56 shown in Figure 2 (step S34). This allows the user to experience a collision with the surface S (for example, the touch surface of a virtual tablet).

[0108] Next, the processing unit 50 performs the process of acquiring the position VP2 in the virtual reality space again (step S35), and determines whether the distance between the surface S and the position VP2 is less than or equal to a predetermined value L (steps S36, S37). This process is the same as steps S7 and S8 in Figure 11.

[0109] If it is determined in step S37 that the value is less than or equal to a predetermined value L (affirmative determination in step S37), the processing unit 50 generates a control signal to generate force sensation again and supplies it to the force sensation generating unit 56 shown in Figure 2 (step S38). As a result, even if the user's hand shakes and the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 moves away from the surface S, if it is not too far away, the user can still get the sensation that it is in contact with the surface S.

[0110] Having completed step S38, the processing unit 50 returns to step S35 and continues processing. This makes it possible to continue making the user feel contact with the surface S as long as the distance between the surface S and position VP2 is less than or equal to a predetermined value L (i.e., as long as the determination result in step S8 is positive).

[0111] If the determination in step S33 is that there is no collision (negative determination of step S33), and if the determination in step S37 is that the value is not less than or equal to a predetermined value L (negative determination of step S37), the processing unit 50 returns to step S31 and continues processing. In this case, no force sensation is generated by the force sensation generation unit 56, thus preventing the generation of force sensation even though the distance between position VP2 and surface S is large. Therefore, it becomes possible to generate force sensation in the force sensation generation unit 56 without causing discomfort to the user using the electronic pen 5 in the virtual reality space.

[0112] Furthermore, the processing unit 50 may transmit the acquired virtual reality position VP2 to the computer 2 when it acquires the virtual reality position VP2. In this way, the computer 2 can perform step S9 shown in Figure 11 even when generating the control signal for the force sensor 56 within the electronic pen 5. Therefore, it becomes possible to maintain the contact state not only through force but also visually.

[0113] Furthermore, in the explanation of Figure 11, it was explained that various events other than the distance between the surface S and position VP2 being less than or equal to a predetermined value L can be used as conditions for ceasing the generation of force sensation. This point is also applicable to the example in Figure 15. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 1. Spatial position indication system 2 Computers 2a Control section 2b memory 3. Virtual reality display 4 tablets 4a Tablet surface 5 Electronic pen 5a Enclosure 5b nib 5c Groove 6. Spatial position indication device 6a enclosure 6b Handle 6d, 56c, 56k, 56m Bridge section 6e turn signal 7a,7b Lightning House 8a~8c Position Sensor 50 Processing Unit 51, 53 Communications Department 52 Pen pressure detection unit 54 Position detection unit 55 Switch section 56 Force sensation generation part 56a Contact part 56b Sliding part 56d Hinge section 56e Slide section 56f Hardness change section 56h,56j Vibration part 56g,56ja Base part 56i Actuator 56jb protrusion 56ka opening BL (Blank Period) BU burst period P1 Position of electronic pen 5 in real space P2 Position of the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 in the real space Position of the pen tip 5b of the electronic pen 5 in the VP2 virtual reality space S Surface of an object displayed in virtual reality space

Claims

1. A pen-shaped positioning device for indicating location in a virtual reality space, The vibrating part that generates vibrations, A pressure sensor that detects the pressure applied by the user to the position indicator device, A processing unit that stops vibrating the vibrating part when pressure is detected by the pressure sensor while the vibrating part is vibrating and it is possible to indicate a position in the virtual reality space, A position indicating device having a position.

2. A pen-shaped positioning device for indicating location in a virtual reality space, The vibrating part that generates vibrations, The casing and The housing includes an operating unit operated by the user, A processing unit that stops vibrating the vibrating unit when, in a state in which it is possible to indicate a position in the virtual reality space and the vibrating unit is vibrating, an input instruction to the virtual reality space is given in response to an operation of the control unit by the user, A position indicating device having a position.

3. The processing unit is a processing unit that vibrates the vibrating part based on a control signal transmitted to the position indicating device by a computer that calculates the position in the virtual reality space based on the position of the position indicating device in the real space. The position indicating device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The computer is a computer that calculates the position indicated by the position indication unit of the virtual position indication device in the virtual reality space based on the position of the position indication device in the real space. The position indicating device according to claim 3.

5. The processing unit is a processing unit that causes the vibrating part to vibrate based on the control signal that the computer transmits to the position indicator device when the position input in the virtual reality space is in a predetermined state. The position indicating device according to claim 3.

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