Fan device, wearable device, and program for driving fan

Abstract

A fan device 310 is attached to a wearable device that is attached to the head of a user. The fan device 310 includes: fan units 320a, 320b having fans 300a, 300b for supplying wind to the front of the face of the user; a fan unit 320c having a fan 300c for supplying wind to the left side of the face of the user; and a fan unit having a fan for supplying wind to the right side of the face of the user.

Description

FAN APPARATUS, WEARABLE DEVICE, AND PROGRAM FOR DRIVING FAN

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for supplying wind to a user wearing a wearable device on their head.

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a simulation game system in which a blower is placed in a movable housing on which a user sits, maintaining the relative positional relationship between the blower and the user, and controlling the blower to blow gas toward a blowing target in real space.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-126341

[0004] A head-mounted display (HMD) is worn on a user's head and provides the user with a virtual reality (VR) visual world. Wearing the HMD, the user can operate a game controller to perform various inputs into the visual space provided by the game. Because the HMD provides VR images to the user's entire field of vision, it enhances the user's sense of immersion in the visual world. The present inventors have focused on the potential of wearable devices such as HMDs and smart glasses, and have investigated the realization of technologies that further enhance users' sense of virtual reality and augmented reality.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide a technology that supplies wind to a user wearing a wearable device such as an HMD, thereby enhancing the user's sense of virtual reality or augmented reality, for example.

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a fan apparatus attached to a wearable device worn on a user's head, comprising a first fan unit having a fan that supplies air to the front of the user's face, a second fan unit having a fan that supplies air to the left side of the user's face, and a third fan unit having a fan that supplies air to the right side of the user's face.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a wearable device that is worn on a user's head, and includes a first fan unit having a fan that supplies air to the front of the user's face, a second fan unit having a fan that supplies air to the left side of the user's face, and a third fan unit having a fan that supplies air to the right side of the user's face.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a program executed on a computer of an information processing device, which causes the computer to realize the following functions: controlling the movement of a player character based on user input; determining the wind direction at the position of the player character in a virtual space; generating control signals for driving each of at least three fans attached to a wearable device based on the determined wind direction; and transmitting the control signals.

[0009] In addition, any combination of the above components, or conversion of the expression of the present disclosure between a method, an apparatus, a system, a computer program, a recording medium on which a computer program is readably recorded, a data structure, etc., is also valid as an aspect of the present disclosure.

[0010] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system in an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the external shape of an HMD. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks of an HMD. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks of an information processing device. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cave route in a game. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a game image displayed on a display panel. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a fan device attached to an HMD. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of a fan device attached to an HMD. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating another example of a fan device attached to an HMD. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a fan device is attached to an HMD via a fixture. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks of a fan unit. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a plurality of partial spaces. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating examples of wind parameters set in partial spaces. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the wind direction identified at the position of a player character. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a partial space represented three-dimensionally. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating examples of wind parameters set in partial spaces. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the wind direction identified at the position of a player character. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the relative angle between the line of sight of the player character and the wind direction.

[0011] FIG. 1 shows an example configuration of an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment. The information processing system 1 is a game system including an information processing device 10 that executes a game, a head-mounted display (HMD) 100 worn on a user's head, an input device 6 that the user holds and operates with their fingers, a recording device 11, and an output device 4 that outputs images and sounds. The output device 4 may be a television. In the embodiment, the HMD 100 is an example of a wearable device worn on the user's head, and the information processing system 1 may also include wearable devices such as VR goggles, AR glasses, and smart glasses. The information processing device 10 is connected to an external network 2, such as the Internet, via an access point (AP) 8.

[0012] The recording device 11 records applications such as game software. The information processing device 10 may download game software to the recording device 11 from a content server (not shown) via the network 2. The information processing device 10 executes game software (hereinafter also simply referred to as "game") based on user operation input, generates image data and sound data of the game, and supplies them to the HMD 100. The information processing device 10 and the HMD 100 may be connected via a known wireless communication protocol or by a cable.

[0013] The HMD 100 is a display device worn by a user on the head, which displays images on display panels located in front of the user's eyes. The HMD 100 separately displays an image for the left eye on the left-eye display panel and an image for the right eye on the right-eye display panel. These images form parallax images seen from left and right viewpoints, realizing stereoscopic vision. Because the user views the display panel through optical lenses, the information processing device 10 supplies the HMD 100 with parallax image data that has been corrected for optical distortion caused by the lenses.

[0014] The output device 4 is not necessary for the user wearing the HMD 100, but providing the output device 4 allows another user to view the image displayed on the output device 4. The information processing device 10 may display on the output device 4 the same image as the image viewed by the user wearing the HMD 100, or may display a different image. For example, when a user wearing the HMD 100 and another user play a game together, the output device 4 may display a game image from the viewpoint of the character of the other user.

[0015] The information processing device 10 and the input device 6 may be connected using a known wireless communication protocol or may be connected by a cable. The input device 6 has a plurality of operation members such as operation buttons and analog sticks, and a user operates the operation members with their fingers while holding the input device 6. When the information processing device 10 executes a game, the input device 6 is used as a game controller.

[0016] In the game of the embodiment, information (operation input) obtained by a user operating an operation member of the input device 6 is reflected in the movement of a player character in a virtual three-dimensional space. The game may use the operation input of the left analog stick to move the player character, and the operation input of the right analog stick to change the line of sight of the player character. If the input device 6 is provided with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and sensor data measured by the IMU is periodically transmitted to the information processing device 10, the game may treat the sensor data of the IMU as operation input of the input device 6 and reflect it in the movement of the player character (movement, change of line of sight, etc.).

[0017] 2 shows an example of the external shape of the HMD 100. The HMD 100 is composed of an output unit 102 and a fixing unit 104. The fixing unit 104 includes an attachment part 106 that the user wears to attach the HMD 100 to the user's head. The attachment part 106 has a material or structure that allows the length to be adjusted to fit the user's head circumference.

[0018] The output unit 102 includes a housing 108 shaped to cover the left and right eyes when the user wears the HMD 100, and includes a display panel inside that faces the eyes when worn. The display panel may be a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL panel, or the like. The housing 108 also includes a pair of optical lenses, one on each side, that are positioned between the display panel and the user's eyes and expand the user's field of view. The HMD 100 may also include speakers or earphones at positions corresponding to the user's ears, and may be configured to allow external headphones to be connected.

[0019] 3 shows functional blocks of the HMD 100. The control unit 120 is a main processor that processes and outputs various data such as image data, sound data, and sensor data, as well as commands. The storage unit 122 temporarily stores the data and commands processed by the control unit 120. The IMU 124 acquires sensor data related to the movement of the HMD 100. The IMU 124 may include at least a three-axis acceleration sensor and a three-axis angular velocity sensor. The IMU 124 detects the values ​​of each axial component (sensor data) at a predetermined cycle (e.g., 800 Hz).

[0020] The communication control unit 128 transmits data output from the control unit 120 to the external information processing device 10 via a network adapter or an antenna, by wired or wireless communication. The communication control unit 128 also receives data from the information processing device 10 and outputs it to the control unit 120.

[0021] When the control unit 120 receives game image data from the information processing device 10, it supplies the data to the display panel 130 for display, and when it receives game sound data from the information processing device 10, it supplies the data to the audio output unit 132 for audio output. The display panel 130 is composed of a left-eye display panel 130a and a right-eye display panel 130b, and a pair of parallax images is displayed on each display panel. The control unit 120 causes the communication control unit 128 to transmit sensor data from the IMU 124 and audio data from the microphone 126 to the information processing device 10.

[0022] 4 shows functional blocks of the information processing device 10. The information processing device 10 includes a processing unit 200 and a communication unit 202. The processing unit 200 includes an acquisition unit 210, a game execution unit 220, and a supply unit 240. The game execution unit 220 includes a player character control unit 222, a game image generation unit 224, a game sound generation unit 226, a posture identification unit 228, a wind direction identification unit 230, a wind speed identification unit 232, and a control signal generation unit 234. The communication unit 202 receives operation information of the operation members transmitted from the input device 6 and supplies the information to the acquisition unit 210. The communication unit 202 also receives sensor data transmitted from the HMD 100 and supplies the information to the acquisition unit 210.

[0023] The functions of the components in the information processing device 10 may be implemented in circuitry or processing circuitry, including general-purpose processors, application-specific processors, integrated circuits, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), a CPU (a Central Processing Unit), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, configured or programmed to perform the functions described herein. A processor is considered to be a circuit or processing circuitry that includes transistors and other circuits. A processor may also be a programmed processor that executes a program stored in a memory.

[0024] In this specification, a circuit, unit, or means is hardware that is programmed to realize or performs the described functions, which may be any hardware disclosed herein or any hardware known to be programmed to realize or perform the described functions.

[0025] If the hardware is a processor that is considered to be a type of circuitry, the circuitry, means, or unit may be a combination of hardware and software used to configure the hardware and / or processor.

[0026] The acquisition unit 210 acquires operation information transmitted from the input device 6 and sensor data transmitted from the HMD 100, and supplies the information as user operation input for the game to the game execution unit 220. In the embodiment, the game execution unit 220 executes a game in which a player character escapes from a complex cave like a maze.

[0027] 5 shows an example of a cave route in the game. There are multiple branching points between the start point and the goal point, and the player character can reach the goal point by following the correct route at all of the branching points.

[0028] 6 shows an example of a game image displayed on the display panel 130. The game execution unit 220 of this embodiment executes a game program based on operational input from the user and performs calculations to move a player character controlled by the user within a cave, which is a three-dimensional virtual reality space. The player character control unit 222 controls the movement of the player character within the cave, specifically, moving the player character based on operational input from the left analog stick and determining the line of sight of the player character based on operational input from the right analog stick.

[0029] The game image generation unit 224 includes a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) that performs rendering processing and the like, and receives the results of calculations in the virtual reality space to generate a game image captured from a virtual camera position in the virtual reality space. In this example, the game image generation unit 224 generates a game image from a first-person perspective, and generates a field-of-view image of the player character based on the line-of-sight direction determined by the player character control unit 222. In this embodiment, the game image generation unit 224 generates a pair of parallax images consisting of a left-eye VR image and a right-eye VR image. The game sound generation unit 226 generates game sounds.

[0030] The posture identification unit 228 identifies the posture of the HMD 100 using sensor data transmitted from the HMD 100, and determines the user's line of sight. The game image generation unit 224 of the embodiment may use the user's line of sight identified by the posture identification unit 228 as the line of sight of the player character. Note that the game image generation unit 224 may match the user's line of sight with the line of sight of the player character (virtual camera), or may correct the user's line of sight to determine the player character's line of sight.

[0031] The cave escape game is a time attack game in which players compete to reach the goal in the shortest time. If the player character takes the wrong route at a branching point, that route will end in a dead end, resulting in a loss of time. During gameplay, the user is given hints about the direction to go and uses those hints to select a route at each branching point.

[0032] In a real cave, wind blows in from the cave's opening (although wind can also blow out from the cave's opening), and cave escape games use this wind direction as a hint. In the information processing system 1 of the embodiment, a fan device is attached to the HMD 100 worn on the user's head, and the fan device supplies wind to the user, providing a hint as to the direction of the cave's opening (the goal point). The fan device of the embodiment is configured with at least three fans, allowing the user to receive wind from any direction.

[0033] FIG. 7 shows an example of a fan device attached to the HMD 100. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a user wearing the HMD 100, viewed from the top of the head. The fan device shown in FIG. 7 has three fans, specifically, fan 300a that supplies airflow to the front of the user's face, fan 300b that supplies airflow to the left side of the user's face, and fan 300c that supplies airflow to the right side of the user's face. In this specification, the front of the face may be referred to as the front of the head, the left side of the face may be referred to as the left side of the head, and the right side of the face may be referred to as the right side of the head. In FIG. 7, arrows drawn for fans 300a, 300b, and 300c indicate the respective airflow directions, and fan 300a supplies airflow directly in front of the user's face. 7 includes fans 300a, 300b, and 300c, and by adjusting the rotation speed of each of the fans 300a, 300b, and 300c, it is possible to direct airflow in various directions onto the entire surface of the user's face (excluding the area covered by the HMD 100). Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the fans included in the fan device, they may be simply referred to as "fans 300."

[0034] It is preferable that all of the multiple fans 300 be disposed below the components of the HMD 100. That is, fan 300a is disposed below the housing 108, and fans 300b and 300c are disposed below the attachment 106 that secures the head. By disposing fan 300 below the components of the HMD 100, fan 300 can efficiently supply air to the user without being obstructed by the components.

[0035] The direction of the fan 300 is set so that the airflow direction faces the user's face (or head). For example, the fan 300 may be positioned so that the airflow direction (air outlet direction) faces the central axis of the head. The fan 300 may be an axial flow blower that has a propeller fan and discharges wind (air) in the axial direction during forward rotation. The fan 300 may also be of a type that discharges wind (air) in the axial direction during forward rotation and can suck wind (air) in the axial direction during reverse rotation. Various types of fan 300 can be used, but since it will be attached to the HMD 100, it is preferable that it be small and lightweight.

[0036] FIG. 8 shows another example of a fan device attached to the HMD 100. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a user wearing the HMD 100, viewed from the top of the head. The fan device shown in FIG. 8 has four fans, specifically, fan 300a that supplies airflow to the front of the user's face, fan 300b that supplies airflow to the front of the user's face, fan 300c that supplies airflow to the left side of the user's face, and fan 300d that supplies airflow to the right side of the user's face. Fan 300a shown in FIG. 8 supplies airflow mainly to the front left side of the user's face, and fan 300b that supplies airflow mainly to the front right side of the user's face. The fan device shown in FIG. 8 includes fans 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d, and by adjusting the rotation speeds of fans 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d, it is possible to direct airflow in various directions across the entire surface of the user's face (excluding the area covered by the HMD 100).

[0037] FIG. 9 shows another example of a fan device attached to the HMD 100. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a user wearing the HMD 100, viewed from the top of the head. The fan device shown in FIG. 9 has four fans. Specifically, it includes a fan 300a that supplies airflow to the front of the user's face, a fan 300b that supplies airflow to the left side of the user's face, a fan 300c that supplies airflow to the right side of the user's face, and a fan 300d that supplies airflow to the back of the user's head or the back of the neck. Fan 300d shown in FIG. 9 supplies airflow directly behind the user's head or neck. The fan device shown in FIG. 9 includes fans 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d, and by adjusting the rotation speeds of fans 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d, it is possible to direct airflow in various directions to the entire face of the user (excluding the portion covered by the HMD 100) and the back of the user's head or neck.

[0038] FIG. 10 shows another example of a fan device attached to the HMD 100. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a user wearing the HMD 100, viewed from the top of the head. The fan device shown in FIG. 10 has five fans, specifically, fan 300a that supplies air to the front of the user's face, fan 300b that supplies air to the front of the user's face, fan 300c that supplies air to the left side of the user's face, fan 300d that supplies air to the right side of the user's face, and fan 300e that supplies air to the back of the user's head or the back of the neck. Fan 300a shown in FIG. 10 supplies air mainly to the front left side of the user's face, and fan 300b that supplies air mainly to the front right side of the user's face. The fan device shown in FIG. 10 includes fans 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d, and 300e, and by adjusting the rotation speed of each of the fans 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d, and 300e, it is possible to direct airflow in various directions onto the entire surface of the user's face (excluding the area covered by the HMD 100) and the back of the user's head or neck.

[0039] Fig. 11 shows another example of a fan device attached to the HMD 100. Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of a user wearing the HMD 100, viewed from the top of the head. The fan device shown in Fig. 11 has six fans, specifically, fan 300a that supplies air to the front of the user's face, fan 300b that supplies air to the front of the user's face, fan 300c that supplies air to the left side of the user's face, fan 300d that supplies air to the right side of the user's face, fan 300e that supplies air to the back of the user's head or the back of the neck, and fan 300f that supplies air to the back of the user's head or the back of the neck. 11 , fan 300a primarily supplies airflow to the front left side of the user's face, fan 300b primarily supplies airflow to the front right side of the user's face, fan 300e primarily supplies airflow to the back left side of the user's head or neck, and fan 300f primarily supplies airflow to the back right side of the user's head or neck. The fan device shown in FIG. 11 includes fans 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d, 300e, and 300f, and by adjusting the rotation speed of each of fans 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d, 300e, and 300f, it is possible to direct airflow in various directions to the entire surface of the user's face (excluding the portion covered by HMD 100) and the back of the user's head or neck.

[0040] FIG. 12 shows a state in which the fan device 310 is attached to the HMD 100 via a fixture 330. The fan device 310 of this embodiment includes at least three fan units, each having a fan 300, that supply airflow to the user. The fan device 310 shown in FIG. 12 achieves the fan arrangement configuration shown in FIG. 8 and thus includes a fan unit 320a having a fan 300a that supplies airflow to the front left side of the user's face, a fan unit 320b having a fan 300b that supplies airflow to the front right side of the user's face, a fan unit 320c having a fan 300c that supplies airflow to the left side of the user's face, and a fan unit 320d (not shown) having a fan 300d that supplies airflow to the right side of the user's face. The fan units 320a, 320b, 320c, and 320d include connecting portions 322a, 322b, 322c, and 322d (not shown) that are connected and supported by the fixture 330, respectively. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the multiple fan units 320a to 320d, they will be simply referred to as "fan units 320," and when there is no need to distinguish between the connecting portions 322a to 322d, they will be simply referred to as "connecting portion 322." Note that the fan device 310 shown in Figure 12 is an example, and there may be only one fan supplying air to the front of the user's face as shown in Figure 7, or a separate fan supplying air to the back of the user's head or neck as shown in Figures 9 to 11.

[0041] The fixture 330 is a component for attaching the fan device 310 to the HMD 100 and is composed of multiple members. The members of the fixture 330 are attached to the highly rigid housing 108 and the attachment part 106 that secures the area around the head. The fixture 330 has a structure for supporting a connecting part 322 of the fan unit 320, and the connecting part 322 is supported by the fixture 330. If the HMD 100 is equipped with various functions such as a tracking function, it is preferable that the fixture 330 be attached to the HMD 100 in a manner that does not interfere with the various functions of the HMD 100, and that the fan unit 320 be supported by the fixture 330 in a manner that does not interfere with the various functions of the HMD 100.

[0042] In this example, the fixture 330 supports the fan unit 320a in a position where the fan 300a faces the left side of the user's face, the fan unit 320b in a position where the fan 300b faces the right side of the user's face, the fan unit 320c in a position where the fan 300c faces the left side of the user's face, and the fan unit 320d (not shown) in a position where the fan 300d faces the right side of the user's face. As shown, the fan units 320a and 320b are indirectly attached to the housing 108 via the fixture 330, and the fan units 320c and 320d are indirectly attached to the attachment 106 via the fixture 330. Note that if the HMD 100 has a structure for supporting the connecting portion 322, the connecting portion 322 may be supported directly on the HMD 100 without the fixing device 330. Alternatively, a clip may be provided at the end of the connecting portion 322, and the fan unit 320 may be attached to the HMD 100 by the clip.

[0043] FIG. 13 shows functional blocks of the fan unit. The fan unit 320 includes a fan 300, a control unit 350, a communication unit 352, an attitude change mechanism 354, and a position change mechanism 356. The attitude change mechanism 354 changes the orientation of the fan 300 and has, for example, a servo motor to adjust the orientation of the fan 300 as desired. The position change mechanism 356 changes the distance between the fan 300 and the user and has, for example, a rack-and-pinion to move the fan 300 closer to or farther away from the user. The communication unit 352 receives control signals from the information processing device 10 for driving and controlling the fan unit 320. The communication unit 352 may be connected to the communication unit 202 of the information processing device 10 via a cable, but preferably is connected via a known wireless communication protocol. Wirelessly connecting the fan unit 320 and the information processing device 10 eliminates the hassle of cable management and improves usability. The control unit 350 controls the driving of the fan 300, the attitude change mechanism 354, and / or the position change mechanism 356 based on the control signal received from the information processing device 10. The information processing device 10 generates a control signal according to the game situation and transmits it to the fan unit 320.

[0044] It should be noted that the attitude change mechanism 354 and / or the position change mechanism 356 do not need to be provided in all of the multiple fan units 320 constituting the fan device 310, but may be provided in at least one fan unit 320. For example, when the fan arrangement shown in FIG. 7 is adopted, the fan unit 320 having fan 300a may have the attitude change mechanism 354, and the fan unit 320 having fans 300b and 300c may have the position change mechanism 356. In this case, the fan unit 320 having fans 300b and 300c may further have the attitude change mechanism 354. The attitude change mechanism 354 and / or the position change mechanism 356 may be incorporated into the fan unit 320 as appropriate to increase the variety of winds supplied to the user.

[0045] 4 , the player character control unit 222 controls the movement of the player character in the three-dimensional virtual space based on operation inputs from the user. The wind direction identification unit 230 identifies the wind direction at the position of the player character in the virtual space. Specifically, the wind direction identification unit 230 has a function of identifying the wind direction at the position of the player character based on information indicating wind directions set at at least two positions in the virtual space.

[0046] In the game of the embodiment, a cave, which is a virtual space, is divided into a plurality of subspaces. Note that it is not necessary for all areas of the cave to be divided into subspaces; it is sufficient that at least the areas of the cave that form the route from the start to the goal are divided into subspaces. In the embodiment, the subspaces are areas that are set for the purpose of supplying wind to the user. While the player character is moving through the subspaces, the user is supplied with wind from the fan device 310 that indicates the direction in which the player character should move, allowing the user to estimate the correct direction of movement of the player character.

[0047] 14 shows an example of multiple subspaces. In this example, the route from the start to the goal is divided into multiple subspaces 50a to 50i (hereinafter referred to as "subspaces 50" unless otherwise specified). In this example, no subspaces are set on routes that end in dead ends, but in a modified example, subspaces may also be set on routes that end in dead ends.

[0048] The subspace 50 may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape and may be set to encompass a three-dimensional cave. Adjacent subspaces 50 may have overlapping areas, with the multiple subspaces 50 covering the entire cave area from the start to the goal. A wind parameter for determining the wind direction within the subspace 50 is set for the subspace 50. The wind parameter includes information indicating the wind direction at at least two positions within the subspace 50. The wind direction identification unit 230 determines the wind direction at the position of the player character by interpolating and deriving the wind direction between the at least two positions based on the information indicating the wind direction set at the at least two positions within the subspace 50. The wind parameter for the subspace 50 may be set at the entrance and exit of the subspace 50.

[0049] Fig. 15 shows an example of wind parameters set for the subspace 50a. A wind parameter 52 indicating the wind direction at the entrance of the subspace 50a is set, and a wind parameter 54 indicating the wind direction at the exit of the subspace 50a is set. Note that in Fig. 15, the wind parameters 52 and 54 are drawn to indicate the two-dimensional wind direction by the direction of the arrow, but since the actual subspace 50a has a three-dimensional rectangular parallelepiped shape, the wind parameters 52 and 54 may indicate the three-dimensional wind direction.

[0050] When the player character is present in the subspace 50a, the wind direction identification unit 230 identifies the wind direction at the position of the player character within the subspace 50a based on the wind parameters 52, 54 for the subspace 50a. Specifically, the wind direction identification unit 230 has a function of deriving the wind direction at any position between the entrance and exit of the subspace 50a by interpolation based on the wind direction indicated by the wind parameters 52, 54. Upon acquiring the position of the player character in the subspace 50a from the player character control unit 222, the wind direction identification unit 230 may interpolate and identify the wind direction at that position from the wind direction at the entrance and the wind direction at the exit of the subspace 50a. Figure 16 shows the wind direction identified at the position of the player character.

[0051] 17 shows a diagram that represents the subspace 50a three-dimensionally. The wind direction determination unit 230 determines the wind direction at the position of the player character from the wind parameter 52 at the entrance of the subspace 50a and the wind parameter 54 at the exit. In the subspace 50a, the wind parameter 52 and the wind parameter 54 are set on opposite faces of a rectangular parallelepiped. Here, the wind parameter 52 is expressed as a vector W Ｅ , wind parameter 54 is expressed as a vector W Ｓ If the distance from the entrance to the exit of the subspace 50a is L and the distance from the position of the player character to the exit is 1, the wind direction at the position of the player character may be expressed as the following equation (1). Here, t=l / L.

[0052] Figure 18 shows an example of wind parameters set for the subspace 50d. A wind parameter 56 indicating the wind direction at the entrance of the subspace 50d is set at the entrance of the subspace 50d, and a wind parameter 58 indicating the wind direction at the exit of the subspace 50d is set at the exit of the subspace 50d. Note that in Figure 18, the wind parameters 56 and 58 are drawn to indicate two-dimensional wind directions using arrow directions, but because the actual subspace 50d has a three-dimensional shape, the wind parameters 56 and 58 may also indicate three-dimensional wind directions.

[0053] 15, wind parameters 52 and 54 are set on opposing faces of a rectangular parallelepiped, while wind parameters 56 and 58 are set on any face of the rectangular parallelepiped in subspace 50d. Note that wind parameters may be set not only on the faces of the rectangular parallelepiped, but also inside the rectangular parallelepiped.

[0054] When the player character is present in the subspace 50d, the wind direction identification unit 230 identifies the wind direction at the position of the player character within the subspace 50d based on the wind parameters 56, 58 for the subspace 50d. Specifically, the wind direction identification unit 230 has a function of deriving the wind direction at any position between the entrance and exit of the subspace 50d by interpolation based on the wind direction indicated by the wind parameters 56, 58. Upon acquiring the position of the player character in the subspace 50d from the player character control unit 222, the wind direction identification unit 230 may interpolate and identify the wind direction at that position from the wind direction at the entrance and the wind direction at the exit of the subspace 50d. Figure 19 shows the wind direction identified at the position of the player character.

[0055] During game play, the wind direction identification unit 230 constantly identifies the wind direction at the position of the player character, and the control signal generation unit 234 generates, based on the identified wind direction, a control signal for driving each of the at least three fans 300 attached to the HMD 100. The control signal generation unit 234 recognizes the arrangement of the multiple fans 300 attached to the HMD 100, and when there are options for the arrangement of the multiple fans 300 as shown in Figures 7 to 11, for example, it is preferable that the user registers the selected arrangement of the fans 300 in the control signal generation unit 234 in advance.

[0056] The control signal generating unit 234 derives the relative angle between the line of sight of the player character and the identified wind direction. The control signal generating unit 234 obtains the line of sight of the player character from the player character control unit 222, and obtains the wind direction at the position of the player character from the wind direction identifying unit 230. Note that the control signal generating unit 234 may obtain the line of sight of the user from the posture identifying unit 228 as the line of sight of the player character.

[0057] 20 shows the relative angle θ between the line of sight H of the player character and the wind direction W. Here, the angle between the line of sight H and the direction of airflow from the fan 300a is α １ The angle between the line of sight H and the airflow direction of the fan 300b is α ２ The angle between the line of sight H and the airflow direction of the fan 300c is α ３ The angle between the line of sight H and the airflow direction of the fan 300d is α ４ Here, if the wind speed is a predetermined wind speed |W|, the control signal generating unit 234 calculates the wind speed w ｎ is derived by the following equation (2).

[0058] The control signal generator 234 calculates the wind speed w output by each fan 300. ｎ When the wind speed of each fan 300 is calculated, ｎ For example, when the fans 300 are driven by PWM control signals, the control signal generating unit 234 may adjust the pulse width of the PWM control signals to control the rotation speed of each fan 300. Note that, according to the formula (2), when the wind speed w is less than 0, ｎ For the fan 300 for which the rotation speed is derived, the control signal generating unit 234 may prohibit the rotation of the fan 300.

[0059] In addition, wind speed w ｎ<0, the control signal generating unit 234 may generate a control signal to rotate the corresponding fan 300 in the reverse direction. For example, when the control signal generating unit 234 generates a control signal to rotate fan 300c in the forward direction in order to supply airflow to the left side of the user's head, the control signal generating unit 234 may simultaneously generate a control signal to rotate fan 300d in the reverse direction. In particular, when fans 300c and 300d are arranged opposite each other with the user's head in between, rotating fans 300c and 300d in opposite directions makes it possible to make the user noticeably feel airflow coming from the left or right direction relative to their head.

[0060] The supply unit 240 transmits the control signal generated by the control signal generation unit 234 to the fan unit 320 via the communication unit 202. In the fan device 310 of this embodiment, each of the multiple fan units 320 operates independently, and when the communication unit 352 of each fan unit 320 receives a control signal addressed to it, the control unit 350 drives the fan 300 based on the control signal. This allows the fan device 310 to rotate the multiple fans 300 and provide the user with wind that indicates the direction in which the player character should move, and the user can infer the direction in which the player character should move by sensing the wind direction. Note that the fan device 310 may be configured so that the fan units 320 do not operate independently, but the fan device 310 includes a control unit 350 that controls the multiple fans 300 in an integrated manner.

[0061] The above description concerns a case where the wind speed |W| is a predetermined value. The wind parameter may include information indicating the wind strength (wind speed) at at least two positions in the partial space 50. In this case, the wind speed identification unit 232 may have a function of deriving the wind speed between at least two positions by interpolating based on the information indicating the wind speeds set at the at least two positions in the partial space 50. By this interpolation process, the wind speed identification unit 232 may identify the wind strength (wind speed) at the position of the player character.

[0062] In this case, referring to Fig. 17, the wind parameter 52 set at the entrance of the subspace 50a indicates the wind direction at the entrance as well as the wind speed at the entrance, and the wind parameter 54 set at the exit of the subspace 50a indicates the wind direction at the exit as well as the wind speed at the exit. In real caves, the wind speed tends to be low in large caves and high in small caves. Therefore, by including wind speed information in the wind parameters 52 and 54, it becomes possible to make the user feel the change in the shape of the cave. Specifically, the vector W Ｅ , the vector W which is the wind parameter 54 Ｓ By providing information indicating the wind speed (the magnitude of the vector) to the vector, it is possible to identify the wind direction and wind speed at the position of the player character using equation (1).

[0063] The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments. The above embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of each component and each treatment process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure. In the embodiments, the fan device 310 has been described as having multiple independent fan units 320, but the fan device 310 may also have multiple integrated fan units 320.

[0064] In the embodiment, it has been described that the wind speed identification unit 232 determines the wind speed in accordance with the wind parameters set for the partial space 50. However, in a modified example, the wind speed identification unit 232 may determine the wind speed in accordance with the movement speed of the player character. For example, if the movement speed of the player character is relatively high, the wind speed identification unit 232 may determine the wind speed to be relatively high, and if the movement speed of the player character is relatively low, the wind speed identification unit 232 may determine the wind speed to be relatively low. Note that the wind speed identification unit 232 may determine the wind speed at the position of the player character by taking into account both the wind parameters set for the partial space 50 and the movement speed of the player character.

[0065] In a modified example, the control unit 350 may adjust the orientation of the fan 300 using the orientation change mechanism 354 so that the relative angle between the user's line of sight and the airflow direction of the fan 300 becomes the relative angle θ between the player character's line of sight H and the wind direction W. When all fan units 320 constituting the fan device 310 are equipped with the orientation change mechanism 354, the control unit 350 adjusts the orientation of the fan 300 so that the angle θ is formed between the user's line of sight (the front direction of the HMD) and the airflow direction of the fan 300, thereby making it possible to present the user with an accurate wind direction. In this modified example, the control signal generation unit 234 generates a control signal indicating the angle θ, and the control unit 350 adjusts the orientation of the fan 300 based on the control signal.

[0066] In a modified example, the control unit 350 may use the position change mechanism 356 to change the distance between the fan 300 and the user to adjust how the air is directed. When air is supplied from a position close to the user, the user feels the air over a small area of ​​their face, whereas when air is supplied from a position farther away from the user, the user feels the air over a large area of ​​their face. Utilizing this difference in perception, the control signal generation unit 234 may use the position change mechanism 356 to generate a control signal that shortens the distance between the fan 300 and the user in situations where it is desired to clearly indicate the airflow direction. Conversely, in situations where it is desired to vaguely indicate the airflow direction, the control signal generation unit 234 may use the position change mechanism 356 to generate a control signal that increases the distance between the fan 300 and the user.

[0067] The temperature of the airflow supplied by the fan 300 may be adjustable. For example, the fan 300 can supply warm air by using a Peltier element or a heating wire. By making the temperature of the airflow adjustable, it is possible to present changes in the environment in the virtual space to the user.

[0068] The present disclosure may include the following aspects. [Item 1] A fan apparatus attached to a wearable device worn on a user's head, comprising: a first fan unit having a fan that supplies airflow to the front of the user's face; a second fan unit having a fan that supplies airflow to the left side of the user's face; and a third fan unit having a fan that supplies airflow to the right side of the user's face. [Item 2] The fan apparatus according to item 1, wherein the wearable device comprises an attachment part for attaching the wearable device to the user's head and a housing that covers the user's eyes when the wearable device is worn on the user's head, the first fan unit being attached to the housing, and the second fan unit and the third fan unit being attached to the attachment part. [Item 3] The fan apparatus according to item 1, wherein at least one of the first fan unit, the second fan unit, and the third fan unit has a mechanism for changing the direction of the fan. [Item 4] The fan device according to item 1, wherein at least one of the first fan unit, the second fan unit, and the third fan unit has a mechanism for changing the distance between the fan and the user. [Item 5] The fan device according to item 1, wherein the fan of the first fan unit mainly supplies airflow to the front left side of the user's face, and the fan device further includes a fourth fan unit having a fan that mainly supplies airflow to the front right side of the user's face. [Item 6] A wearable device to be worn on a user's head, comprising: a first fan unit having a fan that supplies airflow to the front of the user's face, a second fan unit having a fan that supplies airflow to the left side of the user's face, and a third fan unit having a fan that supplies air to the right side of the user's face.[Item 7] A recording medium having recorded thereon a program executed on a computer of an information processing device, the program causing the computer to realize the following functions: controlling the movement of a player character based on a user's operation input; determining the wind direction at the position of the player character in a virtual space; generating control signals for driving at least three fans attached to a wearable device based on the determined wind direction; and transmitting the control signals. [Item 8] The recording medium of Item 7, wherein the wind direction determination function includes a function of determining the wind direction at the position of the player character based on information indicating wind directions set at at least two positions in the virtual space. [Item 9] The recording medium of Item 8, wherein the wind direction determination function includes a function of determining the wind direction at the position of the player character by deriving the wind direction between at least two positions based on information indicating wind directions set at at least two positions in the virtual space by interpolating the wind direction between the at least two positions. [Item 10] The recording medium of Item 8, wherein the information indicating wind direction is set at an entrance and an exit of the virtual space. [Item 11] The recording medium according to item 7, which enables the computer to realize a function of identifying wind strength at the position of the player character in the virtual space. [Item 12] The recording medium according to item 11, wherein the function of generating a control signal includes a function of generating a control signal for driving each of at least three fans based on the identified wind strength. [Item 13] The recording medium according to item 7, wherein the function of generating a control signal includes a function of generating a control signal for driving each of a first fan that supplies wind to the front of the user's face, a second fan that supplies wind to the left side of the user's face, and a third fan that supplies wind to the right side of the user's face. [Item 14] The recording medium according to item 13, wherein the function of generating a control signal includes a function of simultaneously generating a control signal for rotating the third fan in the reverse direction when generating a control signal for rotating the second fan in the forward direction.

[0069] The present disclosure can be used in the technical field of supplying wind to a user wearing a wearable device on their head.

[0070] 1...information processing system, 2...network, 4...output device, 6...input device, 8...AP, 10...information processing device, 11...recording device, 50...subspace, 52, 54, 56, 58...wind parameters, 100...HMD, 102...output unit, 104...fixing unit, 106...attachment part, 108...casing, 120...control unit, 122...storage unit, 124...IMU, 126...microphone, 128...communication control unit, 130...display panel, 130a...left eye display panel, 130b...right eye display panel, 132...audio output unit, 200...processing unit, 202... Communication unit, 210...acquisition unit, 220...game execution unit, 222...player character control unit, 224...game image generation unit, 226...game sound generation unit, 228...posture identification unit, 230...wind direction identification unit, 232...wind speed identification unit, 234...control signal generation unit, 240...supply unit, 300, 300a, 300b, 300c, 300d, 300e, 300f...fan, 310...fan device, 320, 320a, 320b, 320c, 320d...fan unit, 330...fixing device, 350...control unit, 352...communication unit, 354...posture change mechanism, 356...position change mechanism.

Claims

1. A fan device attached to a wearable device worn on a user's head, the fan device comprising: a first fan unit having a fan that supplies wind to the front of the user's face; a second fan unit having a fan that supplies wind to the left side of the user's face; and a third fan unit having a fan that supplies wind to the right side of the user's face.

2. The wearable device includes a mounting component for mounting the wearable device on the user's head and a housing that covers the user's eyes when the wearable device is mounted on the user's head. The first fan unit is attached to the housing, and the second fan unit and the third fan unit are attached to the mounting component. The fan device according to claim 1, characterized in that.

3. At least one of the first fan unit, the second fan unit, and the third fan unit has a mechanism for changing the direction of the fan. The fan device according to claim 1, characterized in that.

4. At least one of the first fan unit, the second fan unit, and the third fan unit has a mechanism for changing the distance between the fan and the user. The fan device according to claim 1, characterized in that.

5. The fan of the first fan unit mainly supplies wind to the left front side of the user's face, and the fan device further includes a fourth fan unit having a fan that mainly supplies wind to the right front side of the user's face. The fan device according to claim 1, characterized in that.

6. A wearable device worn on a user's head, the wearable device comprising: a first fan unit having a fan that supplies wind to the front of the user's face; a second fan unit having a fan that supplies wind to the left side of the user's face; and a third fan unit having a fan that supplies wind to the right side of the user's face.

7. A program executed by a computer of an information processing apparatus, the program causing the computer to realize: a function of controlling the movement of a player character based on a user's operation input; a function of specifying the wind direction at the position of the player character in a virtual space; a function of generating a control signal for driving each of at least three fans attached to a wearable device based on the specified wind direction; and a function of transmitting the control signal.

8. The program according to claim 7, wherein the function of specifying the wind direction includes a function of specifying the wind direction at the position of the player character based on information indicating the wind direction set at at least two positions in the virtual space.

9. The program according to claim 8, wherein the function of specifying the wind direction includes a function of specifying the wind direction at the position of the player character by interpolating and deriving the wind direction between the at least two positions based on information indicating the wind direction set at the at least two positions in the virtual space.

10. The program according to claim 8, wherein the information indicating the wind direction is set at the entrance and the exit of the virtual space.

11. The program according to claim 7, further causing the computer to realize a function of specifying the wind strength at the position of the player character in the virtual space.

12. The program according to claim 11, wherein the function of generating a control signal includes a function of generating a control signal for driving each of the at least three fans based on the specified wind strength.

13. The program according to claim 7, wherein the function of generating a control signal includes a function of generating a control signal for driving each of a first fan that supplies wind to the front of the user's face, a second fan that supplies wind to the left side of the user's face, and a third fan that supplies wind to the right side of the user's face.

14. The program according to claim 13, wherein the function of generating a control signal includes a function of generating a control signal for rotating the second fan forward and simultaneously generating a control signal for rotating the third fan backward.

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