Costume guiding system

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a costume guiding system capable of providing guidance to a costume so as to perform appropriate movement, operation, and performance. [Solution] A costume guiding system (1) for guiding a costume (10), wherein a pilot (2) for supporting and operating the costume (10) is located inside the costume, a plurality of monitors (21), (22) are installed at positions where the pilot (2) inside the costume (10) can visually recognize the monitors, the costume guiding system has a costume installation camera (30) and a bird's-eye view camera (40), the pilot (2) can ascertain the current position and movement situation of the costume (10) by visually confirming images E1, E2 of the costume installation camera (30) and the bird's-eye view camera (40) on the plurality of monitors (21), (22), a communication device (50) is provided to enable communication between the pilot (2) and staff (3) located outside the costume (10), and the pilot (2) and / or staff (3) operate the costume (10) and control the performance thereof in accordance with the information E1, E2 from the monitors (21), (22) and the information from the communication device (50).

Description

Costume Guidance System

[0001] The present invention relates to a costumed suit guidance system that guides a costumed suit to move, act, and perform in an appropriate manner.

[0002] There have been many shows and events using various dinosaur-themed costumes. The person inside these costumes performs predetermined operations to move and operate the costumes and to create a performance for the show or event (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-018164

[0004] However, the person operating the costume may not be able to see the situation around them or the costume's movements, which can lead to problems in making appropriate movements. This can have a negative impact on the progress and direction of a show or event, causing problems.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide a costumed person guidance system that can guide a costumed person to move, act, and perform in an appropriate manner.

[0006] In order to achieve this objective, the present invention provides a costumed guidance system that guides a costumed person to make any movement, in which a pilot who supports and operates the costume is placed at a predetermined operating position inside the costume, and multiple monitors are installed inside the costume at a position visible to the pilot who is placed at the operating position, and the system has a costumed camera that is placed in the costume so as to display the image as seen from the costume and connected to the monitor, and an overhead camera that is placed at a position away from the costume so as to overlook the costume and connected to the monitor, and the pilot is configured to be able to grasp the current position and operating status of the costume by viewing the images from the costumed camera and the overhead camera on the multiple monitors, and the pilot has a communication device that allows communication between the pilot and staff placed outside the costume, and the pilot and / or staff are configured to operate and direct the costume according to the information from the monitor and the information from the communication device.

[0007] Furthermore, in addition to the configuration described above, the present invention is characterized in that the costume guidance system has a plurality of costume-mounted cameras and / or overhead cameras, and the images displayed on the monitor are configured to be switched automatically and / or manually.

[0008] Furthermore, in addition to the configuration described above, the present invention is characterized in that the costume is configured with a quadrupedal animal motif, and the costume has two pilots, a front leg pilot in charge of controlling the animal's front legs, and a rear leg pilot in charge of controlling the animal's rear legs, positioned at respective operating positions, and the front leg pilot, the rear leg pilot, and the staff are configured to operate and direct the costume, and has a plurality of monitors for the front leg pilot and a plurality of monitors for the rear leg pilot, and is configured so that the images displayed on the monitors for the front leg pilot and the monitors for the rear leg pilot can be changed.

[0009] Furthermore, in addition to the above-described configuration, the present invention is characterized in that the costume-mounted camera is arranged at least on the chest of the costume so as to face forward, providing a costume guidance system.

[0010] In addition to the configuration described above, the present invention is characterized in that the costumed camera, the monitor that displays the image from the costumed camera, and the pilot's eye position are arranged in a straight line.

[0011] Furthermore, in addition to the above-described configuration, the present invention is characterized in that the communication device is a costumed guidance system that is an audio communication device capable of audio communication.

[0012] Furthermore, in addition to the above-described configuration, the present invention is characterized in that the communication device is a costumed guidance system in which communication information can be displayed in the form of text and / or images.

[0013] According to the present invention, the system has multiple cameras and monitors, and communication devices that allow the pilot and staff to communicate, and the pilot and / or staff can use this information to operate and direct the costume, so that the multi-angle view and instructions can guide the costume to move, act, and perform in an appropriate manner.

[0014] Furthermore, according to the present invention, by switching between images from multiple cameras, it is possible to check a more multi-faceted field of view on a limited monitor, and as a result, it is possible to guide the costumed person to move, act, and perform in a more appropriate manner.

[0015] Furthermore, according to the present invention, even if there are two pilots, each can check the necessary images, and as a result, the costumed character can be guided to move, act, and perform in an appropriate manner.

[0016] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the costume-mounted camera is installed at least on the chest of the costume facing forward, allowing the pilot to obtain the minimum necessary visual information, and as a result, can guide the costume to move, act, and perform appropriately.

[0017] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the camera installed on the costume, the monitor that displays the image, and the pilot's eyes are arranged in a straight line, so that the pilot can see the outside world through the monitor as if he were looking through the wall of the costume beyond, making it easier to grasp the surrounding situation and to make it easier to move and operate the costume appropriately.

[0018] Furthermore, according to the present invention, by using an audio communication device as a communication device for communication between the pilot and staff, the pilot and staff can be easily connected and information can be easily exchanged, and as a result, the costume can be guided to move, act, and perform in an appropriate manner.

[0019] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the communication device used by the pilot and staff to communicate can display communication information in text and / or images, which allows the pilot and staff to be properly connected and information to be exchanged reliably in situations where it is difficult to hear, when instructions are easier to understand when displayed in text or images, or when instructions need to be left for a while, and as a result, the costume can be guided to move, act, and perform in an appropriate manner.

[0020] It is a schematic diagram showing a costumed guidance system according to an embodiment of the present invention, It is a schematic diagram showing a monitor that displays images from a costumed camera and an overhead camera in the costumed guidance system according to the embodiment, It is a block diagram of the costumed guidance system according to the embodiment.

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0022] 1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] The costumed guiding system 1 of this embodiment is a system for guiding a costumed suit 10 to perform arbitrary movements. Here, as shown in FIG. 1 , it includes a dinosaur costume 10 and staff members 3, 4, 5, and 6 for guiding the costumed suit 10 to move, act, and perform appropriate movements. Note that the present invention is not limited to being applied to dinosaur costumes 10, but may also be applied to costumes that resemble other animals, such as so-called monsters (fictional creatures), ancient creatures such as mammoths, giraffes, rhinoceroses, elephants, lions, and tigers. It may also be applied to costumes that resemble non-animals (including living and non-living things), such as robots and trees.

[0024] First, the costume 10 will be described using FIG. 1 . The costume 10 of this embodiment is based on the motif of a bipedal dinosaur, and is configured so that one pilot 2 is positioned at a predetermined operating position inside the costume 10 to support and operate it. This pilot 2 is responsible for controlling the walking (movement) of the costume 10, arm movements, facial movements (neck movement, opening and closing of the mouth, eye movement, etc.), tail movements, etc. Note that an example of the operating position is a position above the dinosaur's feet, where a person can enter and operate the dinosaur without any problems. Alternatively, a cockpit may be formed so that the pilot 2 is held and supported at the operating position. Here, a description of the internal mechanisms and configuration of the costume 10 for operating the costume 10 will be omitted.

[0025] Furthermore, inside the costume 10, multiple monitors 21, 22 (two monitors arranged side by side in this embodiment) are installed in positions that can be seen by the pilot 2 who is positioned at the operating position. Here, as shown in Fig. 2, a costume-installed camera 30 is arranged on the costume 10 and connected to the monitor 21 so as to display an image E1 seen from the costume 10, and is located on the right side as seen from the pilot 2. An overhead camera 40 is arranged at a position separated from the costume 10 and connected to the monitor 22 so as to display an image E2 looking down on the costume 10, and is located on the left side as seen from the pilot 2. Note that the arrangement of the monitors 21, 22 is not limited to side by side, and they may be arranged vertically, diagonally, or otherwise as appropriate, taking into consideration the internal structure of the costume 10, the height of the pilot 2, visibility, etc.

[0026] With such a costume 10, there are cases where the pilot 2 cannot directly see the external situation, but the information from these monitors 21, 22 allows the pilot 2 to simultaneously view the images E1, E2 from the costume-mounted camera 30 and the overhead camera 40 on multiple monitors 21, 22, and simultaneously grasp the current position and operating status of the costume 10. Note that here, the image E2 from the overhead camera 40 is configured to be sent to the monitor 22 by video communication as indicated by arrow A from a communication device held by the camera staff member 5 operating the overhead camera 40, via a communication device 50 in the costume 10.

[0027] In this embodiment, the costume-mounted camera 30, the monitor 21, and the eyes of the pilot 2 are arranged in a straight line. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the shooting direction (forward) of the installed camera 30, the screen angle of the monitor 21, and the line of sight of the pilot 2 are also arranged in a straight line. Furthermore, here, the shooting direction (forward) of the installed camera 30, the screen angle of the monitor 21, and the line of sight of the pilot 2 are arranged in a straight line parallel to the ground. By arranging them in this manner, the pilot 2 can see the outside world through the monitor 21 as if he were looking through the wall of the costume beyond it (directly in front in this case), making it easier to grasp the surrounding situation and making it easier to move and operate the costume 10 appropriately.

[0028] In this embodiment, the main staff member 3, who is positioned outside the costume 10, and the pilot 2 have a communication device 50 that allows them to communicate, and here an audio communication device such as a walkie-talkie is provided (see arrow B indicating audio communication). In this embodiment, the pilot 2 is configured to communicate only with the main staff member 3 using the communication device 50, and not to communicate directly with the other staff members 4, 5, and 6. This is to prevent the pilot 2 from becoming confused when multiple instructions and information are given to the pilot 2.

[0029] In this way, the pilot 2 is configured to operate the costume in accordance with information from the monitors 21 and 22 and information from the communication device 50. The sub-staff member 4, camera member 5, and sound production member 6 are also configured to move according to instructions from the main staff member 3 (see arrow B, which indicates audio communication). This allows the camera member 5 to change the position of the overhead camera 40 and change the image angle and field of view. The sound production member 6 is also configured to use sound effects equipment (such as speakers) to create sound and light effects according to instructions from the main staff member 3 (see arrow C, which indicates audio communication). The sub-staff member 4 is also configured to check the status of the costume 10, and based on that report, the main staff member 3 is configured to instruct the pilot 2 to take appropriate actions and perform appropriate operations (see arrow B, which indicates audio communication).

[0030] In this case, the costume-mounted camera 30 is positioned at least on the chest 11 of the dinosaur so as to face forward.

[0031] Furthermore, the costume-mounted camera 30 and the overhead camera 40 do not have to be one each; multiple overhead cameras 40 may be installed in different locations. Furthermore, multiple camera staff 5 may be present, each moving around to ensure a viewing angle that allows for a clear overall view. At least one of the overhead cameras 40 (or multiple cameras) may be mounted on an aircraft such as a drone, so that it can capture images while flying. The costume-mounted camera 30 may also include multiple cameras. For example, in addition to the camera 30 on the chest 11, other cameras may be mounted on the head, nose, back, tail, etc. Furthermore, these cameras may be configured to be manually switchable by the pilot 2 or main staff 3, or may be automatically switched.

[0032] In this case, for example, as shown in Figure 3, an AI-equipped control device 60 may be electrically connected to staff members 3, 4, 5, and 6, a pilot 2, a front camera (camera installed on the costume) 30, an overhead camera 40, etc., and may automatically switch to the optimal camera combination depending on the status of the costume and the progress of the event. Although not shown, the control device 60 may also be electrically connected to monitors 21 and 22, and may control switching of the display states of the monitors 21 and 22. The control device 60 may also be electrically connected to other devices and equipment and control them as well.

[0033] Furthermore, after grasping the situation, instructions may be issued to the pilot 2 and other staff members. Alternatively, the main staff member 3 may issue instructions through the control device 60. In this case, the main staff member 3 may transmit an outline to the control device 60, and then the control device 60 may issue details and instructions to other staff members, the pilot 2, the cameras 30 and 40, the monitors 21 and 22, the sound equipment, etc. This control device 60 may be mounted on the costume 10, installed externally, or carried by the staff members 3, 4, 5, and 6. Alternatively, the entire performance may be stored in the control device 60, and instructions based on the performance may be issued from the control device 60 to each section.

[0034] Furthermore, with regard to interactions with the main staff 3, the main staff 3 may be composed of an AI robot, and the robot may make decisions and issue instructions to the pilot 2.

[0035] Furthermore, the control device 60 does not have to be provided in the costume 10, but may be located elsewhere and connected to other staff members, pilots, etc. via communication.

[0036] Furthermore, the communication devices between the staff members 3, 4, 5, and 6 and the pilot 2 are not limited to voice communication devices, and may be text communication devices such as chat. Furthermore, this text communication information may be displayed in real time (or displayed later) on the monitor 21 and / or the monitor 22. Furthermore, a separate display device may be provided to display the text communication information. In this case, information may be displayed as an image or video together with or instead of the text.

[0037] In this embodiment, the main staff member 3 is composed of one person, but this is not limited to this, and there may be a pattern in which there are two or more main staff members 3. For example, a main staff member 3 (command main staff member) who serves as the command tower for the entire production may be assigned, and the command main staff member 3 may issue instructions to the production main staff member 3 for the camera and production and the operation main staff member 3 who issues instructions to the pilot 2, and instructions may be issued through each main staff member 3 to the other staff members 4, 5, and 6 and the pilot 2. Also, there may be multiple main staff members 3 depending on the movement status of the mascot 10 and the production status, and one main staff member 3 may take over from another main staff member 3 when the mascot reaches a predetermined position or when the mascot begins a predetermined production. Also, in other situations, there may be a pattern in which the main staff member 3 is composed of multiple people.

[0038] As described above, according to this embodiment, there are multiple cameras 30, 40, monitors 21, 22, and a communication device 50 that allows the pilot 2 and staff 3 to communicate, and the pilot 2 and / or staff 3 can operate and direct the costume 10 based on this information, so that the costume 10 can be guided to move, act, and perform appropriate movements and actions using a multi-angle view and instructions.

[0039] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, by switching between images from multiple cameras 30, 40, a more multi-faceted view can be confirmed using the limited monitors 21, 22, and as a result, the costume 10 can be guided to move, act, and perform in a more appropriate manner.

[0040] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the costume-mounted camera 30 is installed at least on the chest 11 of the costume (here, a dinosaur) so as to face forward, allowing the pilot 2 to obtain the minimum necessary visual information, and as a result, can guide the costume 10 to move, act, and perform appropriately.

[0041] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the camera 30 installed on the costume, the monitor 21 that displays the image from the camera, and the eyes of the pilot 2 are arranged in a straight line, so that the pilot 2 can see the outside world through the monitor 21 as if he were looking through the wall of the costume 10 beyond, making it easier to grasp the situation around him and making it easier to move and operate the costume 10 appropriately.

[0042] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the communication device 50 through which the pilot 2 and the staff 3 communicate is an audio communication device, which allows the pilot 2 and the staff 3 to easily connect and exchange information, and as a result, the costume 10 can be guided to move, act, and perform appropriately.

[0043] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the communication device 50 through which the pilot 2 and the staff 3 communicate can display communication information in text and / or images, so that the pilot 2 and the staff 3 can be appropriately connected and information can be exchanged reliably in situations where it is difficult to hear, when instructions are easier to understand if displayed in text or images, or when instructions need to be left for a while, and as a result, the costumed suit 10 can be guided to move, act, and perform in an appropriate manner.

[0044] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can also be applied to other configurations and other usage situations.

[0045] For example, in the above embodiment, the case of guiding and directing a costume 10 based on a bipedal dinosaur as shown in Fig. 1 has been described, but the present system is not limited to this and may be applied to guiding and directing a costume based on other dinosaurs. For example, the present system may be applied to a costume based on a quadrupedal dinosaur such as a stegosaurus.

[0046] In this case, the costume may have two pilots, one in charge of controlling the dinosaur's front legs and the other in charge of controlling the dinosaur's back legs, located in their respective operating positions. Furthermore, the costume may be configured so that the pilot in charge of the front legs, the pilot in charge of the back legs, and staff operate and direct the costume.

[0047] In this case, the system may have multiple monitors for the pilot in charge of the front legs and multiple monitors for the pilot in charge of the rear legs, and the images displayed on the monitors for the pilot in charge of the front legs and the monitors for the pilot in charge of the rear legs may be configured to be changeable automatically and / or manually.

[0048] This allows two pilots to see the necessary images, and as a result, guide the costumed character to move, act, and perform in the appropriate way.

[0049] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, in order to prevent the pilot 2 from being confused by multiple instructions and information, the pilot 2 is only able to communicate with the main staff member 3, and is not allowed to communicate directly with the other staff members 4, 5, and 6. However, this is not limited to this, and depending on the situation, the pilot 2 may be able to communicate directly with multiple staff members 3, 4, 5, and 6. Furthermore, multiple people, including not only the pilot 2 and the staff members 3, 4, 5, and 6, but also the staff members themselves, may be able to communicate simultaneously. In this case, not only audio but also visual information such as text, images, and video may be able to be shared simultaneously.

[0050] Furthermore, the various cameras used in the above-described embodiment, including the forward camera 30 and the overhead camera 40, may be ordinary cameras for capturing images (video cameras), or may be cameras with appropriately improved functionality, such as action cameras, 360-degree omnidirectional cameras, and stereoscopic cameras.

[0051] Furthermore, the images displayed on the monitors 21 and 22 may be displayed in a stereoscopic manner using, for example, VR goggles, or may be projected using a projection system. Any suitable device may be used as long as it allows the pilot 2 to more easily move, operate, and direct the costume 10.

[0052] Furthermore, as mentioned above, the present invention is not limited to application to dinosaurs, but may also be applied to the performance and movements of imaginary creatures such as monsters, other animals, and other non-animal costumes.

[0053] 1 Costume Guidance System 2 Pilot 3 Main Staff (Staff) 4 Sub-Staff (Staff) 5 Camera Staff (Staff) 6 Sound Production Staff (Staff) 10 Costume 11 Chest 21 First Monitor (Monitor) 22 Second Monitor (Monitor) 30 Front Camera (Castle-Mounted Camera) 40 Overhead Camera 50 Audio Communication Device (Communication Device) 60 Control Device E1 Front Image E2 Overhead Image A Video Communication B Audio Communication C Acoustic Communication

Claims

1. A costumed guiding system that guides a costumed person to make any movement, wherein a pilot who supports and operates the costume is placed at a predetermined operating position inside the costume, and wherein multiple monitors are installed at a position inside the costume that can be seen by the pilot who is placed at the operating position, and wherein a costumed camera is placed at the costume so as to display the image as seen from the costume and connected to the monitor, and an overhead camera is placed at a position separated from the costume so as to overlook the costume and connected to the monitor, and wherein the pilot is configured to be able to grasp the current position and operating status of the costume by viewing the images from the costumed camera and the overhead camera on the multiple monitors, and wherein the pilot has a communication device that allows communication between the main staff who issues instructions and who is placed outside the costume, and wherein the main staff and camera staff who are placed outside the costume have communication devices that allow communication between them, and wherein the pilot and camera staff are configured to be unable to communicate directly, A costumed guiding system characterized in that the pilot operates the costumed suit in accordance with information displayed on the monitor from the overhead camera operated by the camera staff at the instruction of the main staff and the costumed suit camera, and information from the main staff via the communication device.

2. The costume guidance system described in claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of costume-mounted cameras and / or a plurality of overhead cameras are arranged, and the images displayed on the monitor are configured to be switched automatically and / or manually.

3. The costume guidance system of claim 1, wherein the costume is based on a four-legged animal, and the costume has two pilots, a front leg pilot in charge of controlling the animal's front legs and a rear leg pilot in charge of controlling the animal's rear legs, positioned at their respective operating positions, and the front leg pilot, rear leg pilot and staff are configured to operate and direct the costume, and the system has a plurality of monitors for the front leg pilot and a plurality of monitors for the rear leg pilot, and the images displayed on the monitors for the front leg pilot and the monitors for the rear leg pilot are configured to be changeable.

4. The costume guidance system according to claim 1, characterized in that the costume-mounted camera is positioned at least on the chest of the costume so as to face forward.

5. The costumed guidance system according to claim 1, characterized in that the costumed camera and the monitor displaying the image from the costumed camera are configured to be arranged in a straight line parallel to the ground.

6. The costume guidance system described in claim 1, characterized in that it has an AI-equipped control device, and is configured so that the control device switches the display state of the monitor in response to instructions from the main staff member, and issues instructions to the camera staff member and the pilot.

7. The costume guidance system described in claim 1, characterized in that it has an AI-equipped control device, which is configured to automatically control the switching of the display state of the monitor according to the performance situation and to issue instructions to the camera staff and the pilot.

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