Stimulus presentation apparatus, stimulus presentation method and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11893879-B2
Application number	US-201917773776-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2019
Priority date	Nov 7, 2019
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

A stimulus presentation device 13 that stimulates a user with air from a plurality of air guns 14 arranged so as to surround the user includes a control unit 132 that determines respective ejection times at which a plurality of air streams are to be ejected at given time intervals which allow the user to perceive an apparent motion as well as respective ejection azimuth directions in which the plurality of air streams are to be ejected and causes the air streams to be sequentially ejected from the respective air guns 14 disposed in the individual ejection azimuth directions at the individual ejection times and an adjustment unit that determines a plurality of different body sites on a body of the user to which the plurality of air streams are to be applied and adjusts respective ejection angles of the individual air guns 14 such that respective muzzles of the air guns 14 are pointed at the plurality of body sites.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A stimulus presentation device for stimulating a user with air from a plurality of air guns arranged so as to surround the user, the stimulus presentation device comprising:
a control unit, including one or more processors, configured to determine respective ejection times at which a plurality of air streams is to be ejected at given time intervals which allow the user to perceive an apparent motion as well as respective ejection azimuth directions in which the plurality of air streams are to be ejected and causes the air streams to be sequentially ejected from the respective air guns disposed in the respective ejection azimuth directions at the respective ejection times; and
an adjustment unit, including one or more processors, configured to (i) determine a plurality of different body sites on a body of the user to which the plurality of air streams is to be applied and (ii) adjust respective ejection angles of the individual air guns by controlling respective orientations of respective muzzles of the air guns to point the respective muzzles at the plurality of body sites.

2. The stimulus presentation device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an acquisition unit, including one or more processors, configured to acquire, from an audio source reproduction device that reproduces an audio source, audio image normal position information representing a normal position of an audio image perceived by the user, wherein
each of the body sites corresponds to the normal position of the audio image.

3. The stimulus presentation device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit is configured to cause the air streams having wind power strengths each corresponding to a magnitude of a distance between the user and the normal position of the audio image to be ejected from the respective air guns.

4. The stimulus presentation device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to change the number of the air streams to be ejected toward one of the body sites and cause, when the number of the air streams to be ejected is plural, the plurality of air streams to be continuously ejected at given short time intervals.

5. The stimulus presentation device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to set the given time intervals within a range of 10 to 200 msec.

6. The stimulus presentation device according to claim 1 , wherein the adjustment unit is configured to determine the plurality of body sites within a range of an exposed body region of the user.

7. The stimulus presentation device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a determination unit, including one or more processors, configured to:
receive, from a plurality of video cameras arranged surrounding the user, a plurality of videos of the user at different angles; and
determining, from the plurality of videos of the user, an exposed body region of the user that is not covered by clothing; wherein:

the adjustment unit is configured to determine the plurality of body sites within a range of the exposed body region determined by the determination unit.

8. A stimulus presentation method for stimulating a user with air from a plurality of air guns arranged so as to surround the user, the stimulus presentation method causing a stimulus presentation device to perform the steps of:
determining respective ejection times at which a plurality of air streams is to be ejected at given time intervals which allow the user to perceive an apparent motion as well as respective ejection azimuth directions in which the plurality of air streams are to be ejected and causing the air streams to be sequentially ejected from the respective air guns arranged in the respective ejection azimuth directions at the respective ejection times;
determining a plurality of different body sites on a body of the user to which the plurality of air streams is to be applied; and
adjusting respective ejection angles of the individual air guns by controlling respective orientations of respective muzzles of the air guns to point the respective muzzles at the plurality of body sites.

9. The stimulus presentation method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
acquiring, from an audio source reproduction device that reproduces an audio source, audio image normal position information representing a normal position of an audio image perceived by the user, wherein
each of the body sites corresponds to the normal position of the audio image.

10. The stimulus presentation method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
causing the air streams having wind power strengths each corresponding to a magnitude of a distance between the user and the normal position of the audio image to be ejected from the respective air guns.

11. The stimulus presentation method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
changing the number of the air streams to be ejected toward one of the body sites and causing, when the number of the air streams to be ejected is plural, the plurality of air streams to be continuously ejected at given short time intervals.

12. The stimulus presentation method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
setting the given time intervals within a range of 10 to 200 msec.

13. The stimulus presentation method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
determining the plurality of body sites within a range of an exposed body region of the user.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a stimulus presentation program that causes a computer to function as a stimulus presentation device to perform:
determining respective ejection times at which a plurality of air streams is to be ejected at given time intervals which allow a user to perceive an apparent motion as well as respective ejection azimuth directions in which the plurality of air streams are to be ejected and causing the air streams to be sequentially ejected from respective air guns arranged in the respective ejection azimuth directions at the respective ejection times;
determining a plurality of different body sites on a body of the user to which the plurality of air streams is to be applied; and
adjusting respective ejection angles of the individual air guns by controlling respective orientations of respective muzzles of the air guns to point the respective muzzles at the plurality of body sites.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 14 , wherein the stimulus presentation program further causes the computer to perform:
acquiring, from an audio source reproduction device that reproduces an audio source, audio image normal position information representing a normal position of an audio image perceived by the user, wherein
each of the body sites corresponds to the normal position of the audio image.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the stimulus presentation program further causes the computer to perform:
causing the air streams having wind power strengths each corresponding to a magnitude of a distance between the user and the normal position of the audio image to be ejected from the respective air guns.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 14 , wherein the stimulus presentation program further causes the computer to perform:
changing the number of the air streams to be ejected toward one of the body sites and causing, when the number of the air streams to be ejected is plural, the plurality of air streams to be continuously ejected at given short time intervals.

18. The non-trans

Assignees

• Nippon Telegraph & Telephone

Inventors

• Takeda Toki
• Niijima Arinobu
• Mukouchi Takafumi
• Sato Takashi

Classifications

• G08B6/00 Primary

  Tactile signalling systems, e.g. tactile personal calling systems · CPC title

• G06F3/016 Primary

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title

• A63G31/00

  Amusement arrangements · CPC title

• A63J25/00

  Equipment specially adapted for cinemas (cinematographic projection means G03B) · CPC title

• A63F13/28

  responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light · CPC title