Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12373080-B2
Application number	US-202017442005-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2020
Priority date	Mar 29, 2019
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

An information processing apparatus that includes a control unit that acquires first environmental information that expresses a three-dimensional space in the real world, that arranges, based on the first environmental information, a first virtual object represented by a first application into the three-dimensional space, that updates, based on the arrangement of the first virtual object, the first environmental information to second environmental information that includes information that indicates the arrangement of the first virtual object, and that arranges, during execution of the first application, based on the second environmental information, a second virtual object represented by a second application into the three-dimensional space in which the first virtual object is arranged.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus comprising: circuitry configured to acquire first environmental information that expresses a three-dimensional space in a real world,
arrange, based on the first environmental information, a first virtual object represented by a first application into the three-dimensional space,
update, based on an arrangement of the first virtual object, the first environmental information to second environmental information that includes information that indicates the arrangement of the first virtual object, and
arrange, during execution of the first application, based on the second environmental information, a second virtual object represented by a second application into the three-dimensional space in which the first virtual object is arranged,
wherein the circuitry arranges the first virtual object based on moving range information that indicates a moving range of the first virtual object within which the first virtual object moves in the three-dimensional space from an initial arrangement position of the first virtual object,
wherein the information that indicates the arrangement of the first virtual object includes the moving range information, and
wherein the circuitry arranges the second virtual object without overlapping the arrangement of the first virtual object based on the moving range of the first virtual object included in the information that indicates the arrangement of the first virtual object included in the second environmental information.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the circuitry arranges the first virtual object and the second virtual object based on a priority of arrangement of the first virtual object and a priority of arrangement of the second virtual object.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the priority of arrangement of the first virtual object is higher than the priority of arrangement of the second virtual object.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein, when the circuitry arranges the second virtual object, the circuitry arranges, based on the second environmental information, the second virtual object according to whether or not the first virtual object is arranged at an initial arrangement position of the second virtual object.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein, when the first virtual object is arranged at the initial arrangement position of the second virtual object and when the priority of arrangement of the first virtual object is higher than the priority of arrangement of the second virtual object, the circuitry arranges the second virtual object at a position other than the initial arrangement position.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the priority includes a first priority that is set for each application of a plurality of applications, and
wherein the circuitry is further configured to
compare the first priority set for each application, and
arrange, with priority, a virtual object represented by an application for which the first priority is set higher than the first priority set for other applications of the plurality of applications.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the priority includes a second priority that is set for each virtual object of a plurality of virtual objects without distinction between applications, and
wherein the circuitry is further configured to
compare the second priority set for each virtual object, and
arrange, with priority, a virtual object for which the second priority is set higher than the second priority set for other virtual objects of the plurality of virtual objects.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein, based on a designation method of designating coordinates that indicate an arrangement position of a virtual object that is set by an application, the circuitry sets a priority of the virtual object.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the circuitry sets the priority of the virtual object for which a designation method designates absolute coordinates to be higher than the priority of the virtual object for which a designation method designates relative coordinates.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein, based on a degree of freedom of a movement of a virtual object, the circuitry sets a priority of the virtual object.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein the circuitry sets the priority of the virtual object, in which the degree of freedom of the movement is less than a predetermined threshold, to be higher than the priority of the virtual object in which the degree of freedom of the movement is greater than the predetermined threshold.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the second environmental information includes the moving range information that indicates the moving range of the first virtual object in the three-dimensional space.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12 ,
wherein the circuitry arranges, based on the moving range information, the second virtual object outside of the moving range of the first virtual object.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the circuitry changes the priority in accordance with an input to the information processing apparatus performed by a user.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 14 ,
wherein the circuitry changes the priority after elapse of a predetermined time since the priority is determined to be changed.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second environmental information includes information that indicates a shape of the first virtual object arranged in the three-dimensional space and coordinate information that indicates a position of the arrangement of the first virtual object.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first environmental information and the second environmental information each include information indicating a shape in the three-dimensional space.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensor unit,
wherein the circuitry estimates the first environmental information based on sensing information that is obtained by sensing around the information processing apparatus by the sensor unit.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first application is programmed such that the arrangement of the first virtual object is able to be changed but an arrangement of the second virtual object is not able to be changed,
wherein the second application is programmed such that the arrangement of the second virtual object is able to be changed but the arrangement of the first virtual object is not able to be changed, and
wherein a data format of the first environmental information and a data format of the second environmental information are the same.

20. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second environmental information includes coordinate information that indicates a position of the initial arrangement position of the first virtual object and a position of the indicated moving range of the first virtual object in the three-d

Assignees

• Sony Group Corp

Inventors

• Murata Ryosuke
• Ichikawa Hirotake
• Nishibe Mitsuru
• Wakabayashi Hajime

Classifications

• G06F3/04817

  using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34) · CPC title

• G06T2219/2016

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• G06T2219/2004

  Aligning objects, relative positioning of parts · CPC title

• G06T19/20

  Editing of three-dimensional [3D] images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts · CPC title

• G06F3/011

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title