Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and information processing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12524979-B2
Application number	US-202218550341-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2022
Priority date	Mar 25, 2021
Publication date	Jan 13, 2026
Grant date	Jan 13, 2026

Abstract

There is provided an information processing apparatus including an information acquisition unit that acquires operation information concerning user operation performed a virtual object superimposed and displayed on a real space or a virtual space and a sense of force control unit that outputs, based on the operation information, via a sense-of-force device attached to a part of a body of a user, a sense of force for causing the user to recognize weight.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An information processing apparatus, comprising:
a processor configured to:
acquire operation information corresponding to a user operation on a virtual object, wherein the virtual object is superimposed and displayed on a one of real space or a virtual space;
acquire attribute information of the virtual object, wherein the attribute information corresponds to volume information of the virtual object;
determine a delay amount of a delay in movement of the virtual object, wherein the determination of the delay amount is based on the attribute information; and
output, based on the determined delay amount, via a sense-of-force device attached to a part of a body of a user, a sense of force that causes the user to recognize weight of the virtual object.

2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to control, based on the operation information and the determined delay amount, an effect that causes the user to recognize the weight of the virtual object.

3 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein, as the effect, the processor is further configured to add the delay to the movement of the virtual object based on the user operation.

4 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the delay amount of the delay based on weight information of the virtual object as the attribute information.

5 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the delay amount of the delay based on color information of the virtual object as the attribute information.

6 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
acquire information corresponding to a state of the user operation, and determine the delay amount of the delay based on the state of the user operation.

7 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the part of the body of the user is a hand of the user, and the processor is further configured to acquire information corresponding to a state of an arm of the hand as the information corresponding to the state of the user operation.

8 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
acquire environment information corresponding to an environment of one of the real space or the virtual space, and determine the delay amount of the delay based on the environment information.

9 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the processor is further configured to add, as the effect, the delay to the movement of the virtual object, and the delay is based on application of a smoothing process to the movement of the virtual object.

10 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein, in a case where a load amount based on the determined delay amount of the delay exceeds a movable range of the sense-of-force device,
the processor is further configured to control a specific device that is different from the sense-of-force device and that presents a modal different from a modal presented by the sense-of-force device.

11 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to control, via a display device, the movement of the virtual object involving the delay.

12 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to present vibration to the user via one of a vibration device loaded on the sense-of-force device or an operation device held by the user.

13 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the operation information includes:
operation position information indicating a relative position of the user operation to the virtual object; and operation direction information indicating a direction of the user operation applied to the virtual object.

14 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
apply, via the sense-of-force device, a first load having a specific load amount and a direction opposite to the direction of the user operation-to the user; and apply, via the sense-of-force device, a second load having the specific load amount and a direction opposite to the direction of the first load.

15 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the delay amount of the delay based on the direction of the user operation.

16 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the operation position information is information corresponding to a position of the part of the body of the user, which virtually comes into contact with the virtual object, with respect to the virtual object.

17 . An information processing method, comprising:
acquiring operation information corresponding to a user operation on a virtual object, wherein the virtual object is superimposed and displayed on one of a real space or a virtual space; acquiring attribute information of the virtual object, wherein the attribute information corresponds to volume information of the virtual object; determining a delay amount of a delay in movement of the virtual object, wherein the determination of the delay amount is based on the attribute information; and outputting, based on the determined delay amount, via a sense-of-force device attached to a part of a body of a user, a sense of force that causes the user to recognize weight of the virtual object.

18 . An information processing system, comprising:
a processor configured to:
acquire operation information corresponding to a user operation on a virtual object, wherein the virtual object is superimposed and displayed on a real space or a virtual space;
acquire attribute information of the virtual object, wherein the attribute information corresponds to volume information of the virtual object;
determine a delay amount of a delay in movement of the virtual object, wherein the determination of the delay amount is based on the attribute information; and
output, based on the determined delay amount, via a sense-of-force device attached to a part of a body of a user, a sense of force that causes the user to recognize weight of the virtual object.

Assignees

• Sony Group Corp

Inventors

• Nakagawa Yusuke
• Moriyama Taha
• Okazaki Masanori
• Ito Osamu
• Fukuma Yohei
• Nakagawa Ayumi

Classifications

• G06T2219/2016

  Rotation, translation, scaling · CPC title

• G06T2219/2004

  Aligning objects, relative positioning of parts · CPC title

• G06T19/006

  Mixed reality (object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00) · CPC title

• G06F3/016

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

• G06T19/20 Primary

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