Patent Application
20220397961
The present invention relates to a control device, a program, and a system.
In recent years, various devices have been developed that output feedback in response to user operations. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique of performing feedback to a user's sense of touch by vibrating a touch panel in a case where the user presses the touch panel.
Incidentally, in a case where feedback using vibration as described above is performed for an input operation on a graphical user interface (GUI), it can be expected that the unity between the sensations perceived by a user would be enhanced by presenting vibrations which are little different from visual expressions.
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a structure capable of realizing vibration presentation with less sense of unease for an input operation on a GUI.
In order to solve the above problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control device including a control unit that causes a vibration presentation unit to present vibration corresponding to an input in a case where it is determined that the input for a visual element of which a display mode changes in response to the input received via an operation unit has been received, in which the control unit controls characteristics related to the vibration such that a presentation mode of the vibration changes in synchronization with a change in the display mode of the visual element.
In order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program causing a computer to realize a control function of causing a vibration presentation unit to present vibration corresponding to an input in a case where it is determined that the input for a visual element of which a display mode changes in response to the input received via an operation unit has been received, in which, in the control function, characteristics related to the vibration are controlled such that a presentation mode of the vibration changes in synchronization with a change in the display mode of the visual element.
In order to solve the above problem, according to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system including a display device that displays a visual element of which a display mode changes in response to an input received via an operation unit; a vibration presentation device that presents vibration; and a control device that causes the vibration presentation device to present the vibration corresponding to the input in a case where it is determined that the input for the visual element has been received, in which the control device controls characteristics related to the vibration such that a presentation mode of the vibration changes in synchronization with a change in the display mode of the visual element.
As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a structure capable of realizing vibration presentation with less sense of unease for an input operation on a GUI.
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and the drawings, constituents having substantially the same functional configuration are given the same reference numerals, and repeated description will be omitted.
(Input Device 10)
An input device 10 is a device that receives an input to the system 1 according to the present embodiment. The input device 10 according to the present embodiment may be, for example, a touch pad, a game controller, a line-of-sight detection device, or a gesture detection device. The input device 10 according to the present embodiment includes, for example, an operation unit 110 and a detection unit 120, as shown in
The operation unit 110 according to the present embodiment may be a target object for which a user executes an input. For example, in a case where the input device 10 is a touch pad, the operation unit 110 may be a contact surface on which a user performs a tracing operation or the like. For example, in a case where the input device 10 is a game controller, the operation unit 110 may be a joystick, various buttons, or the like. The input device 10 does not necessarily have to include the operation unit 110 when the input by a user does not require a physical operation target device, such as when an input by a user is one using a line-of-sight operation or a gesture operation.
The detection unit 120 according to the present embodiment detects and receives an input. The detection unit 120 outputs information regarding the received input to the control device 20. The detection unit 120 according to the present embodiment has a configuration of being capable of detecting an assumed input. For example, in a case where the input device 10 is a touch pad, the detection unit 120 may have a pressure-sensitive sensor that converts a change in pressure that changes with an input operation on the operation unit 110 into an electrical signal, or a capacitance sensor that converts a change in a capacitance that changes with an input operation into an electrical signal.
For example, in a case where the input device 10 is a line-of-sight detection device, the detection unit 120 may include an imaging sensor for detecting a user's line of sight. For example, in a case where the input device 10 is a gesture detection device, the detection unit 120 may include an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like for detecting a gesture of a user.
(Control Device 20)
The control device 20 according to the present embodiment controls vibration presentation by the vibration presentation device 40 on the basis of an input received by the input device 10. The control device 20 may control display of an image by the display device 30 on the basis of the input received by the input device 10. The control device 20 may control various devices (not shown) that execute a function determined by receiving an input. As shown in
A function of the control unit 210 is realized by, for example, an electronic circuit such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor. Details of the function of the control unit 210 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail separately.
The storage unit 220 according to the present embodiment stores various types of information related to operations of the control device 20, the display device 30, the vibration presentation device 40, and the like. The storage unit 220 stores, for example, an image to be displayed on the display device 30, a program for determining a display mode of the image, a program for determining a presentation mode of vibration to be presented by the vibration presentation device 40, and the like.
(Display Device 30)
The display device 30 according to the present embodiment is a device that displays various images under the control of the control device 20 and the like. The display device 30 according to the present embodiment includes, for example, a display unit 310 as shown in
The display unit 310 according to the present embodiment has a function of displaying various images under the control of the control device 20 or the like. In this case, the display unit 310 displays various images according to a display mode determined on the basis of the input. Thus, the display unit 310 includes various displays and the like.
(Vibration Presentation Device 40)
The vibration presentation device 40 according to the present embodiment has a function of presenting vibration under the control of the control device 20. As shown in
The vibration presentation unit 410 according to the present embodiment presents vibration having a presentation mode determined by the control device 20. Thus, the vibration presentation unit 410 according to the present embodiment includes various actuators such as an eccentric motor (ERM: Eccentric Rotating Mass), a linear vibrator (LRA: Linear Resonant Actuator), and a piezo (piezoelectric) element capable of generating vibration.
The functional configuration example of the system 1 according to the present embodiment has been described above. The above configuration described with reference to
<Details of Control>
Subsequently, details of the control of the control device 20 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the following description, it is assumed that the control device 20 according to the present embodiment controls presentation of vibration as feedback to an input to the system 1. In this case, if a difference between an image (various visual expressions) displayed by the display device 30 and vibration presented by the vibration presentation device 40 is large, a user may have sense of unease.
The technical idea according to the present invention was conceived by paying attention to the above fact, and by enhancing a sense of unity between a displayed visual expression and presented vibration, sense of unease that a user may have can be effectively reduced.
Therefore, in a case where it is determined that the control unit 210 of the control device 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention has received an input to a visual element of which a display mode changes in response to the input received via the operation unit 110, the vibration presentation unit 410 has a function of presenting vibration corresponding to the input. One of the features of the control unit 210 according to the embodiment of the present invention is that characteristics related to vibration are controlled such that a presentation mode of vibration changes in synchronization with a change in a display mode of a visual element.
Hereinafter, a function of the control unit 210 having the above features will be described in detail. In the following description, it is assumed that the user remotely performs inputting for at least one visual element displayed on the display unit 310 by using the operation unit 110 provided separately from the display unit 310. The operation unit 110 may be, for example, a touch pad provided separately from the display unit 310 that is a display.
In the following description, a case where the control unit 210 controls the display of an image including at least one visual element by the display unit 310 will be described. On the other hand, the control of the display unit 310 according to the present embodiment may be realized by another configuration provided separately from the control unit 210.
The operation target object according to the present embodiment is a visual element that is a target for receiving an input via the operation unit 110. Examples of the operation target object include an icon, a button, and a defined character string.
The instruction object according to the present embodiment is a visual element indicating an instruction position on an image (display area) displayed on the display unit 310, which is determined on the basis of an input received via the operation unit 110. An example of the instruction object is a cursor or a pointer.
One of the features of the visual elements according to the present embodiment is that a display mode changes in response to an input received via the operation unit 110. For example, the control unit 210 may control at least one of a size, a shape, and a color expression (including brightness, saturation, transparency, hue, texture, and the like) of a visual element as a display mode of the visual element.
For example, in
At a timing T1 shown on the top part of
The control unit 210 may control a display mode of the cursor C in addition to the display modes of the icon I1 and the icon I2. Since a distance between the cursor C and the icon I1 is zero, the control unit 210 may perform control such that the cursor C has a size (defined maximum size) along an outer periphery of the icon I1. The control unit 210 may handle this state as a state in which the icon I1 is selected, and may control execution of a function corresponding to the icon I1 according to an input corresponding to a subsequent determination operation.
At the subsequent timing T2, for example, a situation is shown in which a display position of the cursor C is moved to the right compared with the situation at the timing T1 due to the user performing a rightward tracing operation on the operation unit 110. In this case, since a distance between the cursor C and the icon I1 has become longer, the control unit 210 may perform control such that a size of the cursor C is smaller than that at the timing T1. Since a distance between the cursor C and the icon I1 has become longer, the control unit 210 may reduce a size of the icon I1 compared with that at the timing T1, and since a distance between the cursor C and the icon I2 has become shorter, increase a size of the icon I2 compared with that at timing T1.
At the subsequent timing T3, a situation is shown in which the cursor C has been moved further to the right and is located exactly in the middle between the icon I1 and the icon I2. In this case, since a distance between the cursor C and the icon I1 and a distance between the cursor C and the icon I2 are the same, the control unit 210 may perform control such that the icon I1 and the icon I2 have the same size according to the above distance. In this case, since a distance between the cursor C and the icons (the icon I1 and the icon I2) closest to the cursor C is the maximum, the control unit 210 may display the cursor C with the defined minimum size.
At the subsequent timing T4, a situation in which the cursor C has been moved further to the right is shown. In this case, since a distance between the cursor C and the icon I2 has become shorter, the control unit 210 may perform control such that a size of the cursor C is larger than that at the timing T3. Since a distance between the cursor C and the icon I1 has become longer, the control unit 210 may reduce a size of the icon I1 compared with that at the timing T3, and since a distance between the cursor C and the icon I2 became shorter, increase a size of Icon I2 compared with that at the timing T3.
At the subsequent timing T5, a situation is shown in which the cursor C has been moved further to the right and a display position thereof coincides with a display position of the icon I2. In this case, since a distance between the cursor C and the icon I2 is zero, the control unit 210 may perform control such that the icon I2 is displayed with the defined maximum size, and the cursor C has a size along the outer periphery of the icon I2. The control unit 210 may display the icon I1 and the icon I3 of which a distance to the cursor C is second shortest with a size corresponding to the distance.
An example of the change in the display mode of the visual elements according to the present embodiment has been described above. According to the control for the instruction object as described above, it is possible to effectively reduce a probability that a user loses sight of the instruction object by giving a visual change to the instruction object. According to the control for the operation target object as described above, even in a case where the instruction object is not displayed, a user can more intuitively understand an instruction position on a screen displayed on the display unit 310 and a direction of an input operation.
In the above description using
For example, the control unit 210 may control a color expression of a visual element as an example of the visual element. For example, the control unit 210 may perform control such that the instruction object or the operation target object changes to have defined saturation, brightness, transparency, hue, texture, or the like as a distance between the instruction object and the operation target object has become shorter.
In the above description using
The control of a display mode of a visual element according to the present embodiment has been described above. Subsequently, presentation control for vibration synchronized with a change in a display mode according to the present embodiment will be described in detail. The control unit 210 according to the present embodiment controls characteristics of vibration presented by the vibration presentation unit 410 such that the vibration changes in synchronization with a change in a display mode of an instruction object or an operation target object.
The above vibration characteristics include, for example, the magnitude of vibration and the sharpness of vibration. For example, in a case where a change in a display mode of a visual element reminiscent of a change in “magnitude”, the control unit 210 according to the present embodiment may perform control such that the magnitude of vibration changes in synchronization with a change in a display mode of a visual element as characteristics related to the vibration.
A display mode of a visual element reminiscent of a change in “magnitude” includes, for example, a size (display area) of the visual element as shown in
On the other hand, in a case where a change in a display mode of a visual element is reminiscent of a change in “sharpness”, the control unit 210 according to the present embodiment may perform control such that the sharpness of vibration changes in synchronization with a change in a display mode of a visual element as characteristics related to the vibration.
A display mode of a visual element reminiscent of a change in “sharpness” includes, for example, a shape of the visual element. As a specific example, in a case where a shape of a visual element changes between a circular shape and a polygonal shape, or in a case where the shape of the visual element gradually changes to be fine, it is assumed that a user is reminiscent of the “sharpness” in the change of the shape. For example, the saturation or hue of a visual element is also expected to greatly affect the “sharpness” felt by a user. Therefore, in a case where the above display mode of the visual element changes, the control unit 210 may perform control such that the sharpness of the vibration changes in synchronization with the change of the display mode.
In this case, for example, the control unit 210 according to the present embodiment may change a level of a frequency related to vibration as the sharpness of vibration. As an example, in a case where a shape of a visual element changes between a circular shape and a quadrangular shape, the control unit 210 may cause the vibration presentation unit 410 to present vibration at a lower frequency as the visual element becomes more similar to the circular shape, and may cause the vibration presentation unit 410 to present vibration at a higher frequency as the visual element becomes more similar to the quadrangular shape.
For example, the control unit 210 may change the type of shape of a vibration waveform that is input to the vibration presentation unit 410 as a control target as the sharpness of the vibration. As an example, in a case where a shape of a visual element changes between a circular shape and a quadrangular shape, the control unit 210 may set a vibration waveform input to the vibration presentation unit 410 to a sine wave in a case where the visual element is similar to the circular shape, and set the vibration waveform input to the vibration presentation unit 410 to a non-sine wave (for example, a saw tooth or a triangular wave) in a case where the visual element is similar to the quadrangular shape.
As described above, the control unit 210 according to the present embodiment synchronizes a display mode of the visual element with a presentation mode of the vibration by controlling the vibration characteristics according to the display mode of the changing visual element. In this case, for example, when a display mode of the visual element becomes a defined mode, the control unit 210 according to the present embodiment may cause the vibration presentation unit 410 to present vibration having a presentation mode synchronized with the defined mode.
The control unit 210 according to the present embodiment may change the characteristics related to vibration in synchronization with a display mode of an instruction object that changes according to a relative position with an operation target object on an image displayed on the display unit 310. For example, in the case of the example shown in
In this case, at least when a distance between one operation target object and an instruction object exceeds a first threshold value and the distance is less than a second threshold value on the image displayed on the display unit 310, the control unit 210 according to the present embodiment may cause the vibration presentation unit to present vibration synchronized with a display mode of the instruction object.
For example, in a case where the distance between the icon I1 and the cursor C is equal to or less than the first threshold value at the timing T2 shown in
In a case where the distance between the icon I1 and the cursor C is equal to or more than the second threshold value at the timing T4 shown in
According to the above control, a large vibration is presented at a timing at which a size of the cursor C is the maximum, and a small vibration is presented at a timing at which the size of the cursor C is the minimum. Therefore, it is possible to realize vibration presentation synchronized with the display mode of the visual element and thus to effectively reduce sense of unease that a user may have.
In the above description, the case where the vibration is presented in a case where the size of the cursor C is the maximum or the minimum has been described as an example. On the other hand, a timing and the number of times of presenting vibration are not limited to the above example. The control unit 210 may cause the vibration presentation unit 410 to present vibration with a medium magnitude, for example, at the timing T2 and the timing T4 shown in
In a case where a change in the display mode of the cursor C is a change reminiscent of “sharpness”, for example, a shape change, the control unit 210 may cause the vibration presentation unit 410 to present vibration with a sharpness synchronized with the change in the display mode of the cursor C at the above timing.
On the other hand, the control unit 210 according to the present embodiment may cause the vibration presentation unit 410 to present vibration of which a presentation mode continuously changes in synchronization with a continuous change of a display mode of a visual element.
Although not shown, it is assumed that sizes of the cursor C and each icon change according to a relative distance between the cursor C and each icon as shown in
In this case, for example, the control unit 210 according to the present embodiment may change characteristics related to vibration in synchronization with a display mode of an operation target object that changes according to a relative position of an instruction object on an image displayed on the display unit 310. For example, the control unit 210 may change a magnitude of vibration in synchronization with a size of an icon that changes according to a relative position of the cursor C.
In this case, the control unit 210 according to the present embodiment may cause the vibration presentation unit 410 to continuously present vibration synchronized with a display mode of an operation target object having the largest amount of change in the display mode among one or more operation target objects.
As shown in
According to the control as described above, among the icons of which sizes change according to reception of an input, it is possible to present vibration with a magnitude synchronized with an icon displayed with the largest size, and thus to effectively enhance the unity between production of a visual element and the presented vibration.
In a case where a change in a display mode of each icon is a change reminiscent of “sharpness”, for example, a shape change, the control unit 210 may cause the vibration presentation unit 410 to continuously present vibration with a sharpness synchronized with the change in the display mode of each icon.
<Flow of Operations>
Next, a flow of operations of the system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.
First, the detection unit 120 detects an input via the operation unit 110 and receives the input (S102).
Next, the control unit 210 determines a presentation mode of vibration synchronized with a change in a display mode of a visual element corresponding to the input received in step S102 (S104). In this case, the control unit 210 may determine a display correspondence of the visual element corresponding to the input, and control display of the visual element by the display unit 310 on the basis of the display mode.
Next, the control unit 210 controls vibration presentation by the vibration presentation unit 410 on the basis of the presentation mode determined in step S104 (S106).
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and these are also naturally understood to belong to the technical scope of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the case where a visual element changes according to a conscious input by a user has been described as a main example. On the other hand, a visual element may change according to an unconscious input by a user, an input due to an environmental change, or an input due to a state change of a target device. For example, the visual element may change with a distance from the input device 10 or the like as an input. For example, the visual element may change with a change in loudness of environmental sound, a change in temperature, or the like as an input. For example, the visual element may change with a speed of a vehicle on which the system 1 is mounted as an input. Even in such a case, according to the control method described above, it is possible to realize presentation of vibration synchronized with a change in a visual element.
For example, the series of processes by each device described in the present invention may be realized by using any of software, hardware, and a combination of software and hardware. Programs constituting the software are stored in advance in, for example, a recording medium (non-transitory medium) provided inside or outside each device. Each program is read to a RAM at the time of execution by a computer and executed by a processor such as a CPU. The recording medium is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a flash memory, or the like. The above computer program may be distributed, for example, via a network without using a recording medium.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-190841 | Oct 2019 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2020/031265 | 8/19/2020 | WO |
