IP Library Granted Patent US 11,609,428
Granted Patent B2
US 11,609,428 · App. 16/640,464 · Granted Mar 21, 2023

Information processing apparatus and information processing method

Inventors: Soichiro Inatani (Tokyo, JP); Kenji Sugihara (Kanagawa, JP); Mari Saito (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
G02B27/0172G02B27/0093G06F3/013G02B2027/014
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,609,428
App. No.
16/640,464
Granted
Mar 21, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is an information processing apparatus that includes a line-of-sight information acquisition unit which acquires line-of-sight information related to a line-of-sight direction of a user, a movement information acquisition unit which acquires a center-of-gravity movement information related to a center-of-gravity movement direction of a body of the user, and a display control unit which performs a first display control for controlling a display device by moving a viewpoint of the imaging unit in the center-of-gravity movement direction while substantially maintaining the imaging posture of the imaging unit when the line-of-sight direction and the center-of-gravity movement direction are substantially parallel and performs a second display control for controlling the display device by rotating the imaging posture of the imaging unit and moving the viewpoint of the imaging unit in the center-of-gravity movement direction when the line-of-sight direction and the center-of-gravity movement direction are not substantially parallel.

Claims (92)

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

circuitry configured to:

acquire line-of-sight information associated with a line-of-sight direction of a user;

acquire a center-of-gravity movement information associated with a center-of-gravity movement direction of a body of the user;

determine whether the line-of-sight direction is parallel with the center-of-gravity movement direction;

control a first display of a visual field image based on the determination that the line-of-sight direction is parallel with the center-of-gravity movement direction, wherein

the center-of-gravity movement direction is in a horizontal direction,

the first display is to control a display device to provide the user with the visual field image, and

the control of the first display is based on a movement of a viewpoint of an imaging camera in the center-of-gravity movement direction; and

control a second display of the visual field image based on the determination that the line-of-sight direction is not parallel with the center-of-gravity movement direction, wherein

the control of the second display is based on an angle difference between the center-of-gravity movement direction and the line-of-sight direction, and

the control of the second display is performed by a rotation of an imaging posture of the imaging camera and the movement of the viewpoint of the imaging camera in the center-of-gravity movement direction.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the second display,

the circuitry is further configured to determine a rotation direction based on the line-of-sight direction, and

the rotation direction is associated with the rotation of the imaging posture of the imaging camera.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the second display,

the circuitry is further configured to rotate the imaging posture of the imaging camera, and

an image center of the visual field image approaches the line-of-sight direction based on the rotation of the imaging posture.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the second display,

the circuitry is further configured to determine a rotation amount based on a magnitude of the angle difference between the line-of-sight direction and the center-of-gravity movement direction, and

the rotation amount is associated with the rotation of the imaging posture of the imaging camera.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein in the second display, based on a comparison of the magnitude of the angle difference and a determination value, the circuitry is further configured to:

determine the rotation amount; and

move the viewpoint of the imaging camera in the center-of-gravity movement direction based on the rotation amount.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein in the second display control, based on the magnitude of the angle difference is less than the determination value, the circuitry is further configured to:

determine the rotation amount such that a movement direction of the viewpoint of the imaging camera curves toward the line-of-sight direction;

rotate the imaging posture of the imaging camera in the center-of-gravity movement direction based on the rotation amount; and

move the viewpoint of the imaging camera in the center-of-gravity movement direction based on the rotation amount.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein in the second display, based on the magnitude of the angle difference is less than the determination value and a specific value, the circuitry is further configured to determine the rotation amount to decrease a degree of rotation of the imaging posture as the angle difference decreases.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein

in the second display, the circuitry is further configured to determine the rotation amount to increase a degree of rotation of the imaging posture as the angle difference decreases,

the rotation amount is determined based on the magnitude of the angle difference,

the magnitude of the angle difference is less than the determination value, and

the magnitude of the angle difference is equal to or greater than a specific value.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein in the second display, the circuitry is further configured to:

determine the rotation amount to wrap a movement direction of the viewpoint towards the line-of-sight direction, wherein the rotation amount is determined based on the magnitude of the angle difference is equal to or greater than the determination value;

rotate the imaging posture of the imaging camera in the center-of-gravity movement direction based on the rotation amount; and

move the viewpoint of the imaging camera in the center-of-gravity movement direction based on the rotation amount.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein

in the second display, the circuitry is further configured to determine the rotation amount to increase a degree of rotation of the imaging posture as the angle difference decreases, and

the rotation amount is determined based on the magnitude of the angle difference equal to or greater than the determination value.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein

in the second display, the circuitry is further configured to determine the rotation amount to determine a degree of change in the rotation amount,

the degree of change in the rotation amount is associated with the angle difference that is less than the determination value, and

the rotation amount is determined based on the magnitude of the angle difference is equal to or greater than the determination value.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

in the second display, based on the line-of-sight direction in a current state and the line-of-sight direction in a previous state, the circuitry is configured to move the viewpoint of the imaging camera in the center-of-gravity movement direction without rotation of the imaging posture of the imaging camera,

the current state and the previous state are associated with a time, and

the line-of-sight direction in the current state is parallel with the line-of-sight direction in the previous state.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

in the second display, the circuitry is further configured to rotate the imaging posture of the imaging camera based on the line-of-sight direction in a current state, the line-of-sight direction in a previous state, a gaze point of the user in the current state, and a gaze point of the user in the previous state,

the current state and the previous state are associated with a time, and

the line-of-sight direction in the current state is not parallel with the line-of-sight direction in the previous state,

the gaze point of the user in the current state is similar to the gaze point of the user in the previous state, and

an image center of the visual field image approaches a direction of the gazing point based on the rotation of the of the imaging posture.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

in the second display, the circuitry is further configured to rotate the imaging posture of the imaging camera based on the line-of-sight direction in a current state, the line-of-sight direction in a previous state, a gaze point of the user in the current state, a gaze point of the user in the previous state, the current state and the previous state are associated with a time,

an image center of the visual field image approaches the line-of-sight direction in the current state based on the rotation of the imaging posture of the imaging camera,

the line-of-sight direction in the previous state is parallel with the line-of-sight direction in the current state, and

the gaze point in the current state is different from the gaze point in the previous state.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the display device is a head-mounted display wearable by the user, and

the circuitry is further configured to cause a display screen of the head-mounted display to display the visual field image.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the imaging camera is a virtual camera that generates the visual field image corresponding to an arbitrary viewpoint in a virtual space, and

the circuitry is further configured to cause the display device to display the visual field image based on an imaging posture and a viewpoint of the virtual camera.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the imaging camera is a real camera included in an unmanned moving body in a real space, and

the circuitry is further configured to cause the display device to display the visual field image based on an imaging posture and a viewpoint of the real camera.

18. An information processing method, comprising:

in an information processing apparatus:

acquiring line-of-sight information associated with a line-of-sight direction of a user;

acquiring a center-of-gravity movement information associated with a center-of-gravity movement direction of a body of the user;

determining whether the line-of-sight direction is parallel with the center-of-gravity movement direction;

controlling a first display of a visual field image based on the determination that the line-of-sight direction is parallel with the center-of-gravity movement direction, wherein

the center-of-gravity movement direction is in a horizontal direction,

the first display is to control a display device to provide the user with the visual field image, and

the control of the first display is based on a movement of a viewpoint of an imaging camera in the center-of-gravity movement direction; and

controlling a second display of the visual field image based on the determination that the line-of-sight direction is not parallel with the center-of-gravity movement direction, wherein

the control of the second display is based on an angle difference between the center-of-gravity movement direction and the line-of-sight direction, and

the control of the second display is performed by a rotation of an imaging posture of the imaging camera and the movement of the viewpoint of the imaging camera in the center-of-gravity movement direction.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by an information processing apparatus, cause the information processing apparatus to execute operations, the operations comprising:

acquiring line-of-sight information associated with a line-of-sight direction of a user;

acquiring a center-of-gravity movement information associated with a center-of-gravity movement direction of a body of the user;

determining whether the line-of-sight direction is parallel with the center-of-gravity movement direction;

controlling a first display of a visual field image based on the determination that the line-of-sight direction is parallel with the center-of-gravity movement direction, wherein

the center-of-gravity movement direction is in a horizontal direction,

the first display is to control a display device to provide the user with the visual field image, and

the control of the first display is based on a movement of a viewpoint of an imaging camera in the center-of-gravity movement direction; and

controlling a second display of the visual field image based on the determination that the line-of-sight direction is not parallel with the center-of-gravity movement direction, wherein

the control of the second display is based on an angle difference between the center-of-gravity movement direction and the line-of-sight direction, and

the control of the second display is performed by a rotation of an imaging posture of the imaging camera and the movement of the viewpoint of the imaging camera in the center-of-gravity movement direction.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 17, 2025
From: SONY CORPORATION
To: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 073986/0571 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 25, 2021
From: INATANI, SOICHIRO; SUGIHARA, KENJI; SAITO, MARI
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 056335/0376 →