WO2025053089A1 - Virtual space management device - Google Patents

Abstract

This virtual space management device provides, to a user, a virtual space in which a plurality of individual spaces corresponding one-to-one to a plurality of cities are integrated. The virtual space management device comprises: a determination unit that, on the basis of attribute information indicating attributes of a user, determines visual effects for a visit city visited by the user among a plurality of cities in the virtual space; a generation unit that applies the visual effects determined by the determination unit in common to a plurality of buildings belonging to the visited city, thereby generating an individual space of the visited city; and a provision unit that provides the individual space generated by the generation unit to a terminal device used by the user.

Description

Virtual space management device

The present invention relates to a virtual space management device.

Conventionally, attempts have been made to solve local issues and provide new services by linking information between cities and users through the use of virtual spaces managed on a city-by-city basis and linking data between the cities. Patent Document 1 discloses an information processing device that identifies detected user behavior, determines customization information corresponding to the identified behavior, determines how to customize the virtual space, and processes the spatial information that is the basis of the virtual space according to the determined customization information.

JP 2013-250897 A

"Docomo Open House '23 Exhibit: Development of communication activation technology through ultra-large number of simultaneous connections, value understanding, and behavior change - Meta-communication realized by integrating network and services", [online], February 1, 2023, [Retrieved August 10, 2023], Internet, <URL: https://www.docomo.ne.jp/info/news_release/2023/02/01_00.html>

However, in conventional devices, customization of virtual objects placed in a user's private space is performed, but customization of virtual objects placed in public spaces is not taken into consideration. As a result, when a user visits each city in a virtual space, the user is not provided with a sufficiently impressive visiting experience.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to generate a virtual space that reflects the user's unique worldview, providing the user with an impressive or attractive visiting experience.

A virtual space management device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is a virtual space management device that provides a user with a virtual space in which multiple individual spaces that correspond one-to-one to multiple cities are integrated, and includes a determination unit that determines a visual effect for a city visited by the user from among the multiple cities in the virtual space based on attribute information indicating the attributes of the user, a generation unit that generates an individual space for the visited city by commonly applying the visual effect determined by the determination unit to multiple buildings belonging to the visited city, and a provision unit that provides the individual space generated by the generation unit to a terminal device used by the first user.

The virtual space management device according to the present invention generates a virtual space that reflects the user's unique worldview, providing the user with an impressive or attractive visiting experience.

1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an information processing system including a virtual space management device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a network using City OS. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a terminal device in FIG. 1 . 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an individual server in FIG. 1 . 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the management server of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a neural network model applied to a learning model according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a landscape in a virtual space to which no visual effects are applied. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a landscape in a virtual space to which a visual effect dedicated to a first user is applied. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a landscape in a virtual space to which a visual effect dedicated to a second user is applied. FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of avatars moving about in the virtual space of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of avatars moving about in the virtual space of FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of avatars moving about in the virtual space of FIG. 9. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a government office reception counter in a separate space. 6 is a flowchart showing a first operation of the processing device of FIG. 5 . 6 is a flowchart showing a second operation of the processing device of FIG. 5 . 7 is a flowchart showing a third operation of the processing device of FIG. 5 . 11 is a diagram showing an example of a landscape in a virtual space to which an item included in the visual effect information is applied. FIG.

1. First Embodiment Hereinafter, the configuration of a virtual space management device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

1.1. Configuration of the first embodiment 1.1.1. Overall configuration

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system 1 including a virtual space management device according to a first embodiment. The information processing system 1 includes a terminal device 10, an individual server 20, a management server 30, and a communication network NET.

The terminal devices 10 include terminal devices 10-1, 10-2, ..., 10-K, 10-L, ..., 10-N. Here, N is any natural number, and K and L are any natural numbers smaller than N. In this embodiment, the configurations of the terminal devices 10-1 to 10-N are identical to each other. Note that the terminal devices 10 may include terminal devices that do not have the same configuration.

The first user U _K is a user who uses the terminal device 10-K. The second user U _L is a user who uses the terminal device 10-L. Note that in FIG. 1, users who use terminal devices other than the terminal device 10-K and the terminal device 10-L are omitted from the illustration.

The individual servers 20 include individual servers 20-1, 20-2, ..., 20-J, and 20-M. Here, M is any natural number, and J is any natural number smaller than M. In this embodiment, the individual servers 20-1 to 20-M have the same configuration. Note that the individual servers 20 may include individual servers that do not have the same configuration.

The individual servers 20 are servers that primarily provide administrative services for each city. Here, cities are divided into municipal units such as cities, towns, and villages, or regional units that include several cities, towns, and villages. The individual servers 20 operate the City OS as a platform for providing administrative services. The City OS is an open administrative management system that can be linked to existing administrative information systems by standardizing the platform and API (Application Programming Interface). The City OS runs application software for administration, logistics, transportation, etc., for example.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a network using each city OS. As shown in Figure 2, the city OS is operated on a municipality or regional basis. Each city OS 80-1 to 80-4 is configured to be able to cooperate with each other. There is a one-to-one correspondence between each city OS and individual servers 20-1 to 20-M.

City OS 80-1 in City A is connected to services #1, #2, #3, and #7 via a standard API. City OS 80-1 in City A is also connected to data #a, #b, #c, and #f via a standard API.

B Town's city OS 80-2 is connected to services #4, #5, and #6 via a standard API. Also, B Town's city OS 80-2 is connected to data #d, #e, and #f via a standard API.

City OS 80-4 in City D and service #7 are connected via a standard API. Therefore, city OS 80-1 in City A and city OS 80-4 in City D share service #7. Also, city OS 80-1 in City A and city OS 80-2 in Town B share data #f.

City OS 80-1 in City A, city OS 80-2 in Town B, city OS 80-3 in Village C, and city OS 80-4 in City D are directly or indirectly connected, and each city OS is interoperable. Each city OS can cooperate with each other to distribute various data within and outside of each city.

In the information processing system 1, the terminal devices 10-1 to 10-N, the individual servers 20-1 to 20-M, and the management server 30 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via a communication network NET. The information processing system 1 is a system that provides a virtual space management service to each user who uses the terminal devices 10-1 to 10-N.

The management server 30 is a server that manages the virtual space. The management server 30 acquires various information from the terminal device 10 via the communication network NET, and provides a virtual space management service to the terminal device 10. The virtual space is a space that integrates multiple individual spaces that correspond one-to-one to multiple cities. In other words, the virtual space is a space that integrates multiple individual spaces that correspond one-to-one to the individual servers 20-1 to 20-M.

1.1.2. Terminal Device Configuration Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal device 10-K in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the terminal device 10-K includes a processing device 11, a storage device 12, a communication device 13, a display 14, an input device 15, an imaging device 16, a sound recording device 17, and a positioning device 18. The elements included in the terminal device 10 are connected to each other by a single or multiple buses for communicating information.

The processing device 11 is a processor that controls the entire terminal device 10, and is configured, for example, using a single or multiple chips. The processing device 11 is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) that includes an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, registers, etc. Some or all of the functions of the processing device 11 may be realized by hardware such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The processing device 11 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

The storage device 12 is a recording medium that can be read and written by the processing device 11. The storage device 12 includes, for example, non-volatile memory and volatile memory. The non-volatile memory is, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). The volatile memory is, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory).

The storage device 12 stores a number of programs including the control program PR1 to be executed by the processing device 11. The storage device 12 also functions as a work area for the processing device 11.

The communication device 13 is hardware that functions as a transmitting/receiving device for communicating with other devices. The communication device 13 is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc. The communication device 13 may have a connector for wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. The communication device 13 may also have a wireless communication interface. Examples of the connector and interface circuit for wired connection include products that comply with wired LAN, IEEE 1394, and USB. Examples of the wireless communication interface include products that comply with wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

The display 14 is a device that displays images and text information. The display 14 displays various images based on the control of the processing device 11. For example, various display panels such as a liquid crystal panel and an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel are suitable for use as the display 14.

The input device 15 receives an operation from the first user U _K. For example, the input device 15 includes a keyboard, a touch pad, a touch panel, and a pointing device such as a mouse. Here, when the input device 15 includes a touch panel, it may also function as the display 14.

The imaging device 16 outputs an image Gx obtained by capturing an image of the outside world. The imaging device 16 includes, for example, a lens, an imaging element, an amplifier, and an AD converter. Light collected through the lens is converted by the imaging element into an analog imaging signal. The amplifier amplifies the imaging signal and outputs it to the AD converter. The AD converter converts the amplified imaging signal, which is an analog signal, into imaging information, which is a digital signal. The converted imaging information is output to the processing device 11 as an image Gx.

The recording device 17 outputs audio information Ox obtained by recording surrounding sounds. The recording device 17 includes, for example, a microphone, an amplifier, and an AD converter. The surrounding sounds are converted into an analog audio signal by the microphone. The amplifier amplifies the sound signal and outputs it to the AD converter. The AD converter converts the amplified audio signal, which is an analog signal, into audio information Ox, which is a digital signal. The converted audio information Ox is output to the processing device 11.

The positioning device 18 acquires position information of the terminal device 10. The positioning device 18 may be, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver. The GNSS receiver receives radio signals transmitted from one or more GNSS satellites. GNSS is a positioning system that uses positioning satellites from countries around the world, including GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites. The radio signals include information such as the position information of the satellite that transmitted the radio signals and the transmission time of the radio signals. The GNSS receiver performs positioning based on the one or more received radio signals, and outputs the position information of the GNSS receiver to the processing device 11.

The positioning device 18 may be, for example, a VPS (Visual Positioning Service) device. The VPS device acquires image information indicating an image of a scene in front of the first user U.K. from an imaging device provided in the XR glasses worn by the first user _U.K. The _VPS device outputs the image information acquired from the imaging device to a position information server (not shown) via the communication device 13. The VPS device acquires VPS information as position information from the position information server via the communication device 13. The position information includes the position of the first user _U.K. in real space and the direction in which the first user _U.K. views the real space.

The terminal device 10-K displays virtual objects arranged in a virtual space on the display 14 or XR glasses worn on the head of the first user U _K. Here, XR glasses is a general term for VR (Virtual Reality) glasses, AR (Augmented Reality) glasses, and MR (Mixed Reality) glasses.

The virtual object is, for example, a virtual object that represents data such as a still image, a video, a three-dimensional CG model, an HTML file, and a text file, and a virtual object that represents an application. Here, examples of text files include memos and source code. Examples of applications include a browser, an application for using an SNS, and an application for generating document files.

The terminal device 10-K includes a personal computer, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a smart watch, etc. The terminal device 10-K is preferably a mobile terminal device such as a tablet or a smartphone. Note that the XR glasses may be connected to the communication network NET without going through the terminal device 10.

The processing device 11 functions as an acquisition unit 111, an output unit 112, and a display control unit 113, for example, by reading and executing the control program PR1 from the storage device 12.

The acquisition unit 111 acquires various information transmitted from the individual servers 20-1 to 20-M and the management server 30, the captured image Gx output from the imaging device 16, the audio information Ox output from the recording device 17, and the location information output from the positioning device 18.

The output unit 112 outputs the captured image Gx, the audio information Ox, and the position information to the management server 30 via the communication device 13. In addition, the output unit 112 outputs information input by the first user _{U_K} using the input device 15 to the management server 30 via the communication device 13. The information input by the first user _{U_K} includes, for example, text information input on a chat tool.

The display control unit 113 causes the display 14 to display various pieces of information based on the various pieces of information acquired by the acquisition unit 111. For example, the display control unit 113 causes the display 14 to display an image showing a virtual object. When the XR glasses are connected to the terminal device 10-K, the display control unit 113 causes the display of the XR glasses to display an image showing a virtual object in accordance with the posture of the first user _{U_K} , i.e., the posture of the XR glasses.

1.1.3. Configuration of Individual Server Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the individual server 20-J in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the individual server 20-J includes a processing device 21, a storage device 22, a communication device 23, a display 24, and an input device 25. The elements included in the individual server 20 are connected to each other by a single or multiple buses for communicating information.

The processing device 21 is a processor that controls the entire individual server 20, and is configured, for example, using one or more chips. The processing device 21 is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) that includes an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, and a register. Some or all of the functions of the processing device 21 may be realized by hardware such as a DSP, ASIC, PLD, or FPGA. The processing device 21 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

The storage device 22 is a recording medium that can be read and written by the processing device 21. The storage device 22 includes, for example, a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory. The non-volatile memory is, for example, a ROM, an EPROM, and an EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, a RAM.

The storage device 22 stores a number of programs including a control program PR2 to be executed by the processing device 21, as well as a city OS COS, a three-dimensional CG model CGM, and visual effect information VEI. The three-dimensional CG model CGM is a model of a number of buildings placed in the public space of the city. The visual effect information VEI is information about the visual effects on the virtual space that are determined for each user who visits the city in the virtual space. The storage device 22 also functions as a work area for the processing device 21.

The communication device 23 is hardware that serves as a transmitting/receiving device for communicating with other devices. The communication device 23 is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc. The communication device 23 may have a connector for wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. The communication device 23 may also have a wireless communication interface. Examples of the connector and interface circuit for wired connection include products that comply with wired LAN, IEEE 1394, and USB. Examples of the wireless communication interface include products that comply with wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

The display 24 is a device that displays images and text information. The display 24 displays various images based on the control of the processing device 21. For example, various display panels such as a liquid crystal panel and an organic EL panel are suitable for use as the display 24.

The input device 25 is a device that accepts operations by the administrator of the information processing system 1. For example, the input device 25 includes a keyboard, a touchpad, a touch panel, and a pointing device such as a mouse. Here, if the input device 25 includes a touch panel, it may also function as the display 24. In particular, the administrator of the information processing system 1 can modify the control program PR2 by using the input device 25.

The processing device 21 functions as an acquisition unit 211, an output unit 212, and a display control unit 213, for example, by reading and executing the control program PR2 from the storage device 22.

The acquisition unit 211 acquires various information sent from other individual servers and the management server 30.

The output unit 212 outputs the visual effect information VEI stored in the storage device 22 to the management server 30 via the communication device 13.

The display control unit 213 causes the display 24 to display various pieces of information based on the various pieces of information acquired by the acquisition unit 211. For example, the display control unit 213 can transmit information on three-dimensional CG models of buildings in a city to the display 24, and cause the display 24 to display buildings in a virtual space.

1.1.4. Configuration of the Management Server Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the management server 30 in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 5, the management server 30 includes a processing device 31 as a virtual space management device, a storage device 32, a communication device 33, a display 34, and an input device 35. The elements included in the management server 30 are connected to each other by a single or multiple buses for communicating information. The management server 30 is an example of a virtual space management device.

The processing device 31 is a processor that controls the entire management server 30, and is configured, for example, using one or more chips. The processing device 21 is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) that includes an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, and a register. Some or all of the functions of the processing device 31 may be realized by hardware such as a DSP, ASIC, PLD, or FPGA. The processing device 31 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

The storage device 32 is a recording medium that can be read and written by the processing device 31. The storage device 32 includes, for example, a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory. The non-volatile memory is, for example, a ROM, an EPROM, and an EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, a RAM.

The storage device 32 stores a plurality of programs including the control program PR3 to be executed by the processing device 31, the teacher data TD1, the learning model LM1, the large-scale language model LLM, and the ID database IDB. The storage device 32 also functions as a work area for the processing device 31.

The communication device 33 is hardware that functions as a transmitting/receiving device for communicating with other devices. The communication device 33 is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc. The communication device 33 may have a connector for wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. The communication device 33 may also have a wireless communication interface. Examples of the connector and interface circuit for wired connection include products that comply with wired LAN, IEEE 1394, and USB. Examples of the wireless communication interface include products that comply with wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

The display 34 is a device that displays images and text information. The display 34 displays various images based on the control of the processing device 31. For example, various display panels such as a liquid crystal panel and an organic EL panel are suitable for use as the display 34.

The input device 35 is a device that accepts operations by the administrator of the information processing system 1. For example, the input device 35 includes a keyboard, a touchpad, a touch panel, and a pointing device such as a mouse. Here, if the input device 35 includes a touch panel, it may also function as the display 34. In particular, the administrator of the information processing system 1 can modify the control program PR3 by using the input device 35.

The processing device 31 functions as a judgment unit 311, an acquisition unit 312, a decision unit 313, a generation unit 314, a provision unit 315, an avatar control unit 316, and a learning unit 317, for example, by reading and executing the control program PR3 from the storage device 32.

The processing device 31 provides a virtual space VS that integrates a plurality of individual spaces to a first user U _K. The plurality of individual spaces correspond one-to-one to a plurality of cities. As described above, in each of the plurality of cities, a city OS is operated by an individual server 20 as a platform for providing administrative services.

When the first user _U.K. visits city J in the virtual space, the determination unit 311 determines whether or not the first user _U.K. visits city A in the virtual space for the first time. When the first user _U.K. visits city J in the virtual space for the first time, the processing device 31 determines a visual effect dedicated to the first user _U.K. for buildings in the virtual space, as described below. City J is an example of a visited city. A visited city is a city visited by the first user _U.K. among a plurality of cities in the virtual space VS.

On the other hand, if it is not the first time that the first user _U.K. visits city J in the virtual space, the processing device 31 determines the visual effect dedicated to the first user _U.K. on the buildings in the virtual space as the visual effect determined when the first user _U.K. first visits city J. The visual effect determined when the first user _U.K. first visits city J is stored as visual effect information VEI in the storage device 22 of the individual server 20-J corresponding to city J.

The acquisition unit 312 acquires the behavior history of the first user _U.K. from the terminal device 10-K and the individual servers 20-1 to 20-M. The behavior history includes at least one of the following: the speech of the first user _U.K. in a virtual space including the individual space for each city, the posting of the first user _U.K. to a social networking service (SNS), and the spatial movement history of the first user _U.K. in the virtual space.

The determination unit 313 extracts attribute information indicating attributes of the first user U _K from the behavior history of the first user U _K. The attribute information is, for example, information regarding the age, sex, occupation, hobbies, preferences, etc. of the first user U _K.

The behavior history of the first user _U.K. may include the first user _U.K. 's speech in the real space, the first user _U.K. 's posts to SNS in the real space, the first user _U.K. 's movement history in the real space, etc. In addition, it is desirable to obtain the first user _U.K. 's consent in advance according to rules, etc., for the recording of the speech content and the recording of information related to the spatial movement history, etc.

The determination unit 313 determines a visual effect for each city in the virtual space visited by the first user _{U_K} , based on attribute information indicating the attributes of the first user _{U_K} .

More specifically, the determination unit 313 analyzes the emotion of the first user U _K from the attribute information of the first user U _K by using, for example, a known value understanding technology. The value understanding technology is a technology that analyzes information related to the spatial movement history of the first user U _K seamlessly acquired in the real space and the virtual space, and understands the emotion of the first user U _K (see Non-Patent Document 1).

The analysis of information based on the speech content of the first user _{U_K} and the analysis of information related to spatial movement history can be realized by a well-known large-scale language model LLM.

Here, visual effects refer to at least one of the colors, tones, textures, patterns, etc., that are applied to the surface of a building constructed using a 3D CG model.

The generation unit 314 generates an individual space of a visiting city visited by the first user _U.K. by commonly applying the visual effect determined by the determination unit 313 to a plurality of buildings belonging to the visiting city visited by the first user _U.K. In other words, the generation unit 314 generates an individual space of a visiting city visited by the first user _U.K. by applying the same visual effect to a plurality of buildings belonging to the visiting city visited by the first user _U.K. The buildings include buildings, houses, commercial facilities, public facilities, hospitals, factories, warehouses, etc.

The providing unit 315 provides the individual space generated by the generating unit 314 to the terminal device 10-K used by the first user _U.K. The providing unit 315 provides information about the individual space to the terminal device 10- _K based on information about the position of the first user U.K. in the virtual space and information about the direction in which the first user _U.K. is facing.

The avatar control unit 316 controls the movement of the avatar of the first user _U.K. in the virtual space. More specifically, the avatar control unit 316 acquires position information of the avatar of the first user _U.K. and operation information of the input device 15 by the first user _U.K. from the terminal device 10-K. The avatar control unit 316 controls the movement of the avatar of the first user _U.K. in the virtual space displayed on the display 14 or the display of the XR glasses in accordance with the acquired position information of the avatar and operation information of the input device 15.

The learning unit 317 has a teacher data acquisition unit 317a and a model generation unit 317b. The teacher data acquisition unit 317a prepares multiple pieces of teacher data TD1 and stores the multiple pieces of teacher data TD1 in the storage device 32. The multiple pieces of teacher data TD1 are configured by associating input data with output data. The teacher data acquisition unit 317a prepares a learning model LM1 before learning. During machine learning, the teacher data acquisition unit 317a randomly acquires a set of teacher data from the multiple pieces of teacher data TD1, for example, from the storage device 32.

The model generation unit 317b generates a trained learning model LM1 by having the learning model LM1 learn multiple pieces of teacher data TD1 by machine learning. More specifically, the model generation unit 317b performs machine learning using multiple pieces of teacher data TD1 stored in the storage device 32. That is, the model generation unit 317b inputs multiple pieces of teacher data TD1 to the learning model LM1, and has the learning model LM1 learn the correlation between the input data and output data that constitute the multiple pieces of teacher data TD1 by machine learning, thereby generating a trained learning model LM1.

The multiple teacher data TD1 include multiple sets of data sets. One set of data sets is composed of a set of input data including an "image of the city" and output data including "clothing worn by a third-party avatar." In supervised learning, the output data is, for example, called a correct answer label. In this way, for each keyword included in the input data, colors and patterns associated with that keyword are associated as output data.

6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a neural network model 90 applied to the learning model LM1 according to the first embodiment. The neural network model 90 includes an input layer 91, an intermediate layer 92, and an output layer 93.

The input layer 91 has neurons whose number corresponds to the number of words or character strings as input data, and each word or character string is input to each neuron.

The intermediate layer 92 is composed of, for example, a convolutional neural network. The intermediate layer 92 converts the features extracted from the "city image" input via the input layer 91 using an activation function, and outputs the feature vector as a one-dimensional array.

The output layer 93 outputs output data including "clothes worn by the third-party avatar" based on the feature vectors output from the intermediate layer 92.

Between each phase of the neural network model 90, there are synapses that connect the neurons between the layers.

The model generation unit 317b inputs multiple pieces of teacher data TD1 to the neural network model 90, and causes the neural network model 90 to perform machine learning of the correlation between the input data "image of the town" and the output data "clothing worn by a third-party avatar." More specifically, the model generation unit 317b first selects a set of data from the multiple pieces of teacher data TD1, and inputs the "image of the town" constituting the set of data into the input layer 91 of the neural network model 90 as input data.

The model generation unit 317b uses an evaluation function that compares the output data output from the output layer 93 as an inference result, i.e., "clothes worn by a third-party avatar," with the output data that constitutes the set of data, i.e., the correct label of "clothes worn by a third-party avatar," and adjusts the weights associated with each synapse so that the value of the evaluation function becomes smaller. Here, adjusting the weights associated with each synapse is called backpropagation.

The model generation unit 317b sequentially inputs the "city image" constituting each of the multiple sets of data sets in the multiple sets of teacher data TD1 as input data to the input layer 91 of the neural network model 90. The model generation unit 317b compares each piece of input data with the output data corresponding to each piece of input data, and iteratively adjusts the weights associated with each synapse so as to reduce the value of the evaluation function.

When the model generation unit 317b determines that a predetermined learning end condition is satisfied, it ends the machine learning and stores the neural network model 90 at that point in time in the storage device 32 as a trained learning model LM1. The predetermined learning end condition is, for example, that the number of iterations of the series of learning processes described above reaches a predetermined number, and that the value of the evaluation function becomes smaller than an allowable value.

1.1.6. Overview of the operation of the processing device 31 FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a landscape in the virtual space VS to which no visual effects are applied. For example, FIG. 7 shows a landscape of J city corresponding to the individual server 20-J. In FIG. 7, buildings 101 to 105 are shown by three-dimensional CG models CGM. As shown in FIG. 7, when no visual effects are applied, the surface colors, patterns, etc. of the buildings 101 to 105 in the virtual space VS are different for each building based on the colors, patterns, etc. in the real space. When no visual effects are applied, the three-dimensional CG models CGM in the virtual space VS are created based on photographic data of the real space, such as satellite photographs and aerial photographs.

In this way, the appearances of the buildings 101 to 105 in the virtual space VS, which are virtual objects in a public space, often lack uniformity. If the appearances of the buildings 101 to 105 are not uniform, the cityscape will not be distinctive. Therefore, no matter which city a visitor visits, the cityscape will be similar, and the visitor may not have an impressive experience.

The three-dimensional CG model CGM without visual effects is stored in the storage device 22 of the individual server 20-J. Note that FIG. 7 is an auxiliary diagram for explaining the first embodiment, and the space shown in FIG. 7 is not provided to any terminal device.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a landscape in the virtual space VS to which a visual effect dedicated to the first user U _K is applied. Fig. 8 shows a landscape in the same field of view as Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 8, the buildings 101 _K to 105 _K correspond to the buildings 101 to 105 in Fig. 7, respectively. The buildings 101 _K to 105 _K are applied with a common color and pattern as a visual effect, so that the colors and patterns of the buildings 101 _K to 105 _K are unified.

When the first user _{U_K} visits J city in the virtual space VS, the first user _{U_K} sees a landscape with colors and patterns as shown in Fig. 8 as an individual space DS- _{J_K} on the display of the terminal device 10-K or the XR glasses. Therefore, the first user _{U_K} forms an impression of J city due to the unified landscape of J city.

Information relating to the visual effects dedicated to the first user U _K in City J in the virtual space VS is stored in the storage device 22 of the individual server 20-J corresponding to City J in the virtual space VS.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a landscape in the virtual space VS to which a visual effect dedicated to a second user U _L is applied. The second user U _L is a user who uses the terminal device 10-L, and is a different user from the first user U _K. Fig. 9 shows a landscape in the same field of view as Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. As shown in Fig. 9, the buildings 101 _L to 105 _L correspond to the buildings 101 to 105 in Fig. 7, respectively. The buildings 101 _L to 105 _L are given a common color and pattern as a visual effect, so that the color and pattern of the surfaces of the buildings 101 _L to 105 _L are unified.

The surface colors and patterns of the buildings _101L to _105L are unified, but are different from the surface colors and patterns of the buildings _101K to _105K in Fig. 8. When the second user U _L visits City J in the virtual space VS, the second user U _L sees a landscape with colors and patterns as shown in Fig. 9 as individual space DS- _JL on the display of the terminal device 10-L or on the XR glasses. Therefore, the second user U _L forms an impression of City J due to the unified scenery of City J.

Information relating to the visual effects dedicated to the second user U _L in City J in the virtual space VS is stored in the storage device 22 of the individual server 20-J corresponding to City J in the virtual space VS.

In this way, even when the same city in the virtual space VS is visited, the way the scenery appears to the first user _UK and the way the scenery appears to the second user _UL are different from each other.

For example, if the hobbies of the first user U _K are extracted as tennis and travel, the determination unit 313 determines, from the keywords tennis and travel, bright colors as the colors of the buildings 101 _K to 105 _K. If the hobby of the second user U _L is extracted as reading, the determination unit 313 determines, from the keyword reading, calm colors as the colors of the buildings 101 _L to 105 _L.

Another index of attribute information is a user's impression of each city. For example, when the name of a city among a plurality of cities appears as a keyword in the history of past utterances or posts by the first user U _K , the determination unit 313 extracts at least one term related to the impression of the city that was picked up within a predetermined period including the time when the name of the city appeared.

For example, if the determination unit 313 extracts the keyword "Kamakura" as a city, the determination unit 313 extracts terms related to the impression of "Kamakura" within a specified period that includes the time when the keyword appears.

The determination unit 313 determines the image of "Kamakura" by inputting the extracted terms as prompts into a well-known large-scale language model. Known examples of large-scale language models include ChatGPT (https://openai.com/chatgpt) and StableLM (https://stability.ai/blog/stability-ai-launches-the-first-of-its-stablelm-suite-of-language-models).

For example, when the determining unit 313 extracts terms such as "ocean" and "surfing" from the utterances and posts of the first user U _K within a predetermined period of time, the image of "Kamakura is a surfing town" is obtained. In this case, the image of "Kamakura" is, for example, a bright image bathed in plenty of sunlight.

For example, when the determining unit 313 extracts terms such as temples, famous places, historical sites, and historical figures from the utterances and posts of the second user U _L within a predetermined period of time, the image of "Kamakura is a historic town" is obtained. In this case, the image of "Kamakura" is, for example, an image of calm colors.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of avatars moving around in the virtual space VS of FIG. 7. In other words, FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a landscape in the virtual space VS to which no visual effects have been applied, and an example of an avatar to which no visual effects have been applied.

In Fig. 10, the avatar of the first user U _K is avatar 201, and the avatars of other users, i.e., third parties, are avatars 202, 203, and 204. The appearance of each of the avatars 201 to 204, including their clothes, is set in advance by each user. Therefore, there is often no uniformity in the appearance of each avatar. Note that Fig. 10 is an auxiliary diagram for explaining the first embodiment, and the space shown in Fig. 10 is not provided to any terminal device.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of avatars moving about in the virtual space VS of Fig. 8. In other words, Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of scenery and avatars in the virtual space VS to which a visual effect dedicated to the first user U _K is applied. As shown in Fig. 11, the visual effect dedicated to the first user U _K is not applied to the appearance of the avatar 201 of the first user U _K , but is applied commonly to the appearances of the avatars 202 _K to 204 _K other than the avatar 201 _of the first user U K. That is, the generation unit 314 applies the same visual effect to the avatars 202 _K to 204 _K other than the avatar 201 of the first user U _K.

The determination unit 313 determines the appearance of the third party avatars _202K to _204K traveling through the city in the virtual space VS visited by the first user _U.K. based on the attribute information of the first user _U.K. For example, if the determination unit 313 obtains the image that "Kamakura is a surfing town" from the speech, posts, etc. of the first user _U.K. , the image of "Kamakura" will be, for example, a bright image bathed in plenty of sunlight. In this case, the determination unit 313 determines that the clothing to be worn by the third party avatars _202K to _204K will be T-shirts with a yacht pattern reminiscent of the sea.

The correlation between the "image of the city" and the "clothing worn by a third-party avatar" is machine-learned in advance by the learning unit 317 using a large amount of data.

The generation unit 314 applies the appearance of the third-party avatar determined by the determination unit 313 to the third-party avatars _202K to _204K belonging to the city visited by the first user _{U_K} , thereby generating an individual space DS- _JK of city J visited by the first user _{U_K} .

The providing unit 315 provides the individual space DS- _JK generated by the generating unit 314 to the terminal device 10-K used by the first user U _K. Therefore, the first user U _K recognizes the appearance of the avatar 201 of the first user U _K as the appearance previously set by the first user U _K himself, and recognizes the third party avatars 202 _K to 204 _K as wearing T-shirts with a yacht pattern. Therefore, the first user U _K forms an impression of city J based on the uniform appearance of the third party avatars 202 _K to 204 _K.

Data relating to the appearances of the avatars 202 _K to 204 _K when the visual effects of FIG. 11 are applied is stored in the storage device 22 of the individual server 20-J corresponding to J city.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which avatars are coming and going in the virtual space VS of Fig. 9. In other words, Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a landscape and avatars in the virtual space VS to which a visual effect dedicated to the second user _UL is applied. As shown in Fig. 12, the visual effect dedicated to the second user _UL is not applied to the appearance of the avatar 202 of the second user _UL , but is commonly applied to the appearances of _the avatars _201L , _203L , and _204L other than the avatar 202 of the second user UL. That is, the generation unit 314 applies the same visual effect to the avatars _201L , _203L , and _204L other than the avatar 202 of the second user _UL .

The determination unit 313 determines the appearance of the third-party avatars _201L , _203L , and _204L traveling through the city in the virtual space VS visited by the second user _UL based on the attribute information of the second user _UL . For example, if the determination unit 313 obtains the image that "Kanda is a town of reading" from the speech, posts, etc. of the second user _UL , the image of "Kanda" becomes a calm and quiet image. In this case, the determination unit 313 determines that the clothes to be worn by the third-party avatars _201L , _203L , and _204L will be plain monotone shirts.

The correlation between the "image of the city" and the "clothing worn by a third-party avatar" is machine-learned in advance by the learning unit 317 using a large amount of data.

The generation unit 314 generates an individual space DS-JL of a city visited by the second user _UL by applying the appearance of the third party avatar determined by the determination unit 313 to a third party avatar belonging to a city visited by the second user _UL . In other words, the individual space DS- _JL of a city visited by the second user _UL is generated by the generation unit 314 by applying the appearance _of the third party avatar determined by the determination unit 313 to a third party avatar belonging to a city visited by the second user _UL .

The providing unit 315 provides the individual space DS- _JL generated by the generating unit 314 to the terminal device 10-L used by the second user _UL . Therefore, the second user _UL recognizes the appearance of the avatar 202 of the second user _UL as an appearance preset by the second user _UL himself, and recognizes the third party avatars _201L , _203L , and _204L as wearing plain monotone shirts. Therefore, the second user _UL forms an impression of City J based on the uniform appearance of the third party avatars _201L , _203L , and _204L .

Data relating to the appearances of the avatars 201 _L , 203 _L , and 204 _L when the visual effects of FIG. 12 are applied is stored in the storage device 22 of the individual server 20-J corresponding to J city.

13 is a diagram showing an example of a reception counter 61 of a government office 60 in an individual space DS-J _K. A first user U _K can receive administrative services of city J corresponding to the individual space DS-J _K by visiting the government office 60 in the individual space DS-J _K.

13 , a first user _{U_K} refers to a list of procedures 62 at a reception counter 61 of a government office 60, and selects a target procedure from the list 62. If the target procedure is to obtain a birth certificate, the first user _{U_K} selects “Birth Certificate” from the list 62.

The user ID for accessing the virtual space VS of the first user _U.K. and the administrative personal number of the first user _U.K. are linked to each other. The relationship between the user ID of the first user _U.K. and the administrative personal number of the first user _U.K. is stored as an ID database IDB in the storage device 32 of the management server 30.

That is, the avatar control unit 316, through the operation of the first user _U.K. , causes the avatar 201 of the first user _U.K. to carry out a procedure in the government office 60 in the virtual space VS using a user ID for accessing the virtual space VS. Through this procedure, the avatar control unit 316 provides the first user _U.K. with services equivalent to the administrative services of City J in the real space.

1.2. Operation of the virtual space management device according to the first embodiment 1.2.1. First operation of the processing device 31 Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing the first operation of the processing device 31 of Fig. 5. Hereinafter, the first operation of the processing device 31 will be described with reference to Fig. 14. The routine of Fig. 14 is started, for example, when the processing device 31 is started, and is executed every time a certain period of time has elapsed.

In step S11, the processing device 31 determines whether or not the first user _{U_K} has visited city J in the virtual space VS for the first time by functioning as the determination unit 311. Whether or not the first user _{U_K} has visited city J in the virtual space VS for the first time is determined, for example, by whether or not a visual effect corresponding to the first user _{U_K} is stored in the storage device 22 of the individual server 20-J corresponding to city J.

That is, if the storage device 22 of the individual server 20-J does not store visual effects corresponding to the first user _U.K. , it is determined that the first user _U.K. has visited city J for the first time. On the other hand, if the storage device 22 of the individual server 20-J stores visual effects corresponding to the first user _U.K. , it is determined that the first user _U.K. has already visited city J.

If it is determined in step S11 that the first user _{U_K} has visited city J for the first time, i.e., if the determination result in step S11 is positive, the processing device 31 functions as an acquisition unit 312 and acquires the behavioral history of the first user _{U_K} from the individual servers 20-1 to 20-M and the terminal device 10-K in step S12.

Next, in step S13, the processing device 31 functions as the determining unit 313 to extract attribute information of the first user _{U_K} from the acquired behavior history and the like.

Next, in step S14, the processing device 31 functions as the determination unit 313 to determine the colors and patterns, i.e., the visual effects, of the multiple buildings belonging to city J based on the attribute information of the first user U through _K.

Next, in step S15, the processing device 31 functions as the determination unit 313 to determine the appearance, i.e., the visual effect, of a third party's avatar in city J based on the attribute information of _the first user UK.

Next, in step S16, the processing device 31 functions as a determination unit 313 to store the visual effects corresponding to the first user _UK in the determined city J in the virtual space VS in the storage device 22 of the individual server 20-J corresponding to city J.

Next, in step S17, the processing device 31 functions as the generation unit 314 to generate an individual space DS-J _K by applying the determined visual effect to a plurality of buildings belonging to city J and third-party avatars.

Next, in step S18, the processing device 31 functions as the providing unit 315 to provide the generated individual space DS- _{J_K} to the terminal device 10-K of the first user _{U_K} , and then ends this routine.

In addition, if it is determined in step S11 that this is not the first time that the first user _{U_K} has visited city J, that is, if the determination result in step S11 is negative, the processing device 31 functions as a generation unit 314, and in step S17 generates an individual space DS-J_K by applying the visual effects stored in the storage device ₂₂ of the individual server 20-J to multiple buildings and third-party avatars belonging to city J.

In the above routine, an example is shown of a case where a first user _{U_K} visits city J in virtual space VS, but the processing device 31 also performs processing in the same manner as the above routine when any user visits any city.

1.2.2 Second Operation of the Processing Device 31 Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the second operation of the processing device 31 of Fig. 5. The second operation of the processing device 31 will be described below with reference to Fig. 15. The routine of Fig. 15 is started, for example, when the processing device 31 is started, and is executed every time a certain period of time has elapsed.

In step S21, the processing device 31 functions as the avatar control unit 316 to obtain avatar operation information and avatar position information.

Next, in step S22, the processing device 31 functions as the avatar control unit 316 to determine whether the avatar 201 has arrived at the reception counter 61 of the government office 60.

If, in step S22, the avatar control unit 316 determines that the avatar 201 has not arrived at the reception counter 61 of the government office 60, i.e., the determination result in step S22 is negative, the processing device 31 temporarily ends this routine.

On the other hand, if the avatar control unit 316 determines in step S22 that the avatar 201 has arrived at the reception counter 61 of the government office 60, i.e., if the determination result in step S22 is positive, the processing device 31 functions as the avatar control unit 316 to display the list of procedures 62 in step S23.

Next, in step S24, the processing device 31 functions as the avatar control unit 316 to obtain avatar operation information.

Next, in step S25, the processing device 31 functions as the avatar control unit 316 to determine whether any of the displayed list of procedures 62 has been selected by the avatar 201.

If, in step S25, the avatar control unit 316 determines that none of the procedures in the displayed list of procedures 62 has been selected by the avatar 201, i.e., the determination result in step S25 is negative, the processing device 31 functions as the avatar control unit 316 and reacquires the avatar operation information in step S24.

On the other hand, if the avatar control unit 316 determines in step S25 that one of the procedures in the displayed list of procedures 62 has been selected by the avatar 201, i.e., if the determination result in step S25 is positive, the processing device 31 functions as the avatar control unit 316, and proceeds with the processing in step S26 according to the selected procedure, and then temporarily ends this routine.

In the above routine, an example is shown of a case where a first user _{U_K} visits city J in virtual space VS, but the processing device 31 also performs processing in the same manner as the above routine when any user visits any city.

1.2.3. Third operation of the processing device 31 Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing the third operation of the processing device 31 of Fig. 5. Hereinafter, the third operation of the processing device 31 will be described with reference to Fig. 16. The third operation is an operation related to a machine learning method by the learning unit 317. The routine of Fig. 15 is started, for example, when the processing device 31 is started, and is executed every time a certain time has passed.

In step S31, the processing device 31 functions as the teacher data acquisition unit 317a to prepare multiple pieces of teacher data TD1 as a preliminary step for starting machine learning, and stores the multiple pieces of teacher data TD1 thus prepared in the storage device 32. The number of pieces of teacher data prepared here may be set taking into consideration the inference accuracy required for the learning model LM1 that is ultimately obtained.

Next, in step S32, the processing device 31 functions as the teacher data acquisition unit 317a to prepare a pre-learning learning model LM1 in order to start machine learning. The pre-learning learning model LM1 prepared here employs the neural network model 90 shown in FIG. 6, and the weights of each synapse are set to an initial value. Each neuron in the input layer 91 is associated with an "image of a city" as input data constituting the multiple teacher data TD1. Each neuron in the output layer 93 is associated with "clothing worn by a third-party avatar" as output data constituting the multiple teacher data TD1.

Next, in step S33, the processing device 31 functions as the teacher data acquisition unit 317a to acquire, for example, a set of data randomly from the multiple teacher data TD1 stored in the storage device 32.

Next, in step S34, the processing device 31 functions as the model generation unit 317b, and inputs the input data contained in the set of data sets to the input layer 91 of the prepared learning model LM1 before or during learning. As a result, output data is output as an inference result from the output layer 93 of the learning model LM1. However, this output data has been generated by the learning model LM1 before or during learning. Therefore, in the pre-learning or learning state, the data output as an inference result indicates information that is different from the output data contained in the set of data sets, i.e., the correct answer label.

Next, in step S35, the processing device 31 functions as the model generation unit 317b to compare the output data included in the set of data acquired in step S33, i.e., the correct label, with the output data output from the output layer 93 as an inference result in step S34, and adjust the weight of each synapse, thereby performing machine learning. As a result, the model generation unit 317b causes the learning model LM1 to learn the correlation between the input data and the output data.

Next, in step S36, the processing device 31 functions as the model generation unit 317b to determine whether a predetermined learning end condition has been met based on the value of an evaluation function based on the inference result and the output data contained in one set of data, i.e., the correct answer label. The model generation unit 317b may also determine whether a predetermined learning end condition has been met based on the inference result and the remaining number of unlearned data sets stored in the storage device 32.

In step S36, if the model generation unit 317b determines that the learning termination condition is not satisfied and machine learning is to be continued, i.e., if the determination result in step S36 is negative, the processing device 31 functions as the model generation unit 317b and performs the processes from step S33 to step S35 multiple times on the learning model LM1 being learned using an unlearned dataset.

On the other hand, if the model generation unit 317b determines in step S36 that the learning termination condition is satisfied, i.e., if the determination result in step S36 is positive, the processing device 31 functions as the model generation unit 317b, and adjusts the weights associated with each synapse in step S37 to store the machine-learned learning model LM1, i.e., the adjusted weight parameter group, in the storage device 32, and temporarily terminates this routine.

In the machine learning method of FIG. 15, online learning has been used as a method for adjusting weights, but batch learning, mini-batch learning, etc. may also be used. Furthermore, whether or not a predetermined learning end condition has been met may be determined based on the misjudgment rate.

1.3. Effects of the First Embodiment According to the above description, the processing device 31 as a virtual space management device according to the first embodiment includes a determination unit 313, a generation unit 314, and a provision unit 315. The determination unit 313 determines a visual effect for a visited city visited by the first user _U.K. among a plurality of cities in the virtual space VS, based on attribute information indicating the attributes of the first user _U.K. The generation unit 314 generates an individual space for the visited city by commonly applying the visual effect determined by the determination unit 313 to a plurality of buildings belonging to the visited city. The provision unit 315 provides the individual space generated by the generation unit 314 to the terminal device 10-K used by the first user _U.K.

According to this aspect, for each visited city, visual effects are set in common for a plurality of virtual objects arranged in a public space in the virtual space VS based on the attribute information of the first user _U.K. Thus, a unified cityscape is formed. Thus, for each city, a virtual space VS is generated that reflects the unique worldview of the first user _U.K. Thus, an impressive or attractive visiting experience is obtained for the first user _U.K.

In addition, the determination unit 313 determines the visual effect when the first user _{U_K} visits the visited city in the virtual space VS for the first time, and maintains the visual effect when the first user _{U_K} visits the visited city again.

According to this embodiment, the color and design of the virtual object in the virtual space VS set at the time of the first visit for each city are maintained. Therefore, even if the first user U _K revisits a visited city, the previous world view is maintained.

Furthermore, the determination unit 313 determines the appearance of a third party avatar traveling to and from a visited city in the virtual space VS visited by the first user _U.K. based on the attribute information. The generation unit 314 applies the appearance of the third party avatar determined by the determination unit 313 to the third party avatars 202, 203, and 204 belonging to the visited city visited by the first user _U.K. , thereby generating an individual space DS- _J.K . of the visited city visited by the first user _U.K. The provision unit 315 provides the individual space DS- _J.K . generated by the generation unit 314 to the terminal device 10-K used by the first user _U.K.

According to this aspect, the first user _U.K. can visually see the appearance of the third party's avatar that has been changed based on the attribute information of the first user _U.K. , regardless of how the third party's avatar is dressed, so that the worldview of the first user _U.K. with respect to the visited city is expressed more impressively.

In addition, the determination unit 313 determines the appearance of the third-party avatar when the first user _{U_K} visits the visited city in the virtual space VS for the first time, and maintains the appearance of the third-party avatar when the first user _{U_K} visits the visited city again.

According to this embodiment, when the first user _U.K. revisits a visited city, the appearance of the third-party avatar is maintained. Therefore, even when the first user _U.K. revisits a visited city, the previous world view is maintained.

In addition, when the name of a city among multiple cities appears as a keyword in the history of past utterances or posts by the first user _{U_K} , the determination unit 313 extracts at least one term related to the impression of the city that was picked up within a specified period including the time when the name of the city appeared.

According to this embodiment, the impression of the first user _{U_K} regarding a certain city can be extracted with higher accuracy.

The processing device 31 also includes an avatar control unit 316. The avatar control unit 316 provides the first user U_K with a service equivalent to the administrative service in the real space by having the avatar 201 of the first user _{U_K} carry out a procedure in the government _office 60 in the virtual space VS using a user ID for accessing the virtual space VS.

According to this embodiment, the first user UK can receive administrative services without having to go to a government office in the real world, thereby improving convenience for the first user _UK .

2. Modifications The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Specific modification examples are illustrated below. Two or more of the following examples may be combined. The above-described embodiment and the following modification examples may be combined in any combination as long as they are not mutually contradictory.

2.1. Variation 1
In the first embodiment, the visual effect information VEI is applied to the colors and patterns of multiple buildings belonging to city J in the virtual space VS, and the visuals of third-party avatars traveling through city J in the virtual space VS. However, the visual effect information VEI may also include items related to the "image of the city" that the user has.

Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a scene in the virtual space VS to which an item included in the visual effect information VEI has been applied. Fig. 17 shows a scene when a first user _{U_K} visits city J in the virtual space VS. Since the first user _{U_K} has an image of city J as a surfing town, the determination unit 313 places surfboards _301K and _302K on street corners as visual effects.

For example, in a city in which the user associates "reading," bronze statues of famous writers may be placed on street corners, and in a city in which the user associates "festivals," lanterns may be placed on street corners.

2.2. Modification 2
In the first embodiment, the three-dimensional CG models CGM of a plurality of buildings belonging to each city are stored in the storage devices 22 of the individual servers 20-1 to 20-M corresponding to each city, but may also be stored collectively in the storage device 32 of the management server 30.

In addition, in the first embodiment, information regarding the visual effects specific to each user in the virtual space VS of each city is stored as visual effect information VEI in the storage devices 22 of the individual servers 20-1 to 20-M corresponding to each city. However, the visual effect information VEI stored in each storage device 22 may be stored collectively in the storage device 32 of the management server 30.

2.3. Modification 3
In the first embodiment, the management server 30 is provided as a separate entity from the individual servers 20-1 to 20-M, but the functions of the management server 30 may be distributed among the individual servers 20-1 to 20-M, respectively.

2.4. Modification 4
In the first embodiment, the determination unit 313 determined the color and pattern of the building using a large-scale language model LLM, but a learning model that learns the correlation between the "image of the city" and the "color and pattern of the building" through supervised learning may also be used.

2.5. Modification 5
In the first embodiment, the determination unit 313 determines the clothes to be worn by the third-party avatar using a learning model LM1 that has learned the correlation between the "image of the town" and the "clothing worn by the third-party avatar" through supervised learning. However, to determine the clothes to be worn by the third-party avatar, a learning model that has been trained through unsupervised learning using a large amount of data including the "image of the town" and the "clothing worn by the third-party avatar" may be used.

The determination unit 313 may also determine the clothing to be worn by the third-party avatar using a well-known large-scale language model. For example, the determination unit 313 may determine the clothing to be worn by the third-party avatar by inputting a prompt related to the extracted "city image" of City J and a prompt to output clothing characteristics that match the "city image" of City J into the large-scale language model.

3. Others (1) In the above-described embodiment, the storage device 12, the storage device 22, and the storage device 32 are exemplified by ROM and RAM, but the storage devices 12, 22, and 32 may be flexible disks, magneto-optical disks (e.g., compact disks, digital versatile disks, Blu-ray (registered trademark) disks), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., cards, sticks, key drives), CD-ROMs (Compact Disc-ROMs), registers, removable disks, hard disks, floppy (registered trademark) disks, magnetic strips, databases, servers, or other suitable storage media. The programs may also be transmitted from a network via electric communication lines. The programs may also be transmitted from a communication network NET via electric communication lines.

(2) In the above-described embodiments, the information, signals, etc. described may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the input/output information, etc. may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or may be managed using a management table. The input/output information, etc. may be overwritten, updated, or added to. The output information, etc. may be deleted. The input information, etc. may be transmitted to another device.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the determination may be made based on a value (0 or 1) represented using one bit, a Boolean value (true or false), or a comparison of numerical values (e.g., a comparison with a predetermined value).

(5) The order of the process steps, sequences, flow charts, etc. illustrated in the above-described embodiments may be changed as long as it is not inconsistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order and are not limited to the particular order presented.

(6) Each function illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 17 is realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the method of realizing each functional block. That is, each functional block may be realized using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more devices that are physically or logically separated and connected directly or indirectly (e.g., using wires, wirelessly, etc.) and these multiple devices. A functional block may be realized by combining the one device or the multiple devices with software.

(7) The programs exemplified in the above-described embodiments should be broadly construed to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., regardless of whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or by other names.

In addition, software, instructions, information, etc. may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and/or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included within the definition of a transmission medium.

(8) In each of the above embodiments, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

(9) The information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, may be expressed using relative values from a predetermined value, or may be expressed using other corresponding information.

(10) In the above-described embodiments, the terminal device 10 may be a mobile station (MS). A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terminology. In addition, in this disclosure, terms such as "mobile station," "user terminal," "user equipment (UE)," and "terminal" may be used interchangeably.

(11) In the above-mentioned embodiments, the terms "connected" and "coupled" or any variation thereof refer to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be a physical coupling or connection, a logical coupling or connection, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read with "access". As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and light (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

(12) In the above embodiments, the term "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless otherwise specified. In other words, the term "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

(13) The terms "determining" and "determining" as used in this disclosure may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, search, inquiry (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), and considering ascertaining to be "judging" or "determining". Also, "determining" and "determining" may include considering receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, and accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory) to be "judging" or "determining". Additionally, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc., to have been "judged" or "decided." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering some action to have been "judged" or "decided." Additionally, "judgment (decision)" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

(14) In the above embodiments, when the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, the term "or" as used in this disclosure is not intended to be an exclusive or.

(15) In this disclosure, where articles have been added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include that the noun following these articles is in the plural.

(16) In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combined" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

(17) Each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the execution. In addition, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is the case") is not limited to being an explicit notification, but may be performed implicitly (e.g., not notifying the specific information).

Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended as an illustrative example and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1...information processing system, 10, 10-1, 10-2, 10-K, 10-L, 10-N...terminal device, 30...management server, 101 to 105, _101K to _105K , _101L to _105L ...buildings, 201, _201L , ₂₀₂ , 202K, ₂₀₃ , 203K, 203L, ₂₀₄ , 204K _{, 204L} ...avatars, 313...determination unit, 314...generation unit, 315...provision unit, 316...avatar control unit, DS- _JK , DS- _JL ...individual space, LLM...large-scale language model, _UK ...first user, _UL ...second user, VS...virtual space

Claims (6)

A virtual space management device that provides a user with a virtual space in which a plurality of individual spaces corresponding one-to-one to a plurality of cities are integrated, comprising:
a determination unit that determines a visual effect for a city that the user visits among the plurality of cities in the virtual space based on attribute information indicating attributes of the user;
a generating unit that generates an individual space of the visited city by commonly applying the visual effect determined by the determining unit to a plurality of buildings belonging to the visited city;
a providing unit that provides the individual space generated by the generating unit to a terminal device used by the user;
A virtual space management device comprising: the determination unit determines the visual effect when the user visits the visited city for the first time, and maintains the visual effect when the user visits the visited city again.
The virtual space management device according to claim 1 . The determination unit determines an appearance of an avatar of a third party traveling to the visited city based on the attribute information;
the individual space of the visited city is generated by the generation unit by applying the appearance of the third-party avatar determined by the determination unit to the third-party avatar belonging to the visited city;
The virtual space management device according to claim 1 . The determination unit determines the appearance when the user visits the visited city for the first time, and maintains the appearance when the user visits the visited city again.
The virtual space management device according to claim 3. When a name of a city among the plurality of cities appears as a keyword in a history of past utterances or posts by the user, the determination unit extracts at least one term related to an impression of the city that has been picked up within a predetermined period including the time when the name of the city appeared.
The virtual space management device according to claim 1 . An avatar control unit is provided,
the avatar control unit provides the user with a service equivalent to an administrative service in a real space by having the avatar of the user carry out a procedure in a government office in the virtual space using a user ID for accessing the virtual space;
The virtual space management device according to claim 1 .

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