Production System and Production Method for Causing Object to Float

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a system that can control a floating state of a floating object within a production space. [Solution] This production system 100 includes a plurality of air discharge devices 10. The plurality of air discharge devices 10 are configured to generate a clockwise or counterclockwise air flow when viewed in a plan view, within a production space surrounded by air discharge ports 12 of the devices. It is possible to cause an object F to float within the production space by means of the air flow generated by the plurality of air discharge devices 10.

Claims

1. A production system for causing a floating object to float in air; comprising: a control device and a plurality of air discharge devices; wherein the control device controls the plurality of air discharge devices to generate an airflow that rotates clockwise or counterclockwise in plan view within a production space surrounded by air discharge ports of the plurality of air discharge devices, and to cause the floating object to float within the production space by the airflow.

2. The production system according to claim 1, wherein the floating object is configured by a flexible outer membrane capable of containing a gas.

3. The production system according to claim 1, further comprising an air intake device; wherein the air intake device or an air intake port of the air intake device is provided above the production space, so as to take in air discharged by the air discharge devices.

4. The production system according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor configured to detect a position of the floating object in the production space; wherein the control device controls air volume or air speed of the air discharge devices based on detection information of the sensor.

5. A production method that causes a floating object to float in air, comprising a step of controlling a plurality of air discharge devices by a control device to generate an airflow that rotates clockwise or counterclockwise in plan view within a production space surrounded by air discharge ports of the plurality of air discharge devices, and to cause a floating object to float within the production space by the airflow.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of arrangement of each device and a floating object (ball) that constitute a production system.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of each device that constitutes the production system.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control process by a control device.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described using the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and includes appropriate modifications within a scope obvious to a person skilled in the art based on the following embodiments.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an outline of a production system 100 for causing a floating object F to float. In addition, FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating various devices that constitute the production system 100. As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the floating object F is presumed to be a ball. In the illustrated example, there is only one floating object F (ball); however, in this system it is also possible to cause a plurality of balls to float at the same time. Moreover, the production system according to the present invention is able to handle various floating objects other than a ball.

[0017] An object of the production system 100 according to the present invention is to basically maintain a floating object F floating at a predetermined height in air, or move the floating object F up and down in a production space provided indoors. When the floating object F is touched by a spectator or the like, the impact causes the floating object F to move in the production space; however, with the production system 100, the moving floating object F is controlled to return to a vicinity of a center of the production space. The production system 100, via a plurality of air discharge devices 10 and an air intake device 20, generates airflow in the production space surrounded by air discharge ports of the air discharge devices 10. By controlling this airflow, the floating object F is caused to float within the production space. In the present embodiment, four air discharge devices 10(a) to 10(d) are provided to define one production space; however, the number of air discharge devices 10 per one production space is not limited to this, and it is also possible, for example, to use 2 to 10 air discharge devices. In addition, in order to prevent airflows other than airflows from the plurality of air discharge devices 10 and air intake device 20 provided within the production system 100 from flowing into the production space, airflows within the space are preferably restricted by walls, partitions, air showers, or the like (not illustrated). Moreover, the production space has a volume (width, depth, and height) that allows people to enter. For example, it is preferable that each of the width, depth, and height of the production space be at least 2 m to 5 m or more; however, it is possible to secure a larger volume.

[0018] As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, it is presumed that the production space has a planar rectangular shape (particularly, a planar square shape). In addition, a plurality of air pillars 11, which are pillars for air discharge, are erected at four corners of this production space. Four air pillars 11(a) to 11(d) are provided with a plurality of air discharge ports 12(a) to 12(d), and are connected to the air discharge devices 10(a) to 10(d), respectively. As a result, air sent out from the plurality of air discharge devices 10 passes through the interior of the air pillar 11 and the air is discharged from the air discharge port 12 provided at a side surface of the air pillar 11. As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the four air discharge ports 12(a) to 12(d) provided in each of the four air pillars 11, the discharge direction of air discharged from each of the air discharge ports 12(a) to 12(d) is set so that a clockwise or clockwise vortex-shaped airflow is generated in the production space in plan view. To describe this more specifically, in the example illustrated in FIG. 1, a first air discharge port 12(a) discharges air in a direction toward a second air discharge port 11(b), and the second air discharge port 12(b) discharges air in a direction toward a third air discharge port 12(c), the third air discharge port 12(c) discharges air in a direction toward a fourth air discharge port 12(d), and the fourth air discharge port 12(d) discharges air in a direction toward the first air discharge port 12(a). Note that it is of course possible to set the discharge direction of each of the air discharge ports 12(a) to 12(d) in a direction opposite to the direction shown in FIG. 2. By setting the discharge direction of each of the air discharge ports 12(a) to 12(d) in this manner, a vortex-shaped airflow is generated in the production space. Note that in this embodiment, four air discharge devices 10 and four air pillars 11 are provided; however, the numbers may be increased or decreased according to the installation environment.

[0019] In addition, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, an air intake device 20 for taking in air discharged from each air discharge port 12 is provided above the vicinity of the center of the production space. Note that in this embodiment, a propeller-shaped air intake device 20 (ceiling fan) is provided above the production space; however, the main body of the air intake device 20 may be provided at another location, and an air intake port leading to the air intake device 20 may be provided above the production space. In the present embodiment, the air intake device 20 is provided near a ceiling of the production space, and a height from a floor surface to the air intake device 20 may be 2 to 10 m, for example. Moreover, the air intake device 20 is set at the position higher than the air discharge ports 12 by 1 m to 2 m or more. Thus, when the air discharged from each air discharge port 12 is taken in by the air intake port 2, a tornado-like ascending airflow can be generated within the production space surrounded by each air discharge port 12.

[0020] Further, in the present embodiment, each of the air discharge devices 10(a) to 10(d) and the air intake device 20 can independently control air volume and air speed. For example, air discharge volume of the plurality of air discharge devices 10 as a whole can be made equal to the air intake volume of the air intake device 20, or the air discharge volume can be made larger or smaller than the air intake volume. In addition, the air discharge volume of each air discharge device 10 may be individually adjusted. Thus, as will be described in detail later, when the floating object F moves away from a predetermined position for some reason, the air discharge devices 10 and the air intake device 20 are individually controlled to return the floating object F to the predetermined position. Moreover, not limited to maintaining the floating object F at the predetermined position, by individually controlling the air discharge devices 10 and the air intake device 20, it is possible to perform a production in which the floating object is moved up and down, or moved along a predetermined path within the production space.

[0021] The production system 100 further includes a position detection sensor 30 for detecting a position of the floating object F within the production space. In the present embodiment, an optical sensor is used as the position detection sensor 30. An example of an optical sensor is a TOF (Time Of Flight) sensor. More specifically, the optical sensor projects a pulse of laser light such as infrared light from a light emitting element, and measures the time it takes for the laser light to reflect off an object (floating object F) and return to a light receiving element. It is preferable to install optical sensors at a plurality of locations such as the ceiling and walls surrounding the production space. In this way, by projecting the laser light onto the floating object F from the optical sensors, it is possible to obtain coordinate information related to the position and outline of the floating object F within the production space. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 2, detection information obtained by the position detection sensor 30 is input to a control device 40 configured by a known PC or the like. The control device 40, based on information measured by the position detection sensor 30, executes arithmetic processing for calculating the distance from the sensor to the object and the coordinate values of the object within the production space.

[0022] Note that although not illustrated in the figures, the position detection sensor 30 may also be configured by a transmitter mounted inside the floating object F (ball) and a receiver provided on the ceiling or a wall near the production space. In this case, radio signals emitted from the transmitter inside the floating object F are received by a plurality of receivers, and by the control device 40 analyzing reception strength of the radio signals received by the plurality of receivers, it is possible to acquire the positional information of the floating object F in the production space.

[0023] Information detected by the position detection sensor 30 is used to control the floating state of the floating object F. As illustrated in FIG. 4, detection information of the position detection sensor 30 is transmitted to the control device 40 via a main bus. The control device 40 is a PC (arithmetic processing unit) equipped with a control program, and performs individual control of each of the air discharge devices 10 and the air intake device 20. More specifically, the control device 40 performs control of the air volume or air speed of air to be discharged from each of the air discharge devices 10, and controls the air volume or air speed of air to be taken in from the air intake device 20.

[0024] As an example of a control method by the control device 40, the conditions for operating each of the air discharge devices 10 and the air intake device 20 are programmed in the control device 40 in advance in conjunction with coordinate values of the floating object F detected by the position detection sensor 30. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a control flow by the control device 40. As shown in step S1 in FIG. 3, the control device 40 basically controls the air discharge devices 10 and/or the air intake device 20 so that the floating object F continues to float in the vicinity of the center of the production space (floating control mode). On the other hand, as in steps S2 and S3, in a case where it is detected using the information from the position detection sensor 30 that the floating object F has become separated from the vicinity of the center of the production space by a certain distance or more, the control device 40 performs control to return the floating object F to the vicinity of the center by controlling the air discharge devices 10 and/or the air intake device 20 (return control mode). For example, when the coordinate values of the floating object F approach the floor surface, the air volume of the air discharge devices 10 and/or the air intake device 20 is increased to lift the floating object F upward. On the other hand, when the coordinate values of the floating object F approach the air intake device 20 or the ceiling, the air volume of the air discharge devices 10 and/or the air intake device 20 is reduced so that the floating object F is not drawn toward the air intake device 20. In addition, in a case where the floating object F moves to a position biased in the front, back, left, or right of the production space, for example, the air volume from the air discharge devices 10 provided near the moved floating object F is increased to generate an airflow that causes the floating object F to return to the center of the space. Moreover, as in step S4, in a case where the information from the position detection sensor 30 detects that the floating object F has returned to the vicinity of the center of the production space, the control device 40 shifts from the above-described return control mode (step S3) to the floating control mode (step S1).

[0025] Further, the control process by the control device 40 described above may also be achieved using machine learning such as artificial neural networks (deep learning, etc.), reinforcement learning, or the like. For example, deep learning is performed using a data set of the operation of each air discharge device 10(a) to 10(d) and the air intake device 20 and the state change of the floating object F due to the operation as teacher data, and the learned model obtained as a result may be used for the control process by the control device 40. As a result, referring to the learned model, each of the air discharge devices 10(a) to 10(d) and the air intake device 20 may be efficiently operated so that the floating state is optimized according to the behavior of the floating object F. For example, in a case of implementing reinforcement learning, by giving a reward to an environment in which the floating object F is in a suitable position in the production space and the floating state thereof is stable, or by giving a penalty to an environment in which the floating object F is adhered to the floor or ceiling, the various devices 20 and 30 may be controlled so as to maximize the reward or minimize the penalty. In this way, by using machine learning, it is possible to efficiently optimize the behavior of the floating object F, which changes depending on the environment (for example, airflow) in the production space.

[0026] In the present embodiment, a ball is used as an example of the floating object F. The ball is a ball 2 having a hollow, spherical shape filled with a gas such as air, nitrogen, or helium. An outer membrane of the ball is preferably made of a transparent or translucent soft flexible material. Examples of materials used in forming the ball include silicone and synthetic rubber. The ball preferably has, for example, a diameter of 0.1 m to 5 m or a diameter of 0.5 m to 3 m, and particularly preferably a diameter of 1 m to 2.5 m. It is recommended that the ball be formed of a relatively lightweight material and that it be able to float freely over an audience's heads within the production space while maintaining a certain amount of time in the air. In addition, one or a plurality of balls may be prepared according to the size of the production space. Moreover, like the balls disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, it is also possible to mount a lighting fixture such as an LED or a speaker inside the ball.

[0027] Hereinafter, although not illustrated in the figures, an arbitrary configuration of the production system 100 will be described. The production system 100 may further include speakers in a room including the production space. For example, speakers are installed near the walls and ceiling of the room. In addition, the speakers are connected to the control device 40. The control device 40 performs control of sound effects such as BGM and sound effects emitted from the speakers. Further, the control device 40 may receive positional information of the floating object F as well as other information from the position detection sensor 30 via the main bus and control the sound output from the speakers based on the positional information. For example, it is possible to change the BGM and sound effects according to the position of the floating object F in the production space.

[0028] The production system 100 may further include a projector that projects image light onto the floating object F. For example, two projectors are installed at positions that are symmetrical with respect to the center of the production space. Therefore, two projectors are able to project image light from both the left and right sides onto the floating object F floating near the center of the production space. As a result, the image light may be projected onto almost the entire floating object F. Note that the number of projectors may be appropriately increased or decreased in consideration of, for example, the size of the production space and the size of the floating object F. In addition, the projectors may be installed near the ceiling of the room including the production space. The projectors are connected to the control device 40 and project image light onto the floating object F under the control of the control device 40.

[0029] The control device 40 may also perform so-called projection mapping on the floating object F by controlling each projector. The control device 40 stores a CG image or the like to be projected onto the floating object F, and projects the image from each projector. In addition, the control device 40 acquires coordinate information of an outline of the floating object F from the position detection sensor 40 via the main bus. Based on the coordinate information of the floating object F, the control device 40 changes the image projected from each projector in real time and controls the projection direction of the image light. For example, the control device 40 may change the content of the image or the color of the light projected onto the floating object F according to the size, shape, or floating position of the floating object F. As a result, it is possible to perform effective projection mapping using the surface of the floating object F floating in the production space as a projection surface.

[0030] The production system 100 may further include lights for illuminating the production space or the floating object F. For example, a ceiling light is provided near the ceiling of the room including the production space. Further, for example, a moving light is provided above the center of the production space, and irradiates the floating object F with illumination light. Moreover, for example, a floor light is provided on the floor surface of the room including the production space. These lights are connected to the control device 40. The control device 40 controls the amount (brightness), the color of the light, and flashing of the illumination light of each light. In particular, the control device 40 is able to control an irradiation direction of light from the moving light. More specifically, the control device 40 preferably receives coordinate information of the floating object F from the position detection sensor 30 and controls the irradiation direction of the moving light based on the coordinate information. For example, the irradiation direction of the moving light may be controlled so that the floating object F is irradiated with light.

[0031] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates one production space and a production system 100 that generates airflow in the production space. However, a plurality of production systems 100 can be arranged side by side in the same room. In this way, a plurality of production spaces may be formed in one room.

[0032] In the description of the present application, embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings in order to express the content of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and includes modifications and improvements that are obvious to a person skilled in the art based on the matters described in the description of the present application.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0033] The present invention relates to a production system and production method for causing a floating object F such as a ball to float in air. Therefore, the present invention can be suitably used in the entertainment industry and advertising industry.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

[0034] 10 Air discharge device [0035] 20 Air intake device [0036] 30 Position detection sensor [0037] 40 Control device [0038] 100 Production system [0039] F Floating object