Direction calculation apparatus, direction calculation method, and program

A direction calculation apparatus for calculating a direction to be presented as a presented direction to a guided person using a force sensation presentation device gripped by the guided person, the direction calculation apparatus comprising circuitry configured to execute operations comprising:

• acquiring, using a geomagnetic map including a bias of an azimuth angle caused by geomagnetic distortion at a position included in a predetermined range, from a current position of the force sensation presentation device, a bias of an azimuth angle caused by geomagnetic distortion at the current position;
• acquiring a first azimuth angle, the first azimuth angle indicates an azimuth of the force sensation presentation device, the azimuth without taking into account an influence of geomagnetic distortion in a reference coordinate system at the current position;
• and
• calculating, using the bias and the first azimuth angle, from a first instructed force sensation vector in a reference coordinate system indicating a direction to be instructed to the force sensation presentation device, a second instructed force sensation vector in a force sensation presentation device coordinate system, wherein the second instructed force sensation vector indicates a direction to be instructed to the force sensation presentation device as the presented direction.

A direction calculation method in which a direction calculation apparatus calculates a direction to be presented to a guided person as a presented direction using a force sensation presentation device gripped by the guided person, the direction calculation method comprising:

• acquiring, by the direction calculation apparatus, using a geomagnetic map including a geomagnetic vector and a gravitational acceleration vector of a reference posture of a force sensation presentation device in a reference coordinate system at a position included in a predetermined range, from a current position of the force sensation presentation device, a first matrix, wherein the first matrix comprises a geomagnetic vector, a gravitational acceleration vector, and an outer product vector of the geomagnetic vector and the gravitational acceleration vector of the reference posture of the force sensation presentation device in the reference coordinate system at the current position;
• acquiring, by the direction calculation apparatus, a second matrix, wherein the second matrix comprises a geomagnetic vector, a gravitational acceleration vector, and an outer product vector of the geomagnetic vector and the gravitational acceleration vector of a current posture of the force sensation presentation device in the reference coordinate system at the current position;
• and
• calculating, by the direction calculation apparatus, using the first matrix and the second matrix, from a first instructed force sensation vector in a reference coordinate system indicating a direction to be instructed to the force sensation presentation device, a second instructed force sensation vector in a force sensation presentation device coordinate system as the presented direction, wherein the presented direction indicates a direction to be instructed to the force sensation presentation device.

A direction calculation method in which a direction calculation apparatus calculates a direction to be presented to a guided person as a presented direction using a force sensation presentation device gripped by the guided person, the direction calculation method comprising:

• acquiring, by the direction calculation apparatus, using a geomagnetic map including a bias of an azimuth angle caused by geomagnetic distortion at a position included in a predetermined range, from a current position of the force sensation presentation device, a bias of the azimuth angle, wherein the bias of the azimuth angle is caused by geomagnetic distortion at the current position;
• acquiring, by the direction calculation apparatus, a first azimuth angle, wherein the first azimuth angle indicates an azimuth of the force sensation presentation device, and the azimuth is not taking into account an influence of geomagnetic distortion in a reference coordinate system at the current position;
• and
• calculating, by the direction calculation apparatus, using the bias and the first azimuth angle, from a first instructed force sensation vector in a reference coordinate system indicating a direction to be instructed to the force sensation presentation device, a second instructed force sensation vector in a force sensation presentation device coordinate system as the presented direction, wherein the presented direction indicates a direction to be instructed to the force sensation presentation device.