Swing device and control method for a swing device

Abstract

To provide a swing device capable of making a user body sense a rising, lowering, and/or turning feeling more impressively or with higher reality with a simple structure, there is provided a swing device including: a swing member on which a user rides; a fulcrum support mechanism that swingably supports the swing member at a fulcrum; and a first driving mechanism that swingably supports a first driving point on the swing member and moving the first driving point in a vertical direction, the first driving point being spaced apart from the fulcrum in a longitudinal direction of the swing member, the fulcrum is placed on a rear side of a riding position of the user in the longitudinal direction of the swing member.

1 . A swing device, comprising: 
 a swing member on which a user rides;    a fulcrum support mechanism for swingably supporting the swing member at a fulcrum; and    a first driving mechanism for swingably supporting the swing member at a first driving point thereof and driving the first driving point in a vertical direction, the first driving point being spaced apart from the fulcrum in a longitudinal direction of the swing member,    wherein the fulcrum is placed on a rear side of a riding position of the user in the longitudinal direction of the swing member.    
   
   
       2 . The swing device according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a second driving mechanism for swingably supporting the swing member at a second driving point thereof and driving the second driving point in a vertical direction independently from the first driving mechanism, the second driving point being spaced apart from the fulcrum in a longitudinal direction of the swing member, and being spaced apart from the first driving point in a lateral direction of the swing member.    
   
   
       3 . The swing device according to  claim 2 , further comprising: 
 a support shaft projecting between the first driving point and the second driving point; and    static determinate maintaining mechanism having a guide hole defined therein through which the support shaft is rotatably inserted, to regulate movement of the support shaft in the lateral direction of the swing member, and to guide the support shaft in the vertical direction.    
   
   
       4 . The swing device according to  claim 1  wherein the first driving point is placed on a front side of the riding position of the user in the longitudinal direction of the swing member.  
   
   
       5 . The swing device according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 an operation member coupled to transmit an operation signal indicative of a processor configured to specify an operation by the user; and    processing means for specifying a movement mode of a virtual moving object in a virtual space in response to the operation signal from the operation member, wherein: 
 the first driving mechanism drives the first driving point according to the movement mode of the virtual moving object specified by the processor.  
   
   
   
       6 . The swing device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a display device placed on a front side of the riding position of the user in the longitudinal direction of the swing member, to display one of a video image of a virtual moving object moving in a virtual space and a video image of a virtual space drawn from a virtual viewpoint moving in the virtual space, wherein: 
 the first driving mechanism drives the first driving point according to a movement mode of one of the virtual moving object and the virtual viewpoint.    
   
   
       7 . The swing device according to  claim 1  wherein: 
 the first driving mechanism is placed orthogonally to a line connecting the fulcrum and the first driving point while the swing member is placed at a reference position.    
   
   
       8 . A control method for a swing device, 
 the swing device comprising: 
 a swing member on which a user rides;  
 an operation member coupled to transmit an operation signal in response to an operation by the user;  
 a processor configured to specify a movement mode of a virtual moving object in a virtual space in response to the operation signal from the operation member;  
 a fulcrum support mechanism that supports the swing member at the fulcrum, the fulcrum being placed on a rear side of a riding position of the user of the swing member in the longitudinal direction of the swing member; and  
 a first driving mechanism that swingably supports the swing member at a first driving point thereof and drives the first driving point in a vertical direction, the first driving point being spaced apart from the fulcrum in a longitudinal direction of the swing member,  
   the control method comprising: 
 operating the first driving mechanism so that a front portion of the swing member rises, in a case where the movement mode of the virtual moving object specified by the processor indicates rising in the virtual space; and  
 operating the first driving mechanism so that the front portion of the swing member lowers, in a case where the movement mode of the virtual moving object specified by the processor indicates lowering in the virtual space.  
   
   
   
       9 . A control method for a swing device, 
 the swing device comprising: 
 a swing member on which a user rides;  
 a display device placed on a front side of a riding position of the user in the longitudinal direction of the swing member to display one of a video image of a virtual moving object moving in a virtual space and a video image drawn from a virtual viewpoint moving in the virtual space;  
 a fulcrum support mechanism that supports the swing member at a fulcrum, the fulcrum being placed on a rear side of the riding position of the user of the swing member in the longitudinal direction of the swing member; and  
 a first driving mechanism that swingably supports the swing member at a first driving point thereof and moves the first driving point in a vertical direction, the first driving point being spaced apart from the fulcrum in a longitudinal direction of the swing member,  
   the control method comprising: 
 operating the first driving mechanism so that a front portion of the swing member rises, in a case where one of the virtual moving object and the virtual viewpoint rises in the virtual space; and  
 operating the first driving mechanism so that the front portion of the swing member lowers, in a case where one of the virtual moving object and the virtual viewpoint lowers in the virtual space.