Program, information processing device, and method

Abstract

This technology provides a way to easily coordinate furniture in each room of a user's residence according to its intended use. [Solution] The server 20 of the room image generation system 1 stores furniture image data (2022) and, as its function, executes the following steps based on user input: acquiring room layout data (S121), determining the type of room related to the acquired layout data (S122), selecting furniture to be placed in the room related to the acquired layout data from the stored furniture image data based on the determined room type (S123), placing the furniture image data related to the selected furniture on the acquired layout data to generate room image data (S124), and outputting the generated room image data (S125).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a program, an information processing apparatus, and a method.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, it has become common to purchase furniture through mail-order sales that sell products via media such as the Internet. In the case of furniture, since the products are large and heavy and it takes time and effort to transport them, it is useful to purchase them through mail-order sales because a dedicated delivery company can bring them in.

[0003] For a user who wants to purchase furniture, it is important to be able to visualize the image of the furniture to be purchased. Patent Document 1 discloses a system for arranging furniture image data in a virtual space or an image space of a room. In the system described in Patent Document 1, floor plan data of a user is acquired, furniture to be arranged in the room is selected according to various conditions such as the attributes of the user, and virtual space data of the room in which the image data of the furniture is arranged is output.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, in the residence of a user who wants to purchase furniture, how each room is used varies from user to user, and it is difficult to comprehensively introduce the coordinates according to the use.

[0006] Therefore, in this disclosure, a technique that enables easy coordination of furniture according to the use of each room in a user's residence will be described. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a program is provided for a computer having a processor and memory to execute, for placing furniture images onto a room layout image. The memory stores furniture image data. The program causes the processor to execute the following steps: acquire room layout data based on user input; determine the type of room to which the acquired layout data pertains; select furniture to be placed in the room to which the acquired layout data pertains from stored furniture image data based on the determined room type; place the image data of the selected furniture onto the acquired layout data to generate room image data; and output the generated room image data. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, the system acquires room layout data to determine the type of room, and based on the determined room type, selects and places furniture from furniture image data to be placed in the room. This makes it possible to easily coordinate furniture according to the intended use of each room in the user's residence. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the overall configuration of the room image generation system 1. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal device 10. [Figure 3] This figure shows the functional configuration of server 20 in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 3 shows an example of the data structure of the user database 2021. [Figure 5] Figure 3 shows an example of the data structure of the Furniture Database 2022. [Figure 6] Figure 3 shows an example of the data structure of the Room Image Database 2023. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows an example of the process for outputting room image data by the room image generation system 1. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows another example of the flow of room image data output processing by the room image generation system 1. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of a screen for inputting floor plan data, which is displayed on terminal device 10. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of a screen display for room image data output shown on terminal device 10. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings illustrating the embodiments, common components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations are omitted. The following embodiments are not intended to unduly limit the content of this disclosure as described in the claims. Not all components shown in the embodiments are necessarily essential components of this disclosure. Also, each drawing is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily a strict illustration.

[0011] Furthermore, in the following description, "processor" refers to one or more processors. At least one processor is typically a microprocessor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may be another type of processor such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). At least one processor may be single-core or multi-core.

[0012] Furthermore, at least one processor may be a broad-sense processor, such as a hardware circuit that performs some or all of the processing (e.g., an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0013] In the following description, information for which an output is obtained with respect to an input may be described. This information may be data of any structure, or may be a learning model such as a neural network that generates an output with respect to the input.

[0014] In the following description, the tables constituting each database are examples. One table may be divided into two or more tables, or all or part of two or more tables may be one table.

[0015] In the following description, the "program" may be used as the subject to describe the processing. However, since the program performs the defined processing as appropriate while using the storage unit and / or the interface unit etc. by being executed by the processor, the subject of the processing may be the processor (or a device such as a controller having the processor).

[0016] The program may be installed in a device such as a computer, or may be, for example, in a program distribution server or a computer-readable (for example, non-temporary) recording medium. Also, in the following description, two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0017] In the following description, an identification number is used as identification information for various objects, but identification information of other types (for example, an identifier including alphabetic characters and symbols) may be adopted.

[0018] In the following description, when describing without distinguishing between elements of the same type, reference signs (or common signs among the reference signs) are used, and when describing while distinguishing between elements of the same type, the identification numbers (or reference signs) of the elements may be used.

[0019] Furthermore, in the following explanation, only control lines and information lines deemed necessary for the explanation are shown, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown in the actual product. All components may be interconnected.

[0020] <Overview> The following describes the room image generation system related to this disclosure. The room image generation system related to this disclosure is a system that, for example, presents a variety of room coordinations with the furniture candidates for purchase in place to a user who is looking to buy furniture, and introduces furniture that matches the user's furniture purchase conditions. This spatial information sharing system places the desired furniture in the room layout that forms the basis of the room coordination, generates three-dimensional information showing the room layout with the furniture in place, presents it to the user, and allows sharing with other users. The room image generation system related to this disclosure is a system that is provided as a web service, for example, via a cloud server, as a so-called SaaS (Software as a Service), and is configured to be accessible by registered users who are registered for employment with a business, or users who are business operators, through prescribed authentication.

[0021] By the way, users looking to buy furniture have their own unique preferences, budgets, and physical constraints such as the layout of their living space where the furniture will actually be placed. Therefore, it is difficult to comprehensively introduce coordination options that suit each user's preferences, budget, and physical constraints.

[0022] Furthermore, the intended use of each room in a user's home varies from person to person. Therefore, it is difficult to comprehensively introduce coordination ideas tailored to the purpose of each room.

[0023] Therefore, the room image generation system described in this disclosure acquires room layout data from the user and determines the type of room acquired. Based on the determined room type, it selects furniture to be placed in the room from furniture image data and places the image data of the selected furniture onto the room layout data.

[0024] Furthermore, the room image generation system described in this disclosure is configured to obtain room image data generated by other users that is similar to the attributes of the registered data of one user from room image data generated by multiple users, select furniture to be placed in that room image data, and then place the image data of the selected furniture into the floor plan data.

[0025] This configuration makes it possible to easily coordinate furniture in each room of a user's residence according to its intended use by using the room image generation system disclosed herein. Furthermore, it enables users to share their furniture coordination with other users.

[0026] <First Embodiment> The following describes the room image generation system 1. In the following description, for example, when terminal device 10 accesses server 20, server 20 responds with information for terminal device 10 to generate a screen. Terminal device 10 generates and displays a screen based on the information received from server 20.

[0027] <1. Overall configuration of room image generation system 1> Figure 1 shows the overall configuration of the room image generation system 1. As shown in Figure 1, the room image generation system 1 includes a plurality of terminal devices (in Figure 1, terminal devices 10A and 10B are shown; hereinafter, they may be collectively referred to as "terminal device 10") and a server 20. The terminal devices 10 and the server 20 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network 80. The network 80 consists of a wired or wireless network. The network 80 includes, for example, 3G, 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, LTE (Long Term Evolution), and wireless networks that can connect to the internet via a predetermined access point (e.g., Wi-Fi®). When the network 80 is connected wirelessly, communication protocols include, for example, Z-Wave®, ZigBee®, and Bluetooth®. When the network is connected via a wired connection, the network also includes devices that are directly connected via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable, etc.

[0028] Terminal device 10 is a device operated by each user. Here, a user is a person who uses terminal device 10 to generate, view, etc., room image data with image data of candidate furniture to be purchased (sold) arranged in the room, which is a function of the room image generation system 1. For example, this could be a person intending to purchase furniture, a furniture retailer, etc. Terminal device 10 can be implemented as a stationary PC (Personal Computer), a laptop PC (Note PC), etc. Alternatively, terminal device 10 may be a mobile terminal such as a tablet compatible with a mobile communication system or a smartphone.

[0029] The terminal device 10 is connected to the server 20 via the network 80 in a communicative manner. The terminal device 10 is connected to the network 80 by communicating with communication equipment such as a wireless base station 81 that supports communication standards such as 3G, 4G, 5G, and LTE, and a wireless LAN router 82 that supports wireless LAN (Local Area Network) standards such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11. As shown as terminal device 10B in Figure 1, the terminal device 10 includes a communication interface 12, an input device 13, an output device 14, a memory 15, a storage unit 16, and a processor 19.

[0030] The communication interface 12 is an interface for inputting and outputting signals so that the terminal device 10 can communicate with external devices. The input device 13 is an input device (for example, a keyboard, touch panel, touchpad, mouse, or other pointing device) for receiving input operations from the user. The output device 14 is an output device (display, speaker, etc.) for presenting information to the user. The memory 15 is for temporarily storing programs and data processed by programs, etc., and is a volatile memory such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The storage unit 16 is a storage device for saving data, such as flash memory or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The processor 19 is hardware for executing the instruction set written in the program, and is composed of an arithmetic unit, registers, peripheral circuits, etc.

[0031] Server 20 is a device that has the function of placing furniture images onto room layout images and is managed, for example, by a furniture retailer. Server 20 stores furniture image data. Server 20 acquires room layout data from user input and determines the type of room to which the layout data pertains. Based on the determined room type, Server 20 selects furniture to be placed in the room to which the acquired layout data pertains, and generates room image data by placing the image data of the selected furniture onto the layout data. Furthermore, Server 20 outputs the generated room image data.

[0032] Server 20 is a computer connected to network 80. Server 20 can be virtually realized by distributing all or part of its hardware configuration across multiple computers and connecting them to each other via a network. Thus, Server 20 is a concept that includes not only computers housed in a single chassis or case, but also virtualized computer systems. Server 20 includes a communication interface 22, an input / output interface 23, memory 25, storage 26, and a processor 29.

[0033] Communication IF22 is an interface for inputting and outputting signals so that the server 20 can communicate with external devices. Input / Output IF23 functions as an interface to an input device for receiving input operations from the user and an output device for presenting information to the user. Memory 25 is for temporarily storing programs and data processed by programs, etc., and is a volatile memory such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). Storage 26 is a storage device for saving data, such as flash memory or HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Processor 29 is hardware for executing the instruction set written in the program, and is composed of an arithmetic unit, registers, peripheral circuits, etc.

[0034] <1.1 Configuration of terminal device 10> Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal device 10 that constitutes the room image generation system 1 of Embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 2, the terminal device 10 includes a plurality of antennas (antenna 111, antenna 112), wireless communication units corresponding to each antenna (first wireless communication unit 121, second wireless communication unit 122), an operation reception unit 130 (including a keyboard 131 and a mouse 132), an audio processing unit 140, a microphone 141, a speaker 142, a display 150, a camera 160, a storage unit 170, and a control unit 180. The terminal device 10 also has functions and configurations not specifically shown in Figure 2 (for example, a battery for maintaining power, a power supply circuit for controlling the supply of power from the battery to each circuit, etc.). As shown in Figure 2, each block included in the terminal device 10 is electrically connected by a bus or the like.

[0035] Antenna 111 radiates signals emitted by terminal device 10 as radio waves. Antenna 111 also receives radio waves from space and provides the received signals to first wireless communication unit 121.

[0036] Antenna 112 radiates signals emitted by terminal device 10 as radio waves. Antenna 112 also receives radio waves from space and provides the received signals to second wireless communication unit 122.

[0037] The first wireless communication unit 121 performs modulation and demodulation processing, etc., for the terminal device 10 to transmit and receive signals via the antenna 111 in order to communicate with other wireless devices. The second wireless communication unit 122 performs modulation and demodulation processing, etc., for the terminal device 10 to transmit and receive signals via the antenna 112 in order to communicate with other wireless devices. The first wireless communication unit 121 and the second wireless communication unit 122 are a communication module that includes a tuner, an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) calculation circuit, a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) calculation circuit, a high-frequency circuit, etc. The first wireless communication unit 121 and the second wireless communication unit 122 perform modulation, demodulation, and frequency conversion of the wireless signals transmitted and received by the terminal device 10, and provide the received signal to the control unit 180.

[0038] The operation reception unit 130 has a mechanism for receiving user input operations. Specifically, the operation reception unit 130 includes a keyboard 131 and a mouse 132. The operation reception unit 130 may also be configured as a touchscreen that detects the user's contact position with the touch panel, for example, by using a capacitive touch panel.

[0039] The keyboard 131 accepts user input operations from the terminal device 10. The keyboard 131 is a device for character input and outputs the input character information as an input signal to the control unit 180.

[0040] The mouse 132 accepts user input operations from the terminal device 10. The mouse 132 is a pointing device for selecting objects displayed on the display 150, and outputs the selected position information on the screen and information indicating that a button is pressed as input signals to the control unit 180.

[0041] The audio processing unit 140 modulates and demodulates the audio signal. The audio processing unit 140 modulates the signal received from the microphone 141 and provides the modulated signal to the control unit 180. The audio processing unit 140 also provides the audio signal to the speaker 142. The audio processing unit 140 is implemented, for example, by an audio processing processor. The microphone 141 receives an audio input and provides the audio signal corresponding to that audio input to the audio processing unit 140. The speaker 142 converts the audio signal received from the audio processing unit 140 into sound and outputs the sound to the outside of the terminal device 10.

[0042] The display 150 displays data such as images, videos, and text in accordance with the control of the control unit 180. The display 150 can be implemented using, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display.

[0043] Camera 160 is a device that receives light using a photodetector and outputs it as an image. Camera 160 is, for example, a depth camera that can detect the distance from camera 160 to the object being photographed.

[0044] The storage unit 170 is composed of a memory 15, such as flash memory, and a storage unit 16, and stores data and programs used by the terminal device 10. In certain situations, the storage unit 170 stores user information 171.

[0045] User information 171 is information of a user who uses terminal device 10 to generate and view room image data of a room with image data of candidate furniture to be purchased (sold) placed in it, which is a function of room image generation system 1. User information includes information that identifies the user (user ID), the user's name, gender, age, address, etc.

[0046] The control unit 180 is composed of, for example, a processor 19, and controls the operation of the terminal device 10 by reading a program stored in the memory unit 170 and executing instructions contained in the program. The control unit 180 is, for example, an application that is pre-installed on the terminal device 10. By operating according to the program, the control unit 180 performs the functions of an input operation receiving unit 181, a transmitting / receiving unit 182, a data processing unit 183, and a notification control unit 184.

[0047] The input operation reception unit 181 processes input operations from the user to an input device such as a keyboard 131.

[0048] The transmitting / receiving unit 182 performs processing to enable the terminal device 10 to send and receive data with an external device such as a server 20 in accordance with a communication protocol.

[0049] The data processing unit 183 performs calculations on the data received as input by the terminal device 10 according to the program and outputs the calculation results to memory or the like.

[0050] The notification control unit 184 performs processing to present information to the user. The notification control unit 184 performs processing such as displaying the display image on the display 150 and outputting sound to the speaker 142.

[0051] <1.2 Functional Configuration of Server 20> Figure 3 shows the functional configuration of the server 20 that constitutes the room image generation system 1 of Embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 3, the server 20 functions as a communication unit 201, a storage unit 202, and a control unit 203.

[0052] The communications unit 201 performs processing to enable the server 20 to communicate with external devices.

[0053] The memory unit 202 stores data and programs used by the server 20. The memory unit 202 stores the user database 2021, the furniture database 2022, the room image database 2023, the trained model 2024, and so on.

[0054] User Database 2021 is a database for storing registration data about users who use Room Image Generation System 1 to generate and view room image data with image data of furniture candidates they intend to purchase. User Database 2021 may also store registration data about users who generate and view room image data and other users. Details will be described later.

[0055] The furniture database 2022 is a database used in the room image generation system 1 to store image data of furniture to be placed in the room layout data, as well as various data related to that furniture, such as size and price. The furniture image data stored in the furniture database 2022 may be, for example, product image data of furniture managed by a furniture retailer that manages the server 20. Details will be described later. The furniture image data may be, for example, still image data in file formats such as JPG, GIF, or PNG.

[0056] The Room Image Database 2023 is a database for storing room image data generated by users of the Room Image Generation System 1. Further details will be provided later.

[0057] The trained model 2024 refers to a model that has been trained (learned) in advance using appropriate training data (training data) for a learning model that follows any machine learning algorithm such as deep learning. The trained model 2024 may be, for example, a model in which user registration data is the explanatory variable and room type is the dependent variable, or a model in which user registration data is the explanatory variable and furniture to be placed in the room is the dependent variable. In other words, the trained model 2024 may be a model that takes user registration data and room layout data as input and outputs the room type related to the layout data, or a model that takes user registration data and room layout data as input and outputs the type of furniture to be placed in the room related to the layout data.

[0058] The control unit 203 performs the functions shown in the various modules, namely the receive control module 2031, the transmit control module 2032, the floor plan data acquisition module 2033, the room type determination module 2034, the furniture selection module 2035, the room image data generation module 2036, the room image data acquisition module 2037, and the output module 2038, as the server 20's processor 29 processes according to the program.

[0059] The receive control module 2031 controls the process by which the server 20 receives signals from external devices according to a communication protocol.

[0060] The transmission control module 2032 controls the process by which the server 20 transmits signals to external devices according to a communication protocol.

[0061] The floor plan data acquisition module 2033 controls the process of acquiring room floor plan data based on user input. For example, the user operates the terminal device 10 to input floor plan data for the room where they plan to place candidate furniture they intend to purchase (sell) and sends it to the server 20. The floor plan data acquisition module 2033 acquires the room floor plan data sent from the terminal device 10 by receiving it via the communication unit 201.

[0062] The room layout data acquired by the floor layout data acquisition module 2033 may be, for example, CAD data showing the room layout created by the user or another party using CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software, or BIM (Building Information Modeling) data, and may include data such as room dimensions. Furthermore, the room layout data may also be, for example, still images or video footage of the room taken by the user or another party, or footage captured by the camera 160 when the user operates the terminal device 10. Additionally, the room layout data may be, for example, data pre-stored in the server 20 (not shown in the diagram). In this case, the floor layout data acquisition module 2033 may transmit the acquired room layout data to the terminal device 10 and display it on the display 150 for presentation to the user.

[0063] Furthermore, the floor plan data acquisition module 2033 stores the acquired room floor plan data, for example, in the user database 2021.

[0064] The room type determination module 2034 controls the process of determining the type of room related to the room layout data acquired by the floor plan data acquisition module 2033. The room type determination module 2034 determines the type of room, specifically living room, dining room, bedroom, study, studio apartment, etc., for the room shown in the room layout data, such as CAD data or photographic data.

[0065] The room type determination module 2034 may, for example, refer to user registration data stored in the user database 2021 and determine the room type of the room shown in the room layout data based on the user registration data. Specifically, the room type determination module 2034 may refer to user attributes such as gender, age, and occupation as user registration data to determine what purpose the room shown in the room layout data will be used for. In this case, the room type determination module 2034 may use the trained model 2024 to determine the room type of the room shown in the room layout data based on the user registration data.

[0066] Furthermore, in certain situations, the room type determination module 2034 may, for example, refer to registration data about other users stored in the user database 2021 and determine the room type based on registration data about other users that are similar in attributes to the registration data about the user in question. Specifically, the room type determination module 2034 may determine the room type by referring to the user database 2021 and determining how other users with similar attributes such as gender, age, and occupation as the user's registration data are using the room. In this case, the room type determination module 2034 may use the trained model 2024 to determine the room type for the room shown in the room layout data based on the user's registration data, and the trained model 2024 may be a model in which machine learning has been performed using the registration data about other users as explanatory variables.

[0067] Furthermore, the room type determination module 2034 stores data indicating the room type determination result, for example, in the room image database 2023.

[0068] The furniture selection module 2035 controls the process of selecting furniture to be placed in the room corresponding to the floor plan data acquired by the floor plan data acquisition module 2033 from the stored furniture image data, based on the room type determination result of the room type determination module 2034. Based on the room type determination result, the furniture selection module 2035 selects furniture to be placed in these rooms, specifically furniture such as sofas, tables, beds, desks, and storage shelves. For example, if the room type is a bedroom, the furniture selection module 2035 selects furniture such as beds and wardrobes that are considered to be placed in a bedroom. The furniture selection module 2035 refers to the furniture database 2022 and selects furniture to be placed in the room from the furniture image data stored in the furniture database 2022.

[0069] The furniture selection module 2035 may, for example, refer to user registration data stored in the user database 2021 and select furniture to be placed in the room shown in the room layout data based on the user registration data. Specifically, the furniture selection module 2035 may refer to user attributes such as gender, age, and occupation as user registration data to select furniture to be placed in the room. In this case, the furniture selection module 2035 may select furniture to be placed in the room based on a rule base determined based on the type of room, or it may use a trained model 2024 to select furniture to be placed in the room shown in the room layout data based on user registration data. Alternatively, the furniture selection module 2035 may filter the furniture stored in the furniture database 2022 based on data regarding the user's furniture preferences included in the user registration data and select furniture to be placed in the room.

[0070] Furthermore, in certain situations, the furniture selection module 2035 may, for example, refer to registration data about other users stored in the user database 2021 and select furniture to be placed in the room based on registration data about other users that are similar in attributes to the registration data about the user in question. Specifically, the furniture selection module 2035 may select furniture to be placed in the room by referring to the user database 2021 and determining what kind of furniture other users with similar attributes such as gender, age, and occupation as the user's registration data are placing and using. In this case, the furniture selection module 2035 may also use the trained model 2024 to select furniture to be placed in the room shown in the room layout data based on the user's registration data, and the trained model 2024 may be a model in which machine learning has been performed using the registration data about other users as explanatory variables.

[0071] Furthermore, in certain situations, the furniture selection module 2035 may accept input from the user to add, change, or delete selected furniture. In this case, for example, the user operates the terminal device 10 to input the addition, change, or deletion of selected furniture and sends it to the server 20. The furniture selection module 2035 then receives the input data for adding, changing, or deleting furniture from the user, transmitted from the terminal device 10, via the communication unit 201. Based on the input data for adding, changing, or deleting furniture received from the user, the furniture selection module 2035 adds, changes, or deletes selected furniture.

[0072] Furthermore, the furniture selection module 2035 stores data indicating the selection results of the furniture to be placed, for example, in the room image database 2023.

[0073] The room image data generation module 2036 controls the process of generating room image data by placing image data of furniture selected by the furniture selection module 2035 onto the floor plan data acquired by the floor plan data acquisition module 2033. The room image data generation module 2036 places image data of furniture selected as a result of the furniture acquisition, specifically image data of furniture to be placed in the room such as sofas, tables, beds, desks, and storage shelves, onto the floor plan data acquired by the floor plan data acquisition module 2033. The room image data generation module 2036 refers to the furniture database 2022 and places the image data of furniture stored in the furniture database 2022 onto the room floor plan data.

[0074] The room image data generation module 2036 may place furniture in a room based on a rule base determined by the room type, or it may place furniture in a room based on registered user data using the trained model 2024. For example, if the room type is a bedroom, the room image data generation module 2036 will place furniture such as a bed and a wardrobe that are thought to be placed in a bedroom. In this case, if there is already furniture placed, the room image data generation module 2036 will place furniture in a location other than where that furniture is already placed. The order in which the furniture is placed may be based on a rule base or determined using the trained model 2024.

[0075] Furthermore, in certain situations, the room image data generation module 2036 may receive input from the user to add, change, or delete furniture placed in the room. In this case, for example, the user operates the terminal device 10 to input the addition, change, or deletion of furniture placed in the room and sends it to the server 20. The room image data generation module 2036 receives the input data for adding, changing, or deleting furniture from the user, transmitted from the terminal device 10, via the communication unit 201. The room image data generation module 2036 then adds, changes, or deletes the placed furniture based on the input data for adding, changing, or deleting furniture received from the user.

[0076] Furthermore, the room image data generation module 2036 registers and stores the generated room image data in, for example, the room image database 2023.

[0077] The room image data acquisition module 2037 controls the process of acquiring room image data generated by other users stored in the user database 2021 that are similar to the attributes of the user's registered data. In a certain situation, the furniture selection module 2035 may select the user's furniture for the room image data generated by other users, and the room image data generation module 2036 may place the user's furniture for the room image data generated by other users. Therefore, the room image data acquisition module 2037 acquires room image data generated by other users that are similar to the user's attributes. At this time, the room image data acquisition module 2037 may be configured so that the user operates the terminal device 10 to select room image data generated by other users. In this case, the user performs an input to select room image data generated by other users and sends it to the server 20, so the room image data acquisition module 2037 receives the user's selection result data sent from the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 201.

[0078] At this time, the furniture selection module 2035 selects furniture for the user in place of furniture already placed in the room image data of the other user acquired by the room image data acquisition module 2037, based on the room image data generated by the other user. The room image data generation module 2036 deletes or replaces the image data of furniture already placed in the room image data of the other user acquired by the room image data acquisition module 2037, based on the room image data generated by the other user, to place the user's furniture and generate the user's room image data.

[0079] In certain situations, the room image data acquisition module 2037 may output an identification code, such as a QR code (registered trademark), or another one-dimensional or two-dimensional code, on which the room image data of other users is recorded or encoded.

[0080] The output module 2038 controls the process of outputting the room image data generated by the room image data generation module 2036. The output module 2038 transmits the room image data to the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 201 and displays it on the display 150 for the user to see.

[0081] In certain situations, the output module 2038 may output an identification code, such as a QR code (registered trademark), or another one-dimensional or two-dimensional code, on which the room image data is recorded or encoded.

[0082] Furthermore, in certain situations, the output module 2038 may output furniture price data related to the selected furniture along with the generated room image data. In this case, the output module 2038 may refer to the furniture database 2022 and output furniture price data stored in the furniture database 2022. Also, in this case, the furniture selection module 2035 may select furniture to be placed in the room related to the floor plan data acquired by the floor plan data acquisition module 2033, based on the room type determination result of the room type determined by the room type determination module 2034, the user registration data stored in the user database 2021, and the furniture price data stored in the furniture database 2022.

[0083] <2 Data Structure> Figure 4 shows an example of the data structure of the user database 2021 in Figure 3. Figure 5 shows an example of the data structure of the furniture database 2022 in Figure 3. Figure 6 shows an example of the data structure of the room image database 2023 in Figure 3.

[0084] As shown in Figure 4, each record in user database 2021 includes fields such as "User ID," "User Name," and "User Details."

[0085] The "User ID" field is information that identifies each user who generates, views, etc., room image data with furniture images in place, and is registered in the Room Image Generation System 1.

[0086] The "Username" field is the name of the user who generates, views, etc., room image data with furniture images in place, as registered in Room Image Generation System 1. If the user is a corporation, the name of the corporation is used.

[0087] The item "User Details" is registered data about a user who generates and views room image data with furniture images placed in it, which is registered in the room image generation system 1. Specifically, it includes the items "Gender," "Age," "Floor Plan Data ID," and "Furniture Purchase History," etc.

[0088] The item "Gender" is the gender of the user registered in Room Image Generation System 1.

[0089] The item "Age" is the age of the user registered in Room Image Generation System 1.

[0090] The item "Floor Plan Data ID" is data that identifies each room floor plan data acquired through input from the room image generation system 1. The item "Floor Plan Data ID" only needs to contain data that can identify the room floor plan data stored in the server 20, and may contain a link to the storage location or the actual data.

[0091] The item "Furniture Purchase History" is data that shows the purchase history of furniture that a user registered in Room Image Generation System 1 has purchased in the past using the system. For example, it stores the purchase date, purchased items, and identification data of the purchased furniture.

[0092] Server 20 adds a record to user database 2021 upon receiving registration data from a user.

[0093] As shown in Figure 5, each record in the Furniture Database 2022 includes the fields "Furniture ID", "Furniture Type", "Color / Style", "Size", and "Furniture Appearance Data".

[0094] The item "Furniture ID" is information that identifies each piece of furniture (sold by furniture vendors, etc., that manage server 20) that is placed in the room layout data registered in room image generation system 1.

[0095] The item "Furniture Type" is data that indicates the type of furniture to be placed in the room layout data, which is registered in the room image generation system 1. For example, data such as "sofa" and "table" are stored there.

[0096] The item "Color / Style" is data indicating the color (white, ivory, etc.) or style (modern, natural, etc.) of the furniture registered in the room image generation system 1. Although not shown in the illustration, information on the materials of the furniture and its surfaces may also be stored in addition to the color and style information.

[0097] The item "Size" is data indicating the size of furniture registered in the room image generation system 1. This data is used by the room image data generation module 2036 to ensure consistency with the room size when placing furniture image data in the floor plan data, or to determine whether the furniture information can be placed.

[0098] The item "Furniture Appearance Data" is image data showing the appearance of furniture registered in the room image generation system 1. The item "Furniture Appearance Data" only needs to contain data that can identify the image data of furniture stored in the server 20, and may contain a link to the storage location, or it may contain the actual data.

[0099] Server 20 receives furniture image data from furniture vendors and other parties who manage Server 20, and adds records to the furniture database 2022 accordingly.

[0100] As shown in Figure 6, each record in the room image database 2023 includes the fields "Room Image ID", "Room Type", "User ID", "Floor Plan Data ID", "Placement Furniture ID", and "Placement Location Coordinates".

[0101] The item "Room Image ID" is information that identifies each room image data generated using the Room Image Generation System 1.

[0102] The item "Room Type" is the name of the room type related to the room layout data that forms the basis of the room image data generated using the room image generation system 1. For example, data such as "Bedroom" and "Living Room" are stored there.

[0103] The "User ID" field is information that identifies each user who generated room image data using the room image generation system 1, and corresponds to the "User ID" field in user database 2021.

[0104] The item "Floor Plan Data ID" is data that identifies each room's floor plan data, which is the basis for room image data generated using the Room Image Generation System 1, and corresponds to the item "Floor Plan Data ID" in User Database 2021.

[0105] The item "Placement Furniture ID" is data that identifies each piece of furniture associated with the image data of furniture placed in the room image data generated using the room image generation system 1, and corresponds to the item "Furniture ID" in the furniture database 2022.

[0106] The item "Placement Position Coordinates" is coordinate data indicating the position of furniture placed in the room image data, which is generated using the room image generation system 1. As an example, the coordinate data in the XYZ direction in the room image data is shown.

[0107] The room type determination module 2034 of server 20 stores data indicating the room type determination result in the "Room Type" field of the room image database 2023. The furniture selection module 2035 stores data indicating the furniture selection result for placement in the room in the "Placement Furniture ID" field of the room image database 2023. The room image data generation module 2036 stores coordinate data indicating the position of the room image data with the furniture image data placed in it in the "Placement Position Coordinates" field of the room image database 2023.

[0108] <3 operations> The room image data output process by the room image generation system 1 in the first embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 7 and 8.

[0109] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of room image data output processing by the room image generation system 1.

[0110] In step S111, the input operation receiving unit 181 of the terminal device 10 accesses the web server provided by the server 20 in response to an operation from the user and receives input of floor plan data for the room where the candidate furniture to be purchased (sold) will be placed. The transmitting / receiving unit 182 transmits the received room floor plan data to the server 20.

[0111] In step S121, the floor plan data acquisition module 2033 of the server 20 acquires the room floor plan data transmitted from the terminal device 10 in step S111 by receiving it via the communication unit 201. In step S121, the acquired room floor plan data is registered and stored, for example, in the user database 2021.

[0112] In step S122, the room type determination module 2034 of the server 20 determines the type of room related to the room layout data acquired in step S121. In step S122, the module determines the type of room, specifically living room, dining room, bedroom, study, studio apartment, etc., for the room shown in the room layout data. At this time, in step S122, the module may also refer to the user registration data stored in the user database 2021 and determine the type of room for the room shown in the room layout data based on the user registration data.

[0113] In step S123, the furniture selection module 2035 of the server 20 selects furniture to be placed in the room corresponding to the floor plan data acquired in step S121 from the stored furniture image data, based on the room type determination result in step S122. In step S123, based on the room type determination result, for example, if the room type is a bedroom, furniture such as a bed and a wardrobe that are thought to be placed in a bedroom are selected. At this time, in step S123, the registration data about the user stored in the user database 2021 may be referred to, and furniture to be placed in the room shown in the floor plan data may be selected based on the registration data about the user.

[0114] In step S124, the room image data generation module 2036 of the server 20 generates room image data by placing the image data of the furniture selected in step S123 onto the floor plan data acquired in step S121. In step S124, the image data of the selected furniture, specifically the image data of furniture to be placed in the room such as a sofa, table, bed, desk, and storage shelves, is placed onto the room image data of a living room, dining room, bedroom, study, studio apartment, etc.

[0115] In step S125, the output module 2038 of the server 20 outputs the room image data generated in step S124. In step S125, the room image data is transmitted to the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 201.

[0116] In step S115, the transmitting / receiving unit 182 of the terminal device 10 receives the room image data transmitted from the server 20 in step S125. The notification control unit 184 displays the received room image data on the display 150.

[0117] As described above, the room image generation system 1 obtains room layout data from the user and determines the type of room associated with the obtained layout data. Based on the determined room type, the room image generation system 1 selects furniture to be placed in the room from the stored furniture image data, and generates room image data by placing the image data of the selected furniture onto the layout data. Finally, the room image generation system 1 outputs the generated room image data.

[0118] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing another example of the flow of room image data output processing by the room image generation system 1.

[0119] In step S211, the input operation receiving unit 181 of the terminal device 10 accesses the web server provided by the server 20 in response to an operation from the user and receives input of room image data from other users. The transmission / reception unit 182 transmits the received room image data from other users to the server 20.

[0120] In step S221, the room image data acquisition module 2037 of the server 20 acquires room image data of other users transmitted from the terminal device 10 in step S211 by receiving it via the communication unit 201.

[0121] In step S222, the room type determination module 2034 of the server 20 determines the room type related to the room image data of another user obtained in step S221. If the room type related to the room image data of another user is already known, the process in step S222 does not need to be performed.

[0122] In step S223, the furniture selection module 2035 of the server 20 selects furniture to be placed in the room corresponding to the room image data of another user obtained in step S221, from the stored furniture image data, based on the room type corresponding to the room image data of another user. At this time, in step S223, the registration data of the user stored in the user database 2021 may be referenced, and furniture to be placed in the room shown in the room layout data may be selected based on the registration data of the user.

[0123] In step S224, the room image data generation module 2036 of server 20 places the image data of the furniture selected in step S223 onto the room image data of other users, thereby generating (regenerating) room image data. In step S224, the image data of the furniture selected as a result of the furniture selection, specifically the image data of furniture to be placed in the room such as a sofa, table, bed, desk, storage shelf, etc., is placed onto the room image data of a living room, dining room, bedroom, study, studio apartment, etc.

[0124] The processes in steps S125 and S115 are the same as those shown in Figure 7, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0125] As described above, the room image generation system 1 obtains room image data of other users from the user. Based on the room type of the other user's room image data, the room image generation system 1 selects furniture to be placed in the room from the stored furniture image data, and generates room image data by placing the furniture image data related to the selected furniture into the room image data. Then, the room image generation system 1 outputs the generated room image data.

[0126] <4. Screen Example> The following describes examples of screens for inputting floor plan data and outputting room image data using the room image generation system 1, with reference to Figures 9 and 10.

[0127] Figure 9 shows an example of a screen for inputting floor plan data displayed on the terminal device 10. The example screen in Figure 9 shows a screen where the user has entered room floor plan data. This corresponds to step S121 in Figure 7.

[0128] As shown in Figure 9, the display 150 of the terminal device 10 shows the floor plan data input screen 1031a. This floor plan data input screen 1031a is provided with a floor plan data input field 1031b for displaying the entered floor plan data, and the floor plan data 1031c is displayed in the floor plan data input field 1031b. The floor plan data 1031c consists of rooms 1031d, 1031e, and 1031f.

[0129] For example, the floor plan data input field 1031b is provided for inputting room floor plan data, consisting of CAD data, BIM data, and photographic data showing the room layout created by the user or another party, for example, by drag and drop. When the room floor plan data is input by drag and drop, the floor plan data 1031c is displayed. In this state, when a transmission instruction is given to the server 20 by a predetermined operation, the room floor plan data is sent to the server 20 and acquired by the floor plan data acquisition module 2033.

[0130] Figure 10 shows an example of a screen displaying room image data output on terminal device 10. The example screen in Figure 10 shows a screen where furniture image data has been placed on the floor plan data, and room image data has been generated and output. This corresponds to step S125 in Figure 7.

[0131] As shown in Figure 10, the display 150 of the terminal device 10 shows a room image data output screen 1032a, and this room image data output screen 1032a shows a room image data display area 1032b. The room image data display area 1032b displays a three-dimensional space 1032c of the room generated from the floor plan data, and furthermore, furniture image data 1032d and 1032e are placed and displayed in the three-dimensional space 1032c of the room.

[0132] For example, a user intending to purchase furniture can refer to the room image data display area 1032b displayed on the display 150 of their terminal device 10 to confirm the coordination between the three-dimensional space of the room 1032c and the furniture image data 1032d and 1032e.

[0133] <Summary> As described above, according to this embodiment, room layout data is obtained from the user, and the type of room related to the obtained layout data is determined. Therefore, since the intended use of each room in a user's residence differs from user to user, it becomes possible to determine the type of room related to the layout data by referring to registered data about the user, such as user attributes and furniture purchase history, and to arrange furniture appropriately.

[0134] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, based on the determined room type, furniture to be placed in the room is selected from stored furniture image data, and the image data of the selected furniture is placed in the floor plan data to generate room image data. The generated room image data is then output. Therefore, room image data can be obtained by inputting room floor plan data. As a result, by using the room image generation system according to this disclosure, it becomes possible to easily coordinate furniture according to the intended use of each room in the user's residence.

[0135] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, room image data of other users is obtained from the user, and based on the type of room in the other user's room image data, furniture to be placed in the room is selected from the stored furniture image data, and the furniture image data related to the selected furniture is placed in the room image data to generate room image data. Then, the generated room image data is output. As a result, it is possible to share a furniture coordination by one user with other users. This makes it possible to easily coordinate one's own furniture while referring to the coordination of other users.

[0136] While several embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, these embodiments can be implemented in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications are permitted without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents.

[0137] <Note> The details described in each of the above embodiments are noted below.

[0138] (Note 1) A program to be executed on a computer equipped with a processor 29 and memory 25 for placing furniture images on a room layout image, wherein the memory 25 stores furniture image data (2022), and the program causes the processor 29 to execute the following steps based on user input: acquiring room layout data (S121); determining the type of room to which the acquired layout data pertains (S122); selecting furniture to be placed in the room to which the acquired layout data pertains from the stored furniture image data based on the determined room type (S123); placing the furniture image data of the selected furniture on the acquired layout data to generate room image data (S124); and outputting the generated room image data (S125).

[0139] (Note 2) The memory stores user registration data (2021), and in the step of determining the type of room, the program (as described in Note 1) determines the type of room related to the acquired floor plan data based on the registration data.

[0140] (Note 3) In the step of selecting furniture to be placed in a room, the program described in (Note 2) selects furniture to be placed in the room corresponding to the acquired floor plan data from the stored furniture image data, based on the result of the determined room type and the registered data.

[0141] (Note 4) The program described in (Note 2) uses a trained model in the step of determining the type of room, where the registered data is the explanatory variable and the type of room is the dependent variable, to determine the type of room related to the acquired floor plan data based on the registered data.

[0142] (Note 5) In the step of selecting furniture to be placed in a room, the program described in (Note 3) uses a trained model in which registered data is the explanatory variable and the furniture to be placed in the room is the dependent variable, and based on the result of the room type determination and the registered data, selects furniture to be placed in the room corresponding to the acquired floor plan data from the stored furniture image data.

[0143] (Note 6) In the step of selecting furniture to be placed in a room, the program described in (Note 3) filters based on data regarding the user's furniture preferences included in the registered data, and selects furniture to be placed in the room corresponding to the acquired floor plan data from the stored furniture image data.

[0144] (Note 7) The memory stores registration data for multiple users, and in the step of determining the type of room, the program determines the type of room related to the acquired floor plan data based on registration data for other users that are similar in attributes to the registration data for one user, as described in any of (Note 1) to (Note 6).

[0145] (Note 8) In the step of selecting furniture to be placed in a room, the program described in (Note 7) selects furniture to be placed in the room related to the acquired floor plan data from stored furniture image data, based on the result of the determined room type and the registration data of other users that are similar to the attributes of the registration data of user 1.

[0146] (Note 9) The memory further stores room image data generated by multiple users, and in the step of generating room image data, it obtains room image data generated by other users that are similar to the attributes of the registered data relating to one user, places the image data of the selected furniture onto the obtained room image data, and generates new room image data as described in (Note 7).

[0147] (Note 10) The program described in (Note 9), which, in the step of generating room image data, deletes or replaces the image data of furniture already placed in the acquired room image data, places the image data of selected furniture, and generates new room image data.

[0148] (Note 11) The program described in (Note 9), which, in the step of outputting generated room image data, outputs an identification code on which room image data generated by another user is recorded.

[0149] (Note 12) The memory further stores furniture price data and, in the step of outputting the generated room image data, outputs the furniture price data related to the selected furniture together with the generated room image data, as described in any of (Note 1) to (Note 6).

[0150] (Note 13) The memory stores registration data about the user, and in the step of selecting furniture to be placed in a room, the program described in (Note 12) selects furniture to be placed in the room corresponding to the acquired floor plan data from the stored furniture image data, based on the result of the determined room type, the registration data, and the furniture price data.

[0151] (Note 14) An information processing device comprising a control unit 203 and a memory 25 (storage unit 202), for arranging furniture images on a room layout image, wherein the memory 25 stores furniture image data (2022), and the control unit 203 performs the following steps upon input from a user: acquiring room layout data (S121), determining the type of room to which the acquired layout data pertains (S122), selecting furniture to be placed in the room to which the acquired layout data pertains from the stored furniture image data based on the determined room type (S123), arranging the furniture image data of the selected furniture on the acquired layout data to generate room image data (S124), and outputting the generated room image data (S125).

[0152] (Note 15) A method for placing furniture images on a room layout image, which is executed by a computer comprising a processor 29 and a memory 25, wherein the memory 25 stores furniture image data (2022), and the method is a method in which the processor 29 performs the steps of: acquiring room layout data from input from a user (S121); determining the type of room to which the acquired layout data pertains (S122); selecting furniture to be placed in the room to which the acquired layout data pertains from the stored furniture image data based on the determined room type (S123); placing the furniture image data to which the selected furniture pertains on the acquired layout data to generate room image data (S124); and outputting the generated room image data (S125). [Explanation of symbols]

[0153] 1: Room image generation system 10: Terminal device 10A: Terminal device 10B: Terminal device 13: Input device 14: Output device 15: Memory 16: Storage section 19: Processor 20: Server 25: Memory 26: Storage 29: Processor 80: Network 81: Wireless base station 82: Wireless LAN router 111: Antenna 112: Antenna 121: First Radio Communication Unit 122: Second Wireless Communication Unit 130: Operation Reception Section 131: Keyboard 132: Mouse 140: Audio Processing Unit 141: Mike 142: Speaker 150: Display 160: Camera 170: Storage section 171: User Information 180: Control Unit 181: Input operation reception unit 182: Transceiver Unit 183: Data Processing Unit 184: Notification Control Unit 201: Communications Department 202: Storage section 203: Control Unit 2021: User Database 2022: Furniture Database 2023: Room Image Database 2024: Pre-trained model 2031: Receiver control module 2032: Transmit control module 2033: Floor plan data acquisition module 2034: Room type determination module 2035: Furniture Selection Module 2036: Room image data generation module 2037: Room image data acquisition module 2038: Output Module

Claims

1. A program to be executed on a computer equipped with a processor and memory, for placing furniture images onto a room layout image, The memory stores image data of furniture, The program is provided to the processor: The process involves obtaining room layout data based on user input, and The steps include determining the type of room related to the floor plan data acquired, Based on the results of the determination of the room type, the step of selecting furniture to be placed in the room related to the acquired floor plan data from the stored furniture image data, The steps include: placing image data of the selected furniture onto the acquired floor plan data to generate room image data; A program that performs the step of outputting the generated room image data.

2. The memory stores registration data about the user, The program according to claim 1, wherein in the step of determining the type of room, the program determines the type of room related to the acquired floor plan data based on the registered data.

3. The program according to claim 2, wherein in the step of selecting furniture to be placed in the room, the program selects furniture to be placed in the room relating to the acquired floor plan data from the stored furniture image data, based on the result of the determined room type and the registered data.

4. The program according to claim 2, wherein in the step of determining the type of room, a trained model is used in which the registered data is an explanatory variable and the type of room is an objective variable to determine the type of room related to the acquired floor plan data based on the registered data.

5. The program according to claim 3, wherein in the step of selecting furniture to be placed in the room, a trained model is used in which the registered data is an explanatory variable and the furniture to be placed in the room is an objective variable, and based on the result of the determined room type and the registered data, the program selects furniture to be placed in the room relating to the acquired floor plan data from the stored furniture image data.

6. The program according to claim 3, wherein in the step of selecting furniture to be placed in the room, filtering is performed based on data relating to the user's furniture preferences included in the registered data, and furniture to be placed in the room relating to the acquired floor plan data is selected from the stored furniture image data.

7. The memory stores registration data for multiple users, The program according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein in the step of determining the type of room, the program determines the type of room relating to the acquired floor plan data based on registration data relating to other users that are similar in attributes to the registration data relating to one user.

8. The program according to claim 7, in the step of selecting furniture to be placed in the room, the program selects furniture to be placed in the room relating to the acquired floor plan data from the stored furniture image data, based on the result of the determined room type and the registration data relating to other users that are similar to the attributes of the registration data relating to one user.

9. The memory further stores room image data generated by multiple users, The program according to claim 7, wherein in the step of generating the room image data, it obtains room image data generated by another user that is similar to the attributes of the registered data relating to one user, places the image data of the selected furniture onto the obtained room image data, and generates new room image data.

10. The program according to claim 9, wherein in the step of generating the room image data, the program deletes or replaces the image data of furniture already placed in the acquired room image data, places the image data of furniture related to the selected furniture, and generates new room image data.

11. The program according to claim 9, wherein in the step of outputting the generated room image data, an identification code on which room image data generated by another user is recorded is output.

12. The memory further stores furniture price data, The program according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein in the step of outputting the generated room image data, price data of the selected furniture is output together with the generated room image data.

13. The memory stores registration data about the user, The program according to claim 12, wherein in the step of selecting furniture to be placed in the room, the program selects furniture to be placed in the room relating to the acquired floor plan data from the stored furniture image data, based on the result of the determined room type, the registered data, and the furniture price data.

14. An information processing device comprising a control unit and a memory, which arranges furniture images on a room layout image, The memory stores image data of furniture, The control unit, The process involves obtaining room layout data based on user input, and The steps include determining the type of room related to the floor plan data acquired, Based on the results of the determination of the room type, the step of selecting furniture to be placed in the room related to the acquired floor plan data from the stored furniture image data, The steps include: placing image data of the selected furniture onto the acquired floor plan data to generate room image data; An information processing device that performs the step of outputting the generated room image data.

15. A method for placing images of furniture onto a room layout image, which is executed by a computer having a processor and memory, The memory stores image data of furniture, The above method involves the processor, The process involves obtaining room layout data based on user input, and The steps include determining the type of room related to the floor plan data acquired, Based on the results of the determination of the room type, the step of selecting furniture to be placed in the room related to the acquired floor plan data from the stored furniture image data, The steps include: placing image data of the selected furniture onto the acquired floor plan data to generate room image data; A method for performing the steps of outputting the generated room image data.

Images