How to export a block object's blueprint

Abstract

To provide a method for facilitating a user composing a block object using block parts.SOLUTION: In a system configured by connecting a server terminal and each of a plurality of user terminals, over a network, a method for outputting a design drawing of a composable block object which is composed of multiple types of block parts, the method being executed by a processing unit of the server terminal includes: acquiring, by the processing unit of the server terminal, information on the block object from the user terminals; displaying an image of the block object in augmented reality spaces displayed on the user terminals; receiving information on block parts from the user terminals; and displaying, in the augmented reality spaces, images of the block parts so as to be identified for the block object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for outputting a design drawing of a block object. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Toys that allow users to assemble block object models such as animals, buildings, vehicles, etc. using block parts such as Lego bricks are becoming popular.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for improving the efficiency of designing block parts that make up a block object. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5665872 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, while the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 above makes it possible to improve the efficiency and visualization of block part design, it does not disclose a method for visualizing the image of assembling block objects from a user's perspective.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method that makes it easy for a user to assemble block objects using block parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In one aspect of the present invention, a method for outputting a blueprint of a block object that can be assembled and is composed of multiple types of block parts is executed by a processing unit of a server terminal connected to a user terminal via a network, wherein the processing unit of the server terminal acquires information about the block parts from the user terminal, determines block objects that can be assembled based on the information about the block parts, displays blueprint information about the block objects and the information about the block parts, updates the blueprint information about the block objects, updates information about the block parts based on the updated blueprint information, and displays the updated information about the block parts.In one aspect of the present invention, a method for outputting a blueprint of a block object that can be assembled and is composed of multiple types of block parts is executed by a processing unit of a server terminal connected to a user terminal via a network, wherein the processing unit of the server terminal acquires information about the block objects from the user terminal, displays images of the block objects in an augmented reality space displayed on the user terminal, receives information about the block parts from the user terminal, and displays images of the block parts in the augmented reality space so that they can be distinguished from the block objects. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method that makes it easy for a user to assemble a block object using block parts. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system for providing a method for recommending block objects according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the server terminal 100 of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the user terminal 200 of FIG. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of object model information stored in the server 100. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of block part information stored in the server 100. [Figure 6] 10 is an example of a flowchart showing details of a method for outputting a design drawing of a block object according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 10 is another example of a flowchart illustrating details of a method for outputting a design drawing of a block object according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 is an example of a block object displayed on a user terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a basic block part according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 10 is an example of identifying and displaying block parts for a block object displayed on a user terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below do not unduly limit the content of the present invention described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the components shown in the embodiments are necessarily essential components of the present invention.

[0011] <Configuration> 1 is a block diagram showing a system for providing a method for recommending block objects according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The system 1 includes a server terminal 100 that generates design drawing information for block objects based on coordinate information of block parts acquired from a user terminal 200 or a sensor device 300, and user terminals 200A and 200B associated with each user who assembles the block objects. For ease of explanation, the user terminals 200A and 200B will be collectively referred to as user terminal 200 below.

[0012] Here, in this embodiment, an animal object will be described as an example of a block object made up of multiple block parts, but other examples include people, robots, vehicles, buildings, etc., and the block object is not limited to this one example.

[0013] The server terminal 100 and the user terminal 200 are connected to each other via a network NW. The network NW is configured by the Internet, an intranet, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or the like.

[0014] The server terminal 100 may be, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing. In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, one server terminal is illustrated as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this and multiple server terminals may be used.

[0015] The user terminal 200 is, for example, an information processing device such as a personal computer or a tablet terminal, but may also be configured as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a PDA, or the like.

[0016] In this embodiment, the system 1 is described as having a server terminal 100 and a user terminal 200, and a user uses the user terminal 200 to perform operations on the server terminal 100; however, the server terminal 100 may be configured as a standalone unit, and the server terminal itself may have the function of allowing each user to perform operations directly.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a functional block configuration diagram of the server terminal 100 of Fig. 1. The server terminal 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit .

[0018] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for communicating with the user terminal 200 via the network NW, and communication is performed according to a communication protocol such as TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol).

[0019] The storage unit 120 stores input data, programs for executing various control processes and functions in the control unit 130, and is composed of RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The storage unit 120 also has an object model information storage unit 121 that stores information related to object models, and a block part information storage unit 122 that stores information on block parts generated based on the object models, etc. A database (not shown) that stores various data may be constructed outside the storage unit 120 or the server terminal 100.

[0020] The control unit 130 controls the overall operation of the server terminal 100 by executing programs stored in the storage unit 120, and is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. Functions of the control unit 130 include an information receiving unit 131 that receives information such as instructions from the user terminal 200, an object model information processing unit 132 that refers to and processes various information related to object models, a block part information processing unit 133 that refers to and processes various information related to block parts, and an output processing unit 134 that processes design drawing information related to block objects to be output to the user terminal. The information receiving unit 131, the object model information processing unit 132, the block part information processing unit 133, and the output processing unit 134 are activated by programs stored in the storage unit 120 and executed by the server terminal 100, which is a computer (electronic calculator).

[0021] The information receiving unit 131 receives information from the user terminal 200 when the user makes a specified request (by entering text, pressing an icon, etc.) via a user interface such as a screen provided by the server terminal 100 and displayed on the user terminal 200 via a web browser or application, or receives coordinate information of block parts generated by the sensor device 300 via the user terminal 200 and the communication unit 110.

[0022] The object model processing unit 132 stores information related to the object model in the object model information storage unit 121 and performs processing to refer to the stored object model information.

[0023] The block part information processing unit 133 stores information related to block parts in the block part information storage unit 122 and performs processing to refer to the stored block part information.

[0024] The output processing unit 134 performs processing to transmit necessary information to the user terminal 200 in order to display blueprint information and the like related to block objects on the user terminal 200. In this case, the output processing unit 134 uses the image and text data stored in the storage unit 120 as material and arranges various images and text in predetermined areas of the user interface based on predetermined layout rules, thereby generating screen information necessary to be displayed on the interface of the user terminal 200. This screen information generation processing can also be executed by a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

[0025] Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the user terminal 200 of Fig. 1. The user terminal 200 includes a communication unit 210, a display operation unit 220, a storage unit 230, and a control unit 240.

[0026] The communication unit 210 is a communication interface for communicating with the server terminal 100 via the network NW, and communication is performed according to a communication protocol such as TCP / IP. The communication unit 210 can also include a communication interface for communicating with the sensor device 300 via short-range wireless communication or the like.

[0027] Display operation unit 220 is a user interface used for inputting instructions by the user and displaying text, images, etc. in accordance with input data from control unit 240, and is composed of a display, keyboard, and mouse when user terminal 200 is configured as a personal computer, and is composed of a touch panel, etc. when user terminal 200 is configured as a smartphone or tablet terminal. This display operation unit 220 is started up by a control program stored in storage unit 230 and executed by user terminal 200, which is a computer (electronic calculator).

[0028] The storage unit 230 stores input data, programs for executing various control processes and functions in the control unit 240, and is composed of RAM, ROM, etc. The storage unit 230 also temporarily stores the contents of communication with the server terminal 100.

[0029] The control unit 240 controls the overall operation of the user terminal 200 by executing the programs stored in the storage unit 230, and is composed of a CPU, a GPU, and the like.

[0030] The server terminal 100 may be configured to have the function of a display operation unit, in which case the server terminal 100 may not be configured to have the user terminal 200. Additionally, the user terminal 200 may be provided with a camera (not shown), in which case the camera can identify the type of the block part (determined by its shape, color, etc.) and determine its coordinates in the augmented reality (AR) space by capturing an image of an AR marker provided on the block part.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of object model information stored in the server 100. As shown in FIG.

[0032] The object model information 1000 shown in FIG. 4 stores information related to an object model generated by a service operator associated with the server terminal 100 or a user associated with the user terminal 200. For ease of explanation, FIG. 4 shows an example of one object model (a user identified by object ID "10001"), but information on multiple object models can be stored. Various data related to the object model can include 3D model data of the object model, cross-sectional data of the object model, data related to one or more types and quantities of block parts required to assemble the object model, and design drawing information related to block parts arranged on each layer of the cross section. The 3D model data can also be stored as 2D model data converted into a 3D model through a predetermined process.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of block part information stored in the server 100. As shown in FIG.

[0034] The block part information 2000 shown in FIG. 5 stores information related to the shape, size, color, and weight of a block part. For ease of explanation, FIG. 5 shows an example of one block part (a block part identified by ID "20001"), but information related to multiple block parts can be stored. Examples of various data related to block parts include data related to block parts that correspond to components used to assemble a block object (such as the shape, size, and color of the block part, and the number of each block part). Here, each of the multiple types of block parts can be associated with a unique color, but this is not limited to this.

[0035] FIG. 6 is an example of a flowchart showing a method for outputting a design drawing of a block object according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] As a preliminary process, the user accesses the server terminal 100 using a web browser on the user terminal 200 or an application (if an application is installed). A predetermined screen is displayed on the user interface via the website or application. The user has basic block parts (described later) in hand in advance, and information about the basic block parts is stored in the block part information storage unit 122 of the memory unit 120 of the server terminal 100.

[0037] Then, in the process of step S101, the information receiving unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 receives information about the block object that the user wants to assemble from the user terminal 200 via the network and the communication unit 110. Here, the user can select a desired block object from among multiple block objects on a user interface screen displayed on the user terminal 200. In this example, the user wants to assemble a frog block object as shown in FIG. 8(a), and performs an input operation to assemble the frog block object on the user interface screen displayed on the user terminal 200. The server terminal 100 receives information about the block object corresponding to the frog.

[0038] Next, in the process of step S102, the object model information processing unit 132 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 references the object model information storage unit 121 of the memory unit 120 based on the received information about the block object model, and executes a process of displaying a block object on the user terminal 200 based on the 3D data of the block object selected by the user. Here, an AR space is displayed on the user interface screen of the user terminal 200, and an image of the block object generated based on the 3D data is displayed in real space captured by a camera provided in the user terminal 200. Here, the user can enlarge, reduce, rotate, etc. the image of the block object displayed in the AR space by performing operations such as pinching and zooming on a predetermined controller or touch panel.

[0039] Next, in the process of step S103, the information receiving unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 receives information about one block part owned by the user from the user terminal 200 via the network and communication unit 110. Here, when the user photographs the block part owned by the user with a camera provided in the user terminal 200, the user identifies the AR marker attached to the block part, and the identified information is transmitted to the server terminal 100. Based on the information identified via the AR mark, the block part information processing unit 133 of the server terminal 100 identifies the type of the block part (a type defined by any one or a combination of shape, color, and size). The block part information processing unit 133 can also identify the coordinates of the block part in the AR space.

[0040] Next, in the processing of step S104, the object model information processing unit 132 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 refers to the design drawing information of the object model stored in the object model information storage unit 121 of the memory unit 120, and determines whether or not the block part is a block part necessary for assembling the block object based on the information about the block part identified from the received information about the block part.If the block part is a block part necessary for assembling the block object, the output processing unit 134 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 identifies the block part by displaying the block part in a different color or by flashing it in the block object placed in the AR space displayed via the user interface screen of the user terminal 200.

[0041] For example, FIG. 8(b) shows an example of a portion of blueprint data for a frog object model. The blueprint data indicates, in each layer, the placement areas of block parts required to construct the object model, along with coordinate information, by color. Using this blueprint data, the block part information processing unit 133 references the block part information stored in the block part information storage unit 122 of the storage unit 120 to determine which of the predetermined block parts, as shown in FIG. 9, will be used in which placement areas of the block parts included in the blueprint information. The block part information processing unit 133 then checks whether the received block parts match the determined block parts. If the block parts match, i.e., if the user's own block parts are confirmed to be used to assemble the block object, the output processing unit 134 displays the block part images in different colors or flashes them to identify the locations of the user objects displayed in the AR space where the block parts will be used, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0042] FIG. 7 is another example of a flowchart showing a method for outputting a design drawing of a block object according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] In this example, when the block parts are displayed in an identifiable manner in the processing of step S104, when the block parts held by the user are displayed in the AR space, the size of the block objects to be displayed in the AR space is readjusted to match the actual size of the displayed block parts, and the block objects are displayed overlapping the block parts, thereby enabling the user to easily assemble block objects using the block parts held by the user.

[0044] First, in the processing of step S201, the object model information processing unit 132 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 refers to the 3D model information of the object model stored in the object model information storage unit 121 of the memory unit 120, and determines the size of the block part based on the coordinate information in the AR space of the block part via the AR marker attached to the block part held by the user, which was received as described above, and readjusts (resizes) the size of the object model to be displayed in the AR space so that the size of the block parts constituting the object model matches the size of the actual block parts owned by the user.

[0045] Next, in the process of step S202, the output processing unit 134 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 displays the image of the block object whose size has been readjusted as described above, superimposed on the image of the block part in the AR space displayed on the user interface screen of the user terminal 200. Here, the output processing unit 134 displays the block object semi-transparently, thereby enabling the block object and the block part to be displayed in a distinguishable manner, thereby enabling the user to assemble the block object more easily.

[0046] As described above, according to this embodiment, when a user assembles a block object, the user can easily assemble the block object by displaying the block parts in hand in the AR space together with the block object and identifying where they are to be used.

[0047] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, they can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made. These embodiments, modifications, and omissions, substitutions, and modifications are included in the technical scope of the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 System 100 Server terminal, 110 Communication unit, 120 Storage unit, 130 Control unit, 200 User terminal, NW network

Claims

1. A method for outputting a design drawing of an assemblable block object made up of multiple types of block parts, the method being executed by a processing unit of a server terminal connected to a user terminal via a network, the method comprising: The processing unit of the server terminal Obtaining information about block objects from the user terminal; displaying an image of the block object in an augmented reality space displayed on the user terminal; receiving information about block parts from the user terminal; A method for determining whether the block part is a block part necessary for assembling a block object, and if the block part is a block part necessary for assembling the block object, displaying an image of the block part superimposed on the block object in the augmented reality space.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein images of the block parts are displayed where necessary for assembly of the block object.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising imaging the block part with the user terminal and receiving information about the block part via an AR marker provided on the block part.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising resizing the image of the object model to fit the size of the image of the block part.

5. A program executed by a computer and executed by a processing unit of a server terminal connected to a user terminal via a network, for outputting a design drawing of an assembleable block object composed of multiple types of block parts, Acquire information about block objects from the user terminal; displaying an image of the block object in an augmented reality space displayed on the user terminal; receiving information about block parts from the user terminal; a program that determines whether the block part is a block part necessary for assembling a block object, and if the block part is a block part necessary for assembling the block object, displays an image of the block part superimposed on the block object in the augmented reality space.

Images