How to generate a blueprint for a block object

Abstract

To provide a method for allowing a user to build a block object more easily by using block parts.SOLUTION: The method according to an aspect of the present invention is a method for outputting a design drawing of a buildable block object made of a plurality of types of block parts, which is executed by a processing unit of a server terminal connected to a sensor device by a network. The processing unit of the server terminal acquires coordinate information of block parts from the sensor device, analyzes coordinates to show design drawing information of the block object on the basis of the coordinate information, and displays the design information on the basis of the analyzed coordinates.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for recommending block objects. [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, there is provided a method for outputting a design drawing of a block object that can be assembled and is composed of multiple types of block parts, the method being executed by a processing unit of a server terminal connected to a sensor device via a network, wherein the processing unit of the server terminal acquires coordinate information of the block parts from the sensor device, analyzes coordinates for displaying the design drawing information of the block object based on the coordinate information, and displays the design drawing information based on the analyzed coordinates. [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 functional block diagram showing the sensor device 300 of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of object model information stored in the server 100. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of block part information stored in the server 100. [Figure 7] 10 is an example of a flowchart illustrating details of a method for generating a design drawing of a block object according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 is another example of a flowchart illustrating details of a method for generating a design drawing of a block object according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9]1 is an example of a screen of an assemblable object model displayed on a user terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 10 is another example of a screen of a composable object model 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. This 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; user terminals 200A and 200B associated with each user who assembles the block objects; and sensor devices 300A and 300B that cooperate with the user terminals and generate coordinate information for the block objects. Hereinafter, for ease of explanation, the user terminals 200A and 200B will be collectively referred to as user terminal 200, and the sensor devices 300A and 300B will be collectively referred to as sensor device 300.

[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] The sensor device 300 is, for example, a mouse-like device that operates the user terminal 200, and is equipped with a base on which block parts can be placed and sensors such as an acceleration sensor that can generate coordinate information for the base, and is connected to and paired with the user terminal 200 via short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0018] 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 .

[0019] 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).

[0020] 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.

[0021] The control unit 130 controls the overall operation of the server terminal 100 by executing programs stored in the storage unit 120, and is configured with 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, an output processing unit 134 that performs processing to transmit design drawing information related to block objects to the user terminal for output, and a coordinate analysis unit 135 that analyzes coordinate information related to block parts received from the user terminal 200 or the sensor device 300. The information receiving unit 131, the object model information processing unit 132, the block part information processing unit 133, the output processing unit 134, and the coordinate analysis unit 135 are activated by programs stored in the storage unit 120 and executed by the server terminal 100, which is a computer (electronic calculator).

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] The block parts information processing unit 133 stores information related to block parts in the block parts information storage unit 122 and performs processing to refer to the stored block parts information.

[0025] 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).

[0026] The coordinate analysis unit 135 analyzes coordinate information regarding block parts obtained from the sensor device 300 or the user terminal 200, and performs processing to determine the inclination of the displayed block object when displaying blueprint information, etc. related to the block object on the user terminal 200.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] Display operation unit 220 is a user interface used for allowing a user to input instructions and for displaying text, images, etc. in accordance with input data from control unit 240, and is configured with a display, keyboard, and mouse when user terminal 200 is configured as a personal computer, and is configured with 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).

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] The server terminal 100 may be configured to have the function of a display operation unit, in which case the user terminal 200 may not be included.

[0033] Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the sensor device 300 of Fig. 1. The sensor device 300 includes a communication unit 310, an acceleration unit 320, an input unit 330, and a control unit 340.

[0034] The communication unit 310 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 user terminal 200 via short-range wireless communication or the like.

[0035] The acceleration sensor 320 measures the inclination of the base (not shown) on which the user places the block parts in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions relative to the plane on which the sensor device 300 is placed, and generates coordinate information. Note that the sensor is not limited to an acceleration sensor, and other sensors capable of detecting the inclination of the base relative to the plane, such as an angular velocity sensor, can also be used.

[0036] The input unit 330 is an interface for inputting instructions for executing operations on the screen displayed on the user terminal 200, and may be, for example, physical buttons or buttons displayed on a liquid crystal screen.

[0037] The control unit 340 controls the overall operation of the sensor device 300 by executing a program stored in a storage unit (not shown), and is composed of a CPU, a GPU, and the like.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of object model information stored in the server 100. As shown in FIG.

[0039] The object model information 1000 shown in FIG. 5 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.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of block part information stored in the server 100. As shown in FIG.

[0041] The block part information 2000 shown in FIG. 6 stores information related to the shape, size, color, and weight of a block part. For ease of explanation, FIG. 6 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 (including the shape, size, color, etc. of the block part) that correspond to the components that assemble a block object. Here, each of the multiple types of block parts can be associated with a unique color, but this is not limited to this.

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

[0043] To use the system 1, the user pairs the user terminal 200 with the sensor device 300 by short-range wireless communication or the like, and places the block parts held by the user on a base (not shown) of the sensor device 300. The base may have protrusions on the surface on which the block parts are placed so that the block parts can fit together when placed.

[0044] 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 operates the user terminal 200 to select block objects to be assembled from multiple block objects displayed on the user interface of the user terminal 200. Information about the selected block objects is transmitted to the server terminal 100 via the network and accepted by the communication unit 110 of the server terminal 100 and the information accepting unit 131 of the control unit 130.

[0045] The user places block parts on a base provided via a rotation mechanism in the sensor device 300, which is paired with the user terminal 200 via near-field wireless communication or the like, and rotates or tilts the base to assemble the block object. In response to the tilting or rotation of the base, the acceleration sensor 320 built into the sensor device 300 detects coordinates (position information of the base in the X-, Y-, and Z-axis directions relative to the ground) corresponding to the tilt or rotation of the base relative to the ground, such as a tabletop, on which the sensor device 300 is placed, and generates coordinate information. The sensor device 300 transmits the generated coordinate information to the user terminal 200 via near-field wireless communication or the like.

[0046] Then, in the process of step S101, the information receiving unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 receives the coordinate information generated by the sensor device 300 from the user terminal 200 via the network and the communication unit 110. Here, if the sensor device 300 is connected to the server terminal 100 via a network or the like, the information receiving unit 131 can also receive the coordinate information directly from the sensor device 300.

[0047] Next, in the processing of step S102, the coordinate analysis unit 135 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 analyzes the received coordinate information and converts it into coordinate information of an object model composed of block parts in a 3D space displayed as a blueprint of the block object on the user terminal 200.

[0048] Next, in the processing of step S103, the output processing unit 134 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 performs output processing by generating screen information by arranging an object model in a 3D space as design drawing information to be displayed on the user terminal 200 based on the coordinate information analyzed in the previous step.

[0049] 9 is an example of a screen of an assemblable object model displayed on a user terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in this figure, the object model is displayed on the user terminal 200 as a blueprint of a block object. The user can easily assemble the block object while referring to the blueprint information on the user terminal 200 that corresponds to the tilt of the block object placed on the sensor device 300. For the blueprint information displayed on the user terminal 200, a history of coordinate information corresponding to the blueprint information displayed on one or more user terminals can be stored. Based on the stored coordinate information, the blueprint information can be displayed in the form of a still image or a video at a position that is most convenient for the user to view.

[0050] FIG. 8 is another example of a flowchart showing a method for displaying a design drawing of a block object according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] The user operates the input unit 330 (e.g., a mouse click button) provided in the sensor device 300 to instruct the progress of assembly of the block objects in the design drawing information displayed on the user terminal 200, and in step S201, the information receiving unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 receives a request for instructions to proceed with assembly of the block objects from the user terminal 200 via the network and the communication unit 110. Here, if the sensor device 300 is connected to the server terminal 100 via a network or the like, the information receiving unit 131 can also receive an instruction request directly from the sensor device 300.

[0052] For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the design drawing information of the block object is displayed on the user terminal 200, and the user assembles the block parts according to the object model displayed in FIG. 10(a), and can request instructions to proceed with the assembly by using the input unit 330 provided in the sensor device 300 to point to and click on the "Proceed" icon on the screen.

[0053] Next, in the processing of step S202, the object model 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 the design drawing information that will enable the next assembly operation for the design drawing information currently displayed on the user terminal 200.

[0054] Next, in the processing of step S203, the output processing unit 134 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 generates screen information by arranging an object model in a 3D space as the design drawing information to be displayed on the user terminal 200, based on the design drawing information determined in the previous step.

[0055] For example, as shown in Figure 10(b), an object model including a block part with an additional layer is displayed in addition to the block parts consisting of multiple layers that make up the object model included in the design drawing information displayed in Figure 10(a).

[0056] Next, in step S204, the output processing unit 134 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 performs output processing by transmitting the generated screen information to the user terminal 200.

[0057] As described above, according to this embodiment, the user can effortlessly transmit information related to the block object placed on the sensor device to the server terminal 100. Furthermore, based on the received information, the server terminal 100 can analyze coordinate information such as the inclination of the block object that the user is currently assembling, thereby presenting the user with blueprint information that is in the same direction as the user is looking, allowing the user to easily assemble the block object.

[0058] 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]

[0059] 1 System 100 Server terminal, 110 Communication unit, 120 Storage unit, 130 Control unit, 200 User terminal, 300 Sensor device, 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 sensor device via a network, the method comprising: The processing unit of the server terminal acquires coordinate information of the block part from the sensor device; Analyzing coordinates for displaying design drawing information of the block object based on the coordinate information; Displaying the design drawing information based on the analyzed coordinates; The sensor device is configured to detect a tilt of the plane on which the sensor device is placed. generating coordinate information of the block part by measuring the tilt of the block part in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions relative to the same plane as the plane of the block part on which the sensor device is placed; The method, wherein the design drawing information is design drawing information corresponding to the inclination of the block part, generated based on the coordinate information.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor device comprises an acceleration sensor.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising accepting a request to select the block object from a user terminal connected to the server terminal via the network.

4. receiving a request to update the design drawing information from the sensor device; The method of claim 1 , further comprising updating the design information based on the request to update.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the blueprint information includes displaying an animation of the block object.

6. A program that causes a computer to output a design drawing of an assemblable block object made up of multiple types of block parts, the program being executed by a processing unit of a server terminal that is connected to the sensor device via a network, acquiring coordinate information of the block part from the sensor device; analyzing coordinates for displaying design drawing information of the block object based on the coordinate information; Displaying the design drawing information based on the analyzed coordinates; the sensor device measures the tilt of the sensor device in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions relative to the plane of the block part on which the sensor device is placed, based on the tilt of the plane on which the sensor device is placed, thereby generating coordinate information of the block part; The program, wherein the design drawing information is design drawing information corresponding to the inclination of the block part, generated based on the coordinate information.

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