Housing design support methods, programs, and devices

Abstract

Reducing the workload and speed of generating 3D model images in residential design. [Solution] The housing design support device 1 displays a housing design support screen 3 on the user terminal 2, and the user edits the housing design from the housing design support screen 3. Editing can be done on the floor plan, interior, and exterior, and the edited results are sent to the housing design support device 1, where connection information and link information for each room, and the corresponding room models are determined. Based on the determined information, the housing design support device 1 displays a 3D image of the designed house on the housing design support screen 3. Since the 3D image is generated from connection information, link information, and the corresponding room models, the processing load can be reduced compared to conventional methods of generating a 3D model of the entire house.

Description

Technical Field

[0005] ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a method, a program, an apparatus, and a system.

Background Art

[0002] In the design of custom-built houses, there is a service in which a contractor listens to the customer's wishes, designs a floor plan, and provides the customer with an image of the completed house on a terminal screen. Patent Document 1 discloses a system in which a prompt is input to a generative AI to ask about the customer's preferences and conditions, automatically generate a floor plan of the house, and display the floor plan on a virtual reality display device. Patent Document 2 discloses that a house floor plan is virtually constructed on a display screen to design the floor plan and displayed as a three-dimensional image.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, problems with such a system are that the computer's computational load is large for generating a three-dimensional model of the housing design image, the data volume of the three-dimensional model of the entire house is large, and the burden on the storage device and communication device is also large. As a result, the user of the system has to wait because it takes time to generate the three-dimensional model, and there are problems such as it taking time to display the generated three-dimensional model and not being able to display it smoothly.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a housing design support method, program, and apparatus that can provide housing designs that meet the user's needs, generate a 3D model of the housing image at high speed, and display and confirm the housing image quickly and smoothly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the present invention, A computer-based method for assisting in residential design, The first step is to receive initial responses from users regarding the information necessary for designing a house, The first step is to determine the layout of the house based on the answer mentioned above, The steps include selecting a room model from a database that corresponds to each room in the aforementioned floor plan, The steps include determining connection information between the selected room models based on the floor plan, The steps include presenting the user with a three-dimensional virtual space of the house generated based on the selected room model and the connection information, A housing design support method consisting of the following is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the method, program, and apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to provide a housing design that meets the user's requirements, to rapidly render a 3D model of the housing image and generate a 3D virtual space image, and for the user to quickly and smoothly view and confirm the housing image. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is the Academy of Systems Configuration for Housing Design Support Systems. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the housing design support device 1. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing the residential design support screen 3. [Figure 4]It is a schematic diagram showing the housing design support screen 3. [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram showing the housing design support screen 3. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an image of the positional relationship information. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an image of the link information. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing an image of the interior information. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an image of the exterior information. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an image of the room model. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing an image of the three-dimensional model of the entire house. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing an image of the housing design support screen 3 during interior editing. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing an image of the housing design support screen 3 during interior editing. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing an image of the housing design support screen 3 during exterior editing. [Figure 15] It is a diagram showing an image of the housing design support screen 3 during exterior editing. [Figure 16] It is a diagram showing an image of the housing design support screen 3 when displaying a three-dimensional image of the interior of the house. [Figure 17] It is a diagram showing an image of the housing design support screen 3 when displaying a three-dimensional image of the exterior of the house. [Figure 18] It is a flowchart showing the process flow of the housing design support device 1. [Figure 19] It shows an image of the positional relationship information in another embodiment. [Figure 20] It shows an image of the connection state between rooms based on the positional relationship information in another embodiment. [Figure 21] It shows an image of the positional relationship information in another embodiment. [Figure 22] It shows an image of the connection state between rooms based on the positional relationship information in another embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] (First embodiment) Hereafter, identical or equivalent components, members, processes, and signals shown in each drawing will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate. In addition, some components that are not explanatoryly important will be omitted from each drawing. The following embodiments are not intended to unduly limit the content of the disclosure as described in the claims, and not all components shown in the embodiments are necessarily essential components of the disclosure. Furthermore, each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily a strict illustration.

[0010] (System configuration) The housing design support system in this disclosure is a system that provides housing design support. The housing design support system comprises a housing design support device 1 and a user terminal 2 connected via a network NW. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the housing design support system. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the housing design support device 1.

[0011] (Hardware configuration of housing design support device 1) The housing design support device 1 comprises a control unit 101, a storage unit 102, and a communication unit 103. The control unit 101 is composed of a processor and reads application programs and data necessary for processing stored in the storage unit 102, executes processing, and sends and receives data with the user terminal 2 connected to the network NW via the communication unit 103, thereby realizing the functions of the application program. In this way, the housing design support device 1 is realized as an information processing device that performs information processing. The housing design support device 1 is a computer installed on a network, but it may also be a server virtually configured as a so-called cloud, or it may be composed of terminals with communication functions such as personal computers and smartphones.

[0012] (Configuration of the control unit 101 of the housing design support device 1) The control unit 101 is composed of functional units including a first response reception unit 1011, a floor plan determination unit 1012, a room model selection unit 1013, a connection information determination unit 1014, a three-dimensional space presentation unit 1015, a second response reception unit 1016, an interior information determination unit 1017, a third response reception unit 1018, and an exterior information determination unit 1019. The control unit 101 realizes each functional unit by reading the application program stored in the storage unit 102 and executing the processing.

[0013] (Configuration of the storage unit 102 of the housing design support device 1) The memory unit 102 is a storage device for permanently or temporarily storing data and programs, and is composed of volatile memory, hard disks, SSDs, etc. The memory unit 102 stores and holds application programs, user data, and service data for providing housing design support services to the user terminal 2. The application program is executed by the processor and operates as each functional unit of the control unit 101 to realize the housing design support service. User data specifically includes user attribute information and service identification information. Service data is data necessary for each functional unit of the control unit 101 to provide housing design support services, and specifically includes display screen data, connection information, interior information, exterior information, and room models used in the application program on the terminal device 2.

[0014] (Functional configuration of the communication unit 103 of the housing design support device 1) The communication unit 103 communicates with other computers via a network NW using wired or wireless communication standards. The network NW consists of mobile communication networks, wireless LANs, and other short-range wireless communication systems, and the communication unit 103 is configured with an interface that can input and output signals to the network and communicate. The communication unit 103 provides an interface for communication during the operation of each functional unit of the control unit 101. When each functional unit of the control unit 101 communicates with the user terminal 2, the communication unit 103 acts as an intermediary for communication with the network NW.

[0015] (Configuration of user terminal 2) The user terminal 2 comprises a control unit, a storage unit, a communication unit, and a display unit. The processor of the user terminal 2 functions as the control unit by calling and executing application programs from the storage unit. The storage unit stores the data necessary for the execution of application programs by the processor of the user terminal 2. The communication unit provides the interface function for when the user terminal 2 communicates via the network NW.

[0016] Suitable hardware configurations for user terminal 2 include mobile communication terminals such as tablets, laptops, and smartphones. The hardware components constituting each function of user terminal 2 include a control unit consisting of a processor, and a storage unit consisting of volatile memory, a hard disk, or an SSD. The communication unit consists of a communication interface for mobile communication networks, wireless LANs, and other short-range wireless communication. The display unit is preferably a liquid crystal display with an overlaid touch panel that also serves as an input means.

[0017] Next, we will describe each functional unit of the control unit 101 of the housing design support device 1.

[0018] (First response reception desk 1011) The first response receiving unit 1011 receives information necessary for housing design from the user terminal 2. The first response receiving unit 1011 provides the user terminal 2 with the housing design support screen 3 shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4. The user terminal 2 displays the housing design support screen 3 on its display unit, and the user inputs necessary information and preferences regarding housing design via the housing design support screen 3. The user terminal 2 transmits the information input by the user to the housing design support device 1 via the communication unit, and the first response receiving unit 1011 receives the information and stores it in the storage unit 102. The screen configuration and functions of the housing design support screen 3 will be described later.

[0019] (Floor plan determination section 1012) The floor plan determination unit 1012 extracts floor plan candidates that match the user's preferences from the storage unit 102 based on the information necessary for housing design received by the first response reception unit 1011, and presents them to the user via the housing design support screen 3. The extraction of floor plan candidates by the floor plan determination unit 1012 is performed by matching the floor plan candidate information stored in the storage unit 102 with the information necessary for housing design. For example, if information such as "living with 3 people," "65 square meters," and "counter kitchen" is obtained, the unit searches the storage unit 102 for floor plan candidates that match the conditions. If there are multiple search results, the unit displays multiple floor plan candidates on the housing design support screen 3 for the user to select one. The user selects their desired floor plan from the presented floor plan candidates via the housing design support screen 3, and the user terminal 2 notifies the housing design support device 1 of the selected floor plan information. The floor plan determination unit 1012 receives this notification and stores the floor plan information in the storage unit 102. Specifically, the floor plan information is represented as an XY coordinate system indicating the location of each room, with the lower left corner of the floor plan information 311 shown on the housing design support screen 3 as the origin. Alternatively, instead of matching floor plan candidates as described above, the floor plan determination unit 1012 may be equipped with a generation AI model that has been pre-trained with floor plans and related information, and may generate floor plan information based on the information necessary for housing design.

[0020] Furthermore, the housing design support screen 3 may accept editing requests from the user after receiving selections from multiple floor plan candidates. The interface of the housing design support screen 3 during floor plan editing will be described later. When the user terminal 2 receives a floor plan edit request from the user via the housing design support screen 3, it notifies the housing design support device 1 of the floor plan information.

[0021] (Room model selection section 1013) The room model selection unit 1013 determines a room model corresponding to the floor plan information determined by the floor plan determination unit 1012. A room model is a three-dimensional model corresponding to each room or facility in the floor plan, and serves as a module for the three-dimensional model of the entire house. Figure 10 shows examples of room models, with Figure 10(a) representing the toilet room model and Figure 10(b) representing the kitchen room model. The storage unit 102 stores room models corresponding to each part such as rooms, corridors, and entrances that correspond to floor plans that can be presented by the housing design support device 1. The room model selection unit 1013 determines the room model corresponding to each location from the determined floor plan information and notifies the connection information determination unit 1014.

[0022] (Connection information determination unit 1014) The connection information determination unit 1014 determines connection information based on the floor plan information determined by the floor plan determination unit 1012 and the room model selected by the room model selection unit 1013. Connection information represents the correspondence between each room in the floor plan information and the room model, as well as the positional relationship and connection relationship between the room models. The connection information consists of positional relationship information and link information, and the connection information determination unit 1014 stores the determined connection information in the storage unit 102.

[0023] Refer to Figures 6 and 7 to explain connection information with specific examples. Figure 6(a) shows the positional relationship information of the room models, and Figure 7 shows the link information. Connection information consists of positional relationship information and link information. The positional relationship information in Figure 6(a) is for the floor plan shown in the floor plan information 311 displayed on the housing design support screen 3 in Figures 3 and 4. The room ID is an identifier for each room and contains room type information. The room ID is associated with the room model ID, which is the identifier of the corresponding room model. The N, E, W, and S direction information indicates the identifiers of rooms adjacent to that room. The adjacent directions are defined as follows: with respect to the paper plane of Figure 3 of the floor plan information 311, the top direction is north, the right direction is east, the left direction is west, and the bottom direction is south; therefore, the positional relationship information is expressed as the N, E, W, and S directions accordingly. Looking at the example of room ID L01, L01 corresponds to living room 1 in the lower left of the floor plan information 311. Since the dining room is adjacent to the right of the page and the closet is adjacent to the top of the page, the closet CL1 is recorded in the N direction and the dining room D01 in the E direction as positional relationship information. Similarly, for other rooms, the corresponding room model ID and information of adjacent rooms are recorded. As a result, the positional relationship of each room can be represented as a graph, and the floor plan information 311 shown in Figures 3 and 4 can be represented as the graph in Figure 6(b).

[0024] Figure 7 shows the link information. The link information is information about the connections between adjacent rooms, represented by positional relationship information, and indicates links that move from the "From" room to the "To" room. In addition, interior information corresponding to each link, such as information about doors and corridors, is stored by an interior ID. When a 3D image of the house is displayed using the link information, the viewer can move between rooms, and the interior information allows the 3D image to be displayed at the locations corresponding to the link information for doors and corridors that connect rooms and facilities.

[0025] (3D space presentation unit 1015) The 3D space presentation unit 1015 provides images of the 3D space inside and outside the house designed by the house design support device 1, based on connection information and room models. Specific examples will be explained with reference to Figures 12 to 17. In Figures 12 and 13, the 3D image 312 displayed on the house image display unit 31 represents the living room 1, while in Figure 16, the 3D image 312 displayed on the house image display unit 31 represents the entrance. The 3D space provided by the 3D space presentation unit 1015 is actually an image projected onto a 2D plane the field of view from a specific virtual viewpoint of the room model, which is a 3D model. In other words, the 3D space presentation unit 1015 presents the user with a 3D virtual space of the house under design by displaying an image of the 3D model projected onto a 2D plane on the house image display unit 31 within the house design support screen 3.

[0026] Figures 12, 13, and 16 show cursors cur1 and cur2, which can be used to instruct the movement of the virtual viewpoint. Cursor cur1 moves the virtual viewpoint forward, backward, left, and right, instructing movement of the virtual viewpoint within a room displayed on the house image display unit 31. Cursor cur2 instructs movement between rooms and is displayed based on the link information and interior information of the connection information. When cursor cur2 is selected by the user, the 3D space presentation unit 1015 moves the virtual viewpoint to the linked room based on the corresponding link information. The movement of the virtual viewpoint is achieved when the 3D space presentation unit 1015 obtains the room model corresponding to the destination room from the storage unit 102 and displays the interior 3D virtual space image based on that room model on the house image display unit 31. The obj, which represents furniture and other objects within the 3D image 312, is displayed supplementarily by user instructions or the 3D space display unit 1015 to make the internal 3D virtual space image more concrete and easier to understand. Although it is shown in the drawing, it is an auxiliary element of the present invention, and these displays are not essential, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0027] Referring to Figures 14, 15, and 17, a three-dimensional space representing the exterior of the house is displayed on the house image display unit 31, and the position of the star displayed on the position display icon 313 is shown as the location of a virtual viewpoint. The three-dimensional space presentation unit 1015 generates a three-dimensional model of the exterior of the house (hereinafter referred to as the external three-dimensional model) based on connection information and room models, and presents an image to the house image display unit 31 that projects the field of view of the external three-dimensional model as seen from a virtual viewpoint onto a two-dimensional plane.

[0028] Figure 11 shows an image of the entire house based on connection information and room models provided by the 3D space presentation unit 1015. Figure 11(a) shows the correspondence between the connection information and room models and the entire house, and it should be noted that in this embodiment, this does not mean that the 3D model space of the house is generated as a collection of room models. In the conventional technology, a 3D model of the entire house, including the interior and exterior, was generated, and the 3D spatial representation of the interior and exterior was presented to the user based on that 3D model. In this embodiment, when the 3D space presentation unit 1015 presents the interior 3D space to the user, it is presented using only the room model and interior information corresponding to the position where the virtual viewpoint exists, and when the virtual viewpoint moves, the 3D spatial image is presented to the user using only the room model and interior information corresponding to the new position. As a result, the user can obtain a user experience as if moving through the interior of the house shown in Figure 11(a). Note that the symbols in Figure 9 and Figure 11(a) indicate the room model IDs of the connection information.

[0029] Furthermore, when the 3D space display unit 1015 displays an external 3D image, it generates a 3D model that constitutes the outer frame of the entire house using each room model and connection information. Specifically, as shown in Figure 11(b), a 3D model that constitutes the outer frame of the entire house as shown in Figure 11(a) is generated. When the 3D space display unit 1015 first displays a 3D image of the exterior of the house, it generates an external 3D model from the information of the outer frame portion of each room model and the connection information, and stores it in the storage unit 102. The 3D space display unit 1015 then synthesizes corresponding objects from exterior information such as windows and roofs, which will be described later, with respect to the external 3D model, and presents the 3D space of the exterior shown in the house image display unit 31.

[0030] This configuration allows the external 3D model to be a simple structure consisting only of the outer frame, resulting in a smaller data size. When displaying it on the housing design support screen 3 on the user terminal 2, it can be quickly read from the storage unit 102 and displayed on the housing design support screen 3. Furthermore, even in the 3D display of the interior of the house, it can be separated from the 3D models of the exterior and the entire house, and displayed using only the room model and interior information corresponding to the location where a virtual viewpoint exists. This allows for quick and responsive display of the 3D image on the housing design support screen 3.

[0031] (Second response reception section 1016) The second response receiving unit 1016 receives information regarding the interior of the house from the user terminal 2. The second response receiving unit 1016 provides the user terminal 2 with the house design support screen 3 shown in Figures 12 and 13. The user terminal 2 displays the house design support screen 3 on its display unit, and the user inputs necessary information and preferences regarding the interior through the house design support screen 3. The user terminal 2 transmits the information input by the user to the house design support device 1 via the communication unit, and the second response receiving unit 1016 receives the information and stores it in the storage unit 102. The screen configuration and functions of the house design support screen 3 will be described later.

[0032] (Interior design information determination section 1017) The interior information determination unit 1017 generates interior information based on the information received by the second response reception unit 1016 and stores it in the storage unit 102. The interior information determination unit 1017 generates the interior information shown in Figure 8 according to the content edited in the house image display unit 31 shown in Figures 12 and 13. Among the interior information, those related to connections between rooms, such as doors and corridors, are associated with link information. For example, when the user selects a door when specifying the interior during editing in the house image display unit 31, the connection information determination unit 1014 has already determined the connection information related to the door, and the interior information determination unit 1017 will associate it with the object received by the second response reception unit 1016.

[0033] (Third response reception section 1018) The third response receiving unit 1018 receives information regarding the exterior of the house from the user terminal 2. The third response receiving unit 1018 provides the user terminal 2 with the house design support screen 3 shown in Figures 14 and 15. The user terminal 2 displays the house design support screen 3 on its display unit, and the user inputs necessary information and preferences regarding the exterior via the house design support screen 3. The user terminal 2 transmits the information input by the user to the house design support device 1 via the communication unit, and the third response receiving unit 1018 receives the information and stores it in the storage unit 102. The screen configuration and functions of the house design support screen 3 will be described later.

[0034] (Exterior information determination unit 1019) The exterior information determination unit 1019 generates exterior information based on the information received by the third response reception unit 1016 and stores it in the storage unit 102. The exterior information determination unit 1019 generates the exterior information shown in Figure 9 according to the content edited by the house image display unit 31 shown in Figures 14 and 15.

[0035] (Housing design support screen 3) Next, the housing design support screen 3 provided from the housing design support device 1 to the user terminal 2 will be explained with reference to the respective figures. Figures 3 and 4 show the housing design support screen 3 for determining the floor plan, provided by the first response receiving unit 1011. The housing design support screen 3 consists of a housing image display unit 31, an interface unit 32, and an object selection unit 33. Figure 3 is an image of the housing design support screen 3 when the user terminal 2 is a PC or tablet with a relatively large screen, while Figure 4 is an image of the housing design support screen 3 when the user terminal 2 is a smartphone. In the housing design support screen 3 of Figure 4, the housing image display unit 31 and the interface unit 32 are displayed as separate screens via a screen transition.

[0036] The interface unit 32 interactively inputs, outputs, and displays information necessary for housing design with the user. In this embodiment, the chatbot function of the first response reception unit 1011 accepts input in the form of a question-and-answer session with the user. The user inputs their answers using the input means of the user terminal 2. The input answers are transmitted from the user terminal 2 to the housing design support device 1. Input reception by the interface unit 32 is not limited to a question-and-answer session via a chatbot; it may also be implemented by providing a set of standardized questions and answer options and accepting selections from the user.

[0037] In Figures 3 and 4(b), floor plan candidates presented by the floor plan determination unit 1012 based on responses from the user of the user terminal 2 input into the interface unit 32 are displayed on the house image display unit 31. In this example, multiple floor plan candidates are presented, and the user can switch between them by operating the cursor 314. Information for each floor plan candidate is displayed by a combination of floor plan information 311 and a 3D image 312. The user selects a floor plan candidate by pressing a button 315 or by inputting into the interface unit 32.

[0038] Figure 5 shows the residential design support screen 3 during floor plan editing. If a user wishes to edit a selected floor plan candidate, they can do so by inputting this information into the interface unit 32, and then editing the floor plan via the residential design support screen 3 shown in Figure 5. The residential image display unit 31 displays floor plan information 311, and based on the information necessary for residential design input from the user to the interface unit 32, the floor plan information presented by the floor plan determination unit 1012 is displayed. The floor plan information 311 can be edited by user input from the interface unit 32 and the object selection unit 33, and the floor plan information is changed and presented by the floor plan determination unit 1012 according to the user input and displayed on the residential image display unit 31.

[0039] The object selection area 33 displays objects for editing the floor plan information 311, and is an area where the user can select objects as appropriate by input such as mouse or touch panel operations. In the example in Figure 3, objects are arranged in the object selection area 33, divided into tabs for rooms, bathrooms, doors / windows, and fixtures. The user selects an object and applies the selected object to the floor plan information 311 by dragging and dropping. In the example in Figure 3, only a rectangle representing the shape of a room is displayed as the icon for the room object, but it is preferable to display the general shape of the room model and the shapes of objects such as bathrooms and doors to make it easier for the user to recognize. Note that the placement of doors, windows, bathrooms, etc. selected here specifies the location of installation, not their shape or design. The shape and design are edited and instructed in the residential design support screen 3 for determining the interior.

[0040] Figures 12 and 13 show the residential design support screen 3 during interior editing. The residential image display unit 31 displays a 3D image 312 of the interior of the house and a location display icon 313. The star on the location display icon 313 indicates the current position in the 3D image, and the 3D image of the interior of the house at the current position is displayed as the 3D image 312. The current position can be moved by moving the star on the location display icon 313 with a mouse or touch operation, or by operating the cursors cur1 and cur2 as described above to move the room to be edited. The 3D image 312 is generated and displayed by the 3D space presentation unit 1015. Note that Figure 12 is an image of the residential design support screen 3 when the user terminal 2 is a PC or tablet with a relatively large screen, and Figure 13 is an image of the residential design support screen 3 when the user terminal 2 is a smartphone.

[0041] The object selection unit 33 displays objects for editing the interior, and the user selects objects as appropriate by input such as mouse or touch panel operations. Objects are arranged in the object selection unit 33, divided into tabs for walls, doors, flooring, and ceilings. Each object's shape and texture are displayed as an icon; in the examples of Figures 12 and 13, the texture of wallpaper is displayed. The user indicates the area of ​​the 3D image 312 where they want to modify the interior by clicking or touching the corresponding area, and then selects the corresponding object from the object selection unit 33. Alternatively, the user can select an object from the object selection unit 33 and specify the corresponding area of ​​the 3D image 312 by dragging and dropping. For flooring and ceilings, changes can be made simply by selecting an object without specifying the 3D image 312. When the interior is edited, the second response receiving unit 1016 updates the interior information in the storage unit 102, and the 3D space presentation unit 1015 updates the 3D image 312. This allows the user to immediately check the image with the modified interior. Furthermore, when editing the interior, the interface unit 32 may receive images such as "Nordic style" or "Japanese modern style" from the user in a chat format, and then select and present all the interior objects at once.

[0042] Figures 14 and 15 show the residential design support screen 3 during exterior editing. The residential image display unit 31 displays a 3D image 312 of the exterior of the house and a location display icon 313. The star on the location display icon 313 indicates the current position in the 3D image, and the 3D image of the exterior of the house at the current position is displayed as the 3D image 312. The 3D image 312 is generated and displayed by the 3D space presentation unit 1015. The user can move the virtual viewpoint by moving the star on the location display icon 313 using a mouse or touch operation.

[0043] The object selection unit 33 displays objects for editing the exterior, and the user selects objects as appropriate by input such as mouse or touch panel operations. The objects in the object selection unit 33 are arranged in tabs for walls, roof shapes, roofing materials, and exterior wall materials. The user indicates the area of ​​the exterior they want to modify by clicking or touching the corresponding area in the 3D image 312, and selects the corresponding object from the object selection unit 33. Alternatively, the user selects an object from the object selection unit 33 and specifies the corresponding area in the 3D image 312 by drag and drop. When the exterior is edited, the third response receiving unit 1016 updates the exterior information in the storage unit 102, and the 3D space presentation unit 1015 updates the 3D image 312. This allows the user to immediately check the image with the modified interior. In addition, when editing the exterior, the interface unit 32 may receive images such as "Nordic style" or "Japanese modern style" from the user in a chat format, and the objects for each exterior can be selected and presented all at once.

[0044] Figure 16 shows the residential design support screen 3 displaying the three-dimensional interior space of a house. The residential image display unit 31 is displayed in the same way as the residential design support screen 3 when editing the interior. The object selection unit 33 is not displayed. The interface unit 32 displays buttons for switching to the exterior view and switching to the interior editing view. Figure 17 shows the residential design support screen 3 displaying the three-dimensional exterior space of a house. The residential image display unit 31 is displayed in the same way as the residential design support screen 3 when editing the exterior. The object selection unit 33 is not displayed. The interface unit 32 displays buttons for switching to the exterior view and switching to the exterior editing view.

[0045] (Data structure) The data configuration in this embodiment will now be described. The data consists of positional relationship information, link information, interior information, exterior information, room model, and objects, and is stored in the storage unit 102 and read and used by each functional unit of the control unit 101. Figure 6 shows the positional relationship information, Figure 7 shows the link information, Figure 8 shows the interior information, Figure 9 shows the exterior information, and Figure 10 shows the room model. The positional relationship information, link information, and room model are as described above. Connection information is formed by the positional relationship information and link information.

[0046] Figure 8 shows the interior information. Interior information indicates which interior is applied to which location in which room. The interior information consists of an interior ID, room ID, interior type, direction, offset, and object ID. The room ID corresponds to the room ID in the positional relationship information, and the direction for N, E, W, and S is the same as in the positional relationship information. In addition, F, which indicates the floor, and C, which indicates the ceiling, are stored. The offset is represented by coordinates with the bottom left as the origin when facing the wall-floor direction. The object ID is an identifier for the interior object.

[0047] Figure 9 shows the exterior information. Exterior information indicates which room and where the exterior is applied. The exterior information consists of an exterior ID, direction, and object ID. The meaning of N, E, W, and S for direction is the same as for the positional relationship information. In addition, R, representing the ceiling, is included. The object ID is an identifier for the exterior object.

[0048] The objects are three-dimensional models of the interior and exterior. The three-dimensional space presentation unit 1015 generates a three-dimensional model of the house from the objects specified in the interior and exterior information, along with the room model specified in the connection information. The objects are stored in the storage unit 102 along with their identifiers, which are object IDs. The interior and exterior information specifies the objects, which are concrete three-dimensional models, using the object IDs. These objects include, but are not limited to, doors, hinged doors, windows, wall textures, flooring, exterior walls, and roofs. In the three-dimensional image 312, the interior or exterior may be displayed without being specified; in this case, default objects for when no specification is made are set and displayed in the corresponding locations.

[0049] (Floor plan information) This section describes the floor plan information before connection information is generated. The first response receiving unit 1011 displays the floor plan information in response to the user's input as floor plan information 311 on the house image display unit 31. At this time, the first response receiving unit 1011 manages the placement position and shape of each room, door, and fixture using XY coordinates with the lower left corner of the page where the floor plan information 311 is displayed as the origin, and stores this information in the storage unit 102. When the floor plan is edited by the user on the house design support screen 3, this data is updated as needed. Based on this information, the connection information determination unit 1014 grasps the connection and positional relationships of each room and generates connection information and interior information consisting of positional relationship information and link information.

[0050] (Operation of Housing Design Support Device 1) The following describes each process of the housing design support device 1, following the flowchart shown in Figure 18. Refer to Figures 3 through 12 as needed. This embodiment shows an example of a family of three designing a 2LDK, single-story house. Of course, the housing design support device 1 is not limited to this example; it can also be applied to multi-story houses, apartments, etc. The operation, functions, and data configuration of each functional unit are as described above, and will not be explained again.

[0051] (Step S01: First response received) The first response receiving unit 1011 receives information necessary for house design from the user terminal 2. The user of the user terminal 2 is the person who ordered the house, an employee of a housing contractor, or the homeowner. The user inputs the information necessary for house design by inputting into the interface unit 32 shown in Figure 3.

[0052] (Step S02: Floor plan determination) The floor plan determination unit 1012 presents suitable floor plan information to the user via the housing design support screen 3, based on the information necessary for housing design received by the first response reception unit 1011. If the user wishes to edit the presented floor plan information, they input the editing information into the interface unit 32 and object selection unit 33 shown in Figure 3, and the user terminal 2 transmits the input information to the housing design support device 1. The first response reception unit 1011 receives the transmitted information, and the floor plan determination unit 1012 presents the floor plan information reflecting that information to the user via the housing design support screen 3. If the user approves the floor plan displayed on the housing design support screen 3, they input that to the interface unit 32 and finish editing. The input may be a sentence to that effect, or an editing completion button (not shown) may be provided on the interface unit 32 for input.

[0053] (Step S03: Room Model Selection) The room model selection unit 1013 determines the room model corresponding to the floor plan determined by the floor plan determination unit 1012. The room model selection unit 1013 determines the room model corresponding to each location from the determined floor plan information and notifies the connection information determination unit 1014.

[0054] (Step S04: Connection information determination) The connection information determination unit 1014 determines connection information based on the floor plan information determined by the floor plan determination unit 1012 and the room model selected by the room model selection unit 1013. The connection information consists of positional relationship information and link information, and the connection information determination unit 1014 stores the determined connection information in the storage unit 102. The determined connection information according to this embodiment is as shown in Figure 6(a), and the image of the connection relationship of the 2LDK shown in the floor plan information 311 is as shown in Figure 6(b).

[0055] (Step S05: Decision on whether to proceed with interior design) The user inputs into the interface unit 32 whether they wish to continue editing the interior. The input is sent from the user terminal 2 to the housing design support device 1. If the user responds that they wish to continue editing the interior, the process proceeds to step S06. If the user responds that they do not wish to continue editing the interior, the process proceeds to step S08. If the housing design support device 1 does not provide an interior editing function, the process proceeds to step S08 without contacting the user.

[0056] (Step S06: Second response submission) The second response receiving unit 1016 receives information regarding the interior of the house from the user terminal 2. The second response receiving unit 1016 provides the user terminal 2 with the house design support screen 3 shown in Figure 12 or Figure 13. The user terminal 2 displays the house design support screen 3 on its display unit, and the user inputs necessary information and preferences regarding the interior through the house design support screen 3. The user terminal 2 transmits the information input by the user to the house design support device 1 via the communication unit, and the second response receiving unit 1016 receives the information and stores it in the storage unit 102. In addition, when editing the interior, the interface unit 32 may receive images such as "Nordic style" or "Japanese modern style" from the user in a chat format, and the objects for each interior can be selected and presented all at once.

[0057] (Step S07: Interior information decided) The interior information determination unit 1017 generates interior information based on the information received by the second response reception unit 1016 and stores it in the storage unit 102.

[0058] (Step S08: Decision on whether to proceed with exterior design) The user inputs into the interface unit 32 whether they wish to continue editing the exterior. The input is sent from the user terminal 2 to the housing design support device 1. If the response indicates that the user wishes to continue editing the exterior, the process proceeds to step S09. If the response indicates that the user wishes not to continue editing the exterior, the process proceeds to step S11. If the housing design support device 1 does not provide an exterior editing function, the process proceeds to step S11 without contacting the user.

[0059] (Step S09: Third response received) The third response receiving unit 1018 receives information regarding the exterior of the house from the user terminal 2. The third response receiving unit 1018 provides the user terminal 2 with the house design support screen 3 shown in Figure 14 or Figure 15. The user terminal 2 displays the house design support screen 3 on its display unit, and the user inputs necessary information and preferences regarding the exterior via the house design support screen 3. The user terminal 2 transmits the information input by the user to the house design support device 1 via the communication unit, and the third response receiving unit 1018 receives the information and stores it in the storage unit 102. In addition, when editing the interior and exterior, the interface unit 32 may receive images such as "Nordic style" or "Japanese modern style" from the user in a chat format, and the object for each exterior can be selected and presented all at once.

[0060] (Step S10: Exterior information determined) The exterior information determination unit 1019 generates exterior information based on the information received by the third response reception unit 1016 and stores it in the storage unit 102. The exterior information determination unit 1019 generates the exterior information shown in Figure 9 according to the content edited by the house image display unit 31 shown in Figure 14 or Figure 15.

[0061] (Step S11: Presentation of 3D space) The 3D space presentation unit 1015 provides images of the 3D virtual space inside and outside the house designed by the house design support device 1, based on connection information and room models. Figure 16 shows an example where a 3D image 312 is displayed on the house image display unit 31. At the start of display, the entrance is displayed by default, and Figure 16 shows an image of the 3D virtual space inside the entrance. The 3D space presentation unit 1015 generates a 3D image of the location where the current virtual viewpoint is located from the positional relationship information, link information, and interior information in the storage unit 102. At this time, the 3D space presentation unit 1015 retrieves the room model and interior objects associated with EN, which is the room ID of the entrance at the current location, from the storage unit 102, and presents the user with an image of the 3D virtual space of the entrance by displaying an image of the 3D model projected onto a 2D plane on the house image display unit 31 of the house design support screen 3. The 3D space display unit 1015 simultaneously acquires link information ln0111, ln0112, and ln0113 (see Figure 7) associated with room ID=EN and links them to the 3D image. As a result, cursor cur2 is displayed on each of the doors shown in Figure 16, and as explained above, when the user selects and operates cursor cur2, the 3D space display unit 1015 updates the display of the 3D space display unit 1015 and the position display icon 313 in a manner that moves the virtual viewpoint to the room corresponding to the link information.

[0062] The generation and display of a 3D image of the destination room after the user manipulates cursor cur2 is the same as the process for the entrance. When cursor cur1 is manipulated, the viewpoint moves within the current room, as described above.

[0063] Figure 13 shows an example where a 3D image 312 of the exterior of a house is displayed on the house image display unit 31. When the display starts, the 3D image is displayed from a default viewpoint of any direction, and Figure 13 shows a 3D image of the exterior of the house viewed from the lower right direction of the page, as indicated by the position display icon 313. The 3D space presentation unit 1015 generates a 3D model of the exterior of the house from the positional relationship information and exterior information in the storage unit 102. Alternatively, if a 3D model of the exterior of the house has already been generated and stored in the storage unit 102, the external 3D model is read from the storage unit 102. The 3D space presentation unit 1015 obtains the exterior information and exterior objects from the storage unit 102 and generates a 3D model that reflects the exterior information from the external 3D model. The 3D space presentation unit 1015 presents the user with a virtual 3D image of the exterior of the house by displaying an image of the 3D model projected onto a 2D plane on the house image display unit 31 in the house design support screen 3.

[0064] According to the above embodiment, the housing design support device 1 generates connection information for each room and corresponding room model information when the user determines the layout of the house, and can manage the layout information using these. As a result, there is no need to render a 3D model of the entire designed house and store the rendered 3D model in the memory unit, reducing the hardware burden on the housing design support device 1 and allowing the user to be presented with a 3D image of the house quickly. When displaying a 3D image of the interior of the house, the display is performed using the room model for the current position of the virtual viewpoint, and the movement of the virtual viewpoint between rooms based on the connection information is also displayed using the room model corresponding to the destination position, so the processing is light and the 3D image of the house is presented to the user quickly and smoothly. Furthermore, even when the scale of the house increases, a 3D model of the entire house including the interior and exterior is not generated, and an image of the 3D virtual space is generated using 3D models of only the necessary parts based on the connection information and room models, so the processing load does not increase and scalable design can be performed.

[0065] (Other embodiments) In the previous embodiment, an example of a single-story building was shown, but this embodiment will describe an embodiment for designing a multi-story house. In the connection information in Figure 6, the directions of the connection destination were recorded as N, E, W, and S directions, but in this embodiment, in addition to these, information for the U direction, which is the direction of the upper floor of the building, and the D direction, which is the direction of the lower floor of the building, is also included. Figures 19 and 20 show diagrams illustrating the connection information and the room connection relationships based on that connection information. In Figure 19, room ID = CO1 represents a corridor, and CO2, which is a corridor, is located in the U direction of the upper floor. Furthermore, CO2 is a corridor on the second floor, and CO1 is located in the D direction of the lower floor. In addition, the floor plan information of the second floor can be represented by the connection information of CO2.

[0066] Furthermore, in response to this, the floor plan determination unit 1012 creates link information, enabling virtual viewpoint movement between floors even in the 3D image display of the interior of the house by the 3D space presentation unit 1015. For interior information, objects corresponding to stairs, elevators, and ladders are prepared and generated so that they can be placed at the corresponding link information locations. Accordingly, the 3D space presentation unit 1015 displays the cursor cur2 along with the objects in the 3D image of the interior of the house. The user moves the virtual viewpoint between floors by selecting the cursor cur2.

[0067] When displaying the exterior of a house using the 3D space display unit 1015, a 3D model of the exterior of a house with multiple floors can be generated by placing room models in 3D space based on the layout information, and a 2D image projected onto the house image display unit 31 can be displayed.

[0068] This embodiment allows for the design of large-scale multi-story houses without compromising the advantages and effects of the present invention, while reducing the hardware burden on the housing design support device 1 and enabling the user to quickly view a 3D image of the house.

[0069] (Another configuration of connection information) Regarding connection information, it is not limited to the above embodiment and can be implemented using various data configurations. In Figure 6(a), the positional relationship information included information about the N, E, W, and S directions of rooms adjacent to each room. In another embodiment, the positional relationship information does not include this information, but instead includes information about which direction the room model, indicated by the room model ID, is positioned on the floor plan information displayed on the housing design support screen, relative to a predetermined direction. As a specific example, as shown in Figure 21, the positional relationship information includes information indicating that the room model RML00001 for room ID L01 is facing north relative to a predetermined reference direction of the room model, as positional information "N". In the above embodiment, Figures 6(a) and 20 show the connection information of rooms (room models) represented by the positional relationship information in the form of a graph with each room as a node. In these embodiments, the connection relationship of each node had direction information, but in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 22, the connection relationship of each node does not have direction information, and the positional relationship information can be represented as a graph in a form that only shows the connection status of each node. In the spatial relationships between room models, directional information is separated, and the information consists solely of which rooms (room models) are connected to each other.

[0070] When displaying a 3D image of the interior of a house, the 3D space display unit 1015 displays the room model at the current virtual viewpoint position by referencing interior information and synthesizing and displaying interior information based on the orientation and position of interior elements such as doors. The display method is the same as in the previous embodiment, and the information of the building's interior is represented as shown in Figure 16. When the virtual viewpoint moves, the 3D space display unit 1015 acquires the destination room model via the link based on the link information of the cursor cur2 operated by the user, generates a 3D image of the new space based on the corresponding room model, its orientation, and the virtual viewpoint, and displays it. When displaying a 3D image of the exterior of a house, the 3D space display unit 1015, as in the previous embodiment, grasps the positional relationship of the room models in each space from the positional relationship information, interior information, and link information, generates an external 3D model, stores it in the storage unit 102, and presents a 3D image together with the exterior information. The present invention is not limited to the previous embodiment and this embodiment, and can be implemented using various other data configurations.

[0071] The present inventors have described the invention in detail based on embodiments above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. In the present invention, "housing" does not mean only detached houses, but also individual rooms in buildings and apartments. Furthermore, the above embodiments are described in detail to make the present invention easy to understand, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. Some of the configurations in the above embodiments can be added, deleted, or replaced with other configurations.

[0072] Each of the above configurations, functions, and processing means may be implemented in hardware, in whole or in part, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. Alternatively, each of the above configurations and functions may be implemented in software by having a processor interpret and execute programs that implement each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in memory, hard disks, SSDs, or other recording devices, or in recording media such as IC cards, SD cards, or DVDs. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0073] 1 Housing design support device

Claims

1. A computer-based method for assisting in residential design, The first step involves receiving initial responses from users regarding the information necessary for residential design, The second step is to determine the floor plan of the house based on the answer to the first question above, The third step involves selecting multiple room models from a database that correspond to each room constituting the aforementioned floor plan, A fourth step of determining connection information including positional relationship information and link information between the plurality of room models, and interior information for each of the plurality of room models, A fifth step involves setting a virtual viewpoint that can be moved by the user's operation, and generating a three-dimensional virtual space based on a first room model corresponding to the position of the virtual viewpoint among the plurality of room models, the connection information, and the interior information. A sixth step involves placing an object in the three-dimensional virtual space that accepts movement operations of the virtual viewpoint based on the connection information and the interior information, A seventh step involves presenting the aforementioned three-dimensional virtual space to the user, An eighth step of receiving the movement operation on the object, A ninth step involves updating the three-dimensional virtual space and presenting it to the user based on a second room model identified based on link information associated with the object that was the target of the movement operation, the connection information, and the interior information; A method for supporting residential design, including...

2. Regarding the aforementioned floor plan, the tenth step involves accepting edits from the user, The 11th step involves updating the connection information and interior information through the aforementioned editing, It further includes, After the 11th step, the 5th to 9th steps are performed based on the updated connection information and interior information. The housing design support method according to claim 1.

3. In the sixth step, the object is displayed in the vicinity of the interior object identified by the connection information and the interior information. A housing design support method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A housing design support program that causes a computer to execute the housing design support method described in claim 1 or 2.

5. A housing design support program that causes a computer to execute the housing design support method described in claim 3.

6. A housing design support device comprising a control unit that performs each step of the housing design support method according to claim 1 or 2.

7. A housing design support device comprising a control unit that performs each step of the housing design support method described in claim 3.

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