Mobile device, display processing method, and system

Abstract

To display a metal material subjected to surface treatment or its molding, the appearance of which changes according to how it is tilted, so that a user can more easily recognize how the appearance looks.SOLUTION: A portable terminal of the present invention displays a metal material subjected to surface treatment or a molding of the metal material subjected to the surface treatment. The portable terminal comprises: a sensor unit that acquires sensor information indicating a tilting state of the portable terminal; a setting value acquisition unit that acquires a setting value of a surface treatment condition for the metal material; a calculation processing unit that calculates the appearance of the metal material subjected to the surface treatment or the molding of the metal material subjected to the surface treatment based on the tiling state detected by the sensor unit and the setting value acquired by the setting value acquisition unit; and a display unit that displays image information corresponding to a result of calculation of the appearance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a mobile terminal, a display processing method, and a system. [Background technology]

[0002] Techniques are known that impart unique design characteristics to metal materials such as titanium and stainless steel by applying various surface (design) processes to achieve desired surface properties. Such metal materials with added design characteristics are seeing increasing application as materials for articles requiring a high level of design aesthetics. Examples of such surface processes include coloring, polishing, and matte finishes.

[0003] Some metal materials with the surface treatments described above exhibit changes in appearance (for example, the color of the surface) depending on how the material is tilted. Such metal materials are used in a variety of applications, including building materials such as the roofs of museums and art galleries, beverage cups, watches, and decorative items. For design designers, the choice of material with specific design properties is an important consideration when designing an item.

[0004] Generally, when design designers select materials, they often refer to photo catalogs or catalogs of small sample pieces. However, including all the materials a material provider handles in these catalogs would require considerable time and cost, so material providers are required to carefully select the samples included in these catalogs.

[0005] For example, Patent Document 1 below proposes a technology that virtually simulates the design processing of a fabric product, which is manufactured by applying a design processing that adds a pattern to a fabric material, and provides this simulation to the user. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2008 / 069090 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0007] In the case of the pattern of a fabric product as noted in the above Patent Document 1, it is easy to simulate the realized pattern by changing the combination of yarn materials used, and it is also easy for users such as design designers to understand the simulation results. However, in the case of metal materials such as titanium and stainless steel, where the appearance visually recognized by people changes according to the tilting direction of the material itself, simply applying the technology disclosed in the above Patent Document 1 is considered insufficient. Further, even if the appearance can be simulated, it is considered difficult to present the simulation results so that users such as design designers can intuitively grasp the state of change of the appearance.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal, a display processing method, and a system capable of displaying the appearance changeable according to the tilting direction (tilting direction, tilting angle, etc.) of a metal material or its molded product having a surface treatment so that the user can more easily recognize it. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0009] As a result of intensive studies by the present inventors to solve the above problems, they came up with the idea of using a mobile terminal having a sensor unit capable of detecting the tilting direction, calculating the appearance of a metal material or its molded product having the above surface treatment based on the sensor information acquired by such a sensor unit and the set surface treatment conditions, and presenting it to the user. Based on such findings, the gist of the present invention completed is as follows.

[0010] <\(0000099\)>(1) A portable terminal for displaying a surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material, comprising: a sensor unit for acquiring sensor information indicating the tilt state of the portable terminal; a setting value acquisition unit for acquiring setting values ​​for the surface treatment conditions of the metal material; a calculation processing unit for calculating the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material based on the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit and the setting values ​​acquired by the setting value acquisition unit; and a display unit for displaying image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance, wherein the surface treatment includes a process for forming an oxide film on the surface of the metal material, and the setting value acquisition unit acquires information indicating the type of metal material and information indicating the thickness of the oxide film as the setting values. (2) The portable terminal according to (1), wherein the calculation processing unit uses a thin-film interference model that models the light interference state when a thin film of known thickness is present on a metal surface, and calculates the reflectance of light on the surface portion of the surface-treated metal material based on the sensor information obtained by the sensor unit, the information indicating the film thickness obtained by the set value acquisition unit, the refractive index of the atmosphere, the refractive index of the metal material, and the refractive index of the oxide film, and uses the obtained reflectance to calculate the color in a specific color space. (3) The portable terminal according to (2), wherein the calculation processing unit calculates the reflectance when light is incident on the surface of the surface-treated metal material at an incident angle corresponding to the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit and is reflected at a reflection angle of the same angle as the incident angle, and calculates the color in the color space based on the spectral distribution of the light incident on the surface of the surface-treated metal material, the obtained reflectance, and a color matching function. (4) The portable terminal according to (1), wherein the surface processing includes processing to form irregularities on the surface of the metal material, the set value acquisition unit acquires information indicating the shape of the metal material, information indicating the type of the metal material, and information indicating the size and distribution state of the irregularities formed by the surface processing as the set values, and the calculation processing unit uses a reflection model assuming that a light source exists in the direction of the surface normal vector of the display unit to calculate the distribution state of shading on the surface portion of the metal material to which the surface processing has been applied, or at least the color in a specific color space, based on the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit, the information indicating the shape, the information indicating the type of the metal material, and the information indicating the size and distribution state of the irregularities formed by the surface processing. (5) The mobile terminal according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the sensor unit acquires sensor information indicating the tilt state of the mobile terminal at first time intervals, and the calculation processing unit calculates the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material at first time intervals or at second time intervals longer than the first time intervals based on the acquired sensor information. (6) A portable terminal for displaying a surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material, comprising: a sensor unit for acquiring sensor information indicating the tilt state of the portable terminal; a setting value acquisition unit for acquiring setting values ​​for the surface treatment conditions of the metal material; an output unit for outputting the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit and the setting values ​​acquired by the setting value acquisition unit to an externally connected information processing device; a calculation result acquisition unit for acquiring from the information processing device the calculation result of the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material calculated based on the sensor information and the setting values ​​output from the output unit; and a display unit for displaying image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance, wherein the surface treatment includes a process for forming an oxide film on the surface of the metal material, and the setting value acquisition unit acquires information indicating the type of metal material and information indicating the thickness of the oxide film as the setting values. (7) A display processing method for displaying image information corresponding to the appearance of a surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material on a mobile terminal, comprising: a sensor information acquisition step of acquiring sensor information indicating the tilt state of the mobile terminal by a sensor unit of the mobile terminal; a setting value acquisition step of acquiring a setting value for the surface treatment conditions of the metal material via the mobile terminal; a calculation processing step of calculating the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material based on the sensor information acquired in the sensor information acquisition step and the setting value acquired in the setting value acquisition step; and a display step of displaying image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance on the mobile terminal, wherein the surface treatment includes a process of forming an oxide film on the surface of the metal material, and the setting value acquisition step acquires information indicating the type of metal material and information indicating the thickness of the oxide film as the setting value. (8)(1)~( 4 A system comprising a mobile terminal as described in any one of the above, and an information processing device communicated with the mobile terminal, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a manufacturing instruction receiving unit that receives a manufacturing instruction for a surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material displayed on the display unit, a setting value output unit that outputs to the information processing device a setting value of the surface treatment conditions associated with the surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material corresponding to the received manufacturing instruction, and the information processing device further comprises a condition acquisition unit that acquires the surface treatment conditions output from the mobile terminal, and a process management unit that manages the process of applying the surface treatment corresponding to the surface treatment conditions to the metal material corresponding to the manufacturing instruction based on the surface treatment conditions. A system comprising a mobile terminal as described in (9)(6) and an information processing device communicated with the mobile terminal, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a manufacturing instruction receiving unit that receives a manufacturing instruction for a surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material displayed on the display unit, and a setting value output unit that outputs to the information processing device a setting value of the surface treatment conditions associated with the surface-treated metal material or the molded product of the surface-treated metal material corresponding to the received manufacturing instruction, and the information processing device comprises a calculation processing unit that calculates the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or the molded product of the surface-treated metal material based on the sensor information and the setting value output from the mobile terminal, a condition acquisition unit that acquires the surface treatment conditions output from the mobile terminal, and a process management unit that manages the process of applying the surface treatment corresponding to the surface treatment conditions to the metal material corresponding to the manufacturing instruction based on the surface treatment conditions. (10) The system according to (8), wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a keyword acquisition unit that acquires keywords indicating the characteristics of the appearance of the metal material or molded product of the metal material that has been surface-treated, and a keyword output unit that outputs the acquired keywords to the information processing device, the information processing device further comprises a recommended processing condition extraction unit that inputs the keywords output from the mobile terminal to a pre-trained machine learning model and extracts surface processing conditions that result in an appearance having the characteristics as recommended processing conditions, and a recommended processing condition output unit that outputs the extracted recommended processing conditions to the mobile terminal, the calculation processing unit of the mobile terminal further calculates the appearance of the metal material or molded product of the metal material that has been surface-treated using the acquired recommended processing conditions, and the display unit of the mobile terminal displays image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance based on the recommended processing conditions. (11) The system according to (8), wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a customer information acquisition unit that acquires customer information and a customer information output unit that outputs the acquired customer information to the information processing device, the information processing device further comprises a recommended processing condition extraction unit that inputs the customer information output from the mobile terminal into a pre-trained machine learning model and extracts as recommended processing conditions surface processing conditions that are the same as or similar to those previously ordered by the customer identified by the customer information, and a recommended processing condition output unit that outputs the extracted recommended processing conditions to the mobile terminal, the calculation processing unit of the mobile terminal further calculates the appearance of a metal material or a molded product of a metal material that has been surface processed with the acquired recommended processing conditions, and the display unit of the mobile terminal displays image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance based on the recommended processing conditions. (12) The system according to (9), wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a keyword acquisition unit that acquires keywords indicating the characteristics of the appearance of the metal material or molded product of the metal material that has been surface-treated, and a keyword output unit that outputs the acquired keywords to the information processing device, the information processing device further comprises a recommended processing condition extraction unit that inputs the keywords output from the mobile terminal to a pre-trained machine learning model and extracts surface processing conditions that result in an appearance having the characteristics as recommended processing conditions, and a recommended processing condition output unit that outputs the extracted recommended processing conditions to the mobile terminal, the calculation processing unit of the information processing device further calculates the appearance of the metal material or molded product of the metal material that has been surface-treated using the acquired recommended processing conditions, and the display unit of the mobile terminal displays image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance based on the recommended processing conditions. (13) The system according to (9), wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a customer information acquisition unit for acquiring customer information and a customer information output unit for outputting the acquired customer information to the information processing device, the information processing device further comprises a recommended processing condition extraction unit for inputting the customer information output from the mobile terminal into a pre-trained machine learning model and extracting surface processing conditions that are the same as or similar to those previously ordered by the customer identified by the customer information as recommended processing conditions, and a recommended processing condition output unit for outputting the extracted recommended processing conditions to the mobile terminal, the calculation processing unit of the information processing device further calculates the appearance of a metal material or a molded product of a metal material that has been surface processed with the acquired recommended processing conditions, and the display unit of the mobile terminal displays image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance based on the recommended processing conditions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to display the appearance of a surface-treated metal material or a molded product thereof, which changes depending on how it is tilted, in a way that is easier for the user to recognize. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the tilt state of a mobile device according to the same embodiment. [Figure 3] In the same embodiment, this is an explanatory diagram illustrating a process for calculating the appearance of a metal material or a molded product thereof that has been subjected to a coloring process by anodizing as a surface treatment. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating a thin-film interference model, which is an example of an appearance calculation model used in the calculation processing unit according to the same embodiment. [Figure 5] This graph shows the spectral distribution of the D65 standard light source, one of the standard light sources. [Figure 6] This graph shows the color matching functions in the XYZ color system. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows an example of the flow of arithmetic processing performed by the arithmetic processing unit according to the same embodiment. [Figure 8] This graph shows the wavelength dependence of the refractive index n and absorption rate k of titanium dioxide (TiO2). [Figure 9] This is an example of a calculation result showing the color change of a titanium plate on which an oxide film has been formed. [Figure 10] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the calculation process for determining the appearance of a metal material that has been subjected to a matte finish by vibration processing. [Figure 11] This is an explanatory diagram showing the calculation results of the shading process when a matte finish is applied to the surface of a steel plate using vibration processing. [Figure 12] This is a block diagram showing a modified example of the configuration of a mobile terminal according to the same embodiment. [Figure 13] This flowchart shows an example of the flow of the display processing method according to the same embodiment. [Figure 14] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 15] This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile terminal in the system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 16] This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device in the system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 17] This flowchart shows an example of the flow of each process in the system according to the embodiment. [Figure 18] This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a mobile terminal according to the same embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0014] (Regarding mobile phone contracts) <Overall configuration of mobile devices> First, with reference to Figure 1, a mobile terminal 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment.

[0015] The mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment is used to support sales of surface-treated metal materials (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "metal materials"). The mobile terminal 10 calculates the appearance of a surface-treated metal material or a molded product thereof according to a predetermined calculation method, and displays the obtained calculation result as image information corresponding to the appearance of the metal material or molded product of interest on the display unit of the mobile terminal 10. As a result, users of the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment can easily grasp the appearance of a surface-treated metal material or a molded product thereof by image, without actually having to manufacture a sample of the surface-treated metal material.

[0016] In this embodiment, the metal material or its molded product (hereinafter, the term "the molded product") that we focus on changes its appearance (how it is perceived by a person) depending on how the metal material is tilted. In particular, various surface treatments may be applied to the metal material (for example, stainless steel or titanium) in order to give it a design feature, and in such cases, the appearance may change in a more complex way depending on how the metal material or its molded product with the surface treatment is tilted.

[0017] For users (sales representatives) who sell metal materials or molded products with such surface treatments, it is desirable to be able to show customers in advance how the design changes depending on how the product is tilted. However, creating individual samples requires considerable time and cost. Therefore, the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment allows users of the mobile terminal 10 to experience these changes in appearance without actually holding a physical sample of the metal material or molded product with the surface treatment.

[0018] Examples of the surface treatments mentioned above include (a) coloring treatments such as anodizing, (b) polishing treatments such as buffing and mirror polishing, and (c) textured finishes such as hairline finish, vibration finish, blast finish, and dull finish.

[0019] For example, when anodizing, a type of coloring process, is applied to metal materials such as stainless steel or titanium, an oxide film is formed on the surface of the metal material. When the metal material with this oxide film is tilted, the color tone changes due to the interference effect of light incident within the oxide film, making the surface appear to have various colors. Also, when a matte finish, such as hairline processing, is applied to the surface of metal materials such as stainless steel, titanium, or steel plates, creating fine irregularities on the surface, the way shadows are cast changes depending on how light hits the metal material when it is tilted. Furthermore, when a polishing finish, such as mirror polishing, is applied to the surface of metal materials such as stainless steel, titanium, or steel plates, the way shadows are cast changes depending on the degree of fine irregularities originally present on the surface of the metal material when it is tilted.

[0020] The mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment simulates the changes in appearance that occur when an actual metal material is tilted, as illustrated above, according to various calculation methods, and allows the user holding the mobile terminal 10 to see them. In other words, the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment changes its appearance in a way that is similar to the changes that occur in an actual metal material, instead of using an actual metal material, and allows the user to see it.

[0021] Since the user actually holds the mobile terminal 10 in their hand and changes the way it is tilted (direction of tilt, angle of tilt, etc.), it is preferable that the device be one that the user can hold in their hand. Examples of such devices include various types of mobile information terminals, such as smartphones and tablet devices. These mobile information terminals are suitable as devices that function as mobile terminals 10 because they have various sensors for understanding how they are tilted.

[0022] As schematically shown in Figure 1, the mobile terminal 10 having such functions mainly comprises a sensor unit 101, a set value acquisition unit 103, an arithmetic processing unit 105, an output unit 107, a display unit 109, and a storage unit 111.

[0023] The sensor unit 101 is implemented using, for example, a processor (CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc.), memory (ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc.), and sensors (for example, an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity (gyro) sensor, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor, etc.). At predetermined time intervals, the sensor unit 101 acquires information that can identify the tilt (tilt state) of the mobile terminal 10 in real space, that is, sensor information indicating the tilt direction and tilt angle of the mobile terminal 10. By focusing on this sensor information, it becomes possible to identify the tilt of the mobile terminal 10, that is, in which direction and to what extent the mobile terminal 10 is tilted relative to the vertical direction in real space (which can also be considered as the direction in which gravity is acting).

[0024] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the inclination state of the mobile terminal 10 according to the present embodiment. In the mobile terminal 10 according to the present embodiment, it is important to pay attention to in which direction and to what extent the display screen, which is an example of the display unit 109 of the mobile terminal 10, is inclined in the real space (the space where the user operates the mobile terminal 10). Therefore, regarding the surface defined by the display screen, attention is paid to the surface normal vector. Then, as sensor information used to specify the direction (i.e., the inclination direction and the inclination angle) of such a surface normal vector, in the mobile terminal 10 according to the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the pitch angle θ p and the roll angle θ r of these two angles are focused on.

[0025] The sensor unit 101 according to the present embodiment uses various sensors of the mobile terminal 10 to obtain the magnitudes of such two angles θ p , θ r and outputs them to the arithmetic processing unit 105 described later.

[0026] Regarding the sensors of the mobile terminal 10 according to the present embodiment, as long as they can obtain the magnitudes of the above two angles θ p , θ r they are not particularly limited, and various known sensors can be used. As such sensors, as described above, for example, an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity (gyro) sensor, etc. can be mentioned. By appropriately operating at least any one of these sensors, the direction and magnitude of the acceleration and angular velocity acting on the mobile terminal 10 can be obtained. As a result, from the above two angles θ p , θ r it becomes possible to specify the inclination direction and the inclination angle of the mobile terminal 10.

[0027] In addition, in the present embodiment, the state where the surface normal vector as shown in FIG. 2 is parallel to the vertical direction and in the opposite direction is used as the reference (θ p , θ r = 0°), and θ p , θ r are each independently 0° ≤ θ pθ r Assume the range is ≤90°. p θ r When either of these angles is 90°, the surface normal vector will be in a positional relationship that is perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0028] The setting value acquisition unit 103 is implemented by, for example, a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), input device, communication device, etc. The setting value acquisition unit 103 acquires setting values ​​for factors that affect the appearance of a surface-treated metal material or a molded product thereof. A molded product refers to a product that has been manufactured by applying various molding processes to a surface-treated metal material.

[0029] As mentioned earlier, surface treatments applied to metal materials include, for example, coloring, polishing, and matte finishes. These surface treatments result in specific surface properties of the metal material, causing the appearance of the resulting metal material (i.e., a surface-treated metal material or its molded product) to change depending on how the metal material itself is tilted. The state of the surface properties imparted to the surface of the metal material by such surface treatments becomes a factor that influences the appearance of the metal material.

[0030] Furthermore, the appearance of the resulting metal material is controlled by the type of metal material, the type of surface treatment applied, and the extent of that treatment.

[0031] Therefore, in the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment, factors that affect the appearance of a metal material or molded product thereof that has undergone such surface processing (in other words, factors that affect the reflection state of light incident on the surface of the metal material) are acquired as set values ​​and used as parameters in the calculation processing of the subsequent calculation processing unit 105.

[0032] Specifically, the setting value acquisition unit 103 acquires the setting values ​​for the surface processing conditions of the metal material. For example, if color processing is selected as the surface processing, the thickness of the oxide film that causes light interference becomes an important factor in addition to the type of metal material used. Therefore, if color processing is selected in advance by the user as the surface processing, the setting value acquisition unit 103 acquires the following as setting values ​​for the surface processing conditions: information indicating the type of surface processing to be selected (hereinafter also referred to as the "surface processing type setting value"; in this example, it is information indicating color processing), information indicating the type of metal material used (hereinafter also referred to as the "material setting value"), and information indicating the thickness of the oxide film to be produced by the color processing (e.g., anodic oxidation) (hereinafter also referred to as the "thickness setting value"), through input operations by the user via the input device of the mobile terminal 10 (e.g., keyboard or touch panel), or via input operations via the communication device of the mobile terminal 10 (e.g., input operations via various networks such as the Internet).

[0033] Furthermore, for example, if a glossy finish or a matte finish is selected as the surface finish, the type of surface finish selected (for example, what kind of glossy or matte finish to select), the type of metal material used, and the surface shape (surface roughness, unevenness, cross-sectional shape) of the metal material to be manufactured (i.e., the metal material with surface finish or its molded product) become important factors that affect the reflection state of light incident on the surface of the metal material. Therefore, if a glossy finish or a matte finish is selected in advance by the user as the surface finish, the setting value acquisition unit 103 acquires the following setting values ​​for the surface finish conditions: a surface finish type setting value, a material setting value, and information indicating the surface shape of the surface-finished metal material (a setting value that ultimately determines what kind of surface shape (surface roughness, unevenness, cross-sectional shape) the metal material will have; hereinafter also referred to as the "shape setting value"), through input operations by the user via the input device of the mobile terminal 10 or via the communication device of the mobile terminal 10. Furthermore, the selection of surface finishes is not limited to one type; several types can be selected from a range of options (for example, color finish and textured finish). Also, if the surface finish type setting and material setting are fixed, input may be omitted.

[0034] The setting value acquisition unit 103 outputs information regarding the various setting values ​​acquired as described above to the calculation processing unit 105, which will be described later. Furthermore, such setting values ​​can also be considered as information that reflects the preferences of the user operating the mobile terminal 10 (for example, a customer requesting the manufacture of goods). Therefore, the setting value acquisition unit 103 may store information regarding such setting values ​​as a database in the storage unit 111, which will be described later, and utilize it as information that reflects the user's preferences.

[0035] The arithmetic processing unit 105 is implemented by, for example, a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), etc. Based on the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit 101 and the setting values ​​acquired by the setting value acquisition unit 103, the arithmetic processing unit 105 calculates the appearance of the metal material (i.e., a surface-treated metal material or a molded product thereof) according to the tilt of the mobile terminal 10. This generates image information corresponding to the appearance of the metal material of interest. This image information is displayed on the display screen of the mobile terminal 10, so that the user of the mobile terminal 10 can grasp the appearance of the metal material that changes according to the tilt of the mobile terminal 10 in real time. Details of the calculations performed by the arithmetic processing unit 105 will be explained below with examples.

[0036] In this embodiment, when the arithmetic processing unit 105 generates image information corresponding to the appearance of a metal material, it is preferable to associate such image information with the sensor information and setting values ​​used when generating the image information, as well as time data such as the date and time the image information was generated, and then store it as history information in the storage unit 111, which will be described later.

[0037] Furthermore, when the time interval at which the sensor unit 101 acquires sensor information is defined as a first time interval, it is preferable that the arithmetic processing unit 105 calculates the appearance of the metal material (i.e., a surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material) at each of these first time intervals, or at each of second time intervals that are longer than the first time interval. This allows the mobile terminal 10 to calculate the appearance of the metal material in response to changes in how the user tilts the mobile terminal 10, and enables the user of the mobile terminal 10 to grasp changes in the appearance of the metal material in near real time.

[0038] The length of the second time interval can be determined appropriately by the arithmetic processing unit 105 according to the available computing resources. However, the closer the second time interval is to the first time interval, the easier it becomes to keep the display of the calculation results in line with changes in the tilt, thereby improving user convenience.

[0039] The output unit 107 is implemented by, for example, a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), an output device, a communication device, etc. The output unit 107 outputs the results of various calculation processes performed by the arithmetic processing unit 105 to the user of the mobile terminal 10. Specifically, the output unit 107 outputs data indicating the results of various calculation processes output from the arithmetic processing unit 105, data related to such calculation results, and secondary data created based on the calculation results, along with time data relating to the date and time the data was generated, to an external output device such as a printer located outside the mobile terminal 10. The output unit 107 may also output data relating to the calculation results to various information processing devices such as computers or various recording media located outside the mobile terminal 10.

[0040] Furthermore, the output unit 107 can also work in conjunction with the display unit 109 (described later) to output data related to the calculation processing results by the calculation processing unit 105 as image information to the display screen.

[0041] The display unit 109 is implemented by, for example, a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), a display device such as a display, a communication device, etc. The display unit 109 displays information (for example, image information, text information, etc.) corresponding to the calculation processing results output from the output unit 107 on an output device such as a display on the mobile terminal 10 or an output device provided outside the mobile terminal 10. This makes it possible for the user of the mobile terminal 10 to grasp the calculation processing results (i.e., image information, etc., corresponding to the appearance of the item of interest) on the spot.

[0042] The memory unit 111 is an example of a storage device provided by the mobile terminal 10, and can be implemented as, for example, ROM, RAM, or a storage device. The memory unit 111 stores an appearance calculation model and various programs used by the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment when calculating the appearance of a surface-treated metal material or a molded product thereof, various physical property data related to various metals and compounds (e.g., oxides) including the metal material used as the material, and data related to the size and distribution of irregularities formed on the surface of the metal material by various surface treatments. In addition, the memory unit 111 appropriately stores various parameters and intermediate processing results (e.g., various data and programs stored in advance) that the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment needs to save when performing some processing. The sensor unit 101, the set value acquisition unit 103, the calculation processing unit 105, etc. can freely read / write data from the memory unit 111.

[0043] <Regarding the calculation processing performed by the calculation processing unit 105> Next, the calculation process performed by the calculation processing unit 105 to calculate the appearance of a metal material or a molded product thereof that has undergone surface processing will be specifically explained with examples. Note that the calculation processing method shown below is merely one example of the calculation processing performed by the calculation processing unit 105 according to this embodiment, and the calculation processing performed by the calculation processing unit 105 is not limited to the example below.

[0044] [In the case of metal materials that have undergone coloring treatment] First, we will explain in detail the calculation process for determining the appearance of a metal material that has undergone coloring treatment by anodizing, referring to Figures 3 to 9.

[0045] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the calculation process for determining the appearance of a metal material that has undergone coloring treatment by anodizing. In this coloring process, an oxide film is formed on the surface of the metal material. Therefore, as previously explained, the setting value acquisition unit 103 of the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment acquires, as setting values ​​for the surface processing conditions of the metal material that affect the appearance, a surface processing type setting value (in this case, a surface processing type setting value corresponding to the coloring process), which is an example of information indicating the type of surface processing to be applied; a material setting value, which is an example of information indicating the type of metal material; and a film thickness setting value, which is an example of information regarding the thickness of the oxide film.

[0046] Furthermore, the arithmetic processing unit 105 of the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment uses a "thin film interference model," which models the light interference state when a thin film of known thickness is present on a metal surface, as the appearance calculation model mentioned earlier, and performs calculations. Specifically, it calculates the reflectance of light on the surface portion of the colored metal material based on the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit 101, the setting value acquired by the setting value acquisition unit 103, and the refractive index of the atmosphere, the refractive index of the metal material, and the refractive index of the oxide film, which are stored as physical property data in the storage unit 111. By using the reflectance calculated by this calculation, it is possible to calculate the light spectrum of the reflected light when light incident on the surface of the colored metal material is reflected by the surface portion including the oxide film.

[0047] Then, the arithmetic processing unit 105 performs a color conversion process to convert the spectrum calculated using the reflectance into a color tone that is visible to humans. Specifically, the arithmetic processing unit 105 uses the obtained spectrum to convert it into a specific color space (for example, L as defined in JIS Z8781-4:2013). * a * b * Performs calculations on colors in a color space.

[0048] Furthermore, the arithmetic processing unit 105 visualizes the color calculation results in a specific color space and outputs them as calculation results related to appearance. This allows the arithmetic processing unit 105 to generate image information corresponding to the appearance of a metal material that has undergone coloring processing by anodizing.

[0049] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a thin-film interference model, which is an example of an appearance calculation model used in the arithmetic processing unit 105. In this model, the surface of a metallic material is modeled as a layer composed of three types of media, as shown in Figure 4: a region composed of metal, a region composed of oxides that make up the oxide film, and a region composed of air. In Figure 4, medium 1 is air with a complex refractive index N1, medium 2 is oxide with a complex refractive index N2, and medium 3 is metal with a complex refractive index N3. The thickness of the oxide film is denoted as d.

[0050] Note that the complex refractive index N j This can be expressed using the imaginary unit i as shown in equation (101) below. In equation (101) below, n j is the refractive index of the medium j, and k j This is the absorptivity of the medium j.

[0051] Light E0(λ) with wavelength λ[nm], incident from air onto the surface of an oxide film at an incident angle θ1, is reflected by the surface of the oxide film, transmitted through the interface with the oxide film and reflected by the surface of the metal, reflected by the interface between the oxide film and air, or the interface between the oxide film and the metal, and is then emitted back into the air and visible to the observer. Furthermore, in the following, the reflectance of light traveling from medium p to medium q is defined as r. pq This is expressed as t, where t is the transmittance of light when moving from medium p to medium q. pq This shall be expressed as follows.

[0052] The light E(λ) seen by the observer is a superposition of light E1(λ) reflected once from the surface of the oxide film, light E2(λ) transmitted through the oxide film, reflected once from the surface of the metal and emitted into the air, light E3(λ) transmitted through the oxide film, reflected from the surface of the metal, reflected once at the interface between the oxide film and the air, reflected again from the surface of the metal and emitted into the air, ... and so on, all of which interfere with each other. pq , transmittance t pq Using this, the above E(λ) can be formulated as shown in equation (103) below.

[0053]

number

[0054] On the other hand, keeping in mind that Snell's Law, shown in equation (105), holds true, if we define the amplitude reflectance r(λ) for light of wavelength λ as E(λ) / E0(λ), then this amplitude reflectance r(λ) can be formulated as shown in equation (107). Here, Δ in equation (111) is the phase difference as shown in equation (109). For further details on the relationships shown in equations (103) to (109), etc., please refer to the Structural Color Research Society website (http: / / www.syoshi-lab.sakura.ne.jp / ), etc.

[0055]

number

[0056] Furthermore, according to Fresnel's formula, the amplitude reflectance r at the interface (where j is an integer) between adjacent media j and medium (j+1) is... j、j+1 (λ) can be formulated as shown in the upper right-hand side of equation (111) below for S-polarized light, and as shown in the lower right-hand side of equation (111) below for P-polarized light. On the other hand, light traveling through air is unpolarized light, so if we represent the energy reflectance of such light as R(λ), then this energy reflectance R(λ) is equal to the amplitude reflectance r exhibited by S-polarized light. (S)(λ) and the amplitude reflectance r exhibited by P-polarized light. (P) Using (λ) and , it can be expressed as shown in equation (113) below. That is, by substituting the relationship expressed in the upper right-hand side of equation (111) into equation (107) and substituting the result into the first term in parentheses on the right-hand side of equation (113), and substituting the relationship expressed in the lower right-hand side of equation (111) into equation (107) and substituting the result into the second term in parentheses on the right-hand side of equation (113), the energy reflectance R(λ) can be calculated. This energy reflectance R(λ) is "the reflectance when light is incident on the surface of a colored metal material at a certain angle of incidence and reflected at a reflection angle of the same angle as the angle of incidence," and can be said to be the reflectance when the metal and oxide film constituting the colored metal material are viewed as a whole.

[0057]

number

[0058] In this embodiment, the arithmetic processing unit 105 uses the tilt state of the mobile terminal 10 (the tilt direction and tilt angle of the surface normal vector with respect to the vertical direction shown in Figure 2), which is identified from the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit 101, as the incident angle θ1 of light E0(λ), and the user of the mobile terminal 10 views the reflected light E(λ) from the specular reflection direction of the incident light E0(λ).

[0059] Humans perceive a collection of light belonging to the visible light wavelength range (light with a wavelength λ within a range of approximately 360-780 nm) as color. Therefore, it is important to consider the energy reflectance R(λ) as described above for all wavelengths belonging to the visible light wavelength range.

[0060] The arithmetic processing unit 105 according to this embodiment calculates the energy reflectance R(λ) as described above based on sensor information indicating the tilt state obtained from the sensor unit 101, setting values ​​of the surface processing conditions obtained from the setting value acquisition unit 103 (including surface processing type setting value, material setting value, and film thickness setting value), and physical property data stored in the storage unit 111 (including the refractive index of the atmosphere, the refractive index of the metal material, and the refractive index of the oxide film). The arithmetic processing unit 105 also calculates the color coordinates in the XYZ color system using the obtained energy reflectance R(λ), the spectral distribution of light incident on the surface of the colored metal material (i.e., the spectral spectrum of the incident light E0(λ)), and color matching functions.

[0061] In this embodiment, the arithmetic processing unit 105 preferably uses the spectral distribution of a standard light source specified by the CIE (International Commission on Illumination) as the spectral distribution of light incident on the surface of the metal material that has undergone the above-described coloring process. Figure 5 is a graph showing the spectral distribution of the D65 standard light source, which is one of the standard light sources. In Figure 5, the vertical axis represents the relative emission intensity, and the horizontal axis represents the wavelength. By multiplying such a spectral distribution by the generated energy reflectance R(λ), the intensity of light at each wavelength can be obtained.

[0062] Furthermore, color matching functions represent the standard sensitivity of how humans perceive colors (in other words, functions that quantify standard human color vision). Figure 6 is a graph showing color matching functions in the XYZ color system, where the vertical axis of Figure 6 represents relative intensity and the horizontal axis represents wavelength. In the XYZ color system, as shown in Figure 6, the color corresponds to the color vision stimulus value x corresponding to red. ~ (Tilde; in this specification, for convenience, the tilde symbol is written as a superscript. The same applies hereafter.) Color vision stimulus value y corresponding to green ~ (Tilde), the color vision stimulus value z corresponding to the color blue. ~ It consists of three types of variables (tilde).

[0063] The arithmetic processing unit 105 calculates the color coordinates in the XYZ color system (i.e., color values ​​XYZ) by performing calculations as shown in equations (121) to (125) below for wavelengths belonging to the visible light wavelength band, using the obtained energy reflectance R(λ), the spectral distribution of light incident on the surface of the colored metal material (i.e., the spectral spectrum of the standard light source), and the color matching function. Here, in equations (121) to (125) below, k is an arbitrary constant parameter, and S(λ) represents the relative emission intensity of the spectral distribution of the standard light source.

[0064]

number

[0065] Next, the arithmetic processing unit 105 normalizes the obtained color values ​​XYZ by the Y value to obtain the color values ​​X'Y'Z' (i.e., X'=X / Y, Y'=Y / Y=1, Z'=Z / Y), and then processes these color values ​​into L * a * b * Convert to a color value in the color space. This conversion is performed using the color value of the white point (X) of the standard light source used. n , Y n , Z n This is carried out using the following equations (131) to (137).

[0066]

number

[0067] The processing unit 105 processes the resulting color value L * a * b * This is output to the output unit 107 as image information corresponding to the appearance. In this embodiment, L * a * b * While the color (coordinates) in the color space is used as image information corresponding to the appearance, the system is not limited to this, and colors may be represented using other color systems.

[0068] The above calculation flow is illustrated as a flowchart in Figure 7. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the calculation process performed by the calculation processing unit 105. By performing calculations in this manner, image information corresponding to the appearance of the metal material that has undergone coloring as a surface treatment can be obtained.

[0069] Currently, we focus on titanium plates as a metal material, where an oxide film (TiO2 film) is formed on the surface by anodizing treatment with a film thickness ranging from 10 nm to 300 nm. The complex refractive index N1 of air is N1 = 1.00 + 0i, and the complex refractive index N3 of titanium is N3 = 2.89 + 3.35i, using a complex refractive index that does not consider wavelength dependence. Furthermore, the complex refractive index N2 of titanium oxide (TiO2) is taken into account wavelength dependence and is given by the complex refractive index n and absorptivity k shown in Figure 8. Figure 8 is a graph showing the wavelength dependence of the refractive index n and absorptivity k of titanium oxide (TiO2).

[0070] By performing the above calculation on an example of such a titanium plate, it is possible to reproduce the color that changes according to the tilt of the mobile device 10. Figure 9 is an example of the calculation results showing the color change of a titanium plate on which an oxide film has been formed. In Figure 9, the horizontal axis is the color value a. * The vertical axis represents the color value b. * Furthermore, the curve in the figure shows the color value (a) from the case where the oxide film thickness is 0 nm (i.e., no oxide film was formed) to the case where the film thickness is 300 nm when the mobile terminal 10 has a certain slope. * , b * This shows the progression of the color. The numerical values ​​written at various points along the curve represent the thickness of the oxide film. Such color values ​​may be calculated and displayed for each pixel that makes up the display unit, or the entire display unit may be displayed as a single color.

[0071] In the above example, the complex refractive index N3 of titanium is calculated using a complex refractive index that does not consider wavelength dependence. However, a complex refractive index that does consider wavelength dependence may also be used. By using a complex refractive index that considers wavelength dependence as the complex refractive index N3 of titanium, the calculation results can be made to more closely resemble the actual changes in the appearance of the titanium plate.

[0072] [In the case of metal materials with a textured finish] Next, we will specifically explain the calculation process for determining the appearance of a metal material that has been subjected to a matte finish by vibration processing, with reference to Figures 10 and 11.

[0073] Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the calculation process for determining the appearance of a metal material that has been subjected to a matte finish by vibration processing. Vibration polishing is a processing method that creates numerous swirling polishing lines on the surface of a metal material, with a depth of several micrometers to several hundred micrometers. Hairline polishing, another example of matte finish, is a processing method that creates numerous linear polishing lines that are roughly parallel to each other, rather than swirling polishing lines.

[0074] In this type of textured finish, irregularities are formed on the surface of the metal material. Therefore, as previously explained, the setting value acquisition unit 103 of the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment acquires, as setting values ​​for the surface processing conditions of the metal material that affect the appearance, a shape setting value which is an example of information indicating the shape of the metal material, a material setting value which is an example of information indicating the type of metal material, and a surface processing type setting value which is an example of information indicating the type of surface processing to be applied.

[0075] The storage unit 111 of the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment stores, as an example of information showing the size and distribution of irregularities applied to the surface of a metal material, an irregularity map like the one illustrated in Figure 10, for each type of surface treatment (and furthermore, each treatment strength), such as an irregularity map for vibration treatment, an irregularity map for hairline treatment, etc. The irregularity map illustrated in Figure 10 is an image in which the surface of the metal material is displayed in white and polishing lines are displayed in black, and the lower the brightness (i.e., the darker the color), the deeper the polishing lines.

[0076] Furthermore, the arithmetic processing unit 105 of the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment uses a "reflection model" as the appearance calculation model mentioned earlier, which models the reflection state of light incident on the surface of the metal material of interest from a predetermined direction. Specifically, it uses a reflection model that assumes a light source exists in the direction of the surface normal vector of the display screen, which is an example of the display unit 109, calculated from sensor information indicating the tilt state acquired from the sensor unit 101, and that a person observes the surface of the object from vertically above.

[0077] In this process, the arithmetic processing unit 105 first uses the sensor information of the tilt state acquired by the sensor unit 101 to set the direction of the surface normal vector as illustrated in Figure 2. Then, based on the reflection model described above, the arithmetic processing unit 105 uses the shape setting value, the material setting value, and the surface processing type setting value to determine the distribution state of shading, or a specific color space (for example, L * a * b * Performs calculations on at least one of the colors in the color space.

[0078] Based on the above-mentioned settings, the arithmetic processing unit 105 obtains data indicating the color tone (hue) of the corresponding metal material (for example, color value data), data indicating the refractive index of the metal material, and data of the corresponding surface topography map from the storage unit 111, etc., and performs calculations based on the reflection model.

[0079] The specific calculations based on the reflection model are not particularly limited, and it is possible to visualize the calculation results using various commercially available or open-source rendering engines for computer graphics.

[0080] Figure 11 shows the result of a calculation process that calculates the shading when a matte finish is applied to the surface of a flat steel plate by vibration processing. As illustrated in Figure 11, by performing the calculation process described above, the calculation processing unit 105 can visualize the changes in shading and color tone of the metal material that has been given a matte finish.

[0081] For example, in the case of a glossy finish, the surface is almost completely smooth, so a surface texture map with a completely white surface is used, and calculations based on the reflection model are performed. In the case of molded products, the shape of the molded product is defined using a 3D model and used as a shape setting value, and calculations based on the reflection model are performed along with the material setting value and the surface treatment type setting value.

[0082] The above explains in detail, with examples, the arithmetic processing performed by the arithmetic processing unit 105.

[0083] The above describes an example of the functions of the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment. Each of the above components may be made up using general-purpose materials and circuits, or it may be made up of hardware specialized for the function of each component. Furthermore, the CPU or the like may perform all of the functions of each component. Therefore, it is possible to change the configuration used as appropriate according to the level of technology at the time of implementing this embodiment.

[0084] For example, each processing unit of the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment, as described above, may be distributed between the mobile terminal and various information processing devices such as computers located externally. In this case, the functions of the mobile terminal 10 described above are realized through the cooperation of the mobile terminal and the information processing devices located outside the mobile terminal that are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0085] Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the configuration of a mobile terminal according to this embodiment. For example, as shown in Figure 12, the functions of the calculation processing unit 105 described above may be provided in an external information processing device that is connected via communication. In this case, the output unit 107A of the mobile terminal 10A outputs the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit 101 and the setting value acquired by the setting value acquisition unit 103 to the external information processing device. The mobile terminal 10A also includes a calculation result acquisition unit 115 that acquires from the information processing device the calculation result of the appearance of a surface-treated metal material or a molded product of a surface-treated metal material, which is calculated based on the sensor information and setting value output from the output unit 107A.

[0086] Furthermore, it is possible to create computer programs to realize each of the functions of the mobile terminal according to this embodiment as described above, and implement them on a personal computer or the like. A computer-readable recording medium containing such a computer program can also be provided. Examples of recording media include magnetic disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, and flash memory. Alternatively, the above-mentioned computer programs may be distributed, for example, via a network, without using a recording medium.

[0087] (Regarding display processing methods) Next, with reference to Figure 13, the flow of the display processing method using the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment will be briefly explained. Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the display processing method according to this embodiment.

[0088] The display processing method according to this embodiment is implemented by the mobile terminal 10 as described above. This display processing method is a method of displaying image information corresponding to the appearance of a surface-treated metal material or a molded product thereof on the display unit 109 of the mobile terminal 10. The appearance of such a surface-treated metal material or molded product thereof changes depending on how it is tilted.

[0089] As shown in Figure 13, this display processing method includes a set value acquisition step (step S101), a sensor information acquisition step (step S103), a calculation processing step (step S105), and a display step (step S107).

[0090] The setting value acquisition step (step S101) is a step in which the setting values ​​of the surface processing conditions of a metal material that affect the appearance of the surface-processed metal material or its molded product are acquired via the mobile terminal 10 described above. Through this setting value acquisition step, the mobile terminal 10 acquires various setting values ​​such as material setting values, film thickness setting values, shape setting values, and surface processing type setting values, and uses these as setting values ​​for the calculation processing performed in the subsequent calculation processing step.

[0091] The sensor information acquisition step (step S103) is a step in which the sensor unit 101 of the mobile terminal 10 acquires sensor information indicating the tilt state of the mobile terminal 10. Here, the sensor information indicating the tilt state, as described above, is information that identifies in which direction and to what extent the mobile terminal 10 is tilted with respect to the vertical direction in real space, for example, the pitch angle θ shown in Figure 2. p or roll angle θ r The sensor unit 101 determines the tilt state (tilt direction, tilt angle) of the mobile terminal 10 identified from the sensor information. In a subsequent calculation processing step, calculation processing is performed to generate image information corresponding to the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or its molded product.

[0092] The calculation processing step (step S105) is a step in which the mobile terminal 10 calculates the appearance of the metal material according to the tilt of the mobile terminal 10, based on the aforementioned appearance calculation model that was set in advance, using the sensor information (tilt direction) acquired in step S103 and the set value of the surface processing condition acquired in step S101. This generates image information corresponding to the appearance of the metal material according to the tilt of the mobile terminal 10.

[0093] The display step (step S107) is a step in which the mobile terminal 10 displays image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance on the display unit 109. As a result, the image information corresponding to the appearance of the metal material, which was generated in the calculation processing step, is displayed on the display screen, and the user of the mobile terminal 10 can immediately understand, before ordering, how the appearance of the metal material will change depending on how the metal material is tilted when the desired surface processing (surface processing with set surface processing conditions) is applied to the metal material of interest.

[0094] In Figure 13 above, the order of the setting value acquisition step (step S101) and the sensor information acquisition step (step S103) may be reversed, or the setting value acquisition step (step S101) and the sensor information acquisition step (step S103) may be performed in parallel.

[0095] The flow of the information processing method according to this embodiment has been briefly explained above with reference to Figure 13.

[0096] (About the system) <About the overall system configuration> Next, the overall configuration of the system using the mobile terminal described above will be explained with reference to Figure 14. Figure 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the system according to this embodiment.

[0097] As schematically shown in Figure 14, in this embodiment, the system 1 is interconnected with a mobile terminal 10B and an information processing device 20 via various networks 3, including the Internet.

[0098] As previously explained, the mobile terminal 10B is a device that displays image information corresponding to the appearance of a surface-treated metal material or a molded product thereof on the display unit 109, and is used to support sales of metal materials. Here, the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or a molded product thereof changes depending on how it is tilted. The configuration of the mobile terminal 10B will be explained again below.

[0099] The information processing device 20 is a device that manages the process of applying surface processing conditions set (specified) on the mobile terminal 10B to the metal material of interest. The configuration of the information processing device 20 will be explained in more detail below.

[0100] One possible use case for System 1, which consists of such a mobile terminal 10B and information processing device 20, is when a processing company that performs various surface treatments on metal materials possesses the information processing device 20, and a sales representative of such a processing company brings the mobile terminal 10B to a customer to conduct business negotiations.

[0101] In this case, instead of bringing a sample of a surface-treated metal material or a molded product thereof, the sales representative visiting the customer uses a mobile terminal 10B to present the customer with image information corresponding to various sample products (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "sample images"). If a sample image presented to the customer matches the customer's needs, the mobile terminal 10B is used to receive a manufacturing instruction (request) for the metal material that matches the customer's needs. The mobile terminal 10B transmits data representing the manufacturing instruction (request), along with information indicating the setting values ​​of the surface treatment conditions that match the customer's needs, to the information processing device 20 via the network 3.

[0102] When the information processing device 20 acquires data representing a manufacturing instruction, it uses the information associated with that data, which indicates the setting values ​​of the surface processing conditions, to manage the process for manufacturing the metal material desired by the customer (for example, the process for performing surface processing). This makes it possible to manufacture the metal material requested by the customer (i.e., a metal product or molded product thereof with surface processing performed under the desired surface processing conditions) more smoothly.

[0103] <About the configuration of mobile device 10B> The configuration of the mobile terminal 10B in System 1, as outlined above, will now be explained with reference to Figure 15. Figure 15 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the mobile terminal in the system according to this embodiment.

[0104] As shown in Figure 15, such a mobile terminal 10B includes a sensor unit 101, a set value acquisition unit 103A, an arithmetic processing unit 105, an output unit 107, a display unit 109, a storage unit 111, and a production instruction reception unit 121, and the output unit 107 further includes a set value output unit 123. Furthermore, it is preferable that such a mobile terminal 10B also includes a keyword acquisition unit 125, a keyword output unit 127, a customer information acquisition unit 129, and a customer information output unit 131.

[0105] Here, the sensor unit 101, arithmetic processing unit 105, output unit 107, display unit 109, and storage unit 111 have the same configuration and functions as the respective processing units in the mobile terminal 10 shown in Figure 1, so a detailed explanation will be omitted below.

[0106] Furthermore, the setting value acquisition unit 103A is a processing unit that acquires setting values ​​for various surface processing conditions, as described above. In addition to the functions of the setting value acquisition unit 103 as described with reference to Figure 1, the setting value acquisition unit 103A also has the function of acquiring setting values ​​transmitted from the information processing device 20 and outputting them to the calculation processing unit 105.

[0107] The manufacturing instruction receiving unit 121 is implemented by, for example, a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), input device, communication device, etc. The manufacturing instruction receiving unit 121 is a processing unit that receives manufacturing instructions (requests) for metal materials displayed on the display unit 109 (for example, the display screen) of the mobile terminal 10B. This makes it possible to electronically acquire manufacturing instructions (requests) for metal materials specified by, for example, the user of the mobile terminal 10B and transmit them to the information processing device 20.

[0108] When the manufacturing instruction receiving unit 121 receives a manufacturing instruction for a certain metal material or its molded product, it refers to the history information stored in the memory unit 111, etc., and obtains various setting values ​​associated with the metal material or molded product for which the manufacturing instruction was received. Subsequently, it associates the data representing the received manufacturing instruction with the data indicating the obtained setting values ​​and outputs them to the setting value output unit 123, which will be described later.

[0109] The setting value output unit 123 is implemented by, for example, a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), communication device, etc. The setting value output unit 123 outputs the setting values ​​of the surface processing conditions associated with the metal material corresponding to the received manufacturing instruction to the information processing device 20. As a result, the information processing device 20 outputs the manufacturing instruction (request) for the metal material along with the setting values ​​of the surface processing conditions that match the manufacturing instruction, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0110] The keyword acquisition unit 125 is implemented by, for example, a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), input device, communication device, etc. The keyword acquisition unit 125 acquires keywords that indicate the characteristics of the appearance of a surface-treated metal material or a molded product thereof (the appearance characteristics desired by the customer). Based on the acquired keywords, the information processing device 20 performs processing as described later, making it possible to extract surface processing conditions that result in an appearance with characteristics likely to be preferred by the customer as recommended processing conditions. The keyword acquisition unit 125 outputs information indicating the acquired keywords to the keyword output unit 127.

[0111] The keyword output unit 127 is implemented by, for example, a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), communication device, etc. The keyword output unit 127 outputs information indicating the keyword acquired by the keyword acquisition unit 125 to the information processing device 20.

[0112] The customer information acquisition unit 129 is implemented by, for example, a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), input device, communication device, etc. The customer information acquisition unit 129 acquires various types of information about the customer (customer information). Examples of such customer information include personal name, company name, gender, age, occupation, interests, etc. Based on the acquired customer information, the information processing device 20 performs processing as described later, making it possible to extract surface processing conditions that result in an appearance with characteristics likely to be preferred by the customer as recommended processing conditions. The customer information acquisition unit 129 outputs the acquired customer information to the customer information output unit 131.

[0113] The customer information output unit 131 is implemented by, for example, a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), communication device, etc. The customer information output unit 131 outputs the customer information acquired by the customer information acquisition unit 129 to the information processing device 20.

[0114] The above describes an example of the functions of the mobile terminal 10B according to this embodiment. Each of the above components may be made up using general-purpose materials and circuits, or it may be made up of hardware specialized for the function of each component. Furthermore, the CPU or the like may perform all of the functions of each component. Therefore, it is possible to change the configuration used as appropriate according to the level of technology at the time of implementing this embodiment.

[0115] Furthermore, it is possible to create computer programs to realize each of the functions of the mobile terminal according to this embodiment as described above, and implement them on a personal computer or the like. A computer-readable recording medium containing such a computer program can also be provided. Examples of recording media include magnetic disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, and flash memory. Alternatively, the above-mentioned computer programs may be distributed, for example, via a network, without using a recording medium.

[0116] <About the configuration of the information processing system> Next, with reference to Figure 16, the configuration of the information processing device 20 in the system 1 according to this embodiment will be described in detail. Figure 16 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device in the system according to this embodiment.

[0117] The information processing device 20 according to this embodiment is a device that comprehensively manages the process of surface processing a metal material. As schematically shown in Figure 16, the information processing device 20 mainly comprises a condition acquisition unit 201, a process management unit 203, a keyword acquisition unit 205, a customer information acquisition unit 207, a recommended processing condition extraction unit 209, a recommended processing condition output unit 211, and a storage unit 213.

[0118] The condition acquisition unit 201 is implemented by, for example, a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), communication device, etc. The condition acquisition unit 201 refers to data representing manufacturing instructions output from the mobile terminal 10B and acquires information indicating surface processing conditions (more specifically, setting values ​​for surface processing conditions) associated with such data. When the condition acquisition unit 201 acquires the setting values ​​for surface processing conditions, it outputs information indicating such setting values ​​to the process control unit 203. Furthermore, it is preferable that the condition acquisition unit 201 associates time data related to the date and time the data was acquired with the acquired data representing manufacturing instructions, and then records this information in the storage unit 211 (described later) as history information (past order history, input history of various setting values, etc.) and customer information (personal name, company name, gender, age, occupation, interests, etc.).

[0119] The process control unit 203 is implemented by, for example, a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), output device, communication device, etc. Based on the acquired surface processing conditions, the process control unit 203 manages the process of applying surface processing corresponding to the conditions to the metal material. This ensures that surface processing is carried out in accordance with the received manufacturing instructions. In this embodiment, "process control" includes prompting workers and processing equipment to perform the work, having workers and processing equipment perform the surface processing, checking the status of the surface processing process, and confirming whether the surface processing process has been completed appropriately, so that the surface processing process of interest is carried out appropriately.

[0120] Here, the process control unit 203 may directly manage the surface processing process by outputting a control signal to a control device such as a process computer that manages the surface processing process, based on the acquired surface processing conditions, to perform the surface processing corresponding to the conditions. Alternatively, the process control unit 203 may output information indicating the acquired surface processing conditions to paper media or to a portable information terminal held by the worker in charge of the surface processing process, so that the worker in charge of the surface processing process can perform the corresponding surface processing.

[0121] The keyword acquisition unit 205 is implemented by, for example, a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), communication device, etc. The keyword acquisition unit 205 acquires keywords from the mobile terminal 10B that indicate the characteristics of the appearance of a surface-treated metal material or a molded product thereof (characteristics of the appearance desired by the user). When the keyword acquisition unit 205 acquires information indicating such keywords, it outputs such information indicating such keywords to the recommended processing condition extraction unit 209.

[0122] The customer information acquisition unit 207 is implemented by, for example, a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), communication device, etc. The customer information acquisition unit 207 acquires customer information from the mobile terminal 10B. Once the customer information acquisition unit 207 has acquired customer information, it outputs such customer information to the recommended processing condition extraction unit 209.

[0123] The recommended processing condition extraction unit 209 is implemented, for example, by a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), etc. The recommended processing condition extraction unit 207 inputs keywords indicating the characteristics of the appearance of a surface-treated metal material or its molded product, output from the mobile terminal 10B, into a pre-trained machine learning model, and extracts surface processing conditions that result in an appearance with those characteristics as recommended processing conditions. As a result, the recommended processing condition extraction unit 209 is able to extract surface processing conditions that the user of the mobile terminal 10B (i.e., the customer using the mobile terminal 10B) is likely to like, and in some cases, it is possible to propose surface processing conditions that the customer might like, even if the customer hadn't even imagined them.

[0124] Furthermore, the recommended processing condition extraction unit 209 inputs customer information output from the mobile terminal 10B into a pre-trained machine learning model and extracts surface processing conditions that are the same as or similar to those previously ordered by the customer identified by this customer information, as recommended processing conditions. This enables the recommended processing condition extraction unit 209 to extract surface processing conditions that are likely to appeal to the user of the mobile terminal 10B (i.e., the customer using the mobile terminal 10B).

[0125] Here, such a machine learning model is stored, for example, in the memory unit 213. Furthermore, it is assumed that such a machine learning model has been trained using various known machine learning algorithms based on training data including the customer's industry and past order history. It is also preferable that such a machine learning model is updated as needed in accordance with the accumulating customer information.

[0126] When the recommended processing condition extraction unit 209 extracts recommended processing conditions, it outputs information regarding these recommended processing conditions to the recommended processing condition output unit 211.

[0127] The recommended processing condition output unit 211 is implemented by, for example, a processor (CPU, etc.), memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), communication device, etc. The recommended processing condition output unit 211 outputs information indicating the extracted recommended processing conditions to the mobile terminal 10B. As a result, the calculation processing unit 105 of the mobile terminal 10A can calculate the appearance of the metal material according to the tilt of the mobile terminal 10B based on the acquired recommended processing conditions, and the display unit 109 of the mobile terminal 10B can display image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance of the metal material based on the recommended processing conditions.

[0128] The memory unit 213 is an example of a storage device provided by the information processing device 20, and can be implemented by, for example, ROM, RAM, or a storage device. This memory unit 213 stores various machine learning models and customer information used by the information processing device 20 according to this embodiment when performing various processes. In addition, various parameters and intermediate processing results (for example, various data and programs stored in advance) that need to be saved when the information processing device 20 according to this embodiment performs some processing are appropriately recorded in this memory unit 213. The condition acquisition unit 201, process control unit 203, keyword acquisition unit 205, customer information acquisition unit 207, recommended processing condition extraction unit 209, recommended processing condition output unit 211, etc., can freely read / write data from this memory unit 211.

[0129] The above describes an example of the functions of the information processing device 20 according to this embodiment. Each of the above components may be composed of general-purpose materials and circuits, or it may be composed of hardware specialized for the function of each component. Furthermore, the functions of each component may all be performed by a CPU or the like. Therefore, it is possible to change the configuration used as appropriate according to the technological level at the time of implementing this embodiment.

[0130] Furthermore, it is possible to create a computer program to realize each of the functions of the management device according to this embodiment as described above, and implement it on a personal computer or the like. A computer-readable recording medium containing such a computer program can also be provided. Examples of recording media include magnetic disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, and flash memory. Alternatively, the above-mentioned computer program may be distributed, for example, via a network, without using a recording medium.

[0131] (Processing flow in System 1) In the following section, an example of the flow of each process in System 1 according to this embodiment will be briefly described with reference to Figure 17. Figure 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of each process in the system according to this embodiment.

[0132] In System 1 according to this embodiment, for example, a sales representative for a metal material or its processed product carries a mobile terminal 10B and goes to a customer's location for sales. The customer and the sales representative search for the appearance of the metal material or its processed product while operating the mobile terminal 10B as appropriate.

[0133] In this process, the setting value acquisition unit 103A of the mobile terminal 10B acquires various setting values ​​entered by the sales representative or customer (step S201), and outputs information regarding the obtained setting values ​​to the arithmetic processing unit 105. At the same time, the sensor unit 101 of the mobile terminal 10B acquires sensor information indicating the tilt of the mobile terminal 10B (step S203), and outputs the obtained sensor information to the arithmetic processing unit 105.

[0134] The arithmetic processing unit 105 of the mobile terminal 10B performs the calculation processing as illustrated above using the acquired setting values ​​and sensor information (step S205), and displays the obtained calculation processing result (i.e., a simulation of the appearance of the metal material or molded product of interest) on the display unit 109 of the mobile terminal 10B (step S207).

[0135] Furthermore, when various customer information about a customer is entered into the mobile terminal 10B by a sales representative or the customer, the customer information acquisition unit 129 of the mobile terminal 10B acquires the entered customer information (step S209), and outputs the acquired customer information to the information processing device 20 via the customer information output unit 131.

[0136] Customer information output from the mobile terminal 10B is acquired by the customer information acquisition unit 207 of the information processing device 20 (step S211), and the customer information acquisition unit 207 outputs the acquired customer information to the recommended processing condition extraction unit 209 of the information processing device 20.

[0137] Furthermore, when a sales representative or customer inputs keywords into the mobile terminal 10B that describe the characteristics of the appearance of the metal material or molded product requested by the customer, the keyword acquisition unit 125 of the mobile terminal 10B acquires information related to the input keywords (step S213), and outputs the acquired information related to the keywords to the information processing device 20 via the keyword output unit 127.

[0138] Information regarding keywords output from the mobile terminal 10B is acquired by the keyword acquisition unit 205 of the information processing device 20 (step S215), and the keyword acquisition unit 205 outputs the acquired information regarding keywords to the recommended processing condition extraction unit 209 of the information processing device 20.

[0139] The recommended processing condition extraction unit 209 of the information processing device 20 uses the acquired customer information and keyword information to extract processing conditions (i.e., recommended processing conditions) that can achieve an appearance that the customer is likely to prefer (step S217), and outputs them to the mobile terminal 10B via the recommended processing condition extraction unit 211 of the information processing device 20.

[0140] The setting value acquisition unit 103A of the mobile terminal 10B acquires setting values ​​corresponding to the recommended processing conditions output from the information processing device 20 (step S219), and outputs the acquired setting values ​​corresponding to the recommended processing conditions to the calculation processing unit 105. In addition, the sensor unit 101 of the mobile terminal 10B acquires sensor information (step S221), and outputs the acquired sensor information to the calculation processing unit 105. The calculation processing unit 105 of the mobile terminal 10B performs calculation processing using the acquired setting values ​​corresponding to the recommended processing conditions and the sensor information (step S223), and displays the obtained calculation processing result (i.e., a simulation of the appearance of the metal material of interest or its molded product) on the display unit 109 of the mobile terminal 10B (step S225).

[0141] As the above process is repeated by sales representatives and customers, at some point a metal material or molded product that matches the customer's needs is found, and the manufacturing instruction receiving unit 121 of the mobile terminal 10B receives a manufacturing instruction for the metal material or molded product that matches the customer's needs (step S227).

[0142] Then, the setting value output unit 123 of the mobile terminal 10B outputs the setting value for the surface processing treatment corresponding to the metal material or molded product for which the manufacturing instruction was received to the information processing device 20 (step S229).

[0143] The condition acquisition unit 201 of the information processing device 20 acquires the setting values ​​for the surface processing of the metal material or molded product for which a manufacturing instruction has been received from the mobile terminal 10B (step S231), and outputs the acquired setting values ​​to the process control unit 203 of the information processing device 20. The process control unit 203 of the information processing device 20 performs management of the surface processing process based on the acquired setting values ​​(step S233). As a result, the metal material or molded product for which the customer is required is manufactured appropriately.

[0144] (Regarding the hardware configuration of mobile devices) Next, the hardware configuration of the mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figure 18. Figure 18 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B according to this embodiment.

[0145] The mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B mainly comprise a processor 901 and memory 903. Furthermore, the mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B also include a host bus 907, a bridge 909, an external bus 911, an interface 913, a sensor 914, an input device 915, an output device 917, a storage device 919, a drive 921, a connection port 923, and a communication device 925.

[0146] For example, a processor 901, such as a CPU, functions as an arithmetic processing unit and control unit, and controls all or part of the operation within the mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B according to various programs recorded in memory 903, storage device 919, or removable recording medium 927. For example, memory 903, which is implemented as ROM or RAM, stores programs and arithmetic parameters used by the processor 901. RAM temporarily stores programs used by the processor 901 and parameters that change as appropriate during program execution. These are interconnected by a host bus 907, which is composed of an internal bus such as a CPU bus.

[0147] The host bus 907 is connected to an external bus 911, such as a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect / Interface) bus, via a bridge 909.

[0148] Sensor 914 is a detection means such as a sensor that detects the degree of tilt of the mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B, a sensor that detects the user's movements, and a sensor that acquires information representing the current location. Examples of such sensors include motion sensors such as a 3-axis accelerometer including an acceleration sensor, gravity detection sensor, and fall detection sensor, an angular velocity sensor, an image stabilization sensor, and a 3-axis gyroscope including a geomagnetic sensor, and GPS sensors. In addition to the above, sensor 914 may also be equipped with various measuring instruments such as a thermometer, illuminometer, and hygrometer.

[0149] The input device 915 is, for example, a user-operated operating means such as a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, button, switch, and lever. Alternatively, the input device 915 may be, for example, a remote control using infrared or other radio waves (a so-called remote control), or an external connection device 929 such as a mobile phone or PDA that is compatible with the operation of the mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B. Furthermore, the input device 915 is comprised of, for example, an input control circuit that generates an input signal based on information input by the user using the above-mentioned operating means and outputs it to the processor 901. Users of the mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B can input various data or instruct processing operations on the mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B by operating this input device 915.

[0150] The output device 917 is comprised of a device capable of visually or audibly notifying the user of the acquired information. Such devices include display devices such as CRT displays, liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, EL displays, and lamps, as well as audio output devices such as speakers and headphones. The output device 917 outputs, for example, the results obtained from various processes performed by the mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B. Specifically, the display device displays the results obtained from various processes performed by the mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B in text or images. On the other hand, the audio output device converts the audio signal, consisting of played-back audio data or sound data, into an analog signal and outputs it.

[0151] The storage device 919 is a data storage device configured as an example of the storage unit of the mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B. The storage device 919 is composed of, for example, a magnetic storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a semiconductor storage device, an optical storage device, or a magneto-optical storage device. This storage device 919 stores programs and various data executed by the processor 901, as well as various data acquired from external sources.

[0152] Drive 921 is a reader / writer for recording media and is built into or attached to the mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B. Drive 921 reads information recorded on the removable recording media 927, such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, and outputs it to memory 903, such as RAM. Drive 921 can also write data to the removable recording media 927, such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory. The removable recording media 927 is, for example, DVD media, HD-DVD media, Blu-ray media, etc. Alternatively, the removable recording media 927 may be CompactFlash (CF), flash memory, or SD memory card (Secure Digital memory card), etc. Alternatively, the removable recording media 927 may be, for example, an IC card (Integrated Circuit card) or electronic device equipped with a contactless IC chip.

[0153] Connection port 923 is a port for directly connecting devices to mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B. Examples of connection port 923 include USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports, IEEE1394 ports, and SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) ports. Other examples of connection port 923 include RS-232C ports, optical audio terminals, and HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) ports. By connecting an external device 929 to this connection port 923, mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B can directly acquire various data from or provide various data to the external device 929.

[0154] The communication device 925 is a communication interface composed of, for example, a communication device for connecting to the communication network 931. The communication device 925 is, for example, a communication card for wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or WUSB (Wireless USB). Alternatively, the communication device 925 may be a router for optical communication, a router for ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), or a modem for various types of communication. This communication device 925 can, for example, send and receive signals to and from the Internet or other communication devices in accordance with a predetermined protocol such as TCP / IP. The communication network 931 connected to the communication device 925 is composed of a network connected by wire or wireless, and may be, for example, the Internet, a home LAN, infrared communication, radio wave communication, or satellite communication.

[0155] The above describes an example of a hardware configuration capable of realizing the functions of the mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B according to this embodiment. Each of the above components may be made up of general-purpose materials, or it may be made up of hardware specialized for the function of each component. Therefore, it is possible to change the hardware configuration used as appropriate depending on the level of technology at the time of implementing this embodiment.

[0156] Furthermore, the hardware configuration of the information processing device 20 according to this embodiment is the same as that of the mobile terminals 10, 10A, and 10B according to this embodiment, except that it does not have a sensor 914, so a detailed explanation will be omitted below.

[0157] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the attached drawings, the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear to any person with ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs that various modifications or alterations can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and these are also understood to fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0158] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The embodiments described above may be omitted, replaced, or modified in various ways without departing from the appended claims, the technical scope of the invention as described later, and the spirit thereof. For example, the constituent elements of the embodiments described above can be combined in any way without impairing their effects. Furthermore, such any combination will naturally yield the effects and benefits of each constituent element in the combination, as well as other effects and benefits that will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the description herein.

[0159] Furthermore, the effects described herein are merely descriptive or illustrative, and not limiting. In other words, the technology according to the present invention may produce other effects that will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description herein, in addition to or instead of the effects described above.

[0160] Furthermore, the following configurations also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. (1) A portable terminal for displaying a metal material with a surface treatment or a molded product of the metal material with the surface treatment, A sensor unit that acquires sensor information indicating the tilt state of the mobile terminal, A setting value acquisition unit that acquires the set value for the surface processing conditions of the metal material, A calculation processing unit calculates the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material based on the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit and the set value acquired by the set value acquisition unit. A display unit that displays image information corresponding to the calculation result of the aforementioned appearance, A mobile device equipped with the following features. (2) The aforementioned surface treatment includes a process that forms an oxide film on the surface of the metal material. The setting value acquisition unit acquires information indicating the type of metal material and information indicating the thickness of the oxide film as the setting values. The aforementioned arithmetic processing unit is Using a thin-film interference model that models the light interference state when a thin film of known thickness is present on a metal surface, Based on the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit, the information indicating the film thickness acquired by the setting acquisition unit, the refractive index of the atmosphere, the refractive index of the metal material, and the refractive index of the oxide film, the reflectance of light at the surface portion of the surface-treated metal material is calculated. The portable terminal according to (1), which uses the obtained reflectance to calculate the color in a specific color space. (3) The aforementioned arithmetic processing unit is The reflectance is calculated assuming that light is incident on the surface of the metal material that has undergone the surface treatment at an incident angle corresponding to the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit, and is reflected at a reflection angle of the same angle as the incident angle. The portable terminal according to (2), which calculates the color in the color space based on the spectral distribution of light incident on the surface of the surface-treated metal material, the obtained reflectance, and color matching functions. (4) The aforementioned surface treatment includes a process that forms irregularities on the surface of the metal material, The setting value acquisition unit acquires, as the setting value, information indicating the shape of the metal material, information indicating the type of the metal material, and information indicating the size of the irregularities formed by the surface processing and the distribution state of the irregularities. The portable terminal according to (1), which uses a reflection model assuming that a light source exists in the direction of the surface normal vector of the display unit to calculate at least one of the following on the surface portion of the surface-treated metal material, or the color in a specific color space, based on the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit, the shape information, the type of metal material information, and the size of the irregularities formed by the surface treatment and the distribution state of the irregularities. (5) The sensor unit acquires sensor information indicating the tilt state of the mobile terminal at first time intervals. The portable terminal according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the calculation processing unit calculates the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material at each of the first time intervals or at each of the second time intervals which is longer than the first time interval, based on the acquired sensor information. (6) A portable terminal for displaying a metal material with a surface treatment or a molded product of the metal material with the surface treatment, A sensor unit that acquires sensor information indicating the tilt state of the mobile terminal, A setting value acquisition unit that acquires the set value for the surface processing conditions of the metal material, An output unit that outputs the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit and the setting value acquired by the setting value acquisition unit to an external information processing device that is connected to communicate with the sensor unit. A calculation result acquisition unit acquires from the information processing device the calculation result of the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material, which is calculated based on the sensor information and the set value output from the output unit. A display unit that displays image information corresponding to the calculation result of the aforementioned appearance, A mobile device equipped with the following features. (7) A display processing method for displaying image information corresponding to the appearance of a surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material on a mobile terminal, A sensor information acquisition step, in which the sensor unit of the mobile terminal acquires sensor information indicating the tilt state of the mobile terminal, A setting value acquisition step, which involves acquiring a set value for the surface processing conditions of the metal material via the aforementioned mobile terminal, A calculation processing step that calculates the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material based on the sensor information acquired in the sensor information acquisition step and the setting value acquired in the setting value acquisition step, The mobile terminal includes a display step of displaying image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance, A display processing method having the following characteristics. (8) A system comprising a mobile terminal described in any one of (1) to (6), and an information processing device that is communicatively connected to the mobile terminal, The aforementioned mobile terminal is A manufacturing instruction receiving unit that receives instructions for manufacturing a metal material with the surface treatment applied or a molded product of the metal material with the surface treatment applied, as displayed on the display unit, A setting value output unit outputs to the information processing device the setting value of the surface processing condition associated with the metal material that has undergone the surface processing or the molded product of the metal material that has undergone the surface processing, corresponding to the received manufacturing instruction. Furthermore, The aforementioned information processing device is A condition acquisition unit that acquires the surface processing conditions output from the mobile terminal, A process control unit manages the process of applying the surface treatment corresponding to the surface treatment conditions to the metal material corresponding to the manufacturing instruction, based on the surface treatment conditions, A system that includes these features. (9) The aforementioned mobile terminal is A keyword acquisition unit that acquires keywords indicating the characteristics of the appearance of the metal material with the aforementioned surface treatment or a molded product of the metal material with the aforementioned surface treatment, A keyword output unit that outputs the acquired keyword to the information processing device, It further possesses, The aforementioned information processing device is A recommended processing condition extraction unit inputs the keywords output from the mobile terminal into a pre-trained machine learning model and extracts surface processing conditions that result in an appearance having the aforementioned characteristics as recommended processing conditions. A recommended processing condition output unit that outputs the extracted recommended processing conditions to the mobile terminal, Furthermore, The processing unit of the mobile terminal further calculates the appearance of the metal material or molded product of the metal material that has been surface-treated using the acquired recommended processing conditions. The system according to (8), wherein the display unit of the mobile terminal displays image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance based on the recommended processing conditions. (10) The aforementioned mobile terminal is Customer information acquisition unit that acquires customer information, A customer information output unit that outputs the acquired customer information to the mobile terminal, It further possesses, The aforementioned information processing device is A recommended processing condition extraction unit inputs the customer information output from the mobile terminal into a pre-trained machine learning model and extracts surface processing conditions that are the same as or similar to those previously ordered by the customer identified by the customer information, as recommended processing conditions. A recommended processing condition output unit that outputs the extracted recommended processing conditions to the mobile terminal, Furthermore, The processing unit of the mobile terminal further calculates the appearance of the metal material or molded product of the metal material that has been surface-treated using the acquired recommended processing conditions. The system according to (8), wherein the display unit of the mobile terminal displays image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance based on the recommended processing conditions. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0161] 1 System 3 Network 10, 10A, 10B mobile devices 20 Management device 101 Sensor section 103 Setting value acquisition unit 105 Arithmetic Processing Unit 107, 107A Output Section 109 Display section 111, 213 Storage section 115 Operation result acquisition section 121 Production Request Reception Department 123 Setting value output section 125, 205 Keyword acquisition section 127 Keyword Output Section 129, 207 Customer information acquisition department 131 Customer Information Output Unit 201 Condition Acquisition Unit 203 Process Management Department 209 Recommended processing condition extraction unit 211 Recommended processing conditions output unit

Claims

1. A portable terminal for displaying a metal material with a surface treatment or a molded product of the metal material with the surface treatment, A sensor unit that acquires sensor information indicating the tilt state of the mobile terminal, A setting value acquisition unit that acquires the set value for the surface processing conditions of the metal material, A calculation processing unit calculates the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material based on the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit and the set value acquired by the set value acquisition unit. A display unit that displays image information corresponding to the calculation result of the aforementioned appearance, Equipped with, The aforementioned surface treatment includes a process that forms an oxide film on the surface of the metal material. The setting value acquisition unit is a portable terminal that acquires information indicating the type of metal material and information indicating the thickness of the oxide film as the setting values.

2. The aforementioned arithmetic processing unit is Using a thin-film interference model that models the light interference state when a thin film of known thickness is present on a metal surface, Based on the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit, the information indicating the film thickness acquired by the set value acquisition unit, the refractive index of the atmosphere, the refractive index of the metal material, and the refractive index of the oxide film, the reflectance of light at the surface portion of the surface-treated metal material is calculated. The portable terminal according to claim 1, which uses the obtained reflectance to calculate the color in a specific color space.

3. The aforementioned arithmetic processing unit is The reflectance is calculated assuming that light is incident on the surface of the metal material that has undergone the surface treatment at an incident angle corresponding to the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit, and is reflected at a reflection angle of the same angle as the incident angle. The portable terminal according to claim 2, which calculates the color in the color space based on the spectral distribution of light incident on the surface of the surface-treated metal material, the obtained reflectance, and color matching functions.

4. The aforementioned surface treatment includes a process that forms irregularities on the surface of the metal material, The setting value acquisition unit acquires, as the setting value, information indicating the shape of the metal material, information indicating the type of the metal material, and information indicating the size of the irregularities formed by the surface processing and the distribution state of the irregularities. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the calculation processing unit uses a reflection model assuming that a light source exists in the direction of the surface normal vector of the display unit to calculate at least one of the following on the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit, information indicating the shape, information indicating the type of metal material, and information indicating the size of the irregularities formed by the surface processing and the distribution state of the irregularities: the distribution state of shading on the surface portion of the metal material that has been surface processed, or the color in a specific color space.

5. The sensor unit acquires sensor information indicating the tilt state of the mobile terminal at first time intervals. The portable terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the calculation processing unit calculates the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material at each of the first time intervals or at each of the second time intervals which is longer than the first time interval, based on the acquired sensor information.

6. A portable terminal for displaying a metal material with a surface treatment or a molded product of the metal material with the surface treatment, A sensor unit that acquires sensor information indicating the tilt state of the mobile terminal, A setting value acquisition unit that acquires the set value for the surface processing conditions of the metal material, An output unit that outputs the sensor information acquired by the sensor unit and the setting value acquired by the setting value acquisition unit to an external information processing device that is connected to communicate with the sensor unit. A calculation result acquisition unit acquires from the information processing device the calculation result of the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material, which is calculated based on the sensor information and the set value output from the output unit. A display unit that displays image information corresponding to the calculation result of the aforementioned appearance, Equipped with, The aforementioned surface treatment includes a process that forms an oxide film on the surface of the metal material. The setting value acquisition unit is a portable terminal that acquires information indicating the type of metal material and information indicating the thickness of the oxide film as the setting values.

7. A display processing method for displaying image information corresponding to the appearance of a surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material on a mobile terminal, A sensor information acquisition step, in which the sensor unit of the mobile terminal acquires sensor information indicating the tilt state of the mobile terminal, A setting value acquisition step is to acquire a setting value for the surface processing conditions of the metal material via the aforementioned mobile terminal, A calculation processing step that calculates the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material based on the sensor information acquired in the sensor information acquisition step and the setting value acquired in the setting value acquisition step, The mobile terminal includes a display step of displaying image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance, It has, The aforementioned surface treatment includes a process that forms an oxide film on the surface of the metal material. The setting value acquisition step is a display processing method that acquires information indicating the type of metal material and information indicating the thickness of the oxide film as the setting values.

8. A system comprising a mobile terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and an information processing device that is communicatively connected to the mobile terminal, The aforementioned mobile terminal is A manufacturing instruction receiving unit that receives instructions for manufacturing a metal material with the surface treatment applied or a molded product of the metal material with the surface treatment applied, as displayed on the display unit, A setting value output unit outputs to the information processing device the setting value of the surface processing condition associated with the metal material that has undergone the surface processing or the molded product of the metal material that has undergone the surface processing, corresponding to the received manufacturing instruction. Furthermore, The aforementioned information processing device is A condition acquisition unit that acquires the surface processing conditions output from the mobile terminal, A process control unit manages the process of applying the surface treatment corresponding to the surface treatment conditions to the metal material corresponding to the manufacturing instruction, based on the surface treatment conditions, A system that includes these features.

9. A system comprising a mobile terminal as described in claim 6, and an information processing device that is communicatively connected to the mobile terminal, The aforementioned mobile terminal is A manufacturing instruction receiving unit that receives instructions for manufacturing a metal material with the surface treatment applied or a molded product of the metal material with the surface treatment applied, as displayed on the display unit, A setting value output unit outputs to the information processing device the setting value of the surface processing condition associated with the metal material that has undergone the surface processing or the molded product of the metal material that has undergone the surface processing, corresponding to the received manufacturing instruction. Furthermore, The aforementioned information processing device is A calculation processing unit that calculates the appearance of the surface-treated metal material or a molded product of the surface-treated metal material based on the sensor information and the setting value output from the mobile terminal, A condition acquisition unit that acquires the surface processing conditions output from the mobile terminal, A process control unit manages the process of applying the surface treatment corresponding to the surface treatment conditions to the metal material corresponding to the manufacturing instruction, based on the surface treatment conditions, A system that includes these features.

10. The aforementioned mobile terminal is A keyword acquisition unit that acquires keywords indicating the characteristics of the appearance of the metal material with the aforementioned surface treatment or a molded product of the metal material with the aforementioned surface treatment, A keyword output unit that outputs the acquired keyword to the information processing device, It further possesses, The aforementioned information processing device is A recommended processing condition extraction unit inputs the keywords output from the mobile terminal into a pre-trained machine learning model and extracts surface processing conditions that result in an appearance having the aforementioned characteristics as recommended processing conditions. A recommended processing condition output unit that outputs the extracted recommended processing conditions to the mobile terminal, Furthermore, The processing unit of the mobile terminal further calculates the appearance of the metal material or molded product of the metal material that has been surface-treated using the acquired recommended processing conditions. The system according to claim 8, wherein the display unit of the mobile terminal displays image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance based on the recommended processing conditions.

11. The aforementioned mobile terminal is Customer information acquisition unit that acquires customer information, A customer information output unit that outputs the acquired customer information to the information processing device, It further possesses, The aforementioned information processing device is A recommended processing condition extraction unit inputs the customer information output from the mobile terminal into a pre-trained machine learning model and extracts surface processing conditions that are the same as or similar to those previously ordered by the customer identified by the customer information, as recommended processing conditions. A recommended processing condition output unit that outputs the extracted recommended processing conditions to the mobile terminal, Furthermore, The processing unit of the mobile terminal further calculates the appearance of the metal material or molded product of the metal material that has been surface-treated using the acquired recommended processing conditions. The system according to claim 8, wherein the display unit of the mobile terminal displays image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance based on the recommended processing conditions.

12. The aforementioned mobile terminal is A keyword acquisition unit that acquires keywords indicating the characteristics of the appearance of the metal material with the aforementioned surface treatment or a molded product of the metal material with the aforementioned surface treatment, A keyword output unit that outputs the acquired keyword to the information processing device, It further possesses, The aforementioned information processing device is A recommended processing condition extraction unit inputs the keywords output from the mobile terminal into a pre-trained machine learning model and extracts surface processing conditions that result in an appearance having the aforementioned characteristics as recommended processing conditions. A recommended processing condition output unit that outputs the extracted recommended processing conditions to the mobile terminal, Furthermore, The calculation processing unit of the information processing device further calculates the appearance of the metal material or molded product of the metal material that has been surface-treated using the acquired recommended processing conditions. The system according to claim 9, wherein the display unit of the mobile terminal displays image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance based on the recommended processing conditions.

13. The aforementioned mobile terminal is Customer information acquisition unit that acquires customer information, A customer information output unit that outputs the acquired customer information to the information processing device, It further possesses, The aforementioned information processing device is A recommended processing condition extraction unit inputs the customer information output from the mobile terminal into a pre-trained machine learning model and extracts surface processing conditions that are the same as or similar to those previously ordered by the customer identified by the customer information, as recommended processing conditions. A recommended processing condition output unit that outputs the extracted recommended processing conditions to the mobile terminal, Furthermore, The calculation processing unit of the information processing device further calculates the appearance of the metal material or molded product of the metal material that has been surface-treated using the acquired recommended processing conditions. The system according to claim 9, wherein the display unit of the mobile terminal displays image information corresponding to the calculation result of the appearance based on the recommended processing conditions.

Images