DE202024102908U1 - An information processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

An information processing device usable for project planning and design of an environment and comprising:
a 3D scanner;
a 3D image and animation processing module; and
a storage module comprising a database;
wherein, for project planning and design, the environment containing equipment/facilities is scanned by means of the 3D scanner to obtain digital spatial information about and images of the environment, wherein the digital spatial information and images are transferred to the 3D image and animation processing module and/or temporarily stored/permanently stored in the storage module having a database.

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus usable for project planning and design of an environment.

State of the art

In order to obtain the necessary information about the existing construction environment in the actual project planning and design, spatial distances and local images are usually determined using tools such as rulers, measuring devices, photographs, etc. The subsequent project planning and design cannot provide accurate planning results because it is based only on a small amount of data with low accuracy.

The steps of project planning and design are to first understand the requirements of the client, and then carry out planning, modifications, detailed planning and completion. Each step requires spatial information about the environment. In the past, it took a lot of working time to obtain sufficient spatial information. The accuracy of the information is low. Even if a single distance can be accurately measured, it is difficult to obtain information such as relative position, angle and arc in space. Considering these limitations, project planning and design usually spends too much time obtaining data on site and confirming accuracy, which affects the quality and efficiency of planning.

The previous method of representation using 2D drawings makes it difficult for the client, the building contractor and the inspection body to understand them simultaneously. The reason for this is that a 2D drawing lacks the usual 3D proportions and requires imagination to compensate for the unfamiliar proportions, which can lead to misinterpretation by all parties involved and thus increases communication costs.

Even if 3D drawings are used for project planning and design, errors can easily occur during the construction phase and costs can increase if complete and accurate scanning information is not used.

When presenting a project planning and design by combining only 3D drawings with existing spatial information, there are still many blind spots where the planning details cannot be clearly explained unless there are enough 3D drawings to explain all the planning details. However, this takes more time and causes higher costs.

The Taiwanese publication No. M 595267 "Project planning management system" discloses a project planning management system comprising a database, a demand receiving module, a project planning module, a request management module, a budget request module, a procurement and outsourcing module, and a project progress management module. Various project-related information and drawings are stored in the database. The demand receiving module is for receiving the first demand information sent from the demand unit. A signal connection exists between the project planning module and the demand receiving module. The project planning module creates a project list required for the construction process based on the first demand information, the project list comprising at least one project name and project data corresponding to the at least one project name.

The Taiwanese publication No. 1480711 discloses an “Automatic guidance method for construction projects and their system structures” in which an automatic guidance service system for construction projects is established by means of a network access device, wherein the 3D image simulations for the technical drawings of a project design are combined with virtual implementation in the physical space, and services such as project preview, progress review, and construction consultation can be provided by comparing and analyzing the physical images before and after construction with the simulated images. In addition, the materials to be used in construction execution can be simulated and analyzed to determine the accurate demand for materials required for construction execution and enable direct preparation of the materials in construction execution. In this way, a special material supply mode can be established, which saves a lot of construction materials. Through the material warehouse, the materials are assembled in advance according to the construction task and construction progress to ensure rapid operation, improve the efficiency of construction execution, and reduce construction losses. In this way, a time- and labor-saving cloud management and control service system is provided.

The Taiwanese publication No. M 448753 reveals a “structure for the rapid construction of approximate building models of a three dimensional digital city", which includes a processing unit, an operation unit connected to the processing unit, a building image data unit connected to the processing unit, and a storage unit connected to the processing unit. Through the cooperation of the processing unit, the operation unit, and the building image data unit, precise texture mapping of building roofs and building walls is enabled for a large number of building model images, thereby achieving better building model quality, saving time for building model production, and saving construction costs.

The Taiwanese publication No. 1302675 discloses a "manufacturing method, display system, and recording medium for real-time virtual reality flow field images," the manufacturing method being carried out via a computer having a three-dimensional scene model file and a display system. The method includes: (A) reading the flow field data containing flow field coordinates and corresponding intensity and scalar values at each time point; (B) importing the flow field data and the three-dimensional scene model file into the display system; (C) positioning based on the coordinates of the three-dimensional scene model file and the flow field data and creating a virtual flow field image in the three-dimensional scene model; (D) displaying the three-dimensional scene model and the virtual flow field image together and providing the functions such as zooming and rotating and entering the three-dimensional scene model for observation and experience.

The Taiwanese publication No. 201124870 discloses an "Online Graphical Engineering Planning System and Method" in which a scene module is provided for displaying a theme image, wherein at least one component is selected from a data module for components, then the component is moved to the theme image by means of a drag-and-drop module, wherein the component is edited by an editing module. After the editing is completed, the theme image displayed by the scene module and the component located on the theme image can be stored in a virtual theme image. In this way, in this project planning system, the threshold for users to participate in project planning can be lowered by means of a graphical user interface.

In summary, the waste of time and money caused by the acquisition of environmental information is a problem that needs to be solved.

Object of the invention

It is the main object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus by which the environmental information of an environment for project planning and design can be obtained.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus by which, after obtaining the information on the existing construction environment, all necessary spatial distances and images can be obtained without resorting to human memory and without supplementing with tools such as rulers, measuring instruments, photographs, etc., whereby precise planning results can be provided in the subsequent project planning and design based on a large amount of high-precision data.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus by which, at each step of a project planning and design, the client, the contractor and the inspection body have the same knowledge and understanding regarding the project planning and design, so that no misinterpretation occurs on the part of any of the parties, thus reducing communication costs.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus by which the 3D images and animations used for project planning and design can be combined with the scanned spatial information so that fewer errors occur.

To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides an information processing apparatus comprising a 3D scanner (spatial scanning equipment, SSE), a 3D image and animation processing module (3D image and animation design, 3DAD), and a storage module having a database.

The 3D scanner can scan an environment containing equipment/facilities for project planning and design and for obtaining the environment information to obtain digital spatial information about and images of the environment, wherein the digital spatial information and images are point cloud data obtained by means of the 3D scanner, wherein the required 3D point cloud model can be obtained, whereby the point cloud data and/or the information about the 3D point cloud model can be transferred to the 3D image and animation processing module and/or temporarily stored/permanently stored in the storage module having a database, so that the 3D image and animation processing module can subsequently use the digital information and images of this point cloud data for project planning and design of the environment.

The 3D scanner is used to measure and digitize the indoor and outdoor environment to obtain information for analysis, collaboration and making the best decisions. The 3D scanner not only speeds up measurements but also enables on-site compensation to ensure high-quality measurements. The expansion range for external accessories and HDR functions make the 3D scanner extremely flexible. Combined with advanced sensor technology, it ensures the highest accuracy and the longest measurement distance. The detail scanning function allows multiple areas to be identified and re-scanned at higher resolution to obtain several more accurate details of a construction environment/work site. The compensation can be checked and adjusted immediately before scanning, ensuring high-quality scan data and traceable data. In addition, during data collection on-site, the scan data can be immediately transmitted wirelessly for real-time processing and stitching.

Project planning and design uses accurate spatial environment information acquired by the 3D scanner and 3D images and animations so that the information on the 3D images and animations of the equipment/facilities can be combined with the scanned spatial information to generate more than one solution. In this way, project planning and design results can be clearly displayed in the construction environment and checked whether they meet the needs and impact existing facilities and made available to the contractor. In this case, the information on the 3D images and animations of the equipment/facilities and/or the generated solutions can be temporarily stored/permanently stored in the storage module having a database.

Since there is more than one solution, the owner, the contractor and the inspection body are provided with more choice and flexibility when implementing a solution achieved by MPU (Multiple Parties can clearly Understand) to provide multiple parties with a clear understanding of the results of project planning and design at the same time, reduce misunderstandings between multiple parties and communication costs, improve project quality and accelerate project progress.

The database-containing storage module can temporarily store/permanently store point cloud data and/or 3D point cloud models and/or transfer them to the 3D image and animation processing module and/or temporarily store/permanently store the information about the 3D images and animations of the equipment/facilities to be built and/or one or more generated solutions.

The 3D images and animations are used for planning. Since the project planning and design of the equipment/facilities requires accurate spatial information of an environment, 3D images and animations are used, which allows the 3D images and animations to be combined with the spatial information obtained by scanning, and thus clear results of the project planning and design can be presented in the construction environment. With these clear results, it is possible to check whether the requirements are met and whether existing facilities are affected. The results are provided to the contractor.

Since the 3D images and animations of the equipment/facilities can be combined with the spatial information obtained by scanning, more than one solution can be provided for project planning and design when the final decision is made through multi-party understanding. Project planning and design usually requires changes and decisions through multi-party understanding between the owner, the contractor and the inspection body.

In order to better understand the objects, features and advantages of the present invention, specific embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that the present invention can be easily implemented by a person skilled in the art as described.

Short description of the drawings

• 1 shows a schematic view of the structure and operation of the information processing apparatus according to the invention;
• 2 shows a schematic view of the operation according to an embodiment game of the information processing device according to the invention;
• 3 shows a schematic view according to the 2 embodiment shown, in which an environment is scanned for digitization;
• 4 shows a schematic view according to the 2 and 3 shown embodiment, in which the method of 3D images and animations is used for project planning and design;

Detailed description of the implementation examples

The present invention will now be explained using embodiments. The implementation of the present invention is not intended to be limited to a specific environment, application or method by the embodiments. The description of the embodiments therefore serves only to illustrate the technical content of the present invention, but not to limit the present invention. It should be noted that in the following embodiments and drawings, components that are not directly related to the present invention have been omitted and are therefore not shown. For better understanding, the size relationships between the components are not shown according to the actual proportions.

1 shows a schematic view of the structure and functioning of the information processing device according to the invention. The information processing device (1) comprises a 3D scanner (2), a 3D image and animation processing module (3) and a storage module (4) having a database.

The 3D scanner (2) can scan an environment containing equipment/facilities for project planning and design and for obtaining the environment information to obtain the digital spatial information and images of the environment for project planning and design of the equipment/facilities, wherein the digital spatial information and images are point cloud data obtained by means of the 3D scanner, whereby the required 3D point cloud model can be obtained, wherein the point cloud data and/or the 3D point cloud model can be transmitted to the 3D image and animation processing module (3) and/or temporarily stored/permanently stored in the database-containing storage module (4) so that the 3D image and animation processing module can subsequently use the digital information and images of this point cloud data for project planning and design of the environment.

The 3D image and animation processing module (3) can create designs using 3D images and animations.

The database storage module (4) can temporarily/permanently store point cloud data and/or 3D point cloud models and/or the information about the 3D images and animations of the equipment/facilities and/or one or more generated solutions.

In the present invention, at least one of the following factors must be taken into account for the information processing device (1): general description, structure type, site location, support condition, computer program, design criteria, design code & standards, materials, design load, design seismic load, design wind load, loading condition, loading description, loading case definition, load combination, analysis model and design results. During construction, the interrelated factors taken into account are adapted/changed accordingly for different solutions.

The information processing device (1), the 3D scanner (2), the 3D image and animation processing module (3) and the database storage module (4) of the present invention are either hardwares or firmwares.

Here, the information processing device (1), the 3D scanner (2), the 3D image and animation processing module (3) and the database storage module (4) are all located in an electronic device (e.g. server, personal computer, smartphone, tablet computer or other portable electronic device, not shown) and can cooperate with the processor of the electronic device.

2 shows a schematic view of the operation according to an embodiment of the information processing device according to the invention; and 3 shows a schematic view according to the 2 shown embodiment, in which an environment is scanned for digitization. As in 3 shown, the information processing device (1) comprises a 3D scanner (2), a 3D image and animation processor processing module (3) and a storage module (4) having a database.

The 3D scanner (2) can scan an environment (11) containing equipment/facilities (12), (13), (14) to obtain the environmental information in order to obtain digital spatial information about and images of the environment and the equipment/facilities, wherein the digital spatial information and images are point cloud data obtained by means of the 3D scanner, whereby the required 3D point cloud model can be obtained, whereby the information (21) about the point cloud data and/or about the 3D point cloud model can be transmitted to the 3D image and animation processing module (3) and/or temporarily stored/permanently stored in the storage module (4) having a database, so that the 3D image and animation processing module (3) can subsequently use the information (21) and the digital spatial information and images of this point cloud data and/or the 3D point cloud model for project planning and design of the environment.

The 3D scanner (2) can be a laser scanner and can be used for project planning and design in the indoor/outdoor environment (11) of a work site to digitize the environment containing equipment/facilities (12), (13), (14) for project planning and design and obtain information for analysis, collaboration and making the best decisions. The 3D scanner not only speeds up measurements but also enables on-site compensation to ensure high quality measurements. The expansion range for external accessories and HDR functions make the 3D scanner extremely flexible. Combined with advanced sensor technology, it ensures the highest accuracy and the longest measurement distance. The detail scanning function allows multiple areas to be identified and re-scanned at a higher resolution to obtain several more precise details of a construction environment/work site. The compensation can be checked and adjusted immediately before scanning, ensuring high quality scan data and traceable data. Furthermore, the information (21) about the scan data can be immediately transmitted wirelessly during data collection on site and/or temporarily stored/permanently stored in the storage module (4) having a database for real-time processing and merging.

Here, for the project planning and design of the equipment/facilities (31), information (21) is obtained by means of the 3D scanner (2) and the 3D images and animations are used, whereby the information (32) on the 3D images and animations of the equipment/facilities (31) can be combined with the information (21) to generate more than one solution. In this way, clear results of the project planning and design can be presented in the construction environment. With these clear results, it can be checked whether the requirements are met and whether existing facilities are affected. The results are made available to the building contractor. Here, the information (21) on the 3D images and animations of the equipment/facilities and/or the one or more generated solutions can be temporarily stored/permanently stored in the storage module (4) containing the database.

Since the information (32) about the 3D images and animations of the equipment/facilities can be combined with the spatial information (21) obtained by scanning, more than one solution can be generated for multiple parties when performing a solution achieved through multi-party understanding, so that more choice and flexibility are provided to the client, the contractor and the inspection body when performing a solution achieved through multi-party understanding, so as to provide multiple parties, namely the client, the contractor and the inspection body, with a clear understanding of the results of project planning and design at the same time, reduce misunderstandings between multiple parties and communication costs, improve project quality and accelerate project progress.

The database storage module (4) can temporarily store/permanently store: information (21) about point cloud data and/or about a 3D point cloud model and/or information (32) about the 3D images and animations of the equipment/facilities and/or one or more generated solutions.

In the present embodiment, the solution for project planning and design may include a first and a second solution so that the client, the contractor and the inspection body can jointly understand them, make changes and make decisions whether to adopt the first or the second solution.

4 shows a schematic view according to the 2 and 3 shown embodiment, in which the method of 3D images and animations (3DAD) is used for project planning and design.

The foregoing description represents only preferred embodiments of the invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention.

List of reference symbols

(1)

Information processing device

(2)

3D scanner

(3)

3D image and animation processing module

(4)

Database storage module

(11)

Vicinity

(12)

Equipment/Facilities

(13)

Equipment/Facilities

(14)

Equipment/Facilities

(21)

information

(31)

Equipment/Facilities

(32)

information

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• TW595267 [0007]
• TW1480711 [0008]
• TW448753 [0009]
• TW1302675 [0010]
• TW201124870 [0011]

Claims (5)

An information processing device usable for project planning and design of an environment, comprising: a 3D scanner; a 3D image and animation processing module; and a storage module having a database; wherein for project planning and design, the environment containing equipment/facilities is scanned by means of the 3D scanner to obtain digital spatial information about and images of the environment, wherein the digital spatial information and images are transmitted to the 3D image and animation processing module and/or temporarily stored/permanently stored in the storage module having a database. Information processing device according to Claim 1 , in which the 3D image and animation processing module uses the digital spatial information and images and the 3D image and animation (3DAD) method for the project planning and design of the equipment/facilities to be built. Information processing device according to Claim 1 , in which the 3D scanner, the 3D image and animation processing module and the database storage module work together to perform a Multiple Parties can clearly Understand (MPU) solution to provide more than one solution for the project planning and design of an environment containing equipment/facilities. Information processing device according to Claim 1 , where the 3D image and animation processing module and the database storage module are either hardware or firmware. Information processing device according to Claim 1 in which the 3D image and animation processing module and the database storage module are located in one electronic device.

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