US 8,537,156 B2Granted

Computer aided design method and system for modular layouts

AssigneeSquareclock

InventorEric Sellem

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Abstract

The invention relates to the design of layouts for a room in which a user wishes to position elements figuring in a collection of catalogs. Prior art systems only allow incremental construction by making direct selections from one or more catalogs. The inventive system and procedure allow rapid, overall construction of several solutions satisfying a certain number of constraints determined by the room, the user or the distributor of the equipment to be positioned, as well as rules derived from experience in the field of the equipment concerned. The method is subdivided into the steps of spatial analysis, definition of layout templates, selection of candidates from the collection of catalogs and optimization of the positioning. The system permits simultaneous visualization in three dimensions of optimum solutions and the printing of two-dimensional assembly drawings. The procedure and the system are preferably applicable to kitchen layouts.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method for generating, by means of a computer, at least a solution for positioning in a room a set of household elements chosen from a collection of catalogs comprising at least one catalog, said method comprising at least a first computer-implemented room spatial analysis step permitting automatic identification of first volumes available for automatically positioning said household elements, a second computer-implemented step of automatically generating at least one positioning solution by identifying from the collection of catalogs household elements compatible with the identified first volumes resulting from the first step which satisfy a set of computer-generated predetermined selection positioning constraints comprising at least one constraint, and a third step for the positioning of at least a part of the identified household elements resulting from the second step in at least a part of the first volumes according to a set of positioning rules comprising at least one rule, wherein said first step comprises at least a first sub-step for automatically detecting second volumes unavailable for positioning any household element, a second sub-step for calculating volumes available for positioning said household elements and a third sub-step for searching for a set of configurations of available sub-volumes comprising at least one available sub-volume;

wherein the third step comprises at least a first sub-step for positioning a first subset of household elements identified from the output of the second step which have been declared obligatory and a second sub-step for positioning a second subset of household elements identified under a constraint of a set of optimization criteria comprising at least one criterion;
wherein the first sub-step for positioning the household elements of the first subset comprises at least a process of identifying straight sections of the room, a process of localizing the household elements of said first subset relative to characteristic points of the room and a process for addition of the positioning constraints chosen from a group of positioning constraints comprising at least minimum distances between household elements declared mandatory, target distances between said household elements and positioning constraints with a clearance, and
wherein the second sub-step for positioning the household elements of the second subset comprises at least, for each of the straight sections of the room identified at the output of the process for identifying the straight sections of the room of the first sub-step for the positioning of the household elements of the first subset, a process for the formation of groups of candidate household elements satisfying at least one constraint function for the filling of the corresponding straight section of the room, and a process for the selection of the best group of candidate household elements by application of a particle swarm optimization algorithm.

A computer system for generating at least one solution for positioning in a room a set of household elements chosen from a collection of catalogs comprising at least one catalog, said computer system comprising at least a first room spatial analysis module for automatically identifying first volumes available for automatically positioning said household elements, a second module for automatically generating at least one positioning solution of said household elements by identifying from the collection of catalogs household elements compatible with the first volumes which satisfy a set of predefined selection positioning constraints comprising at least one constraint, and a third module for the positioning of at least a part of the identified household elements resulting from the second module in part of the first volumes according to a set of positioning rules comprising at least one rule, wherein the first spatial analysis module is configured to execute a function for the detection of second volumes that are unavailable for positioning any household element, a function for the calculation of volumes available for positioning said household elements, and a function for searching for a set of configurations of available sub-volumes comprising at least one available sub-volume;

wherein the third module comprises at least a first sub-module for positioning a first subset of household elements identified from the output of the second module which have been declared obligatory and a second sub-module for positioning a second subset of household elements identified under a constraint of a set of optimization criteria comprising at least one criterion;
wherein the first sub-module for positioning the household elements of the first subset is configured to identify straight sections of the room, a process of localizing the household elements of said first subset relative to characteristic points of the room and a process for addition of the positioning constraints chosen from a group of positioning constraints comprising at least minimum distances between household elements declared mandatory, target distances between said household elements and positioning constraints with a clearance, and
wherein the second sub-module for positioning the household elements of the second subset is configured to, at least, for each of the straight sections of the room identified at the output of the process for identifying the straight sections of the room of the first sub-module for the positioning of the household elements of the first subset, form groups of candidate household elements satisfying at least one constraint function for the filling of the corresponding straight sections of the room, and select the best group of candidate household elements by application of a particle swarm optimization algorithm.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/748,988Filed 29 Mar 2010
Priority: FR 09 0150627 Mar 2009
Published: US 2010/0245351 A130 Sep 2010
Granted: 17 Sep 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G06T 17/00
Three-dimensional [3d] modelling for computer graphics
G06F 30/13
Geometric CAD: architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes,…
G06Q 30/0601
Buying, selling or leasing transactions: electronic shopping [e-shopping]
G06F 2111/20
Details relating to CAD techniques: configuration CAD, e.g. designing by assembling or positioning modules selected from libraries of predesigned…