JP2010044738A - Illumination simulator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an illumination simulator for automatically evaluating views from various positions of points of view for a three-dimensional space. <P>SOLUTION: A virtual space equivalent to an actual space is generated by a computer for the three-dimensional illumination space, thereby evaluating an illumination environment in the virtual space. An input part 11 inputs information for prescribing the virtual space, information for designating the position of the point of view, a method for designating a comparison area of interest, and an illuminance condition related to an illuminance value. A calculating part 10 divides the virtual space into small areas and calculates the illuminance values for each small area. A comparison determining part 13 determines the comparison areas, on the basis of the position of the point of view and the comparison area designating method which are designated by the input part 11, and then determines whether or not the illuminance values of the small areas corresponding to the comparison areas satisfy the illuminance condition. A presenting part 12 includes a screen so as to display the small areas satisfying the illuminance condition and the small areas not satisfying the illuminance condition in a distinguishable manner on the basis of the determination result by the comparison determining part 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an illumination simulator used in an illumination plan using computer graphics.

  In recent years, there are many cases of providing a plurality of lighting environments suitable for space applications and performing various lighting effects. In this type of illumination, a plurality of lighting fixtures that perform direct illumination and indirect illumination are used in combination. Further, as the lighting fixture, not only a lighting fixture attached to a building structure but also an architectural lighting in which the lighting fixture is embedded in a part of the building structure and the lighting is integrated with the building is used.

  Therefore, in order to achieve the desired lighting environment and lighting effects, it is necessary to combine parameters such as position, light quantity, light distribution, etc. for multiple lighting fixtures in a complicated manner. It is difficult to do. In making this kind of lighting plan, there is a case where a model is created to check the lighting environment. However, it takes time to make the model and it may be difficult to evaluate the model.

  On the other hand, as the processing capability of personal computers has improved, it has become possible to easily create 3D images by computer graphics. As a technique that can be used for lighting design, it is considered that a lighting environment is simulated using computer graphics, and a lighting plan is made with reference to a simulation result.

  For example, the illuminance of each unit surface obtained by dividing the illumination space into small area units is calculated, and the illumination state (light flow, etc.) at the three-dimensional lattice points set in the illumination space is calculated based on the illuminance of the unit surface. A technique for displaying an illumination state at a grid point, an illuminance distribution in an arbitrary cross section of an illumination space, an isosurface of the illuminance distribution, an illuminance distribution on the surface of an object, and the like is considered (see Patent Document 1).

  Moreover, in order to simulate the lighting effect in a building, in the perspective view of a three-dimensional model of a building, it is considered to change the light intensity and color of a lighting fixture installed on a ceiling (Patent Literature). 2). Patent Document 2 also describes a walk-through technique in which a viewpoint is freely set and the viewpoint is continuously changed to confirm as if walking in a building.

  Furthermore, in order to evaluate discomfort glare in the light environment, there is also a technology that sets a viewpoint on a brightness image and evaluates discomfort glare at the viewpoint based on the contribution of brightness from pixels around the viewpoint to the viewpoint. (See Patent Document 3).

JP 7-36360 A JP 11-338906 A JP 2007-292665 A

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the illumination state at the three-dimensional lattice point set in the illumination space is calculated based on the illuminance of the unit surface obtained by dividing the illumination space, the illuminance is calculated for the entire illumination space. It is possible to obtain an illuminance distribution in a three-dimensional space.

  However, since the illuminance distribution in the illumination space obtained from Patent Document 1 does not include information on how the person in the illumination space looks from the viewpoint, the human space is equivalent to the virtual illumination space in which the simulation is performed. There is a problem that it is impossible to evaluate the impression of the image from the simulation result.

  In addition, in Patent Document 2, there is a description that the simulation is performed on the lighting effect of the luminaire, but there is no description of how to specifically evaluate the simulation result, and there is a description about the walkthrough. However, there is no particular description as to how the lighting effect is related to the walkthrough.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-26883 describes an evaluation from the position of the viewpoint regarding unpleasant glare, and describes that a glare evaluation image is generated based on an evaluation value when the viewpoint position is moved. The technology to be evaluated is not described.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned reasons, and an object thereof is to provide an illumination simulator capable of automatically evaluating how the illuminance distribution in a three-dimensional space is viewed from various viewpoint positions. There is.

  The invention of claim 1 is a lighting simulator for generating a virtual space equivalent to a real space for a three-dimensional lighting space by a computer and evaluating a lighting environment in the virtual space, and for defining the virtual space An input unit for inputting information and information for designating a viewpoint position, a method for specifying a target comparison area, and an illuminance condition relating to a desired illuminance value, and an input unit for dividing a surface existing in the virtual space into small regions A calculation unit that calculates the radiant energy of light for each small region using information that defines the virtual space input from, and a comparison region is determined by a viewpoint position and a comparison region specification method specified from the input unit, Comparison of determining whether or not the illuminance value satisfies the illuminance condition by calculating the incident energy of light from the small area corresponding to the comparison area to the light observation surface defined at the viewpoint position as the illuminance value. And tough, and a presenting unit for presenting the result of determination by the comparative determination unit.

  The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the illuminance condition is at least one of an upper limit value and a lower limit value.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, a storage unit is provided that stores at least one of information defining the virtual space, the illuminance condition, the illuminance value, and the determination result. And

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, the input unit has a height position as the viewpoint position in addition to a position in a plane along the floor surface in the virtual space. It can be specified.

  In the invention of claim 5, in the invention of claim 4, the input unit can simultaneously specify a plurality of height positions as the viewpoint position, and the comparison determination unit has an illuminance value for each height position. It is characterized by determining whether or not the above is satisfied.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the input unit can set a moving speed of the viewpoint position.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the presenting unit has a screen that displays the determination result by the determination comparison unit together with the virtual space, and a small size corresponding to the comparison region. A determination result of whether or not the illuminance value of the area satisfies the illuminance condition is distinguished and displayed.

  In the invention of claim 8, in any one of the inventions of claims 1 to 7, the input unit can designate a plurality of the comparison regions, the comparison determination unit determines an illuminance difference of each comparison region, A presentation part presents the determination result regarding an illumination intensity difference with the determination result regarding illumination intensity conditions, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the input unit can input a plurality of spatial regions and attribute names of the spatial regions as information for defining the virtual space. The comparison determination unit compares the attribute name of the spatial region input from the input unit with a condition table in which the attribute name of each spatial region and the illuminance condition are associated in advance. The illumination condition is automatically set from the attribute name of the spatial region to which it belongs.

  The invention of claim 10 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 9, when there is an overlapping part in the space area, the attribute name of the space area that overlaps the center point of the comparison area of interest is adopted. .

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the first to tenth aspects of the present invention, the input unit can input a plurality of types and shapes of spatial areas as information for defining the virtual space, and the viewpoint position. It is possible to input the order of moving the spatial region as information for designating the information, and use a rule defined in advance for the type and shape of the spatial region input from the input unit and the order of moving the spatial region. Thus, a route setting unit for automatically generating a moving route of the viewpoint position is added.

  According to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, the virtual space equivalent to the real space in the illumination space is divided into small regions, the comparison region is defined in the virtual space, and the small region when the comparison region is viewed from the viewpoint position Since it is determined whether the illuminance value satisfies the illuminance condition, it is automatically evaluated whether the lighting environment satisfies the illuminance condition, taking into account changes in the viewpoint position due to human behavior Can do. That is, it is possible to easily evaluate whether or not the lighting environment is suitable for the application and whether or not the lighting environment is comfortable.

  According to the configuration of the invention of claim 2, since at least one of the upper limit value and the lower limit value is defined as the illuminance condition, whether or not the illuminance value that should be satisfied according to the intended use is satisfied. Can be easily determined.

  According to the configuration of the invention of claim 3, by storing necessary information, it becomes possible to support various lighting designs by accumulating information.

  According to the configuration of the invention of claim 4, since the height of the viewpoint position can be set, for example, when the height is different, such as an adult and a child, or the posture is like standing or sitting It is possible to determine whether or not the illuminance value of the comparison area defined for the viewpoint position satisfies the illuminance condition.

  According to the configuration of the fifth aspect of the invention, it is possible to simultaneously determine whether or not the illuminance condition is satisfied for the heights of a plurality of viewpoints. Therefore, it is necessary to satisfy the illuminance conditions regardless of the height position of the viewpoint. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of work of an operator in lighting design for a simple lighting space.

  According to the configuration of the sixth aspect of the invention, since the moving speed of the viewpoint position can be set, it is possible to evaluate the lighting environment reflecting the difference in walking speed between the elderly and the general adult.

  According to the configuration of the invention of claim 7, since the determination result is displayed together with the virtual space on the screen of the presentation unit, and whether or not the illuminance condition is satisfied is displayed, it is displayed when viewed from the viewpoint position. Information indicating whether or not the illumination environment in the comparison area satisfies the illuminance condition, and a location that does not satisfy the illuminance condition can be clearly shown. Therefore, lighting design can be supported.

  According to the configuration of the invention of claim 8, since the illuminance difference can be evaluated for a plurality of comparison regions, an illumination design that avoids an illuminance difference that temporarily causes a reduction in visual acuity due to a delay in adaptation of the eyes. Can help.

  According to the configuration of the ninth aspect of the invention, it is possible to define a plurality of spatial regions, and if the attribute name of each spatial region is input, the illuminance condition is automatically set for each spatial region. Thus, even when it is necessary to determine whether or not the lighting conditions are satisfied for a plurality of spatial regions in the lighting design, the work burden on the operator can be reduced.

  According to the configuration of the tenth aspect of the present invention, even when the spatial regions for determining whether or not the illumination condition is satisfied are overlapped, the determination can be performed using the appropriate illumination condition.

  According to the configuration of the invention of claim 11, since the movement route is automatically generated only by specifying the order of the spatial regions included in the movement route of the viewpoint position, in order to create a flow line for moving the viewpoint position The work amount of the operator can be reduced.

It is a block diagram which shows embodiment. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing same as the above. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing same as the above. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram of a main part in the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of 1 setting of the comparison area | region in the same as the above. It is a figure which shows the other setting example of the comparison area | region in the same as the above. It is a figure which shows the further another example of a setting of the comparison area | region in the same as the above. It is a figure which shows another example of a setting of the comparison area | region in the same as the above. It is a figure which shows another example of a setting of the comparison area | region in the same as the above. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the comparison area | region and small area | region in the same as the above. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the comparison area | region and small area | region in the same as the above. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the principal part in the same as the above. 10 is a diagram illustrating an operation example of Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a viewpoint height and a comparison area in the fifth embodiment. It is a figure which shows the operation example same as the above. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a setting example of a comparison area in the sixth embodiment. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram of the seventh embodiment. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing same as the above. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an operation example of the eighth embodiment. It is a figure which shows the operation example same as the above. It is a figure which shows the operation example same as the above. It is a figure which shows the operation example same as the above. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the process sequence same as the above. It is a figure which shows the operation example same as the above.

(Embodiment 1)
In the present embodiment, a virtual space equivalent to a real space is generated on a computer for an illumination space of interest such as a room, and an illumination environment is evaluated in the virtual space. Here, the illumination space means a three-dimensional space that is the entire space in which an illumination environment is constructed and includes a lighting fixture.

  Therefore, in the virtual space corresponding to the lighting space which is the real space, not only lighting fixtures can be placed, but also various obstacles that affect the illuminance when viewed from the viewpoint position set in the virtual space ( Furniture and furnishings). Hereinafter, a virtual space corresponding to an illumination space that is a real space will be described as an illumination space.

  A configuration common to the embodiments is shown in FIG. The lighting simulator shown in FIG. 1 is realized by executing a program on a computer, and includes an input unit 11 including an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a digitizer, and a monitor device using a CRT or a liquid crystal display. And a presentation unit 12 that can present an image like a projector. The presentation unit 12 may be a stereoscopic video display device capable of stereoscopic viewing.

  The input unit 11 can input information for defining the illumination space, information for designating the viewpoint position, and the like as parameters. It is not always necessary to operate the input unit 11 to create the illumination space, and the illumination space data may be created in advance using a three-dimensional CAD (Computer Aided Design) or the like. Data defining the illumination space is stored in the storage unit 14. In the input unit 11, it is possible to specify, as parameters, the position and orientation of individual objects (lighting fixtures, furniture, and furniture) existing in the created illumination space, the three-dimensional position of the viewpoint, and the direction of the line of sight. . This process is known as modeling in the field of three-dimensional computer graphics.

  During the simulation of one lighting space, the data defining the lighting space is not changed in principle, but specific parameters such as the color and reflectivity of the boundary surface, the arrangement of objects, the specifications and arrangement of lighting fixtures, etc. Can be changed independently without changing the entire lighting space. As the lighting fixture, a lighting fixture including various light sources such as a point light source, a spot light source, a line light source, and a surface light source can be used, and the three-dimensional position, posture, and light distribution characteristics of the lighting fixture are set in the lighting space. . The light distribution characteristic represents the relationship between the intensity and direction of light energy radiated from the luminaire by numerical data.

  The lighting simulator is provided with a calculation unit 10 that calculates illuminance with respect to a set lighting space. In calculating the illuminance, the surface of the object existing in the illumination space stored in the storage unit 14 is divided into a number of small areas, and an illuminance value calculation point that is a representative point is defined for each small area. The illuminance at the value calculation point is obtained as the illuminance representing the small area. The small area is set in a form to be pasted on the object surface. The illuminance value at the illuminance value calculation point is obtained from all the light that reaches the illuminance value calculation point from around the illuminance value calculation point (representative point of the small area).

  That is, the calculation unit 10 first divides a surface (ceiling surface, wall surface, floor surface, object surface, etc.) constituting the illumination space into a number of small regions. A polygon such as a triangle or a quadrangle is used as the shape of each small region, and the area of each small region is appropriately set according to the position of the surface in the illumination space. For example, the area where the change for each part of the light energy incident from the luminaire is large is smaller than the part where the change for each part is small. Thus, by making the areas of the small regions different depending on the site, the light distribution (deviation) in each small region can be reduced.

  The size of the small area can be designated from the input unit 11. That is, it is possible to select appropriately according to the accuracy (resolution) for obtaining the illuminance with respect to the illumination space. For the calculation of illuminance, a technique known as radiosity in the field of three-dimensional computer graphics is used. As conditions given in the calculation of illuminance, parameters such as the type of lighting fixture, the intensity of light from the lighting fixture, reflection, and the number of reflections are considered. This type of parameter can be input from the input unit 11.

  Information on each small area is used for calculation in the calculation unit 10 together with information on the illumination space stored in the storage unit 14, and the radiant energy of light from each small area when each small area is regarded as a light source surface. Is calculated. In other words, by considering the light energy incident on each small region, the incident direction of light and the reflectance of the small region, and further considering the mutual reflection between the small regions, the radiation energy of light from each small region is reduced. Ask. The radiosity method is used for this calculation.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the case where the radiant energy (actually, the radiating surface density Bi) of the small area Ai is obtained will be described as an example with attention paid to the two small areas Ai and Aj. In order to calculate the mutual reflection of the focused small areas Ai and Aj, first, the form factor Fij shown in Equation 1 is defined. It is assumed that a coordinate system based on three-dimensional orthogonal coordinates is defined in the illumination space, and when a three-dimensional calculation is required, components defined in the coordinate system are used.

  The form factor Fij is a value corresponding to the average value of the arrival rate of light energy from the small area Aj to the small area Ai, and represents the relative positional relationship between the small areas Ai and Aj. That is, the small areas Ai and Aj are further divided into the minute areas dAi and dAj, and light directly reaches between the minute areas dAi and dAj of both the small areas Ai and Aj (that is, from the minute area dAi of the small area Ai). Information H (dAi, dAj) indicating whether or not the small area dAj of the small area Aj can be seen), a distance r between the small areas dAi and dAj, and a straight line connecting the small areas dAi and dAj of the small areas Ai and Aj The form factor Fij is obtained by using the angles φi and φj formed by the small regions dAi and dAj with respect to the normal directions ni and nj and the area Si of the small region Ai for obtaining the radiant energy. The information H (dAi, dAj) is 1 when the minute region dAj can be seen from the minute region minute region dAi, and is 0 when the minute region dAi cannot be seen (when the minute regions dAi and dAj are not facing each other).

  Using the form factor Fij obtained as described above, it is possible to define a radiosity equation with the radiation surface density Bk relating to each small region as an unknown. Here, ρk is the reflectance of the small region, and Ek is the self-irradiance of the small region.

  By solving the radiosity equation defined as Equation 2, the radiation surface density Bk of each small region can be calculated. Using the solution thus obtained (radiation surface density Bk), the radiosity equation is redefined to obtain a solution, and the solution converges (the difference between the obtained solutions is less than a specified value) or the number of times the solution is calculated is defined. Repeat the definition of the radiosity equation and the calculation to find the solution until the number is reached.

  The calculation unit 10 can obtain the radiant energy of light for each small region obtained by dividing the surface constituting the illumination space by performing the above-described calculation. That is, the small area is regarded as the light source surface, and the radiant energy of light for each light source surface is obtained. The radiant energy of the light thus obtained is associated with the brightness and applied to the illumination space, and is visualized and displayed together with the illumination space on the screen of the presentation unit 12.

  The light radiant energy of each small area obtained by the calculation unit 10 is stored in the storage unit 14 in association with the small area. Here, with regard to the radiant energy of light, attention may be paid only to luminance information, but color information is included in the data defining the illumination space, and color information is also included in the radiant energy of each small area. It is desirable to let When color information is included in the radiant energy of light in a small area, for example, as shown in Table 1, it is defined by the value of the ratio to the maximum luminance (maximum luminance is 1) for each of the red, green, and blue components. do it.

  After obtaining the radiant energy of each small area obtained by dividing the plane constituting the illumination space as described above and storing the obtained light radiant energy in the storage unit 14 in association with each small area, the illumination space The incident energy of light with respect to the light observation surface defined at an arbitrary position in can be obtained.

  In other words, assuming a virtual human body set as an observer in the illumination space, the incident energy of light from each small area to the virtual human eye is calculated as the incident energy to the light observation surface set at the virtual human body's viewpoint position To do. This calculation is performed in the comparison determination unit 13.

  Two light observation surfaces may be provided in association with the left and right eyes. The parameters that define the light observation surface include position, orientation, area, and shape, and the viewpoint is determined by these parameters. The parameters for determining the viewpoint can be appropriately set by using the input unit 11, but normally the standard area and shape are used for the area and shape, and the position of the viewpoint is changed by changing the position and orientation. The direction of the line of sight is adjusted.

  The comparison / determination unit 13 includes information on the position of the light observation surface in the illumination space, information on a region of interest in the illumination space (hereinafter referred to as “comparison region”), and a range of illuminance values that the comparison region should satisfy. A certain illuminance condition is given from the input unit 11. The comparison determination unit 13 obtains the incident energy of light on the light observation surface by using the illuminance value at the illuminance value calculation point included in the comparison area in the illumination space, and the incident energy is given by the illuminance condition given from the input unit 11. To determine whether or not the illuminance condition is satisfied.

  In the comparison / determination unit 13, by setting the light observation surface, the incident energy of light to the light observation surface for each small region is obtained using the radiant energy of light already obtained for the small regions constituting the illumination space. Can be calculated. In this calculation, a form factor with one of the two small regions Ai and Aj as the light observation surface in the calculation formula shown in Equation 1 is obtained, and light from the small region to the light observation surface is calculated using the form factor. Calculate the incident energy.

  For light that is directly incident on the light observation surface from a luminaire placed in the illumination space, the incident energy is calculated separately from the small area. In this calculation, the light distribution characteristic of the luminaire is usually taken into consideration, but the calculation may be performed assuming that light is emitted isotropically from the luminaire. The incident energy from the luminaire thus calculated to the light observation surface is added to the incident energy from the small area to the light observation surface.

  The reason why the incident energy of light from the luminaire (light source) to the light observation surface is calculated separately from the incident energy from the small area is when the luminaire is defined as having no area. This is because the incident energy of light directly incident on the light observation surface from the luminaire is not included in the radiant energy of light in each small region. In other words, when the luminaire cannot be handled as a small area, the incident energy of light directly incident on the light observation surface from the luminaire is not included in the account as incident energy from the small area. It is obtained separately and added. When the lighting fixture is also handled as one of the small areas, it is not necessary to separately calculate the incident energy of light directly incident on the light observation surface from the lighting fixture.

  By the above-described calculation, the incident energy of light from each small region with respect to the light observation surface can be obtained. That is, the energy of light incident on the light observation surface when a small region is expected from the light observation surface is obtained. Here, if there is no change in the illumination space, there is no change in the radiant energy of light from each small region stored in the storage unit 14 (that is, the light distribution in the illumination space) even if the light observation planes are different. . Therefore, the comparison / determination unit 13 may calculate the incident energy on the light observation surface using the radiant energy of each small region stored in the storage unit 14 even if the comparison region is changed.

  Now, assuming that the number of small regions is N and the number of light observation surfaces is 2, the amount of calculation is only proportional to N × 2. In other words, the calculation when calculating the incident energy of light from the small area (and lighting fixture) constituting the illumination space to the light observation surface is much more computationally intensive than the calculation for calculating the light energy distribution for the entire illumination space. Therefore, the processing load for calculating the incident energy on the light observation surface is relatively small compared to the change of the light observation surface, and the position of the light observation surface can be changed interactively without using a dedicated processor for image processing. It becomes possible to change continuously.

  The determination result by the comparison determination unit 13 is displayed on the screen of the presentation unit 12. A method of displaying the determination result on the presentation unit 12 will be described later.

  The lighting simulator is provided with a storage unit 14 configured using a hard disk device, a semiconductor memory, or the like. The storage unit 14 stores a program for realizing the above-described functions, calculates data for defining the illumination space, illuminance conditions input from the input unit 11, and calculation of each illuminance value obtained by calculation in the calculation unit 10. The illuminance value of the point, the position of the illuminance value calculation point included in the comparison area, the determination result in the comparison determination unit 13, and the like are stored.

  The illuminance condition, the comparison area, the illuminance value at each illuminance value calculation point obtained by the calculation unit 10 and the information on the determination result by the comparison determination unit 13 are temporary information until the determination result is obtained. Is treated as temporarily stored information in the storage unit 14. That is, the storage unit 14 includes a fixed storage unit 14a that stores information necessary for long-term storage, such as a program that determines the operation of the lighting simulator and data that defines the lighting space, and a temporary storage unit that stores temporary storage information. 14b. Temporary storage information is retained for the period of use, but is deleted when it is no longer needed.

  The fixed storage unit 14a may be a rewritable nonvolatile memory, and the temporary storage unit 14b may be a DRAM. Therefore, the storage unit 14 can be realized without using a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk device. Is possible. In particular, the temporary storage unit 14b can use an area allocated to the calculation unit 10 and the comparison determination unit 13 in the memory area.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the lighting simulator will be described. As described above, the information input from the input unit 11 includes information for defining the illumination space, information on the comparison area, illuminance conditions, information for specifying the viewpoint position, and the like. The information defining the illumination space includes information as a three-dimensional space of the illumination space of interest and information on the illumination environment including the specifications and arrangement of the lighting fixtures in the three-dimensional space.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the first work performed by the operator (operator) for the lighting simulator is to input information for constructing a three-dimensional space as a virtual space (S1), and the three-dimensional space. The information for constructing the lighting environment is input (S2). The information for constructing a three-dimensional space includes not only the shape and size of the three-dimensional space of interest, but also the shape, size, and arrangement of furniture and furniture arranged in the three-dimensional space. The technique for setting the illumination space is a well-known technique for modeling in the field of three-dimensional graphics using a computer and will not be described in detail here.

  When the information for constructing the three-dimensional space and the lighting environment is input, the lighting space is defined. Therefore, the calculation unit 10 represents each part (representing each small region) on the surface of the object existing in the lighting space. The illuminance value for each illuminance value calculation point) is calculated (S3). In calculating the illuminance value, the various parameters described above are required, and these parameters are also input from the input unit 11 before the illuminance value is calculated. The illuminance value at each illuminance value calculation point in the illumination space obtained by the calculation in the calculation unit 10 is stored in the temporary storage unit 14 b provided in the storage unit 14. Since the technique for calculating the illuminance is a technique known as radiosity in the field of three-dimensional graphics, it will not be described in detail here.

  By the way, the operator inputs information for defining the comparison area, information for defining the viewpoint position, and information on the illuminance condition to be satisfied in the comparison area from the input unit 11 (S4, S7). The viewpoint position is input using the viewpoint position setting unit 11 a of the input unit 11. When information defining the comparison area and the viewpoint position is input, the comparison area and the viewpoint position are calculated (S5).

  When the comparison region and the viewpoint position are calculated, the illuminance value of each small region set on the virtual plane corresponding to the boundary surface of the comparison region is obtained again (S6). The small area is set to have the same size as the small area set on the object surface and is pasted on the boundary surface of the comparison area in the same manner as the object surface. Further, the illuminance value of the small area in the comparison area is obtained by using the representative point of the small area as the illuminance value calculation point, similarly to the illuminance value of the object surface. At this time, the illuminance at the illuminance value calculation point existing far from the object as viewed from the viewpoint position Pv is not adopted. Further, as the illuminance value of the object surface, a value considering the reflectance of the object is used.

  In the illustrated example, the information for defining the comparison area and the viewpoint position and the illuminance condition information are described as steps S4 and S7. However, the comparison area and the viewpoint position can be set if a three-dimensional space is defined. Therefore, it may be performed after step S2. In addition, the illuminance condition can be input at any time before the determination for the illuminance condition is performed. The comparison area, the viewpoint position, and the illuminance condition are stored in a temporary storage unit 14 b provided in the storage unit 14.

  Next, the comparison determination unit 13 extracts illuminance value calculation points in a range selected by the viewpoint position and the comparison area from each illuminance value calculation point stored in the temporary storage unit 14b, and coordinates of the extracted illuminance value calculation points Is stored in the temporary storage unit 14 b provided in the storage unit 14. Further, the comparison determination unit 13 reads the illuminance value from the temporary storage unit 14b for the illuminance value calculation point corresponding to the comparison region, and compares the read illuminance value with the illuminance condition (S8).

  For the illuminance value calculation point that does not satisfy the illuminance condition, a flag that does not satisfy the condition is set (S9). The illuminance value calculation point for which the condition unsatisfied flag is set is stored in the temporary storage unit 14 b of the storage unit 14. The illuminance value stored in the temporary storage unit 14 b can be displayed on the screen of the presentation unit 12 as a three-dimensional graphic image, and the comparison result compared with the illuminance condition is also displayed on the presentation unit 12 in the comparison determination unit 13. (S10). When displaying on the screen of the presentation unit 12, the illuminance value calculation point set with the condition failure flag is displayed separately from the illuminance value calculation point satisfying the illuminance condition. The image data displayed on the screen of the presentation unit 12 is stored in the fixed storage unit 14 a of the storage unit 14.

  By the way, the presentation unit distinguishes between a small area represented by an illuminance value calculation point having an illuminance value that satisfies the illuminance condition and a small area represented by an illuminance value calculation point having an illuminance value that does not satisfy the illuminance condition. 12 screens can be displayed. That is, among the illuminance value calculation points compared with the illuminance condition, the illuminance value calculation point where the illuminance condition is not satisfied is set with a flag that does not satisfy the condition, and the presentation unit 12 sets the illuminance with the condition not satisfied flag set. The small area represented by the value calculation point is displayed on the screen in a form distinguishable from other small areas. This display makes it possible to easily recognize whether the illuminance condition is satisfied or not.

One of the following conditions (a) and (b) is used as the illuminance condition to be compared with the illuminance value at each illuminance value calculation point in the comparison determination unit 13. The illumination condition is set interactively by the lighting simulator operator using the input unit 11 and the presentation unit 12. In the following, the illuminance value at the illuminance value calculation point i representing the small area is represented as E (i), and [lx] is used as the unit of the illuminance value.
Condition (a): One of an upper limit value and a lower limit value is determined for the illuminance value. That is, any one of the following relationships is determined for the illuminance value Eo and the illuminance value E (i), which are the determination criteria.
(1) E (i)> Eo
(2) E (i) ≧ Eo
(3) E (i) <Eo
(4) E (i) ≦ Eo
(1) and (2) are conditions for defining the lower limit value, and (3) and (4) are conditions for defining the upper limit value. Although (1) and (2) differ with respect to the presence or absence of an equal sign, there is no substantial difference. Further, (3) and (4) also differ in the presence or absence of an equal sign, but there is no substantial difference.
Condition (b): Both an upper limit value and a lower limit value are determined for the illuminance value. That is, an upper limit Eu and a lower limit El are set, and any of the following relationships is determined.
(1) El ≦ E (i) ≦ Eu
(2) El <E (i) <Eu
Although (1) and (2) differ with respect to the presence or absence of an equal sign, there is no substantial difference. Therefore, in the following description, both cases are within the range between the upper limit Eu and the lower limit El.

  In order to instruct the lighting simulator for the above-described conditions (a) and (b), the operator inputs at least one numerical value of the illuminance value Eo, the upper limit value Eu, and the lower limit value El as the determination criteria from the input unit 11 and When letting the operator specify what magnitude relationship is to be determined with the value E (i), and when showing a plurality of options on the screen of the presentation unit 12 for the illuminance condition and letting the operator select one of the options There is.

  The option can be set as E (i) ≧ 100 or E (i) ≦ 10 if the condition (a), for example, and 100 ≧ E (i) ≧ if the condition (b) is satisfied. 10 can be set. That is, the combination of the illuminance value Eo and the magnitude relationship as a criterion such as the condition (a) is prepared as an option, or the combination of the upper limit value Eu and the lower limit value El of the illuminance value as the condition (b) is selected as an option. Prepare in advance. In this case, the operator can set the illuminance condition simply by selecting a desired illuminance condition from the options. In the case of such an option, it is assumed that the illuminance value Eo, the upper limit value Eu, and the lower limit value El to be compared with the illuminance value E (i) at each illuminance value calculation point i cannot be changed.

  In addition to the options that indicate the numerical values as described above, options that indicate actions to be performed in the illumination space and uses of the illumination space may be used. In other words, the illuminance condition is specified by causing the operator to select an action or a usage. In this case, it is necessary to associate a numerical illuminance condition in advance with the selected action or application.

  Examples of actions and uses include “reading” and “bedroom”, and combinations of the illuminance value Eo and the magnitude relationship that are criteria for the action and use as options, or the upper limit Eu and the lower limit El A combination of The association between the action or application and the illuminance condition is registered as a correspondence table (data table) in the fixed storage unit 14 a of the storage unit 14. As the illuminance condition related to the action and the use, a general-purpose value such as an illuminance value generally known as a standard or an illuminance standard of JIS standard is used.

  For example, if the option is an act of “reading”, an illuminance condition of E (i) ≧ 500 is set or 1000 ≧ E (i) ≧ 500 based on the illuminance standard “study” in the JIS standard. The illuminance conditions and so on are related. Table 2 shows an example of a correspondence table between actions, uses, and illumination conditions.

  As can be seen from the above description, regardless of which of the conditions (a) and (b) is used as the illuminance condition, the relationship between the illuminance value E (i) of each small region and the illuminance value serving as a criterion is This results in one of the four types of relationships (illuminance conditions) (1) to (4) shown in (a). However, when the upper limit value Eu and the lower limit value El are used as the determination criteria, two values of the upper limit value Eu and the lower limit value El are set as the illuminance values serving as the determination criteria.

Therefore, it is possible to identify which relationship (illuminance condition) by representing the four types of relationships with the following identification flags Fop (j) (0 <j ≦ Nj). Each relationship is as follows, assuming that the illuminance value serving as a determination criterion is Edef (j) (0 <j ≦ Nj: Nj is the number of reference illuminance values to be determined), and the illuminance value to be compared with the determination criterion is E (i). And an identification flag Fop (j) (0 <j ≦ Nj) can be associated with each relationship. Nj is 1 or 2, and Nj = 1 when one illuminance value Eo is used as a criterion, and Nj = 2 when there are two upper limit value Eu and lower limit value El. Further, the identification flag Fop (j) is assigned a value of 1 to 4 for each relationship (illuminance condition) as follows.
(1) E (i)> Edef (j) → Fop (j) = 1
(2) E (i) ≧ Edef (j) → Fop (j) = 2
(3) E (i) <Edef (j) → Fop (j) = 3
(4) E (i) ≦ Edef (j) → Fop (j) = 4
In the case of Nj = 1, j = 1 and Edef (1) = Eo. On the other hand, when Nj = 2, j = 1 or 2, and if Edef (1) = E1 and Edef (2) = Eu, then Fop (1) = 1 or 2, Fop (2) = 3 or 4 For example, if the illuminance condition is El ≦ E (i) ≦ Eu, it is divided into two illuminance conditions of E (i) ≦ Eu and E (i) ≧ El, and Eu = Edef (2) and El = Edef. By setting (1), it is possible to replace E (i) ≧ Edef (1) and E (i) ≦ Edef (2). Therefore, by using the identification flag Fop (j) corresponding to the illuminance condition, when the illuminance condition is El ≦ E (i) ≦ Eu, Fop (1) = 2 and Fop (2) = 4 Can do.

  FIG. 4 shows the procedure from the input of the illuminance condition to the determination of the identification flag Fop (j). That is, when the illuminance condition is input from the input unit 11 (S11), it is determined whether the input is a numerical value or an action or an application (S12). If the input is an action or an application (S12: n), Table 2 It is converted into a numerical value using such a correspondence table (S13). Next, it is determined whether the illuminance condition is the condition (a) or the condition (b) (S14). If the illuminance condition is the condition (a) (S14: n), depending on which of the relations (1) to (4) The value of the identification flag Fop (j) is set (S17).

  On the other hand, if the condition (b) is satisfied (S14: y), the illuminance condition is divided so as to be expressed using the relationships (1) to (4) (S15), and Edef (1) = El, Edef (2) = Eu (S16), an identification flag Fop (j) corresponding to the above-described relationships (1) to (4) is set (S17).

By the way, the comparison area which determines whether the illumination conditions are satisfied in the comparison determination part 13 among illumination spaces is designated by either of the designation | designated methods (A)-(E) shown below.
Specification method (A): The entire illumination space is set as a comparison area.
Specification method (B): A partial area designated by the operator in the illumination space is set as a comparison area. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the operator designates the center point Pc in the illumination space Ls, and the inside of a sphere having a constant radius (for example, 40 cm) determined from the center point Pc is set as the comparison region Dc. The comparison region Dc does not need to be a sphere, and may have another shape such as a cube. Also, the position may be specified using a part that is not the center point. The shape and size of the comparison area Dc may be set in advance, and the operator may specify only the position (center point Pc).
Specification method (C): A comparison region is determined by designating a viewpoint position and a line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint position in the illumination space. The viewpoint position can be designated in three dimensions in the illumination space. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, in the illumination space Ls, the entire area in the field of view Fv in the direction defined from the viewpoint position Pv (this direction is referred to as the front) is set as the comparison area Dc. Alternatively, a predetermined range in front of the viewpoint position Pv (for example, a range having a width of 50 cm and a depth of 30 cm) is used as a comparison area, or an area such as a human gaze field or an effective field of view around the viewpoint position Pv (for example, left and right The region of 50 degrees is set as the comparison region.
Specification method (D): As shown in FIG. 7, a flow line Lm for moving the viewpoint position Pv in the illumination space Ls and a local area Dd defined for the viewpoint position Pv on the flow line Lm are set. The entire region through which the local region Dd passes when the local region Dd is moved along the flow line Lm is defined as a comparison region Dc. This comparison area Dc is set statically. The local region Dd is, for example, a belt-like region having a predetermined width (for example, a width of 1 m) around the flow line Lm as shown in FIG. 7A, or a local region Dd as shown in FIG. It is assumed that the local region Dd is continuous along the line Lm. If the local region Dd is a region of the visual field range from the viewpoint position Pv (for example, 30 degrees horizontal, 2 m ahead from the viewpoint position), the comparison region Dc corresponding to the perceived range when a person is walking in real space is used. Can be set. In addition, the front in this case means the tangential direction of the flow line Lm.
Specification method (E): As shown in FIG. 8, by setting the local region Dd at each point on the flow line Lm that moves the viewpoint position Pv in the illumination space Ls, the comparison region Dc is dynamically set. Also good. The local region Dd is set in the same manner as the designation method (D). However, as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9D, the viewpoints at the respective positions on the flow line Lm at the respective times t0 to tn (n = 3 in FIG. 9D) obtained at regular time intervals. The local areas Dd with respect to the position Pv become the comparison areas Dc, respectively. Therefore, the comparison region Dc changes with the passage of time, and the determination results in the comparison determination unit 13 are obtained by the number of times t0 to tn. As the movement distance of the viewpoint position Pv for each time interval along the flow line Lm, a value obtained by multiplying the walking speed when a person walks in real space by the time interval is used. In this case, the walking speed is given from the walking speed setting unit 11 b of the input unit 11.

  When a partial area of the illumination space Ls is designated as the comparison area Dc as in the designation methods (B) to (E) described above, the comparison area Dc is set to a numerical value (coordinate position) as in the case where the illuminance condition is set. Or range) and let the operator select from the choices. As options, numerical values can be used, and actions such as “walking” and “reading characters” can be used. When an action is an option, the numerical value for specifying the comparison area Dc is related to a vocabulary representing each action as a correspondence table (data table) so that the comparison area Dc can be quantified for each action. Keep it.

  Table 3 shows an example of a correspondence table between vocabulary representing actions and numerical values for specifying the comparison area Dc. This correspondence table is stored in the fixed storage unit 14 a of the storage unit 14. Note that the viewpoint position Pv can be specified in three dimensions, but in this embodiment, the height of the viewpoint position Pv is constant, and the average value of adults is adopted as the default value. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the viewpoint position Pv can be specified only in the plane along the floor surface in the illumination space. Also, default values are set for the vertical visual field range (Table 3 shows the vertical visual field range).

  By the way, in setting the comparison area Dc, an area outside the illumination space Ls may be designated as the comparison area Dc. Therefore, the comparison area designated by the designation method described above is treated as a temporary comparison area Dc ′ (see FIG. 7A), and the comparison determination unit 13 uses the temporary comparison area Dc ′ in common with the illumination space Ls. Only the portion is adopted as the actual comparison region Dc. In other words, the portion of the temporary comparison area Dc ′ that is outside the boundary of the illumination space Ls (the shaded area in FIGS. 7 and 8) is not adopted as the comparison area Dc. Regarding such intersection determination between regions, since a general method using vectors has been established, description thereof will be omitted.

  For example, when a field of view set in the shape of a quadrangular pyramid is specified while sitting at the center of a room serving as the illumination space Ls and viewing a wall, the temporary comparison region Dc ′ surrounds the illumination space Ls. A region that is cut out by an object existing on the floor surface, the wall surface, or the illumination space Ls and is narrower than the designated field of view is adopted as the actual comparison region Dc. Further, when a spherical region having a constant radius (for example, 30 cm) from the viewpoint position Pv is set as the temporary comparison region Dc ′ while standing in the center of the room (see FIG. 5), no other object exists in this region. The temporary comparison area Dc ′ is adopted as the comparison area Dc as it is.

  When the illuminance condition is set as described above and the comparison area Dc is specified, the comparison determination unit 13 determines whether or not the illuminance value at the illuminance value calculation point included in the comparison area Dc in the illumination space satisfies the illuminance condition. judge. For example, if the comparison area Dc is “the effective visual field range centering on the sofa” and the illuminance condition is “brightness for reading”, it is determined whether the lighting environment is suitable for sitting on the sofa and reading. Can be determined. Further, if the comparison area Dc is “a band-shaped area set in the hallway” and the illumination condition is “1 to 2 [lx]”, it is determined whether the illumination is suitable for walking in the hallway at midnight. Can do. As described above, since the illuminance condition (illuminance value) and the comparison region Dc (action region) are combined, it is possible to incorporate human behavior into the determination of the illuminance condition in the comparison determination unit 13.

Here, the illuminance value calculation point for determining whether or not the illuminance condition is satisfied is extracted by determining the comparison region Dc in the comparison determination unit 13. The number of illuminance value calculation points in the illumination space increases or decreases depending on the resolution when calculating the illuminance value, and the volume of a small region represented by the illuminance value calculation point increases as the resolution decreases. In order to extract the illuminance value calculation point, for example, one of the following selection methods (A) to (C) is used.
Selection method (A): The illuminance value calculation point included in the comparison area Dc is adopted.
Selection method (b): The illuminance value calculation point representative of the small area included in the comparison area Dc is extracted.
Selection method (c): Extract illuminance value calculation points representing a small area whose ratio included in the comparison area Dc is equal to or greater than a specified value.

  The specified value in the selection method (c) is, for example, 50%, and the proportion of the small area existing in the vicinity of the boundary of the comparison area Dc that is overlapped with the comparison area Dc is 50% or more. If there is, the illuminance value calculation point representing the small area is adopted. The extracted illuminance value calculation points are temporarily stored in the storage unit 14.

  The actual small areas are distributed in the three-dimensional space, but for the sake of simplicity, the relation between the comparison area Dc, the illuminance value calculation point i, and the small area Sr (i) is represented as a square in the two-dimensional plane. Is as shown in FIG. In the illustrated example, the illuminance value calculation point i is the center point of the small square area Sr (i). In the illustrated example, in the vicinity of the boundary of the comparison area Dc (represented by the hatched portion), the boundary line of the comparison area Dc divides a part of the small area Sr (i) into the inside and the outside of the comparison area Dc. is doing.

  In the example shown in FIG. 10, the illuminance condition is determined for the same illuminance value calculation point i regardless of which of the selection methods (A) and (B) is adopted, but the position of the boundary line of the comparison region Dc is different. The number of illuminance value calculation points i for determining the illuminance condition differs depending on which of the selection methods (A) and (B) is adopted.

  Further, the comparison area Dc and the small area Sr (i) have the relationship shown in FIG. 11A. When the selection method (c) is adopted and the specified value is 50%, the comparison area Dc (shaded area) In the vicinity of the boundary (denoted by), only a part of the small area Sr (i) is adopted, and finally, the small area Sr (i) hatched in FIG. 11B is adopted. That is, the illuminance value calculation point i representing the small region Sr (i) hatched in FIG. 11B is extracted.

  The procedure for extracting the illuminance value calculation point i corresponding to the comparison area Dc is shown in FIG. As described above, in order to extract the illuminance value calculation point i corresponding to the comparison area Dc, it is necessary to first specify the comparison area Dc. The comparison area Dc is designated by any one of the designation methods (A) to (E). In the designation method (E), the comparison area Dc is dynamically set by the viewpoint position Pv at regular time intervals along the flow line Lm, and the comparison areas are compared with the other designation methods (A) to (D). Since it is different from the case where Dc is set statically, both are distinguished.

  That is, when the comparison area Dc is designated by any of the designation methods (A) to (E) (S21), it is first determined whether the comparison area Dc is set statically or dynamically (S22). In the case where the region Dc is set statically (S22: n), and when the viewpoint Lv is not specified and the viewpoint position Pv is fixed as in the designation methods (A) to (C) (S24: n) ), A temporary comparison area Dc ′ is obtained in accordance with the designated condition of the comparison area Dc (S26). Steps S23 and S25 show a case where a vocabulary representing an action is used for specifying the comparison area Dc.

  On the other hand, even when the comparison region Dc is set statically, when the flow line Lm is designated as in the designation method (D), the local region Dd is defined with respect to the starting point in the flow line Lm. All regions through which the local region Dd passes when the local region Dd is moved along the flow line Lm are set as temporary comparison regions Dc ′ (S27).

  By the way, when the comparison region Dc is dynamically set, the flow line Lm and the local region Dd are designated as in the designation method (E), and the local region Dd at each time tk obtained at a constant time interval is designated. Are set as temporary comparison regions Dc ′ (S28). Since the temporary comparison area Dc ′ changes with time, the comparison range at time tk is represented as Dc (tk) below. Moreover, the distance which moves on the flow line Lm for every fixed time interval is prescribed | regulated, and it shall be matched with the speed which a person walks in real space. As described above, the input unit 11 is provided with the walking speed setting unit 11b in order to set the walking speed. By specifying the walking speed, it is possible to perform a simulation that matches the walking speed of a child, an elderly person with weak leg strength, or a person using a wheelchair.

  The time interval may be set to 0.5 s, 1 s, etc., for example. If the time interval is about this level, it is possible to represent a change in the comparison region Dc (tk) due to a change in the viewpoint position Pv due to human walking. However, if the processing capability of the computer is high, a smooth moving image can be obtained by setting the time interval to 1/60 s, 1/30 s, or the like. The time interval may be set in advance or may be set by the operator.

  If the comparison area Dc (tk) can be defined, a temporary comparison area Dc ′ (tk) corresponding to the comparison area Dc (tk) is obtained at each time tk. The temporary comparison area Dc ′ (tk) is obtained by applying the designated local area Dd to the tangential direction of the flow line Lm (that is, the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint position Pv). Assuming that the local region Dd has a fan shape centered on the viewpoint position Pv in plan view, the fan-shaped center line (radial straight line that bisects the central angle) is made to coincide with the tangential direction of the flow line Lm. The provisional comparison area Dc ′ statically set by defining the flow line Lm in the designation method (D) is the provisional comparison area Dc ′ when the time interval is set sufficiently short in the designation method (E). It corresponds to a set of (tk).

  It is determined whether or not the temporary comparison area Dc ′ (or Dc ′ (tk)) obtained as described above overlaps the illumination space (S29). Of the temporary comparison region Dc ′ (or Dc ′ (tk)), a portion that does not overlap with the illumination space Ls (S29: y) is outside the illumination space Ls and is therefore not subject to evaluation. By excluding such an evaluation target from the temporary comparison area Dc ′ (or Dc ′ (tk)) (S30), the comparison area Dc is determined. After the comparison area Dc is determined, the illuminance value calculation point i is extracted from the illuminance value calculation point i corresponding to the comparison area Dc, and the extracted illuminance value calculation point i is stored in the temporary storage unit 14b of the storage unit 14 (S31). ).

  When the illuminance value calculation point i for the comparison area Dc is extracted, the comparison determination unit 13 determines the illuminance value E for each extracted illuminance value calculation point i (represented by the three-dimensional position (xi, yi, zi)). It is determined whether (i) satisfies the illuminance condition. For the illuminance value calculation point i where the illuminance value E (i) does not satisfy the illuminance condition, the determination flag Fc (i) is set. Here, as for the value of the determination flag Fc (i), for example, “1” is not satisfied, “0” is satisfied, and setting the determination flag Fc (i) is a condition flag “1”. This means setting as the value of Fc (i). Setting a value that does not satisfy the condition in the determination flag Fc (i) in this way is referred to as setting a flag that does not satisfy the condition.

  Further, when it is necessary to determine a plurality of illuminance conditions as in the case where the upper limit value Eu and the lower limit value El are set, the determination for each illuminance condition is performed for one illuminance value calculation point i. In this case, if the determination flag Fc (i) where the condition is not satisfied is already set at the illuminance value calculation point i for which the illuminance condition is to be determined, the illuminance condition is not determined for the illuminance value calculation point i.

This will be described in more detail. Since the illuminance value for each illuminance value calculation point i calculated for the illumination space Ls is stored in the temporary storage unit 14b of the storage unit 14, the illuminance extracted in association with the comparison region Dc as described above. The illuminance value E (i) for each value calculation point i is read, and all the read illuminance values E (i) are compared with the illuminance value Edef (j) that serves as a determination criterion. The comparison relationship (illuminance condition) is represented by an identification flag Fop (j). For example, when the determination flag indicating the illuminance condition is Fop (j) = 1, E (i) −Edef (j)> 0 That is, the illuminance condition is satisfied at the time of (1), and the illuminance condition is not satisfied when E (i) −Edef (j) ≦ 0. If the determination flag Fc (i) is set to 0 when the illuminance condition is satisfied, and the determination flag Fc (i) is set to 1 when the illuminance condition is not satisfied, the following relationship is established.
E (i) -Edef (j)> 0 → Fop (i) = 0
E (i) −Edef (j) ≦ 0 → Fop (i) = 1
When there are a plurality of illuminance values Edef (j) serving as determination criteria for one illuminance value calculation point (for example, when an upper limit value and a lower limit value are set), a plurality of illuminance conditions When all of the above are satisfied, the illuminance condition is satisfied. Therefore, when there are a plurality of illuminance values Edef (j) serving as determination criteria, when a determination flag Fc (i) is set for any illuminance condition (that is, a plurality of illuminances at the illuminance value calculation point i). If any one of the conditions is not satisfied), the other illumination conditions regarding the same illumination value calculation point i are ignored. That is, when there are a plurality of illuminance conditions, it is determined whether or not the illuminance conditions are satisfied in order, and if the determination flag Fc (i) = 1 occurs in the process, the remaining illuminance conditions are not determined. In other words, if the determination flag Fc (i) is 1 even in one of a plurality of illuminance conditions regarding one illuminance value calculation point i, the determination flag Fc (i) of the illuminance value calculation point i is set to 1. To do.

  After determining whether or not the illuminance condition is satisfied for all illuminance value calculation points i corresponding to the comparison area Dc, the value of the determination flag Fc (i) for each illuminance value calculation point i is stored in the temporary holding area 14a of the storage unit 14. To store.

  In the comparison determination unit 13, after determining whether or not the illuminance condition is satisfied for each illuminance value calculation point i corresponding to the comparison region Dc, the determination result is displayed on the screen of the presentation unit 12. Here, the determination flag Fc (i) is set (that is, Fc (i) = 1) based on the three-dimensional coordinates of the illuminance value calculation point i and the resolution used for the calculated illuminance value. Since the range of the small area Sr (i) represented by the illuminance value calculation point i where (i) stands can be obtained, it corresponds to all the illuminance value calculation points i where the determination flag Fc (i) stands. The image data of the small region Sr (i) to be displayed is superimposed on the image data representing the illuminance value at each illuminance value calculation point i in the illumination space obtained by the calculation unit 10 and displayed on the screen of the presentation unit 12.

  At this time, for the small area Sr (i) corresponding to the illuminance value calculation point i where the determination flag Fc (i) is set, a specific color (for example, red or green) can be distinguished from other areas. ), A border line with another region is displayed with a specific color, or a specific pattern (pattern) different from the other region is displayed. When this process is repeated for each illuminance value calculation point i and processing according to the value of the determination flag Fc (i) is performed for all illuminance value calculation points i included in the comparison area Dc, the small area Sr that does not satisfy the illuminance condition. An image in which (i) is displayed separately from other areas is generated (when all the illuminance value calculation points satisfy the illuminance condition, the small area Sr (i) distinguished from other areas is not displayed).

  Here, when the viewpoint position Pv changes along the flow line Lm and the comparison region Dc changes dynamically, a determination result that changes from moment to moment is displayed on the screen of the presentation unit 12 while performing a walk-through. be able to. That is, it is possible to evaluate the illuminance change in a situation where the user is walking in the illumination space Ls. Moreover, since the determination result is independent for each time tk, the determination result for each time tk can be individually displayed on the presentation unit 12.

  In addition to displaying an image, the presentation unit 12 calculates an illuminance value that represents the illuminance value of each small region Sr (i) and the small region Sr (i) on which the determination flag Fc (i) is set as necessary. The coordinate position of the point i may also be displayed on the screen of the presentation unit 12.

  In addition, for the image, switching is performed between whether the illuminance value is applied to each small region Sr (i) or only the illumination space Ls is displayed, or the small region Sr (i) where the determination flag Fc (i) is set. It is also possible to switch whether or not to display a specific color. Furthermore, the first image obtained as a result of calculating the illuminance value at the illuminance value calculation point i for the illumination space Ls and the small region Sr (i) corresponding to the illuminance value calculation point i where the determination flag Fc (i) is set. When displaying the second image in an overlapping manner, whether to overwrite the second image on a partial area of the first image or to display the first image and the second image as different layers as appropriate. You may choose. When the transparency of the second image is adjusted and the second image is overlapped with the first image, the first image may be visible through the second image.

  Image data of an image displayed on the screen of the presentation unit 12 is stored in the storage unit 14. Information generated at each stage described above is stored in the storage unit 14 together with the illumination conditions and the setting contents of the comparison area as needed, and is read and used as necessary in later processing. The timing and method for reading the information stored in the storage unit 14 are specified in advance or specified for each stage. As a method for designating reading of information, it is desirable to select from a plurality of options.

  In addition, when changing the illuminance condition and the comparison area in the same illumination environment, the illuminance condition and the comparison area are newly instructed from the input unit 11, but the image data regarding the illumination space is not created and is created as it is. Use. The data stored in the temporary storage unit 14b may be deleted when it becomes unnecessary. For example, the illuminance condition, the comparison area, and the coordinate position of the illuminance value calculation point i included in the comparison area may be deleted from the temporary storage unit 14b when the comparison area is newly set, and each small area included in the illumination space The illuminance value may be deleted from the temporary storage unit 14b when the illumination space is changed and the illuminance value is recalculated, or when another illumination space is simulated.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, the height of the viewpoint position Pv is not particularly considered, but in the present embodiment, the viewpoint position Pv is specified in three dimensions in consideration of the height of the viewpoint position Pv. In addition, in a lighting space that is a virtual space, a virtual human body corresponding to a real human body is assumed. However, the virtual human body is not displayed on the screen of the presentation unit 12, but the virtual human body has not only the position in the plane of the three-dimensional viewpoint position Pv but also the height of the viewpoint position Pv as a parameter. That is, the viewpoint position setting unit 11a provided in the input unit 11 can set the height of the viewpoint position Pv. Thus, by changing the height of the viewpoint position Pv, it is possible to simulate the lighting environment when the height is different, such as a child and an adult.

  As described in the first embodiment, in order to determine whether or not each illuminance value calculation point i in the target comparison area Dc satisfies the illuminance condition, an illuminance value calculation point corresponding to the comparison area Dc is extracted. There is a need to. In the present embodiment, when extracting the illuminance value calculation point i corresponding to the comparison region Dc, it is necessary to consider not only the conditions described in the first embodiment but also the viewpoint position Pv (viewpoint height) of the virtual human body. is there.

  Note that the viewpoint position Pv may be selected not only by numerical input but also by showing the operator vocabulary choices (adult, child, etc.) using the screen of the presentation unit 12 to the operator. When using options, a correspondence table (data table) is used to convert the vocabulary of options into numerical values.

  When the condition regarding the viewpoint position Pv is given, the illuminance condition at the viewpoint position Pv of the virtual human body can be determined. That is, as described in the first embodiment as the designation methods (A) to (E), the comparison area Dc is designated, and whether or not the illuminance value satisfies the illuminance condition for each illuminance value calculation point i corresponding to the comparison area Dc. Determine.

  FIG. 13 shows the time change in illuminance when the height of the viewpoint position Pv is varied in the case where the comparison range Dc changes dynamically. In FIG. 13, a solid line indicates an adult whose viewpoint position Pv is 155 cm in height, and a broken line indicates a child whose viewpoint position Pv is 110 cm in height. In FIG. 13, the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time during walking, and the vertical axis represents the sum of the illuminance values reaching the viewpoint position from each illuminance value calculation point i corresponding to the comparison area Dc. Since the height of the comparison area Dc also changes due to the difference in the height of the viewpoint position Pv, the portion to be cut out as the comparison area Dc in the illumination space Ls will be different, resulting in a difference in the determination result of the illuminance condition. .

  When specifying the height of the viewpoint position Pv by options, prepare adults, children, elderly people, wheelchairs, etc. as vocabulary of options, and include not only the height of the viewpoint position Pv but also the walking speed as a condition In this case, the operator's input operation can be saved. In the present embodiment, the quality of the illumination space can be determined for various users. For example, even if the set illumination space is good for an adult, it is inadequate for a child with a low viewpoint position Pv. It becomes easier to find problems when there are.

  As described above, the present embodiment is intended to evaluate the quality of the lighting space for various users. Therefore, not only the viewpoint position Pv and the walking speed but also an elderly person is assumed as a virtual human body, for example. In such a case, when the determination result is displayed as an image on the screen of the presentation unit 12, the appearance of a state in which yellowing of the eye, cataract, or the like has occurred may be reproduced by image processing. In addition, since the field of view is often narrowed by elderly people, it is desirable to consider the field of view when displaying the determination result on the screen of the presentation unit 12. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 3)
In the first embodiment, whether or not the illuminance condition is satisfied is determined for each illuminance value calculation point i, and the small area Sr (i) represented by the illuminance value calculation point i that does not satisfy the illuminance condition is distinguished from other areas. Is displayed. By the way, when the illuminance condition is set under the condition (b) described in the first embodiment, the illuminance value E (i) is determined with respect to the upper limit value Eu and the lower limit value El. May exceed the upper limit Eu and may fall below the lower limit El. In the present embodiment, the small area Sr (i) is displayed differently when the illuminance value E (i) exceeds the upper limit value Eu and when the illuminance value E (i) falls below the lower limit value El.

  In the configuration of the present embodiment, whether the illuminance value E (i) of each small region Sr (i) is higher than the upper limit value Eu or lower than the lower limit value El by the screen display of the presentation unit 12. Therefore, it can be easily determined whether the illuminance of the small region Sr (i) should be increased or decreased, and a guideline for design change can be easily obtained.

In order to realize the present embodiment, the value of the identification flag Fop (j) assigned to the illumination condition described in the first embodiment is used as the value of the determination flag Fc (i). As described in the first embodiment, the value of the identification flag Fop (j) is set as follows.
E (i)> Edef (j) → Fop (j) = 1
E (i) ≧ Edef (j) → Fop (j) = 2
E (i) <Edef (j) → Fop (j) = 3
E (i) ≦ Edef (j) → Fop (j) = 4
Therefore, in this embodiment, instead of indicating the result of whether or not the illuminance condition is satisfied by the value of the determination flag Fc (i), the identification flag assigned to the illuminance condition when the illuminance condition is not satisfied Values 1 to 4 of Fop (j) are used. That is, when the illuminance condition is not satisfied, the value of the determination flag Fc (i) is any one of 1 to 4. When the determination flag Fc (i) is stored in the temporary holding area 14b of the storage unit 14, by using this value, the illuminance value E (i) indicates which illuminance condition when displaying on the screen of the presentation unit 12. You can identify if you were not satisfied. When the illuminance value E (i) is lower than the lower limit value El or lower than the lower limit value El, the identification flag Fop (i) = 1 or 2, and when the upper limit value Eu is exceeded or higher than the upper limit value Eu. In this case, the identification flag Fop (i) = 3 or 4. In addition, since the same illuminance value E (i) does not exceed the upper limit Eu at the same time as the lower illuminance value El falls, when the illuminance condition is a determination for the upper limit Eu and the lower limit El, one illuminance condition When the determination flag Fc (i) is determined for the other illumination condition, the determination may not be performed.

  As a result of the processing described above, the value of the determination flag Fc (i) corresponding to the illuminance condition is stored in the temporary holding area 14a of the storage unit 14, and thus the small area represented by each illuminance value calculation point i in the comparison area Dc. Each Sr (i) is displayed in a specific color (or specific pattern) associated with the determination flag Fc (i). For example, the small area Sr (i) in which the illuminance value E (i) exceeds the upper limit Eu is set to red, and the small area Sr (i) lower than the lower limit El is set to blue. The display method may be set in the illumination simulator in advance, but the operator may be able to specify a color or pattern corresponding to the value of the determination flag Fc (i) from the input unit 11. . When coloring the small area Sr (i), it may be distinguished not only by filling with a specific color but also by the color of the boundary line, or by changing the color to distinguish by the line type of the boundary line. May be.

  It should be noted that a legend can be displayed on the screen of the presentation unit 12 so that it can be confirmed which color / pattern corresponding to which illuminance condition corresponds to the color or pattern of the small region Sr (i). desirable. Alternatively, the illuminance condition may be displayed in the vicinity of one of the small areas Sr (i). Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 4)
In each example described above, one comparison area Dc is targeted. However, in the present embodiment, a plurality of comparison areas Dc can be designated by the input unit 11. In addition, the comparison determination unit 13 not only determines whether the illuminance condition is satisfied with respect to the illuminance value E (i), but also determines an illuminance difference between the comparison regions Dc, and the illuminance value E (i) in each comparison region Dc. ) Is displayed on the screen of the presentation unit 12 together with the content of the determination flag Fc (i) indicating whether the illuminance condition is satisfied (coloring or pattern of the small region Sr (i)). The determination result of the illuminance difference is displayed on the screen of the presentation unit 12 in the form of a message using a character string.

  By setting a plurality of comparison regions Dc and determining whether or not the illuminance value E (i) satisfies the illuminance condition as in the present embodiment, it is possible to evaluate the case exemplified below.

  For example, when it is desired to set the illuminance value E (i) to 300 to 500 [lx] for the two comparison areas Dc in front of the television receiver and in the vicinity of the table in the LDK which is the illumination space, a plurality (two) The same illuminance condition (upper limit Eu = 500 [lx], lower limit El = 300 [lx]) is defined for the comparison region Dc. On the other hand, when individually setting the illuminance value E (i) for a plurality of different comparison areas Dc such as on the bed in the bedroom, in the hallway, in the toilet, etc., the illuminance conditions are individually defined.

  In this way, the necessary number of combinations in which the comparison region Dc and the illuminance condition are related are input from the input unit 11 to create a condition correspondence table (data table) as shown in Table 4. Each illuminance condition in the condition correspondence table shown in Table 4 is applied to each comparison region Dc, and the same processing as that in Embodiment 1-3 is performed in each comparison region Dc.

  That is, for each comparison region Dc in the condition correspondence table, an illuminance value calculation point is extracted, and an illuminance condition is applied to the illuminance value calculation point, and for each small region Sr (i) represented by the illuminance value calculation point. The value of the determination flag Fc (i) is determined and displayed on the screen of the presentation unit 12. In the case where the same illuminance condition is defined for different comparison areas Dc, some of the illuminance value calculation points are discretely present but can be handled in the same manner as one comparison area Dc.

  By the way, in this embodiment, as above-mentioned, in the comparison determination part 13, it determines also about the illumination intensity difference between each comparison area | region Dc. So, for example, your hand needs to secure the illuminance necessary for reading, but the surrounding area is not too dark, or when you go out of a bright room into a low-light corridor or bright from a low-light corridor. It is possible to evaluate the difference in illuminance of the comparison region Dc of interest so as to satisfy the requirement to suppress temporary visual deterioration in the luminance adaptation process when entering the room.

  In order to evaluate the illuminance difference, the average value Eavr (Dc) is obtained for the illuminance value E (i) at the illuminance value calculation point included in each comparison region Dc. Hereinafter, the average value Eavr (Dc) of the illuminance value E (i) is referred to as an average illuminance value. When the average illuminance value Eavr (Dc) of each comparison area Dc is obtained, the ratio of the average illuminance value Eavr (Dc) is obtained, and this ratio is used for evaluating the illuminance difference.

  In a general illumination space, the illuminance ratio between the general illumination and the local illumination is desirably in the range of about 1/2 to 1/5, and is desirably at least 1/10. That is, it is desirable not to increase the brightness difference between the general illumination and the local illumination. Therefore, a determination criterion γ (for example, γ ≧ 1/2) with respect to the illuminance ratio is set, and average illuminance values Eavr (Dc1) and Eavr (Dc2) obtained from the two comparison regions Dc1 and Dc2 to be compared (however, , Eavr (Dc1) ≦ Eavr (Dc2)), the ratio Eavr (Dc1) / Eavr (Dc2) is compared with the criterion γ. The criterion γ is given as a numerical value, or a numerical value is associated with an appropriate vocabulary and selected as an option.

  Here, if Eavr (Dc1) / Eavr (Dc2) <γ, it is determined that the illuminance difference between the comparison regions Dc1 and Dc2 is too large, and a warning is given on the screen of the presentation unit 12. The warning is indicated by giving a message by text or displaying an image to be drawn so as to emphasize the two comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2. Further, when displaying the evaluation result of the illuminance difference for the comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2 on the screen of the presentation unit 12, the display method is different depending on whether or not the determination criterion γ is satisfied. For example, when the determination criterion γ is satisfied, the two comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2 are filled with a specific color, and when the determination criterion γ is not satisfied, only the contour lines of both comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2 are displayed with the specific color. Alternatively, the reverse display is performed.

  In addition, the illuminance value calculation points included in the comparison area Dc of the condition correspondence table are presented for the comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2 so that the positions of the comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2 that are the evaluation targets of the illuminance difference can be easily confirmed. Displayed on the screen of the unit 12. The comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2 are displayed regardless of the value of the determination flag Fc (i). That is, not only the small area Sr (i) that does not satisfy the illuminance condition but all the small areas Sr (i) included in the comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2 are displayed. However, the method of displaying the comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2 is the same as the display method when the illuminance condition is not satisfied, and is painted with a specific color or outlined with a specific color.

  For example, when filling the small area Sr (i) where the illuminance condition is not satisfied, the outline is displayed for the comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2, and conversely, the comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2 are filled and the illuminance condition is not satisfied. The existence range of Sr (i) may be surrounded by a contour line. In the latter case, the small area Sr (i) in which the illuminance condition is not established is extracted from the comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2. In any case, it is desirable to display by the display method different from the range of the comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2 and the range of the small area Sr (i) where the illuminance condition is not satisfied. However, both may be painted and the colors of both may be different.

  In the above process, the illuminance difference is evaluated for the different comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2 by comparing the average illuminance values Eavr (Dc1) and Eavr (Dc2) obtained for the comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2. The illuminance distribution for each Dc can also be evaluated. In this case, the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the illuminance value E (i) for each comparison region Dc is obtained, and it can be evaluated that the variation in the illuminance distribution increases as the difference increases. Further, when evaluating the illuminance distribution for each comparison region Dc, the ratio between the average illuminance Eavr (Dc) of the comparison region Dc and the minimum or maximum value of the illuminance value E (i) in the comparison region Dc may be used. Good.

  Alternatively, in evaluating the illuminance difference between the different comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2, the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the illuminance value E (i) is obtained by combining the illuminance value calculation points included in both comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2. This difference may be used as a measure of the illuminance difference between the comparison areas Dc1 and Dc2. That is, the entire two comparison regions Dc1 and Dc2 to be compared are regarded as one comparison region Dc, which is equivalent to evaluating the illuminance distribution of one comparison region Dc. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first to third embodiments.

(Embodiment 5)
In the second embodiment, only one type of height of the viewpoint position Pv can be input in the input unit 11, but a plurality of types of heights of the viewpoint position Pv can be input. That is, the viewpoint position setting unit 11a can select a plurality of heights at the same time. For example, when specifying the height of the viewpoint position Pv using options from multiple vocabularies (adults, children, elderly people, wheelchairs, etc.), you can select multiple options and specify all the options you want If the selection is decided after that, the viewpoint positions Pv having a plurality of heights can be set simultaneously at the same place with respect to the viewpoint position Pv. In addition, it is also possible to input individual heights numerically without using options.

  Here, without using options, the viewpoint position Pv may be set in advance as a prescribed value for a plurality of heights with a specified step size (for example, 10 cm) or an appropriate plurality of heights. In this case, it is not necessary to input the height of the viewpoint position Pv from the viewpoint position setting unit 11a, and it is possible to save the input work while considering the height of the viewpoint position Pv.

  As described above, when a plurality of types of heights are simultaneously specified for the viewpoint position Pv, the comparison determination unit 13 also determines whether the illuminance value E (i) satisfies the illuminance condition for each height at the same time. It is necessary to judge.

  When a plurality of types of heights are simultaneously specified for the viewpoint position Pv, when the operator defines the comparison area Dc in the illumination space Ls, the method (C) to (E) for specifying the comparison area Dc described in the first embodiment. If the viewpoint position Pv is used as a reference as in (), a plurality of viewpoint positions Pv having the same position and different heights in the plane in the illumination space Ls are set. That is, as shown in FIG. 14, a plurality of comparison regions Dcn (n = 1, 2,...) Are generated at one position in the plane. In other words, a plurality of comparison areas Dcn are generated corresponding to a plurality of viewpoint positions Pvn (n = 1, 2,...).

  On the other hand, the comparison determination unit 13 determines whether the illuminance value at each illuminance value calculation point satisfies the illuminance condition when the same illuminance condition is used for each viewpoint position Pvn having a different height. In other words, an illuminance condition is not set individually for each comparison area Dcn, but a common illuminance condition is set for all comparison areas Dcn. Therefore, a plurality of viewpoint positions Pvn having different heights can be determined based on the same reference.

  As described above, it is determined whether or not the illuminance value satisfies the illuminance condition for all of the plurality of comparison regions Dcn. The determination result is displayed on the screen of the presentation unit 12 by using the technique described in the third embodiment. When displaying on the screen of the presentation unit 12, if the area where the illuminance value does not satisfy the illuminance condition is colored with a different color for each height, the determination result at each height can be individually recognized. At the same time, since it is possible to easily recognize that the illuminance condition is not satisfied at any height with respect to the overlapping portion, it is easy to evaluate the lighting design.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 15, regions Dnn (Dn1, Dn2) that do not satisfy the illuminance condition with respect to viewpoint positions Pvn of different heights are displayed in different colors for each height of the viewpoint position Pv (in FIG. 15, the direction of the oblique line) If the illuminance condition is not satisfied at a single height, it can be distinguished from an area where the illuminance condition is not satisfied at a plurality of heights.

  Therefore, it can be recognized that "the area where the illuminance is higher than the upper limit with respect to the height of the viewpoint of the adult and the area where the illuminance is higher than the upper limit with respect to the height of the child's viewpoint" In addition, it is possible to recognize that “Illuminance is satisfied with respect to the height of the viewpoint of the adult, but the illuminance is below the lower limit with respect to the height of the viewpoint of the child.” It is possible to intuitively judge whether there is too much or less. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the above-described embodiments.

  As described above, if the configuration of the present embodiment is adopted, it is possible to simultaneously evaluate the illuminance condition with respect to a plurality of height viewpoint positions Pv. It is possible to easily verify whether or not the lighting design has been made so that it is satisfactory for adults, children, elderly people, wheelchair users, etc. As a result, even if it is inevitable that the illumination condition is satisfied regardless of the height of the viewpoint position Pv, as in the case of illumination for ensuring safety, whether or not the illumination design satisfies the illumination condition is not leaked. It becomes possible to confirm.

  In the present embodiment, attention is paid to height as a condition that can be set simultaneously with respect to the viewpoint position Pv. However, as conditions that can be set with respect to the viewpoint position Pv, not only the height but also yellowing of the eye, cataract, visual field, etc. Various conditions such as stenosis and amblyopia may be set simultaneously.

(Embodiment 6)
In each of the above-described embodiments, the success or failure of the illuminance condition is evaluated for one illumination space. However, in this embodiment, a plurality of illumination spaces (spatial regions) are created in the three-dimensional space of interest by the input unit 11. A technique for evaluating the success or failure of the illuminance condition in the case of providing will be described. Here, the spatial region includes not only a spatial region structurally divided in a building but also a spatial region divided according to the type and arrangement of lighting fixtures or indoor functions. The former space area is divided into rooms, corridors, stairs, etc., and attribute names such as living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, etc. are assigned to the room. Further, the latter space area is assumed to be divided into space areas such as a kitchen counter area, a table area, and a sofa area in a room such as a dining kitchen. It is desirable to assign attribute names based on actions such as cooking, meals, group meals, and reading to the latter space area.

  Each attribute name is associated with an illuminance condition to be satisfied in the space area, and a correspondence table between the attribute name and the illuminance condition is provided in the comparison determination unit 13 and provided in the storage unit 14 (see FIG. (Not shown). Therefore, the operator does not give a unique attribute to each space area, but selects from the attribute names registered in the condition table in advance. The condition table may have contents as shown in Tables 5 and 6, for example. Table 5 shows a case where the attribute name is a room name, and Table 6 shows a case where the attribute name is an action. The illuminance condition may be determined with reference to the illuminance value defined in the JIS standard, for example.

  In the present embodiment, when inputting information for defining an illumination space that is a three-dimensional space, a plurality of spatial regions are defined, and the above-described attribute name is assigned to each spatial region. As described above, the spatial region may be structurally divided like a room, or may be divided by function (or behavior), and either one is selected according to the purpose. The attribute name is usually specified when the comparison area is set. However, when the lighting space data is created in advance using CAD or the like, the attribute name is set every time data for one room is read. You may make it select.

  In comparing and determining the illuminance value with the illuminance condition, the comparison determination unit 13 automatically sets the illuminance condition according to the attribute name by comparing the attribute name of the spatial region input from the input unit 11 with the condition table.

  As described above, the illuminance condition can be automatically set by giving the attribute name of the space area and providing the condition table. Therefore, for general illuminance value conditions set in the condition table, Therefore, it is possible to save the labor of setting the illuminance condition, which is a labor-saving work for the operator.

When a plurality of space areas are set in one room, the comparison area is compared with the space area designated with the attribute name, and the illuminance condition determined by the following procedure is used.
(1) When the comparison area is included in the space area having one attribute name, the illuminance condition corresponding to the attribute name is adopted.
(2) If the comparison area extends over a plurality of spatial areas with different attribute names, use the illuminance condition corresponding to the spatial area with the largest amount of overlap with the comparison area, or include the center of the comparison area Adopt illuminance conditions corresponding to the spatial area.

  As an example, it is assumed that a plurality of space areas (three attribute names A, B, and C in the illustrated example) are set in one room as shown in FIG.

  In the left part of FIG. 16, since most of the comparison area Dc extends over the space area of the attribute name A, the illuminance condition corresponding to the attribute name A is adopted. Here, the designation method (B) described in the first embodiment is adopted in the designation of the comparison area Dc, and the center point Pc is defined in the comparison area Dc. Since the space area of the attribute name A includes the center point Pc of the comparison area Dc, the illuminance condition corresponding to the attribute name A is selected in any case.

  On the other hand, in the right part of FIG. 16, the comparison area Dc extends over the two spatial areas of the attribute name B and the attribute name C, and the illuminance corresponding to the attribute name C is focused on the overlapping amount of the comparison area Dc. If the condition is adopted and attention is paid to the center point Pc of the comparison area Dc, the illuminance condition corresponding to the attribute name B is adopted. The operator may decide which one to employ.

  It is desirable that the condition table can be confirmed as necessary. In the condition table, instead of associating the illuminance value with the attribute name, the parameter of the determination formula may be associated with the attribute name. For example, for the attribute name “living room”, the illuminance value is expressed as 150 [lx] ≦ E (i) ≦ 300 [lx], but Nj = 2, Edef (1) = 150, Fop (1) = 2, Edef (2) = 300, and Fop (2) = 4. Moreover, the condition setting using the illuminance value and the condition setting using the parameter of the determination formula may be mixed.

  The input of the attribute name can be performed at any time before the comparison determination unit 13 determines the illuminance condition. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the other embodiments described above.

(Embodiment 7)
This embodiment demonstrates the technique for making arrangement | positioning of a lighting fixture easy when producing | generating the virtual space which is three-dimensional space. When installing lighting fixtures in real space, consider not only the parameters of lighting fixture attributes such as light quantity, light color, shape, and dimensions and the position of the lighting fixture, but also workability during construction. There is a need to. In other words, the space area required around the lighting fixture must be taken into consideration when installing and installing the lighting fixture. In other words, it is necessary to secure a space area for work when installing the luminaire on site.

  In view of such circumstances, the fixed storage unit 14a of the storage unit 14 stores parameters (light quantity, light color, shape, dimensions) as attributes of each lighting fixture, as well as parameters related to the space area necessary for construction work. It is. The parameters necessary for the construction work include the shape and size of the mounting bracket for attaching the lighting fixture, and the shape and dimension of the work space necessary for the construction work. These shapes and dimensions are set on the outside of the luminaire in a manner associated with the luminaire, and in the fixture coordinate system defined for the luminaire, as well as defining the shape and dimensions of the luminaire. It is set as a three-dimensional dimension based on the representative point. Alternatively, it is also possible to give the space area necessary for the construction work of the lighting fixture as data of a three-dimensional graphic together with the spatial area occupied by the lighting fixture.

  In the configuration of the present embodiment, in order to construct the lighting environment, a validity determination unit (not shown) that determines the construction possibility based on the attribute of the lighting fixture and notifies the determination result is added. In the validity determination unit, when the operator determines the type and position of the luminaire when placing the luminaire in the virtual space, the work area associated with the luminaire is read from the storage unit 14 and is compared with other objects in the virtual space. The presence or absence of interference is determined. Here, if there is interference, the validity determination unit displays a warning dialog on the screen of the presentation unit 12 so as to correct the position of the luminaire, and alerts the operator. In addition, for the determination of interference, a well-known technique for determining the intersection of regions using a vector is used, and since a general technique has been established for this technique, description thereof is omitted.

  By the above operation, for example, as shown in FIG. 17A, it is determined that there is interference when the work area Du associated with the lighting apparatus intersects the area that defines the wall surface Hw of the virtual space. The operator is alerted, and the arrangement of the lighting fixtures can be corrected so that the work area Du does not interfere with the wall surface Hw as shown in FIG.

  In the above-described operation, only a warning dialog is shown when the work area Du interferes with another object. However, the degree of interference is evaluated and the minimum of the position of the luminaire for eliminating the interference is displayed together with the warning dialog. The correction amount may be presented. Alternatively, the position of the luminaire may be automatically corrected by the minimum correction amount.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 18A, when a lighting fixture that requires a work area Du of 30 cm in the upward direction is provided, the upper 10 cm of the work area Du protrudes above the ceiling surface Hc. Assume a case. In this case, if the lighting fixture is moved 10 cm below the current position, the interference between the ceiling surface Hc and the work area Du will be eliminated. Present it. If the position of the lighting apparatus is corrected according to this presentation, the work area Du does not interfere with the ceiling surface Hc as shown in FIG. That is, it becomes possible to arrange | position a lighting fixture in the position which can actually be constructed.

  The above operation will be specifically described using coordinate values. Now, assuming that the illumination space is a rectangular parallelepiped, in the reference coordinate system XYZ which is an orthogonal coordinate system defined for the illumination space (the Z direction is the vertical direction), the boundary surface of the illumination space is represented by X = −200 cm, X = Each plane is 200 cm, Y = −200 cm, Y = 200 cm, Z = 250 cm, and Z = 0 cm. In short, it is assumed that the floor surface is 400 cm square, the ceiling height is 250 cm, and the origin of the reference coordinate system XYZ is set at the center of the floor surface of the illumination space.

  On the other hand, the position of the representative point of the lighting apparatus shown in FIG. 18A is (130 cm, −185 cm, 230 cm) in the reference coordinate system XYZ. Further, it is assumed that the work area Du is a rectangular parallelepiped, and the boundary surface of the work area Du with respect to the representative point of the luminaire is represented by x = −70 cm and x = 55 cm in the fixture coordinate system xyz which is an orthogonal coordinate system defined for the luminaire. , Y = −10 cm, y = 10 cm, z = −20 cm, and z = 30 cm. Here, each axial direction of the reference coordinate system XYZ and the instrument coordinate system xyz is assumed to be parallel.

  Here, in order to secure the work area Du when installing the luminaire, it is essential that the boundary surface of the work area Du is located inside the boundary surface of the illumination space. In order to compare the two, if the boundary surface of the work area Du is expressed in the reference coordinate system XYZ, X = −70 + 130 = 60 cm, X = 55 + 130 = 185 cm, Y = −10−185 = −195 cm, Y = 10−185 = −175 cm, Z = −20 + 230 = 210 cm, Z = 30 + 230 = 260 cm.

  Here, the boundary surface of the work area Du must be inside the boundary surface of the illumination space (that is, the side closer to the origin of the reference coordinate system XYZ). Since the boundary surface is a surface orthogonal to each coordinate axis of the reference coordinate system XYZ, when the distance from the origin is compared in the direction of each coordinate axis, the boundary surface serving as the upper surface of the work area Du is Z = 260 cm, It can be seen that Z = 250 cm, which is the boundary surface serving as the upper surface of the space, exceeds 10 cm. That is, the work area Du can be taken in the illumination space by moving the luminaire 10 cm downward.

  Therefore, the warning dialog is presented based on the fact that the boundary surface of the work area Du is located outside the boundary surface of the illumination space, and further, the inconvenience can be avoided by moving the lighting fixture downward by 10 cm. A correction value of −10 cm in the vertical direction is presented in the warning dialog. Alternatively, the luminaire is moved down 10 cm.

  With the above-described processing, it is possible to perform a simulation of the lighting environment in a state where the lighting fixture is installed at a position where construction work can be actually performed. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the other embodiments described above.

(Embodiment 8)
In the present embodiment, as in the sixth embodiment, when a plurality of illumination spaces (spatial regions) are provided, a flow line is set so that the viewpoint position is moved along a route that spans different illumination spaces over time. An example of simplifying the flow line setting work will be described. That is, in this embodiment, if an operator specifies the order of passing through a plurality of illumination spaces, a flow line for moving the viewpoint position is automatically set.

  In this embodiment, in order to automatically set the flow line of the viewpoint position, when defining the illumination space, the shape and size of the illumination space, the shape and size of the object existing in the illumination space, and the illumination space are present. In addition to specifying the reflectance of the object, the position relationship between objects, the positional relationship of each lighting space, the attribute name of each lighting space, etc., if the lighting space is a room, the center point of each lighting space If Prc and the center point Pdc of the entrance / exit of the illumination space are specified and the attribute name of the illumination space represents a passage such as “Corridor” or “Staircase”, the center line along the movement path of each illumination space And an end point Pen and an intersection Pcn between the center lines are designated. The center point Prc of the illumination space, the center point Pdc of the entrance / exit, the center line of the movement path, the end point Pen, and the intersection point Pcn of the center lines do not need to be 3D data, but are positions on the 2D plane along the floor surface. As long as it is defined as

  Since each position described above can be calculated using coordinate values that define the illumination space when creating a virtual space that is a three-dimensional space, the operator calculates and sets each position. It is also possible to automate these calculations instead of calculations by the operator. The calculation result may be stored in the temporary storage unit 14b of the storage unit 14.

  In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the operator previously creates and registers a flow line Lm for moving the viewpoint position Pv in the illumination space. However, in the present embodiment, the path of the viewpoint position Pv is used. The operator designates the order of the illumination spaces from the input unit 11, and the flow line Lm is automatically generated in the calculation unit 10 based on the designated order. When generating the flow line Lm, the next viewpoint position Pv is sequentially calculated while moving the viewpoint position Pv using the coordinates of the start point and the end point and the passage order of the illumination space described above, or for a certain time ( For example, coordinate values along the flow line Lm may be calculated at a time interval of 1 second and stored in the storage unit 14, and the viewpoint position Pv may be moved using the calculated coordinate values.

  As an example, a case is assumed in which a three-dimensional space including a plurality of illumination spaces is generated as shown in FIG. In the illustrated example, the illumination space is structurally divided, and six illumination spaces of four rooms r, a corridor cr, and a staircase st are formed.

  In order to set the flow line Lm, the illumination space is designated in the order of passing between the start point and the end point of the flow line Lm with respect to the three-dimensional space. Although there are various cases described below for the passage route of the flow line Lm, it passes regardless of whether a corridor exists in the passage route from the room including the start point of the flow line Lm to the room including the end point. For the designation of the route, the corridor cr is omitted, and only the order of passing through the room is designated. Below, in order to distinguish each room r, the numerical value showing the designated order is added. That is, the passage order is designated as “room r1 → room r2”. The order is specified by the input unit 11, and the specified order is stored in the storage unit 14.

  In specifying the rooms r1 and r2, an attribute name may be used as in the sixth embodiment. However, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to associate an illuminance condition with the attribute name, and associate a coordinate position with the attribute name. Just keep it.

  As described above, when the passing order is specified for the illumination space (actually a room) on the path of the flow line Lm, the center point Prc, the center point Pdc of the entrance / exit, and each illumination for each illumination space (room) Position data such as the center line of the hallway cr connecting the spaces is read from the storage unit 14. Using these position data, a flow line Lm is generated by the following procedures (1) to (3).

  Procedure (1): First, for the room r1 designated first, the line segment L1 connecting the center point Prc (1) as the starting point and the center point Pdc (1) of the entrance / exit of the room r1 is stored. This line segment L1 is a temporary flow line that is at least a part of the flow line Lm, and the center point Pdc (1) of the entrance / exit is used as the start point Pnx for searching for the next temporary flow line.

  Step (2): A route in which the room r1 and the room r2 are connected via the corridor cr to the route that reaches the second designated room r2 from the starting point Pnx for searching for the next provisional flow line. There are two types of routes: a route that is coupled without passing through the corridor cr. Hereinafter, each route will be described.

  (A) In the case of passing through a corridor: A line segment between the center point Pdc (1) of the entrance / exit of the room r1 which becomes the start point Pnx of the next temporary movement line and the center point Pdc (2) of the entrance / exit of the room r2 including the target position Connected by l1 and verifies the positional relationship between the line segment l1 and the boundary of the illumination space. The relationship between the line segment 11 and the boundary of the illumination space is classified into the following three types (a-1) to (a-3).

  (A-1) When the line segment l1 falls within the range of the corridor cr (see FIG. 19): With this positional relationship, as shown in FIG. 19B, the center point Pdc (1) of the entrance / exit of the room r1 and the room The center point Pdc (2) of the entrance / exit of r2 can be directly connected. Therefore, the line segment l1 is added to the flow line Lm (Lm ← l1). Further, as shown in FIG. 19C, in the room r2, a line segment L2 connecting the center point Pdc (2) of the entrance and the center point Prc (2) is added to the flow line Lm (Lm ← l1 + L2). In this case, the center point Prc (2) of the room r2 becomes the start point Pnx of the next temporary flow line.

  (A-2) When the line segment l1 passes through the boundary of the illumination space (see FIG. 20): In this positional relationship, as shown in FIG. 20 (a), the center point Pdc (1) of the entrance / exit of the room r1 and the room A line segment connecting the center point Pdc (2) of the entrance / exit of r2 intersects any of the walls of the rooms r1 to r4, the walls of the hallway cr, and the stairs. In other words, even if the corridor cr is moved linearly, the next room r2 cannot be reached. Further, the corridor cr has two straight portions, and both straight portions are orthogonal to form an intersection Pcn. The center points Pdc (1) and Pdc (2) of the entrances and exits of the rooms r1 and r2 are the corridor cr. Therefore, it is not possible to go straight from the center point Pdc (1) to the center point Pdc (2).

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 20B, a line segment connecting the center point Pdc (1) of the entrance / exit of the room r1 to the intersection Pcn is defined as l1 (1), and the line segment l1 (1) is added to the flow line Lm ( Lm ← l1 (1)), the intersection Pcn is used as the start point Pnx of the next temporary flow line. The temporary flow line and the starting point Pnx of the temporary flow line are obtained one after another by the same procedure, and the temporary flow line is included in the flow line Lm. That is, a line segment l1 (2) connecting the intersection Pcn and the center point Pdc (2) of the entrance / exit of the room r2 is added to the flow line Lm, and the center point Pdc of the entrance / exit of the room r2 as shown in FIG. 20 (c). Is added to the flow line Lm (Lm ← l1 (1) + l1 (2) + L2). By this processing, the flow line Lm can be automatically generated.

  (A-3) When the line segment l1 is located on the boundary of the hallway cr (see FIG. 21): This positional relationship is that the entrances of the room r1 and the room r2 are arranged on the same wall surface of the hallway cr. Since the line segment l1 connecting the two cannot actually pass, it cannot be adopted as the flow line Lm. Therefore, a point Ptmp located on the foot of a perpendicular line that is lowered from the midpoint of the line segment l1 to the center line of the hallway cr is obtained. As shown in FIG. 21B, a line segment l1 (1) connecting this point Ptmp and the center point Pdc (1) of the entrance / exit of the room r1 is added to the flow line Lm (Lm ← l1 (1)), A line segment l1 (2) connecting the point Ptmp which is the end point of the line segment l1 (1) and the center point Pdc (2) of the entrance / exit of the room r2 is added to the flow line Lm (Lm ← l1 (1) + l1 (2) ). Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 21 (c), a line segment L2 from the center point Pdc (2) of the entrance / exit of the room r2 to the center point Prc is added to the flow line Lm (Lm ← l1 (1) + l1 (2) + L2), the flow line Lm can be automatically generated.

  (B) When not passing through the corridor (see FIG. 22): This positional relationship is a case where the entrances and exits of the two rooms r1 and r2 are shared, and the center point Pdc (1) and the center point Pdc ( 2) and the center points Prc (1) and Prc (2) of the rooms r1 and r2 and the center point Pdc (1) (= Pdc (2) as shown in FIG. 22B. The line segments L1 and L2 are added to the flow line Lm (Lm ← L1 + L2).

  Step (3): When the processes (1) and (2) described above are repeated and a line segment generated from the start point to the end point of the flow line Lm is added to the flow line Lm, the flow line Lm is automatically generated. be able to.

  The procedure for automatically generating the flow line Lm is summarized as shown in FIG. That is, the passing order of the space area (illumination space) in which the flow line Lm is to be set is designated (S41), the counter value is set to 1 (Ci ← 1), and the flow line Lm is not set (Lm ← Null). The state is initialized (S42). Thereafter, a line segment L1 from the center point Prc (1) of the illumination space including the start point of the flow line Lm to the center point Pdc (1) of the entrance / exit is added to the flow line Lm (S44), and the center point Pdc (1) of the entrance / exit ) To be the next start point Pnx (S45).

  When the distance between the starting point Pnx and the center point Pdc (2) of the next room r2 passing through is larger than the wall thickness (S46: yes), the starting point Pnx and the center point Pdc of the next room r2 are used. It is determined whether or not the line connecting (2) interferes with the boundary of the illumination space (S47).

  If no interference occurs, the line segment is added to the flow line Lm (S48). Thereafter, the end point Pen of the line segment is set as a new start point Pnx (S49), and the process returns to step S46 to search for a line segment toward the room r3 that passes next.

  On the other hand, in step S47, when the line segment connecting the start point Pnx and the center point Pdc (2) of the entrance / exit of the next room r2 interferes with the boundary of another illumination space (S47: no), the line segment Is determined along the wall surface (S50). When the line segment is located on the wall surface, the point Ptmp is obtained as described above (a-3) (S51), and the line segment connecting the center point Pdc (1) of the entrance / exit of the room r1 and the point Ptmp. Is added to the flow line Lm (S52), and the point Ptmp is set as the next start point Pnx (S53). Then, it returns to step S46 and searches for the line segment which goes to the room r3 which passes next.

  If the distance between the start point Pnx and the center point Pdc (2) of the entrance / exit of the room r2 that passes next is equal to or less than the wall thickness (S46: no), or if it is not along the wall surface in step S50 A line segment connecting the start point Pnx and the center point Pdc (2) of the next room r2 is added to the flow line Lm (S54). 1 is added to the counter (S55), and a line segment connecting the center point Pdc (2) of the entrance / exit of the room r2 and the center point Prc (2) of the room r2 is added to the flow line Lm (S56).

  The above-described processing is repeated until the value of the counter Ci reaches the designated number of illumination spaces (rooms) (S43).

  By the way, when the staircase st exists on the route to be included in the flow line Lm, both ends of the center line of the staircase st may be handled equivalent to the position of the entrance / exit of the room r. However, the path from one end of the staircase st to the other end passes through the center line of the staircase st.

  As described in the first embodiment, the process after the flow line Lm is generated is to statically or dynamically define the comparison region Dc to determine whether the illuminance value satisfies the illuminance condition, and the determination result is What is necessary is just to show to the presentation part 12.

  When specifying the order of the rooms when generating the flow line Lm, when using the attribute names of the rooms, the flow line Lm is obtained by associating the illuminance condition with the attribute name as in the sixth embodiment. It is possible to automatically set the illumination conditions for each passing room. Of course, it is also possible for the operator to input the illuminance condition at each position on the flow line Lm.

  Furthermore, as described in the sixth embodiment, when a plurality of space areas are set in one room, the route of the flow line Lm is set in the room rather than specified in the passing order of the rooms. It is also possible to designate the path of the flow line Lm in the order of passage of the spatial areas. In this case, as a matter of course, the flow line Lm is set between the space areas in one room so as to avoid the object arranged in the room. Similar to the boundary avoidance method when passing through a corridor, the object avoidance method may be divided into cases and a route for avoiding the object may be generated for each case.

  In the above-described example, the example in which the center point Prc of the room r is used as the start point and the end point of the flow line Lm is shown, but the positions of the four corners of the room r can be used. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 24, a grid G of equal intervals may be formed on the screen of the presentation unit 12, and the flow line Lm may be generated so as to connect the grid points of the grid G. In this case, the lattice points may be distinguished from each other by assigning appropriate symbols to the lattice points serving as the path of the flow line Lm. For example, the signs A, B, C... Are given in the horizontal direction, the signs 1, 2, 3,... Are given in the vertical direction, the vertical and horizontal signs are combined, and the position of the lattice point is C-5. It can be expressed as follows. In addition, since the grid points are provided other than the center point of the room r, the start point and the end point of the flow line Lm can be designated other than the center point of the room r.

  In the above example, the flow line Lm is generated by connecting the line segments. However, in order to smooth the movement of the start point position Pv along the flow line Lm, a part that sandwiches the node that joins the line segments to each other May be connected by an arc. That is, the corners formed by the two line segments are connected by a radius (a part of an arc) having a predetermined curvature without forming a node at the connection portion of the two line segments.

  Further, instead of giving a rounded corner to a line segment, it is also possible to form a flow line Lm of a spline curve or a Bezier curve using a node of each line segment as a reference. If the flow line Lm generated as a curve is divided at an appropriate distance in this way, the curve can be approximated by a straight line. Therefore, by expressing a straight line having the dividing point as an end point by an equation, the curve It is possible to smoothly move the viewpoint position Pv while describing the flow line Lm as a set of straight lines.

  As described above, when an object is present in the room r, the collision determination with the boundary of the object is performed when the flow line Lm is generated, so the flow line Lm that detours to maintain a predetermined distance from the object is generated. It is also possible to set the start point and end point of the flow line Lm so as to bypass the object.

  When there are a plurality of intersections Pcn in the corridor cr serving as the path of the flow line Lm, (1) a line segment whose end point is the intersection does not intersect the boundary of the corridor, and (2) the line The angle between the line segment and the line segment from the start point of the line segment to the center point Pdc (2) of the entrance / exit of the room r2 is not 0 degrees (that is, when both line segments are represented by vectors from the start point to the end point) And (3) the length of the line segment connecting the intersection Pcn and the center point Pdc (2) of the entrance / exit of the room r2 and the length of the line segment having the intersection Pcn as the end point. When the three conditions that the sum of the two is minimized are satisfied, the intersection Pcn is selected as the intersection Pcn on the route of the flow line Lm. Condition (3) means that the route length is shorter than when another intersection Pcn is selected, and means that the shortest route that does not go round is selected.

  By adopting the technique of the present embodiment, the flow line Lm is automatically generated simply by determining the order of the spatial regions that pass through. Therefore, when the illuminance condition is determined by setting the flow line Lm, the movement line Lm is determined. The operator's workload for generating the line Lm can be greatly reduced. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the above-described embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Calculation part 11 Input part 12 Presentation part 13 Comparison determination part 14 Storage part Dc Comparison area | region Lm Flow line Pv Viewpoint position

Claims (11)

  A virtual simulator equivalent to a real space for a three-dimensional lighting space is generated by a computer, and a lighting simulator for evaluating a lighting environment in the virtual space, which specifies information for defining the virtual space and a viewpoint position Input section for inputting at least information for specifying a comparison area to be focused on and an illuminance condition relating to a desired illuminance value, and the virtual space inputted from the input section by dividing a surface existing in the virtual space into small areas The comparison area is determined by the calculation section that calculates the radiant energy of light for each small area using the information that defines the area, the viewpoint position specified from the input section, and the comparison area designation method, and the small area corresponding to the comparison area A comparison and determination unit that determines the incident energy of light on the light observation surface defined by the viewpoint position as an illuminance value and determines whether or not the illuminance value satisfies the illuminance condition, and a comparative determination Illumination simulator and a presenting section for presenting the determination result by.   The illumination simulator according to claim 1, wherein the illuminance condition is at least one of an upper limit value and a lower limit value.   The illumination simulator according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit that stores at least one of information defining the virtual space, the illuminance condition, the illuminance value, and the determination result.   The input unit can specify a height position as the viewpoint position in addition to a position in a plane along a floor surface in the virtual space. The lighting simulator described in 1.   The input unit can simultaneously specify a plurality of height positions as the viewpoint position, and the comparison determination unit determines whether the illuminance value satisfies an illuminance condition for each height position. The lighting simulator according to claim 4.   The lighting simulator according to claim 1, wherein the input unit is capable of setting a moving speed of the viewpoint position.   The presenting unit has a screen for displaying the determination result by the determination comparison unit together with the virtual space, and distinguishes the determination result as to whether or not the illuminance value of the small region corresponding to the comparison region satisfies the illuminance condition. The lighting simulator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting simulator is displayed.   The input unit can specify a plurality of the comparison regions, the comparison determination unit determines an illuminance difference of each comparison region, and the presenting unit presents a determination result regarding the illuminance difference together with a determination result regarding the illuminance condition. The lighting simulator according to claim 1, wherein the lighting simulator is characterized in that:   The input unit can input a plurality of spatial regions and attribute names of each spatial region as information for defining the virtual space, and the comparison / determination unit includes an attribute name of each spatial region and an illuminance condition. The illuminance condition is automatically set from the attribute name of the spatial region to which the viewpoint position belongs by comparing the attribute name of the spatial region input from the input unit with a condition table that is previously related to The illumination simulator according to any one of claims 1 to 8.   The lighting simulator according to claim 9, wherein when there is an overlapping part in the spatial region, an attribute name of the spatial region that overlaps with a central point of the comparison region of interest is adopted.   The input unit can input types and shapes of a plurality of spatial regions as information for defining the virtual space, and can input an order of moving the spatial regions as information for designating the viewpoint position A path setting unit that automatically generates a moving path of the viewpoint position by using a rule defined in advance for the type and shape of the spatial region input from the input unit and the order of moving the spatial region Is added, The illumination simulator of any one of Claims 1-10 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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