WO2017005794A1

WO2017005794A1 - Method for virtualising elements of an arrangement and apparatus for carrying out the method

Info

Publication number: WO2017005794A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/065980
Authority: WO
Inventors: Friedrich-Wilhelm Struve
Original assignee: Hamberger Industriewerke Gmbh
Priority date: 2015-07-07
Filing date: 2016-07-06
Publication date: 2017-01-12
Also published as: DE112016002756A5

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for virtualising an arrangement consisting of a plurality of elements, preferably a wall covering, floor covering or ceiling covering, wherein individual structural data of the elements are recorded and stored. The saved structural data can then be accessed by means of an identifier. The invention further relates to apparatus for carrying out such a method.

Description

Method for virtualizing elements of an arrangement and device for carrying out the method

description

The invention relates to a method for virtualizing elements of an arrangement, for example a wall, floor or ceiling covering according to the preamble of patent claim 1 and an apparatus for performing the method.

In the course of increasing digitization and virtualization, for example in interior design, there is a need of customers to virtually visualize interior design designs commissioned by them before realization. For example, the manufacturers provide data on floor coverings that make it possible to lay the floor covering in a virtual space and thus evaluate its appearance. Such an approach is quite conceivable, for example, in textile floor coverings, since their structure corresponds exactly to the specification in the manufacturing process due to the industrial production. The same applies to laminate floors in which the decorative layer is printed and thus always contains the same predetermined design.

Such methods for the visualization of objects are led under the keyword "Augmented Reality (AR)" and are the subject of a variety of

Patent applications. Reference may be made by way of example to the publications US 2010/0185529 A1, US 2012/0231424 A1 and US 2014/0132633 A1. However, these methods are essentially about relating real and virtual objects to each other. For coverings with individual structure, such as parquet planks, such a procedure is not possible because the individual structure of the respective parquet planks is naturally different, so that a virtualization takes place only in the form of a first rough approximation of the type of wood, the dimensions or the like.

However, the invention is by no means limited to use to virtualize panels / planks of a wall, floor or ceiling covering but is generally applicable when several individual elements are assembled into an assembly These individual elements are each provided with an individual, characteristic structure.

In contrast, the invention has for its object to provide a method and an apparatus that allows virtualization of elements, preferably of floor, wall or ceiling elements that have an individual, such as natural structure.

This object is achieved by a method having the features of patent claim 1 and a device having the features of independent patent claim 9.

Advantageous developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

The inventive method is used to virtualize elements of an arrangement, such as a wall, floor or ceiling covering, which is formed of individual elements with a respective individual structure. According to the invention, the individual structure of the elements is first detected and stored individually in a data memory. In other words, after this step, the individual structural data of the individual elements are stored in a database. In a further step, the elements or several of the elements are provided with an identifier, which allows an association of the element or elements to the stored structure data. In a further step - for example by the customer - an identification of the element or elements based on the identifier and a readout of the associated structure data from the data memory. On the basis of this read structure data can then be created an exact image of the associated elements.

In this way, it is possible to virtually represent an arrangement composed of the elements, for example a wall, floor or ceiling covering composed of these elements, with the actual individual structure.

The method according to the invention can be used particularly advantageously with elements made of natural materials which, for example, have a wood structure or the like. point. Such a natural material is individually different due to the unpredictable growth conditions, so that - as explained in the beginning - conventional methods can not reproduce the actual appearance. The method is particularly advantageously applicable to wall, floor and ceiling coverings with a wooden decorative surface.

The identifier applied to the elements can be stored, for example, a barcode, a QR code or on a memory chip, such as an RFID.

In a variant of the invention, the identification is very simple via the camera of a smartphone, a tablet or the like. This camera is linked to an app, via which the structure data can then be read from the memory in dependence on the detected identifier.

The structure data can be stored via the app on the smartphone or else in a central database, which is then accessed via WLAN or the like.

In one embodiment, the elements are parquet planks with a wood decor layer.

Several of the elements, for example the parquet planks, may be packaged in a package which then carries the identifier with which the structural data of the elements, in this case the parquet planks of the parcel, are linked.

An apparatus for carrying out the method has a device, preferably a scanner, for acquiring the structural data of elements, a memory for storing the structural data associated with the elements, a device for applying an identifier to the element or elements, and a device for reading out the structural data in FIG Dependence on the identifier.

This device can furthermore be designed with a virtualization program via which the elements detected via the identifier can be displayed in a virtual space. The scanner can, for example, be at the end of a production line for the elements, for example parquet boards, so that the individual structural data of the individual boards is recorded and then assigned to an identifier during packaging. The identifier affixed to the package or to the planks may be, for example, a code readable by a smartphone, for example a QR code or a bar code, or else deposited on an RFID chip or the like applied to the packaging or planks.

In the case where one identifies the package of the package, the customer is able to retrieve the individual structure data or the like without opening the package. In this way, the customer can convince themselves that the individual planks / elements contained in the packages fit together without having to open the package. It is thus possible to process complaints much easier, for example due to a possible non-miscibility of elements.

When using a chip (for example, an RFID chip), the structure data can be stored directly on the package, so that a

Database connection does not have to be established.

The structural data read out on the basis of the identifier can then be used via a visualization program to display the corresponding wall, floor or ceiling covering.

In this way, the customer is enabled to check the actual appearance of the installed elements in advance to see if these elements are his

Meet expectations.

However, as explained above, the invention is not limited to use in wall, floor or ceiling coverings but can also be used in arrangements which are composed of several individual elements, preferably these elements are accommodated in one or more packages whose contents can be checked and virtualized according to the invention without opening the package.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to schematic drawings. Show it:

Figure 1 is an illustration of individual parquet planks and

FIG. 2 shows a production plant for carrying out the invention

Process.

As mentioned above, in a production plant for parquet floorboards, a scanner can be provided, via which the individual structural data of the finished parquet floorboards are recorded. This scanner can be at the end of the actual production or in front of the packaging unit. Usually several parquet planks are combined in one package. This packet is then provided with an identifier associated with the individual structural data of the planks that are grouped in the packet. Of course, this identifier can also contain further information, such as, for example, the type of connection profiling, the production date, etc.

Figure 1 shows an example of some individual parquet boards 1, for example along their long sides 2, 4 and their end faces 6, 8 with a suitable profile, such as a tongue / groove profile or a horizontal and

Vertical locking enabling profile or inserted springs are executed. A decorative surface 10 of each panel is made of real wood. This wood usually has an individual structure which makes the panel unique in the form of a "fingerprint." This structure is represented by a grain 12 in the figure of Figure 1. Such grain 12 is of wood species, climate, in which each tree is dependent on the age of the tree and on a variety of other parameters, including the manufacturing process

Decorative layer 10 trained parquet planks 1 are summarized after sawing, profiling and surface coating / painting in a packaging unit via a handling device to a plank package 14, which then after an intermediate storage the respective dealer / consumer is delivered. Usually, this floorboard package 14 is provided with a label, which among other things, the parquet, specifics in the manufacture (surface sealing, profiling and other interesting details for the consumer are removable.

According to the invention, the plank package 14 additionally contains information about the individual, unique structure of the respective parquet planks 1.

With reference to FIG 2 is simplified simplifies the compilation of such a plank package 14 explained. Figure 2 shows the procedure, it is assumed that the individual parquet planks 1 after pressing, for example, the

Decorative layer 10 with a supporting layer of wood and a Gegenzugschicht also made of wood, profiling and surface coating via a conveyor belt 16 in

Arrow direction of a scan station 18 are supplied. This has a scanner 20 with high resolution, over which the individual surface structure, such as

Grain 1 1 of each panel is detected. These scan data will then be sent over the

Scanning station 18 processed in a central processing unit 22 and stored in a memory, such as a cloud 24 and possibly even a permanent memory of the arithmetic unit 22 on a packet-side chip (RFID chip). When using barcodes or QR codes, for example, a printer 26 is actuated via the arithmetic unit 22, which provides the abovementioned label 27 with the barcode 28, a QR code or the like or else the information about the individual structure is displayed on one

label-side RFID chip stored.

In one embodiment, this label 27 is associated with the plank package 14, which contains several of the scanned planks 1 - accordingly, then the label 27 also contains all necessary for visualization structure data of the scanned, located in the plank package 14 planks.

At the end of this production line, there are thus a large number of plank packages 14a, 14b, 14c..., Each of which is provided with a bar code 28 or the like which contains the desired information about the individual structure. These plank packages 14a, 14b, 14c are then stored in a warehouse 36 and delivered to the dealer (see arrow 32).

The dealer or the end user then has a reader, such as a bar code reader 34, via which the bar code 28 can be detected. In dependence on this barcode 28, the structure information about the particular tray packet 14 is then read from the cloud 24 or another data store. The dealer or user then has the information about the individual structure of each in the respective

Floorboard 14 arranged parquet flooring 1 and can represent the concrete parquet flooring 1 on a computer or virtualize via an AR (Augmented Reality) system, so that, for example, the appearance of the individual panels 1 checked in a pre-scanned living space or a factory floor or an event hall can be. The user then has the concrete possibility, depending on the individual structure (grain 12) to determine the laying position of the parquet planks 1 or select from several packages those that come closest to the user's ideas in terms of structure. All this is then possible in advance without opening the plank pack 14, so that the laying process is considerably simplified compared to conventional solutions.

As stated, after the delivery of the package, the customer has the option of using the identifier to retrieve the individual structure data of the planks of the respective package. For this purpose, he can also photograph, for example via a camera of a smartphone, the ID from /. In this case, for example, an app can be stored on the smartphone, which retrieves the individual structure data from a data store on the basis of the photo. This can be stored on the smartphone or in a central database, which is then accessed via the smartphone (for example, via WLAN, mobile connection).

Disclosed is a method for virtualizing a multi-element arrangement, preferably a wall, floor or ceiling covering, in which individual structural data of the elements are captured and stored. The stored structure data can then be retrieved using an identifier. Furthermore, an apparatus for carrying out such a method is disclosed. LIST OF REFERENCES:

1 parquet board

2 long side 4 long side 6 front side 8 front side

10 decorative layer

12 grain

14 plank package

16 conveyor belt 8 scanning station

20 scanners

22 arithmetic unit

24 Cloud

26 printers

27 label

28 barcode 30 bearings

32 delivery

34 readers

36 pcs

Claims

claims

1 . Method for virtualizing an arrangement, preferably a wall, floor or ceiling covering, which is formed from individual identical elements with a respective individual, substantially independent from the manufacturing process structure, with the steps:

Detecting the individual structure of the elements and storing the structural data associated with the respective element,

Providing the element or several elements with an identifier which makes it possible to associate the elements with the structure data,

- Identification of the element or elements based on the identifier and read the structure data from the data memory.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein based on the read structural data, a representation of the arrangement, preferably of the pad in the virtual space is generated.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the structure is a wood structure, or an individual geometry of the element.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the identifier is a bar code (28) or a QR code or is stored on an RFID chip.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the identification by means of a reading device (34) or a camera, preferably a smartphone or the like takes place, which has an app, are read out on the basis of the identifier, the structure data.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the structure data are stored on the RFID chip, on a decentralized database, for example the smartphone or in a central database, for example a cloud (24).

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the elements are parquet boards (1).

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of parquet planks (1) are packaged in a package (14) carrying the identifier with which the structural data of the

Parquet planks (1) of the package (14) are linked.

9. Device for carrying out the method according to claims 1 to 8, with a scanner (20) for detecting the individual structural data of

Elements, a memory (24) for storing the elements associated with the elements

Structure data, a device for applying an identifier on the element (s) or a packaging and a device for reading out the structure data as a function of the identifier.

10. The device according to claim 9, with a virtualization program for representing the elements in a virtual space.

1 1. Device according to claim 10, wherein the elements in the virtual space can be displayed joined together for arrangement.