Route generation program, route generation method and route generation apparatus

1. A route generation method in which a computer executes:

generating cells, by a CPU of the computer, based on data about a floor plan, stored in a storage of the computer, that includes information indicating a type of a constituent element of a house and setting, by the CPU, the information indicating the type of the constituent element in each of the cells, the cells being formed by separating a plane in a grid pattern having a predetermined size;

reading, by the CPU, the information indicating the type of the constituent element set in the cell stored in the storage, specifying, by the CPU, an outer edge of a passable region based on whether the constituent element is passable determined in advance in association with the type of the constituent element, and generating, by the CPU, data about a pathway in which the passable region is thinned, by extracting cells that are at long distances from the outer edge of the passable region compared to the peripheral cells;

generating, by the CPU, a graph based on the data about the pathway, the graph including nodes indicating an endpoint or an intersection point on the pathway and an edge connecting the nodes;

setting, by the CPU, a starting point and an ending point, based on an input from a user, and searching a path from the starting point to the ending point, using the graph; and

generating, by the CPU, a walk-through simulator that displays, from the viewpoint of the user, a walk-through in a three-dimensional model of the floor plan via a sight line direction of a camera pointing in the direction of the path from the starting point to the ending point.

2. The route generation method according to claim 1 , wherein the computer further executes:

generating, by the CPU, a movement route, based on the path, by transforming the path into a curve;

reading, by the CPU, the information indicating the type of the constituent element, for the movement route, and judging, by the CPU, whether the movement route and an impassable constituent element collide, based on whether the constituent element is passable, the information indicating the type of the constituent element being set in the cell through which the movement route passes, whether the constituent element is passable being determined in advance in association with the type of the constituent element; and

changing, by the CPU, a curvature at a point on the movement route, in response to determining that the movement route and the impassable constituent element.

3. The route generation method according to claim 2 , wherein

the data about the floor plan includes a constituent element the type of which is a door or stairs, and

a polygonal line by which the path is approximated is generated by adopting, as an apex, at least a node present at a position corresponding to a cell for the constituent element the type of which is the door or the stairs, and the movement route is generated based on the apex of the polygonal line.

4. The route generation method according to claim 2 , wherein

a via-point is further set based on an input from the user, a second path is further searched in response to determining that each obtained first path does not pass through the via-point, and the path from the starting point to the ending point is generated by linking the first path and the second path, the first path being a path from the starting point to the ending point, the second path being a path from the via-point to a node contained included in the first path.

5. The route generation method according to claim 2 , wherein

the CPU further executes drawing a three-dimensional model of a building indicated by the data about the floor plan, and orienting a sight line to a point on the movement route a predetermined distance away while moving a viewpoint along the movement route in the three-dimensional model.

6. The route generation method according to claim 1 , wherein

in response to determining that there is a node array that is looped in a predetermined distance or less, the route is searched, by the CPU, while the node array is replaced with a single virtual node.

7. The route generation method according to claim 1 , wherein

the data about the floor plan includes data about furniture that is an impassable constituent element, as the constituent element.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a route generation program that causes a computer comprising a CPU to execute:

generating cells based on data about a floor plan, stored in a storage of the computer, that includes information indicating a type of a constituent element of a house and setting the information indicating the type of the constituent element in each of the cells, the cells being formed by separating a plane in a grid pattern having a predetermined size;

reading the information indicating the type of the constituent element set in the cell stored in the storage, specifying an outer edge of a passable region based on whether the constituent element is passable determined in advance in association with the type of the constituent element, and generating data about a pathway in which the passable region is thinned, by extracting cells that are at long distances from the outer edge of the passable region compared to the peripheral cells;

generating a graph based on the data about the pathway, the graph including nodes indicating an endpoint or an intersection point on the pathway and an edge connecting the nodes;

setting a starting point and an ending point, based on an input from a user, and searching a path from the starting point to the ending point, using the graph; and

generating a walk-through simulator that displays, from the viewpoint of the user, a walk-through in a three-dimensional model of the floor plan via a sight line direction of a camera pointing in the direction of the path from the starting point to the ending point.

9. A route generation apparatus comprising a CPU configured to:

generate cells based on data about a floor plan, stored in a storage of the route generation apparatus, that includes information indicating a type of a constituent element of a house and to set the information indicating the type of the constituent element in each of the cells, the cells being formed by separating a plane in a grid pattern having a predetermined size;

read the information indicating the type of the constituent element set in the cell stored in the storage, to specify an outer edge of a passable region based on whether the constituent element is passable determined in advance in association with the type of the constituent element, and to generate data about a pathway in which the passable region is thinned by extracting cells that are at long distances from the outer edge of the passable region compared to the peripheral cells;

generate a graph based on the data about the generated pathway, the graph including nodes indicating an endpoint or an intersection point on the pathway and an edge connecting the nodes;

set a starting point and an ending point, based on an input from a user, and to search a path from the starting point to the ending point, using the generated graph; and

generate a walk-through simulator that displays, from the viewpoint of the user, a walk-through in a three-dimensional model of the floor plan via a sight line direction of a camera pointing in the direction of the path from the starting point to the ending point.