Design support system and design support method

• US 20090248382A1
• Filed: 02/09/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Shigeo, Imai, Kanako
• Granted Patent: US 8,706,465 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/24 Sheet material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30

Abstract

A design support system for supporting a design of an electronic device having an input device through which an input is made by utilizing elasticity is provided. The system includes a simulation unit for executing structural simulation of an input device based on structural data of the electronic device including the input device. The support system can include a re-design determining unit for notifying a need for re-design to a designer based on reactive characteristic data of the input device output from the simulation unit. The support system can include an examining unit for examining the reactive characteristic data, and a selecting unit for selecting another input device to replace the current input device.

Claims

1. A design support system for supporting a design of an electronic device having an input device through which an input is made elasticity, comprising:

a simulation unit for executing a structural simulation of a first input device based on structural data of the electronic device having the first input device;

a re-design determining unit for notifying a designer that based on reactive characteristic data of the first input device output from the simulation unit that the electronic device is required to be re-designed;

an examining unit for examining the reactive characteristic data; and

a selecting unit for selecting a second input device from an input device data base when it is determined by the examining unit that the first input device is deficient.

2. The design support system according to claim 1, wherein the re-design determining unit determines that the re-design of the electronic device is necessary when the weighted click rate and the stroke click rate of the first input device on the electronic device do not satisfy reference values.

3. The design support system according to claim 1, wherein the examining unit examines the reactive characteristic data based on maximum reactive force and a stroke amount of the first input device on the electronic device.

4. The design support system according to claim 3, wherein the selecting unit selects as a second input device an input device having maximum reactive force larger than the maximum reactive force of the first input device when the maximum reactive force of the first input device is smaller than a reference value.

5. The design support system according to claim 3, wherein the selecting unit selects as a second input device an input device having maximum reactive force smaller than the maximum reactive force of the first input device when the maximum reactive force of the first input device is larger than a reference value.

6. The design support system according to claim 3, wherein the selecting unit selects as a second input device an input device having a stroke amount larger than the stroke amount of the first input device when the stroke amount of the first input device is smaller than a reference value.

7. The design support system according to claim 3, wherein the selecting unit selects as a second input device an input device having a stroke amount smaller than the stroke amount of the first input device when the stroke amount of the first input device is larger than a reference value.

8. The design support system according to claim 1, wherein the selecting unit does not select as a second input device any input device which has been already selected, and also applies the second input device to the structural data of the electronic device so that the simulation unit executes structural simulation based on the structural data concerned.

9. A design support method of supporting the design of an electronic device having an input device through which an input is made by utilizing elasticity, comprising:

a simulation operation of executing a structural simulation of a first input device based on structural data of the electronic device including the first input device;

a re-design determining operation of notifying a designer when it is determined based on reactive characteristic data of the first input device output from the simulation unit that the electronic device is required to be re-designed;

an examining operation of examining the reactive characteristic data; and

a selecting operation of selecting a second input device, to replace the first input device, from an input device data base when it is determined in the examining operation that the first input device is deficient.