DRAWING SUPPORT DEVICE, DRAWING SUPPORT PROGRAM, AND DRAWING SUPPORT METHOD

• US 20100116963A1
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carnegie Mellon University, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Carnegie Mellon University, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sabanai, Shunji, Shimada, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 8,593,487 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 248/454
• CPC Class Codes: B43L 1/00 Repeatedly-usable boards or tablets for writing or drawing drawing-boards B43L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The present invention provides a device capable of supporting drawing work while improving the continuity of the drawing work. According to a drawing support device 1, components corresponding to successive position trajectories of the tip of a pen 2 are displayed on a panel 3, and this enables drawing work with the feeling of hand drawing. Further, among the components displayed on the panel 3, the shape or the like of a “first component” to be a changing target is changed based on the shape or the like of a “reference component” selected from “second components” excluded from the selection of the changing target, so that the workload of adjustment of the shape or the like of the first component can be reduced. Although a second component targeted for a specification operation is specified as the reference component, since the pen 2 is used for the specification operation, continuity from the hand drawing of the components to the drawing work is not impaired. Further, the shape or the like of the first component is changed based on the shape or the like of the reference component, so that the workload of adjustment of the shape or the like of the first component can be reduced.

Claims

1. A drawing support device comprising a drawing tool, a drawing medium, and an output control device which causes the drawing medium to display components corresponding to position trajectories of the drawing tool, wherein

the output control device (a) recognizes the components displayed on the drawing medium by classifying the components into a first component as a changing target, whose shape, posture, or arrangement, or a combination thereof (hereinafter referred to as “

shape or the like”

) is to be changed, and a second component excluded from the selection of the changing target;

(b) specifies the second component as a reference component on the condition that the second component has a specified position in relation to the first component which second component is used to change the shape or the like of the first component based on the shape or the like of the reference component; and

(c) recognizes, as the second component, the first component targeted for a freezing operation using the drawing tool.

2. The drawing support device according to claim 1, wherein the output control device specifies the second component as the reference component on the condition that the second component has been targeted for a specification operation in addition to or instead of the requirement that the second component has the specified position in relation to the first component.

3. The drawing support device according to claim 1, wherein the output control device recognizes, as the first component, the second component targeted for an unfreezing operation using the drawing tool.

4. The drawing support device according to claim 1, wherein the output control device recognizes a memo represented by position trajectories of the drawing tool, and causes the drawing medium to display the memo.

5. The drawing support device according to claim 1, wherein the output control device erases a component from the drawing medium in the case that the component meets such requirement that a position trajectory of the drawing tool corresponds to an erasing gesture and the position trajectory overlaps the component displayed on the drawing medium.

6. The drawing support device according to claim 1, wherein the output control device adjusts the distance between the first component and the reference component in response to detecting of touching or sliding operation of the drawing tool to a predetermined position of the drawing medium, operation of a switch provided on the drawing tool, or operation of a switch provided on the drawing support device.

7. A drawing support program which causes a computer to function as the drawing support device according to claim 1, the computer comprising a drawing tool, a drawing medium, and an output control device which causes the drawing medium to display components according to position trajectories of the drawing tool.

8. A method of supporting user'"'"'s drawing operations by means of a drawing support device comprising a drawing tool, a drawing medium, and an output control device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) allowing the user to move the drawing tool;

(b) allowing the output control device to recognize position trajectories of the drawing tool moved by the user to cause the drawing medium to display components corresponding to the position trajectories;

(c) allowing the output control device to recognize the components displayed on the drawing medium by classifying the components into a first component as a changing target, whose shape, posture, or arrangement, or a combination thereof (hereinafter referred to as “

shape or the like”

) is to be changed, and a second component excluded from the selection of the changing target;

(d) allowing the output control device to specify the second component as a reference component on condition that the second component has a specified position relation with the first component;

(e) allowing the output control device to change the shape or the like of the first component based on the shape or the like of the reference component;

(f) allowing the user to perform a freezing operation on the first component using the drawing tool; and

(g) allowing the output control device to recognize, as the second component, the first component targeted for the user'"'"'s freezing operation.