Three-dimensional tactile computer input device
First Claim
1. A computer aided design system comprising:
- a data processor receiving data inputs and generating in response thereto a representation of an object under design;
a display monitor receiving the representation generated by the data processor and providing a visual display of the representation to a system user; and
a hand-held input device providing data inputs to the data processor, the input device representing a simulation of the object under design such that changes in shape of the input device due to manual manipulation thereof result in changes to the shape of the representation generated by the data processor, wherein the input device comprises a hinge holding two pieces of the input device together, the input device bending at the hinge as a result of manual manipulation of the input device, the bending of the input device generating an output to the data processor which results in a similar bending of the representation generated by the data processor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A tactile computer input device which simulates an object being designed is used with a computer aided design (CAD) system. The input device allows a user to manually manipulate the input device as if it were the object under design. A preferred embodiment is directed toward the design of sheet metal parts. The design begins with a virtual metal sheet which is then manipulated by a user through manual manipulation of the input device. Bending of the virtual object is accomplished by bending of the input device. Stretching and shrinking of the virtual object is accomplished by expanding and compressing the input device. Spatial orientation of the virtual object follows the spatial orientation of the input device by providing the input device with a Polhemus orientation sensor. Other functions for manipulating the virtual sheet metal object include cutting, embossing, and punching.
289 Citations
44 Claims
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1. A computer aided design system comprising:
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a data processor receiving data inputs and generating in response thereto a representation of an object under design; a display monitor receiving the representation generated by the data processor and providing a visual display of the representation to a system user; and a hand-held input device providing data inputs to the data processor, the input device representing a simulation of the object under design such that changes in shape of the input device due to manual manipulation thereof result in changes to the shape of the representation generated by the data processor, wherein the input device comprises a hinge holding two pieces of the input device together, the input device bending at the hinge as a result of manual manipulation of the input device, the bending of the input device generating an output to the data processor which results in a similar bending of the representation generated by the data processor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A computer aided design system comprising:
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an input device generating data inputs in response to manipulation thereof, wherein the input device comprises a hinge holding two pieces of the input device together, the input device bending at the hinge as a result of manual manipulation of the input device; a data processor receiving the data inputs and generating in response thereto a representation of an object under design, the input device providing data inputs to the data processor, the input device representing a simulation of the object under design such that changes in shape of the input device due to manual manipulation thereof result in changes to the shape of the representation generated by the data processor, the bending of the input device generating an output to the data processor which results in a similar bending of the representation generated by the data processor; a display monitor providing a visual display of said representation; and a display icon generated by the data processor and displayed on the display monitor in addition to said representation, the display icon on the display monitor moving in response to movement of the input device while being confined to displayed surfaces of said representation. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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10. A method of performing a computer aided design comprising:
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providing a data processor receiving data inputs and generating in response thereto a representation of an object under design; receiving the representation generated by the data processor with a display monitor and providing a visual display of the representation to a system user; and providing data inputs to the data processor with a hand-held input device, the input device representing a simulation of the object under design such that changes in shape of the input device due to manual manipulation thereof result in changes to the shape of the representation generated by the data processor, wherein providing data inputs to the data processor includes closing a bend switch on the input device and bending the input device about a hinge to generate an input to the data processor which results in a bending of the representation generated by the data processor which mimics the bending of the input device. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A computer aided design system comprising:
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a data processor receiving data inputs and generating, in response thereto, a three-dimensional representation of an object under design, a display monitor receiving the representation generated by the data processor and providing a two-dimensional visual display of the representation, the representation being displayed in perspective; a hand-held input device providing data inputs to the data processor, the input device representing a simulation of the object under design such that changes in shape of the input device due to manual manipulation thereof result in changes to the shape of the representation generated by the data processor which mimic the changes in shape to the input device, said changes in shape to the representation including bending of the representation in response to bending of the input device and changes in size of a portion of the representation relative to other portions of the representation in response to compressing and expanding of the input device, wherein the input device comprises a bend switch which when closed provides an input to the data processor to cause the representation to bend in response to bending of the input device, and wherein the data processor generates a display icon which is displayed on the display monitor in addition to said representation, the spatial orientation of the icon on the display monitor being changeable with the spatial orientation of the input device; and an orientation sensor providing an input to the data processor indicative of the spatial orientation of the input device, wherein the orientation sensor comprises a magnetic source stationary relative to a magnetic sensor which moves with the input device. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A method of performing a computer aided design, the method comprising:
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providing a data processor receiving data inputs and generating in response thereto a representation of an object under design; providing a display monitor receiving the representation generated by the data processor and providing a visual display of the representation; inputting data to the data processor with a hand-held input device, the input device representing a simulation of the object under design such that changes in shape of the input device due to manual manipulation thereof result in changes to the shape of the representation generated by the data processor which mimic the changes in shape to the input device, wherein providing data inputs to the data processor includes closing a bend switch on the input device and bending the input device about a hinge to generate an input to the data processor which results in a bending of the representation generated by the data processor which mimics the bending of the input device; generating with the data processor a screen icon which is displayed on the display screen in addition to the representation, the screen icon on the display screen being moveable in response to movements of the input device while being confined to display surfaces of the representation; and retaining the representation generated by the data processor by storing in a data processor memory a listing of edges, faces and vertices of the displayed representation which define the representation generated by the data processor. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification