Drawing assist device, drawing assist program, and drawing assist method

• US 9,335,909 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2009
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carnegie Mellon University, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Komatsu, Yoichiro, Sabanai, Shunji, Shimada, Kenji, Yamakawa, Soji
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Xiao
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akhavannik, Mohammad H
• Application Number:
  US12/477,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20100309115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,533 Days
• Field of Search: 345/441
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour

Abstract

Provided is a drawing assist device and the like which assists a drawing operation while improving efficiency thereof. According to the drawing assist device of the present invention, whether or not a first factor of an element defined according to a positional trajectory of a pointer moved by an agent is adequate in design for a subject represented by the element is determined. The agent is notified if the determination result thereof is negative. According thereto, the agent can progress the drawing operation while confirming whether or not the subject drawn personally is adequate in design.

Claims

1. A drawing assist device, comprising:

a first interface configured to recognize a positional trajectory of a pointer displayed on the first interface moved by an agent;

a display; and

a controller configured to display on the display an element having a first factor complied with the positional trajectory of the pointer, wherein the first factor comprises one or more of a shape, posture or displacement, or a combination thereof,

wherein the controller is provided with

a first arithmetic processing element configured to recognize the first factor of the element and evaluate a single or a plurality of index values indicating manufacturing characteristics of a subject constructing a product represented by the element on the basis of a recognition result; and

a second arithmetic processing element configured to determine whether or not the index value evaluated by the first arithmetic processing element is confined in a reference range defined on the basis of the manufacturing characteristics of the subject and notify the agent of an information complied with a determination result,

wherein the second arithmetic processing element determines whether or not the index value is confined in the reference range on the basis of a second factor after recognizing the reference range, wherein the second factor comprises a part or an entirety of a material, a category of a subject, a manufacture requirement, an attachment requirement and an assembly requirement.

2. The drawing assist device according to claim 1, wherein the second arithmetic processing element stores the determination result, one or both of the index value and the first factor, and the second factor with a relation labeled therebetween;

and

retrieves one or both of the index value and the first factor complied with a positive or a negative determination result, or the determination result and one or both of the index value and the first factor from the data base on the basis of the second factor of a new element, and outputs a retrieved result to the agent.

3. The drawing assist device according to claim 2, wherein the second arithmetic processing element outputs a plurality of the index values as the retrieved result in accordance with the new element recognized by the first arithmetic processing element and recognizes one of the plurality of the index values selected by the agent, and displays the new element on the display after adjusting the first factor of the new subject so as to conform with the selected index value.

4. The drawing assist device according to claim 2, wherein the second arithmetic processing element outputs a plurality of the first factors as the retrieved result in accordance with the new element recognized by the first arithmetic processing element and recognizes one of the plurality of the first factors selected by the agent, and displays the new element on the display after adjusting the first factor of the new element so as to conform with the selected first factor.

5. The drawing assist device according to claim 1, wherein the first arithmetic processing element shapes an initial element in accordance with the positional trajectory of the pointer recognized through the first interface, and recognizes the shaped initial element as the element.

6. The drawing assist device according to claim 1, wherein the second arithmetic processing element recognizes the second factor of the subject on the basis of the first factor thereof.

7. The drawing assist device according to claim 1, further includes a second interface configured to recognize the second factor of the subject appointed by the agent, wherein the second arithmetic processing element recognizes the second factor of the subject through the second interface.

8. The drawing assist device according to claim 1, wherein the second arithmetic processing element calculates a variation amount of the index value necessary to confine the index value in the reference range on a condition that the index value is determined to be deviated from the reference range, and notifies the agent of the variation amount or the first factor of the element for fulfilling the variation amount.

9. The drawing assist device according to claim 1, wherein the second arithmetic processing element displays a message showing that the subject is inadequate in design, or an element leading the index value to deviate from the reference range in a form distinguishable from the other elements on the display.

10. The drawing assist device according to claim 1, wherein the first arithmetic processing element selects a category of the index value as an evaluation subject in accordance with the positional trajectory of the pointer recognized through the first interface.

11. The drawing assist device according to claim 1, wherein under a condition that the subject has been determined to be inadequate in design by the second arithmetic processing element and a new first factor of the element complied with the positional trajectory of the pointer has been recognized by the first arithmetic processing element, the second arithmetic processing element stops notifying that the subject having the new first factor is inadequate in design when the determination result is positive, or notifies that the subject having the new first factor is adequate in design.

12. The drawing assist device according to claim 1, wherein the first arithmetic processing element evaluates partially or entirely a part or an entirety of height, width and thickness of the subject, a curvature or angle of a curved position of the subject, an interval between an element constituting one subject and the element constituting the other subject, a component or components constituting the subject and the number of the components confined by the element as the index value.

13. The drawing assist device according to claim 1, wherein the second arithmetic processing element determines whether or not a request for the element by the agent is present, and determines whether or not the subject is adequate in design on an additional condition if the request has been determined to be present.

14. The drawing assist device according to claim 1, wherein the first arithmetic processing element recognizes the first factor of the element in accordance with the positional trajectory of the pointer recognized through the first interface, or recognizes a variation behavior of the first factor of the element and thereafter recognizes the second factor of the element varied according to the variation behavior.

15. The drawing assist device according to claim 1, further includes a pen-like drawing tool, wherein the first interface is provided with a pressure sensitive or a touch sensitive panel;

and the first arithmetic processing element recognizes a positional trajectory of contacting positions of the drawing tool on the panel as the positional trajectory of the pointer.

16. A drawing assist method, comprising steps of:

recognizing a positional trajectory of a pointer displayed on an interface moved by an agent;

recognizing a first factor of an element complied with the positional trajectory of the pointer;

displaying on the interface the element having the first factor;

evaluating a single or a plurality of index values indicating manufacturing characteristics of a subject constructing a product represented by the element on the basis of the first factor;

determining whether or not the index value is confined in a reference range defined on the basis of the manufacturing characteristics of the subject and a second factor after recognizing the reference range, wherein the second factor comprises a part or an entirety of a material, a category of a subject, a manufacture requirement, an attachment requirement and an assembly requirement; and

notifying the agent of an information complied with a determination result.

17. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

at least one instruction for causing a computer to recognize a positional trajectory of a pointer displayed on an interface moved by an agent;

at least one instruction for causing the computer to recognize a first factor of an element complied with the positional trajectory of the pointer;

at least one instruction for causing the computer to display on the interface the element having the first factor;

at least one instruction for causing the computer to evaluate a single or a plurality of index values indicating manufacturing characteristics of a subject constructing a product represented by the element on the basis of the first factor;

at least one instruction for causing the computer to determine whether or not the index value is confined in a reference range defined on the basis of the manufacturing characteristics of the subject and on the basis of a second factor after recognizing the reference range, wherein the second factor comprises a part or an entirety of a material, a category of a subject, a manufacture requirement, an attachment requirement and an assembly requirement; and

at least one instruction for causing the computer to notify the agent of an information complied with a determination result.