Drawing support device, drawing support program, and drawing support method

• US 8,593,487 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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: Shimada, Kenji, Sabanai, Shunji
• Primary Examiner(s): Ma, Tize
• Assistant Examiner(s): He, Yingchun
• Application Number:
  US12/269,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20100116963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,840 Days
• Field of Search: 345 11-111, 345581-618, 345156-184, 345/642, 345441-443, 345/462
• US Class Current: 345/642
• 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, components corresponding to successive position trajectories of the tip of a pen are displayed on a panel, and this enables drawing work with the feeling of hand drawing. Further, among the components displayed on the panel, 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.

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, wherein the 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) upon detecting no specification operation of the drawing tool within a defined period of time, recognizes, as the second component, the first component targeted for a freezing operation using the drawing tool, wherein the specification operation at least includes an operation of a switch provided on the drawing tool or a creation of a position trajectory of the drawing tool on the drawing medium, and the freezing operation temporarily prohibits editing on the recognized second component prior to an unfreezing operation,

wherein the output control device repeats (a)-(c) on a new position trajectory of the drawing tool upon detecting no unfreezing operation of the recognized second component, and specifies the recognized second component as the first component upon detecting the unfreezing operation of the recognized second component.

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 the 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 the 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 upon detecting 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 a touching or sliding operation of the drawing tool to a predetermined position of the drawing medium, operation of the switch provided on the drawing tool, or operation of a switch provided on the drawing support device.

7. A drawing support program which is embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and 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. The drawing support device according to claim 1, wherein the output control device adjusts a distance between the first and second components based on a detected numeric value according to a movement of the drawing tool, or a received input through the output control device.

9. 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, comprising:

(a) allowing a 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) upon detecting no specification operation of the drawing tool within a defined period of time, allowing the user to perform a freezing operation on the first component using the drawing tool, wherein the specification operation at least includes an operation of a switch provided on the drawing tool or a creation of a position trajectory of the drawing tool on the drawing medium;

(g) allowing the output control device to recognize, as the second component, the first component targeted for the user'"'"'s freezing operation, wherein the freezing operation temporarily prohibits editing on the recognized second component prior to an unfreezing operation;

(h) repeating (a)-(g) on a new position trajectory of the drawing tool when the output control device detects no unfreezing operation of the recognized second component; and

(i) specifying the recognized second component as the first component when the output control device detects the unfreezing operation of the recognized second component.