Image analysis – Learning systems
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-08
2001-05-15
Patel, Jay (Department: 2623)
Image analysis
Learning systems
C345S522000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06233351
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention pertains to the field of computerized drawing methods, and in particular to methods which incorporate the providing of a drawing path satisfying precision criteria, from a drawing path lacking such criteria which is followed by a drawing indicator.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of computers and computerized methods to provide drawings and designs is becoming more and more common.
A goal of computer-aided design (CAD) is to provide a designer with the capability to describe a design, analyze a drawing for a design, modify the design, and store copies of the drawings at all phases of the development process. Progress in CAD systems and methods, in some sense, can be measured by the flexibility offered to the designer and the complexity of the design and drawing that is possible.
The typical CAD approach calls for the user or designer to specify a geometric element such as a point, line or circle, and then to specify the size features of the element where applicable. By way of example, the user or designer might specify a circle, locate the center of the circle by positioning a cursor at the center, and then specify the size by moving the cursor a distance from the center equal to the desired radius for the circle. The system would then execute a drawing for such a circle and display it to the user. The information in the system and the display then reflects a precise circle (within the limits and tolerances of the system). Other precise geometry, then, can be added to the drawing using similar or analogous operations.
This approach, including the interaction with the user, of course is not in accordance with the natural way that human beings create drawings. That natural way involves the movement of a drawing implement by the user's hand. Further, many designers are most creative in “sketching out” drawings lacking in the standards applicable to formal drawings for a design.
The device sold by Apple Computer Inc. under the name Newton provides some sketching capabilities, perhaps best described as a “notebook” capability in a non-CAD environment. It is adapted to create more precise-looking, single-element paths, such as circles and ellipses, and more precise-looking, multi-element paths, such as a series of straight lines, from sketching by a user. It is also adapted to incorporate and impose concomitant geometric constraints, such as coincident end points for adjacent line elements.
The present invention provides sketching-type drawing capabilities consistent with and incorporated into a CAD environment. This includes a variety of geometrical constraints between drawing parts and elements which are of significance in a CAD environment. The geometrical drawing parts or elements include points, straight lines, open arcs, circles and ellipses.
With the capability to interpret a sketched indicator path as any one of these, there is also the capability to distinguish and recognize, delete and “areafill” symbols.
It also provides the capability to distinguish and interpret relatively complex multiple-element strokes. It does this by determining break locations for the elements along the stroke, and recognizing these elements before re-constituting a stroke meeting standards for precision.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with aspects of the invention directed to drawing part or element sketching, recognizing and defining, a computerized method is provided for generating information representative of a drawing path lacking in certain precision criteria and transforming the information to information representative of a drawing path not lacking in such precision criteria. A group of indicator information elements representative of locations of movement for an indicator in a path lacking in certain precision criteria, is generated. A group of transformed information elements representative of locations is then generated in response to these indicator information elements. The transformed group is operated on with a neural net and classified in response to this. Then, in response to this classifying, characteristics for the group of indicator information elements are generated, and a modified group of information elements representative of locations for a modified path not lacking in the precision criteria, is defined.
The modified group of information elements, as one example, can be representative of an open arc. The neural net includes output classifications representative of a circle, an ellipse, a plurality of arcs and a delete symbol.
The generating of the transformed group of information elements can include the transforming of the group of indicator information elements to a group of information elements representative of a group of rotated, scaled, translated and mapped locations in a predetermined grid. This group of information elements, where it is representative of locations in the predetermined grid which in turn are representative of a closed path, can be further transformed to a group representative of locations in the predetermined grid which in turn are representative of a translated closed path. Similarly, where the referenced group of information elements is representative of locations in the predetermined grid which in turn are representative of an arc open in one direction, the group can be further transformed to a group representative of locations in the predetermined grid which in turn are representative of an arc open in the opposite direction.
Additionally, information associated with the modified group of information elements, adapted for computer-aided design, such as information for determining represented dimensions, may be generated.
Further, the transformed group of information elements, as initially set forth, may also be tested against recognized patterns for information elements, for a match for classification purposes, with such recognized patterns including patterns representative of a line and a 45-degree arc.
In accordance with aspects of the invention pertaining to dividing a drawing stroke into parts or elements, a computerized method is provided for generating information representative of a drawing path lacking in certain precision criteria and selecting break information representative of breaks for segments of the drawing path. Indicator information elements representative of locations of movement of an indicator in a path lacking in certain precision criteria, are generated. Information elements are then classified in categories in response to classification standards. And break information elements are selected in response to the classifying and to break selection standards. The break information elements are to delineate limits for segments of information elements.
In performing the classifying of information elements, functions representative of a change in angle, of curvature, and of a change in slope for information elements are calculated, and the information elements are categorized in response to the calculating. Categorized information elements may then be re-categorized in response to the categorizing for adjacent information elements, achieving the initially-referenced classifications for information elements.
In the selecting of break information elements, potential break information elements may initially be selected in response to the initially-described classifying and in response to potential break information standards, and then information elements that are adjacent to potential break information elements may be operated on using a neural net. Potential break elements may then be eliminated in response to the neural net.
The segments of information elements may be adapted to represent locations which in turn are representative of a path including curved open and closed segments, or a path including straight and curved open segments.
In accordance with yet other aspects of the invention pertaining to both of the above aspects as well as to additional geometric constraint aspects, a computerized method is provided for generating information representative of a drawing pat
Corn Edward T.
Feeney Mark A.
Blakely , Sokoloff, Taylor & Zafman LLP
Dassault Systemes of America Corp.
Patel Jay
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