JPH09270022A - Figure editing device, figure selecting method, and character input method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform a figure editing process through a small number of operation procedures by recognizing trace data at inputted points as a character or symbol and deciding whether or not it corresponds to a process execution instruction, and retrieving whether or not there is a figure to be processed in an extracted area and executing an instruction for the figure to be processed. SOLUTION: When tracing operation using an electronic pen 14 is done on a digitizer 11, a coordinate input means 31 determines a corresponding character to be recognized according to the trace data at the points. Then a coordinate area extracting means 34 extracts a coordinate area from the trace data at the points, and a figure retrieval means 35 retrieves a figure in the coordinate area and determines the figure to be edited. Then an instruction judging means 33 determines the instruction corresponding to the determined character to be recognized and a figure editing means 36 executes the instruction for the figure to be edited. Further, a figure display means 37 displays the execution result of the instruction on a CRT 13.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a graphic editing device used in a CAD device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional graphic editing apparatus will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 37 shows an example of a configuration diagram of a conventional graphic editing device. Reference numeral 1 is coordinate input means, 2 is graphic selection means, 3 is command selection means, 4 is command execution means, and 5 is graphic display means. In the conventional graphic editing apparatus, a mouse, a digitizer cursor, or an electronic pen is used as the coordinate indicator used in the coordinate input means. The mouse, cursor, and electronic pen are all lightweight and have excellent operability, but the amount of information that can be used is small because they only indicate coordinate values and switch information. In recent years, electronic pens that can use writing pressure information and digitizers that can use a plurality of coordinate indicators have begun to be used. Further, as a new input method of figures and characters, there are figure recognition and character recognition using an electronic pen. The figure recognition is a technology for recognizing a figure (line segment, circle, arc, etc.) having the closest shape from handwritten trajectory data. Character recognition is a technique for recognizing a character having the closest shape (hiragana, katakana, kanji, alphanumeric characters, symbols, etc.) from handwritten trajectory data.
In the conventional graphic editing device, as a command selecting means, a method of directly inputting a command from a keyboard or a method of providing a region corresponding to each command on a digitizer board and designating the region with a cursor or an electronic pen Or, how to use the coordinate indicator to specify the command you want to execute from the menu displayed on the screen, or to arrange a small square picture (hereinafter referred to as "icon") that displays each command on the screen and execute it. There is a method of selecting a command icon by a coordinate indicator. Menus and icons require a dedicated display area on the screen.

FIG. 38 is an example of a screen of a conventional graphic editing device. Other than this, there are those that have a message area, etc., but since they are not necessary in the following explanation, they have been omitted. The menu area may be replaced with the icon area.

The operation of the graphic editing device configured as described above will be described below with reference to FIG. First, in STEP 1, the coordinate input means 1 inputs a coordinate value. In STEP 2, it is determined whether the input coordinate value is on the menu area. If it is on the menu area, proceed to STEP3. If it is not on the menu area, proceed to STEP4. In STEP3, the command assigned to the menu is selected by the command selection means 3, and the process is repeated from STEP1. STEP
At 4, it is judged whether or not it is on the figure editing area. If it is on the figure edit area, the process is repeated from STEP 5, and if it is not on the figure edit area, the process is repeated from STEP 1. S
At TEP5, it is determined whether or not a figure is being selected.
If a graphic is being selected, the process proceeds to STEP6. If no graphic is being selected, the process proceeds to STEP7. In STEP 6, the graphic selection means 2 selects a graphic. At STEP 7, it is determined whether the instruction is being executed. If the instruction is being executed, go to STEP8. If the instruction is not being executed, STEP1
The process is repeated from. In STEP 8, the instruction execution means 4
To execute the instruction. In STEP 9, the graphic display means 5 displays the processed graphic. In STEP10,
Determine if instruction execution is complete. When the command execution is completed, the graphic editing is completed, and when the command execution is not completed, the process is repeated from STEP1.

Next, a procedure of a conventional example when performing a process of moving a figure as an example of an actual operation will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the mouse pointer is a mark displayed on the screen to indicate the position of the mouse. In step 1, select "Move" from the menu. Specifically, move the mouse pointer to the menu area and press the switch. In step 2, put 2 around the moving figure.
Specify a point. Specifically, this is done by moving the mouse pointer to the graphic editing area and pressing the switch.
In step 3, the end of selection is instructed from the menu. Specifically, move the mouse pointer to the menu area and press the switch. In step 4, the base point to move is specified. Specifically, the mouse pointer is moved to the figure editing area and the switch is pressed. In step 5, the point to which the base point is moved is specified.
Specifically, the mouse pointer is moved within the figure editing area and the switch is pressed. In step 6, the end of movement is instructed from the menu. Specifically, move the mouse pointer to the menu area and press the switch. The reason why the selection end is instructed in the procedure 3 is that the figure selection state is held to enable the selection of figures in a plurality of areas. The instruction to end the selection may be given by a key on the keyboard or a switch on the mouse. Further, the movement end is instructed in the procedure 6 because the movement command is held to enable the movement of the graphic in a plurality of directions. The instruction to end the movement may be given by a keyboard key or a mouse switch. Although the conventional example has been described in the case where the instruction is a move, the procedure is the same even if the instruction is replaced with another instruction.

[0006]

However, the conventional structure has the following problems. There are many steps when executing a task instruction, many movements of the hand when executing a task instruction, many movements of the line of sight when executing a task instruction
Problem The memory load is large when the number of commands is large, and the problem is that the graphic editing area becomes small because there is a menu area. The problem is that many movements are required to move one figure, as can be seen from the movement operation of the conventional example. In everyday life, the movement of an object is completed in three steps of grabbing the object, moving the hand, and placing the object. There is a feeling of strangeness because it is far from the movement.
The problem is that, as can be seen from the moving operation of the above-mentioned conventional example, the hand needs to reciprocate between the graphic editing area and the menu area for each instruction. In order not to hinder graphic editing, the menu area is generally set around the screen, while graphic selection is often performed near the center of the screen. Therefore, each time one command is executed, the hand is reciprocated many times during the operation, which is troublesome and prone to fatigue. The problem is that the line of sight moves back and forth between the graphic editing area and the menu area at the same time as the movement of the hand, as can be seen from the above-described conventional moving operation. There is a problem that it is difficult to concentrate and work because the viewpoint must be moved many times during the operation each time one instruction is executed. The problem is that as the number of commands increases, the number of menus and icons increases on the screen, making it difficult to know where the command you want to execute is. In particular, with icons, there is a problem that it is difficult to express a delicate difference among many instructions in a picture because of their small size, and it is difficult to identify the instructions. The pictographs of the icons are different for each manufacturer and each product because there is no standardized standard, which causes confusion for the operator. The problem is that when the number of menus and icons increases due to the increase in commands, the effective screen area that can be used for graphic editing becomes smaller. When the area for graphic editing becomes narrow, the number of scroll operations for moving the display area increases, and the operation becomes complicated. Further, there is a problem that it is difficult to edit the figure because the range over which the drawing can be seen becomes narrow.

In recent years, attempts have been made to improve the troublesome selection of commands from a menu. For example, there is a graphic editing device that selects a command by graphic recognition using an electronic pen instead of a menu or icon. The locus data of points input by the electronic pen is recognized as a predetermined figure (hereinafter referred to as a "gesture"), and a command corresponding to the gesture is executed one-to-one. As the first prior art, there is one described in JP-A-60-75980.
In this example, gestures are used to select a figure to be edited and an edit command to reduce the movement of the hand and the line of sight. As the second prior art, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-65524.
JP-A No. 7-168951 and JP-A No. 7-168951. In this example, a method of overwriting a gesture is used to select a figure to be edited and an edit command in one operation, thereby reducing the number of operation steps. However, the above-mentioned first and second prior arts have the following problems. (1) Gestures are complicated and have a large number of operation steps because of combinations of figures. (2) Correspondence between gestures and commands to be executed is fixed and difficult to change or add. (4) It is difficult to distinguish between gesture and figure input because the method of figure input has not been improved.

In view of the above problems, the present invention enables graphic editing processing such as moving, copying and deleting with a small number of operation steps,
It is another object of the present invention to provide a graphic editing device having improved operability so that graphic input and character input can be executed without selecting an instruction.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, in the figure editing apparatus of the present invention, the coordinate input means capable of inputting the locus data of the point, and the point input by the coordinate input means. Recognizing means for recognizing the locus data of the character as a character or a symbol, and an instruction for determining whether the character or the symbol recognized by the character recognizing means corresponds to a predetermined process execution instruction. Determining means, coordinate area extracting means for extracting a coordinate area defined by the locus data of the points, and graphic searching means for searching whether or not there is a processing target graphic in the area extracted by the coordinate area extracting means. A graphic editing means for executing the command judged by the command judging means with respect to the processing target graphic searched by the graphic searching means; A graphic display means for displaying the execution result of the stage to the screen, and a. In addition to this, in order to judge whether or not the coordinate input means capable of inputting the locus data of the points and the switch information and the switch information inputted by the coordinate input means are the same as the predetermined switch information. It is also possible to have a switch judgment means of. Further, a menu display means for displaying an instruction as a menu on the screen, a menu instruction selecting means for determining which instruction on the menu is selected from the coordinate values input by the coordinate inputting means, and the graphic searching means for searching. It is also possible to have graphic editing means for executing the command judged by the menu command judging means for the processed graphic. Further, it is possible to have a graphic search means provided with a selection storage table capable of storing the search result. Further, it is possible to have a coordinate input means capable of inputting the locus data of points and pressure information and a pressure determination means for determining whether or not the pressure input by the outer coordinate input means is above a threshold value. . Further, when the command judged by the command judging means is a command for connecting the figures at the intersections, after calculating the intersections of the processing target figures searched by the figure retrieving means, the above processing is performed so that the figures are connected to each other at the intersections. It is also possible to have a graphic editing means for transforming the target graphic. Further, when the command judged by the command judging means is a command to delete the figure, after calculating the intersection of the figure to be processed searched by the figure searching means and the other figures, if no intersection is found, When the entire figure to be processed is deleted and an intersection is found, the figure to be processed is divided into a plurality of parts by the intersection, and the part of the divided parts that is closest to the input coordinate point is deleted. You can also have editing tools. Further, when a certain point is designated by the coordinate input means, the distance between the end point of the processing target graphic retrieved by the figure retrieval means and the designated point is calculated, and when the distance is within a predetermined length, It is also possible to have graphic editing means for performing processing on the end points of the processing target graphic and performing processing for the entire processing target graphic when the distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined length. Further, the command judged by the command judging means may have a graphic editing means for changing the execution operation according to the type of the processing target graphic searched by the graphic searching means. Further, it has a figure recognizing means for recognizing the locus data of the points inputted by the coordinate input means as a figure such as a line segment, a circle or an arc, and a figure registering means for registering the figure recognized by the figure recognizing means. You can also Further, it has a coordinate input means capable of using a plurality of coordinate indicators and a coordinate indicator identifying means for identifying from which coordinate indicator the coordinate value input by the coordinate input means is input. You can also Further, it is possible to have an input / output means in which the coordinate input means and the graphic display means are integrated.

[0010]

With this configuration, the operator does not have to select a command or a figure from the menu.
By performing a predetermined gesture,
The effect that the instruction can be executed is obtained. You can also use the pen pressure of an electronic pen at the same time as a gesture,
By using the tail switch, a plurality of instructions can be distinguished and executed by the same operation of designating two points, a start point and an end point. Further, since the menu is only temporarily displayed on the screen, it is not necessary to fixedly secure a specific area for displaying the menu, and the screen can be effectively used. Further, in order to edit a plurality of figures at once, the figure to be edited can be selected in advance. At this time, figure selection or deselection can be executed only by operating the side switch. Further, since the edit command gesture is defined by the character recognition dictionary, it is possible to execute graphic editing and graphic registration by the same operation.

[0011]

【Example】

(A) Configuration of First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the electronic pen according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the software configuration in the first embodiment of the present invention. In the block diagram showing the software configuration of FIG. 3, the digitizer 241 and the CRT are used.
Although 247 is hardware, it is shown for easy understanding of the relationship with the device. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the graphic editing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
Each means is composed of a combination of software and hardware. The correspondence between FIG. 4 and FIG. 3 will be described below. The coordinate input means 31 corresponds to the electronic pen 240, the digitizer 241, the pen input driver software 242, and the Windows (registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the US; the same applies hereinafter) system 243. The character recognition means 32, the coordinate area extraction means 34, and the figure recognition means 38 correspond to the pen input window 244. The command determination means 33 corresponds to the graphic processing program 245.
The graphic search means 35, the graphic editing means 36, and the graphic registration means 39 are used by the graphic processing program 245, the graphic database access program 246, and the graphic database 24.
9 and the selection storage table 250. The graphic display means 37 corresponds to the Windows system 243, the pen input window 244, and the CRT 247. FIG. 3 will be described later.

(B) Operation of the First Embodiment With respect to the graphic editing apparatus configured as described above,
The operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the operator executes the gesture 51 as shown in FIG. The way to execute the gesture is to write the letters on the paper as you would write characters on the digitizer 11 with the electronic pen 14.
Perform a tracing operation using. (Here, writing the characters on the paper is not limited to the case where the input / output means in which the coordinate input means and the graphic display means are integrated is used. This also includes the case where the graphic display means are separate.
In the case of, the tracing operation is performed on the digitizer, but the display is made on the CRT. ) Then, in STEP 41, the coordinate input means 31 acquires the locus data (51a to 51h) of the points as shown in FIG. 6B. The locus data of points may be one stroke or two or more strokes. Then ST
In EP42, the character recognition means 32 determines the recognized character corresponding to the point locus data. The existing character recognition algorithm is used at this time.
However, this is a method for determining a character by referring to a character recognition dictionary as shown in FIG. If the gesture 51 is not defined in the character recognition dictionary, the recognized character is "
? The number of types of recognized characters registered in the dictionary can be increased as long as the character recognition engine allows. Next, STEP
At 43, the coordinate area extracting means 34 extracts the coordinate area 53 as shown in FIG. 6B from the locus data of the points. The coordinate area 53 is a minimum rectangular area including all the locus data of the points. Next, in STEP 44,
The figure retrieving means 35 retrieves a figure within the coordinate area 53 to determine an edit target figure. This STEP
Details of 44 will be described later. Next, STEP45
Then, the command determination means 33 determines a command corresponding to the recognized character determined in STEP 42. At this time, the instruction is determined by referring to the instruction correspondence table as shown in FIG. When the recognition character is "?", The figure recognition is selected as the command. The number of instruction correspondence tables corresponds to the number of recognized characters registered in the character recognition dictionary. Next, STEP4
At 6, the figure editing means 36 executes the command decided at STEP 45 for the figure to be edited decided at STEP 44. The details of this STEP 46 will be described later. Next, in STEP 49, the graphic display means 37 displays the execution result of the instruction on the CRT 13. The delete command erases the edit target graphic 52 from the screen.

STEP 44 will be described with reference to FIG. The figure searching means 35 searches the figure database for a figure included in the coordinate area 53 extracted in STEP 43, and stores the identification number of the figure in the selection storage table. The figure stored in this selection storage table becomes the figure to be edited. Generally, the figure data used in a CAD device is provided with a number for identifying each figure. This identification number is uniquely determined in the drawing, and different figures are not assigned the same number at the same time. The selection storage table stores the identification number as the information of the figure to be edited. In the following description, it may be referred to as “a graphic is stored” or “a graphic is selected”, omitting the storage of the graphic identification number in the selection storage table. For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, three circles are drawn, and each circle has 8 circles.
It is assumed that the identification numbers 1, 82 and 83 are given. When the leftmost circle in the figure is searched, 81 is stored in the selection storage table. It is sufficient that a part of the graphic is included in the coordinate area 53, and the graphic is stored in the selection storage table even if the entire graphic is not included in the coordinate area. As shown in FIG. 9B, when the coordinate area is set, the circle 82 and the circle 83 are searched and stored in the selection storage table. The graphic information of this selective storage table is ST described later.
After the instruction is executed in EP46, it is deleted from the selective storage table (not shown in order to avoid complication).

The instruction execution process of STEP 46 will be described below. FIG. 10 (A) shows the processing when the deletion instruction is issued.
This will be described with reference to FIG. First, it is checked whether the processing target graphic 204 intersects with other graphics. If there is no intersecting figure, the figure to be processed is deleted. FIG.
When there is a figure 205 that intersects like 0 (A), the intersection points 202 and 203 are calculated, the figure to be processed is divided into a plurality of parts (204a, 204b) at the intersection point, and the coordinate point designated by the gesture ( For example, the portion (204a) closest to the center point of the coordinate area 53 extracted in STEP 43 is deleted. Figure 10 (B) after executing the deletion
become that way.

FIG. 11 shows the processing when the end point connection command is issued.
This will be described with reference to FIG. First, the processing target figure 21
It is checked whether the end points 214 and 215 of 2, 213 are within the coordinate area designated by the gesture. When the end point is not in the coordinate area designated by the gesture, it is considered that there is no processing target figure, and the figure recognition is executed. FIG.
When there are the end points 214 and 215 as in 1 (A), the coordinates of the intersection point 216 when the editing target figures 212 and 213 are extended are calculated, and the processing target figures 212 and 213 are connected at the intersection point 216. The coordinates of the end points 214 and 215 are changed to the coordinates of the intersection point 216. After execution of the end point connection, the result is as shown in FIG. For end point connection,
Even when only one end point is found as in (C), the end point is changed so as to connect at the intersection coordinates as in FIG. 11 (D). Further, when the figure has already intersected as shown in FIG. 11 (E) and the endpoint is in the coordinate area, the endpoint is changed so as to connect at the intersection coordinates as shown in FIG. 11 (F).

In the case of a figure recognition command, STEP 4 of FIG.
7, the figure recognition means 38 recognizes a figure from the locus data of points (51a to 51h in FIG. 6B),
Determines the closest geometric figure from geometric figures such as line segments, circles, and arcs. Many methods are already known for figure recognition algorithms for determining one geometric figure from point locus data, and any of these methods can be used here. After the figure is determined, in STEP 48, the figure registration means 39 registers the figure data. In the above procedure, the operator only has to execute the gesture 51.

A supplementary description will be given of FIG. The pen driver software 242 sets the coordinates of the electronic pen 240 from the digitizer 241 to Win so that the Windows system 243 can receive the coordinates of the electronic pen 240.
This is a program for converting to the data format of the dows system 243. The pen input window 244 has a coordinate input area and a processing program. The pen input window 244 is displayed on the foremost side of the screen so that the coordinate data of the electronic pen can be preferentially received and processed from the Windows system. As a result, the pen input window is displayed so as to cover the other application software. Therefore, by using it together with the graphic database access program 246 described below, the covered application software can be added to the graphic editing function of the present invention (hereinafter, It is possible to add a pen input function). The graphic database access program 246 is a program for accessing the graphic database 249 on the memory (RAM). Figure processing program 245
By separating the graphic database access program 246 and the graphic database access program 246, various kinds of graphic databases 249 can be obtained.
It is possible to deal with. For example, AutoCAD
By using (trademark of AutoDesk, Inc. in the US; the same applies hereinafter) as a graphic database access program, it is possible to create or modify AutoCAD graphic data using the graphic editing function of the present invention. AutoC
Programs written to use AD as a graphics database access program are generally AutoCA.
It is called D application. The AutoCAD application cannot receive the coordinate data directly from the Windows system because it is executed as a child program from AutoCAD.
Receives the data received from the Windows system in a converted form. Therefore, usually AutoC
The AD application cannot receive the locus data of points, writing pressure information, switch information, etc., and cannot implement the pen input function. Therefore, according to the present invention, by using the pen input window 244 as shown in FIG. 3, it becomes possible to receive point locus data, writing pressure information, switch information, and the like, and the pen input function can be provided without changing AutoCAD. It becomes possible to add.

(C) Effects of First Embodiment As described above, according to the first embodiment, the conventional method requires six steps from the selection of an instruction to the end of the instruction. The effect that the figure can be edited only by executing the gesture is obtained. Further, since the command is identified by the gesture in the figure editing area, the operator does not need to move his or her hand or line of sight to select a menu or icon, and the effect of being able to concentrate on the operation can be obtained. Further, since the command execution is performed by the gesture, it is not necessary to display the menu or the icon, and the effect that the graphic editing area can be widely used can be obtained. Further, since the edit command gesture can be redefined by the character recognition dictionary, it is easy to change or add the gesture for the operator to use, and the same command can be executed with different gestures. . Further, by defining the gesture, there is an effect that it is possible to distinguish the figure editing from the figure input from the operation in the figure editing area.

(D) Configuration of the Second Embodiment The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The hardware configuration in the second embodiment of the present invention is similar to that shown in FIG. Second of the present invention
2 is a diagram for explaining the electronic pen in the embodiment of FIG.
Is the same as that shown in FIG. The software configuration in the second embodiment of the present invention is similar to that shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the graphic editing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Each unit in FIG. 12 is configured by a combination of software and hardware. The correspondence between FIG. 12 and FIG. 3 will be described below. The coordinate input means 101 includes an electronic pen 240 and a digitizer 24.
1, Pen input driver software 242, and Wind
ows system 243. Coordinate area extraction means 1
02, switch determination means 106 is the pen input window 2
Corresponding to 44. Graphic search means 103, graphic editing means 1
Reference numeral 04 corresponds to the graphic processing program 245, the graphic database access program 246, the graphic database 249, and the selection storage table 250. The graphic display means 105 corresponds to the Windows system 243, the pen input window 244, and the CRT 247. Since the description of FIG. 3 is the same as that of the first embodiment, it will be omitted.

(E) Operation of the Second Embodiment With respect to the graphic editing apparatus configured as described above,
The operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the operator designates the starting point 121 as shown in FIG. As a method of designating points, an operation of pushing and releasing the electronic pen 14 on the digitizer 11 is performed. This operation is called "click". The click can be performed with the pen tip 21 and the tail switch 23. Then ST
In EP111, the coordinate input means 101 acquires the trajectory data at the time of clicking. The trajectory data when clicked may be only the coordinate data of one point, but the coordinate data of a plurality of points may be input when the pen is slightly misaligned. There may be an error due to performance). Next, STEP112
Then, the coordinate input means 101 acquires the switch information from the digitizer 11. This switch information indicates whether the pen tip 21 or the tail switch 23 is clicked. Next, in STEP 113, the coordinate area extracting unit 102 determines the start point 121 from the trajectory data of the points.
The coordinate value of the start point 121 is extracted as shown in FIG.
A coordinate area 123 having a predetermined search length 124 as a center is extracted (the search length 124 is a value held by the system, and the operator can change the value in advance. is there). When the trajectory data of a plurality of points is input, the first of the trajectory data
The point is regarded as the starting point 121, and the coordinate area 123 is extracted with the point as the center. Next, in STEP 114, the figure search means 103 searches for a figure within the range of the coordinate area 123 and determines an edit target figure. This process
Since it is the same as STEP44 of the first embodiment of the present invention, the description thereof will be omitted. Next, in STEP 115, the switch determination means 106 determines the command corresponding to the switch information acquired in STEP 112. That is, the shape change is determined for the tail switch, and the movement is determined for the pen tip. Next, in STEP 116, the figure editing means 104
STE for the figure to be edited determined in STEP114
The instruction determined in P115 is executed. The operator is shown in FIG.
When the end point 125 is designated as in (B), the graphic editing means 104 updates the graphic data. Details of STEP 116 will be described later. Next, in STEP 117, the graphic display means 105 displays the execution result of the instruction on the CRT 13. With the move command, the edit target graphic 122 is displayed at a new position.

The movement executed in STEP 116 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 14 shows the state of the instruction execution screen when the circle is moved. FIG.
4A shows a state before the movement is executed, and FIG. 14B shows a state after the movement is executed. When the start point is designated in FIG. 14A, the instruction is started by the operations of STEPs 111 to 116 described above. When the operator moves the pen, STEP of FIG.
The coordinate of the pen at that time is acquired in 131, and STEP13
In step 2, the currently displayed graphic is erased and a new graphic is displayed at the position of the pen coordinate. At this time, the figure is displayed with the distance between the starting point 121 and the position of the pen as the movement distance of the circle. Next, in STEP 133, switch information is acquired. STE
In P143, it is determined whether the switch information is a click.
STE until the operator clicks the end point 125 with the pen
Repeat P131 to 134. At this time, the figure appears to move according to the movement of the pen on the screen. End point 1
When 25 clicks are detected, the repeating process ends, and S
In TEP135, the data of the figure to be edited is changed based on the clicked position. That is, in the case of moving a circle, the distance between the start point 121 and the end point 125 is calculated, and the edit target graphic is moved by that length. Similar to the movement, the case of changing the shape will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 16 shows the state of the screen for command execution in the case of changing the shape of the circle. FIG. 16A shows a state before execution of the shape change, and FIG. 16B shows a state after execution of the shape change.
When the start point is designated in FIG.
The operation of ~ 116 initiates the instruction. When the operator moves the pen, the coordinates of the pen at that time are acquired in STEP 131 of FIG. 15, the graphic currently displayed is erased in STEP 132, and the graphic is newly displayed at the position of the pen coordinate. At this time, the figure is displayed with the distance between the center point 142 and the position of the pen as the radius of the circle. Next, in STEP 133, switch information is acquired. In STEP 143, it is determined whether the switch information is a click. Operator finishes with pen 12
Steps 131 to 134 are repeated until 5 is clicked. At this time, the shape of the figure appears to be deformed on the screen according to the movement of the pen. When the click of the end point 125 is detected, the repeating process is ended, and in STEP 135, the data of the figure to be edited is changed based on the clicked position. That is, when changing the shape of the circle, the figure data is updated with the distance between the center point 142 and the end point 143 as the radius of the new circle.

The shape change will be further described with reference to FIGS. 17, 18 and 19. The shape change is an instruction to change the shape of a figure, but an instruction to change the operation of execution depending on the type of the figure to be processed. FIG. 17A shows an example of changing the shape. For example, in the case of a circle or an arc, the command is to change the size of the radius. In the case of a line segment, the instruction is to move the line segment and deform the figure connected to the line segment. This is called area movement. When the end point of the arc or the end point of the line segment is clicked, the instruction is to change the end point. These actual operations will be described below.

FIG. 17B shows an example of changing the radius of a circular arc. When the electronic pen is clicked on the edit target graphic 222, an arc centered on the center point 221 and having a radius from the position of the pen to the center point is displayed. The arc is deformed and displayed as the pen moves, and the radius of the new arc is fixed when the end point is clicked. FIG.
(C) is an example of changing the end points of a circular arc. Editable figure 22
When the electronic pen is clicked on the end point 224 of 5, the end point 223 on the opposite side is used as a fixed end point, and an arc is displayed with the position of the pen as a new change end point without changing. At this time, even if the change end point moves, the central angle of the arc does not change, and the direction of the straight line passing through the both end points does not change. The arc is deformed and displayed as the pen moves, and the end point of the new arc is fixed when the end point is clicked.

FIG. 18A shows a first example of area movement of a line segment. When the electronic pen is clicked on the figure to be edited 228a, other line segments 228b and 2 having end points on the line segment are displayed.
28c is simultaneously set as a figure to be edited. When the pen is moved, the line segment 228a clicked at the beginning moves while maintaining its shape, and the line segments 228b and 228c to which the end points are connected change the shape with the end point to be connected as the moving end point and the opposite end point as the fixed end point. To do. Line segment 22 according to the movement of the pen
8a moves, line segments 228b and 228c are deformed and displayed at any time, and when the end point is clicked, a new line segment is fixed. FIG. 18B is a second example of region movement of a line segment. When the electronic pen is clicked on the edit target graphic 228d, another arc 228e having an end point on the line segment is simultaneously set as the edit target graphic. When the pen is moved, the line segment 228d clicked first moves while maintaining its shape, and the arc 228e to which the end points are connected moves the end point to be connected to the end point 22.
7d and the opposite end point is fixed end point 226c to change the shape. The modification of the shape of the circular arc at this time is different from the modification shown in FIG. 17C, and when the moving end point 227d moves, the direction of the straight line passing through the both end points can be freely changed. The height of the reference arc remains unchanged. The line segment 228a moves according to the movement of the pen,
The arc 228e is deformed and displayed at any time, and when the end point is clicked, a new line segment and arc are fixed. FIG.
(C) is a third example of region movement of a line segment. When the electronic pen is clicked on the edit target figure 228f, when the other line segments 228g and 228h that are in contact with each other at both end points of the line segment 228f are perpendicular to the selected line segment 228f, the line segments 228g and 22
8h is simultaneously set as a figure to be edited. When the pen is moved, the line segment 228f clicked first moves only in the normal direction while maintaining its shape, and the line segment 228g to which the end points are connected,
228h changes the shape with the end point to be connected as the moving end point and the opposite end point as the fixed end point. The line segment 228f moves according to the movement of the pen, and the line segments 228g and 228h are deformed and displayed at any time, and when the end point is clicked, a new line segment is fixed.

FIG. 19A shows a first example of changing the end points of a line segment. When the electronic pen is clicked on the moving end point 227h, the line segments 228i and 228j having the end point as the end point are set as edit target figures. The shapes of the line segments 228i and 228j are changed with the end point clicked first as the moving end point and the opposite end point as the fixed end point. Line segment 2 according to the movement of the pen
28i and 228j are deformed and displayed at any time, and a new line segment is fixed when the end point is clicked. If the figure to be edited is an arc instead of a line segment, the same movement as the arc described in the second example of the area movement of the line segment in FIG. 18B is performed. FIG. 19B is a second example of changing the endpoints of a line segment. When the electronic pen is clicked on the moving end point 227i, the line segments 228l (L) and 228m which are in contact with each other at a right angle at the point are set as edit target figures. Further, line segments 228k and 228n which are in contact with the respective line segments at right angles are simultaneously set as edit target figures. When you move the pen, you will see four line segments 228k and 228
l (L), 228m, and 228n are deformed while maintaining an angle at right angles with the adjacent line segments. That is, the line segment 228k uses the end point 226h as the fixed end point, and the moving end point 22
Change 7j parallel to the position of the pen. The line segment 228l moves in parallel with the movement of the pen,
At 7j, keep the connection at right angle to the line segment 228k, and move end point 22
7i moves according to the pen. Similarly, for the line segment 228n, the end point 226i is set as a fixed end point, and the moving end point 227k is changed to be parallel to the position of the pen. The line segment 228m moves in parallel with the movement of the pen, keeps the connection at a right angle with the line segment 228n at the moving end point 227k, and the moving end point 227i moves according to the pen. At this time, line segment 228l (L) and line segment 228m
Connect at the moving end point 227i while maintaining a right angle to each other. In this way, according to the movement of the pen, the line segment 228k,
228l (L), 228m, and 228n are deformed and displayed at any time, and when the end point is clicked, a new line segment is confirmed. Through the above procedure, the operator can change the shape by clicking the start point with the tail switch, and can move the shape by clicking the start point with the pen tip. The operator only needs to specify two points, a start point and an end point.

(F) Effects of the Second Embodiment As described above, according to the second embodiment, the conventional method requires six steps from the selection of the instruction to the end of the instruction. The effect is that the figure can be edited simply by specifying points. Further, since the command is identified by the switch operation in the graphic editing area, the operator does not need to move his or her hand or line of sight to select the menu or icon, and the effect of being able to concentrate on the operation can be obtained. Further, since the command execution is performed by the switch operation, it is not necessary to display the menu or the icon, and the effect that the graphic editing area can be widely used can be obtained.

(G) In addition, in the second embodiment, the command for changing the shape and the command for moving the pen tip are executed by clicking the tail switch. However, the commands may be exchanged or other commands may be executed. It may be executed. The electronic pen does not have to have the shape of the switch shown in FIG.

(H) Configuration of Third Embodiment A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The hardware configuration in the third embodiment of the present invention is similar to that shown in FIG. Third of the present invention
2 is a diagram for explaining the electronic pen in the embodiment of FIG.
Is the same as that shown in FIG. This electronic pen has a pen tip 21.
Also, the tail switch 23 has a function of transmitting the writing pressure to the digitizer 11. The software configuration in the third embodiment of the present invention is similar to that shown in FIG. FIG.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a graphic editing apparatus in a third embodiment of the present invention. Each means is composed of a combination of software and hardware. FIG.
Correspondence between FIG. 3 and FIG. 3 will be described below. Coordinate input means 1
Reference numeral 91 corresponds to the electronic pen 240, the digitizer 241, the pen input driver software 242, and the Windows system 243. The coordinate area extracting unit 192 and the pressure determining unit 196 correspond to the pen input window 244. The graphic retrieving means 193 and the graphic editing means 194 include a graphic processing program 245 and a graphic database access program 2.
46, the graphic database 249, and the selection storage table 250. The graphic display means 195 is Windows
It corresponds to the ws system 243, the pen input window 244, and the CRT 247. Since the description of FIG. 3 is the same as that of the first embodiment, it will be omitted.

(I) Operation of the third embodiment With respect to the graphic editing device configured as described above,
The operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the operator clicks to specify the start point 161 as shown in FIG. Unlike the click in the second embodiment, the click in the third embodiment of the present invention pushes the electronic pen 14 on the digitizer 11, and the writing pressure becomes maximum from 0 as shown in FIG. Become a pen 1
Indicates the operation until 4 is released. The click can be performed with the pen tip 21 and the tail switch 23. Then S
In TEP151, the coordinate input means 191 acquires the trajectory data when clicked. The locus data when clicked may be only the coordinate data of one point, but the pen may be slightly misaligned and the coordinate data of a plurality of points may be input. The cause of this is as described in the second embodiment of the present invention. Next, in STEP 152, coordinate input means 191
Acquires writing pressure information from the digitizer 11. This writing pressure information represents the maximum writing pressure when clicked (Fig. 2
3).

Next, in STEP 153, the coordinate area extracting means 192 extracts the coordinate value of the start point 161 from the locus data of the point, and sets the coordinate area within the predetermined search length with the start point 161 as the center. Extract. This processing is the same as STEP 113 of the second embodiment of the present invention, so its explanation is omitted. Next, in STEP 154, the figure retrieving means 193 retrieves a figure within the range of the coordinate area and determines the figure to be edited. Since this processing is the same as STEP44 of the first embodiment of the present invention, its explanation is omitted. Next, in STEP 155, the pressure determination means 196
Determines the command corresponding to the writing pressure information acquired in STEP152. That is, when the maximum writing pressure is larger than a predetermined writing pressure threshold, it is decided to copy, and when it is smaller, it is decided to move (the writing pressure threshold is a value held by the system, The value can be changed to). In general, an electronic pen is designed so that a switch is turned on when a pressure higher than a predetermined pressure is applied to the pen tip, and is turned off when the pressure is then lower than a predetermined pressure.
The electronic pen 14 of the present invention may be considered to have the same structure, but both the pressure when the switch is turned on and the pressure when the switch is turned off may be considered to be smaller than the writing pressure threshold value. Next, in STEP 156, the figure editing means 194 causes the S
STEP for the figure to be edited determined in TEP154
The instruction determined at 155 is executed. Operator finishes 1
When 62 is designated, the graphic editing means 194 updates the graphic data. The execution of the movement instruction is the same as in STEP 116 of the second embodiment of the present invention, so its explanation is omitted. In copying, the graphic data is copied with the end point 162 as the position of a new circle. That is, the lengths of the start point 161 and the end point 162 are calculated, and a new figure data is copied to the position where the figure to be edited is moved by that length. 22A shows a state before execution of copying, and FIG. 22B shows a state after execution of copying. Then S
In TEP157, the graphic display means 195 displays the execution result of the instruction on the CRT 13. With the above procedure, the operator can execute copying by clicking the writing pressure largely at the starting point, and can move by clicking the writing pressure slightly at the starting point.
The operator only needs to specify two points, a start point and an end point.

(J) Effect of Third Embodiment As described above, according to the third embodiment, the conventional method requires six steps from the selection of an instruction to the end of the instruction. The effect that the figure can be edited only by specifying the point is obtained. Furthermore, since the command is identified by the pen pressure operation in the figure editing area, the operator does not need to move his or her hand or line of sight to select a menu or icon, and the effect of being able to concentrate on the operation can be obtained. Further, since the command execution is performed by the pen pressure operation, it is not necessary to display the menu or the icon, and the effect that the figure editing area can be widely used can be obtained.

(K) Note: In the third embodiment, when the writing pressure is large, copying is performed,
Although the movement command is executed when the writing pressure is small, the commands may be exchanged or another command may be executed.

(L) Configuration of the Fourth Embodiment The fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The hardware configuration in the fourth embodiment of the present invention is similar to that shown in FIG. Fourth Embodiment of the Present Invention
2 is a diagram for explaining the electronic pen in the embodiment of FIG.
Is the same as that shown in FIG. The software configuration in the fourth embodiment of the present invention is similar to that shown in FIG. FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the graphic editing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Each means is composed of a combination of software and hardware.

The correspondence between FIG. 24 and FIG. 3 will be described below. The coordinate input means 91 includes the electronic pen 240 and the digitizer 2.
41, Pen input driver software 242, and Win
Corresponds to the dows system 243. The coordinate area extracting means 92 corresponds to the pen input window 244. The graphic search means 93 and the graphic editing means 94 are the graphic processing program 24.
5, the graphic database access program 246, the graphic database 249, and the selection storage table 250. The graphic display means 95 includes a Windows system 243, a pen input window 244, and a CRT 24.
Corresponds to 7. Since the description of FIG. 3 is the same as that of the first embodiment, it will be omitted.

(M) Operation of the Fourth Embodiment With respect to the graphic editing device configured as described above,
The operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the operator clicks to specify the start point 191 as shown in FIG. The point designation method and the meaning of clicking are the same as those in the second embodiment of the present invention. Then, in STEP 171, the coordinate inputting means 91 acquires the trajectory data at the time of clicking. The locus data when clicked may be only the coordinate data of one point,
In some cases, the pen may be slightly misaligned and coordinate data of a plurality of points may be input. The cause of this is as described in the second embodiment of the present invention.

Next, in STEP 172, the coordinate area extracting means 92 extracts the coordinate value of the starting point 191 from the locus data of the above points, and the starting point 1 is extracted as shown in FIG. 26 (C) or (D).
A coordinate area 193 centering on 91 and having a predetermined search length 195 is extracted. This processing is the same as STEP 113 of the second embodiment of the present invention, so its explanation is omitted. Next, in STEP 173, the graphic retrieval means 9
Reference numeral 3 retrieves a graphic within the range of the coordinate area 193 to determine a graphic to be edited. Since this processing is the same as STEP44 of the first embodiment of the present invention, its explanation is omitted. Next, in STEP 174, the figure search means 93 causes the S
The distance between the end point 194 and the start point 191 of the figure to be edited acquired by the TEP 173 is calculated, the distance is compared with the search length 195, and the command is determined. That is, when the distance is larger than the search length, the movement is determined, and when the distance is smaller, the end point correction is determined. FIG. 26C shows an example in the case of end point correction when the length is smaller than the search length, and FIG. 26D shows an example in the case of movement when the length is larger than the search length. Figures such as circles that do not have end points are moved.

Next, in STEP 175, the graphic editing means 94
Executes the instruction determined in STEP 174. When the operator specifies the end point 192, the figure editing means 94 updates the figure data. The movement instruction execution is the second aspect of the present invention.
The description is omitted because it is the same as STEP 116 of the embodiment. In the end point correction, the coordinates of the start point 191 are replaced with the coordinates of the end point 192 to update the graphic data. FIG. 26 (A)
Is the state before the end point correction is executed, and (B) is the state after the end point correction is executed. Next, in STEP 176, the graphic display means 9
5 displays the execution result of the instruction on the CRT 13.

According to the above procedure, the operator can execute the end point correction by clicking the start point near the end point of the figure, and can move the operator by clicking the start point at a position away from the end point of the figure. The operator only needs to specify two points, a start point and an end point.

(N) Effect of the Fourth Embodiment As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, the conventional method requires six steps from the selection of the instruction to the end of the instruction. The effect that the figure can be edited only by specifying the point is obtained. Furthermore, since the command is identified by the click position in the graphic editing area, the operator does not need to move his or her hand or line of sight to select a menu or icon, and the effect of being able to concentrate on the operation can be obtained. Further, since the command execution is performed by the click operation, it is not necessary to display the menu or the icon, and the effect that the graphic editing area can be widely used can be obtained.

(O) In addition, in the fourth embodiment, the command for correcting the end point is executed near the end point, and the command for moving is executed when it is far from the end point, but other commands may be executed. good.

(P) Configuration of Fifth Embodiment A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The hardware configuration of the fifth embodiment of the present invention is similar to that shown in FIG. The fifth of the present invention
2 is a diagram for explaining the electronic pen in the embodiment of FIG.
Is the same as that shown in FIG. This electronic pen has a pen tip 21 and a tail switch 23 as in the third embodiment of the present invention.
And has the function of transmitting the pen pressure to the digitizer 11. The software configuration in the fifth embodiment of the present invention is similar to that shown in FIG. FIG. 27 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the graphic editing apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
Each means is composed of a combination of software and hardware.

The correspondence between FIG. 4 and FIG. 3 will be described below. The coordinate input means 331 includes an electronic pen 240, a digitizer 241, a pen input driver software 242, and Wi.
It corresponds to the Windows system 243. Character recognition means 3
32, coordinate area extraction means 334, switch determination means 33
8, the pressure determination means 339 and the figure recognition means 340 correspond to the pen input window 244. Command judging means 33
3. The menu command selection means 337 corresponds to the graphic processing program 245. The graphic search means 335, the graphic editing means 342, and the graphic registration means 341 are the graphic processing programs 24.
5, the graphic database access program 246, the graphic database 249, and the selection storage table 250. The menu display unit 336 corresponds to the graphic processing program 245, the Windows system 243, the pen input window 244, and the CRT 247. The graphic display means 343 corresponds to the Windows system 243, the pen input window 244, and the CRT 247. Since the description of FIG. 3 is the same as that of the first embodiment, it will be omitted.

In the fifth embodiment, the commands are associated with the switches of the electronic pen 14 as shown in FIG. Also, commands are associated with gestures as shown in FIG. The fifth embodiment of the present invention has all the functions of the first, second, third and fourth embodiments described above, and in addition to these functions of figure selection, menu display and numerical value input window as described later. have.

(Q) Operation of Fifth Embodiment With respect to the graphic editing apparatus configured as described above,
The operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the operator makes a gesture as in the first embodiment of the present invention or clicks as in the second, third and fourth embodiments of the present invention. Whether the operation is a gesture or a click is STE described later.
Judgment is made on P260. Input can be performed with the pen tip 21 and the tail switch 23. It is also possible to input while pressing the side switch 22. The graphic editing device starts to operate by the operator's operation, and in STEP 251,
The coordinate input means 331 acquires the locus data of points. Next, in STEP 252, the coordinate input unit 331 acquires the switch information from the digitizer 11. With this switch information, whether it was input with the pen tip 21 or the tail switch 23
You can see what you typed in. Also, it is possible to know whether the side switches 22 are simultaneously pressed. Next STEP
At 253, the coordinate input unit 331 acquires writing pressure information from the digitizer 11. It is the same as the third embodiment of the present invention that this writing pressure information represents the maximum writing pressure when clicked.

Next, in STEP 254, the switch determination means 338 determines whether the switch information acquired in STEP 252 is a side switch. When the side switch is pressed, the process proceeds to STEP255, and otherwise the process proceeds to STEP256. In STEP255, the figure selection command is executed, and the process proceeds to STEP286. The details of STEP 255 will be described later, but the figure selection instruction is an instruction for searching and storing a figure but not editing it.

Next, in STEP 256, the character recognition means 33.
2 determines a recognized character corresponding to the point locus data. The determination method is the STE of the first embodiment of the present invention.
Same as P42. Next, in STEP 257, the instruction determination unit 333 refers to the instruction correspondence table in FIG.
It is determined whether the recognized character determined in STEP 256 is an instruction corresponding to undo. If the recognized character corresponds to undo, the process proceeds to STEP258. Otherwise, proceed to STEP259. In STEP 258, the graphic editing means 243 executes the undo command, and STEP 2
Proceed to 86. The undo command cancels the last command,
This is an instruction for returning a figure to the state before execution of the instruction, which is a function generally used in CAD devices.

Next, in STEP 259, the coordinate area extracting means 334 extracts the coordinate area from the locus data of the points as in STEP 45 of the first embodiment. Next, STEP2
At 60, the coordinate area extracting means 334 determines that the coordinate area is
If it is larger than a predetermined error range, it is compared, and if it is larger, it is judged to be an effective gesture and the process proceeds to STEP 261, and if it is smaller, it is judged to be within the error range and the process proceeds to STEP 273. Is a value that is held by the operator, and that value can be changed in advance). In STEP 260, it is determined whether the operator's pen operation is a click or a gesture.

If it is determined in STEP 260 that the locus of points is a gesture, STEP 261 to S
Execute up to TEP272. In STEP 261, the graphic search means 335 refers to the selection storage table to determine whether to perform graphic search. When the figure is already stored, the figure stored in the selection storage table is set as the processing target figure without searching the figure, and the next ST
Proceed to EP265. If no figure is stored yet, the process proceeds to STEP262. In STEP262, STE
Search the figure in the coordinate area extracted in P259,
The figure is stored in the selection storage table. At this time, the figure may be a plurality of figures or a single figure. STEP26
In step 3, the selection storage table is referred to again, and when the graphic is not stored, the process proceeds to STEP 264, and the command is changed to perform the graphic recognition instead of the command designated by the gesture. When a figure is stored,
Without searching for a graphic, the graphic stored in the selection storage table is set as the processing graphic, and the process proceeds to the next STEP 265.

Next, in STEP 265, the command judgment means 33.
3 determines the command corresponding to the recognition character determined in STEP256. The determination method is S in the first embodiment of the present invention.
Same as TEP45. In STEP 266, the graphic editing unit 243 executes the delete command as in STEP 46 of the first embodiment. STEP 267 extracts the characters stored in the selection storage table and will be described later. After displaying it in the character input window 290 (FIG. 29), the character recognition function overwrites the character and the corrected result is registered in the drawing (for the character input window 290, ST described later
(See EP278 description). The conditional deletion in STEP 268 is a function for supplementing the ambiguity of a gesture. Since "V" and "U" are similar, deletion is also executed by "U" when a certain condition is satisfied. It is the one. At this time, the condition for executing deletion is ST
This means that the graphic is not stored in the selection storage table in EP261 and the graphic is stored in the selection storage table in STEP263. This represents that the "U" gesture was performed on the figure to be edited. ST
EP 269 makes the same judgment as when making a gesture of writing a circle, as shown in FIG. 11 of the first embodiment. Here, the figure searching means 335 determines whether or not the edit target figure and the end point of the figure are included in the coordinate area where the gesture is performed. When the end point is included, the process proceeds to STEP 270 and the end point is included. If not, proceed to STEP 271. In STEP270,
The graphic editing means 243 executes the end point connection similarly to STEP 46 of the first embodiment. In STEP 271, the graphic recognition means 243 performs graphic recognition in the same manner as in STEP 47 of the first embodiment, and in STEP 272, the graphic registration means 34.
1 registers the figure as in STEP 48 of the first embodiment.

Next, the operation when it is determined in STEP 260 that the locus of points is within the error range (click) will be described. In this case, STEP 273 to STE
Execute up to P284. In STEP 273, the coordinate area extracting unit 334 extracts the coordinate area as in STEP 113 of the second embodiment. STEP 274 to STEP
The processing up to 276 is from STEP261 to STEP263.
The description is omitted because it is the same as the above. In STEP277,
The pressure determining means 339 is the STEP 155 of the third embodiment.
Judge the pen pressure as in. When the writing pressure is large, ST
When the writing pressure is small, nothing is processed, and the process proceeds to STEP 286. Details of STEP 278 will be described later.

At STEP 279, the switch judgment means 33.
8 judges a switch like STEP115 of a 2nd Example. STEP 285 when using the tail switch
If it is a pen tip switch, it will progress to STEP280. The processing of STEP 285 is the same as STEP 1 of the second embodiment.
The description is omitted because it is the same as 16. In STEP 280,
The pressure determining means 339 is the STEP 155 of the third embodiment.
Judge the pen pressure as in. When the writing pressure is large, ST
When the writing pressure is small, the process proceeds to step EP281.
Proceed to 2. The process of STEP 281 is the ST of the third embodiment.
The description is omitted because it is the same as EP156. STEP28
2, the graphic retrieval means 335 uses the STEP of the fourth embodiment.
Similar to 174, the command is determined from the distance between the end point and the click start point. When the distance is short, the process proceeds to STEP 283, and when the distance is long, the process proceeds to STEP 284. STE
Since the processing of P283 is the same as STEP 175 of the fourth embodiment, its explanation is omitted. The processing of STEP 284 is the same as that of STEP 116 of the second embodiment, so the explanation is omitted.
Finally, in STEP 286, the figure to be edited is displayed again.

Regarding STEP 278, FIG. 31 and FIG.
2 will be described. In STEP 278, the graphic editing means 342 displays the character input window 290 as shown in FIG. Character input window 290
Consists of a window frame 291, a character recognition area 292, and a result display area 293. When the operator inputs point locus data in the character recognition area 292 with the electronic pen 14, the character recognition means 332 performs character recognition and displays the recognition result in the result display area 293. When the coordinates of the electronic pen 14 are outside the window frame 291, the character recognition is ended and the recognition result is registered as character data. This character input window can be used in combination with figure recognition and shape change. The figure recognition means 340 is shown in FIG.
As shown in, the character input window 290 is displayed after the figure is recognized by the figure recognition. By inputting a character in the character input window 290 and moving the electronic pen 14 to the outside of the window frame 291, it is determined that the character is an instruction to specify the length and shape of the figure, and the input figure can be transformed. it can. In FIG. 31 (B), "@
When "2,4" is entered, the line segment is transformed with the point moved by 2 in the horizontal direction and 4 points in the vertical direction as the end point with respect to the start point of the line segment. When "100 <45" is entered, The line segment is transformed into a line segment having a length of 100 with respect to the starting point of the line segment and having an angle of 45 degrees in the direction opposite to the clockwise direction from the horizontal direction.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 31C, the character "D30" is input in the character input window 290, and the electronic pen 14 is moved to the outside of the window frame 291 to move the center point of the circle. It is transformed into a circle with a diameter of 30 as a reference. By inputting "R10" and moving the electronic pen 14 to the outside of the window frame 291, the circle is transformed into a circle having a radius of 10 with the center point of the circle as a reference. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 32A, by inputting a character “R10” in the character input window 290 and moving the electronic pen 14 to the outside of the window frame 291, the radius 10
Round the two line segments with the arc of. However, FIG. 32 (B)
As shown in, the corners are rounded only when the distances a and b between the arc and the two line segments are shorter than a predetermined proximity distance. In other cases, simply register the arc recognized as a figure. Rounding is not performed (approach distance is a value held by the system, and the operator can change the value in advance). On the other hand, in the shape change, if the recognition character whose diameter is to be changed is “D”, the command judging means 33 will write “D” with the electronic pen 14 as shown in FIG.
3 is judged to be a diameter change command, and the graphic editing means 342 displays the character input window 290. By inputting characters in the character input window 290 and moving the electronic pen 14 to the outside of the window frame 291, the diameter of the circle or arc is changed with the numerical value as a new diameter.

Next, the graphic selection command in STEP 255 will be described with reference to FIGS. 33 and 34. FIG. 33 is a flowchart of the figure selection command. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing a correspondence relationship between the process target graphic and the selection storage table. In STEP 301, the coordinate area extraction unit 334 determines whether the trajectory data of a point is a click or a gesture in the figure selection command. This process is the same as STEP260. When it is determined that the click is made, STEP3
02, when it is judged that it is a gesture,
Proceed to STEP 303. In STEP 302, the coordinate area extracting unit 334 extracts a coordinate area centered on the clicked point. This processing is the STEP of FIG. 13 of the second embodiment.
The description is omitted because it is similar to 113. STEP303
Then, the coordinate area extracting unit 334 extracts the gesture range as a coordinate area. This processing is shown in FIG. 5 of the first embodiment.
Since it is the same as STEP 43 of No. 3, the description thereof will be omitted.

At STEP 304, the graphic retrieval means 335.
Searches for a graphic in the coordinate area and temporarily stores the edit target graphic. The stored edit target graphics are stored as graphics a1 to an in FIG. Here, n is the number of stored figures. In STEP 305, the graphic search means 335 determines whether or not there is a graphic to be edited in the search result. If a graphic exists, the process proceeds to STEP 306, and if no graphic exists, the process proceeds to STEP 310. STEP30
In step 6, the figure retrieval means 335 extracts one piece of figure information of the figure to be edited (figure a1 in FIG. 34). STEP307
Then, the figure retrieving means 335 compares the retrieved figure information with the figure information stored in the selection storage table, and checks whether or not the same figure information exists. Specifically, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 34, the graphic a1 and the graphic b of the selection storage table are displayed.
Compare from 1 to bm. Here, m is the number of figures already stored in the selection storage table. If the same graphic information is found, the process proceeds to STEP 308, and if not found, the process proceeds to STEP 309. ST
In EP308, the graphic search means 335 deletes the graphic information from the selection storage table. As a result, the figure is deselected. In STEP 309, the graphic search means 335 adds the graphic information to the selection storage table. This means that the figure has been selected. After STEP 308 or STEP 309, the process returns to STEP 305 again to determine whether or not there is a processing target graphic. If there are still graphics to be processed, STEP3
Step 309 is repeated from 06, and when there is no figure to be processed, the process proceeds to STEP 310.

At STEP 310, the graphic retrieval means 335.
Checks whether the figure is stored in the selection storage table. When the figure is stored, STEP 311
If no figure is stored, go to STEP 3
Proceed to 12. By the operator performing figure selection operation,
A plurality of figures can be stored in the selection storage table as figures to be edited. In STEP 311, the menu display unit 336 displays a menu of commands executable on the graphic stored in the selection storage table on the screen. Since the menu is displayed by the system, the operator does not need to operate to display the menu. The executable instructions are predetermined for each figure as shown in FIG. 35, for example.

Here, the pen menu will be described with reference to FIG. A pushpin button 281 is displayed in the menu. As shown in FIG. 36 (B), there are two types of push pin buttons 281: a position fixed push pin and a position moved push pin. Each time the electronic pen 14 is clicked at the position of the push pin button 281, the display is switched and the functions are switched. The position to display the menu is as follows:
The menu is displayed again at the position where the menu was displayed last time, and in the case of the position movement push pin, it is displayed near the position where the electronic pen 14 is currently located. By displaying the menu near the electronic pen 14, it is possible to reduce the movement of the hand that moves to select an instruction from the menu. When selecting multiple figures in succession, push the pushpin to fix the position so that the menu does not get in the way. By clicking the electronic pen 14 at the position of the title bar 282 of the menu, the position of the menu can be moved.
The menu follows the movement of the electronic pen 14, and when the user clicks again at a new position, the menu is displayed at that position.
Further, a minimize button 283 is displayed on the menu. When the electronic pen 14 is clicked at the position of the minimize button 283, the menu changes to an icon as shown in FIG. Conversely, if you click the icon twice at short time intervals, you will return to the original menu (2 at short time intervals).
Clicking twice is called double-clicking. This time interval is a value held by the Windows system, and the operator can change the value in advance). The icon can be moved in the same way as the menu, and the displayed position depends on the state of the pushpin.

At STEP 312, the menu display means 33.
6 erases the menu from the screen. The position displayed at this time is stored, and is displayed at the position according to the state of the push pin the next time it is displayed. If the icon is erased at the time of deletion, the icon will be displayed the next time it is displayed.

Although not shown in FIG. 30 in order to avoid complication, the menu is deleted from the screen when the instruction execution is started. However, only when the figure recognition is executed, it is possible to execute it while the menu is displayed. Further, the fact that the graphic information is deleted from the selected storage table after the editing command excluding the graphic recognition is executed is ST in the first embodiment.
Similar to EP46. (It is S that the menu is deleted.
TEP266, STEP267, STEP268, ST
EP270, STEP285, STEP281, STE
At P283 and STEP284. )

According to the above procedure, the operator can change the shape by clicking the tail switch, select a figure by the side switch, and move by clicking the pen tip switch without selecting a command from the menu. Copying can be executed by increasing the pen pressure by clicking the pen tip switch, and concentric circles can be created by increasing the pen pressure by clicking the tail switch. Moreover, it is possible to execute deletion, character correction, undo, end point connection, and figure recognition by a gesture. Also, the end point correction can be executed by clicking the end points of the line segment or arc. In either case, the operator only has to click or make a gesture.

(R) Effect of the Fifth Embodiment As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, the conventional method requires six steps from the selection of an instruction to the end of the instruction. The effect that the figure can be edited by one or two motions using the gesture is obtained. Furthermore, since commands are identified by gestures, switch operations, writing pressure operations, or click operations in the figure editing area, the operator does not have to move his or her eyes or eyes to select a menu or icon, and concentrate on the operation. The effect of being able to do is obtained. Further, since the command execution is performed by a gesture, a switch operation, a pen pressure operation, or a click operation, it is not necessary to display a menu or an icon, and an effect that the figure editing area can be widely used can be obtained. Further, since the gesture can be redefined by the character recognition dictionary, it is possible to easily change or add the gesture so that the operator can easily use it, and it is possible to execute the same command with different gestures. By defining the gesture, it is possible to easily distinguish between graphic editing and graphic input. When displaying the menu on the screen, by displaying the menu near the position on the screen corresponding to the current position of the coordinate indicator, it is possible to reduce the movement of the hand for menu selection. By converting the menu into an icon, the effect of minimizing the area covering the graphic editing area can be obtained. By adopting the selective storage table, it is possible to obtain the effect that a plurality of figures can be edited with a single gesture or click. Further, by combining the gesture, the switch operation, the writing pressure operation, and the click operation, it is possible to obtain an effect that natural graphic editing close to the operator's feeling can be performed.

(S) Note that, as an application of the fifth embodiment, the instructions may be exchanged or other instructions may be executed.

[0064]

As described above, according to the apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, the editing command can be executed by the flexible command determining method using the character recognition. According to the apparatus of claim 2, the edit command can be executed by a simple command determining method using the switch information. Claim 3
According to this device, a plurality of figures can be edited by a simple figure selection method using switch information. According to the apparatus of claim 4, it is possible to reduce the area where the menu covers the graphic editing area, and the menu is displayed only when it is not necessary and when it is not necessary. Can be used. According to the apparatus of the fifth aspect, it is possible to execute the editing command with respect to the figure selected in advance instead of the figure searched by the gesture. According to the apparatus of claim 6, the edit command can be executed by a simple command determining method using the pressure information. According to the device of claim 7, it is possible to easily connect the figures at the intersections. According to the apparatus of claim 8, it is easy to delete and connect the figures between the intersections, and the deletion of the entire figure and the deletion between the intersections can be performed with the same gesture. According to the device of claim 9, it is possible to easily determine the command at the clicked position, and the editing of the entire figure and the editing of the end point can be performed by the same operation. Claim 10
According to the apparatus, it is possible to easily determine the command depending on the type of graphic, and it is possible to execute different graphic edits by the same operation. According to the apparatus of claim 11, it is not necessary to select the type of figure from the menu, and the figure can be automatically recognized and registered from the locus data of the points input by the electronic pen. It will be easy. According to the apparatus of claim 12, it is possible to correctly input the figure even when the figure editing and the figure input are recognized from the trajectory data of the same point.
According to the apparatus of the thirteenth aspect, since the movement of the input hand matches the displayed handwriting data, it is possible to input a natural graphic like writing on a paper with a pencil. According to the apparatus of the fourteenth aspect, when the selection and deselection of graphics are alternately performed, the same operation can be performed without the need for mode switching and instruction selection. According to the apparatus of the fifteenth aspect, it is possible to input characters with only the pen without having to change the pen from the keyboard to the keyboard, and the operation is simpler.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the electronic pen according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a software configuration in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a graphic editing apparatus in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a specific example for explaining the character recognition dictionary of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a specific example for explaining an instruction correspondence dictionary according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a figure recognition number in the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a delete gesture according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a gesture for connecting an end point according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a graphic editing apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a moving operation according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the second embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a shape changing operation according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining a shape change, particularly an arc shape change, according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining area movement of a line segment according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the change of the end points of the line segment according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a graphic editing apparatus according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the third embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a copying operation according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a pen writing pressure according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a graphic editing device according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a diagram for explaining the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a graphic editing device according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a correspondence relationship between a switch of a pen and a command in the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating a character recognition dictionary and a command correspondence table according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating a character input window of the fifth embodiment and a specific example thereof.

FIG. 32 is a diagram illustrating another example of the character input window according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 33 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 34 is a diagram showing a correspondence relationship between a processing target graphic and a selection storage table in the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 35 is a diagram for explaining an example of graphic types and executable instructions in the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 36 is a diagram illustrating a menu display according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 37 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional example.

FIG. 38 is a diagram for explaining a screen configuration in a conventional example.

FIG. 39 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the conventional example.

FIG. 40 is a diagram illustrating a moving operation in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 is a digitizer 12 is a computer 13 is a CRT 14 is an electronic pen 21 is a pen tip switch 22 is a side switch 23 is a tail switch

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Masashi Shimizu 2-510 Toyonodai Toyonodai, Otone-cho, Kita-Saitama-gun, Saitama 1 Wacom Co., Ltd.

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A coordinate input means capable of inputting locus data of points, a character recognizing means for recognizing the locus data of points inputted by said coordinate input means as a character or a symbol, and recognition by said character recognizing means. Command determining means for determining whether the specified character or symbol corresponds to a predetermined processing execution command, coordinate area extracting means for extracting a coordinate area defined by the point trajectory data, and the coordinates A graphic search means for searching whether or not there is a processing target graphic in the area extracted by the area extraction means, and executing the command judged by the command judging means for the processing target graphic searched by the graphic search means. A graphic editing device comprising graphic editing means and graphic display means for displaying a result of execution of the graphic editing means on a screen. 2. The switch judgment for judging whether or not the coordinate input means can also input switch information, and whether or not the switch information inputted by the coordinate input means is the same as predetermined switch information. The graphic editing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means, wherein the command executed by the graphic editing unit is switched according to a combination of the judgment result of the switch judgment unit and the judgment result of the command judgment unit. 3. The figure retrieving means conducts a figure retrieval when the switch determining means determines that the switch information input by the coordinate inputting means is the same as the predetermined switch information, but the figure editing means issues a figure editing command. 3. The graphic editing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the process is not executed. 4. The graphic search having menu display means for displaying a command as a menu on the screen and menu command selecting means for judging which command on the menu is selected from the coordinate value input by the coordinate input means. The menu is displayed at a predetermined position on the screen only when the figure to be processed is searched by the means, and when the command is selected by the menu command selecting means or the command selecting means, the menu displaying means displays the menu. 2. The graphic editing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the screen is not covered by the menu when the graphic editing means edits the graphic. 5. A graphic search means having a selection storage table capable of storing the search result, wherein the graphic search means refers to the selection storage table before executing the graphic search,
When a figure is already stored, a new figure is not searched, and the figure stored in the selection storage table is set as the processing target figure. When the figure is not stored yet, the area extracted by the coordinate area extraction means. 2. A plurality of figures stored in the selected storage table can be edited at a time by searching whether or not there is a processing target figure in the selected storage table and storing the result in the selected storage table. Graphic editing device. 6. A coordinate input means capable of inputting point locus data and pressure information, and a pressure determination means for determining whether or not the pressure input by the coordinate input means is equal to or more than a threshold value. The graphic editing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a command for executing the graphic editing means according to a result of the pressure judging means. 7. The command judged by the command judging means is
In the case of an instruction to connect figures at intersections, it has a figure editing means for calculating the intersections of the figures to be processed retrieved by the figure retrieval means, and then transforming the above-mentioned figures to be connected to each other at the intersections. The graphic editing device according to claim 1, wherein 8. The command judged by the command judging means is
If the command is to delete a figure, after calculating the intersection of the figure to be processed searched by the figure search means and the figure other than that, if no intersection is found, the entire figure to be processed is deleted and When found, the figure to be processed is divided into a plurality of parts by the intersection, and the figure edit means is provided for deleting the part of the divided parts having the closest distance from the input coordinate point. 1. The graphic editing device according to 1. 9. When a certain point is designated by the coordinate input means, the distance between the end point of the processing target graphic retrieved by the graphic retrieval means and the designated point is calculated, and the distance is a predetermined length. When the distance is less than a predetermined length, processing for the end point of the processing target graphic is performed, and when the distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined length, the processing target graphic is processed for the entire processing target graphic. The graphic editing device according to item 1. 10. The command judged by the command judging means has a graphic editing means for changing the execution operation in accordance with the type of the processing target graphic searched by the graphic searching means. The described graphic editing device. 11. A figure recognizing means for recognizing the locus data of points input by the coordinate input means as a figure such as a line segment, a circle, and an arc, and a figure registration for registering the figure recognized by the figure recognizing means. Means for registering a figure by the figure recognizing means and the figure registering means regardless of the search result of the figure searching means when the point locus data is judged not to be the figure editing command by the command judging means. The graphic editing device according to claim 1, wherein the graphic editing device comprises: 12. A figure recognizing means for recognizing the locus data of points input by the coordinate input means as a figure such as a line segment, a circle or an arc, and a figure registration for registering the figure recognized by the figure recognizing means. Means for registering the figure by the figure recognizing means and the figure registering means regardless of the judgment result of the command judging means when the figure to be processed is not searched by the figure searching means. The graphic editing device according to item 1. 13. By using an input / output means in which the coordinate input means and the graphic display means are integrated, the locus data of the points can be displayed by the graphic display means by following the movement of the hand operating the coordinate input means. The graphic editing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the graphic editing apparatus can be displayed and the operability is improved. 14. A graphic editing device having a selection storage table capable of storing a processing target graphic, compares the newly searched processing target graphic and the graphics stored in the selection storage table one by one, A figure selection method characterized in that when the same figure is stored, the stored figure is deleted from the selection storage table, and when the same figure is not stored, the processing target figure is stored in the selection storage table. 15. A region in which a character can be recognized is displayed on the screen, the locus data of a point input in the region is recognized as a character, and the coordinate indicator is recognized by moving out of the region. A character input method characterized by terminating an operation, erasing the area from the screen, and adopting the recognized result as character data.