United States Patent [19] [ii] Patent Number: 5,237,647
Roberts et al. [45] Date of Patent: Aug. 17,1993
[54] COMPUTER AIDED DRAWING IN THREE DIMENSIONS
[75] Inventors: Andrew F. Roberts, Charlestown;
Emanuel M. Sachs, Somerville;
David R. Stoops, Cambridge; Karl T.
Ulrich, Belmont; Todd L. Siler,
Cambridge; David C. Gossard,
Andover; George W. Celniker,
Cambridge, all of Mass.
[73] Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
[21] Appl. No.: 784,649
[22] Filed: Oct. 28,1991
Related U.S. Application Data
[63] Continuation of Ser. No. 410,362, Sep. 20, 1989, abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 408,130, Sep. 15, 1989, abandoned.
[51] Int. CI.* G06F 15/60; G08C 21/00
[52] U.S. CI 395/119; 395/133;
340/706; 340/709; 178/18
[58] Field of Search 395/118-127,
395/133; 340/706, 709; 178/18, 19
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
4,209,255 6/1980 Heynau 356/152
4,638,119 1/1987 Blesser et al 178/19
4,654,648 3/1987 Herrington et al 340/710
4,777,329 10/1988 Mallicoat 178/18
4,794,634 12/1988 Torihata et al 379/96
4,806,707 2/1989 Landmeir 178/18
4,885,433 12/1989 Schier 178/19
FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
0121387 10/1984 European Pat. Off. 178/18
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Susan Montooth, Easy CAD 1.08 manual, Evolution Computing, 1987, pp. 38-149, 164-173 and 280-281. Lawrence G. Roberts; "The Lincoln Wand," M.I.T. Lincoln Laboratories Report, Lexington, Mass., 1966.
Elmer, Dewitt; "Through the 3-D Looking Glass";
TIME Magazine, May 1, 1989.
A. P. Pentland; "Toward an Ideal 3-D CAS System";
Image Understanding and the Man-Machine Interface,
1987.
A. P. Pentland; "Perceptual Organization and the Representation of Natural Form"; Artifical Intelligence, vol. 28, 1986; pp. 293-331.
A. P. Pentland, and J. Kou; "The Artist at the Interface"; M.I.T. Media Lab Vision Sciences Technical Report 114, Jan., 1989.
J. H. Clark; "Designing Surfaces in 3D"; Communica
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Primary Examiner—Gary V. Harkcom
Assistant Examiner—Michael A. Jaffe
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Fish & Richardson
A computer system for aiding in the design of an object, comprising a first sensor representing the object and adapted to be moved in three dimensions in a work area by a designer, the first sensor providing signals to the computer system that indicate its position and orientation in the work area, and a second sensor adapted to be moved by the designer in three dimensions in the work area, the second sensor providing signals to the com
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puter system that indicate its position and orientation in the work area; the computer system responds to the signals from the first and second sensors by creating a displayed image corresponding to a three-dimensional model of the object in a virtual work area that corresponds to the designer's work area, the model comprising lines that each have a shape and position that corresponds to movement by the designer of at least one of the sensors, and by controlling the position and orientation of the model in the virtual work area in accordance with the motion of at least one of the sensors.
