# US 2025/0166252 A1 · Design stage recognition to facilitate ideation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0166252 A1 - Document ID: US20250166252A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 19/036,336 - Filed: 2025-01-24 - Published: 2025-05-22 - Earliest claimed: 2023-09-29 - Assignees: Toyota Research Institute, Inc.; Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Research Institute, Inc. - Inventors: Matthew K. Hong; Yin-Ying Chen; Charlene Wu; Matthew Evans Klenk; Ian Cartabiano - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250166252A1 ## CPC - G06T 11/10: Texturing; Colouring; Generation of textures or colours (retouching, inpainting or scratch removal G06T5/77) - G06T 11/23: using straight lines or curves - G06T 11/60: Creating or editing images; Combining images with text - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract Systems, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to improving product ideation through design phase recognition and concept generation. In one embodiment, a method includes acquiring design inputs including at least a text prompt and an active sketch. The method includes, responsive to determining an activity type associated with the active sketch, adapting the design inputs to correspond with the activity type. The method includes generating a guidance image according to the design inputs. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A design system, comprising: one or more processors; a memory communicably coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: acquire design inputs including at least a text prompt and an active sketch; responsive to determining an activity type associated with the active sketch, adapt the design inputs to correspond with the activity type; and generate a guidance image according to the design inputs. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The design system of claim 1, wherein the design inputs include the text prompt, the active sketch, and control parameters, wherein the control parameters define a variability of attributes for controlling an image model to generate the guidance image, wherein the active sketch is a free-form line drawing provided via a drawing interface, and wherein the text prompt is semantic description of an object to be depicted in the guidance image. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The design system of claim 1, wherein the instructions to adapt the design inputs include instructions to change control parameters to alter generating the guidance image by an image model by correlating the guidance image with the activity type that indicates one of: exploratory, sketching, and finishing. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The design system of claim 1, wherein the instructions to generate the guidance image include instructions to convert the active sketch from a sketch drawing to a line drawing using a conversion model and inputting the line drawing into an image model. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The design system of claim 1, wherein the instructions to determine the activity type include instructions to analyze the active sketch using an activity model that has learned to distinguish between different design phases of drawings. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The design system of claim 1, wherein the instructions to acquire the design inputs include instructions to monitor the active sketch for a change and responsively re-generating the guidance image after adapting the design inputs. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The design system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include instructions to: provide guidance image by iteratively rendering the guidance image on a display as the active sketch is updated and the guidance image is re-generated. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The design system of claim 1, wherein control parameters indicate visual attributes and text-based attributes, the visual attributes including a hue, a color contrast, and a level-of-detail, the text-based attributes including a semantic similarity, and an analogical similarity. ### Claim 9 A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: acquire design inputs including at least a text prompt and an active sketch; responsive to determining an activity type associated with the active sketch, adapt the design inputs to correspond with the activity type; and generate a guidance image according to the design inputs. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the design inputs include the text prompt, the active sketch, and control parameters, wherein the control parameters define a variability of attributes for controlling an image model to generate the guidance image, wherein the active sketch is a free-form line drawing provided via a drawing interface, and wherein the text prompt is semantic description of an object to be depicted in the guidance image. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions to adapt the design inputs include instructions to change control parameters to alter generating the guidance image by an image model by correlating the guidance image with the activity type that indicates one of: exploratory, sketching, and finishing. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions to generate the guidance image include instructions to convert the active sketch from a sketch drawing to a line drawing using a conversion model and inputting the line drawing into an image model. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions to determine the activity type include instructions to analyze the active sketch using an activity model that has learned to distinguish between different design phases of drawings. ### Claim 14 A method, comprising: acquiring design inputs including at least a text prompt and an active sketch; responsive to determining an activity type associated with the active sketch, adapting the design inputs to correspond with the activity type; and generating a guidance image according to the design inputs. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the design inputs include the text prompt, the active sketch, and control parameters, wherein the control parameters define a variability of attributes for controlling an image model to generate the guidance image, wherein the active sketch is a free-form line drawing provided via a drawing interface, and wherein the text prompt is semantic description of an object to be depicted in the guidance image. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein adapting the design inputs includes changing control parameters to alter generating the guidance image by an image model, including correlating the guidance image with the activity type that indicates one of: exploratory, sketching, and finishing, and wherein the control parameters indicate visual attributes and text-based attributes, the visual attributes including a hue, a color contrast, and a level-of-detail, the text-based attributes including a semantic similarity, and an analogical similarity. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein generating the guidance image includes converting the active sketch from a sketch drawing to a line drawing using a conversion model and inputting the line drawing into an image model. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein determining the activity type includes analyzing the active sketch using an activity model that has learned to distinguish between different design phases of drawings. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein acquiring the design inputs includes monitoring the active sketch for a change and responsively re-generating the guidance image after adapting the design inputs. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: providing guidance image by iteratively rendering the guidance image on a display as the active sketch is updated and the guidance image is re-generated.