Designated region projection printing of spatial pattern for 3D object on flat sheet in determined orientation
AssigneeSteelcase Inc.
InventorJohn Hamilton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system determines an object-design for a three-dimensional model of an object. The object-design may exhibit a design continuity. The system breaks the object-design in to spatial patterns corresponding to the discrete surfaces making up the outward surface of the object. The system then generates flattened patterns by projecting the spatial patterns into a two-dimensional plane. The system prints the flattened patterns on to designated regions of material sheets in an orientation that preserves the design continuity of the object-design. The regions may be extracted from the sheets and then joined at their edges to form a cover for object that exhibits the continuity of the object design.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- generating a three-dimensional model of an object;
- generating a spatial pattern by mapping an object-design to a discrete surface of the three-dimensional model, the discrete surface comprising an edge;
- generating a flattened pattern by projecting the spatial pattern into a two-dimensional plane;
- responsive to mapping the spatial pattern, determining an orientation of the flattened pattern in reference to the edge;
- designating a region on a material sheet for the discrete surface, the region bounded, at least in part, by the edge;
- and
- printing the flattened pattern on the region of the material sheet in accord with the orientation.
A method of manufacturing comprising;
- obtaining a spatial pattern for a discrete surface of a three-dimensional object;
- designating a region on a flat material sheet for the discrete surface;
- generating a flattened pattern by projecting the spatial pattern on to the region in an orientation that maintains continuity of an object-design over multiple discrete surfaces of the object;
- printing the flattened pattern on to the region in accord with the orientation.
A system comprising:
- model circuitry configured to:
- obtain a spatial pattern for a discrete surface of a three-dimensional object;
- generate a flattened pattern by projecting the spatial pattern on to a two-dimensional plane in an orientation that maintains continuity of an object-design over multiple discrete surfaces of the object;
- print circuitry configured to:
- designate a region for the discrete surface on a material sheet;
- and
- print the flattened pattern on to the region in accord with the orientation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.