# US 12,179,432 B2 · Reflective coating for material calibration

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- Number: US 12,179,432 B2
- Document ID: US12179432B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/365,173
- Filed: 2021-07-01
- Published: 2022-01-27
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2020-07-23
- Assignees: Inkbit, LLC
- Applicants: Inkbit, LLC
- Inventors: Aaron Weber; Desai Chen; Harrison Wang; Gregory Ellson; Wojciech Matusik
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12179432B2

## CPC

- B29C 64/393: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
- B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
- B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
- C23C 16/52: Controlling or regulating the coating process {(C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence)}
- G01B 11/00: Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
- G01B 11/25: by projecting a pattern, e.g. {one or more lines,} moiré fringes on the object (G01B11/255 takes precedence {; image analysis for depth or shape recovery G06T7/50})
- G01B 11/2545: {with one projection direction and several detection directions, e.g. stereo}
- G01B 21/045: {Correction of measurements (G01B9/02055 takes precedence)}
- G06N 3/0499: Feedforward networks
- G06N 3/08: Learning methods
- G06N 3/09: Supervised learning
- G06N 20/00: Machine learning
- G06N 5/01: Dynamic search techniques; Heuristics; Dynamic trees; Branch-and-bound
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
- G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
- G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS

## Abstract

A method includes generating correction data for a construction material that is used by an additive-manufacturing machine to manufacture an object. This correction data compensates for an interaction of the construction material with first radiation that has been used to illuminate the construction material.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for using instructions representative of an object to selectively deposit construction material to manufacture said object, said apparatus comprising: a printhead having a nozzle that ejects said construction material towards said object and a controller that controls operation of said printhead based at least in part on a depth to a surface of said object,
wherein said controller is configured to receive first information and second information about said object,
wherein said first information incorrectly characterizes a depth to a surface of said object, and
wherein said controller is configured to use said second information in connection with said first information to estimate said depth.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second information is indicative of said construction material.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said layers of construction material comprise layers of different construction materials and wherein said second information is indicative of said different construction materials.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said construction material comprises a composite construction material having plural constituents arranged in a spatial distribution and wherein said second information is indicative of said spatial distribution.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second information is obtained from an optical measurement.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second information is obtained from a contact profilometer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second information comprises information indicative of topography of a surface of said object.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second information represents interaction of said object with incident radiation and wherein said controller is configured to output an estimate of depth to said object based on said first and second information.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second information comprises calibration data.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second information comprises a family of characteristic curves.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a tangible and non-transitory computer-readable medium on which said second information is stored, said medium being accessible to said controller.