Engraved modulated piece

A method for manufacturing (MM) an engraved solid piece (SP) configured for carrying data (DA) comprising specific information, on a surface of the engraved solid piece, the method comprising

• engraving (S1) on the surface a plurality of block structures (BS), comprising at least a first block structure, whereby
• each block structure is a spatially restricted collection of modulated features and base features, which are spread over the surface of the engraved solid piece,
• each modulated feature and each base feature having respectively a three-dimensional modulated-feature profile and a three-dimensional base-feature profile,
• each of the modulated-feature profiles being the result of applying a corresponding modulation to one of the three-dimensional base-feature profiles, according to a specific corresponding information,
• each modulated feature further being a symbol, which is a transcription of a character of an alphabet,
• the alphabet being a set of characters, which are distinct objects of a well-defined elementary data,
• each of the base features being an engraved elementary three-dimensional topographical element of the surface,
• each of the modulated features being an engraved three-dimensional topographical element of the surface,
• at least a part of the data (DA) being transcribed by a code-block structure of modulated features, the code-block structure thereby constituting at least a part of a block structure corresponding to the at least one part of the data (DA),
• whereby the modulated features of the first block structure (BS) are arranged according to a first ordered map, the first ordered map comprising at least a first finite ordered set of first positions of the modulated features of a first code-block structure on the surface, the first block structure corresponding to a first part of the data, and
• whereby the first ordered map further is configured to arrange the modulated features of the first block structure (BS) to constitute an aesthetic ensemble on the surface and render the respective symbols corresponding to the modulated features of the first code-block structure imperceptible to the human eye, but retrievable by means of a software-driven image-sensor/processor combination, wherein for each of the modulated features, a two-dimensional integral over an entire feature of an angle difference between a normal of the modulated feature and that of a base feature is below a threshold in human vision capability.

A method for configuring (MC) a plurality of block structures of modulated features and base features intended to be engraved on a surface of a solid piece,

• whereby
• each modulated feature and each base feature has respectively a three-dimensional modulated-feature profile and a three-dimensional base-feature profile, which enables to engrave each of the modulated features and each of the base features,
• each block structure comprises a corresponding code-block structure of transcribed data, and
• each block structure is a collection of modulated features and base features, configured to be spread over a spatially restricted part of the surface,
• the method comprising:
• creating (S2) each of the modulated features profiles (MFP) by applying a corresponding modulation by means of a modulator feature profile to one of the base features profiles, according to a symbol, which is a transcription of a character of an alphabet (AB), the alphabet being a collection of characters, which are distinct objects of well-defined elementary data,
• transcribing (S3) at least a first part of the data (DA) for a first code-block structure (CC) by means of the modulated-feature profiles,
• arranging (S4) the modulated features corresponding to the first code-block structure (CC) in at least a first block structure of the plurality of block structures, according to a first ordered map (FP), the first ordered map being a first finite set of positions of the modulated features of the first code-block structure, and
• configuring (S5) the modulated features in the first ordered map to constitute an aesthetic ensemble on the surface and render the respective symbols corresponding to the modulated features of the first code-block structure imperceptible to the human eye (IHE) for the intended engraving, but retrievable only by means of a software-driven image-sensor/processor combination, wherein for each of the modulated features, a two-dimensional integral over an entire feature of an angle difference between a normal of the modulated feature and that of a base feature is below a threshold in human vision capability.