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Assignee3Shape A/S
InventorsNikolaj Deichmann, Tais Clausen, Rune Fisker, Christophe Vasiljev Barthe
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The present invention relates to a method for computer-controlled modelling of customised earpieces. These earpieces include housings for hearing aids, wireless or connected communication devices (headsets, mobile phones, personal agents), loud speakers, tinnitus masking devices, devices recording vibrations in the skull and transforming these into audio signals, voice recognition devices, earplugs, noise blockers with selective frequencies or sound levels, Man Machine Interface (MMI) products that enable clear communication even in the noisiest environments, or products related to wireless Internet applications. All these earpieces may be worn in the user's meatus and/or auditory canal. The invention also relates to a computerised system for manufacturing such customised earpieces. In particular, the invention is directed to a computerised system that models an earpiece based on a three-dimensional replica of the user's meatus and/or auditory canal.
A method for computer-assisted modelling of customised earpieces comprising at least one part being individually matched to an auditory canal and/or a meatus, said method comprising the steps of:
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the arrangement of the at least one component, and/or the arrangement of the cutting curve or surface, and/or the formation of the connecting surface is/are adjusted until no collision is detected. 65.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein an object function, f(v), is defined for expressing the quality of the arrangement of the at least one component, and/or the arrangement of the cutting curve or surface. And/or the formation of the connecting surface, said object function being an Increasing function of the number of detected collisions and being calculated for each new arrangement of the at least one component and/or cutting curve or surface, and wherein the arrangement of the at least one component, and/or the arrangement of the cutting curve or surface, and/or the formation of the connecting surface is/are adjusted until the object function fulfils a given minimum criterion.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a general purpose optimisation algorithm, psuedo physics or a combination are used to optimise component placement.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the 3D model is obtained by scanning an impression of the auditory canal and/or concha and/or meatus and optionally part of the outer ear.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the 3D model is obtained by ultrasound scanning of the auditory canal and/or concha and/or meatus.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the 3D model is obtained by scanning the auditory canal and/or concha and/or meatus with a 3D structured light scanner.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the 3D model is obtained by CT and/or MRI and/or MR scanning of the auditory canal and/or concha and/or meatus.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a further step during which holes in the 3D model are closed.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a further step during which defects are removed from the 3D model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims further comprising, removing unwanted parts of the 3D model surface.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a further step during which a second cutting surface/curve is arranged in relation to the outer surface of the 3D model.
A method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the arrangement of the at least one component in relation to the 3D-model comprises arranging a component surface of the at least one component in relation to the 3D-model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said initial arrangement of the at least one component in relation to the 3D-model comprises arranging at least part of the at least one component substantially at the interior of the 3D-model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said evaluation includes an evaluation of the arrangement of the cutting curve or surface and/or the connecting surface.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the formation of the connecting surface is computer controlled or computer assisted.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the formation of the connecting surface comprises a lofting process.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the formation of the connecting surface comprises a filleting process of the edge or boundary of the inner portion of the 3D-model.
The method according to any of the pr ceding claims, wherein at least part of the inner portion of the 3D-model is shelled, said shelled inner portion having an inner and another shell surface.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein adding or removal of material to the inner shell surface of the 3D-model is performed using a Boolean operation, such as a Boolean addition/subtraction.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein adding or removal of material in an area comprises selection of a point and the amount of offset is a function of the distance from the point, such as a Gaussian function.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a process comprising an outward offset on at least part of the outer shell surface of a 3D computer model, said 3D model having an outer shell surface being parameterised by a number of vertices, which vertices are connected by triangles, said process comprising outwardly offsetting a copy of each vertex in the outer shell surface, and removing the number of copied vertices being closer to the outer shell surface than a given minimum distance, and creating a new offset surface by triangulation of the remaining copied vertices.
The method according to any of the preceding claims;
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein different materials are assigned to different parts of the model taking the acoustic properties of the materials into consideration.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein different materials are assigned to different parts of the model taking the allergenic properties of the materials into consideration.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein sweat resistant materials are assigned to the part of the models exposed to sweat.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein materials of different colour are assigned to different parts of the model in order to create a visual label or tag on the model and/or to improve the visual appearance of the model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the inner portion of the 3D-model at least partly comprises a representation of a model of an earpiece.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the outer portion of the 3D-model at least partly comprises a model of a virtual ear.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the collision detection includes a collision detection of a component surface in relation to one or more parts of the 3D-model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the collision detection of the components includes a collision detection of the mutual arrangement of the components themselves.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said one or more parts of the 3D-model in relation to which the collision detection may be performed comprises at least part of the inner portion and/or at least part of the outer portion of the 3D-model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said collision detection is performed using varying penalties for different parts of the 3D model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said collision detection is performed by inspection of the three-dimensional computer model, 3D-model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the component and/or component surface is used to generate the initial cutting curve/surface.
The method according to claim any of the preceding claims, wherein initial cutting is performed by the component surface.
The method according to claim any of the preceding claims, wherein initial cutting is performed by a curve/surface derived from the component surface.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the initial cutting curve/surface is marked on an impression before scanning said impression and said marking is used to generate the initial cutting curve/surface.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said initial arrangement of the at least one component and/or the cutting curve or surface is performed manually.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, said initial arrangement of the at least one component and/or the cutting curve or surface is performed using a feature-based approach, in which features extracted from the obtained 3D-model is used for the arrangement.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said initial arrangement of the at least one component and/or the cutting curve or surface is performed using a similarity-based approach, in which the obtained 3D-model is compared to a number of stored 3D-models of previously generated optimised models.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said initial arrangement of the at least one component and/or the cutting curve or surface is performed based on mirroring from the optimised other ear of the-same person.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said initial arrangement of the at least one component and/or the cutting curve or surface is performed based on an earlier optimised model from the same person.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said adjustment(s) of the arrangement of the at least one component and/or the cutting curve or surface is performed manually.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, said method further comprising arrangement of components at the Interior or inner surface of the inner portion of the 3D-model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising the arrangement of ribs on the inner and/or outer surface of the 3D-model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising arrangement of holders such as spikes and/or rings and/or adding of extra material to the model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least part of the components are selected from a list of components comprising:
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one component is arranged in a plate.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, said method further comprising arrangement of a ventilation channel at the interior or inner surface of the inner portion of the 3D-model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising arrangement of further channels in the 3D model, such as a large bore (horn effect), a small bore (reverse horn effect), an open bore, a fishmouth bore (bell bore), an angle vent, an external vent, a parallel vent or a mini vent plug.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, said method further comprising an optimisation of the visual appearance.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, said method further comprising placement of a unique identifier at the inner portion of the 3D-model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the optimised 3D model is divided into two or more parts by arranging one or more further cutting surfaces.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising visualisation of the optimised model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising production of a difference map illustrating the difference between the original 3D model and the optimised 3D model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising acoustic modelling of the 3D model.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising generation of assembly instructions.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising prototyping and assembly of the earpiece.
The method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising generation of instructions for milling a faceplace, and computer-controlled milling of the faceplate.
A method for computer-assisted modelling of customised earpieces comprising at least one part being individually matched to an auditory canal and/or a meatus, said method comprising the steps of:
A method for computer-assisted modelling of customised earpieces comprising at least one part being individually matched to an auditory canal, said method comprising the steps of:
A method for computer-assisted modelling of customised earpieces comprising at least one part being individually matched to an auditory canal, said method comprising the steps of:
A computer program product including a computer readable medium, said computer readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, said program for causing computer-assisted modelling of customized earpieces comprising at least one part being individually matched to an auditory canal, said program comprising:
A computer data signal embodied in a signal wave, said computer data signal including a computer program said program for causing computer-assisted modelling of customised earpieces comprising at least one part being individually matched to an auditory canal, said program comprising:
A system for computer-assisted modelling of customised earpieces, said system including computer readable memory having one or more computer instructions stored thereon, said instructions comprising
A method for shelling a 3D model, said method comprising the steps of:
A computer program product including a computer readable medium, said computer readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, said program for causing computer-assisted shelling of a 3D model, said program comprising:
A computer data signal embodied in a signal wave, said computer data signal including a computer program, said program for causing computer-assisted shelling of a 3D model, said program comprising:
A system for computer assisted shelling of a 3D-model said system including computer readable memory having one or more computer instructions stored thereon, said instructions comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.