US 5,926,388 A · System and method for producing a three dimensional relief

Abstract

A method and system for producing a three-dimensional image of a person's head and the relief produced by the process. The method may be used for producing a three dimensional charm or pendant of a person's face, a three dimensional model of a person's head, a precision formed mold for casting, glass blowing, plastic injection, blow molding, extrusion, thermo forming, manufacturing liquid containers and machine molds for die stamping. A 3-D scanner moving linearly, employs an advanced optical range-finding technique in which a safe, low powered laser projects a vertical plane of light onto a stationary subject to be digitized. The digitized measurements are converted to provide the appropriate milling program. The digitizer then transfers the measurements onto a database on a graphic work station for immediate viewing and editing. The scanned image is sent to the computer where the image is converted into computer codes and is then sent onto a milling machine to be turned into a 3-D relief to replicate the original image.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A system for manufacturing a three-dimensional product having a three dimensional image of an accurately reproduced relief of a person's head machined on a blank, said system comprising:

a 3-D laser digitizer employing an advanced optical range finder, using a low power laser, projecting a vertical plane of light using two contour views onto a subject to be digitized, a first contour view creating an array of distance measurements, said digitizer digitizing one contour at a time until a complete range map has been created, and a second contour view simultaneously collecting color information and creating a color value for each of said array of distance measurements,
a video sensor for optically scanning and combining said two views, and transferring said range map into a database on a graphics work station via an ethernet link,
a motion platform supporting said digitizer and moving said digitizer along a scan path,
a work station having control means for configuring said digitizer's scanning procedure, maintaining a video image database, and generating a compressed and reduced size digitized video image for controlling a milling machine, and
a desktop milling machine having a vibration dampening base for machining a blank to form a three dimensional relief of a person's head.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System and method for producing a three dimensional relief

Life of this patent

System and method for producing a three dimensional relief

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims5