Method and apparatus for automatically generating trim lines for cranial remodeling devices

1. A method for manufacturing a custom cranial remodeling device comprising plastic material, said method comprising:

providing a first database of three-dimensional digital data of trim lines for cranial remodeling devices of a first type;

providing a second database of three-dimensional digital data of trim lines for cranial remodeling devices of a second type;

providing a first program for creating trim lines for a cranial remodeling device of said first type, said first program utilizing said first database;

providing a second program for creating trim lines for a cranial remodeling device of said second type, said second program utilizing said second database;

producing a three-dimensional physical model of a desired head shape; forming said plastic material onto said model; and

selecting one of said first or said second programs to generate three-dimensional digital data of trim lines for said cranial remodeling device;

generating a three-dimensional digital data file for the surface of said model having said plastic material thereon;

orienting said three-dimensional digital data file for said surface said model, said orienting utilizing iterative differential evolution to produce an three-dimensional digital data file for an oriented three-dimensional digital surface image; and

scaling said oriented three-dimensional digital surface image.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 , comprising:

providing a first support vector machine;

utilizing said first database to train said first support vector machine as said first program;

providing a second support vector machine; and

utilizing said second database to train said second support vector machine as said second program.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2 , comprising:

generating a three-dimensional digital data file of the surface of said plastic material formed on said model.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3 , wherein:

said trim lines comprise a top trim line and a bottom trim line.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4 , wherein:

said trim lines comprise a side trim line.

6. A method in accordance with claim 3 , comprising:

optimizing orientation of said three-dimensional digital surface image of said plastic material formed on said model.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6 , comprising:

utilizing iterative differential evolution to provide said optimizing orientation step.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1 , comprising:

generating a three-dimensional digital data file of said plastic material formed on said model.

9. A method in accordance with claim 8 , comprising:

displaying a three-dimensional image of said plastic material formed on said model; and

displaying said trim lines overlaid on a three-dimensional digital surface image of said plastic material formed on said model.

10. A method in accordance with claim 8 , comprising:

generating a three-dimensional data file representative of trim lines for said three-dimensional digital surface image of said plastic material formed on said model.

11. A method in accordance with claim 10 , comprising:

displaying said trim lines overlaid on said three-dimensional digital surface image of said plastic material formed on said model.

12. A method in accordance with claim 10 , comprising;

generating a three-dimensional offset data file for each corresponding one of said trim lines.

13. A method in accordance with claim 12 , comprising;

generating each of said three-dimensional data file representative of trim lines and said corresponding three-dimensional offset data file in an Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES) format.

14. A method in accordance with claim 12 , comprising:

utilizing said corresponding set of offset lines to cut said plastic material formed on said model.

15. A method in accordance with claim 1 , comprising:

storing said three-dimensional digital data generated for said trim lines in the a corresponding one of said databases; and utilizing said corresponding one of said databases to retrain the corresponding one of said first or second support vector machines.

16. A method in accordance with claim 1 , comprising:

performing said scaling step utilizing Frobenius scaling.

17. A method in accordance with claim 1 , comprising:

generating a three-dimensional digital data file representative of the surface image of said plastic material formed on said model;

utilizing said selected one of said first or second programs to generate a digital data file for trim lines for said plastic material; and

automatically utilizing curve smoothing to operate on said digital data file for trim lines to generate smoothed trim lines.

18. A system for manufacturing a custom cranial remodeling device comprising plastic material, said system comprising:

a first database of three-dimensional digital data representative of trim lines for cranial remodeling devices of a first type;

a second database of three-dimensional digital data representative of trim lines for cranial remodeling devices of a second type;

one or more processors coupled to said first and second databases;

a first program executable by one processor of said one or more processors to create trim lines for a cranial remodeling device of said first type, said first program utilizing said first database;

a second program executable by said one processor to create trim lines for a cranial remodeling device of said second type, said second program utilizing said second database;

first apparatus operable to generate a three dimensional model of a desired head shape;

second apparatus operable to form said plastic material onto said model; and said one or more processors selectively operating said first and said second programs to generate trim lines for said plastic material formed onto said model to produce said cranial remodeling device;

said one or more processors is operable to generate a three-dimensional digital data file representative of the surface of said model having said plastic material thereon;

said one or more processors is operable to orient said three-dimensional digital data file representative of the surface of said model utilizing iterative differential evolution to produce an oriented digital data file representative of the surface of said model; and

said one or more processors is operable to scale said oriented three-dimensional digital data file representative of the surface of said model.

19. A system in accordance with claim 18 , wherein:

said first program comprises a first support vector machine trained with said first database; and

said second program comprises a second support vector machine trained with said second database.

20. A system in accordance with claim 19 , comprising:

three-dimensional image capturing apparatus operable to generate a three-dimensional digital surface image of said model having said plastic material thereon; and

wherein said one or more processors utilizes said selected one of said first or second programs to generate trim lines for said plastic material formed on said model.

21. A system in accordance with claim 20 , wherein:

said trim lines comprise a top trim line and a bottom trim line.

22. A system in accordance with claim 21 . wherein:

said trim lines comprise a sidebar line.

23. A system in accordance with claim 20 , comprising:

said one or more processors is operable to optimize orientation of said three-dimensional digital surface image of said model having said plastic material thereon.

24. A system in accordance with claim 23 , comprising:

said one or more processors utilizes iterative differential evolution to optimize orientation.

25. A system in accordance with claim 18 , comprising:

three-dimensional image capturing apparatus operable to generate a three-dimensional digital data file surface image of said plastic material formed on said model; and

wherein said one or more processors utilizes said selected one of said first or second programs to generate a three-dimensional data file of trim lines for said plastic material.

26. A system in accordance with claim 25 , comprising:

a display operable to display said trim lines overlaid on a three-dimensional digital surface image of plastic material formed on said model.

27. A system in accordance with claim 25 , wherein:

said one or more processors utilizes said selected one of said first or second programs to generate a plurality of three dimensional data sets of a corresponding plurality of trim lines for said plastic material.

28. A system in accordance with claim 27 , comprising:

a display operable to display said plurality of sets of trim lines overlaid on said three-dimensional digital surface image of said plastic material formed on said model.

29. A system in accordance with claim 27 , comprising:

said one more processors utilizes said selected one of said first or second programs to generate a plurality of sets of offset lines represented as digital data files each corresponding to a corresponding one of said trim lines.

30. A system in accordance with claim 29 , comprising:

said one or more processors generates each of said trim lines and said corresponding offset lines in an Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES) format.

31. A system in accordance with claim 29 , wherein:

said system is operable to select one set of trim lines of said plurality of sets of trim lines; and

comprises apparatus cutting said plastic material in accordance with said corresponding set of offset lines.

32. A system in accordance with claim 18 , wherein:

said generated trim lines are stored in a corresponding one of said databases.