IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,712,837
Granted Patent B2
US 11,712,837 · App. 17/307,487 · Granted Aug 1, 2023

Optical scanning for industrial metrology

Inventors: Wojciech Matusik (Lexington, MA); Aaron Weber (Arlington, MA); Desai Chen (Arlington, MA); Gregory Ellson (Cambridge, MA); Javier Ramos (Boston, MA); Davide Marini (Medford, MA)
Assignee: Inkbit, LLC
B29C64/112B29C64/268B29C64/40B33Y10/00G01N21/8851G02B26/10B29K2105/0032B29K2995/0021B29K2995/0026B29K2995/0029B29K2995/0035G01N2021/887G01N2021/8887
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,712,837
App. No.
17/307,487
Granted
Aug 1, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for additive manufacturing includes forming an object including depositing a first material including a first coloring component and a second material including a second coloring component, wherein both the first material and the second material further include a corresponding fluorescent component, scanning the object, including causing an emission of an optical signal from the object, wherein the emission of the optical signal is caused at least in part by an emission from the fluorescent components interacting with the first coloring component and the second coloring component as it passes from the fluorescent components to the surface of the object, sensing the emission of the optical signal, and determining presence of the first material and the second material based at least in part on the sensed emission of the optical signal.

Claims (25)

1. A method for additive manufacturing including:

forming an object including depositing a first material including a first coloring component and a second material including a second coloring component, wherein both the first material and the second material further include a corresponding fluorescent component;

scanning the object, including

causing an emission of an optical signal from the object, wherein the emission of the optical signal is caused at least in part by an emission from the fluorescent components interacting with the first coloring component and the second coloring component as it passes from the fluorescent components to the surface of the object;

sensing the emission of the optical signal;

determining presence of the first material and the second material based at least in part on the sensed emission of the optical signal, and

controlling further depositing of the material on the object according to the determined presence of the first material and the second material.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the interaction of the emission from the fluorescent components with the first coloring component and the second coloring component includes at least some of the emission reflecting off the coloring components.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first material and the second material include the same fluorescent component.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the fluorescent component emits light with a spectrum including a first wavelength corresponding to a first color of the first coloring component and a second wavelength corresponding to a second color of the second coloring component.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the corresponding fluorescent component of the first material emits light with a wavelength corresponding to a first color of the first coloring component and the corresponding fluorescent component of the second material emits light with a wavelength corresponding to a second color of the second coloring component.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first coloring component and the second coloring component are dyes or pigments.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the first coloring component and the second coloring component are dyes.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the first coloring component and the second coloring component are pigments.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying a region of transition from the first material to the second material based at least in part on the determined presence of the first material and the second material.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising controlling further depositing of the material on the object according to the identified region of transition.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the presence of the first material and the second material includes distinguishing the materials according to spectral characteristics of the optical signal emitted from the object.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein causing the emission of the optical signal from the object includes illuminating the object with electromagnetic radiation.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the electromagnetic radiation includes radiation in one or more of an ultraviolet spectrum, a visible spectrum, and an infrared spectrum.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the first material and the second material are substantially transparent.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the first material and the second material are translucent.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein sensing the emission of the optical signal includes sensing the emission using a camera.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the first material comprises a build material and the second material comprises a support material.

18. The method of of claim 17 , wherein the build material comprises an ultra-violet or visible light curable resin and the support material comprises a wax.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein scanning the object includes using a laser profilometry technique.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 31, 2021
From: MATUSIK, WOJCIECH; WEBER, AARON; CHEN, DESAI; ELLSON, GREGORY; RAMOS, JAVIER; MARINI, DAVIDE
To: INKBIT, LLC
Reel/Frame 057341/0101 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation In Part PCTUS2020019014 · Feb 20, 2020
Continuation In Part 16671234 · Nov 1, 2019
Related Publication 20210252775A1 · Aug 19, 2021