Granted Patent B2

US 10,118,345 · App. 14/742,189 · Granted Nov 6, 2018

Inventors: Guido N. Dimatteo (Ontario, NY); James A. Dunst (Victor, NY); David R. Kamprath (Rochester, NY)

Assignee: Xerox Corporation

B29C67/0088G05B19/4099G05B19/41875B29C64/386B33Y50/02G05B2219/32368G05B2219/35134G05B2219/49007

Abstract

Claims (61)

1. A method for evaluating a three-dimensional (3D) object produced by a three-dimensional object printer comprising:

generating with a scanner image data of the 3D object produced by the three-dimensional object printer in a first data file, the image data of the 3D object corresponding to an interior surface and an exterior surface of the 3D object;

operating the three-dimensional object printer with data in a second data file that corresponds to the 3D object to produce the 3D object and to form indicia on a surface of the 3D object during production of the 3D object prior to generating the image data in the first data file with the scanner;

aligning a position and orientation of the 3D object in the image data of the first data file with a position and orientation of the 3D object in the second data file with reference to the image data of the indicia on the 3D object in the first data file;

comparing the image data of the 3D object in the first data file with the data corresponding to the aligned 3D object in the second data file;

identifying differences between the image data corresponding to the interior surface and the exterior surface of the 3D object in the first data file and the data corresponding to the aligned 3D object in the second data file;

performing a process to add material to or remove material from the 3D object to rectify a defect on the 3D object with reference to the identified differences;

generating with the scanner image data of the 3D object in a third data file after the process to rectify the defect is performed, the image data corresponding to the interior surface and the exterior surface of the 3D object after the process to rectify the defect is performed;

aligning a position and orientation of the 3D object in the third data file with a position and orientation of the 3D object in the second data file with reference to the image data of the indicia on the 3D object in the third data file;

comparing the image data of the 3D object in the third data file with the data corresponding to the aligned 3D object in the second data file;

identifying differences between the image data corresponding to the interior surface and the exterior surface of the 3D object in the third data file and the data corresponding to the aligned 3D object in the second data file;

comparing the identified differences to a predetermined threshold;

performing the process to add material to or remove material from the 3D object to rectify the defect on the 3D object with reference to the identified differences in response to the identified differences being greater than the predetermined threshold; and

continuing to generate the image data for the third data file, aligning the position and orientation of the 3D object in the third data file with the position and orientation of the aligned 3D object in the second data file, comparing the image data of the 3D object in the third data file with the data corresponding to the aligned 3D object in the second data file, identifying differences between the image data of the 3D object in the third data file and the data of the aligned 3D object in the second data file, comparing the identified differences to the predetermined threshold, and performing the process to add material to or remove material from the 3D object to rectify the defect on the 3D object until the identified differences are less than the predetermined threshold or until the process to rectify the defect has been performed a predetermined number of times.

2. The method of claim 1 , the alignment of the image data of the 3D object in the first data file with the data corresponding to the 3D object in the second data file further comprising:

correlating image data in the first data file corresponding to the indicia formed on the surface of the 3D object with the data in the second data file used to form the indicia to align the position and orientation of the 3D object in the first data file with the position and orientation of the 3D object in the second data file.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a best fit of the image data in the first data file with the data in the second data file to align the position and orientation of the 3D object in the first data file with the position and orientation of the 3D object in the second data file.

4. The method of claim 1 , the generation of the image data in the first data file with the scanner further comprising:

scanning the interior surface of the 3D object with at least one of an x-ray, a ultrasound, and a MRI to generate the image data in the first data file.

5. The method of claim 1 , the generation of the image data in the first data file with the scanner further comprising:

scanning the exterior surface of the 3D object with a three dimensional scanner having at least one light source and at least one light detector for generating a signal corresponding to an intensity of light reflected by the 3D object.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a portion of the 3D object corresponding to image data in the first data file where the data in the second data file does not have a corresponding portion; and

identifying a difference in distance between a position for the portion of the 3D object in the first data file and a position for the portion missing from the 3D object in the second data file.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a portion of the 3D object corresponding to image data in the first data file where data in the second data file does not have a corresponding portion; and

identifying a difference in volume between the portion of the 3D object in the first data file and the portion missing from the 3D object in the second data file.

8. A three-dimensional object printer comprising:

a planar member;

at least one ejector configured to eject material to produce a three-dimensional (3D) object on the planar member;

a scanner configured to generate image data of the 3D object for a first data file, the image data corresponding to an interior surface and an exterior surface of the 3D object; and

a controller operatively connected to the at least one ejector and the scanner, the controller being configured to:

operate the scanner to generate the image data of the 3D object for the first data file;

operate the at least one ejector with reference to a second data file to produce the 3D object;

operate the at least one ejector with reference to the second data file to form indicia on a surface of the 3D object during production of the 3D object;

align a position and orientation of the 3D object in the image data of the first data file with a position and orientation of the 3D object in the second data file with reference to the image data of the indicia on the 3D object in the first data file;

compare the image data of the 3D object in the first data file received from the scanner with the data corresponding to the aligned 3D object in the second data file;

identify differences between the image data corresponding to the interior surface and the exterior surface of the 3D object in the first data file and the data corresponding to the aligned 3D object in the second data file;

perform a process to add material to or remove material from the 3D object to rectify a defect on the 3D object with reference to the identified differences;

generate with the scanner image data of the 3D object in a third data file after the process to rectify the defect is performed, the image data corresponding to the interior surface and the exterior surface of the 3D object after the process to rectify the defect is performed;

align a position and orientation of the 3D object in the third data file with the position and orientation of the 3D object in the second data file with reference to the image data of the indicia on the 3D object in the third data file;

compare the image data of the 3D object in the third data file with the data corresponding to the 3D object in the second data file;

identify differences between the image data corresponding to the interior surface and the exterior surface of the 3D object in the third data file and the data corresponding to the 3D object in the second data file;

compare the identified differences to a predetermined threshold;

perform a process to add material to or remove material from the 3D object to rectify the defect on the 3D object with reference to the identified differences in response to the identified differences being greater than the predetermined threshold; and

continue to operate the scanner to generate the image data for the third data file, aligning the position and orientation of the 3D object in the third data file with the position and orientation of the 3D object in the second data file, comparing the image data of the 3D object in the third data file with the data corresponding to the aligned 3D object in the second data file, identifying differences between the image data of the 3D object in the third data file and the data of the aligned 3D object in the second data file, comparing the identified differences to the predetermined threshold, and performing the process to add material to or remove material from the 3D object to rectify the defect on the 3D object until the identified differences are less than the predetermined threshold or until the process to rectify the defect has been performed a predetermined number of times.

9. The printer of claim 8 further comprising:

correlate image data in the first data file corresponding to the indicia formed on the surface of the 3D object with the data in the second data file used to form the indicia to align the position and orientation of the 3D object in the first data file with the position and orientation of the 3D object in the second data file.

10. The printer of claim 8 , the controller being further configured to:

identify a best fit of the image data in the first data file with the data in the second data file to align the position and orientation of the 3D object in the first data file with the position and orientation of the 3D object in the second data file.

11. The printer of claim 8 , the scanner further comprising:

at least one of an x-ray, a ultrasound, and a MRI to generate image data in the first data file that corresponds to the interior surface of the 3D object.

12. The printer of claim 8 , the scanner further comprising:

at least one light source and at least one light detector for generating a signal corresponding to an intensity of light reflected by the 3D object to generate image data in the first data file that corresponds to the exterior surface of the 3D object.

13. The printer of claim 8 , the controller being further configured to:

detect a portion of the 3D object corresponding to image data in the first data file where the data in the second data file does not have a corresponding portion; and

identify a difference in distance between a position for the portion of the 3D object in the first data file and a position for the portion missing from the 3D object in the second data file.

14. The printer of claim 8 , the controller being further configured to:

detect a portion of the 3D object corresponding to image data in the first data file where the data in the second data file does not have a corresponding portion; and

identify a difference in volume between the portion of the 3D object in the first data file and the portion missing from the 3D object in the second data file.

Assignments (10)

Continuity (1)

Cited By (1)

US 12,217,362