THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODELING APPARATUS, CONTROL APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD, AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECT

• US 20100214333A1
• Filed: 02/18/2010
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsui, Takeshi, Kuzusako, Junichi, Yasukochi, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,845,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/8
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/165 using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/308 with print gap adjustment mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/60 Colour correction or control H04N1/54 takes precedence

Abstract

A three-dimensional modeling apparatus includes a stage, a head, an adjustment mechanism, an ejection command means, and a control means. On the stage, a powder material is accumulated. The head ejects ink to the powder material on the stage. The adjustment mechanism adjusts a relative height of the stage and the head for each predetermined layer thickness so that a three-dimensional object is formed on the stage by the predetermined layer thickness. The ejection command means causes the ink to be ejected from the head so that the powder material is colored a plurality of colors corresponding to multilevel luminance information items in a multivalued image obtained by performing a multivalued processing of luminance with respect to a two-dimensional cross-sectional image data of a modeling target object. The control means controls the adjustment mechanism and the ejection command means so that the multivalued image is drawn for each layer thickness.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional modeling apparatus, comprising:

a stage on which a powder material is accumulated;

a head to eject ink to the powder material on the stage;

an adjustment mechanism to adjust a relative height of the stage and the head for each predetermined layer thickness so that a three-dimensional object is formed on the stage by the predetermined layer thickness;

an ejection command means for causing the ink to be ejected from the head so that the powder material is colored a plurality of colors respectively corresponding to multilevel luminance information items in a multivalued image, the multivalued image being obtained by performing a multivalued processing of a luminance with respect to data of a two-dimensional image that is a cross-sectional image of a modeling target object, the multivalued processing being an at least two-valued processing; and

a control means to control the adjustment mechanism and the ejection command means so that the multivalued image is drawn for each layer thickness.

2. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the head is capable of ejecting liquid for hardening the powder material, and

wherein the ejection command means controls an amount of the liquid ejected from the head to adjust a hardness of the three-dimensional object.

3. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the ejection command means causes the liquid to be ejected from the head by different amounts depending on areas in the three-dimensional object.

4. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the ejection command means causes the ink to be ejected from the head so that the powder material is colored in accordance with an image created by coloring the multivalued image the plurality of colors respectively corresponding to the multilevel luminance information items.

5. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, in a case where a lamination interval of cross-sectional images of the target object is larger than the predetermined layer thickness of the powder material, the ejection command means causes the ink to be ejected in accordance with the multivalued image that is subjected to an interpolation processing so that an outline of the multivalued image corresponds to an outline obtained by laminating the cross-sectional images between the lamination interval.

6. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the powder material mainly contains sodium chloride.

7. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the target object is an organism.

8. A control apparatus of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus including a stage on which a powder material is accumulated, a head to eject ink to the powder material on the stage, and an adjustment mechanism to adjust a relative height of the stage and the head for each predetermined layer thickness so that a three-dimensional object is formed on the stage by the predetermined layer thickness, the control apparatus comprising:

an ejection command means for causing the ink to be ejected from the head so that the powder material is colored a plurality of colors respectively corresponding to multilevel luminance information items in a multivalued image, the multivalued image being obtained by performing a multivalued processing of a luminance with respect to data of a two-dimensional image that is a cross-sectional image of a modeling target object, the multivalued processing being an at least two-valued processing; and

a control means to control the adjustment mechanism and the ejection command means so that the multivalued image is drawn for each layer thickness.

9. A control method of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus including a stage on which a powder material is accumulated, a head to eject ink to the powder material on the stage, and an adjustment mechanism to adjust a relative height of the stage and the head for each predetermined layer thickness so that a three-dimensional object is formed on the stage by the predetermined layer thickness, the control method comprising:

causing the ink to be ejected from the head so that the powder material is colored a plurality of colors respectively corresponding to multilevel luminance information items in a multivalued image, the multivalued image being obtained by performing a multivalued processing of a luminance with respect to data of a two-dimensional image that is a cross-sectional image of a modeling target object, the multivalued processing being an at least two-valued processing; and

controlling the adjustment mechanism and the ejection of the ink from the head so that the multivalued image is drawn for each layer thickness.

10. A three-dimensional object obtained by a three-dimensional modeling apparatus including

a stage on which a powder material is accumulated,

a head to eject ink to the powder material on the stage,

an adjustment mechanism to adjust a relative height of the stage and the head for each predetermined layer thickness so that a three-dimensional object is formed on the stage by the predetermined layer thickness,

an ejection command means for causing the ink to be ejected from the head so that the powder material is colored a plurality of colors respectively corresponding to multilevel luminance information items in a multivalued image, the multivalued image being obtained by performing a multivalued processing of a luminance with respect to data of a two-dimensional image that is a cross-sectional image of a modeling target object, the multivalued processing being an at least two-valued processing, and

a control means to control the adjustment mechanism and the ejection command means so that the multivalued image is drawn for each layer thickness.