Method and apparatus for producing three-dimensional shape

• US 4,752,964 A
• Filed: 04/09/1985
• Issued: 06/21/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Okada, Gensuke, Iijima, Gouhei
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mancuso, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US06/721,451
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 382/1, 382/25, 382/28, 382/65, 358/107, 364/468, 364/474, 364/475, 364/476, 364/414, 356/376, 356/379, 356/380, 356/383, 356/384, 356/387
• US Class Current: 382/154
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4207 in which a model is traced or scanned and corresponding data recorded
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37048 Split beam, stripe projection on object, lines detected with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/49011 Machine 2-D slices, build 3-D model, laminated object manufacturing LOM

Abstract

In an apparatus and method for producing from an object having a three-dimensional shape a shape equivalent or analoguous to the three-dimensional shape, light is irradiated to the object in an optical cutting plane. The light is picked up by an image pick-up device, and two-dimensional positions of the light are obtained for each minute distance in a direction perpendicular to the optical cutting plane to determine its three dimensional shape.

Claims

1. A method of producing a three-dimensional shape from an object having a three-dimensional shape, comprising the steps of:

irradiating parallel light having a predetermined width to the outer periphery of said object;

picking up a reflected optical image of the irradiated object by a two-dimensional image pick-up device with its optical axis intersecting an optical plane formed by said parallel light at a predetermined angle;

measuring a sectional shape of said object relative to said optical image on the basis of the shape of the picked-up optical image;

shifting the parallel light and the two-dimensional image pick-up device by the width of the parallel light in a direction perpendicular to the optical plane to sequentially measure adjacent sectional shapes of the object;

after measuring the sectional shapes of the entire object, forming templates corresponding to the respective measured sectional shapes from sheets; and

stacking said templates to produce a three-dimensional shape analoguous to said object.

3. A method of producing a three-dimensional shape according to claim 1 wherein said parallel light is laser beam light.

2. A method of producing a three-dimensional shape according to claim wherein said parallel light is laser slit light.

4. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shape from an object having a three-dimensional shape, comprising:

means for irradiating parallel light to said object in a fixed plane;

optical image pick-up means for picking up the reflected light of the light irradiated to said object;

means for measuring a sectional shape from the optical image picked up by the image pick-up means;

means for forming from a sheet a template in such a way that said sectional shape corresponds to a thickness of the sheet, on the basis of said sectional shape; and

means for shifting said light irradiation means and said image pick-up device in a vertical direction perpendicular to the plane;

whereby, by forming templates relative to the entire object, a three-dimensional shape equivalent or analogous to the object is produced.

5. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shape according to claim 4 wherein said light irradiation means is means for irradiating laser slit light.

6. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shape according to claim 4 wherein said light irradiation means is means for irradiating laser beam light.

7. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shape according to claim 4 wherein said image pick-up means is an ITV camera which is a two-dimensional image pick-up device, and said means for measuring the sectional shape measures it on the basis of the line number of the scanning lines on the ITV camera and time during a certain scanning.

8. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shape according to claim 7 wherein the line number of said scanning lines and the time during a certain scanning line are calculated from a horizontal scanning signal and starting signal.

9. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shape according to claim 4 wherein said image pick-up means is a one-dimensional line sensor camera which is a one-dimensional image pick-up device, and said means for measuring the sectional shape is means for detecting output elements of the one-dimensional line sensor camera.

10. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shape according to claim 4 wherein said image pick-up means is a light spot detector (PSD) sensor which is a two-dimensional image pick-up device, and said means for measuring the sectional shape is means for detecting charge amount of the PSD sensor.

11. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shape according to claim 4 wherein a plurality of said light irradiation means are provided which irradiate a plurality of lights to the object.

12. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shape according to claim 4 wherein said image pick-up means is capable of changing an image pick-up position for said object.

13. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shape according to claim 4 wherein said image pick-up means is fixed.

14. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shape according to claim 4 wherein said light irradiation means is an incandescent lamp.

15. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shape according to claim 4 wherein said image pick-up means is located immediately above said object, and in the direction perpendicular to that of light irradiation by said light irradiation means.

16. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shape from an object having a three-dimensional shape, comprising:

means for rotating said object by a minute angle;

a beam light irradiation device capable of scanning laser beam light on said object to form a beam light plane;

a two-dimensional image pick-up device fixed at a predetermined distance from and at a predetermined angle with said beam light irradiation device, and for picking up reflected light spots of the laser beam irradiated to the object;

means for calculating the positions of the light spots picking up the pick-up device for each minute angle of the object and calculating sectional shapes of the object, parallel to said beam light plane;

means for forming templates each with a predetermined scale for each of said sectional shapes from sheets of a certain thickness, on the basis of said sectional shapes; and

means for stacking the templates to produce a three-dimensional shape with a predetermined scale for said object.

17. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shape from an object having a three-dimensional shape according to claim 16 wherein said rotating means is provided with a rotary encoder for detecting a rotating angle.