Method and system for surface analysis and envelope generation

• US 8,108,187 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David C. Brown
• Original Assignee: David C. Brown
• Inventors: Brown, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Paul
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cothran, Bernard E
• Application Number:
  US11/970,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20090174720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 703/6, 345/581, 345/421, 378/149, 700/220, 700/221, 53/50, 531/54
• US Class Current: 703/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/06 Ray-tracing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/08 Biomedical applications

Abstract

A method and system of surface analysis or product design comprising using a plurality of input scans, commonly orienting the scans, establishing a common origin, creating a ray mesh having a plurality of rays extending from the origin, calculating intersections of the rays with the input scans, analyzing the intersection along each ray, generating percentile envelopes by connecting similar percentile points on each ray, and designing products using percentile envelopes as a guide. The system may comprise a device for scanning surfaces, a fit plan setting forth predetermined guidelines for the product, a coordinate transformation algorithm, an envelope processor comprising an intersection calculation algorithm for analyzing data sets and generating output surfaces, and an output file.

Claims

1. A method of surface analysis, comprising:

establishing a first reference point on each one of a plurality of input surfaces, said plurality of input surfaces comprising input data;

transforming said input data to orient said input surfaces relative to said first reference point establishing an origin;

generating a plurality of rays extending from said origin;

calculating intersections of said plurality of rays with said input surfaces, wherein each of said rays intersects a plurality of said input surfaces;

calculating distances from said origin to said intersections;

calculating percentiles based on said intersections along each of said plurality of rays; and

generating a surface using said percentiles.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a second reference point on each one of said input surfaces.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said origin is located within each of said input surfaces.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

establishing is second origin;

generating a second plurality of rays extending from said second origin;

calculating second intersections of said second plurality of rays with said input surfaces;

calculating distances from said second origin to said second intersections;

calculating second percentiles based on said second intersections along each of said second plurality of rays; and

refining said generated surface using said second percentiles.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein each of said input surfaces comprises a plurality of polygons.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein each one of said plurality of rays intersects one of said plurality of polygons.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said generated surface comprises a plurality of polygons formed by the intersections calculated for a predetermined percentile.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said input surfaces represent body surfaces.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said body surfaces are selected from a predetermined subpopulation.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of rays extend in at least two dimensions and are generally equally spaced about said origin.

11. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

designing an apparatus having dimensions spaced a predetermined distance from said generated surface.

12. A method for designing an apparatus requiring clearance or sealing, comprising:

transforming a first plurality of polygons comprising discrete data points from a plurality of sources to provide a common orientation;

establishing a common origin for each of said plurality of sources;

generating a mesh surface spaced a predetermined distance from said common origin comprising a second plurality of polygons;

extending a plurality of rays from said common origin through said second plurality of polygons to a plurality of intersections with said first plurality of polygons for each of said plurality of sources;

calculating distances between each of said plurality of intersections and said common origin for each of said plurality of sources;

comparing said distances for each of said plurality of rays and calculating threshold values;

designing said apparatus to have dimensions related to said threshold values.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said second plurality of polygons of mesh surface have sides comprising a first curved line spaced from said origin and incrementally rotated about an axis passing through said origin and a plurality of second curved lines incrementally spaced from each other and normal to said first curved line.

14. A method according to claim 12, further comprising sorting said plurality of intersections for each of said plurality of rays by said distances.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein said calculating step comprises computing percentiles for said distances and selecting at least one of said percentiles to be a threshold value.

16. A system for designing an apparatus for use by a population, comprising:

a device for scanning surfaces;

a product fit, plan executable by a computer, to assist in data transformation between scanned surfaces and said apparatus;

a coordinate transformation algorithm performed by a computer;

an envelope processor executable by said computer for analyzing data sets and generating output surfaces, said processor comprising an intersection calculation algorithm; and

an output file generated by said computer that includes data corresponding to said output surfaces;

wherein said intersection calculation algorithm includes calculating intersections of a plurality of rays emanating from an origin with said surfaces, each of said rays intersecting a plurality of said surfaces; and

wherein said intersection calculation algorithm further includes calculating distances from said origin to said intersections.

17. A system according to claim 16, further comprising a conversion module for converting files into a format usable by said envelope processor.

18. A system according to claim 16, further comprising a database of ray mesh files.

19. A system according to claim 16, wherein said output file is of a format readable by CAD software for displaying said output file graphically.

20. A system according to claim 16, further comprising an algorithm for smoothing said output surfaces.