Method for manufacturing three-dimensional molded model and support tool for medical treatment, medical training, research, and education

• US 9,183,764 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fasotec Co., Ltd., National University Corporation Kobe University
• Original Assignee: Fasotec Co., Ltd., National University Corporation Kobe University
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Maki, Azuama, Takeshi, Watanabe, Kinichi, Shimada, Shukichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hartman, Jr., Ronald
• Application Number:
  US13/823,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20140017651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 700/117, 700/118, 700/119, 382/131
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/30 Anatomical models G09B23/281 - G09B23/288 take precedence

Abstract

Provided is a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional molded model that can reproduce the feel of an organ. A three-dimensional shape of a body site subject to molding is extracted from brightness information of two-dimensional data obtained from medical diagnostic devices, and three-dimensional molding data of the body site and the internal structure site thereof is created. The three-dimensional shape data is edited using a modeling function. Respective touch equivalent parameter tables are created. The material type and the formulation ratio of the modeling material used for molding each body site and internal structural site are defined, and added to the touch equivalent parameter tables. Primitive shape data is generated from the parameters of the touch equivalent parameter tables, and a Boolean operation is performed on the body site data and internal structure site data as well as on the primitive shape data. Molding is performed using the defined materials.

Claims

1. A method for producing a three-dimensional molded model using a three-dimensional printer that uses at least two types of materials as model materials, the method comprising at least the steps of:

1) extracting a three-dimensional geometry of a body part to be molded from brightness information of two-dimensional data obtained from a medical diagnostic apparatus and creating three-dimensional geometry data of the body part and an internal structural part thereof;

2) editing the three-dimensional geometry data of the body part and the internal structural part thereof using a modeling feature;

3) preparing a feeling equivalence parameter table including, as parameters, at least an internal structure pattern, a pattern size, and a pattern interval that specify a primitive geometry of the body part and the internal structural part;

4) defining types and a blend ratio of model materials used for molding for each of the body part and the internal structural part and adding the types and the blend ratio to the feeling equivalence parameter table;

5) creating primitive geometry data with parameters in the feeling equivalence parameter table and performing a Boolean operation of either logical sum, logical difference, or logical product between part data of the body part and the internal structural part obtained in the preceding step

     2) and the primitive geometry data; and

6) performing molding with the three-dimensional printer using the materials defined in the preceding step

     4) based on the three-dimensional geometry data of the body part and the internal structural part obtained in the preceding step

     5).

2. The method for producing a three-dimensional molded model according to claim 1, wherein at least one type of the model materials is composed of a translucent material.

3. The method for producing a three-dimensional molded model according to claim 1, wherein the step 2) includes at least one of character/sign addition processing, marking symbol addition processing, scaler addition processing, and barcode addition processing.

4. The method for producing a three-dimensional molded model according to claim 1, wherein the step 1) includes reducing the three-dimensional geometry size of the internal structural part to be smaller than a volume of the internal structural part of the body part.

5. The method for producing a three-dimensional molded model according to claim 1, wherein in the case of providing a feeling of softness for at least one of the body part and the internal structural part, the step 5) includes:

performing a logical sum between the part data defined with a first soft material and the primitive geometry data defined with a second soft material;

or

performing a logical difference between the part data defined with a first soft material and the primitive geometry data defined with no material.

6. The method for producing a three-dimensional molded model according to claim 1, wherein in the case of providing a feeling of hardness for at least one of the body part and the internal structural part, the step 5) includes:

performing a logical sum between the part data defined with a first hard material and the primitive geometry data defined with a second hard material;

or

performing a logical difference between the part data defined with a first hard material and the primitive geometry data defined with no material.

7. The method for producing a three-dimensional molded model according to claim 1, wherein in the case of providing a feeling of hardness for at least one of the body part and the internal structural part, the step 5) includes performing a logical sum or a logical difference between the part data defined with a first hard material and the primitive geometry data defined with a first soft material.

8. The method for producing a three-dimensional molded model according to claim 1, wherein in the step 3), if the body part is a liver, one or more of hepatic parenchyma, hepatic vein, portal vein, bile duct, and an affected part are selected as the internal structural part to define the internal structure pattern, the pattern size, and the pattern interval thereon.

9. The method for producing a three-dimensional molded model according to claim 1, wherein in the step 3), if the body part is a pregnant abdomen, one or more of uterus, fetus, umbilical cord (navel cord), placenta, amniotic fluid, blood vessel, and subcutaneous fat are selected as the internal structural part to define the internal structure pattern, the pattern size, and the pattern interval thereon.

10. The method for producing a three-dimensional molded model according to claim 1, wherein in the step 3), if the body part is a breast, one or more of subcutaneous fat, mammary gland, mammary duct, lymph duct, lymph node, and breast cancer part are selected as the internal structural part to define the internal structure pattern, the pattern size, and the pattern interval thereon.

11. The method for producing a three-dimensional molded model according to claim 1, wherein in the step 3), if the body part is a limb, one or more of skin, subcutaneous fat, artery, vein, muscle, bone, and tendon forming the limb and joints are selected as the internal structural part to define the internal structure pattern, the pattern size, and the pattern interval thereon.

12. The method for producing a three-dimensional molded model according to claim 1, wherein in the step 3), if the body part is a throat, one or more of esophagus, trachea, and cartilage are selected as the internal structural part to define the internal structure pattern, the pattern size, and the pattern interval thereon.

13. The method for producing a three-dimensional molded model according to claim 1, wherein in the step 3), if the body part is a face, one or more of skin, subcutaneous fat, muscle, cartilage, bone, and blood vessel are selected as the internal structural part to define the internal structure pattern, the pattern size, and the pattern interval thereon.

14. The method for producing a three-dimensional molded model according to claim 1, wherein in the step 3), if the body part is a tooth and gum, one or more of tooth, gum, alveolar bone, blood vessel, nerve, jaw bone, jaw muscle, and tongue are selected as the internal structural part to define the internal structure pattern, the pattern size, and the pattern interval thereon.

15. The method for producing a three-dimensional molded model according to claim 1, wherein in the step 3), if the body part is a digestive tract, the inner wall or the outer wall of the digestive tract is selected as the internal structural part to define the internal structure pattern, the pattern size, and the pattern interval thereon.

16. The method for producing a three-dimensional molded model according to claim 1, wherein in the step 3), if the body part is a head, one or more of hair, eyeball, brain, brain blood vessel, skin, subcutaneous fat, muscle, ear cartilage, nose cartilage, and skull are selected as the internal structural part to define the internal structure pattern, the pattern size, and the pattern interval thereon.

17. A support tool for medical treatment, medical training, research, and education, the support tool formed by slicing at a predetermined thickness a three-dimensional molded model obtained by at least the steps of:

1) extracting a three-dimensional geometry of a body part to be molded from brightness information of two-dimensional data obtained from a medical diagnostic apparatus and creating three-dimensional geometry data of the body part and an internal structural part thereof;

2) editing the three-dimensional geometry data of the body part and the internal structural part thereof using a modeling feature;

3) preparing a feeling equivalence parameter table including, as parameters, at least an internal structure pattern, a pattern size, and a pattern interval that specify a primitive geometry of the body part and the internal structural part;

4) defining types and a blend ratio of model materials used for molding for each of the body part and the internal structural part and adding the types and the blend ratio to the feeling equivalence parameter table;

5) creating primitive geometry data with parameters in the feeling equivalence parameter table and performing a Boolean operation of either logical sum, logical difference, or logical product between part data of the body part and the internal structural part obtained in the preceding step

     2) and the primitive geometry data; and

6) performing molding with the three-dimensional printer using the materials defined in the preceding step

     4) based on the three-dimensional geometry data of the body part and the internal structural part obtained in the preceding step

     5).

18. The support tool according to claim 17 for medical treatment, medical training, research, and education, the support tool also formed by overlaying the slices to form the original three-dimensional geometry, and passing an axis through the geometry so that the geometry is freely rotatable about the axis.

19. A support tool for medical treatment, medical training, research, and education, the support tool formed by slicing at a predetermined thickness a three-dimensional molded model obtained by a method for producing a three-dimensional molded model using a three-dimensional printer that uses at least two types of materials as model materials, overlaying the slices to form the original three-dimensional geometry, and passing an axis through the geometry so that the geometry is freely rotatable about the axis,

the method comprising the steps of:

extracting a three-dimensional geometry of a body part to be molded from brightness information of two-dimensional data obtained from a medical diagnostic apparatus and creating three-dimensional geometry data of the body part and an internal structural part thereof;

editing the three-dimensional geometry data using a modeling feature;

defining types and a blend ratio of model materials used for molding for each of the body part and the internal structural part and adding the types and the blend ratio to a feeling equivalence parameter table; and

performing molding with the three-dimensional printer using the materials defined in the preceding step of defining the material types.

20. A computer comprising a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, and a hard disk drive (HDD), the computer storing a program for producing a three-dimensional molded model using a three-dimensional printer that uses at least two types of materials as model materials, the program causing the computer to execute the steps of:

extracting a three-dimensional geometry of a body part to be molded from brightness information of two-dimensional data obtained from a medical diagnostic apparatus and creating three-dimensional geometry data of the body part and an internal structural part thereof;

editing the three-dimensional geometry data using a modeling feature;

prompting an input of feeling equivalence parameters including at least an internal structure pattern, a pattern size, and a pattern interval that specify a primitive geometry of the body part and the internal structural part, respectively, and generating a feeling equivalence parameter table;

prompting an input of types and a blend ratio of model materials used for molding for each of the body part and the internal structural part and additionally defining the types and the blend ratio to the feeling equivalence parameter table; and

creating primitive geometry data with parameters in the feeling equivalence parameter table and performing a Boolean operation of either logical sum, logical difference, or logical product between part data of the body part and the internal structural part obtained in the preceding step of editing data and the primitive geometry data.