JP2007004529A - Apparatus for preparing three-dimensional surface with updatable shape - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a three-dimensional (3D) surface preparation apparatus capable of repeatedly changing a shape to other required shapes even once forming a 3D shape and capable of preparing the formation of another 3D surface even during the display of one 3D surface. <P>SOLUTION: The 3D surface preparation apparatus comprises: a sheet (12) having flexibility and elasticity; memory rods (14) arranged like a matrix under the sheet (12) to form a required shape on the sheet (12); control rods (19) arranged like a matrix under the memory rods (14) and capable of moving in a direction approaching the memory rods (14) and a direction separating from the memory rods (14); and means (13; 15, 16;17, 18) for controlling the positions of respective control rods by using data from a computer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a three-dimensional surface creation device capable of updating a shape, that is, a device for creating a three-dimensional surface using data from a computer.

  A three-dimensional surface (hereinafter referred to as a 3D surface) can be formed by several methods. For example, a computer-controlled milling machine can be used to create a surface described by numerical input data. Surface milling can be performed on various materials such as metal, plastic or wood. Alternatively, stereolithography apparatuses that use lasers for cross-linked polymers have been developed. The relative position of the laser beam relative to the polymer is controlled by a computer system using input data describing the required surface.

  All of the above prior arts have the problem of requiring expensive equipment. Further, in the case of the prior art, once the surface is formed, it is fixed, and it is impossible to form a surface of another shape on the surface or to regenerate the surface of the same shape.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in an apparatus for forming a 3D surface based on numerical data, unlike the prior art, after the 3D surface is once formed, the repeated shape can be changed as desired. It is an object of the present invention to provide a three-dimensional surface creation apparatus that can prepare another 3D surface while one 3D surface is displayed.
The present invention can be applied to many application examples such as creation of a 3D topographic map or a seabed map, manufacture of a surface injection mold, and various other three-dimensional images.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a sheet having flexibility and elasticity, a memory rod arranged in a matrix on the lower side of the sheet, and forming a desired shape on the sheet, and the memory Control rods arranged in a matrix form below the rods and movable in directions toward and away from the memory rods based on input control signals, and each of the control rods using data from a computer And means for controlling the position of the rod.
With the above configuration, the shape of the flexible sheet is determined by the position of the control rod matrix. The position of each rod is determined by a computer controlled system. Each rod is provided with two locking mechanisms. That is, one is an X coordinate lock mechanism and the other is a Y coordinate lock mechanism. When two locking mechanisms for a particular rod release the lock, the rod can move to a new position determined by the elevator. Once all rods are positioned, they are fixed in place and represent the shape of the surface to be formed. The position of the rod group can be transferred to the second set of rods, and the second set of rods is provided with a lock mechanism that can store the position of the first set of rods. As one application, the surface by the 3D surface forming apparatus of the present invention can be used as a replica injection mold, and as another example, a screen in an image projection system.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the 3D surface is formed on the lower control rod based on the input data, the control rod is raised, transferred to the memory rod, and the memory rod is locked. While the 3D surface is displayed by the sheet, the control rod can be lowered to form the 3D surface to be displayed next, and the control rod is raised and transferred to the unlocked memory rod Therefore, different 3D surfaces can be formed in a short time.

  According to the invention of claim 6, since the predetermined position of the control rod is controlled by the computer, it is possible to form a 3D surface of various arbitrary shapes.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows the basic components of a shape-renewable system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a fluid-driven locking mechanism for controlling the position of the control rod, and FIG. 3 uses a memory rod. FIG. 4 shows a cross section of the shape updatable system in the absence, FIG. 4 shows a series of actions in forming a 3D surface, and FIG. 5 shows a cross section of the shape updatable system when a memory rod is used, 6 shows a series of actions in forming a 3D surface using a memory rod, and FIG. 7 shows a schematic configuration of a control system for the 3D surface.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the 3D surface forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a set of memory rods 14 disposed on the upper side of the housing 11, and a set of control rods 19 disposed on the lower side thereof. The sheet 12 is placed on the memory rod 14 and fixed to the end of the housing. When the inside of the housing is depressurized, the sheet is pulled down to the upper end of the memory rod to form a predetermined 3D surface. The memory rod 14 can be locked in place by orthogonal fluid tubes 17 and 18. The control rod 19 can be locked in place by the fluid tubes 15 and 16 orthogonal to each other. The elevator 13 mounted in the housing 11 can be raised and lowered by a computer-controlled fluid drive system or an electric drive system. The elevator 13 raises and lowers the fastening tubes 15 and 16 by fluid pressure. The pattern is written by selectively tightening the control rod 19 and moving the elevator. This pattern is transferred from the control rod to the memory rod by raising the elevator and unlocking the memory rod. The memory rod is locked again. Thereafter, when the elevator is lowered, another pattern can be written on the control rod 19. The second pattern is transferred to the memory rod, and the pattern of the sheet 12 is updated.

  FIG. 2 shows a preferred locking mechanism for locking the control rod. The control rod 26 is held in the hole 27 of the fixed guide 24. Housed within the fixed guide 24 is a fluid tube 25 made of latex rubber or similar material. A pressing plate 28 is provided between the fluid tube 25 and the control rod 26 so as to be freely movable. When the fluid tube is expanded, the pressure plate 28 is pressed toward the control rod 26, thereby locking the control rod in place. The memory rod is also locked or released by a similar locking mechanism.

  FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of a mechanism for forming a pattern on the control rod 19. A latex rubber sheet 31 is fixed to the end of the housing 32, and the housing can be sucked through the port 33. The control rod 34 is passed through the hole of the plate 35 and the hole of the fixing plate 36 and is held at a fixed position. The fixed plate is provided with two sets of fluid tubes orthogonal to each other. One set is shown in cross section, and the other set is arranged to be orthogonal to the lower portion of the fixed plate 36.

  The fixed plate 36 can be raised and lowered by an elevating mechanism 38. The lifting mechanism may be either a fluid drive system or an electrical drive system.

  FIG. 4 shows a series of movements when writing two patterns successively. A desired shape can be formed on the seat 31 by performing a series of control of locking and unlocking the control rod and controlling the movement of the elevator.

  To create a 3D surface, all fluid tubes are first deflated, all control rods are unlocked, and the elevator is moved to the lowest start position as shown in FIG. 4 (a). The Thereafter, an appropriate amount of air is sucked from the housing to reduce the pressure. The fluid tube is then expanded and the rod is locked in place. The elevator is then moved to a higher position, the locked rod is raised with the elevator and the seat is pushed to a higher position. FIG. 4B shows the state at this time. At this time, the selected fluid tube is contracted, thereby unlocking the selected rod, and the unlocked lock falls to the floor of the housing due to the combination of gravity and the force applied from the seat. can do. Subsequently, all control rods are locked again. This state is shown in FIG.

  Thereafter, the elevator is further raised to the position shown in FIG. The selected control rod is then released and can fall to the housing floor. This state is shown in FIG. This process for locking, raising and releasing the selected rod is repeated until the desired pattern is obtained.

  By discarding the pressure in all tubes and releasing the rod, a new shape can be written. Subsequently, the elevator is moved down to the start position and a new program can be executed.

  FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment. In this case, one pattern can be considered while the second pattern is being written. The sheet 59 is fixed to the vacuum box 55. The control rod 57 is held by the lock mechanism 53. The lock mechanism can be raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism 54. A set of memory rods 56 is provided aligned with the upper side of the control rod 57. The memory rod is held in place by lock mechanisms 50 and 51 which are orthogonal to each other.

  Once the pattern is written on the lower control rod, the pattern can be transferred to the upper memory rod by raising it with a lifting mechanism and temporarily releasing the memory rod. The memory rod falls onto the control rod and reproduces the same shape. The memory rod is then locked in place and the control rod is moved downwards for another write cycle.

  FIG. 6 shows a sequence of movements when used to continue writing two shapes. FIG. 4A shows the positions of the lower control rod and the upper memory rod when all the rods are unlocked. By selectively locking and unlocking the control rod and raising the elevator, a pattern is written on the control rod as shown in FIG. At this stage, the rod group is in the position shown in FIG. Thereafter, the control rod is raised as a whole and comes into contact with the memory rod. The memory rod is unlocked and the elastic sheet can be pushed up to form a desired shape. Then the memory load is locked again. This state is shown in FIG. Next, the control rod is unlocked and lowered to the lowest position as shown in FIG. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6E, a new pattern is written on the control rod. Thereafter, the upper memory rod can be unlocked and returned to the lowest position. Subsequently, the elevator is raised and the new pattern is transferred to the memory rod as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the control rod is released and lowered to the lowest position as shown in FIG. At this point, another pattern can be written to the control rod and the cycle is repeated.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system used for forming a 3D surface by the 3D surface forming apparatus. The 3D map data defining the surface shape and the height data when the contour map is written are loaded into the personal computer 72. This data includes a normal image, can be projected by the projector 71 on the molded surface, and can also be viewed on the monitor 73. The 3D map data is given to the programmable controller 74. Programmable controller 74 provides appropriate signals to air compressor 77, vacuum pump 76, and elevator controller 75. The signal is also sent to the electromagnetic valve 78 to control the passage of compressed air from the compressor to the fluid line via the manifold 79. These lines are connected to a rubber tube that forms part of two orthogonal sets of locks used to position the control rod and memory rod.

  Although fluid-driven locks have been described herein as providing a rod clamping function, it should be understood that there are many other alternatives such as mechanical locks, magnetic locks and the like. In the illustrated example, the control rod and the memory rod are arranged in a vertical state, but other arrangement examples are possible. Further, since the rubber sheet forming the contour line surface holds the rod, this 3D surface can be installed horizontally or, for example, can be wall-mounted.

  Another feature of the invention is that, depending on the application, only a portion of the rod group is updated to save rewriting time or achieve special effects such as morphing an image. Can do.

1 is a partially broken perspective view showing basic components of a system capable of updating a shape according to the present invention. The partially broken perspective view which shows the fluid drive type locking mechanism for controlling the position of a control rod. Sectional drawing of the system whose shape is renewable when the memory rod is not used. Explanatory drawing which shows a series of effect | actions at the time of forming 3D surface. Sectional drawing of the system whose shape is renewable when a memory rod is used. Explanatory drawing which shows a series of effect | actions at the time of forming a 3D surface using a Mori rod. The figure which shows schematic structure of the control system of 3D surface.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Housing | casing 12 Sheet | seat 13 Elevator 14 Memory rod 19 Control rod 15, 16 Fluid tube 17, 18 Fluid tube 24 Fixed guide 25 Fluid tube 26 Rod 27 Groove 28 Freely movable press plate

Claims (19)

A sheet having flexibility and elasticity;
Memory rods arranged in a matrix on the lower side of the sheet for forming a desired shape in the sheet;
A control rod arranged in a matrix below the memory rod and movable in a direction approaching and separating from the memory rod based on an input control signal;
Means for controlling the position of each rod of the control rod using data from a computer;
A three-dimensional surface creation device capable of renewing the shape.   The shape-updatable three-dimensional surface creation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is supported by a memory rod group and is in contact with a tip of the sheet.   The rods of the memory rod group are movable in a direction perpendicular to the seat, and are locked in place after being pushed to a predetermined position by a corresponding control rod. 3D surface creation device that can update the shape.   2. Each rod of the control rod group is movable in a direction perpendicular to each corresponding rod of the memory rod group from a start position, and is locked when moved to a predetermined position. A three-dimensional surface creation device capable of renewing the shape described in 1.   The shape-updatable three-dimensional surface creation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control rod is moved downward from each memory rod and returned to the start position.   The shape-updatable three-dimensional surface creation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined position of the control rod is controlled by a computer.   4. Each of the control rods is provided with two fluid-driven lock mechanisms, and the lock means releases a specific control rod by a synchronous position designation to freely move. A three-dimensional surface creation device capable of renewing the shape described in 1.   8. The shape-updatable 3 according to claim 7, wherein the fluid-driven lock mechanism includes a first lock mechanism for the X coordinate and a second lock mechanism for the Y coordinate for the control rod and the memory rod. Dimensional surface creation device.   The shape-updatable three-dimensional surface creation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sheet is sucked with respect to a tip of the memory rod group.   The housing further includes a memory rod and a control rod, wherein the housing is evacuated to generate a suction force for attracting a sheet to a tip of the memory rod. 9. A three-dimensional surface creation device capable of updating a shape according to 9.   The shape-renewable three-dimensional surface creation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a lock mechanism capable of locking and unlocking the control rod is connected to an elevator and can raise and lower the control rod.   12. The elevator according to claim 11, wherein the elevator is returned to the lowest position in a state where all the control rods are unlocked after the input drawing data is transferred from the control rod to the memory rod. 3D surface creation device.   12. The three-dimensional surface creation device capable of renewing a shape according to claim 11, wherein the control rods simultaneously designated for position are locked when the elevator is raised and unlocked when the elevator is lowered.   4. The shape-renewable three-dimensional surface creation device according to claim 3, further comprising an inflatable tube that serves as a brake that locks the memory rod and control rod in place when inflated.   The shape-updatable three-dimensional surface creation device according to claim 14, wherein the inflatable tubes are aligned two-dimensionally for simultaneous positioning.   The shape-updatable three-dimensional surface creation device according to claim 15, wherein the inflatable tubes are aligned in two orthogonal directions.   A first frame having a hole for guiding the control rod and the memory rod, an inflatable fluid tube, and a horizontal groove for holding a freely movable pressing plate for the control rod and the memory rod. The three-dimensional surface creation device capable of renewing a shape according to claim 1.   2. Each of the rods of the memory rod is provided with two fluid-driven locking mechanisms, and the locking means releases a specific memory rod to freely move by synchronous position designation. A three-dimensional surface creation device capable of renewing the shape described in 1.   2. The three-dimensional surface creation apparatus capable of updating a shape according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is virtual.

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