WO2003084622A1

WO2003084622A1 - Multilayer imitation of a three-dimensional object and method for obtaining it

Info

Publication number: WO2003084622A1
Application number: PCT/BG2003/000007
Authority: WO
Inventors: Krasimir Chavdarov Todorov
Original assignee: Krasimir Chavdarov Todorov
Priority date: 2002-04-05
Filing date: 2003-03-14
Publication date: 2003-10-16
Also published as: AU2003227128A1; BG106590A

Abstract

The invention relates to a multilayer imitation of a 3D object and a method of obtaining it which will be used as a means of reproducing and multiplying the shape of any 3D object allowing its propagation as various ecologically clean products of low cost. A multilayer imitation of a 3D object consisting of a number of parallel elements independent one from another and cut off from sheets, the forms of the elements building up the shape varying gradually from one half to another, and characterized by that the multilttyer imitation is a 3D configuration built up from a great number of parallel elements building up the shape, made of sheets and laid successively along one of the three dimensions.

Description

MULTILAYER IMITATION OF A THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECT AND METHOD FOR OBTAINING IT

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a multilayer imitation of a 3D object and a method of obtaining it which will be used as a means of reproducing and multiplying the shape of any 3D object allowing its propagation as various ecologically clean products of low cost and especially as a 3D puzzle, a meccano to be used to acquire skills in the sphere of arts and construction of 3D shapes as well as materials of advertisement and souvenirs.

PRIOR ART

A puzzle cube consisting of a great number of components interconnected in space, included in cube volume and detachable one from another is known. Every component is made of several small cubes tightly connected one with another and their side surfaces situated directly one opposite another. At least two small cubes are located one opposite the other in every one of the components in the direction of the three dimensions in the space. (US 4 662 638)

A disadvantage of the puzzle cube is the complicated execution of the small cubes which determines their complicated shape and the high cost of the puzzle.

A 3D representative puzzle is known consisting of a great number of puzzle pieces which, after assembly, represent a figure, every puzzle piece having a shape determined in advance and made of hard, rigid sheets of equal thickness and having parallel flat surfaces on their lower part, and a selected number of puzzle pieces having in addition an engaging friction medium for friction connection and at least one pivoting bar, all of them allowing the puzzle to move after its assembly. (US P 5681041)

A disadvantage of this puzzle is the complicated structure and the impossibility of complete and continuous reproduction of the shape of the 3D object reproduced by means of this puzzle.

A 3D puzzle is known for generating a continuous 3D picture including a great number of puzzle pieces of identical shape and size in the plane and having upper, lower and lateral surfaces so that after such puzzle pieces are assembled at places determined in advance they form only one 3D configuration specified in advance. This 3D configuration is formed by joining the lower surface of each puzzle piece having a connecting part with the lower surface and a connecting part of an identical shape of any other puzzle piece being free from any medium which would show the location or the orientation of any puzzle piece in the final view of the puzzle. (US P 4874176)

The disadvantage of this puzzle is that in order to build up the 3D configuration, a great number of puzzle pieces of identical geometric shape and size are connected, without any indication of their connection in the space, on a base built in advance and lying under the puzzle pieces, which makes the building of the 3D configuration very difficult and the final product very expensive.

A 3D object is known consisting of a sheet of paper folded into two halves perpendicular one to another along the transversal line having a number of parallel elements independent one from another, cut off from sheets, projecting one from another and placed on one half of the sheet of paper at intervals, the pieces cut being parallel one to another and to the other half of the sheet of paper and connected one with another by means of a covering plane, the shapes of the pieces cut varying gradually from one to the other half so that the foremost part is quite different from the hindermost one. (US P 5817578)

A disadvantage of this 3D obgect made of a sheet of paper is the partial interrupted reproduction of a 3D shape in the space and the necessity of additional structural elements for stabilizing the sheet of paper and additional parallel flat elements building the shape and located on it.

A method is known for restoration of damaged parts of paper of picture and calligraphic works according to which the paper work that, hay to be restored or a sheet of paper helping the restoration is placed on a filtering sheet as a part placed in a frame used to make paper. The frame used to make paper is placed in a raw restorative liquid containing raw material for paper so that the fibres contained in the raw restorative liquid fill up the damaged parts of the paper work, then the sheet of paper helping the restoration is removed from the frame until the fibres are dried to the point of humidity required, and after drying and removal of the frame a restored paper work is obtained. (US P 5958506)

A disadvantage of this method is the impossibility to reproduce a complicated 3D shape.

A method is known to build up 3D shapes and especially volume puzzles according to which a 3D object is divided into a great number of puzzle pieces representing elements of different form building the shape to be connected in the space, and then such puzzle pieces are connected one with anotner according to a picture specified in advance, at least two equal perpendicular one to another in space surfaces of such puzzle pieces having been connected by means of a detachable connection of a module type until the 3D configuration is obtained.

A disadvantage of this method is that detachable 3D configurations of short duration are obtained, mostly single ones, while the reproduction both of the elements building the shape and the whole 3D configuration is very complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the invention is to make multilayer imitations of 3D objects of illimited possibilities of reproduction and very high accuracy of any 3D shape by means of piling up a great number of elements of different form building the shape and made of sheets of paper with a possibility of additional finishing, decoration and colouring, plastic sheets being used as an initial material for the elements building the shape.

The invention represents the creation of a multilayer imitation of a 3D configuration consisting of a great number of parallel elements building up the shape made of sheets and piled up consecutively in the direction of one of the three dimensions in the space. Every one of the elements building up the shape has two continuous contours, its proper contour and a joining contour corresponding to parallel parts of the external surface of a 3D object. Every following element building up the shape is closely fixed to the preceeding one within the joining contour along the sheet surface limited by the proper contour of the preceeding element building up the shape. All elements building up the shape of one series are made of sheets of equal thickness. In a second version of the invention some groups of elements building up the shape of a series are made of sheets of paper of different thickness.

The invention includes also a method of obtaining a multilayer imitation of a 3D object which is divided into consecutive parallel elements building up the shape by means of its intersection with a horizontal plane along one of the space co-ordinates. The intersecting horizontal plane is parallel or perpendicular to one of the axes of symmetry of the 3D object placed at equal intervals until obtaining the determination of the proper contour and the joining contour of the relevant consecutive element building up the shape for every relevant part of the external surface of the 3D object being reproduced. The joining contour of the preceeding element building up the shape may coincide or not with the proper contour of the following element building up the shape. The proper contour of the relevant consecutive element building up the shape and the joining contour determining the border line of joining the following element building up the shape to the preceeding element building up the shape obtained as a result of the intersection of the plane S at a precise interval along the co-ordinate selected are plotted simultaneously on a sheet. In this way the shape of the 3D prototype object is expanded into a great number of closed contours plotted on the surface of the sheet. Every one of the great number of elements building up the shape is obtained by cutting the sheet along its proper contour. The single elements building up the shape obtained in this way are fixed consecutively one to another densely along the sheet limited by its proper contour, every following element building up the shape being fixed to the proceeding one along the joining contour. All elements building up the shape are plotted successively in the way described above one with respect to the other until the shape of the 3D object is completely reproduced. The multilayer imitation obtained is then given a final touch by means of additional manipulations .

It is possible that the intervals along the relevant co-ordinate in which the plane S intersects the 3D object are different in different sections depending on the complexity of the shape of the adjacent surface in them.

The 3D object may be divided into compound modules every one of which is expanded into elements building up the shape in the way described above, and after the multilayer imitations of the compound modules are made the shapes built up are fixed one to another until the shape of the 3D object is completely reproduced.

The advantages of this invention are:

By expanding the 3D shape on a plane surface as plane elements building up the shape and made of sheets of a fixed contour and different shapes it is possible to achieve the accuracy required of the 3D object shape which allows the imitation, sculpturing and designing of 3D shapes wihout any limitation.

The method of obtaining the multilayer imitation of a 3D object according to the invention ensures a high density of the shape by achieving a density of the external contour by means of a minimum thickness of the main sheet building up the shape and a minimum interval of building up the 3D object along one of the directiona of the object in the space.

The joining of the main elements building the shape is simplified, and it is made by their joining one to another in a well-determined order within determined contours in the plane closely in the direction of the plane surface of the sheet thus ensuring a durable fixing of the elements one to another and a dense shape of the newly formed imitation.

Practicaily it is possible to reproduce any 3D shape which may be of interest as a whole or partially, i.e. some elements building up shapes of modules.

The arrangement and fixing of the main elements building up the shape one to another until building up completely the 3D object of imitation are extremely simple, and the fixing is carried out by using well-known methods of fixing sheets.

Due to the possibility of perfect reproduction of the shape of the 3D prototype object, the multilayer imitation of the 3D object makes an exceptional decorative and aesthetic impression and allows to work out designs of various complicacy and various advartisement compositions.

Depending on the artistic project the multilayer imitation may be made with unicoloured or multicoloured elements or of different materials which allow to work out a different number of versions or modules of an abstract form. The external surface of the multilayer imitation may be subjected to additional finishing or colouring.

The method allows to reproduce the shape by means of sheets of different sizes and thicknesses ranging from several "mm" to several "m" depending on the desired size of the imitation as related to the object to be reproduced and the artistic or advertisement project to be realized.

The method of obtaining the multilayer imitation of a 3D object according to the invention can be applied by using simple equipment, a simple, cheap and ecologically clean technology with a view to achieving a flexible production and implementing a flexible marketing policy, allowing at the same time a rapid modification of the production to make a new product of a new shape thus being possible to make even small series and unique projects at advantageous prices.

Because of the possibility of accurate reproduction of of the shape of any 3D object and the low cost, the multilayer imitation of a 3D object and the method of obtaining it allow to multiply the shapes of exhibits of museums, cultural and architectural monuments, historical relics, works of art and their transformation into an ecologically clean product distinguished for its reliability, functionality, aesthetics and harmlessness and allowing to achieve a high economic efficiency due to their low cost.

The multilayer imitation of a 3D object according to this invention may be used for education in the spheres of arts and history by reproducing objects of historical importance and works of art, exhibits of museums and cultural monuments and for development of skills for construction of 3D shapes by means of production of different educational means as well as for advertisements of various colours and sizes at relatively low cost due to the simplified technology of production.

The expenses made for raw and other materials and energy for production of multilayer 3D imitations from sheets according to the invention are considerably lower as compared with those for reproduction of similar 3D configurations .

THE DRAWINGS They are an example of execution of a multilayer imitation of a 3D object and the method of its obtaining which explains the invention as shown on the figures attached, as follows :

Fig.l - axonometric view of the shape of the 3D prototype object;

Fig.2 - axonometric view of the basic outline of expanding the shape of the 3D oojcct into plane surfaces as a result of the intersection of the object with a horizontal plane ;

Fig.3 - view of the contour obtained by the intersection of the horizontal plane (S) with the 3D object at point Mn on the axis ( Z ) ;

Fig.4 - view of the contour obtained by the intersection of the horizontal plane (S) with the 3D object at point Mn on the axis ( Z ) ;

Fig.5 - picture of the proper contour A on a sheet determining the main element nM building up the shape of the multilayer imitation;

Fig.6 - picture of the joining contour B on a sheet determining the joining line of the following element nMl building up the shape to the preceeding element nM building up the shape of the multilayer imitation;

Fig.7 - picture of a main element nM building up the shape or the multilayer imitation;

Fig.8 - axonometric view of the multilayer imitation built up by main elements building up the shape ;

Fig.9 - axonometric view of a 3D prototype object consisting of expanded modules;

Fig.10 - cross-section along Z-axis of the basic outline of expanding the shape, of a module of the 3D object into plane surfaces as a result of the intersection of the object with a horizontal plane ;

Fig.11 - cross-section along Z-axis of the basic outline of expanding the shape of a module of the 3D object into plane surfaces as a result of the intersection of the object with a horizontal plane ;

Fig.12- - axonometric view of a multilayer imitation built up by modules expanded into elements building the shape.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The multilayer imitation of a 3D object is obtained by dividing the shape of the 3D object 1 to be reproduced (Fig.l) into consecutive parallel elements building up the shape from nl to N (fig.2) by means of its intersection with a horizontal plane S along the altitude Z . The plane is situated parallelly to one of the axes of symmetry 2 of the 3D object 1 at equal intervals in relation to an initial point M selected at random (fig.2). The intersection of the plane (S) with the 3D object 1 on the level of point Mn along the altitude Z determines the proper contour A of the relevant consecutive element nM building up the shape (fig. 3 and 5). The intersection of the plane S with the 3D object 1 on the level of point Mnl lying at a distance from point Mn at interval 3 along the altitude Z determines the joining contour B of the relevant consecutive element nlMl building up the shape (fig.4 and fig. 6) determining a relevant part of the external surface of the 3D object 1 to be reproduced after which the outlines of the proper contour A and the joining contour B (fig. 7) of the relevant consecutive element nlMl building up the shape are laid simultaneously on the sheet 4. The joining contour B determines the border line of joining the following element nlM2 building up the shape to the proceeding element nlMl building up the shape. Thus the shape of the 3D object 1 is expanded into a number N of closed contours A laid on the surface of the sheet 4 (fig.7). Just one sheet or several sheets may be used depending on the application of the imitation. The elements from nl to N building up the shape are obtained by cutting the sheet 4 along its proper contour A, then they are sticked successively one after another along the surface of the sheet limited by the contour A, the consecutive element n2M2 building up the shape being fixed to the preceeding element nlMl building up the shape along the joining contour B and so on until complete reproduction of the shape of the 3D object 1 as a multilayer imitation 5 (fig.8). A final touch may follow by using additional manipulations, if necessary, depending on the objectives of the reproduction.

In another version of execution of the invention the 3D object (1) is divided into compound modules 6 and 7 (tig.9) every one of which is divided into elements building up the shape (fig.10 and fig.11) after which the multilayer imitations of the compound modules 8 and 9 are fixed one to another until complete building of the shape of the 3D object 1 as an imitation 10 (fig.12), some groups of the series of elements building up the shape being made of sheets of different thickness, and the sheet of some elements building up the shape is not paper.

In a third version of execution of the invention the intervals 2 along altitude Z of the 3D object 1 may be different in the different sections depending on the complicacy of the shape (fig.10 and fig.11). The examples given above do not limit the subject of this invention.

USE OF THE INVENTION

The multilayer imitation of a 3D object may be used for reproduction and restoration of works of art, designing the interior and exterior of buildings and equipment, working out advertisement compositions and, as an ecologically clean product and especially as a 3D puzzle or a meccano, to create skills in the sphere of arts and producing 3D shapes, advertisement materials and souvenirs.

The applications mentioned above do not limit the use of the invention.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. A multilayer imitation of a 3D object consisting of a number of parallel elements independent one from another and cut off from sheets, the forms of the elements building up the shape varying gradually from one half to another, and characterized by that the multilayer imitation is a 3D configuration built up from a great number of parallel elements building up the shape, made of sheets and laid successively along one of the three dimensions, every element building up the shape from (nl) to (N) having two continuous contours, its proper contour (A) and a joining contour (B) corresponding to parallel parts of the external surface of the 3D object (1) the subsequant element building up the shape (n2) being fixed to the preceeding element building up the shape(nl) undetachably within the joining contour (B) along the sheet plane limited by its proper contour (A) and all elements building up the shape of the series being made of sheets of equal thickness.

2. A multilayer imitation of a 3D object according to Claim 1 above characterized by that some groups in the series of elements building up thy shape are made of sheets of different thickness and the sheets are of paper.

3. Method of obtaining a multilayer imitation of a 3D object according to which this object is divided into a great number of elements of different form building up the shape to be connected in the space, the great number of elements building up the shape being connected one with another thereafter until obtaining the 3D configuration, and characterized by that the 3D object (1) is divided into consecutive parallel elements building up the shape from (nl) to (N) by means of its intersection with the horizontal plane (S) along one of the three dimensions parallelly or peropendicularly to one of the axes of symmetry (2) of the 3D object(l) at equal intervalas (3) until obtaining thy proper contour (A) and the joining contour (B) of every consecutive element building up the shape from (nl) to (N) determining a relevant part of the external surface of the 3D object (1) reproduced, then on the sheet (4) are laid simultaneously the proper contour (A) of the relevant consecutive element (nl) building the shape and the joining contour (B) determining the border line of joining the following element (n2) to the preceeding element (nl) obtained as a result of the intersection of the plane (S) at a precisely determined interval along the dimension selected, when the shape of the 3D object (1) is expanded into a great number of closed contours (nMn) laid on the seet (4) surface, the elements building up the shape from (nl) to (N) being obtained by cutting off the sheet (4) along its proper contour (A), then fixed successively one to another undetachably along sheet surface limited by its proper oontour (A) , the following element (n2) building up the shape being fixed to the preceeding one (nl) building the shape along the joining contour (B), this procedure being repeated as many times as required until complete reproduction of the 3D object (1) shape. A final touch may be given to the multilayer imitation (5) by carrying out additional manipulations .

4. A method according to Claim 3 above characterized by that the intervals (3) along the relevant dimension at which the plane (S) intersects the 3D object (1) are different in different sections depending on the complicacy of the shape of the adjacent surface.

5. A method according to Claim 3 and 4 above characterized by that the 3D object (1) is divided into compound modules ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) every one of which is expanded into a great number of elements (nM) building up the shape, and the multilayer imitations of the compound modules (8) and (9) are fixed one to another thereafter until complete building of the shape of the imitation (10) of the 3D object(l).