System and method for producing a three dimensional relief

Abstract

A method and system for producing a three-dimensional image of a person's head and the relief produced by the process. The method may be used for producing a three dimensional charm or pendant of a person's face, a three dimensional model of a person's head, a precision formed mold for casting, glass blowing, plastic injection, blow molding, extrusion, thermo forming, manufacturing liquid containers and machine molds for die stamping. A 3-D scanner moving linearly, employs an advanced optical range-finding technique in which a safe, low powered laser, or other light source, projects a vertical plane of light onto a stationary subject to be digitized. The digitized measurements are converted to provide the appropriate milling program. The digitizer then transfers the measurements onto a database on a graphic work station for immediate viewing and editing. The scanned image is sent to the computer where the image is converted into computer codes and is then sent onto a milling machine to be turned into a 3-D relief to replicate the original image.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A system for manufacturing a three-dimensional product having a three dimensional image of an accurately reproduced relief of a person's head machined on a blank, said system comprising: 
 a 3-D digitizer employing an advanced optical range finder, using a low power light source selected from the group consisting of Flourescent, Metal Halides, Halogen, Philips UHP, Xenon, and Matsushita UHM, projecting a vertical plane of light using two contour views onto a subject to be digitized, a first contour view creating an array of distance measurements and a second contour view creating a color value for each of said array of distance measurements,    a video sensor for optically scanning and combining said two views,    a motion platform supporting said digitizer and moving said digitizer along a scan path,    a work station having control means for configuring said digitizer's scanning procedure, maintaining a video image database, and generating a compressed and reduced size digitized video image for controlling a milling machine, and    a desktop milling machine having a vibration dampening base for machining a blank to form a three dimensional relief of a person's head.    
     
     
         2 . A system for manufacturing a three dimensional object of    claim 1    wherein said subject to be digitized consists of a two dimensional artwork.  
     
     
         3 . A method of manufacturing a three-dimensional product having a three dimensional image of an accurately reproduced relief of a person's head machined on a blank, said method comprising the steps of: 
 posing a subject to be reproduced on the jewelry,    scanning said subject with an advanced, optical range-finder using a safe, low powered light source, projecting a vertical plane of light and using two contour views, a first contour view creating an array of distance measurements and a second contour view creating a color value for each of said distance measurements,    optically scanning and combining said two contour views with a video sensor and producing a video image,    digitizing said video image,    transferring said video image into a database on a graphics workstation via an ethernet link,    compressing and reducing said video image from life size to a three dimensional model,    transferring said digitized video image to a milling machine,    fixing a blank to be machined on said milling machine, and    milling said blank and thereby producing a three dimensional image of a person's head on said blank.    
     
     
         4 . A product produced by the process of    claim 3    comprising: 
 a blank having a physically accurate, full scale bust of a person's head machined thereon.  
 
     
     
         5 . A product produced by the process of    claim 3    wherein said blank is a soft material having a human face machined thereon for forming a doll's face.  
     
     
         6 . A product produced by the process of    claim 3    comprising: 
 a blank having a physically accurate, reverse relief model of a human's head machined therein for forming molds and die stamping tools.