Systems and Methods for Automating the Manufacture of Customized Prefabricated Parts Using Electromagnetic Image Surveying

Abstract

A system and method for automatically manufacturing custom parts for use in a prefabricated construction site includes scanning a room under construction. The method also includes determining, based on the scan of the room, an image of an installation location in the room. The method also includes calculating, based on the image of the installation location, alteration dimensions for a prefab part. The alteration dimensions comprise alterations to the prefab part to match spatial dimensions of the installation location in the room. The method additionally includes transmitting, via a network, the alteration dimensions to a factory. The factory fabricates a custom prefab part according to the alteration dimensions.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for automatically manufacturing custom parts for use in a prefabricated construction site, the method comprising:
 scanning a room;   determining, based on the scan of the room, an image of an installation location for installation of a prefab part in the room;   calculating, based on the image of the installation location, alteration dimensions for a prefab part, wherein the alteration dimensions comprise alterations to the prefab part to match spatial dimensions of the installation location in the room;   generating specification instructions for fabricating one or more custom prefab parts according to the alteration dimensions; and   transmitting, via a network, the specification instructions to a fabrication device.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising altering, via the fabrication device, a custom prefab part according to the alteration dimensions by adding material to increase the size of the prefab part or removing material to reduce the size of the prefab part. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising applying a machine-readable label to the one or more custom prefab parts, wherein the machine-readable label comprises information including one or more of installation order position, installation location, type of custom prefab part, and alterations made to the custom prefab part. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein scanning the room comprises:
 illuminating the room with electromagnetic radiation;   sensing reflected components of the electromagnetic radiation that are reflected from surfaces within the room, wherein the surfaces comprise installed prefab parts and structural elements;   determining, based on the scanning of the room, the installation location for the installation of the prefab part, wherein determining the installation location comprises:   determining, based on the scan, a first structural element, wherein the first structural element corresponds to a termination point for the installed prefab parts; and   determining, based on the scan, at least one of the installed prefab parts positioned adjacent to the first structural element.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein calculating the alteration dimensions comprises:
 determining, based on the reflected components of the electromagnetic radiation, distances between a plurality of points on a first structural element and at least one installed prefab part; and   calculating the alteration dimensions based on the distances between the plurality of points on the first structural element and the at least one installed prefab part.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the alteration dimensions comprise one or more curves calculated based on the distances between the plurality of points on the first structural element and the at least one installed prefab part. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 converting, prior to transmitting, one or more of the specification instructions and the alteration dimensions into an electronic design instructions that are readable by one or more fabrication devices.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the electronic design instructions comprise one or more of instructions to remove material from the custom prefab part and instructions to add material to the custom prefab part. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the alteration dimensions are accurate to within 1% of spatial dimensions of the installation location. 
     
     
         10 . A system for automatically manufacturing custom parts in a prefabricated construction site, the system comprising:
 one or more electromagnetic radiation sources configured to illuminate a room with electromagnetic radiation;   one or more sensors configured to detect reflected components of the electromagnetic radiation that are reflected from surfaces within the room, wherein the surfaces comprise one or more of installed prefab parts and structural elements in the room; and   a processing unit coupled to the one or more electromagnetic radiation sources and the one or more sensors, the processing unit executing instructions for performing a method comprising:
 scanning a room with the one or more electromagnetic radiation sources and the one or more sensors; 
 determining, based on the reflected components of the electromagnetic radiation, an image of an installation location in the room; 
 calculating, based on the image of the installation location, alteration dimensions for a prefab part, wherein the alteration dimensions comprise alterations to the prefab part to match spatial dimensions of the installation location in the room; 
   generating specification instructions for fabricating one or more custom prefab parts according to the alteration dimensions; and   transmitting, via a network, the specification instructions to a fabrication device.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the processing unit further executes instructions for one or more of removing material to reduce the size of a prefab part and adding material to increase the size of the prefab part according to the alteration dimensions. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the processing unit further executes instructions for applying a machine-readable label to the one or more custom prefab parts, wherein the machine-readable label comprises information including one or more of installation order position, installation location, type of custom prefab part, and alterations made to the custom prefab part. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein scanning the room comprises:
 illuminating the room with electromagnetic radiation;   sensing reflected components of the electromagnetic radiation that are reflected from surfaces within the room, wherein the surfaces comprise installed prefab parts and structural elements;   determining, based on the scanning of the room, the installation location for the installation of the prefab part, wherein determining the installation location comprises:
 determining, based on the scan, a first structural element, wherein the first structural element corresponds to a termination point for the installed prefab parts; and 
 determining, based on the scan, at least one of the installed prefab parts positioned adjacent to the first structural element. 
   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein calculating the alteration dimensions comprises:
 determining, based on the reflected components of the electromagnetic radiation, distances between a plurality of points on a first structural element and at least one installed prefab part; and   calculating the alteration dimensions based on the distances between the plurality of points on the first structural element and the at least one installed prefab part.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the alteration dimensions comprise one or more curves calculated based on the distances between the plurality of points on the first structural element and the at least one installed prefab part. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the processing unit further executes instructions for converting, prior to transmitting to the factory, the alteration dimensions into an electronic design instructions that are readable by one or more fabrication devices. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the electronic design instructions comprise one or more of instructions to remove material from the custom prefab part and instructions to add material to the custom prefab part. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the alteration dimensions are accurate to within 2% of spatial dimensions of the installation location. 
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to:
 scan a room;   determine, based on the scan of the room, an image of an installation location for installation of a prefab part in the room;   calculate, based on the image of the installation location, alteration dimensions for a prefab part, wherein the alteration dimensions comprise alterations to the prefab part to match spatial dimensions of the installation location in the room;   generate, according to the alteration dimensions, specification instructions for fabricating one or more custom prefab parts; and   transmit, via a network, the specification instructions to a fabrication device.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to alter, via the fabrication device, a custom prefab part according to the alteration dimensions by one or more of adding material to increase the size of the prefab part and removing material to reduce the size of the prefab part.