Light-curing printing method, related device and light-curing printer

Abstract

The present application relates to a photocuring printing method, related devices and a photocuring printer. The method comprises: generating an exposure area map according to a slice image of a model; generating an exposure control sequence according to the exposure area map; sending the exposure control sequence to a light board, so that the light board controls the lamp beads on the light board individually according to the received exposure control sequence to complete the exposure. The solution provided by the present application can effectively control the exposure area, avoid the formation of "kelp" of liquid resin on the model, and improve the printing efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of 3D printing technology, and in particular to a photocuring printing method, a related device and a photocuring printer. Background Art

[0002] 3D (Three Dimensional) printing technology is a rapid prototyping technology that uses digital model files as the basis to construct objects by printing layer by layer. 3D printing can overcome special structural obstacles that traditional machining cannot achieve, and can achieve simplified production of any complex structural parts.

[0003] The surface-forming based photocuring printer uses DLP (Digital Light Processing), LCD screens and other imaging devices. Driven by the processor and related circuits, the processor program provides image signals, and selective transparent areas appear on the LCD screen. Under the irradiation of a light source of a specific wavelength, the image transparent area of ​​the LCD screen has reduced light blocking, and the light is blocked in the area where no image is displayed. The light passing through the LCD screen forms a light image area. A transparent film is placed at the bottom of the photocurable liquid resin bearing tank on the image display surface. The light passes through the transparent film and irradiates the liquid photocurable resin, causing the resin irradiated by ultraviolet light to undergo a curing reaction and become solid. The part of the resin that is not irradiated remains in liquid form, thereby completing a slice forming of the printer. When a slice forming is completed, the lifting platform moves the height of a slice and then cures another slice. This process is repeated to complete the stacking forming of the 3D model.

[0004] The exposure light source of LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) photocuring printers in related technologies generally uses matrix and speaker radiation types. During exposure, the entire exposure light source is lit, and the liquid photocurable resin is turned off after curing, so as to achieve the purpose of controlling the exposure time. Even when the LCD screen is in a completely black state (dark area), a certain amount of light will pass through. As time accumulates, the liquid photocurable resin will also cure in the dark area, causing the liquid photocurable resin to form continuous strips on the 3D model, that is, forming "kelp" on the 3D model, or even forming cured resin in the dark area that is connected to the release film, resulting in waste of liquid photocurable resin and even printing failure. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve or partially solve the problems existing in the related art, the present application provides a photocuring printing method, related devices and photocuring printer, which can effectively control the exposure area, avoid the formation of "kelp" by liquid resin on the model, and improve printing efficiency.

[0006] A first aspect of the present application provides a light-curing printing method, the method comprising:

[0007] Generate an exposure area map based on the slice image of the model;

[0008] generating an exposure control sequence according to the exposure area map;

[0009] The exposure control sequence is sent to the light board, so that the light board controls the lamp beads on the light board individually to complete the exposure according to the received exposure control sequence.

[0010] Preferably, generating an exposure control sequence according to the exposure area map includes:

[0011] Converting the exposure area map into an exposure area grayscale map;

[0012] According to the exposure range of a lamp bead on the lamp board, the grayscale image of the exposure area is divided into m×n image blocks, and one image block corresponds to a lamp bead on the lamp board, where m is the number of lamp beads in the vertical direction of the lamp board, and n is the number of lamp beads in the horizontal direction of the lamp board;

[0013] The exposure control sequence is generated according to the grayscale values ​​of the small image blocks in the exposure area grayscale map.

[0014] Preferably, generating the exposure control sequence according to the grayscale value of the small image block in the exposure area grayscale map includes:

[0015] Performing blur processing on the grayscale image of the exposure area;

[0016] Convert the blurred exposure area grayscale image into a binary block image;

[0017] According to the grayscale values ​​of the small image blocks in the binary block diagram, the exposure control sequence including the 0 / 1 control matrix and the power matrix of the light board is generated.

[0018] Preferably, generating the exposure control sequence including the 0 / 1 control matrix and the power matrix of the light board according to the grayscale value of the small image block in the binary block diagram comprises:

[0019] Normalize the grayscale value of the small image block to generate a 0 / 1 control matrix of the light board, where 0 of the 0 / 1 control matrix corresponds to turning off the lamp beads, and 1 of the 0 / 1 control matrix corresponds to turning on the lamp beads;

[0020] According to the 0 / 1 control matrix, the percentage of the number of image blocks with a gray value of 1 to the number of all image blocks is calculated to obtain the power matrix of the light board.

[0021] A second aspect of the present application provides a selective area exposure control device, the device comprising:

[0022] An image module, used for generating an exposure area map according to a slice image of a model;

[0023] A sequence module, used for generating an exposure control sequence according to the exposure area map generated by the image module;

[0024] The sending module is used to send the exposure control sequence generated by the sequence module to the light board, so that the light board can control the lamp beads on the light board individually to complete the exposure according to the received exposure control sequence.

[0025] Preferably, the device further comprises:

[0026] The image module is further used to convert the exposure area map into an exposure area grayscale map;

[0027] A segmentation module is used to segment the exposure area grayscale image converted by the image module into m×n image blocks according to the exposure range of a lamp bead on the lamp board, where one image block corresponds to one lamp bead on the lamp board, wherein m is the number of lamp beads in the vertical direction of the lamp board, and n is the number of lamp beads in the horizontal direction of the lamp board;

[0028] The sequence module is used to generate the exposure control sequence according to the grayscale values ​​of the small image blocks in the exposure area grayscale map.

[0029] A third aspect of the present application provides a photocuring printer, which includes the above-mentioned light board and the above-mentioned selective exposure control device; when the light board receives an exposure control sequence sent by the selective exposure control device, the light board executes the exposure control sequence.

[0030] Preferably, the lamp board includes a plurality of lamp beads; the plurality of lamp beads are arrayed on the lamp board, and each of the plurality of lamp beads is connected to the lamp board via two independent wires.

[0031] Preferably, the light board individually controls the lamp beads on the light board according to the exposure control sequence.

[0032] A fourth aspect of the present application provides a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having executable code stored thereon. When the executable code is executed by a photocurable printer, the photocurable printer executes the method described above.

[0033] The technical solution provided by this application may have the following beneficial effects:

[0034] The technical solution of the present application generates an exposure area map according to the slice image of the model; generates an exposure control sequence according to the exposure area map; and sends the exposure control sequence to the light board, so that the light board controls the lamp beads on the light board individually according to the received exposure control sequence to complete the exposure. The light-curing printing method of the embodiment of the present application can identify the lamp beads that need to be turned on or off according to the different colors of the exposure area map, generate an exposure control sequence for controlling the light board, and send the exposure control sequence to the light board. The light board can control each lamp bead on the light board individually according to the received exposure control sequence, turn on some of the lamp beads on the light board, and accurately control the turning on or off of each lamp bead on the light board, which can effectively control the exposure area, avoid the formation of "kelp" of liquid resin on the model, and improve printing efficiency.

[0035] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present application will become more apparent through a more detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals generally represent the same components in the exemplary embodiments of the present application.

[0037] Figure 1 is a schematic flow chart of a light-curing printing method shown in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 2 is another schematic diagram of the process of the light-curing printing method shown in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a light-curing printing device shown in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of a light-curing printer shown in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The embodiments of the present application will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the embodiments of the present application are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present application can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the present application more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art.

[0042] The terms used in this application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application. The singular forms of "a", "said" and "the" used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates other meanings. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0043] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used in this application to describe various information, this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the same type of information from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Thus, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0044] The embodiment of the present application provides a photocuring printing method, which can effectively control the exposure area, prevent the liquid resin from forming "kelp" on the model, and improve the printing efficiency.

[0045] The technical solution of the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0046] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the process of the light-curing printing method shown in an embodiment of the present application.

[0047] See also Figure 1 , a light-curing printing method, comprising:

[0048] In step S101 , an exposure area map is generated according to the slice image of the model.

[0049] In one embodiment, the printer system reads the slice image of the 3D model that needs to be printed, and sends the slice image to the LCD screen driving module and the selective exposure control device respectively. The selective exposure control device receives the slice image, and according to the received slice image, a non-exposure area can be represented by one color, and an exposure area can be represented by one or more different colors, so as to generate an exposure area map.

[0050] In step S102, an exposure control sequence is generated according to the exposure area map.

[0051] In one embodiment, the selective exposure control device divides the exposure area map into m×n image blocks of the same area at different positions, one image block corresponds to one lamp bead, m is the number of lamp beads in the vertical direction of the lamp board, and n is the number of lamp beads in the horizontal direction of the lamp board. The selective exposure control device generates an exposure control sequence that can individually control each lamp bead on the lamp board to turn on or off according to the color of each image block.

[0052] In step S103, an exposure control sequence is sent to the light board, so that the light board controls the lamp beads on the light board individually to complete exposure according to the received exposure control sequence.

[0053] In one embodiment, the selected area exposure control device sends an exposure control sequence to the light board. The light board controls each lamp bead on the light board in sequence according to the received exposure control sequence, controls the lamp bead corresponding to the image block in the exposure area to turn on, and controls the lamp bead corresponding to the image block in the non-exposure area to turn off, completes one exposure, and thus completes one model slice printing.

[0054] The photocuring printing method of the embodiment of the present application generates an exposure area map according to the slice image of the model; generates an exposure control sequence according to the exposure area map; and sends the exposure control sequence to the light board, so that the light board controls the lamp beads on the light board individually according to the received exposure control sequence to complete the exposure. The photocuring printing method of the embodiment of the present application can identify the lamp beads that need to be turned on or off according to the different colors of the exposure area map, generate an exposure control sequence for controlling the light board, and send the exposure control sequence to the light board. The light board can control each lamp bead on the light board individually according to the received exposure control sequence, turn on some of the lamp beads on the light board, and accurately control the turning on or off of each lamp bead on the light board, which can effectively control the exposure area, avoid the formation of "kelp" of liquid resin on the model, and improve printing efficiency.

[0055] Figure 2 1 is another schematic flow chart of the light-curing printing method shown in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 Relative to Figure 1 The scheme of the present application is described in more detail.

[0056] See also Figure 2 , a light-curing printing method, comprising:

[0057] In step S201, an exposure area map is generated according to the slice image of the model.

[0058] In one embodiment, the printer system reads the slice image of the 3D model that needs to be printed, and sends the slice image to the LCD screen drive module and the selective exposure control device respectively. The selective exposure control device receives the slice image, and according to the received slice image, uses one color to represent the non-exposure area, and uses one or more different colors to represent the exposure area, and generates an exposure area map. For example, the selective exposure control device can use black to represent the non-exposure area, and use red and green colors to represent the exposure area.

[0059] It should be noted that the selective exposure control device can also use one color to represent the exposure area and use one or more different colors to represent the non-exposure area to generate an exposure area map based on the received slice image. For example, the selective exposure control device can use black to represent the exposure area and use red and green to represent the non-exposure area.

[0060] In step S202, the exposure area map is converted into an exposure area grayscale map.

[0061] In one embodiment, the selected area exposure control device selects one of the color components of the exposure area map and converts the exposure area map into a monochrome exposure area grayscale map. The non-exposure area can be represented by a pixel with a grayscale value of 0 (black), and the exposure area can be represented by a pixel with a grayscale value range of 1-255, and the exposure area map can be converted into a monochrome exposure area grayscale map.

[0062] In step S203, according to the exposure range of a lamp bead on the lamp board, the grayscale image of the exposure area is divided into m×n image blocks, and one image block corresponds to a lamp bead on the lamp board, where m is the number of vertical lamp beads on the lamp board, and n is the number of horizontal lamp beads on the light board.

[0063] In one embodiment, the lamp beads are distributed in a rectangular array on the lamp board, the number of vertical lamp beads is m, the number of horizontal lamp beads is n, the Y resolution in the width direction of the LCD screen is M, the X resolution in the length direction of the LCD screen is N, the width direction of the LCD screen is vertically parallel to the lamp board, and the length direction of the LCD screen is horizontally parallel to the lamp board. The selective exposure control device can calculate the effective exposure range of a lamp bead according to the Y resolution and X resolution of the LCD screen, as well as the number of vertical lamp beads and the number of horizontal lamp beads on the lamp board: (Y resolution M / vertical number of lamp beads m) × (X resolution N / horizontal number of lamp beads n). The selective exposure control device can divide the pixels of the grayscale image of the exposure area into m×n image blocks according to the effective exposure range of a lamp bead, and one image block corresponds to a lamp bead on the lamp board.

[0064] In step S204, the grayscale image of the exposure area is blurred.

[0065] In one embodiment, the selective exposure control device can perform Gaussian blur processing on the grayscale image of the exposure area. The selective exposure control device can calculate the grayscale average value of each image block, round up the average value to obtain an integer grayscale average value; take the integer grayscale average value of the pixel grayscale value of each image block. The grayscale average value of each image block = the sum of the pixel grayscale values ​​of each image block ÷ the total number of pixels of each image block. For example, the selective exposure control device can calculate the total number of pixels of each image block based on the number of vertical lamp beads m of the lamp board, the number of horizontal lamp beads n of the lamp board, the Y resolution M in the width direction of the LCD screen, and the X resolution N in the length direction of the LCD screen: (Y resolution M / vertical number of lamp beads m) × (X resolution N / horizontal number of lamp beads n). The selective exposure control device can add the grayscale value of each pixel of the image block to obtain the sum of the pixel grayscale value of each image block.

[0066] In step S205, the grayscale image of the exposure area after the blurring process is converted into a binary block image.

[0067] In one embodiment, the selective exposure control device can perform binarization on the exposure area grayscale image after blurring, set the grayscale value range of 1 to 255 to 255 (white), and set the grayscale value of each pixel point of the exposure area grayscale image after blurring to 0 (black) or 255 (white), that is, set the grayscale value of each image block of the entire exposure area grayscale image after blurring to 0 (black) or 255 (white), and each image block only presents black or white pixels. The grayscale value in the exposure area grayscale image after binarization is only 0 (black) or 255 (white), and the selective exposure control device converts the exposure area grayscale image after blurring into a black and white binary block image.

[0068] In step S206, an exposure control sequence including a 0 / 1 control matrix and a power matrix of the light board is generated according to the grayscale values ​​of the small image blocks in the binary block diagram.

[0069] In one embodiment, the selective exposure control device generates an exposure control sequence including a 0 / 1 control matrix and a power matrix of the light board according to the gray value of each image block in the binary block diagram. The selective exposure control device normalizes the gray value of the image block to generate a 0 / 1 control matrix of the light board, where 0 in the 0 / 1 control matrix corresponds to the closure of the lamp beads, and 1 in the 0 / 1 control matrix corresponds to the opening of the lamp beads; according to the 0 / 1 control matrix, the percentage of the number of image blocks with a gray value of 1 in the total number of image blocks is calculated to obtain the power matrix of the light board. The selective exposure control device normalizes the gray value of the image block with a gray value of 0 (black) to 0 and the gray value of the image block with a gray value of 255 (white) to 1, generates a 0 / 1 matrix, and uses the 0 / 1 matrix as the 0 / 1 control matrix of the light board. According to the 0 / 1 control matrix, the selective exposure control device calculates the percentage of the number of image blocks with a gray value of 1 in the total number of image blocks to obtain the power matrix of the light board.

[0070] In one embodiment, an exposure control sequence is generated according to the grayscale values ​​of the image blocks in the exposure area grayscale map. The selected area exposure control device can generate a 0 / 1 matrix based on the grayscale values ​​of the image blocks in the exposure area grayscale map by normalizing the grayscale value of each image block with a grayscale value of 0 (black) to 0 and the grayscale value of each image block with a grayscale value of 1-255 to 1, and use the 0 / 1 matrix as the 0 / 1 control matrix of the light board. The selected area exposure control device calculates the percentage of the number of image blocks with a grayscale value of 1 to the number of all image blocks based on the 0 / 1 control matrix to obtain the power matrix of the light board.

[0071] In step S207, an exposure control sequence is sent to the light board, so that the light board controls the lamp beads on the light board individually to complete exposure according to the received exposure control sequence.

[0072] In one embodiment, the selected area exposure control device sends an exposure control sequence including the 0 / 1 control matrix and power matrix of the light board to the light board. The light board controls the opening or closing of each lamp bead on the light board in sequence according to the 0 / 1 control matrix of the light board, controls the closing of the corresponding lamp bead on the light board according to 0 of the 0 / 1 control matrix, and controls the opening of the corresponding lamp bead on the light board in sequence according to 1 of the 0 / 1 control matrix. The light board reads the 0 / 1 control matrix in sequence, and controls the opening of the corresponding lamp bead on the light board in sequence according to the arrangement order of 1 of the 0 / 1 control matrix in the 0 / 1 control matrix, and only turns on one lamp bead on the light board at the same time; controls the overall power of the light board according to the power matrix of the light board, distributes the overall power to each turned-on lamp bead, controls the opening time of each turned-on lamp bead, and completes one exposure. The light board controls the opening and opening time of the lamp bead that needs to be exposed according to the exposure control sequence. After the lamp bead is exposed, the light board turns off all the lamp beads, and the entire 3D model is printed in this way.

[0073] The photocuring printing method of the embodiment of the present application generates an exposure area map based on the sliced ​​image of the model; converts the exposure area map into an exposure area grayscale map; divides the exposure area grayscale map into m×n image blocks according to the exposure range of a lamp bead on the lamp board, and one image block corresponds to one lamp bead on the lamp board, where m is the number of vertical lamp beads on the lamp board, and n is the number of horizontal lamp beads on the lamp board; generates an exposure control sequence including a 0 / 1 control matrix and a power matrix of the lamp board according to the grayscale value of the image block in the binary block map; sends the exposure control sequence to the lamp board so that the lamp board controls the lamp beads on the lamp board individually according to the received exposure control sequence to complete the exposure. The photocuring printing method of the embodiment of the present application can identify the corresponding lamp beads that need to be turned on or off according to the grayscale value of each image block in the exposure area grayscale map, generate an exposure control sequence for controlling the lamp board, and send the exposure control sequence to the light board. The light board can control each lamp bead on the light board individually in sequence according to the received exposure control sequence, turn on the lamp beads on the light board that need to be turned on, and turn off the lamp beads on the light board that do not need to be turned on; it can control the overall power of the light board according to the received exposure control sequence, and control the turn-on time of each turned-on lamp bead on the light board individually, accurately realize the control of turning on or off each lamp bead on the light board, and can effectively control the exposure area, avoid the liquid resin from forming "kelp" on the model, and improve printing efficiency.

[0074] Corresponding to the aforementioned application function realization method embodiment, the present application also provides a selective area exposure control device, a light-curing printer and corresponding embodiments.

[0075] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the selective area exposure control device shown in an embodiment of the present application.

[0076] See also Figure 3 A selected area exposure control device includes an image module 301, a segmentation module 302, a sequence module 303, and a sending module 304.

[0077] The image module 301 is used to generate an exposure area map according to the slice image of the model; and convert the exposure area map into an exposure area grayscale map.

[0078] In one embodiment, the printer system reads the slice image of the 3D model that needs to be printed, and sends the slice image to the LCD screen drive module and the image module 301. The image module 301 receives the slice image, and according to the received slice image, it can use one color to represent the non-exposed area, and use one or more different colors to represent the exposed area, and generate an exposed area map. For example, the image module 301 can use black to represent the non-exposed area, and use red and green colors to represent the exposed area.

[0079] It should be noted that the image module 301 can also use one color to represent the exposure area and use one or more different colors to represent the non-exposure area based on the received slice image to generate an exposure area map. For example, the image module 301 can use black to represent the exposure area and use red and green to represent the non-exposure area.

[0080] In one embodiment, the image module 301 selects one of the color components of the exposure area map and converts the exposure area map into a monochrome exposure area grayscale map. The image module 301 may use pixels with a grayscale value of 0 (black) to represent the non-exposed area and use pixels with a grayscale value range of 1-255 to represent the exposed area, and convert the exposure area map into a monochrome exposure area grayscale map.

[0081] The segmentation module 302 is used to segment the exposure area grayscale image converted by the image module 301 into m×n image blocks according to the exposure range of a lamp bead on the lamp board. One image block corresponds to a lamp bead on the lamp board, where m is the number of vertical lamp beads on the lamp board and n is the number of horizontal lamp beads on the lamp board.

[0082] In one embodiment, the lamp beads are distributed in a rectangular array on the lamp board, the number of vertical lamp beads is m, the number of horizontal lamp beads is n, the Y resolution in the width direction of the LCD screen is M, the X resolution in the length direction of the LCD screen is N, the width direction of the LCD screen is vertically parallel to the lamp board, and the length direction of the LCD screen is horizontally parallel to the lamp board. The segmentation module 302 can calculate the effective exposure range of a lamp bead according to the Y resolution and X resolution of the LCD screen, as well as the number of vertical lamp beads and the number of horizontal lamp beads on the lamp board: (Y resolution M / vertical number of lamp beads m) × (X resolution N / horizontal number of lamp beads n). The segmentation module 302 can segment the pixels of the grayscale image of the exposure area into m×n image blocks according to the effective exposure range of a lamp bead, and one image block corresponds to a lamp bead on the lamp board.

[0083] The image module 301 is further used to perform fuzzy processing on the exposure area grayscale image, and convert the fuzzy exposure area grayscale image into a binary block image.

[0084] In one embodiment, the image module 301 can perform Gaussian blur processing on the grayscale image of the exposure area. The image module 301 calculates the grayscale average value of each image block, rounds up the average value to obtain an integer grayscale average value; and takes the integer grayscale average value of the pixel grayscale value of each image block. The grayscale average value of each image block = the sum of the pixel grayscale values ​​of each image block ÷ the total number of pixels of each image block. For example, the image module 301 can calculate the total number of pixels of each image block based on the number of vertical lamp beads m on the lamp board, the number of horizontal lamp beads n on the lamp board, the Y resolution M in the width direction of the LCD screen, and the X resolution N in the length direction of the LCD screen: (Y resolution M / vertical number of lamp beads m) × (X resolution N / horizontal number of lamp beads n). The image module 301 can add the grayscale value of each pixel of the image block to obtain the sum of the pixel grayscale value of each image block.

[0085] In one embodiment, the image module 301 can perform binarization on the grayscale image of the exposure area after blurring, set the grayscale value in the range of 1 to 255 to 255 (white), and set the grayscale value of each pixel of the grayscale image of the exposure area after blurring to 0 (black) or 255 (white), that is, set the grayscale value of each image block of the entire grayscale image of the exposure area after blurring to 0 (black) or 255 (white), and each image block only presents black or white pixels. The grayscale value in the grayscale image of the exposure area after binarization is only 0 (black) or 255 (white), and the image module 301 converts the grayscale image of the exposure area after blurring into a black and white binary block image.

[0086] The sequence module 303 is used to generate an exposure control sequence according to the grayscale values ​​of the small image blocks in the exposure area grayscale map.

[0087] In one embodiment, the sequence module 303 can generate an exposure control sequence according to the grayscale values ​​of the image blocks in the grayscale map of the exposure area. The sequence module 303 generates a 0 / 1 control matrix and a power matrix of the light board. The sequence module 303 can normalize the grayscale value of the image blocks segmented by the segmentation module 302 to 0 (black) and the grayscale value of the image blocks segmented by the segmentation module 302 to 1, generate a 0 / 1 matrix, and use the 0 / 1 matrix as the 0 / 1 control matrix of the light board. Based on the 0 / 1 control matrix, the sequence module 303 calculates the percentage of the number of image blocks with a grayscale value of 1 to the number of all image blocks, and obtains the power matrix of the light board.

[0088] The sequence module 303 is also used to generate an exposure control sequence including a 0 / 1 control matrix and a power matrix of the light board according to the grayscale values ​​of the small image blocks in the binary block diagram converted by the image module 301.

[0089] In one embodiment, the sequence module 303 generates an exposure control sequence including a 0 / 1 control matrix and a power matrix of the light board according to the grayscale value of each image block in the binary block diagram converted by the image module 301. The sequence module 303 normalizes the grayscale values ​​of the image blocks in the binary block diagram to generate a 0 / 1 control matrix of the light board, where 0 in the 0 / 1 control matrix corresponds to the off state of the lamp beads, and 1 in the 0 / 1 control matrix corresponds to the on state of the lamp beads; according to the 0 / 1 control matrix, the percentage of the number of image blocks with a grayscale value of 1 to the number of all image blocks is calculated to obtain the power matrix of the light board. The sequence module 303 normalizes the grayscale value of each image block in the binary block diagram to 0 (black) and the grayscale value to 1 (white), generates a 0 / 1 matrix, and uses the 0 / 1 matrix as the 0 / 1 control matrix of the light board. The sequence module 303 calculates the percentage of the number of image blocks with a gray value of 1 to the number of all image blocks according to the 0 / 1 control matrix, and obtains the power matrix of the light board.

[0090] The sending module 304 is used to send the exposure control sequence generated by the sequence module 303 to the light board, so that the light board can control the lamp beads on the light board individually to complete the exposure according to the received exposure control sequence.

[0091] In one embodiment, the sending module 304 sends an exposure control sequence including the 0 / 1 control matrix and the power matrix of the light board to the light board. The light board controls the turning on or off of each lamp bead on the light board in sequence according to the 0 / 1 control matrix of the light board, controls the turning off of the corresponding lamp bead on the light board according to 0 of the 0 / 1 control matrix, and controls the turning on of the corresponding lamp bead on the light board in sequence according to 1 of the 0 / 1 control matrix. The light board turns on only one lamp bead on the light board at the same time according to the arrangement order of 1 in the 0 / 1 control matrix of the 0 / 1 control matrix; controls the overall power of the light board according to the power matrix of the light board, distributes the overall power to each turned-on lamp bead, controls the turning-on time of each turned-on lamp bead, and completes one exposure. The light board controls the turning on and the turning-on time of the lamp bead that needs to be exposed according to the exposure control sequence. After the lamp bead is exposed, the light board turns off all the lamp beads, and repeats this process to complete the printing of the entire 3D model.

[0092] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can identify the corresponding lamp beads that need to be turned on or off according to the grayscale value of each small image block in the grayscale map of the exposure area, generate an exposure control sequence for controlling the light board, and send the exposure control sequence to the light board. The light board can control each lamp bead on the light board in sequence according to the received exposure control sequence, turn on the lamp beads on the light board that need to be turned on, and turn off the lamp beads on the light board that do not need to be turned on; it can control the overall power of the light board according to the received exposure control sequence, and control the turn-on time of each turned-on lamp bead on the light board in sequence, accurately realize the control of turning on or off each lamp bead on the light board, and can effectively control the exposure area, avoid the formation of "kelp" of liquid resin on the model, and improve printing efficiency.

[0093] Regarding the device in the above embodiment, the specific manner in which each module performs operations has been described in detail in the embodiment of the method, and will not be elaborated again here.

[0094] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of a light-curing printer shown in an embodiment of the present application.

[0095] See also Figure 4 The light-curing printer 40 includes the above-mentioned light board 400 and the above-mentioned selected area exposure control device 300; when the light board 400 receives the exposure control sequence sent by the selected area exposure control device 300, the light board 400 executes the exposure control sequence.

[0096] In one embodiment, the lamp board 400 is connected to the selected area exposure control device 300 by wire or wireless means, and the lamp board 400 receives the exposure control sequence sent by the selected area exposure control device 300. The lamp board 400 includes a control substrate, a driving board and lamp beads.

[0097] In one embodiment, the lamp board includes a plurality of lamp beads; the array of the plurality of lamp beads is distributed on the lamp board, and each of the plurality of lamp beads is connected to the lamp board through two independent wires. The lamp board may be an LED lamp board, and the lamp beads may be LED lamp beads. The LED lamp beads are arranged in a rectangular array on the LED lamp board. The LED lamp board is designed in the form of a 2×15 single module, and the function of a 15×26 dot matrix 3.5×3.5mm purple LED lamp module is realized on the LED lamp board, and the LED lamp beads on the LED lamp board can be arbitrarily and independently lit at full power. Each LED lamp bead corresponds to two independent 0.5 mm FPCs (Flexible Printed Circuits) and is electrically connected to the driver board, and a 2-core and 1-core method is used to increase the current capacity. That is, the entire LED lamp board can be composed of 13 light strips, and one light strip includes 2×15 LED lamp beads. The LED lamp beads of the LED lamp board are composed of multiple strip lights of a 2×15 single module, which can complete the cascade function of any number of multi-modules. Each LED lamp bead corresponds to two independent 0.5mm FPCs and is electrically connected to the driver board. The driver board can drive each LED lamp bead individually.

[0098] In one embodiment, the power of each LED lamp bead is 4 watts, and the overall power of the lamp board can reach more than 1500 watts. In order to improve the service life and safety of the LED lamp board and make the LED lamp board adapt to different light-curing printers, the LED lamp board uses a DC / DC (Direct Current, DC converter) power supply with an input voltage range of 24-60 volts.

[0099] In one embodiment, the lamp board further includes a cooling device. Under the cooling effect of the cooling device, the entire 15*26 dot matrix of the LED lamp board can operate at full power for not less than 60 seconds, and the overall temperature is lower than 70 degrees Celsius. The cooling device can take away the heat generated by the LED lamp board, cool the LED lamp board in time, extend the service life of the LED lamp beads, reduce the temperature in the light-curing printer, make the printer work stably and continuously, and effectively improve the printing efficiency.

[0100] In one embodiment, the light board also includes a temperature monitoring module. The temperature monitoring module can monitor the temperature of the LED light board, and when the temperature of the LED light board exceeds the set temperature, send a temperature alarm message to the MCU processor. The MCU processor receives the temperature alarm message and turns off the power of the LED light board through the driver board to prevent the temperature of the LED light board from being too high and damaging the LED light board and LED lamp beads. When the cooling device fails and cannot cool the LED light board, the temperature monitoring module can play an over-temperature protection function.

[0101] In one embodiment, the lamp board controls the lamp beads on the lamp board individually according to the exposure control sequence. The control substrate includes a processor. It can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be any conventional processor.

[0102] In one embodiment, the processor of the control substrate may be an MCU (Microcontroller Unit) processor. The MCU processor sequentially reads the received exposure control sequence and outputs the exposure control sequence to the driver board through a TTL (Transistor-Transistor Logic) communication control interface. The driver board sequentially controls the opening or closing of each LED lamp bead on the LED light board according to the received exposure control sequence, and sequentially controls the opening time of each turned-on LED lamp bead. After the LED lamp bead is exposed, all the LED lamp beads on the LED light board are turned off to complete one exposure.

[0103] In addition, the method according to the present application may also be implemented as a computer program or a computer program product, which includes computer program code instructions for executing some or all of the steps in the above method of the present application.

[0104] Alternatively, the present application can also be implemented as a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (or computer-readable storage medium, or machine-readable storage medium) on which executable code (or computer program, or computer instruction code) is stored. When the executable code (or computer program, or computer instruction code) is executed by a photocuring printer, the photocuring printer executes part or all of the steps of the above-mentioned method according to the present application.

[0105] The embodiments of the present application have been described above, and the above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and changes will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The selection of terms used herein is intended to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or improvements to the technology in the market, or to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A light-curing printing method, characterized in that: include: Generate an exposure area map based on the slice image of the model; According to the exposure area map, an exposure control sequence is generated, which includes: converting the exposure area map into an exposure area grayscale map, dividing the exposure area grayscale map into m×n image blocks according to the exposure range of a lamp bead on the lamp board, and one image block corresponds to one lamp bead on the lamp board, wherein m is the number of lamp beads in the vertical direction of the lamp board, and n is the number of lamp beads in the horizontal direction of the lamp board, and generating the exposure control sequence according to the grayscale value of the image block in the exposure area grayscale map; The exposure control sequence is sent to the light board, so that the light board controls the lamp beads on the light board in sequence and individually according to the received exposure control sequence to complete exposure, including: the light board controls each lamp bead on the light board in sequence and individually according to the exposure control sequence to turn on or off.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step of generating the exposure control sequence according to the grayscale value of the small image block in the exposure area grayscale map comprises: Performing blur processing on the grayscale image of the exposure area; Convert the blurred exposure area grayscale image into a binary block image; According to the grayscale values ​​of the small image blocks in the binary block diagram, the exposure control sequence including the 0 / 1 control matrix and the power matrix of the light board is generated.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The step of generating the exposure control sequence including the 0 / 1 control matrix and the power matrix of the light board according to the grayscale value of the small image block in the binary block diagram comprises: Normalize the grayscale value of the small image block to generate a 0 / 1 control matrix of the light board, where 0 of the 0 / 1 control matrix corresponds to turning off the lamp beads, and 1 of the 0 / 1 control matrix corresponds to turning on the lamp beads; According to the 0 / 1 control matrix, the percentage of the number of image blocks with a gray value of 1 to the number of all image blocks is calculated to obtain the power matrix of the light board.

4. A selective area exposure control device, characterized in that: include: An image module, used to generate an exposure area map according to the slice image of the model, and convert the exposure area map into an exposure area grayscale map; A segmentation module is used to segment the exposure area grayscale image converted by the image module into m×n image blocks according to the exposure range of a lamp bead on the lamp board, where m is the number of lamp beads in the vertical direction of the lamp board and n is the number of lamp beads in the horizontal direction of the lamp board; A sequence module, used for generating an exposure control sequence according to the exposure area map generated by the image module, including: generating the exposure control sequence according to the grayscale values ​​of the image blocks in the exposure area grayscale map segmented by the segmentation module; A sending module is used to send the exposure control sequence generated by the sequence module to the light board, so that the light board controls the lamp beads on the light board in sequence and individually according to the received exposure control sequence to complete exposure, including: enabling the light board to control each lamp bead on the light board in sequence and individually according to the exposure control sequence to turn on or off.

5. A light-curing printer, characterized in that: The light-curing printer comprises the selective area exposure control device described in claim 4, and the light-curing printer is used to execute the method described in any one of claims 1-3.

6. The printer according to claim 5, characterized in that: The light-curing printer further comprises a lamp board, and the lamp board comprises a plurality of lamp beads; the plurality of lamp beads are arrayed on the lamp board, and each of the plurality of lamp beads is connected to the lamp board via two independent wires.

7. The printer according to claim 6, characterized in that: The lamp board controls the lamp beads on the lamp board individually and sequentially according to the exposure control sequence.

8. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, characterized in that: An executable code is stored on the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium. When the executable code is executed by a photocurable printer, the photocurable printer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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