3D printer and control method thereof
By introducing an inkjet control processor in a 3D printer to generate and compress print image data, the storage space and bandwidth consumption caused by the large amount of full-color inkjet printing data is solved, and the printing efficiency is improved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202311867177.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-12-29
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-01
AI Technical Summary
In the existing 3D printing technology, full-color inkjet printing requires a large amount of printing image data transmission, which consumes storage space and bandwidth, resulting in inefficiency.
By introducing an inkjet control processor in a 3D printer, the mapping relationship between the theoretical outer wall trajectory of the model and the texture picture is received, the printed picture data is generated, and the data volume is compressed and transmitted line by line, reducing the amount of data.
It reduces the amount of data transmission between the PC and the 3D printer, saves storage space and bandwidth, and improves printing efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN120228920A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the technical field of 3D printing, and specifically relates to a control method for a 3D printer, a 3D printer, and a control method for a printing device. Background Art
[0002] A 3D printer (Three-Dimensional Printer) is a processing device that converts a digital model into a physical 3D component. Specifically, through a layer-by-layer stacking technique, printing materials are stacked layer by layer to construct a physical 3D component. In related technologies, full-color 3D components are usually obtained through full-color inkjet printing. The PC (Personal Computer) terminal needs to send the print picture data corresponding to each inkjet printing layer to the 3D printer. Since the amount of print picture data corresponding to each inkjet printing layer is relatively large, and there are many printing layers, the total data volume is large, which requires a large amount of storage space and consumes a large amount of transmission bandwidth. Summary of the Invention
[0003] To solve the above technical problems, on the one hand, this application provides a control method for a 3D printer. The 3D printer includes an inkjet control processor, and the control method includes: receiving a print file, the print file including the theoretical outer wall trajectory of each layer in the model, the texture picture of the model, and the mapping relationship between the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the texture coordinates in the texture picture; obtaining the theoretical outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer, and printing the current deposition layer according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory; generating print picture data corresponding to the current deposition layer from the texture picture according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the mapping relationship; sending the print picture data to the inkjet control processor so that the inkjet control processor can print an inkjet printing layer on the current deposition layer according to the print picture data.
[0004] In some embodiments, the theoretical outer wall trajectory includes multiple segments of theoretical paths. In the print file, each segment of the theoretical path corresponds to a stored texture coordinate sequence; generating print picture data from the texture picture according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the mapping relationship includes: generating print picture data from the texture picture according to the texture coordinate sequence corresponding to each segment of the theoretical path in the theoretical outer wall trajectory.
[0005] In some embodiments, the theoretical outer wall trajectory is obtained by slicing the model, obtaining the intersection points of each slice with the surface of the model, connecting multiple intersection points to obtain an original trajectory, and simplifying the path of the original trajectory; the original trajectory includes multiple segments of original paths, and the original paths and the theoretical paths correspond one by one. Each point on the theoretical path has a corresponding point on the original path; the texture coordinate sequence includes the texture coordinates of multiple points on the theoretical path, where each texture coordinate is calculated based on the texture coordinate of the corresponding point on the original path.
[0006] In some embodiments, generating print picture data from a texture picture according to a theoretical outer wall trajectory and a mapping relationship includes: generating a theoretical coloring picture from the texture picture according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the mapping relationship; obtaining the real outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer, and adjusting the theoretical coloring picture according to the real outer wall trajectory to generate a real coloring picture; generating print picture data according to the real coloring picture.
[0007] In some embodiments, generating print picture data according to the real coloring picture includes: performing color separation and halftone rasterization on the real coloring picture to generate print picture data.
[0008] In some embodiments, the print picture data includes multiple lines; sending the print picture data to an inkjet control processor includes: compressing the print picture data line by line, and sending the compressed print picture data line by line to the inkjet control processor, so that the inkjet control processor can decompress the received print picture data line by line and print an inkjet printing layer according to the decompressed print picture data.
[0009] In some embodiments, compressing the print picture data line by line includes: storing the print picture data in units of two bytes, where the highest bit represents 0 or 1, and the remaining bits represent the number of consecutive 0s or 1s.
[0010] In some embodiments, generating print picture data according to the real coloring picture includes: converting the real coloring picture into a strip color map according to a preset inkjet width.
[0011] On the other hand, this application also provides a 3D printer, including a main processor and an inkjet control processor. The main processor is used to execute the control method described above, and the inkjet control processor is used to receive the print picture data sent by the main processor and print an inkjet printing layer according to the print picture data.
[0012] On the other hand, this application provides a control method for a printing device, including: performing layer splitting on a model to obtain the theoretical outer wall trajectory of each layer in the model; establishing a mapping relationship between the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the texture coordinates of the texture picture of the model; sending the theoretical outer wall trajectory, the texture picture, and the mapping relationship to a 3D printer, so that the 3D printer can print the current deposition layer based on the theoretical outer wall trajectory, generate print picture data corresponding to the current deposition layer from the texture picture according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the mapping relationship, and print an inkjet printing layer based on the print picture data.
[0013] In some embodiments, performing a hierarchical processing on the model to obtain the theoretical outer wall trajectory of each layer in the model includes: obtaining the model coordinates of the intersection points of each layer with the surface of the model; connecting the model coordinates and performing path simplification to obtain the theoretical outer wall trajectory of each layer; or the theoretical outer wall trajectory includes multiple segments of theoretical paths, and establishing a mapping relationship between the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the texture coordinates of the texture picture of the model includes: obtaining the texture coordinates of several points on each segment of the theoretical path, merging the texture coordinates of the several points into a texture coordinate sequence, and storing the texture coordinate sequence corresponding to the theoretical path.
[0014] On the other hand, the present application also provides a 3D printer, including a main processor and an inkjet control processor; the main processor is configured to receive a print file, generate print picture data based on the print file, compress the print picture data according to a preset compression rule, and send the compressed print picture data to the inkjet control processor; and the inkjet control processor is configured to receive the compressed print picture data, perform decompression, and print an inkjet printing layer according to the decompressed print picture data.
[0015] In some embodiments, the print picture data includes multiple lines; the main processor compresses the print picture data line by line and sends the compressed print picture data line by line to the inkjet control processor; the inkjet control processor receives the compressed print picture data line by line, performs decompression line by line, and prints an inkjet printing layer according to the decompressed print picture data.
[0016] In some embodiments, the inkjet control processor is provided with a buffer area, and the inkjet control processor stores the decompressed print picture data line by line into the buffer area; after receiving a line printing start command, the inkjet control processor obtains the print picture data corresponding to the current line from the buffer area and performs inkjet printing of the current line based on the print picture data corresponding to the current line.
[0017] In some embodiments, the print picture data consists of 0s and 1s, and the preset compression rule includes compressing the 0 data therein.
[0018] In some embodiments, the preset compression rule includes saving the print picture data in units of preset storage units, where the highest bit represents 0 or 1, and the remaining bits represent the consecutive number of 0s or 1s.
[0019] In some embodiments, the main processor obtains the theoretical outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer from the print file and prints the current deposition layer based on the theoretical outer wall trajectory; the main processor obtains the theoretical coloring picture corresponding to the current deposition layer based on the print file, further obtains the real outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer, adjusts the theoretical coloring picture according to the real outer wall trajectory to generate a real coloring picture, and generates print picture data according to the real coloring picture.
[0020] In some embodiments, the main processor converts the real dyeing picture into a strip color map according to a preset inkjet width, and performs color separation and halftone rasterization on the strip color map to generate print picture data.
[0021] In the solution of the present application, the print picture data corresponding to each inkjet printing layer is generated by a 3D printer, and the printing device does not need to send the print picture data corresponding to each inkjet printing layer to the 3D printer, which is beneficial to reducing the amount of data transmitted between the PC side and the 3D printer, saving storage space and bandwidth. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained according to these drawings, where:
[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for a printing device provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0024] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of obtaining the model coordinates and texture coordinates of the intersection points of each layer with the model surface provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0025] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of establishing a mapping relationship between the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the texture coordinates of the texture picture provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0026] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for a 3D printer provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0027] Figure 5 is Figure 4 a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of S230;
[0028] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of saving print picture data in units of two bytes;
[0029] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a 3D printer provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0030] The present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be specifically noted that the following embodiments are only used to illustrate the present application, but do not limit the scope of the present application. Similarly, the following embodiments are only partial embodiments of the present application rather than all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present application.
[0031] The mention of "embodiment" in the present application means that the specific features, structures or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The phrase appears in various positions in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. Those skilled in the art will explicitly and implicitly understand that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.
[0032] The terms "first", "second", and "third" in the present application are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first", "second", and "third" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined. All directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back...) in the embodiments of the present application are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement conditions between components in a specific posture (as shown in the drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally further includes steps or units not listed, or optionally further includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.
[0033] As Figure 1 shown, on the one hand, the present application provides a control method for a printing device. For example, the printing device mentioned here may be a PC (Personal Computer) terminal. The control method includes the following steps:
[0034] S110: Perform a layering process on the model to obtain the theoretical outer wall trajectory of each layer in the model.
[0035] For example, the PC terminal can use slicing software to perform a layering process on the model to obtain multiple layers of FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) slices, and each FDM slice corresponds to a deposition layer to be printed.
[0036] Slicing software is a computer-aided manufacturing software for 3D printing. It slices a 3D model into many stacked planes or curved surfaces in a planar or curved surface manner according to the single-layer printing thickness of the 3D printer. Then, it identifies the external contour curves of the planes or curved surfaces through an algorithm to form the theoretical outer wall trajectories of each layer in the model. Next, it generates inner walls and performs filling according to the parameters set in the slicing software. For example, the slicing software can finally generate a text file in the form of a gcode set containing all paths and control commands for the printer (such as temperature control, fan control, retraction, backfilling control, etc.).
[0037] Specifically, S110 can be implemented through the following steps it includes:
[0038] S111: Obtain the model coordinates of the intersection points of each layer with the surface of the model.
[0039] For example, the 3D model can specifically be a triangular mesh model. As Figure 2 shown, each layer will intersect with the triangular meshes on the surface of the model. The model coordinates of the intersection points can be obtained by the method of finding the intersection points of a straight line and a triangle. In Figure 2 , the model coordinates of the three vertices of the triangular mesh are X1, Y1, Z1, X2, Y2, Z2, and X3, Y3, Z3 respectively, and the model coordinates of the two intersection points are X4, Y4, Z4 and X5, Y5, Z5 respectively.
[0040] S112: Connect the model coordinates and perform path simplification to obtain the theoretical outer wall trajectory of each layer.
[0041] Connecting the coordinates of all intersection points in the same layer can obtain an original trajectory composed of multiple segments of original paths, as shown by L1 in Figure 3 . Limited by the line width of FDM printing, there may be some unimplementable paths in the original paths. Therefore, it is necessary to perform path simplification on the original paths based on the line width of FDM printing to obtain a theoretical outer wall trajectory including multiple segments of theoretical paths, as shown by L2 in Figure 3 .
[0042] S120: Establish a mapping relationship between the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the texture coordinates of the texture image of the model.
[0043] Specifically, a 3D model can correspond to a texture image, and a full-color 3D model can be obtained by mapping the texture image. Texture coordinates, also known as UV coordinates, are a method in 3D modeling for mapping a 2D texture image onto the surface of a 3D model. These coordinates define how the texture image corresponds to the surface of the model. In the UV coordinate system, "U" and "V" represent the width and height of the 2D texture image. Each vertex of a 3D model is assigned a UV coordinate that points to a point on the texture image.
[0044] The theoretical outer wall trajectory can include multiple segments of theoretical paths. S120 can be achieved by establishing a mapping relationship between each segment of the theoretical path and the texture coordinates. Specifically, S120 can include the following steps:
[0045] S121: Obtain the texture coordinates of several points on each segment of the theoretical path, combine the texture coordinates of the several points into a texture coordinate sequence, and store the texture coordinate sequence corresponding to the theoretical path.
[0046] As Figure 2 shown, after obtaining the model coordinates of each intersection point, the texture coordinates of the intersection point can be calculated through a linear interpolation algorithm. Specifically, the texture coordinates of the three vertices of a triangular patch are (U1, V1), (U2, V2), and (U3, V3) respectively. The texture coordinates (U4, V4) and (U5, V5) of the intersection point can be calculated through the following formula.
[0047]
[0048]
[0049] (U4, V4) = (U2, V2) + (((U1, V1) - (U2, V2)) * Dis 24 / Dis 21
[0050] Furthermore, the texture coordinates of the points between two intersection points can be calculated through a linear interpolation algorithm. In this way, the texture coordinates of several points (including two intersection points and the points between the two intersection points) corresponding to each segment of the original path can be obtained.
[0051] As Figure 3 shown, during the process of path simplification, the texture coordinates are simultaneously combined into a sequence. Each element in the texture coordinate sequence includes a texture coordinate pair and the ratio R between the length of the original path L1 and the length of the theoretical path L2. The texture coordinates of the corresponding points on the simplified theoretical path can be calculated using the ratio R and the texture coordinates of the points corresponding to each segment of the original path, so that each segment of the simplified theoretical path corresponds to a texture coordinate sequence, as follows:
[0052] Plain Text
[0053] / / G-code part ...
[0055] Layer 1
[0056] Step 1
[0057] Step 2
[0058] Step 3 ...
[0060] / / Texture sequence part ...
[0062] Layer 1
[0063] Step 1:
[0064] Step 2: R0,U00,V00,U01,V01|R1,U10,V10,U11,V11|...|R2,U20,V20,U21,V21
[0065] Step 3: R0,U00,V00,U01,V01|R1,U10,V10,U11,V11|...|R2,U20,V20,U21,V21 ...
[0067] S130: Send the theoretical outer wall trajectory, texture image, and mapping relationship to the printer, so that the 3D printer can print the current deposition layer based on the theoretical outer wall trajectory, and generate the print image data corresponding to the current deposition layer from the texture image according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the mapping relationship, and print the inkjet printing layer based on the print image data.
[0068] In some embodiments, the 3D component includes, in addition to the outer wall, an inner wall, a filler, and a support structure. Therefore, in addition to sending the theoretical outer wall trajectory, texture image, and mapping relationship to the printer, the printing device can also send the internal trajectory, filling trajectory, support trajectory, etc. together.
[0069] It should be noted that the 3D printer described in this application may include a first nozzle and a second nozzle. The first nozzle is used to print the deposition layer, and the second nozzle is used to print the inkjet printing layer. The first nozzle can also be called an FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) nozzle, and the second nozzle can also be called a UV (ultraviolet) nozzle.
[0070] An inkjet printing layer is printed corresponding to each deposition layer. By alternately printing the deposition layer and the inkjet printing layer, the outer wall of the 3D component can be obtained. Among them, the inkjet printing layer can be formed by curing ink with a preset color, so that the overall outer wall of the 3D component presents the preset color. Since the deposition layer has a relatively large height compared to the inkjet printing layer, it is beneficial to improve the printing speed compared to the solution of full-color inkjet printing of 3D components in the related art.
[0071] It should be noted that the printed picture data described in this application may refer to a dot matrix image that can be recognized by a printer. The outer wall described in this application may refer to a combination of curves and straight-line trajectories generated by the outer contour curves of each layer recognized by slicing software. For a hollow model, the outer wall not only refers to the outer surface appearance wall of the model, but also refers to the inner surface appearance wall of the hollow.
[0072] In the solution of this embodiment, the printed picture data corresponding to each inkjet printing layer is generated by the 3D printer based on the theoretical outer wall trajectory of the deposition layer, the texture picture of the model, and the mapping relationship between the theoretical outer wall trajectory of the deposition layer and the texture coordinates in the texture picture. The printing device does not need to send the printed picture data corresponding to each inkjet printing layer to the 3D printer, which is beneficial to reducing the amount of data transmitted between the PC side and the 3D printer, saving storage space and bandwidth.
[0073] As Figure 4 shown, on the other hand, this application provides a control method for a 3D printer. The 3D printer may include a main processor 310 and an inkjet control processor 320 (as Figure 7 shown), and the control method of the 3D printer described in this application may be specifically executed by the main processor 310. Specifically, the control method may include the following steps:
[0074] S210: Receive a print file, where the print file includes the theoretical outer wall trajectory of each layer in the model, the texture picture of the model, and the mapping relationship between the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the texture coordinates in the texture picture.
[0075] The theoretical outer wall trajectory includes multiple segments of theoretical paths. In the print file, a sequence of texture coordinates is stored corresponding to each segment of the theoretical path. Regarding how the theoretical outer wall trajectory is generated and how the mapping relationship between the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the texture coordinates in the texture picture is specifically established, reference can be made to the embodiment of the control method of the printing device above, which will not be elaborated here.
[0076] S220: Obtain the theoretical outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer, and print the current deposition layer according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory.
[0077] For example, the theoretical outer wall trajectory of each layer in the model can be stored as a gcode file, and the texture coordinate sequence corresponding to each theoretical path is stored in the file. Each deposition layer corresponds to a layer number, and the theoretical outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer can be obtained according to the layer number of the current deposition layer. After obtaining the theoretical outer wall trajectory of the current fused deposition, the 3D printer can control the first nozzle to print the current deposition layer.
[0078] S230: Generate the print picture data corresponding to the current deposition layer from the texture picture according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the mapping relationship.
[0079] Specifically, the print picture data can be generated from the texture picture according to the texture coordinate sequence corresponding to each theoretical path in the theoretical outer wall trajectory. As Figure 5 shown, S230 can be implemented through the following steps it includes:
[0080] S231: Generate the theoretical dyed picture from the texture picture according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the mapping relationship.
[0081] The theoretical outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer includes multiple theoretical paths, and a texture coordinate sequence is stored corresponding to each of the theoretical paths. Through the texture coordinate sequence, multiple pixel points corresponding to each theoretical path can be determined from the texture picture. By merging the multiple pixel points corresponding to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and filling the other areas with transparency (for the printing pattern of each layer, only the outer wall and its edges need to be filled with color, and most other positions do not need to be inkjet, so the other areas need to be filled with transparency), the theoretical dyed picture can be obtained.
[0082] S232: Obtain the real outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer, and adjust the theoretical dyed picture according to the real outer wall trajectory to generate the real dyed picture.
[0083] Specifically, due to factors such as motion planning, motor consistency differences, structural processing, and assembly errors, the real outer wall trajectory actually printed by FDM will deviate from the theoretical outer wall trajectory. If the print picture data is generated according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory, it is difficult to print the color on the real outer wall trajectory. In this embodiment, the theoretical dyed picture can be scaled and approximated according to the real outer wall trajectory to obtain the real dyed picture, and the print picture data is generated based on the real dyed picture, which is beneficial to improving the accuracy of the color printing position and the color effect of the outer wall.
[0084] S233: Generate the print picture data according to the real dyed picture.
[0085] Specifically, both the theoretical dyeing picture and the real dyeing picture are linear color pictures with a narrow color width. If printing is directly based on the linear color picture, the color presented on the outer wall of the final print will be relatively light. In this embodiment, the real dyeing picture can be converted into a banded color picture according to a preset inkjet width to increase the inkjet width, so that the color presented on the outer wall is darker, thereby improving the color effect of the outer wall.
[0086] Furthermore, color separation and halftone rasterization can be performed on the banded color picture to generate print picture data.
[0087] Among them, color separation is the process of decomposing the colors of an image into four basic printing colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key in the printing process. Halftone rasterization is a process of converting a continuous-tone image into a dot matrix image that can be printed by a printing press, and this process is also called halftone. In the process of halftone rasterization, each pixel point in the banded color picture is decomposed into a series of small dots. By controlling the color and distribution of these small dots, the color and brightness of the image can be controlled. In this embodiment, by performing color separation and halftone rasterization on the banded color picture to generate print picture data, the color and brightness of the outer wall color can be better controlled, thereby improving the color effect of the outer wall.
[0088] It should be noted that in the description of this application, the labels of each step do not represent an inevitable order. For example, obtaining the real outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer in S232 and generating the theoretical dyeing picture from the texture picture according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the mapping relationship in S231 can be carried out simultaneously. Obtaining the real outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer in S232 can be carried out before generating the theoretical dyeing picture from the texture picture according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the mapping relationship in S231, or can be carried out after generating the theoretical dyeing picture from the texture picture according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the mapping relationship in S231. This application does not make any restrictions in this regard, and those skilled in the art can choose according to actual needs.
[0089] S240: Send the print picture data to the inkjet control processor 320 so that the inkjet control processor 320 can print an inkjet printing layer on the current deposition layer according to the print picture data.
[0090] Specifically, the print picture data includes multiple lines. S240 can be implemented through the following steps included therein:
[0091] S241: Compress the print picture data line by line and send the compressed print picture data to the inkjet control processor 320 line by line, so that the inkjet control processor 320 can decompress the received print picture data line by line and print an inkjet printing layer according to the decompressed print picture data.
[0092] Specifically, for the printed picture data of each layer, only the outer wall and its edges need to be filled with color, and most other positions do not require inkjet. Therefore, the printed picture data can be further compressed line by line, and the compressed printed picture data can be sent to the inkjet control processor 320 line by line, so as to save the storage space of the printed picture data in the main processor 310, reduce the amount of data transmitted between the main processor 310 and the inkjet control processor 320, and optimize the data transmission efficiency.
[0093] The printed picture data consists of 0s and 1s, and most areas do not require inkjet, which are all 0 data. Considering the efficiency of the main processor 310, the present application does not adopt a traditional compression algorithm, but adopts a custom preset compression rule to compress the printed picture data. Specifically, the preset compression rule can be achieved by compressing the 0 data in the printed picture data.
[0094] For example, the main processor 310 can read the printed picture data line by line, count the number of consecutive 1s or 0s, and save the printed picture data in units of preset storage units, where the highest bit represents 0 or 1, and the remaining bits represent the consecutive number of 0s or 1s. For example, as Figure 6 shown, it can be saved in units of two bytes. The highest bit bit 15 is 0 or 1, and the remaining bits bit 0-14 represent the consecutive number of 0s or 1s.
[0095] The inkjet control processor 320 can receive the compressed printed picture data line by line and decompress it line by line, and print the inkjet printing layer according to the decompressed printed picture data. Specifically, the inkjet control processor 320 can read the file in units of two bytes, where the highest bit represents 0 or 1, and the last 15 bits represent the consecutive number. After decoding the file, the RIP header checks whether the decoding is correct.
[0096] Furthermore, the inkjet control processor 320 can store the decompressed printed picture data line by line in the buffer area. After receiving the line printing start command, the inkjet control processor 320 can read the printed picture data of the current line from the buffer area and perform inkjet printing of the current line based on the printed picture data corresponding to the current line.
[0097] In some embodiments, the inkjet printing layer can be cured while printing the inkjet printing layer. After the current layer is printed, it can be lifted by a preset height and the next layer can be printed. By repeatedly executing the steps of S210-S240, the outer wall of the 3D component can be finally obtained.
[0098] As Figure 7As shown in the figure, on the other hand, the present application provides a 3D printer 300, which includes a main processor 310 and an inkjet control processor 320. The main processor is used to execute the control method of the 3D printer described above, and the inkjet control processor is used to receive the print picture data sent by the main processor and print an inkjet printing layer according to the print picture data.
[0099] Among them, the main processor 310 can also be called a CPU (Central Processing Unit, central processing unit). The main processor 310 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. The main processor 310 can also be a general-purpose main processor, a digital signal main processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. The general-purpose main processor can be a micro main processor or the main processor 310 can also be any conventional main processor, etc.
[0100] Regarding the cooperation between the main processor 310 and the inkjet control processor 320, it has been described in detail in the embodiments of the control method of the 3D printer described above, and will not be elaborated here.
[0101] On the other hand, the present application also provides a 3D printer, which includes a main processor and an inkjet control processor; the main processor is used to receive a print file, generate print picture data based on the print file, compress the print picture data according to a preset compression rule, and send the compressed print picture data to the inkjet control processor; and the inkjet control processor is used to receive the compressed print picture data, decompress it, and print an inkjet printing layer according to the decompressed print picture data.
[0102] Specifically, the print picture data corresponding to each inkjet printing layer is generated by the 3D printer, and the printing device does not need to send the print picture data corresponding to each inkjet printing layer to the 3D printer, which is beneficial to reducing the amount of data transmitted between the PC side and the 3D printer, saving storage space and bandwidth. In addition, since the compressed print picture data is transmitted between the main processor and the inkjet control processor, it is beneficial to further reduce the bandwidth between the main processor and the inkjet control processor.
[0103] In some embodiments, the print picture data includes multiple lines; the main processor compresses the print picture data line by line and sends the compressed print picture data line by line to the inkjet control processor; the inkjet control processor receives the compressed print picture data line by line, decompresses it line by line, and prints an inkjet printing layer according to the decompressed print picture data.
[0104] In some embodiments, the inkjet control processor is provided with a buffer, and the inkjet control processor stores the decompressed print picture data into the buffer line by line; after receiving the line print start command, the inkjet control processor obtains the print picture data corresponding to the current line from the buffer, and performs inkjet printing on the current line based on the print picture data corresponding to the current line.
[0105] In some embodiments, the print picture data consists of 0s and 1s, and the preset compression rule includes compressing the 0 data therein.
[0106] In some embodiments, the preset compression rule includes saving the print picture data in units of preset storage units, where the highest bit represents 0 or 1, and the remaining bits represent the continuous number of 0s or 1s.
[0107] In some embodiments, the main processor obtains the theoretical outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer from the print file, and prints the current deposition layer based on the theoretical outer wall trajectory; the main processor obtains the theoretical coloring picture corresponding to the current deposition layer based on the print file, and further obtains the real outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer, adjusts the theoretical coloring picture according to the real outer wall trajectory to generate a real coloring picture, and generates print picture data according to the real coloring picture.
[0108] In some embodiments, the main processor converts the real coloring picture into a strip color map according to the preset inkjet width, and performs color separation and halftone rasterization on the strip color map to generate print picture data.
[0109] Other detailed features of this 3D printer may be the same as or similar to those described in the previous embodiments, and will not be elaborated here.
[0110] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed control method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the print device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of modules or units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point, the displayed or discussed coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between each other can be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.
[0111] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or they can be distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.
[0112] In addition, in each embodiment of the present application, each functional unit can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.
[0113] The above are only partial embodiments of the present application, and do not limit the protection scope of the present application. Any equivalent device or equivalent process transformation made by using the content of the specification and drawings of the present application, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, shall be similarly included in the patent protection scope of the present application.
Claims
1. A control method for a 3D printer, the 3D printer including an inkjet control processor, characterized in that, The control method includes: Receiving a print file, where the print file includes the theoretical outer wall trajectory of each layer in the model, the texture picture of the model, and the mapping relationship between the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the texture coordinates in the texture picture; Obtaining the theoretical outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer and printing the current deposition layer according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory; Generating print picture data corresponding to the current deposition layer from the texture picture according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the mapping relationship; Sending the print picture data to the inkjet control processor so that the inkjet control processor can print an inkjet printing layer on the current deposition layer according to the print picture data.
2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that The theoretical outer wall trajectory includes multiple segments of theoretical paths. In the print file, a texture coordinate sequence is stored corresponding to each segment of the theoretical path; The generating print picture data from the texture picture according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the mapping relationship includes: Generating the print picture data from the texture picture according to the texture coordinate sequence corresponding to each segment of the theoretical path in the theoretical outer wall trajectory.
3. The control method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The theoretical outer wall trajectory is obtained by slicing the model, obtaining the intersection points of each slice with the surface of the model, connecting multiple intersection points to obtain an original trajectory, and simplifying the path of the original trajectory; The original trajectory includes multiple segments of original paths, and the original paths and the theoretical paths correspond one by one. Each point on the theoretical path has a corresponding point on the original path; The texture coordinate sequence includes the texture coordinates of multiple points on the theoretical path, where each texture coordinate is calculated based on the texture coordinate of the corresponding point on the original path.
4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein The generating print picture data from the texture picture according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the mapping relationship includes: Generating a theoretical dyeing picture from the texture picture according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the mapping relationship; Obtaining the real outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer and adjusting the theoretical dyeing picture according to the real outer wall trajectory to generate a real dyeing picture; Generating the print picture data according to the real dyeing picture.
5. The control method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The generating the print picture data according to the real dyeing picture includes: Performing color separation and halftone rasterization on the real dyeing picture to generate the print picture data.
6. The control method according to claim 5, characterized in that The print picture data includes multiple rows; The sending the print picture data to the inkjet control processor includes: Compressing the print picture data row by row and sending the compressed print picture data row by row to the inkjet control processor so that the inkjet control processor can decompress the received print picture data row by row and print the inkjet printing layer according to the decompressed print picture data.
7. The control method according to claim 6, characterized in that The compressing the print picture data row by row includes: Saving the print picture data in units of two bytes, where the highest bit represents 0 or 1, and the remaining bits represent the number of consecutive 0s or 1s.
8. The control method according to claim 4, wherein The generating the print picture data according to the real dyeing picture includes: Convert the real dyeing picture into a strip color picture according to a preset inkjet width.
9. A 3D printer, characterized in that, It includes a main processor and an inkjet control processor. The main processor is used to execute the control method described in any one of claims 1-8. The inkjet control processor is used to receive the print picture data sent by the main processor and print an inkjet printing layer according to the print picture data.
10. A control method for a printing device, characterized in that, It includes: Perform layer-by-layer processing on the model to obtain the theoretical outer wall trajectory of each layer in the model; Establish a mapping relationship between the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the texture coordinates of the texture picture of the model; Send the theoretical outer wall trajectory, the texture picture, and the mapping relationship to a 3D printer, so that the 3D printer can print the current deposition layer based on the theoretical outer wall trajectory, generate print picture data corresponding to the current deposition layer from the texture picture according to the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the mapping relationship, and print an inkjet printing layer based on the print picture data.
11. The control method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The performing layer-by-layer processing on the model to obtain the theoretical outer wall trajectory of each layer in the model includes: Obtain the model coordinates of the intersection points of each layer with the surface of the model; Connect the model coordinates and simplify the path to obtain the theoretical outer wall trajectory of each layer; or The theoretical outer wall trajectory includes multiple segments of theoretical paths. The establishing a mapping relationship between the theoretical outer wall trajectory and the texture coordinates of the texture picture of the model includes: Obtain the texture coordinates of several points on each segment of the theoretical path, merge the texture coordinates of the several points into a texture coordinate sequence, and store the texture coordinate sequence corresponding to the theoretical path.
12. A 3D printer, characterized in that, It includes a main processor and an inkjet control processor; The main processor is used to receive a print file, generate print picture data based on the print file, compress the print picture data according to a preset compression rule, and send the compressed print picture data to the inkjet control processor; And The inkjet control processor is used to receive the compressed print picture data, decompress it, and print an inkjet printing layer according to the decompressed print picture data.
13. The 3D printer according to claim 12, wherein, The print picture data includes multiple rows; The main processor compresses the print picture data row by row and sends the compressed print picture data row by row to the inkjet control processor; The inkjet control processor receives the compressed print picture data row by row, decompresses it row by row, and prints the inkjet printing layer according to the decompressed print picture data.
14. The 3D printer according to claim 13, characterized in that, The inkjet control processor is provided with a buffer area. The inkjet control processor stores the decompressed print picture data into the buffer area row by row; After receiving a line print start command, the inkjet control processor obtains the print picture data corresponding to the current line from the buffer area and performs inkjet printing of the current line based on the print picture data corresponding to the current line.
15. The 3D printer according to claim 12, characterized in that, The print picture data consists of 0s and 1s. The preset compression rule includes compressing the 0 data therein.
16. The 3D printer according to claim 15, characterized in that, The preset compression rule includes saving the printed picture data in units of preset storage units, where the highest bit represents 0 or 1, and the remaining bits represent the continuous number of 0s or 1s.
17. The 3D printer according to claim 12, characterized in that, The main processor obtains the theoretical outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer from the printing file and prints the current deposition layer based on the theoretical outer wall trajectory; The main processor obtains the theoretical stained picture corresponding to the current deposition layer based on the printing file, further obtains the real outer wall trajectory of the current deposition layer, adjusts the theoretical stained picture according to the real outer wall trajectory to generate a real stained picture, and generates the printed picture data according to the real stained picture.
18. The 3D printer according to claim 17, characterized in that, The main processor converts the real stained picture into a strip-shaped color map according to the preset inkjet width, and performs color separation and halftone rasterization on the strip-shaped color map to generate the printed picture data.