Unattended image three-dimensional printing retail device

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of digital manufacturing, in particular to an unattended image three-dimensional printing retail device, aims to solve the problem that personalized hard entity commodities cannot be manufactured in real time, and comprises a main control module, a user data input module, an image processing module, a substrate storage module, a marking module, a forming module and a finished product delivery module. The image processing module generates contour data based on the original image; the marking module forms an image and a positioning mark on the hard or semi-hard substrate; and before forming, the main control module corrects contour data through the image and the positioning mark formed on the substrate, and controls the forming module to perform accurate forming according to the corrected data. Through visual calibration closed-loop control, full-automatic and real-time manufacturing and selling of high-added-value personalized hard commodities are achieved, and high precision and the yield are guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of digital manufacturing technology, and more specifically to an unattended image stereoscopic printing retail device. Background Technology

[0002] With the upgrading of consumption and the increasing demand for personalization, product customization services are gradually emerging. However, existing technologies are significantly insufficient in meeting consumers' immediate needs for personalized products.

[0003] On the one hand, while online personalized customization services offer a wide range of options, their manufacturing and logistics cycles typically take several days or even longer, failing to meet the immediate and impulsive consumption demands of offline scenarios. On the other hand, offline unmanned retail terminals such as vending machines and self-service gift machines can only sell pre-manufactured standardized goods and cannot provide any on-site personalized customization services. In addition, there are some self-service photo booths that can instantly generate personalized products based on photos taken by users, but their technology and manufacturing capabilities are strictly limited to handling flexible and thin materials such as paper and vinyl film. The final deliverables are only two-dimensional photos or stickers, with low added value. Furthermore, their technology is completely incapable of enabling real-time unmanned manufacturing and retail of rigid or semi-rigid solid goods with a certain thickness (such as acrylic sheets, wood boards, and metal sheets). Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an unattended image stereoscopic printing retail device to overcome the problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: This application provides an unattended image stereoscopic printing retail device, including: a main control module, a user data input module, an image processing module, a substrate storage module, a marking module, a molding module, and a finished product delivery module; The user data input module is used to obtain the user's original image after the user has completed payment; The image processing module is used to generate product design data containing image data and outline data based on the original image; The substrate storage module is used to store rigid or semi-rigid substrates; The marking module is used to retrieve the stored substrate from the substrate storage, form an image on the substrate according to the image data, and form at least three positioning marks on the substrate; The main control module is used to correct the contour data according to the image formed on the substrate and the positioning mark, and to control the molding module to perform contour molding on the substrate according to the corrected contour data. The finished product delivery module is used to transport the formed product to the retrieval port.

[0006] Furthermore, the aforementioned device also includes: an image acquisition device; The main control module corrects the contour data based on the image formed on the substrate and the positioning marks, and controls the molding module to perform contour molding on the substrate based on the corrected contour data, including: Before the molding module performs contour molding, the main control module controls the image acquisition device to acquire an image formed on the substrate. Based on the image formed on the substrate, the main control module identifies the actual position of the positioning mark on the substrate. According to the deviation between the actual position and the preset theoretical position, the main control module corrects the contour data to obtain corrected contour data. The main control module then controls the molding module to perform contour molding on the substrate according to the corrected contour data.

[0007] Furthermore, in the device described above, the substrate storage module is also used to send the number of stored substrates to the main control module. The main control module is also used to determine whether the number of substrates is less than a preset threshold before the marking module marks the substrate. If so, printing is stopped, an alarm is issued, the alarm information is sent to the cloud via wireless communication, and a refund is issued to the current user.

[0008] Furthermore, in the aforementioned device, the main control module is also used to acquire a marked image through the image acquisition device after the marking module has marked the substrate, and compare it with the digital design drawing sent to the marking module to determine whether the marking is successful. If unsuccessful, printing is stopped, an alarm is issued, and the alarm information is sent to the cloud via wireless communication, as well as a refund is issued to the current user.

[0009] Furthermore, in the aforementioned device, the main control module is also used to acquire a product image after the molding module has contoured the substrate, and compare it with the shaping design drawing sent to the molding module to determine whether the shaping is successful. If unsuccessful, printing is stopped, an alarm is issued, and the alarm information is sent to the cloud via wireless communication, as well as a refund is issued to the current user.

[0010] Furthermore, in the aforementioned apparatus, the user data input module includes: Interactive unit, used to provide an interactive interface for users; The print type selection unit is used to provide the user with the types of printable items on the interactive interface, and to obtain the print type, print style and base type selected by the user. The billing unit is used to charge the user in advance after obtaining the print type selected by the user; The image acquisition unit is used to acquire the user's original image after receiving payment from the user; The main control module is also used to detect whether a base is needed based on the printing type selected by the user before the molding module performs contour molding. If a base is needed, it determines whether a pre-made base is used based on the base type selected by the user. If a pre-made base is used, a base plug matching the pre-made base is generated at the optimal stress point at the bottom of the printed image, and the printed image is re-laid out. The molding module then performs contour molding based on the re-laid contour data. If a pre-made base is not used, a base plug is generated at the optimal stress point at the bottom of the printed image, and a base is generated in the remaining area according to the base type, wherein the base plug matches the base. The printed image is rearranged, and the forming module shapes the outline based on the rearranged outline data.

[0011] Furthermore, in the aforementioned apparatus, the image processing module includes: The image preprocessing unit is used to perform face detection, subject recognition, image cropping, and size normalization on the input original image; The AI ​​stylization unit is used to stylize the preprocessed original image according to the printing style selected by the user through the AI ​​stylization model. The image enhancement unit is used to perform super-resolution magnification and color enhancement on the stylized original image and to determine contour data.

[0012] Furthermore, in the above-described apparatus, the marking module is any one of a UV printer, a laser engraving machine, and a thermal sublimation printer.

[0013] Furthermore, in the above-described apparatus, the forming module can be any one of a laser cutting machine, a CNC milling machine, or a high-pressure water jet cutting machine.

[0014] Furthermore, in the device described above, the substrate is any one of acrylic board, wood board, PVC board, metal board, glass board, and stone board.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This application includes a user data input module for acquiring the user's original image after payment; an image processing module for generating product design data containing image data and contour data based on the original image; a substrate storage module for storing rigid or semi-rigid substrates; a marking module for retrieving the stored substrate from the substrate storage, forming an image on the substrate based on the image data, and forming at least three positioning marks on the substrate; a main control module for correcting the contour data based on the image formed on the substrate and the positioning marks, and controlling the molding module to shape the substrate according to the corrected contour data; and a finished product delivery module for conveying the shaped product to the retrieval port. In this application, by integrating miniaturized marking and molding manufacturing systems into an unmanned retail terminal, fully automated and real-time manufacturing and sales of high-value-added personalized rigid physical goods are realized for the first time. The waiting period for traditional customized goods is shortened from several days to several minutes, meeting new offline real-time consumption needs and creating a new business model. It can actively compensate for physical errors in unattended environments, significantly improving processing accuracy and yield, and ensuring the reliability of commercial operations. It achieves fully automated design from ordinary user images to physically assembleable products, greatly reducing the user's operating threshold and improving the user experience; at the same time, the delivered products are physical goods with thickness and texture, which have higher added value and perceived collectible value than traditional stickers and photos. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of an unattended image 3D printing retail device of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0018] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions of this invention will be described in detail below. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of this invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this invention, all other implementation methods obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of an unattended image 3D printing retail device according to the present invention. Please refer to... Figure 1 This embodiment may include: The main control module 5, user data input module 1, image processing module 2, substrate storage module 4, marking module 3, molding module 6, and finished product delivery module 7 are also included. User data input module 1 is used to obtain the user's original image after the user has completed payment; Image processing module 2 is used to generate product design data containing image data and contour data based on the original image; Substrate storage module 4 is used to store rigid or semi-rigid substrates; The marking module 3 is used to retrieve the stored substrate from the substrate storage, form an image on the substrate according to the image data, and form at least three positioning marks on the substrate; The main control module 5 is used to correct the contour data based on the image and positioning marks formed on the substrate, and to control the molding module 6 to perform contour molding on the substrate based on the corrected contour data. The finished product delivery module 7 is used to transport the formed product to the retrieval port.

[0020] Preferably, it also includes: an image acquisition device; The main control module 5 corrects the contour data based on the image and positioning marks formed on the substrate, and controls the molding module 6 to perform contour molding on the substrate based on the corrected contour data, including: Before the molding module 6 performs contour molding, the main control module 5 controls the image acquisition device to acquire the image formed on the substrate. Based on the image formed on the substrate, it identifies the actual position of the positioning mark on the substrate. According to the deviation between the actual position and the preset theoretical position, it corrects the contour data to obtain the corrected contour data. Then, it controls the molding module 6 to perform contour molding on the substrate according to the corrected contour data.

[0021] It should be noted that the image acquisition device can be a camera.

[0022] Understandably, when the main control module 5 identifies the actual position of the positioning mark on the substrate based on the image formed on the substrate, and corrects the contour data according to the deviation between the actual position and the preset theoretical position, the main control module 5 identifies the positioning mark on the substrate through the image acquisition device inside the device, determines the actual position of the substrate according to the position of the positioning mark, then compares the actual position with the theoretical position to determine the position deviation, and performs dynamic digital transformation on the original cutting path data according to the position deviation, and finally generates a corrected cutting path that matches the actual printed pattern.

[0023] Preferably, the substrate storage module 4 is also used to send the number of stored substrates to the main control module 5; The main control module 5 is also used to determine whether the number of substrates is less than a preset threshold before the marking module 3 marks the substrates. If so, printing is stopped, an alarm is issued, and the alarm information is sent to the cloud via wireless communication, as well as a refund is issued to the current user.

[0024] Understandably, the substrate storage module 4 will detect the number of remaining substrates in real time and send the number of remaining substrates to the main control module 5. The main control module 5 will then compare whether the number of substrates is less than a preset threshold. When the number of substrates is less than the preset threshold, printing will stop and an alarm message will be sent to the cloud via wireless communication to remind the merchant to replenish the stock and to refund the current user.

[0025] Preferably, the main control module 5 is also used to acquire the marked image through the image acquisition device after the marking module 3 has marked the substrate, and compare it with the digital design drawing sent to the marking module 3 to determine whether the marking is successful. If it is unsuccessful, the printing is stopped, an alarm is issued, and the alarm information is sent to the cloud via wireless communication, and a refund is issued to the current user.

[0026] Preferably, the main control module 5 is also used to acquire the image of the molded product through an image acquisition device after the molding module 6 has performed contour molding on the substrate, and compare it with the molding design drawing sent to the molding module 6 to determine whether the molding is successful. If it is unsuccessful, printing is stopped, an alarm is issued, and the alarm information is sent to the cloud via wireless communication, and a refund is issued to the current user.

[0027] Understandably, when the pattern to be printed by the user is too complex, after the marking module 3 marks the substrate, the main control module 5 uses an image acquisition device to check whether the marked image matches the digital design drawing received by the marking module 3, and determines whether the marking is incorrect. If the marking is unsuccessful, an alarm will be issued, and the alarm information will be sent to the cloud via wireless communication, and a refund will be issued to the current user. If the marking is successful, the molding module 6 will perform contour molding. After contour molding, the image acquisition device will check whether the image of the molded product matches the shaping design drawing received by the molding module 6. If they do not match, an alarm will be issued, and the alarm information will be sent to the cloud via wireless communication, and a refund will be issued to the current user. Only after successful completion will the product be delivered to the pickup point to complete the transaction.

[0028] Preferably, the user data input module 1 includes: Interactive unit, used to provide an interactive interface for users; The print type selection unit is used to provide the user with the types of printable items on the interactive interface, and to obtain the user's selected print type, print style, and base type. The billing unit is used to charge the user in advance after obtaining the print type selected by the user; The image acquisition unit is used to acquire the user's original image after receiving payment from the user; The main control module 5 is also used to detect whether a base is needed based on the printing type selected by the user before the molding module 6 performs contour molding. If a base is needed, it determines whether a pre-made base is used based on the base type selected by the user. If a pre-made base is used, a base plug matching the pre-made base is generated at the optimal stress point at the bottom of the printed image, and the printed image is re-laid out. The molding module 6 then performs contour molding based on the re-laid contour data. If a pre-made base is not used, a base plug is generated at the optimal stress point at the bottom of the printed image, and a base is generated in the remaining area according to the base type, with the base plug matching the base. The printed image is rearranged, and the outline is shaped by the forming module 6 based on the outline data after the rearrangement.

[0029] It should be noted that in the print type selection unit, the user is first provided with the available print types through the interactive interface. After the print type is selected, the user is then directed to the next interface, which provides the available print styles. Finally, the user is asked whether a stand is required based on the selected print type. If a stand is required, the user is directed to the next interface, which provides the user with information on whether to use a pre-made stand and the types of stands that can be printed.

[0030] Understandably, when not using a pre-made base, after generating the main body outline and plug of the product, a base outline and socket that matches the size of the printed product will be automatically generated, and intelligent layout will be performed to optimize material utilization, ultimately outputting two independent vector path files.

[0031] When using a prefabricated base, since the parameters of the standard base are pre-configured, only the outline of the main body of the product and the plug corresponding to the prefabricated base are generated.

[0032] Preferably, the image processing module 2 includes: The image preprocessing unit is used to perform face detection, subject recognition, image cropping, and size normalization on the input raw image; The AI ​​stylization unit is used to stylize the pre-processed original image according to the printing style selected by the user using an AI stylization model. The image enhancement unit is used to perform super-resolution upscaling and color enhancement on the stylized original image and to determine contour data.

[0033] Understandably, the image preprocessing unit first performs face detection, subject recognition, image cropping, and size normalization (e.g., uniformly processing to 512x512 pixels) on the input raw image to prepare standardized input data for subsequent model inference.

[0034] The preprocessed data is then fed into a pre-trained AI stylization model for stylization based on the user-selected printing style. The AI ​​stylization model can be a generative adversarial network based on StyleGAN2 or U-Net architecture, or an architecture based on diffusion models (such as Stable Diffusion), and can be combined with ControlNet technology to maintain a high degree of consistency between the user's pose and the original image.

[0035] Finally, the model output image is super-resolution enlarged (e.g., using models such as ESRGAN) and color enhanced to ensure that the final image data used for printing meets the high-precision, high-saturation industrial-grade printing requirements.

[0036] Preferably, the marking module 3 is any one of a UV printer, a laser engraving machine, and a thermal sublimation printer.

[0037] Preferably, the forming module 6 is any one of laser cutting machine, CNC milling and high-pressure water jet cutting.

[0038] Preferably, the substrate is any one of acrylic board, wood board, PVC board, metal board, glass board and stone board.

[0039] It is understood that the same or similar parts in the above embodiments can be referred to each other, and the contents not described in detail in some embodiments can be referred to the same or similar contents in other embodiments.

[0040] It should be noted that in the description of this invention, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. Furthermore, in the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means at least two.

[0041] Any process or method described in the flowchart or otherwise herein can be understood as representing a module, segment, or portion of code comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing a particular logical function or process, and the scope of the preferred embodiments of the invention includes additional implementations in which functions may be performed not in the order shown or discussed, including in a simultaneous manner or in reverse order according to the functions involved, as will be understood by those skilled in the art to which embodiments of the invention pertain.

[0042] It should be understood that various parts of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods can be implemented in software or firmware stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented in hardware, as in another embodiment, it can be implemented using any one or a combination of the following techniques known in the art: discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing logical functions on data signals, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having suitable combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0043] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the methods in the above embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing related hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, the program includes one or a combination of the steps of the method embodiments.

[0044] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into a processing module, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into a module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. If the integrated module is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

[0045] The storage media mentioned above can be read-only memory, disk, or optical disk, etc.

[0046] In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0047] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An unattended image stereoscopic printing retail device, characterized in that, include: The system includes a main control module, a user data input module, an image processing module, a substrate storage module, a marking module, a molding module, and a finished product delivery module. The user data input module is used to obtain the user's original image after the user has completed payment; The image processing module is used to generate product design data containing image data and outline data based on the original image; The substrate storage module is used to store rigid or semi-rigid substrates; The marking module is used to retrieve the stored substrate from the substrate storage, form an image on the substrate according to the image data, and form at least three positioning marks on the substrate; The main control module is used to correct the contour data according to the image formed on the substrate and the positioning mark, and to control the molding module to perform contour molding on the substrate according to the corrected contour data. The finished product delivery module is used to transport the formed product to the retrieval port.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Image acquisition device; The main control module corrects the contour data based on the image formed on the substrate and the positioning marks, and controls the molding module to perform contour molding on the substrate based on the corrected contour data, including: Before the molding module performs contour molding, the main control module controls the image acquisition device to acquire an image formed on the substrate. Based on the image formed on the substrate, the main control module identifies the actual position of the positioning mark on the substrate. According to the deviation between the actual position and the preset theoretical position, the main control module corrects the contour data to obtain corrected contour data. The main control module then controls the molding module to perform contour molding on the substrate according to the corrected contour data.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The substrate storage module is also used to send the number of stored substrates to the main control module; The main control module is also used to determine whether the number of substrates is less than a preset threshold before the marking module marks the substrate. If so, printing is stopped, an alarm is issued, the alarm information is sent to the cloud via wireless communication, and a refund is issued to the current user.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The main control module is also used to acquire the marked image through the image acquisition device after the marking module has marked the substrate, and compare it with the digital design drawing sent to the marking module to determine whether the marking is successful. If it is unsuccessful, the printing is stopped, an alarm is issued, the alarm information is sent to the cloud via wireless communication, and a refund is issued to the current user.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The main control module is also used to acquire the product image after the molding module has shaped the substrate through the image acquisition device, and compare it with the shaping design drawing sent to the molding module to determine whether the shaping is successful. If it is unsuccessful, the printing is stopped, an alarm is issued, the alarm information is sent to the cloud through wireless communication, and a refund is issued to the current user.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that, The user data input module includes: Interactive unit, used to provide an interactive interface for users; The print type selection unit is used to provide the user with the types of printable items on the interactive interface, and to obtain the print type, print style and base type selected by the user. The billing unit is used to charge the user in advance after obtaining the print type selected by the user; The image acquisition unit is used to acquire the user's original image after receiving payment from the user; The main control module is also used to detect whether a base is needed based on the printing type selected by the user before the molding module performs contour molding. If a base is needed, it determines whether a pre-made base is used based on the base type selected by the user. If a pre-made base is used, a base plug matching the pre-made base is generated at the optimal stress point at the bottom of the printed image, and the printed image is re-laid out. The molding module then performs contour molding based on the re-laid contour data. If a pre-made base is not used, a base plug is generated at the optimal stress point at the bottom of the printed image, and a base is generated in the remaining area according to the base type, wherein the base plug matches the base. The printed image is rearranged, and the forming module shapes the outline based on the rearranged outline data.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The image processing module includes: The image preprocessing unit is used to perform face detection, subject recognition, image cropping, and size normalization on the input original image; The AI ​​stylization unit is used to stylize the preprocessed original image according to the printing style selected by the user through the AI ​​stylization model. The image enhancement unit is used to perform super-resolution magnification and color enhancement on the stylized original image and to determine contour data.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, The marking module can be any one of a UV printer, a laser engraving machine, or a thermal sublimation printer.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The forming module can be any one of laser cutting machine, CNC milling, and high-pressure water jet cutting.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The substrate is any one of acrylic board, wood board, PVC board, metal board, glass board and stone board.

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