Guide-Assisted Mobile Material Capture With Aligned Images
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designers face challenges in accurately capturing and sharing material data, as existing methods like physical samples and flatbed scanners are cumbersome, and manufacturer descriptions lack specificity, hindering collaboration and material selection.
Innovation Solution
A material data collection system using a handheld device and capture guide to convert real-world materials into digital assets, aligning images, correcting aberrations, and associating metadata for easy recall and sharing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical samples are kept in a library for material reference, then material information is preserved, but accessibility and collaboration efficiency deteriorate due to shipping requirements and location constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates digital copies of physical material samples through photography and scanning processes. These digital replicas preserve all visual and textural information of the original materials while eliminating the need for physical shipping and handling, enabling instant access and collaboration among designers regardless of their physical locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical sample storage, retrieval, and shipping with a digital information system. Instead of physically transporting material samples between locations, the system uses digital images and data files that can be instantly transmitted and accessed, substituting physical logistics with information technology.
2Quantity of substance
If manufacturer descriptions are used for material information, then basic material data is provided, but specificity and design utility deteriorate due to non-standardized nomenclature and lack of detail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms material information from standardized physical parameters (color codes, material composition, texture characteristics) captured in digital images and metadata into a universal reference framework. This allows precise description and comparison of materials regardless of manufacturer-specific nomenclature, enabling accurate material selection and substitution based on objective measurable properties.
3Quantity of substance
If flatbed scanners are used for material capture, then digital images of materials are produced, but portability and image quality deteriorate due to fixed location requirement and poor performance with textured materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a static, fixed-location scanning system to a dynamic, portable imaging system using mobile devices. The system adapts to various shooting conditions and material types through flexible positioning and multiple capture angles, allowing designers to capture material data on-site without returning to a fixed scanning laboratory.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds the dimension of portability and spatial flexibility to material capture by using handheld mobile devices instead of fixed flatbed scanners. This enables three-dimensional positioning and多角度 (multi-angle) capture of materials in their natural contexts, rather than requiring flat, two-dimensional placement on a scanner bed.
4Ease of operation
If handheld devices are used for material capture, then portability and accessibility are improved, but image alignment and quality deteriorate due to lens aberrations and orientation inconsistencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates alignment markers and reference features in the captured images that provide feedback information for automated correction processes. The system detects these markers, calculates orientation and perspective deviations, and automatically adjusts the images to achieve consistent alignment, compensating for the inherent inaccuracies of handheld device photography.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate, portable, and efficient capture of material data, ensuring proper alignment and lighting, and allowing seamless collaboration and utilization of digital material assets across different locations.
Implementation Method 1
The orientation of the camera is the same or similar to the orientation of the table top when, as measured by an accelerometer, gyroscope, or other similar device, the difference in the tilt, yaw, or roll of the camera and table top is less than a predefined limit
Implementation Method 2
The orientation of the camera is the same or similar to the orientation of the table top when, as measured by an accelerometer, gyroscope, or other similar device, the difference in the tilt, yaw, or roll of the camera and table top is less than a predefined limit
Implementation Method 3
mobile devices may vary from other based on its model, manufacturer, defects found in its parts, or other factors. This may result in aberrations that may affect digital image data captured by the material data collection system, such as a camera lens defect that produces as a pin-cushion effect, a fisheye effect, or other types of aberrations. The material data collection system may transform digital image data, to remove or reduce these undesirable effects.
Data Source
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AI summary
A material data collection system allows capturing of material data. For example, the material data collection system may include digital image data for materials. The material data collection system may ensure that captured digital image data is properly aligned, so that material data may be easily recalled for later use, while maintaining the proper alignment for the captured digital image. The material data collection system may include using a capture guide, to provide cues on how to orient a mobile device used with the material data collection system.