Custom Hose Assembly Measurement Using 3D Scanning Replication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for designing and producing custom fluid handling systems, such as hoses and fittings, lack an integrated tool for accurately specifying and replicating complex geometries and motion paths, leading to errors, rework, and increased costs due to poor measurement estimates and interpretation issues.
Innovation Solution
A modular and reusable analog system, referred to as 'Rattlesnake', which allows users to design and simulate hose assemblies using individually-machined or 3D printed segments that accurately represent hose materials, including minimum bend radius and angle, enabling precise measurement and specification entry through an intuitive interface, followed by automated production processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If custom parts are designed and produced using current systems, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but measurement precision and manufacturing precision deteriorate due to lack of integrated measurement tools
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses 3D scanning to create digital copies (point cloud data) of physical hose assemblies and fittings. This digital replica captures precise geometric information that can be stored, analyzed, and used for manufacturing without physical measurement errors, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing flexibility and measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical measurement tools with optical scanning technology. The 3D scanner uses light to capture geometry, eliminating the need for physical contact measurement and providing higher precision while maintaining design flexibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If custom parts are designed and produced using current systems, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to interpretation issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a digital model as an intermediary between the physical hose assembly and the manufacturing process. The point cloud data and derived CAD models serve as a precise communication medium that eliminates interpretation errors, ensuring the manufactured part matches the original design exactly.
Solution Approach 2:
By creating accurate digital copies of the original hose assemblies through 3D scanning, the patent ensures that manufacturing specifications are derived from precise digital data rather than human interpretation, thereby improving manufacturing precision while maintaining customizability.
3Device complexity
If manual measurement and specification entry is used, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of information increases due to estimation errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual measurement processes with automated 3D optical scanning. This substitution eliminates estimation errors and information loss by capturing precise geometric data automatically, while the software automates the complex tasks of measurement and specification extraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The scanning system automatically performs measurement, data processing, and specification extraction without requiring manual intervention. The system serves itself by converting raw scan data into actionable manufacturing specifications, eliminating information loss while reducing the need for complex manual devices.
4Manufacturing precision
If 3D scanning and digital modeling are implemented, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a universal 3D scanning system that can handle various hose assemblies, fittings, and geometries with a single device. The software platform provides multi-functional capabilities including scanning, point cloud processing, CAD generation, and manufacturing specification extraction, reducing the need for multiple specialized devices while maintaining high precision.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates generally to a system used to produce a prototype part and subsequently an accurate design specification for a fluid or gas handling system/hose and or tube assembly, followed by the subsequent communication of that specification into an ordering interface that processes the specification into a usable format as a means to accurately produce and re-create the original specification in a remote location by a specific manufacturing process, in order to supply the originator of the design an accurate, working part, produced in the specified materials in a rapid, convenient and cost effective manner. The process has global applications in various industries, markets and vehicle or machinery types, particularly where it is inconvenient or prohibitively expensive to have the work performed on-site by a technician.