Reverse Engineering Mesh Conversion for Analytic and Free Curved CAD Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional reverse engineering software struggles with accurately converting scanned shapes into CAD data, particularly with free curved surfaces deviating from design intentions and difficulties in treating them as reference shapes, and primitive generation leading to shape mismatches.
Innovation Solution
A reverse engineering support apparatus that converts mesh data into surface data, allowing users to specify regions for analytic or free curved surfaces, enabling generation of intended surface types with simple operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If automatic surface generation is used to create free curved surfaces, then the surface can be generated automatically, but the shape deviates from design intention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by enabling different surface types (analytic vs. free curved) in different regions of the mesh data. Users can specify which regions should be converted to analytic curved surfaces with precise mathematical definitions and which should remain as free curved surfaces, allowing each region to have the appropriate surface quality for its design requirements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If all curved surfaces are treated as free curved surfaces, then the surface can be generated, but it is difficult to treat it as a reference shape or axis on CAD
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of surface type from uniformly free curved surfaces to a mixed representation including analytic curved surfaces defined by mathematical equations. This allows surfaces to be represented in forms that are directly usable as reference shapes, sketches, or axes in CAD software, improving ease of operation while maintaining versatility.
3Ease of manufacture
If primitive generation is used to convert shapes, then simple shapes can be converted, but the converted shape differs from the original measured shape
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different conversion approaches in different regions. Regions that can be accurately represented by primitives can be converted that way for simplicity, while regions requiring higher fidelity to the original measured shape can be converted to free curved surfaces or kept as mesh data, preserving measurement precision where needed.
4Adaptability or versatility
If conventional software uses only free curved surfaces, then all surfaces can be represented, but editing requires new operations and user memorization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the surface representation parameter to include analytic curved surfaces with mathematical definitions. This allows users to edit surfaces using standard CAD operations familiar from conventional software, reducing editing complexity and eliminating the need to memorize new operations while maintaining the ability to represent complex free curved surfaces.
Data Source
AI summary
A free curved surface and an analytic curved surface can be generated as intended by a user with a simple operation. A reverse engineering support apparatus includes: a shape attribute setting unit that sets a shape attribute to a polygon included in mesh data; a region specifying unit that specifies a region included in the mesh data based on a shape attribute; a data conversion unit that converts a polygon included in the specified region into surface data based on the shape attribute and converts a polygon not included in the region into surface data of a free curved surface; and an output unit that outputs pieces of the surface data created by the data conversion unit as CAD data.