Tire Sidewall Photo-Realistic Representation via Hatching and Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing polymer products, such as vehicle tires and interior parts, face challenges in achieving a high-quality, cost-effective appearance with representations on their surfaces, as current methods like applying colored foils are complex and expensive.
Innovation Solution
Combining hatching with a relief representation that uses a depth map generated from gray values to fill gaps at different heights, creating a photo-realistic effect with up to 256 depth gradations, allowing the representation to appear more detailed and visually appealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If colored foils (Vulcanettes) are applied to the tire sidewall to achieve high-quality representations, then the visual quality and manufacturing quality are improved, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines hatching structures with relief structures into a single integrated representation on the tire sidewall. Instead of applying separate foils or performing separate work steps, the hatching and relief are formed together as one unified structure during tire manufacturing, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining high visual quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a depth map generated from gray values of a photo to create the relief structure. This copying approach allows the representation to accurately reproduce the visual appearance of the reference image through systematic variation of relief height, achieving photo-realistic效果 without complex manufacturing steps
2Ease of manufacture
If simple hatching is used on the tire sidewall, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but the visual quality and detail representation are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a height dimension to the hatching structure by incorporating relief with varying depths. The relief height corresponds to gray values in the reference image, creating up to 256 different depth gradations. This dimensional enhancement transforms simple two-dimensional hatching into a three-dimensional structure that can represent photographic images with high visual quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent varies the relief height locally across different regions of the hatching structure. Each position has a specific relief depth corresponding to the gray value at that location in the reference image. This local variation in height creates the photo-realistic effect while maintaining a relatively simple overall manufacturing approach
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a polymer product, preferably a motor vehicle tire having side walls, wherein at least one representation (3) is arranged on the outer surface of the polymer product, wherein said representation (3) comprises a hatching (4). In order to produce a photorealistic representation (3), the hatching (4) is combined with a relief (5) in said representation, such that the relief fills the recesses of the hatching.