Herbert Edelsbrunner

US Patent:

6377865, Apr 23, 2002

Filed:

Feb 11, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/248587

Inventors:

Herbert Edelsbrunner - Chapel Hill NC
Ping Fu - Chapel Hill NC

Assignee:

Raindrop Geomagic, Inc. - Research Triangle Park NC

International Classification:

G06F 1900

US Classification:

700 98, 703 2, 345419

Abstract:

A method of automatic conversion of a physical object into a three-dimensional digital model. The method acquires a set of measured data points on the surface of a physical model. From the measured data points, the method reconstructs a digital model of the physical object using a Delaunay complex of the points, a flow strcuture of the simplicies in the Delaunay complex and retracting the Delaunay complex into a digital model of the physical object using the flow structure. The method then outputs the digital model of the physical object.

US Patent:

6853373, Feb 8, 2005

Filed:

Apr 25, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/842304

Inventors:

Steven P. Williams - Raleigh NC, US
Herbert Edelsbrunner - Chapel Hill NC, US
Ping Fu - Chapel Hill NC, US

Assignee:

Raindrop Geomagic, Inc. - Durham NC

International Classification:

G06T015/00

US Classification:

345419

Abstract:

Methods, apparatus and computer program products can generate light weight but highly realistic and accurate colored models of three-dimensional colored objects. The colored model may be generated from a second plurality of points that define a coarse digital representation of the surface and at least one texture map containing information derived from a first plurality of colored points that define a fine digital representation of the surface. This derivation is achieved by mapping points within the texture map to the fine digital representation of the three-dimensional surface. Colored scan data may be used to construct the fine digital representation as a triangulated surface (i. e. , triangulation) using a wrapping operation. This triangulated surface may be a two-manifold with or without nonzero boundary and the colored scan data may constitute raw point data with each datum comprising three real numbers (x-,y-, z-coordinates) providing geometric information and three integer numbers (r-,g-,b-values) providing color information. Operations are then performed to create the coarse digital representation from the fine digital representation and also preferably create a plurality a texture maps from the fine and coarse digital representations.

US Patent:

6996505, Feb 7, 2006

Filed:

Jun 29, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/607122

Inventors:

Herbert Edelsbrunner - Chapel Hill NC, US
Ping Fu - Chapel Hill NC, US
Dmitry Nekhayev - Durham NC, US
Michael Facello - Carrboro NC, US
Steve Williams - Raleigh NC, US

Assignee:

Raindrop Geomagic, Inc. - Durham NC

International Classification:

G06F 7/60
G06F 17/10
G06F 101/00

US Classification:

703 2, 703 1, 703 6, 345419, 345428, 345619

Abstract:

Embodiments automatically generate an accurate network of watertight NURBS patches from polygonal models of objects while automatically detecting and preserving character lines thereon. These embodiments generate from an initial triangulation of the surface, a hierarchy of progressively coarser triangulations of the surface by performing a sequence of edge contractions using a greedy algorithm that selects edge contractions by their numerical properties. Operations are also performed to connect the triangulations in the hierarchy using homeomorphisms that preserve the topology of the initial triangulation in the coarsest triangulation. A desired quadrangulation of the surface can then be generated by homeomorphically mapping edges of a coarsest triangulation in the hierarchy back to the initial triangulation. This quadrangulation is topologically consistent with the initial triangulation and is defined by a plurality of quadrangular patches. These quadrangular patches are linked together by a (U, V) mesh that is guaranteed to be continuous at patch boundaries.

US Patent:

7023432, Apr 4, 2006

Filed:

May 21, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/152444

Inventors:

G. Yates Fletcher - Cary NC, US
Tobias Gloth - Durham NC, US
Herbert Edelsbrunner - Chapel Hill NC, US
Ping Fu - Chapel Hill NC, US

Assignee:

Geomagic, Inc. - Durham NC

International Classification:

G06T 15/00

US Classification:

345419, 345420, 345423

Abstract:

Methods, apparatus and computer program products provide efficient techniques for reconstructing surfaces from data point sets. These techniques include reconstructing surfaces from sets of scanned data points that have preferably undergone preprocessing operations to improve their quality by, for example, reducing noise and removing outliers. These techniques include reconstructing a dense and locally two-dimensionally distributed 3D point set (e. g. , point cloud) by merging stars in two-dimensional weighted Delaunay triangulations within estimated tangent planes. The techniques include determining a plurality of stars from a plurality of points pin a 3D point set S that at least partially describes the 3D surface, by projecting the plurality of points ponto planes Tthat are each estimated to be tangent about a respective one of the plurality of points p. The plurality of stars are then merged into a digital model of the 3D surface.

US Patent:

7050876, May 23, 2006

Filed:

Oct 6, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/684184

Inventors:

Ping Fu - Chapel Hill NC, US
Dmitry Nekhayev - Durham NC, US
Herbert Edelsbrunner - Chapel Hill NC, US

Assignee:

Phonak Ltd. - Stafa

International Classification:

G06F 19/00

US Classification:

700118, 700 98, 700163, 700182, 715700, 345420, 703 73

Abstract:

Methods, apparatus and computer program products provide efficient techniques for designing and printing shells of hearing-aid devices with a high degree of quality assurance and reliability and with a reduced number of manual and time consuming production steps and operations. These techniques also preferably provide hearing-aid shells having internal volumes that can approach a maximum allowable ratio of internal volume relative to external volume. These high internal volumes facilitate the inclusion of hearing-aid electrical components having higher degrees of functionality and/or the use of smaller and less conspicuous hearing-aid shells. A preferred method includes operations to generate a watertight digital model of a hearing-aid shell by thickening a three-dimensional digital model of a shell surface in a manner that eliminates self-intersections and results in a thickened model having an internal volume that is a high percentage of an external volume of the model. This thickening operation preferably includes nonuniformly thickening the digital model of a shell surface about a directed path that identifies a location of an undersurface hearing-aid vent. This directed path may be drawn on the shell surface by a technician (e. g.

US Patent:

7328080, Feb 5, 2008

Filed:

Jun 3, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/162434

Inventors:

Ping Fu - Chapel Hill NC, US
Dmitry Nekhayev - Durham NC, US
Herbert Edelsbrunner - Chapel Hill NC, US
G. Yates Fletcher - Cary NC, US
Tobias Gloth - Durham NC, US

Assignee:

Phonak Ltd. - Stafa

International Classification:

G06F 19/00

US Classification:

700118, 700 98, 700163, 700182, 715700, 345420, 703 73

Abstract:

Methods, apparatus and computer program products provide efficient techniques for designing and printing shells of hearing-aid devices with a high degree of quality assurance and reliability and with a reduced number of manual and time consuming production steps and operations. These techniques also preferably provide hearing-aid shells having internal volumes that can approach a maximum allowable ratio of internal volume relative to external volume. These high internal volumes facilitate the inclusion of hearing-aid electrical components having higher degrees of functionality and/or the use of smaller and less conspicuous hearing-aid shells. A preferred method includes operations to generate a watertight digital model of a hearing-aid shell by thickening a three-dimensional digital model of a shell surface in a manner that eliminates self-intersections and results in a thickened model having an internal volume that is a high percentage of an external volume of the model. This thickening operation preferably includes nonuniformly thickening the digital model of a shell surface about a directed path that identifies a location of an undersurface hearing-aid vent. This directed path may be drawn on the shell surface by a technician (e. g.

US Patent:

8004517, Aug 23, 2011

Filed:

Jun 23, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/426094

Inventors:

Herbert Edelsbrunner - Chapel Hill NC, US
Michael Facello - Durham NC, US
Tobias Gloth - Durham NC, US
Zsolt Terek - Budapest, HU
Tamas Varady - Budapest, HU

Assignee:

Geomagic, Inc. - Research Triangle Park NC

International Classification:

G06T 15/00
G09G 5/00

US Classification:

345419, 345581, 345606, 345611

Abstract:

Methods of modeling a three-dimensional surface structure include partitioning three-dimensional object data into regions of a Morse complex and generating a feature skeleton having a plurality of smooth edges and a plurality of vertices separating the regions of the Morse complex. Operations are also performed to thicken the feature skeleton by replacing the plurality of smooth edges with corresponding pairs of curves that locate longitudinal boundaries of transitions between primary regions of the feature skeleton. The thickening operations may also include replacing each of the plurality of vertices with a corresponding loop of edges, using setback-type vertex blends.

US Patent:

61820164, Jan 30, 2001

Filed:

Aug 22, 1997

Appl. No.:

8/918624

Inventors:

Jie Liang - King of Prussia PA
Herbert Edelsbrunner - Champaign IL

International Classification:

G01N 3350

US Classification:

702 22

Abstract:

A molecular classification method is based on a space filling description of a molecule. The three dimensional body corresponding to the space filling molecular structure is divided into Voronoi regions to provide a basis for efficiently processing local structural information. A Delaunay triangulation provides a basis for systematically processing information relating to the Voronoi regions into shape descriptors in the form of topological elements. Preferably, additional shape and/or property descriptors are included in the classification method. The classification methods generally are used to identify similarities between molecules that can be used as property predictors for a variety of applications. Generally, the property predictions are the basis for selection of compounds for incorporation into efficacy evaluations.