Methods for generating 3D printed substrates for electronics assembled in a modular fashion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10099429-B2
Application number	US-201514921882-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2015
Priority date	Oct 23, 2014
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

Systems, media, and methods for modeling electronic products for 3D printing including providing a library of modules and module interfaces; receiving at least one ruleset; receiving preliminary substrate structure data, the preliminary substrate structure data comprising shape and volume data defining a substrate; providing an interface allowing the user to place one or more modules on the substrate; providing an interface allowing the user to place one or more module interfaces, the module interfaces coupling one or more modules together through the substrate; warning the user where placement of a module or module interface violates the at least one ruleset; generating routing of electrically conductive interconnects between placed module interfaces; and generating a finalized substrate structure model by combining the preliminary substrate structure data with module placement data and interconnect routing data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented system comprising a digital processing device comprising at least one processor, an operating system configured to perform executable instructions, a memory, and a computer program including instructions executable by the digital processing device to create a 3D modeling application for electronic products, the application comprising:
a) a library of modules and module interfaces;
b) a software module receiving at least one ruleset;
c) a software module receiving preliminary substrate structure data describing an intermediate structure, the intermediate structure comprising an injection structure configured to inject a solution made of a conductive material into the intermediate structure;
d) a software module presenting an interface allowing the user to place one or more modules on the intermediate structure;
e) a software module presenting an interface allowing the user to place one or more module interfaces, the module interfaces coupling one or more modules together through the intermediate structure;
f) a software module warning the user where placement of a module or module interface violates the at least one ruleset;
g) a software module generating routing data of at least one location for at least one conductive trace between the placed module interfaces;
h) a software module generating a finalized substrate structure model by combining the preliminary substrate structure data with module placement data and the routing data to define an electronic product, the electronic product to include the one or more modules, the one or more module interfaces, and the intermediate structure, the intermediate structure to include the at least one location for the at least one conductive trace and the injection structure configured to inject the solution made of the conductive material into the at least one location to form the at least one conductive trace, wherein the injection structure is configured to be removed from the intermediate structure subsequent to the conductive material being injected into the intermediate structure;
i) a software module communicating an instruction file to a computer-controlled additive or subtractive manufacturing tool or system, the instruction file comprising one or more toolpaths to manufacture the electronic product according to the finalized substrate structure model.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the library of pre-defined modules comprises one or more sensor modules, one or more processor modules, one or more storage modules, one or more communication modules, one or more display modules, and one or more power modules.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the application further comprises a software module presenting an interface allowing the user to define custom modules and a custom module ruleset for each custom module.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interface to input preliminary substrate structure data comprises a 3D modeling tool.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the 3D modeling tool is a voxel-based modeling tool.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the software module receiving preliminary substrate structure data allows the user to import substrate structure data.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more module interfaces couple one or more modules together mechanically, electrically, or both mechanically and electrically.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the application further comprises a software module presenting an interface allowing the user to define custom module interfaces.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the warning prevents the user from taking an action.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one ruleset comprises: a fabrication ruleset, a material ruleset, and a module ruleset.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the fabrication ruleset comprises rules directed to a material restriction, a tool restriction, or a technique restriction.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the fabrication ruleset comprises rules directed to a minimum resolution, a maximum size, or a fabrication speed.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the material ruleset comprises rules directed to a resolution, a size, an aspect ratio, or a fabrication speed.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the module ruleset comprises rules directed to a connector placement, a mechanical binding, a semantic dependency, or a compatibility.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the routing of the at least one location is generated by applying an A* path-finding algorithm.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the routing of the at least one location adheres to the fabrication ruleset, the material ruleset, and the module ruleset.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instruction file is a STereoLithography (STL) file.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the additive or subtractive manufacturing tool or system comprises: a 3D printer, an injection molding apparatus, CNC milling apparatus, waterjet cutting apparatus, lathe apparatus, or a combination thereof.

19. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media encoded with a computer program including instructions executable by a processor to create a 3D modeling application for electronic products comprising:
a) a library of modules and module interfaces;
b) a software module receiving at least one ruleset;
c) a software module receiving preliminary substrate structure data describing an intermediate structure, the intermediate structure comprising an injection structure configured to inject a solution made of a conductive material into the intermediate structure;
d) a software module presenting an interface allowing the user to place one or more modules on the intermediate structure;
e) a software module presenting an interface allowing the user to place one or more module interfaces, the module interfaces coupling one or more modules together through the intermediate structure;
f) a software module warning the user where placement of a module or module interface violates the at least one ruleset;
g) a software module generating routing data of at least one location for at least one conductive trace between the placed module interfaces; and
h) a software module generating a finalized substrate structure model by combining the preliminary substrate structure data with module placement data and the routing data to define an electronic product, the electronic product to include the one or more modules, the one or more module interfaces, and the intermediate structure, the intermediate structure to include the at least one location for the at least one conductive trace and the injection structure configured to inject the solution made of the conductive material into the at least one location to form the at least one conductive trace, wherein the injection structure is configured to be removed from the intermediate structure subsequent to the conductive material being injected into the intermediate structure; and
i) a software module communicating an instruction file to a computer-controlled additive or subtractive manufacturing tool or system, the instruction file comprising one or more toolpaths to manufacture the electronic product according to the finalized substrate structure model.

20. A computer-implemented method for modeling 3D electronic products comprising:
a) providing, in a computer memory, a library of modules and module interfaces;
b) receiving, by a computer, at least one ruleset;
c) receiving, by the computer, preliminary substrate structure data

Assignees

• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Elmieh Baback
• Palan Saurabh
• Robberts Andrew Alexander
• Jais Alexandre

Classifications

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• G06F30/00

  Computer-aided design [CAD] · CPC title

• B33Y50/02

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• G05B2219/35134

  3-D cad-cam · CPC title

• G05B2219/49007

  Making, forming 3-D object, model, surface · CPC title