Patents by Inventor Valentin R. Koch

Valentin R. Koch has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 12277650
    Abstract: A method and system provide the ability to design a terrain surface. A triangular surface mesh representative of an existing surface is obtained and consists of triangles that are connected by vertices and edges. A drain intention is specified for the terrain surface through a geometry that is a point or line. The drain intention defines a drainage flow that influences a shape of the terrain surface. The mesh is modified to prevent a drain conflict between mesh triangles. A drain direction is autonomously determined for each of the mesh triangles based on the drain intention. The determination generates a drain pattern that is used to shape the terrain surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: AUTODESK, INC.
    Inventors: Valentin R. Koch, Weiwei Hu
  • Publication number: 20240312139
    Abstract: A method and system provide the ability to design a terrain surface. A triangular surface mesh representative of an existing surface is obtained and consists of triangles that are connected by vertices and edges. A drain intention is specified for the terrain surface through a geometry that is a point or line. The drain intention defines a drainage flow that influences a shape of the terrain surface. The mesh is modified to prevent a drain conflict between mesh triangles. A drain direction is autonomously determined for each of the mesh triangles based on the drain intention. The determination generates a drain pattern that is used to shape the terrain surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2024
    Publication date: September 19, 2024
    Applicant: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventors: Valentin R. Koch, Weiwei Hu
  • Patent number: 12008715
    Abstract: A method and system provide the ability to design a terrain surface. A triangular surface mesh representative of an existing surface is obtained and consists of triangles that are connected by vertices and edges. A drain intention is specified for the terrain surface through a geometry that is a point or line. The drain intention defines a drainage flow that influences a shape of the terrain surface. The mesh is modified using a Voronoi diagram that prevents a drain conflict between mesh triangles. A drain direction is autonomously determined a for each of the mesh triangles based on the drain intention. The determination generates a drain pattern that is used to shape the terrain surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: AUTODESK, INC.
    Inventors: Valentin R. Koch, Weiwei Hu
  • Publication number: 20240061968
    Abstract: A method and system provide the ability to design a terrain surface. A triangular surface mesh in three-dimensions representative of an existing surface is obtained. One or more constraints to control the triangular surface mesh are specified. The specifying includes defining multiple basic grading element constraints that are constraints on surface points of the existing surface, and combining such constraints into a complex grading element constraint that matches a real world grading behavior. Drainage for the triangular surface mesh is automatically determined based on the complex grading element constraint.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Applicant: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventors: Valentin R. Koch, Patrick A. Bergeron, Nicholas James Zeeben, Qing Xue, Weiwei Hu
  • Patent number: 11816396
    Abstract: A method and system provide the ability to design a terrain surface. A triangular surface mesh representative of an existing surface is obtained. One or more constraints to control the triangular surface mesh are specified. Drainage for the triangular surface mesh is automatically determined based on the constraints. The triangular surface mesh is optimized based on the drainage and one or more design options. The optimizing modifies the triangular surface mesh to define drainage flow for the drainage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: AUTODESK, INC.
    Inventors: Valentin R. Koch, Patrick A. Bergeron, Nicholas James Zeeben, Qing Xue, Weiwei Hu
  • Publication number: 20230274501
    Abstract: A method and system provide the ability to design a terrain surface. A triangular surface mesh representative of an existing surface is obtained and consists of triangles that are connected by vertices and edges. A drain intention is specified for the terrain surface through a geometry that is a point or line. The drain intention defines a drainage flow that influences a shape of the terrain surface. The mesh is modified using a Voronoi diagram that prevents a drain conflict between mesh triangles. A drain direction is autonomously determined a for each of the mesh triangles based on the drain intention. The determination generates a drain pattern that is used to shape the terrain surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Publication date: August 31, 2023
    Applicant: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventors: Valentin R. Koch, Weiwei Hu
  • Patent number: 11308251
    Abstract: A method and system provide the ability to design a surface. An existing triangular surface mesh representative of an existing surface is obtained. A modification to the mesh in compliance with design constraints is received. A volume level set or a volume minimization set, for the modified mesh, is obtained in Euclidean space. A volume subgradient set based on the volume level set, is obtained. A scalar is determined and used to scale heights between vertices of a triangle. A projection is computed and may be scaled. The projection may then be removed from the triangle's vertices. The removing changes the triangular surface mesh into a converged triangular surface mesh that minimizes an objective function. The objective function computes an absolute earthwork volume and/or an absolute value of a net volume representing the difference between a fill and cut of earthwork material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: AUTODESK, INC.
    Inventors: Valentin R. Koch, Hung M. Phan
  • Publication number: 20210141966
    Abstract: A method and system provide the ability to design a terrain surface. A triangular surface mesh representative of an existing surface is obtained. One or more constraints to control the triangular surface mesh are specified. Drainage for the triangular surface mesh is automatically determined based on the constraints. The triangular surface mesh is optimized based on the drainage and one or more design options. The optimizing modifies the triangular surface mesh to define drainage flow for the drainage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2020
    Publication date: May 13, 2021
    Applicant: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventors: Valentin R. Koch, Patrick A. Bergeron, Nicholas James Zeeben, Qing Xue, Weiwei Hu
  • Patent number: 10915670
    Abstract: A method and system provide the ability to design a (land) surface. A triangular surface mesh representative of an existing surface is obtained. The mesh includes triangles that are connected by vertices and edges. Design constraint sets are determined based design constraints. The design constraints include a maximum slope constraint for a first triangle of the two or more triangles in the triangular surface mesh. The maximum slope constraint is a maximum angle between a normal vector of the first triangle and a reference vector. Heights of the vertices of the first triangle are projected onto the design constraint sets such that the normal vector satisfies all of the design constraints. The projecting includes modifying the heights by a minimum Euclidian distance. A design of the surface represented by the triangular surface mesh is generated based on the projecting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: AUTODESK, INC.
    Inventors: Valentin R. Koch, Hung M. Phan
  • Publication number: 20200401741
    Abstract: A method and system provide the ability to design a surface. An existing triangular surface mesh representative of an existing surface is obtained. A modification to the mesh in compliance with design constraints is received. A volume level set or a volume minimization set, for the modified mesh, is obtained in Euclidean space. A volume subgradient set based on the volume level set, is obtained. A scalar is determined and used to scale heights between vertices of a triangle. A projection is computed and may be scaled. The projection may then be removed from the triangle's vertices. The removing changes the triangular surface mesh into a converged triangular surface mesh that minimizes an objective function. The objective function computes an absolute earthwork volume and/or an absolute value of a net volume representing the difference between a fill and cut of earthwork material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2020
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Applicant: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventors: Valentin R. Koch, Hung M. Phan
  • Patent number: 10606962
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, article of manufacture, and computer program product provide the ability to optimize a transport alignment. Terrain data, constraint data, and cost data are read. Terrain pixels having elevation values are organized and stored in a first grid structure with rows and columns that enable efficient access to each terrain pixel. One or more raster layers of a same dimension and orientation as the first grid structure are created. A starting alignment is obtained. The starting alignment is then optimized using the one or more raster layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: AUTODESK, INC.
    Inventors: Valentin R. Koch, Song Liu
  • Publication number: 20180075169
    Abstract: A method and system provide the ability to design a (land) surface. A triangular surface mesh representative of an existing surface is obtained. The mesh includes triangles that are connected by vertices and edges. Design constraint sets are determined based design constraints. The design constraints include a maximum slope constraint for a first triangle of the two or more triangles in the triangular surface mesh. The maximum slope constraint is a maximum angle between a normal vector of the first triangle and a reference vector. Heights of the vertices of the first triangle are projected onto the design constraint sets such that the normal vector satisfies all of the design constraints. The projecting includes modifying the heights by a minimum Euclidian distance. A design of the surface represented by the triangular surface mesh is generated based on the projecting.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Applicant: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventors: Valentin R. Koch, Hung M. Phan
  • Patent number: 9886527
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and computer program product provide the ability to modify a spline (e.g., a civil engineering spline). The spline, defined by a set of connected points, is obtained/acquired. A design constraint set is determined and may include an interpolation constraint (specifying a fixed elevation for a connected point), a slope constraint (specifying a bound on a slope between two of the connected points), and a curvature constraint (specifying; a maximum slope difference of a first slope and a second slope between three connected points). The spline is projected onto the design constraint set thereby modifying the spline by changing elevations of the connected points. The modified spline is then projected onto the design constraint set iteratively until the spline satisfies all constraints in the design constraint set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventors: Heinz H. Bauschke, Valentin R. Koch
  • Patent number: 9477789
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, article of manufacture, and computer readable storage medium provide the ability to optimize a design for a vertical road profile. A ground surface profile is obtained. From the ground surface profile, an initial set of points of vertical intersection (PVIs) are obtained. An optimized earthwork cost for the PVIs is determined. The PVIs and curve configurations are then modified to reduce the earth work cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventor: Valentin R. Koch
  • Publication number: 20150154323
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, article of manufacture, and computer program product provide the ability to optimize a transport alignment. Terrain data, constraint data, and cost data are read. Terrain pixels having elevation values are organized and stored in a first grid structure with rows and columns that enable efficient access to each terrain pixel. One or more raster layers of a same dimension and orientation as the first grid structure are created. A starting alignment is obtained. The starting alignment is then optimized using the one or more raster layers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2014
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Applicant: AUTODESK, INC.
    Inventors: Valentin R. Koch, Song Liu
  • Publication number: 20140200864
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and computer program product provide the ability to modify a spline (e.g., a civil engineering spline). The spline, defined by a set of connected points, is obtained/acquired. A design constraint set is determined and may include an interpolation constraint (specifying a fixed elevation for a connected point), a slope constraint (specifying a bound on a slope between two of the connected points), and a curvature constraint (specifying; a maximum slope difference of a first slope and a second slope between three connected points). The spline is projected onto the design constraint set thereby modifying the spline by changing elevations of the connected points The modified spline is then projected onto the design constraint set iteratively until the spline satisfies all constraints in the design constraint set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2014
    Publication date: July 17, 2014
    Applicant: AUTODESK, INC.
    Inventors: Heinz H. Bauschke, Valentin R. Koch