Boots – shoes – and leggings
Patent
1996-11-14
1999-11-02
Grant, William
Boots, shoes, and leggings
36447006, G06F 1900, A41H 300
Patent
active
059757434
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for automatically cutting pieces from a patterned fabric.
Fields of application for the invention are in particular the clothing industry and the furniture industry.
When making articles of clothing or pieces of furniture involving assembling together pieces cut from a fabric, there are special constraints if the fabric is patterned, the term "patterned fabric" designating herein any flexible sheet textile material printed with a pattern that is repeated with a uniform pitch. The pitch of the fabric, or pattern repeat pitch, is the distance between successive repeating patterns.
It is then desirable or even necessary to ensure that the pattern continues uninterrupted between two assembled-together pieces, e.g. two pieces of a garment sewn together, or two pieces intended to be adjacent, e.g. two portions of a garment situated side-by-side while the garment is being worn, or two cushions of a sofa placed side-by-side.
In order to satisfy these constraints, it is known that the pieces can be associated with absolute or relative position references, and a hierarchy can be established between main pieces and secondary pieces.
An absolute position reference is normally associated with a main piece. It characterizes the absolute positioning of the main piece relative to the pattern of the fabric. The position of a piece relative to the pattern is characterized by the fact that a given point on the surface of the piece occupies a determined relative position relative to the patterns surrounding it. Thus, pieces whose locations on the surface of the fabric can be deduced from one another by translations through an integer number of pattern pitch steps occupy the same positions relative to the pattern.
Relative position references are associated with two pieces that are to be assembled together, while taking into account constraints related to the existence of the pattern. They identify the locations of two match points that are to be brought in register with each other on assembling together the pieces.
For example, for a jacket, a front piece may constitute a main piece. An absolute position reference may optionally be associated with the front piece, e.g. when it is desired for a complete pattern to be visible at a particular location of the piece. The sleeve, the collar, and the pocket flap then constitute secondary pieces. For each of these secondary pieces, a match point is determined so as to correspond to the location of the associated match point on the main piece.
Naturally, match points may be defined not only between a main piece and a secondary piece, but also between two secondary pieces, one of them then acting as main piece relative to the other.
It is also known that fabric can be cut automatically. Automatic cutting installations have been sold by the Applicant for many years.
An automatic cutting method includes a layout-definition operation which consists in optimally determining the positions of the pieces to be cut from a strip of fabric. The layout is chosen so as to minimize fabric wastage while satisfying certain constraints: (cutting on or off the grain, minimum spacing between pieces to be cut, etc.). With a patterned fabric, there are also constraints related to complying with the locations of absolute position references and of relative position references. Systems enabling an operator to define layouts by means of computer workstations and of specialized software are known, including systems that can be used for patterned fabrics.
To perform cutting, the fabric is spread out on a cutting table in one or more superposed layers which may be held by suction via the table. Cutting is performed by means of a tool carried by a head which is displaced relative to the cutting table as a function of the predetermined layout. Cutting may be performed by a vibrating blade, a laser, a water jet, etc.
Particular difficulties appear when the fabric is a patterned fabric.
A first problem to be solved, if a plurality of superposed
REFERENCES:
patent: 4853866 (1989-08-01), Galan et al.
patent: 4905159 (1990-02-01), Loriot
patent: 5172326 (1992-12-01), Campbell, Jr. et al.
patent: 5333111 (1994-07-01), Chaiken et al.
patent: 5353355 (1994-10-01), Takagi et al.
patent: 5487011 (1996-01-01), Chaiken
patent: 5508936 (1996-04-01), King et al.
PCT International Search Report for PCT/FR96/00406 Jul. 1996.
Garland Steven R.
Grant William
Lectra Systems
LandOfFree
Method for automatically cutting portions of a patterned fabric does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method for automatically cutting portions of a patterned fabric, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method for automatically cutting portions of a patterned fabric will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2126231