Image analysis – Applications – Textiles or clothing
Reexamination Certificate
1997-08-18
2001-10-23
Ahmed, Samir (Department: 2623)
Image analysis
Applications
Textiles or clothing
C356S238200, C028S227000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06307953
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a method for electronically evaluating yarn or fabric samples for grading and clearing purposes by delineating a sample into cells and comparing these cells to one another or to a reference cell, and may also include a neural network which simulates human judgment used to grade yarn or fabric.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
There are many known methods for evaluating yarn samples. One such method is linear in that it only measures a yarn sample, from one end to another, in minute linear segments which together, in sequential order from the first segment to the last segment, represent the yarn sample. Each segment represents a single length of yarn and is measured for one or more qualities used to grade the yarn. The representation can be displayed to enable a person to visualize the yarn sample, as if wound onto a taper board or reconfigured into a fabric sample, and to manually check for unacceptable patterns and/or flaws that are too close together. The method may also include a means for electronically counting the number of events or flaws along the length of running yarn and dynamically clearing portions of the running yarn to remove some or all of the events as required to achieve a particular grade of yarn.
The current methods are not able to electronically evaluate long lengths of yarn because to do so under the current methods requires more computer memory and processing than economically feasible for yarn evaluators. The current methods require a computer to memorize the data from each measured segment along the length of a yarn sample.
The current methods do not provide a means for electronically delineating a running yarn, an electronically represented yarn wound onto a taper board, or a fabric sample into blocks or cells, which may or may not be adjacent to one another along the yarn sample, rather than consecutive yarn segments.
The current methods to not provide a means for electronically evaluating a yarn sample or fabric for patterns or flaws located in nonlinear proximity to each other when wound onto a taper board or reconfigured into a fabric. In other words, yarns and fabric samples are evaluated by current methods based how many flaws exist within a given length of yarn, rather than how many flaws exist in a quadrant of yarn, which may comprise nonconsecutive lengths of a yarn sample, when reconfigured onto a taper board or into a fabric. To evaluate reconfigured yarn, the current methods require a visual display, either as an electronic representation of a yarn or fabric sample or as an actual yarn sample wound mechanically onto a taper board, and a person to manually evaluate the display.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a method for electronically evaluating a yarn or fabric sample or representation by delineating the sample into cells and comparing one or more of these cells to each other.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method for electronically evaluating longer yarn samples than allowed using current methods.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method for electronically evaluating a yarn or fabric sample by delineating the sample into cells and comparing one or more of these cells to one or more reference cells.
It is therefore a further object of this invention to provide a method for electronically evaluating a yarn or fabric sample for patterns of flaws.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method for electronically evaluating a yarn or fabric sample for flaws located in nonlinear (random) proximity to each other.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method for dynamically clearing portions of a running yarn based on electronically evaluated patterns.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method for dynamically clearing portions of a running yarn based on flaws located in nonlinear proximity to each other.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method for electronically displaying electronically evaluated yarn samples in which flaws and/or patterns may be displayed using different shades or colors to represent each different threshold or type of event.
This invention results from the realization that evaluation of yarn and fabric samples should include not only measurements of adjacent linear segments of a yarn sample but also a comparison of one or more blocks or cells of a yarn sample when electronically reconfigured onto a taper board or into a fabric sample.
This invention could be used to replace the current subjective and costly manual evaluation of a yarn or fabric sample for the purpose of locating unacceptable patterns or unacceptable flaws located in nonlinear proximity to each other.
This invention features a method for electronically evaluating one or more measured qualities of one or more yarn or fabric samples, comprising the steps of: assigning one or more physical thresholds for each measured yarn or fabric quality; establishing an event when a measured yarn or fabric quality violates the physical threshold; establishing one or more cells, wherein each said cell represents one or more portions of the yarn or fabric sample; sorting the events in each cell into types of events, wherein a type includes both a measured yarn or fabric quality and a physical threshold; counting the number of events of each type which occur within each cell; and comparing the type and number of each type of events in each cell with a reference cell to determine whether the number of events of each type in each cell exceeds a predetermined number of events of the same type of events in the reference cell.
The method may further include dynamically clearing selected portions of a running yarn on-line. The method may further comprise a neural network which simulates human judgment used to manually grade yarn and which may dynamically clear selected portions of a running yarn on-line to upgrade the running yarn and a means for simulating the effect of clearing a selected portion of the yarn sample.
In another embodiment, this invention features a method for electronically evaluating one or more measured qualities of one or more yarn samples, comprising the steps of assigning a physical threshold for each measured yarn quality; establishing an event when the yarn or fabric quality violates the physical threshold; establishing one or more cells, wherein each cell represents one or more portions of the yarn sample; memorizing the location of each event in each cell; comparing the location of events in one or more cells to the location of events in one or more other cells in the yarn or fabric sample to determine whether a pattern of events exists between two or more cells within a yarn or fabric sample.
This embodiment may further comprise the steps of sorting the events in each cell into types of events, wherein type includes both a measured yarn quality and a physical threshold; counting the number of events of each type which occur within each cell; calculating an average number of events per cell for each type; determining if the number of events of each type occurring within each cell exceeds the average number of events per cell for each type; and locating two or more vertically or horizontally adjacent cells which both exceed the average number of events per cell for a particular type.
This embodiment may also comprise a neural network, a method for dynamically clearing selected portions of a running yarn to achieve a specific grade of yarn, and a method for simulating the effect of clearing a portion of the yarn sample.
Each of the embodiments may further include displaying electronically one or more of the cells including flaws and/or patterns in which the events may be displayed using different shades or colors to represent each different threshold or type of event.
This invention contemplates evaluation of any measurable yarn quality, and use of such measurements for the stated objectives. Such measurable qualities include, but are not limited to, diameter and its a
Gordon, Jr. Kendell W.
Nevel Avishai
Ahmed Samir
Lawson-Hemphill Inc.
Mirick O'Connell DeMallie & Lougee LLP
LandOfFree
System for electronically evaluating yarn or fabric samples... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with System for electronically evaluating yarn or fabric samples..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and System for electronically evaluating yarn or fabric samples... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2606950