Systems and methods for end-to-end article management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11107147-B2
Application number	US-201916684489-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2019
Priority date	Nov 16, 2018
Publication date	Aug 31, 2021
Grant date	Aug 31, 2021

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for managing articles. The systems and methods described herein may comprise an example method for manufacturing an article. The systems and methods described herein may comprise an example method for cutting and registration of an article. The systems and methods provides an end-to-end manufacturing value chain as a closed system and feedback loop.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for cutting registration of component patterns, the method comprising:
batching one or more customer orders into a batch;
nesting a plurality of component patterns of one or more articles based on the batch;
analyzing, using computer vision, a first pattern configuration of a component pattern of the plurality of component patterns disposed on printed textile material, the component pattern comprising a template of at least a portion of a component of an article, wherein the printed textile material comprises a fabric;
implementing a finishing process on the printed textile material, resulting in a second pattern configuration of the component pattern different from the first pattern configuration;
analyzing, using computer vision, the second pattern configuration disposed on the printed textile material;
determining, based on analyzing the first pattern configuration and the second pattern configuration, cutting control information, wherein the cutting control information is dependent upon a difference between the second pattern configuration and the first pattern configuration, and wherein the difference between the second pattern configuration and the first pattern configuration is at least in part due to a bow distortion, a skew distortion, or both, in response to at least the finishing process;
sending the cutting control information to a cutting system to facilitate cutting of the printed textile material; and
causing, using the cutting system, the printed textile material to be cut based on the cutting control information.

2. A system configured to implement the method of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises a textile laser cutter, a computer network, a vision system, and one or more of a textile printer and a textile pick-and-place unit.

3. A method for cutting registration, the method comprising:
batching one or more customer orders into a batch;
nesting a plurality of component patterns of one or more articles based on the batch;
analyzing, using computer vision, a first pattern configuration of a component pattern of the plurality of component patterns disposed on printed textile material, the component pattern comprising a template of at least a portion of a component of an article, wherein the printed textile material comprises a fabric; implementing a finishing process on the printed textile material, resulting in a second pattern configuration different from the first pattern configuration;
analyzing, using computer vision, the second pattern configuration disposed on the printed textile material;
determining, based on analyzing the first pattern configuration and the second pattern configuration, cutting control information, wherein the cutting control information is based on a difference between the second pattern configuration and the first pattern configuration, and wherein the difference between the second pattern configuration and the first pattern configuration is at least in part due to one or more of a bow distortion, a skew distortion, or a nonlinear distortion, in response to at least the finishing process;
sending the cutting control information to a cutting system to facilitate cutting of the printed textile material.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the cutting system comprises a high-speed single-ply galvanometer driven laser cutting system.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the finishing process comprises steaming the material.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the finishing process comprises washing the material.

7. The method of claim 3 , wherein the finishing process comprises drying the material.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the finishing process comprises a digital finishing process.

9. The method of claim 3 , further comprising batching one or more customer orders into a batch and nesting a plurality of article components on the printed textile material based on the batch, wherein the nesting minimizes waste material.

10. An article formed using the method of claim 3 .

11. A method of cutting comprising:
analyzing, using computer vision, a first pattern configuration of a component pattern disposed on a substrate, the component pattern comprising a template of at least a portion of a component of a plurality of article components;
implementing a finishing process on the substrate, resulting in a second pattern configuration different from the first pattern configuration;
analyzing, using computer vision, the second pattern configuration disposed on the substrate;
determining, based on the first pattern configuration and the second pattern configuration, cutting control information wherein the cutting control information is based on a difference between the second pattern configuration and the first pattern configuration, and wherein the difference between the second pattern configuration and the first pattern configuration is at least in part due to one or more of a bow distortion, a skew distortion, or a non-linear distortion, in response to at least the finishing process;
batching one or more customer orders into a batch;
nesting the plurality of article components based on the batch; and
cutting the nested components from the substrate such that one or more tabs connect the cut components to a portion of the substrate.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the finishing process comprises one or more of steaming the material, washing the material, or drying the material.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the finishing process comprises one or more of belt compacting, mechanical compacting, decatising, sponging, sanforizing, relaxed drying, continuous tumbling, or batch tumbling.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the finishing process comprises one or more of sueding, shearing, raising, open width compacting, tubular compacting, calendaring, vaporizing, sponging, atmospheric plasma finishing, continuous decasting, semi-continuous decatising, crabbing, coating, laminating, embossing, tensionless drying, relaxed drying, tentering, stentering, napping, brushing, singeing, beetling, heatsetting, thermofixing, fulling, digital printing, roller printing, scutching, sputtering, or Schreinering.

15. An article formed using the method of claim 11 .

16. A system configured to implement the method of claim 11 , wherein the system comprises a textile laser cutter, a computer network, a vision system, and one or more of a textile printer and a textile pick-and-place unit.

17. An article formed using the method of claim 3 , wherein the article comprises one or more of apparel, footwear, or bags.

Assignees

• North Face Apparel Corp

Inventors

• Page Graham
• Perez Anthony
• Dietz Angelique
• Rogers Charles
• Aghanouri Abolfazl
• Goparaju Subra
• Balabanov Demitri

Classifications

• G06Q30/0633 Primary

  Managing shopping lists, e.g. compiling or processing purchase lists (shipping orders G06Q10/083; order filling G06Q10/087) · CPC title

• G05B19/41865 Primary

  characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow · CPC title

• G05B19/182

  characterised by the machine tool function, e.g. thread cutting, cam making, tool direction control (G05B19/21 - G05B19/40 take precedence) · CPC title

• B26D5/007 Primary

  Control means comprising cameras, vision or image processing systems · CPC title

• Y02P90/02

  Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] · CPC title