On demand apparel panel cutting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9782906-B1
Application number	US-201514970840-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 16, 2015
Priority date	Dec 16, 2015
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

Aspects of on demand apparel manufacturing are described. A system of on demand apparel manufacturing includes a textile cutter and a computing device. The computing device is configured to perform a process including capturing an image of a textile sheet on the textile cutter, where the textile sheet includes a panel for a product. The process further includes identifying cut control factors using the image of the textile sheet, to account for a textile thread, weave, nap, or knit pattern of the textile sheet, a textile print pattern alignment on the textile sheet, or panel deformation of the textile sheet on the textile cutter. The process also includes generating cut control instructions to cut the textile sheet based in part on the image and the cut control factors, and instructing the textile cutter to cut the panel out from the textile sheet based in part on the cut control instructions.

First claim

Therefore, at least the following is claimed:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying at least one program that, when executed by at least one computing device, directs the at least one computing device to perform a method comprising:
aggregating, by at least one computing device, a plurality of orders for textile products;
arranging, by the at least one computing device, a plurality of panels for textile products in the plurality of orders into an aggregated textile panel template;
instructing, by the at least one computing device, a textile printer to print a panel cutout for a panel among the plurality of panels in the aggregated textile panel template on a textile sheet; and
instructing, by the at least one computing device, the textile printer to print a print pattern of the panel over the panel cutout on the textile sheet;
instructing, by the at least one computing device, the textile printer to print a machine-readable alignment marker on the textile sheet for the panel cutout;
capturing, by the at least one computing device, an image of the textile sheet including the print pattern, the panel cutout, and the machine-readable alignment marker;
identifying, by the at least one computing device, a shift in orientation of the print pattern on the textile sheet with reference to the image of the textile sheet;
generating, by the at least one computing device, cut control instructions to cut the textile sheet based in part on the image, the shift in orientation of the print pattern on the textile sheet, and the aggregated textile panel template; and
instructing, by the at least one computing device, a textile cutter to cut the panel out from the textile sheet based in part on at least one of the cut control instructions, the panel cutout, or the machine-readable alignment marker.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
assigning, by the at least one computing device, a unique identifier for the panel in the aggregated textile panel template; and
instructing, by the at least one computing device, the textile printer to print a machine-readable representation of the unique identifier for the panel on the textile sheet.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein capturing an image of the textile sheet comprises capturing a plurality of images of the textile sheet from multiple angles, at least a portion of the plurality of images including the panel cutout, the print pattern, and the machine-readable alignment marker.

4. A method, comprising:
arranging, by at least one computing device, a plurality of panels for textile products into an aggregated textile panel template;
instructing, by the at least one computing device, a textile printer to print a print pattern of a panel among the plurality of panels in the aggregated textile panel template over an area for the panel on a textile sheet;
capturing, by the at least one computing device, an image of the textile sheet including the print pattern;
identifying, by the at least one computing device, a shift in orientation of the print pattern on the textile sheet with reference to the image of the textile sheet;
generating, by the at least one computing device, cut control instructions to cut the textile sheet based in part on the image, the shift in orientation of the print pattern on the textile sheet, and the aggregated textile panel template; and
instructing, by the at least one computing device, a textile cutter to cut the panel out from the textile sheet based in part on the cut control instructions.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising identifying, by the at least one computing device, a panel deformation of the textile sheet on the textile cutter.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein capturing the image of the textile sheet comprises capturing, by the at least one computing device, a plurality of images of the textile sheet taken from multiple angles.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
triangulating, by the at least one computing device, a cutting path to cut the panel out from the textile sheet based in part on the plurality of images of the textile sheet taken from multiple angles,
wherein generating the cut control instructions comprises generating, by the at least one computing device, the cut control instructions to cut the panel out from the textile sheet based further in part on the cutting path.

8. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
instructing, by the at least one computing device, the textile printer to print a panel cutout for the panel on the textile sheet,
wherein generating the cut control instructions comprises generating, by the at least one computing device, the cut control instructions to cut the panel out from the textile sheet based further in part on the panel cutout.

9. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
instructing, by the at least one computing device, the textile printer to print a machine-readable alignment marker for the panel on the textile sheet,
wherein generating the cut control instructions comprises generating, by the at least one computing device, the cut control instructions to cut the panel out from the textile sheet based further in part on the machine-readable alignment marker.

10. The method of claim 4 , further comprising capturing, by the at least one computing device, a second image of the textile sheet after the textile cutter begins to cut the panel out from the textile sheet.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising adjusting, by the at least one computing device, the cut control instructions based in part on the second image.

12. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
assigning, by the at least one computing device, a unique identifier for the panel in the aggregated textile panel template; and
instructing, by the at least one computing device, the textile printer to print a machine-readable representation of the unique identifier for the panel on the textile sheet.

13. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
identifying, by the at least one computing device, the panel on the textile sheet from among the plurality of panels in the aggregated textile panel template based in part on a unique identifier printed on the textile sheet for the panel; and
instructing, by the at least one computing device, a transfer of the panel into an assembly tote based in part on the identifying.

14. A system, comprising:
a textile cutter; and
at least one computing device communicatively coupled to the textile cutter over a network and configured to perform a method comprising:
capturing, by the at least one computing device, an image of a textile sheet on the textile cutter, the textile sheet including a panel for a textile product and a print pattern printed over the panel;
identifying a shift in orientation of the print pattern on the textile sheet with reference to the image of the textile sheet;
generating, by the at least one computing device, cut control instructions to cut the textile sheet based in part on the image and the shift in orientation of the print pattern on the textile sheet; and
instructing, by the at least one computing device, a textile cutter to cut the panel out from the textile sheet based in part on the cut control instructions.

15. The system of claim 14 , further comprising identifying, by the at least one computing device, a panel deformation of the textile sheet on the textile cutter.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein capturing the image of the textile sheet comprises capturing, by the at leas

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Aminpour Rouzbeh Safavi
• Barnet Aaron Takayanagi
• Liang Nancy Yi
• Alexander Adam N
• Wilson James Richard
• Mata Javier Govea

Classifications

• B26D2005/002

  Performing a pattern matching operation · CPC title

• B26D5/005 Primary

  Computer numerical control means · CPC title

• B26D5/007

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

• B26F1/3806

  wherein relative movements of tool head and work during cutting have a component tangential to the work surface (B26F1/40 takes precedence) · CPC title