The invention is directed to a method and a device for creating sewing data in a sewing machine.
When sewing, embroidering, or quilting it is frequently desired to control the stitch formation according to a pattern. For this purpose, the article to be sewn is generally stretched into a frame. The frame can be moved via an actuator in a horizontal level within certain limits and/or positioned, e.g. underneath the stitch formation device. Alternatively, the article to be sewn can also be displaced step-wise in the two directions of the sewing plane, e.g., by means of a feeder inserted into the stitching plate. The machine control adjusts and/or controls the movements of the frame and/or the transportation device and the sewing needle depending on saved data, which represent the predetermined pattern. The format of such data is generally equivalent to normal regulations and/or standards. This allows the exchange of data concerning sewing, stitching, or embroidery patterns independent from the respective system platform. The databases can be created and/or modified e.g., in computers by means of suitable software, e.g., using an editor for embroidery patterns. In order to create embroidery pattern databases according to samples, said samples can be scanned, e.g., and subsequently be further processed by a computer program. Here, the entire sample can be dissected into individual partial sections, e.g. Data of the position of adjacent areas and/or edges or outlines can be determined from these partial sections and/or from the entire sample, e.g., using image processing. Subsequently, the database for the patterns to be saved can be calculated therefrom. In more complex samples it is usually necessary that an experienced person is to set certain conditions and make decisions during the process. In some cases, scanning can be difficult or even impossible, for example in thick and/or padded quilt samples and/or in large-surface samples. Additionally, the relatively high expenses for the required infrastructure can easily exceed a limited budget.
In sewing machines which include a learning mode, samples can also be detected and saved directly during sewing, embroidering, or quilting. Here, e.g., the coordinates of the position of the frame are detected, processed, and saved for each sewing stitch or the directional components of the displacement of the article to be sewn between two sewing stitches. The data saved in this manner reflects the allocation of the stitching positions on the article to be sewn. Data of the sewing, stitching, or embroidering pattern can directly be saved in the machine control or in an external storage medium. This method is disadvantageous in that an actual sewing process is necessary for collecting the data. Therefore, it is impossible to create databases according to already existing samples without damaging such samples.
For the purpose of reproduction, the sample data detected and saved can be provided for a sewing machine appropriately equipped. Based on the data this reproducing sewing machine controls the transportation means, i.e. for example an embroidery frame or the feeder, in such a manner that the newly created pattern is equivalent to the one of the sample.
The object of the present invention is to provide a method and a device for creating sewing data according to sample patterns.
This object is attained in a method and a device according to the invention.
Using the method according to the invention, based on a sample provided, sewing data can be created in a simple manner, which can be used for an automatic control of material transportation devices in sewing machines in order to create copies of an identical shape of the sample on the article to be sewn. When a predetermined scaling factor is considered during the generation of the sewing data or the further processing of the data for the purpose of creating a sewing, stitching, or embroidering patterns on the article to be sewn, the samples detected can remain unchanged with respect to their dimensions or can be enlarged or reduced.
For collecting the sample data no sewing process needs to be performed. A planar scanning of the sample is not necessary, either. The detection device includes an optical sensor of high resolution in two dimensions that can detect the smallest structural and/or color differences in the sample pattern. When the detection device or at least that part of the imaging optic detecting the sample is moved along the edges of the sample in reference to the sample pattern, the detection device can detect the relative movement of the imaging optic and the sample pattern based on incremental changes in the position of structural features. Using a high scanning rate, e.g., changes in position and/or speed can be detected for subsequent periods. Due to the fact that the detection range of the sensor is large enough and the sharpness of the detection optic is high enough, individual color and/or structural features of the sample and/or the article to be sewn can be reliably detected even at relatively high speeds and accelerations as well as in slightly changing distances of the sensor in reference to the sample surface. Of course, alternatively to the movement of the detection device, the sample pattern may also be moved in reference to the detection device. Here, the sample pattern can optionally be stretched in a frame or be freely mobile, supported on the work surface. The data to be collected in this manner can be further processed and saved in a storage medium in a suitable format, preferably a normal format. Alternatively, wirelessly or via a communication wire the data can be directly forwarded to the control of a sewing machine, where it is used for controlling the transportation device for the article to be sewn for the purpose of creating a copy of the detected sample with an identical shape. Here, in a preferred embodiment a predetermined scaling factor may determine the size of the sewing pattern.
The sample patterns can be of any arbitrary type. For example, simple sewing patterns and/or seams on thin or thick material can serve as samples just as well as relatively thick, patted quilts or complex embroidery patterns. Even prints on paper are suitable as samples. The term “sewing patterns” is to be understood in a general manner and comprises in particular contours and/or stitch sequences of embroideries or quilts and samples of sewing stitches. In the context of detecting the samples, the terms “article to be sewn” and “sample” are used synonymously.
When in a first embodiment of the invention the detection device is arranged at a sewing machine, the sensor and/or a part of the detection device can be arranged, e.g., above or below the stitching plate and/or above or below a sample resting on the stitching plate at the sewing machine, in order to allow the sample to be detected from above or from below. In particular, the sensor can be integrated in a material pressure foot. The foot can be mounted to the sewing machine, if necessary, and connected to the control of the sewing machine or alternatively to an external data detection device if the sewing machine is appropriately equipped.
The tip of the sewing needle, parked above the sample pattern, is preferably located within the detection range of the sensor or in close proximity thereto. Here, the article to be sewn and/or the sample pattern, supported on a material support, can be guided manually such that the sample lines to be detected are always located below the raised sewing needle or alternatively below another reference mark. The conditions during the detection of the sample are similar to the ones during a later reproduction of the detected sample, with the article to be sewn then being displaced by means of a transportation device according to the detected sample lines. Alternatively, the article to be sewn can also be manually displaced for reproducing saved samples, with a laser beam e.g., projecting the patterns to be reproduced onto the article to be sewn.
When the detection device is arranged at a sewing machine it can also be used (with an appropriate embodiment of the control for processing the signals detected) for controlling and/or adjusting the transportation device for the article to be sewn. For example, deviations from the actual movement of the material from the predetermined target values can be detected during the automatic sewing and, if necessary, the transportation device can be influenced in such a manner that the deviations are minimal.
Alternatively, such a device can also be used for controlling the speed of the sewing needle and/or the needle rod movement depending on the movement of the article to be sewn such that in manual material feeding even distances between individual stitches are formed. In particular, the visible side and/or the surface of the article to be sewn can be detected here. This is of particular interest for quilting.
In another embodiment of the invention, the sensor or the detection device may also be freely movable. The detection device can e.g., be connected to the sewing machine by means of a wireless radio connection or via a cable. The sensor can be embodied e.g., as a stylus, which is guided over the sample pattern manually along the sample lines to be detected.
As an alternative to a sewing machine, the sensor can also be connected to another data collection device, e.g., to a computer. The data collection device can save sewing data on an internal or external storage medium, such as e.g., a hard disc or a flash—storage.
Such saved data can be used at a later time by the sewing machine control in order to reproduce the saved sample. Instead of or in addition to saving sewing data, the data collected by the sensor can also directly be used for controlling the transportation device and/or the needle movement of a sewing machine.
The detection device comprises lighting for the surface of the article to be sewn and/or the sample to be detected. Here the surface of the sample is lit by a light beam, which hits the surface of the sample at an optimized angle. This ensures that the surface of the article to be sewn is depicted on the image sensor in a contrast-rich manner.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the light of the light source is guided to the surface of the article to be sewn via a prism and is guided therefrom to the image sensor via the same prism. Due to the special embodiment of the prism the light source and the image sensor can be arranged at a very close proximity of one another. Additionally, the space of the detection device required for detecting the sample surface is very small, so that it does not represent any hindrance for the works to be performed.
In the following, the invention is explained in greater detail using figures. In the drawings:
Due to the fact that the image sensor 29 of the detection device 27 can detect the finest structures and color differences of the article to be sewn 3 and/or the sample pattern with a high repetition frequency in the amount of e.g., 1500 Hz, the detection of relative motions is even possible when no edges of the article to be sewn 3 are located in the detection area of the sensor 29. Good results can be achieved, e.g. with the image sensor 29 of the type used in optic computer mice. Preferably, sensors are used with a high local resolution and very short reaction times, similar to the ones used in computer mice with laser light sources. Such laser computer mice are supplied for example by the company Logitech under the trade name MS1000. When displacing the article to be sewn 3 resting on the material support an image processing electronic, integrated in the image sensor 29 or arranged thereafter, can determine information concerning the direction and/or the amount and/or the speed and/or the acceleration of the displacement and/or the change in position of the article to be sewn 3 or equivalent or similar values e.g., based on the change of position of structural features of the image section detected.
In the first embodiment of the invention shown in
In the detection of a sample pattern 4 independent from any sewing process, the sewing machine 1 comprises appropriate means for switching into this operational mode such that the needle rod 17 with the sewing needle 19 is parked in the upper position and decoupled from the needle rod drive. If the transportation device 7 comprises a feeder 7a, e.g., this device is deactivated and/or adjusted such that it can no longer affect the article to be sewn 3 and/or the sample pattern 4. The sewing foot 23 can optionally be removed from the material pressure rod 21 or lifted into an upper position or be placed onto the sample pattern 4 for guiding the sample pattern 4 with an elastic, slight pressure.
The detection device 27 and the machine control 25 are in an effective connection to one another. In
The control 25 comprises a processing unit 32, which further processes the measurements of the sewing data detected by the detection device 27. The sewing data may comprise, e.g., information concerning the absolute positions or the relative mutual positions of auxiliary sites, which represent a sewing pattern to be detected. When during the detection, the progression of the seam has been displayed on the image sensor 29, the sewing data may contain the positions of the puncture sites of the seam as auxiliary sites.
Additionally, the sewing data may also comprise feeder speeds. Preferably, predetermined values for the target distance of adjacent auxiliary sites may be provided to the processing unit 32, e.g., interactively via a contact screen of the sewing machine 1. In this case, the processing unit 32 can calculate the positions of equidistant auxiliary sites, which e.g., represent the relative movement between the article to be sewn 3 and/or the sample pattern 4 and the sewing machine 1. Preferably, the distance between the auxiliary sites is equivalent to the stitch length or a fraction therefrom for reproducing the sewing pattern desired. Alternatively, the processing unit 32 can also be instructed to determine suitable auxiliary site distances or stitch lengths within predetermined ranges, which are greater or smaller, e.g., depending on the bending radius to be created.
The sewing data that is calculated can be saved in a storage unit 34, with the storage unit 34 being embodied inside the sewing machine 1 or alternatively outside thereof in form of an external storage unit 34. Additionally, a sewing data editor 36 may be provided, by which the detected sewing data can be displayed visually, e.g., and post processed. This is particularly advantageous when the sewing data is determined sectionally and has to be assembled into a unit or when local corrections of the detected sewing patterns are necessary.
The sewing data is suitable to control an appropriately embodied sewing machine 1 in such a manner that the relative movement of the article to be sewn 3 and the sewing machine 1 occurs proportionally to the detected relative movement of the sample pattern. This relates at least to the geometric shape and/or the contours to be recreated. However, the saved sewing data may also include information concerning the stitch lengths and/or temporal information, which set e.g., the speed progression of the movement of the article to be sewn in the sewing level and/or the temporal control of the movement of the sewing needle.
The sewing machine 1 can reproduce the saved sewing pattern depending on the type of sewing data with the predetermined stitch lengths or with a function of the stitch lengths that can be predetermined for the reproduction process. (This may e.g., be the stitch lengths for each sewing stitch in reference to the respectively previous sewing stitch or depending on the bending radius of the seam to be formed). For the reproduction process the article to be sewn 3 can e.g., be stretched into an embroidery frame, which, controlled by the control 25, can be displaced in a plane below the sewing needle 19. Alternatively, the article to be sewn 3 may also be moved manually, with a laser beam e.g., projecting the contour of the sewing pattern to be reproduced onto the article to be sewn 3. The material feed can in this case be supported e.g., by an additional transportation device 7 having a feeder 7a, which can displace the article to be sewn 3 preferably in two directions in the sewing plane. An additional improvement can be achieved such that the detection device is now used as a control instrument, which detects deviations of the actual movement of the article to be sewn from the respective target movement and can act in a correcting manner on the transportation device 7 and/or the laser beam and/or the means for displaying the targeted sewing direction and/or the control of the needle movement.
Alternatively, the detection device 27 may also be arranged directly at the head part 15 of the sewing machine 1 in a second embodiment of the invention, either partially or entirely integrated in a preferably exchangeable sewing foot 23, as shown in
The detection area of the image sensor 29 may include the puncture site of the sewing needle 19 into the article to be sewn 3, depending on the embodiment and arrangement of the detection device 27, or be embodied adjacent or at a distance thereto, for example in the area of the sole 47 of the sewing foot 23. The term “puncture site” refers to the position immediately below the sewing needle 19 in the article to be sewn 3 and/or in the sample pattern 4 and is also used when no sewing process occurs during the detection of a sample pattern 4.
The detection area can for example be provided rectangular, elliptic, or circular and comprise an area of e.g., approximately 50 mm2 or approximately 100 mm2. Preferably, the detection area is located in proximity of the puncture site of the sewing needle 19. The center of a circular detection area can be located at a distance of approximately 5 mm or 10 mm or 15 mm from the puncture site of the sewing needle 19 e.g. In this way, the deviation of the predetermined movement information from the actual values of the relative movement of the article to be sewn 3 can be kept minimal at the puncture site. In particular, the influence of the rotational movements around a rotary axis (not shown) extending through the sewing needle 19 is minimal. Additionally, the sewing foot 23 prevents the article to be sewn 3 from essentially being lifted off the material support in the area of the puncture site. The detection device 27 can be embodied such that it not only detects the displacements of the article to be sewn 3 and/or the sample pattern 4 in two independent directions of the sewing plane but also in rotary movements. When the relative position of the puncture site of the sewing needle 19 and the detection area that can be displayed on the image sensor 29 is known and saved in the detection device 27, the detection device 27 can perform a fault correction, which compensates differences between the movement of the article to be sewn 3 within the detection area of the sensor 29 and at the puncture site.
Alternatively, the sewing needle 19, parked in the upper position, may also be used as a target or reference mark for aligning and detecting the sample pattern 4.
In the example shown in
In a third embodiment of the invention, as shown in
Alternative to the optic scanner head 50, which is guided over the sample pattern 4, a mechanical scanner head can also be used, which e.g., comprises a roller ball or a pivotal and rotating scanning wheel (not shown.) Furthermore, a digitizing board with a digitizing stylus can be used as well. In this case the digitizing stylus can follow the contours of a sample pattern 4 resting on the digitizing board. The digitizing board itself is connected to the evaluation device 54 and/or the machine control 25 via an effective connection via radio or cable.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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01030/05 | Jun 2005 | CH | national |