Claims
- 1. A method of stitching a work piece, said method comprising:arranging a stencil over at least a portion of said work piece, wherein said stencil is cut from a material having a color selected to contrast with a color of said work piece; using a computer-controlled sewing apparatus having a machine-vision capability to stitch along a path that corresponds generally to an outer edge of said stencil, wherein said computer-controlled sewing apparatus can adjust its stitching path in response to detecting said stencil; and removing said stencil from said work piece.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said work piece is a shade of brown or black and said stencil is a shade of white.
- 3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of arranging said stencil over said work piece includes attaching said stencil to said work piece with glue.
- 4. The method of claim 3 wherein said glue is sprayed on a backside of said stencil and allowed to dry before attaching said stencil to said work piece.
- 5. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further comprises arranging said work piece on a pallet and attaching said stencil to said pallet.
- 6. The method of claim 1 wherein said machine vision system includes ultraviolet lights.
- 7. The method of claim 1 wherein said path is offset a predetermined distance from said outer edge of said stencil.
- 8. A method for attaching a first work piece to a second work piece, the method comprising:arranging said first work piece so at least a portion of the piece overlies at least a portion of said second work piece; arranging a stencil over either said first or second work piece, wherein said stencil is made from a material having a color that contrasts a color of said first work piece; thereafter, stitching said first work piece to said second work piece using a computer-controlled sewing apparatus having a machine-vision system to facilitate stitching along or with reference to a stitching path that corresponds generally to an outer edge of said stencil; and thereafter, removing said stencil.
- 9. The method of claim 8 wherein said machine vision system includes ultraviolet lights.
- 10. The method of claim 8 wherein said first and second work pieces are parts of a shoe.
- 11. The method of claim 8 wherein said stitching path is offset a predetermined distance from said outer edge of said stencil.
- 12. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of arranging said stencil comprises arranging said stencil over said second work piece so that at least a portion of an outer edge of said stencil abuts at least a portion of an outer edge of said first work piece.
- 13. The method of claim 8 wherein said first work piece has a thickness of at least 1.0 mm.
- 14. The method of claim 8 wherein:said computer controlled sewing apparatus is programmed to stitch along a predetermined path stored in a first data file, said predetermined path corresponding generally with an outer edge of said stencil; said machine vision system scans said first work piece to create a second data file including data representing at least a portion of the outer edge of said stencil; and said computer controlled sewing machine references both said first and second data files to stitch said first work piece to said second work piece.
- 15. The method of claim 8 wherein:said computer controlled sewing apparatus is programmed to stitch along a predetermined stitching path stored in a first data file, said predetermined path corresponding generally with an outer edge of said stencil; said machine vision system is used to detect said outer edge of said stencil while said sewing machine is stitching along said predetermined path; and said predetermined stitching path can be altered in response to detecting said outer edge of said stencil.
- 16. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of arranging said stencil over either said first or second work pieces includes attaching said stencil to either one of said work pieces with glue.
- 17. A process for manufacturing shoes, the process comprising:using a computer-controlled apparatus to cut a work piece from a first piece of material of a first color according to a predetermined pattern stored in computer-readable medium; using a computer-controlled apparatus to cut a stencil from a second piece of material of a second color according to a predetermined pattern stored in computer-readable medium, wherein said second color is selected to contrast with said first color; arranging said stencil over at least a portion of said work piece; and using a computer-controlled sewing apparatus to stitch said work piece along a programmed sewing path that corresponds generally to an outer edge of said stencil, wherein said computerized sewing apparatus includes a machine vision capability enabling it to adjust its sewing path in response to detecting said stencil; and removing said stencil from said work piece.
- 18. The process of claim 17 further comprising digitizing a pair of feet with a scanning device to create a digitized data file and comparing said digitized data file to a plurality of digitized lasts using a best fit algorithm to select a best matching digital last, and wherein said predetermined pattern is generated from said best matching digital last.
- 19. The process of claim 17 wherein said stencil is cut from bleached white paper.
- 20. The process of claim 17 wherein said first work piece has a thickness of at least 1.0 mm.
- 21. The process of claim 17 wherein said programmed sewing path is offset from an outer edge of said stencil.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 09/420,083 entitled “A METHOD FOR STITCHING A WORK PIECE USING A COMPUTER CONTROLLED, VISION-AIDED SEWING MACHINE”, filed on Oct. 18,1999, U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,619 and listing Richard G. Musco and Howard L. Shaffer as coinventors. The disclosure of 09/420,083 is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
US Referenced Citations (21)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0 221 163 |
Sep 1990 |
EP |
WO 8606423 |
Nov 1986 |
WO |