Processing of multilayer weave design data

Claim 1

A method of utilizing a computer having binary data storage means to determine the manner in which a loom is to be operated for weaving a multilayer fabric whose respective layer have distinctive weave patterns, said method comprising the steps of: a. operating said computer to form in said data storage means a block diagonal type of matrix whose bits represent warp and weft thread crossings, said step (a) including the following subsidiary steps: a1. storing submatrices of bits respectively representing said layer weave patterns as blocks in nonoverlapping, diagonally adjacent relationship along a given diagonal of said matrix; a2. storing bits of a certain value (e.g., 1) in the bit storage positions that are located within the said matrix on one side of the diagonally arranged blocks therein; and a3. storing bits of another binary value (e.g., 0) in the bit storage positions that are located within said matrix on the other side of the diagonally arranged blocks therein; and b. operating said computer to rearranged the stored bit representations of said block diagonal matrix in accordance with an interleaving process whereby coordinate alignments of stored bits extending through the respective submatrices are interleaved with each other to provide a final matrix of stored bits representing various thread actuating instructions that may be furnished to a loom for weaving a multilayer fabric wherein said weave patterns are positioned in different layers of the fabric and in manually overlapped relationship.

Claim 2

A method of utilizing a computer having binary data storage means to determine the manner in which a loom is to be operated for weaving a multilayer fabric whose respective layer have distinctive weave patterns, said method comprising the steps of: a. operating said computer to form in said data storage means a block diagonal type of matrix whose bits represent warp and weft thread crossings, said step (a) including the following subsidiary steps: a1. storing submatrices of bits respectively representing said layer weave patterns as blocks in nonoverlapping, diagonally adjacent relationship along a given diagonal of said matrix; a2. storing bits of a certain value (e.g., 1) in the bit storage positions that are located within the said matrix on one side of the diagonally arranged blocks therein; and a3. storing bits of another binary value (e.g., 0) in the bit storage positions that are located within said matrix on the other side of the diagonally arranged blocks therein; and b. operating said computer to rearranged the stored bit representations of said block diagonal matrix in accordance with an interleaving process whereby coordinate alignments of stored bits extending through the respective submatrices are interleaved with each other to provide a final matrix of stored bits representing various thread actuating instructions that may be furnished to a loom for weaving a multilayer fabric wherein said weave patterns are positioned in different layers of the fabric and in manually overlapped relationship.

Claim 4

A method of utilizing a computer having digital data storage means and data manifesting means to form an array of bits representing the manner in which warp and weft threads are to be manipulated by a loom in order to weave a multilayer fabric having desired weave patterns in its respective layers, each of the bits which have a predetermined value (e.g., 1) representing the crossing of a warp thread over a weft thread in the fabric to be woven, and each of the bits which have the opposite valve (e.g., 0) representing the crossing of a weft thread over a warp thread in said fabric, said method comprising the steps of: a. entering into said computer data which determines the placement of the weave pattern bits for each layer of said fabric with reference to the rows aNd columns of a binary matrix to be formed in said data storage means; b. operating said computer to enter into those bit storing positions which are defined by the rows and columns allocated to each layer the bits that will represent the weave pattern for that layer; c. operating said computer to store a bit having said predetermined value (e.g., 1) in each bit storing position of said storage means which is defined by the intersection of a column allocated to any of the upper layers with a row allocated to any of the lower layers in said fabric; d. operating said computer to store a bit of said opposite value (e.g. 0) in each bit storing position of said storage means which is defined by the intersection of a row allocated to any of the upper layers with a column allocated to any of the lower layers in said fabric; and e. operating said data storage means and said data manifesting means in response to the performance of said preceding steps for manifesting a final array of bits representing the warp and weft thread crossings which are to be formed by the loom for weaving the desired multilayer fabric.

Claim 5

A method of utilizing a computer having digital data storage means and data manifesting means to form an array of bits representing the manner in which warp and weft threads are to be manipulated by a loom in order to weave a multilayer fabric having desired weave patterns in its respective layers, each of the bits which have a predetermined value (e.g., 1) representing the crossing of a warp thread over a weft thread in the fabric to be woven, and each of the bits which have the opposite valve (e.g., 0) representing the crossing of a weft thread over a warp thread in said fabric, said method comprising the steps of: a. entering into said computer data which determines the placement of the weave pattern bits for each layer of said fabric with reference to the rows aNd columns of a binary matrix to be formed in said data storage means; b. operating said computer to enter into those bit storing positions which are defined by the rows and columns allocated to each layer the bits that will represent the weave pattern for that layer; c. operating said computer to store a bit having said predetermined value (e.g., 1) in each bit storing position of said storage means which is defined by the intersection of a column allocated to any of the upper layers with a row allocated to any of the lower layers in said fabric; d. operating said computer to store a bit of said opposite value (e.g. 0) in each bit storing position of said storage means which is defined by the intersection of a row allocated to any of the upper layers with a column allocated to any of the lower layers in said fabric; and e. operating said data storage means and said data manifesting means in response to the performance of said preceding steps for manifesting a final array of bits representing the warp and weft thread crossings which are to be formed by the loom for weaving the desired multilayer fabric.

Claim 8

A method of utilizing a computer having binary data storage means to form an array of bits indicating the manner in which a loom should be operated for weaving a multilayer fabric wherein two adjacent layers of said fabric have weave patterns W1 and W2, respectively, each such pattern being repeated throughout the weave of its layer and being capable of representation by a rectangular array of bits, wherein the 1 and 0 values of said bits respectively represent opposite types of weft and warp thread crossings; the array for weave pattern W1 having M1 rows and N1 columns; the array for weave pattern W2 having M2 rows and N2 columns; each of the rows in said arrays corresponding to the position of a weft thread in said fabric, and each of the columns in said arrays corresponding to the position of a warp thread in said fabric; said method comprising the steps of: a. operating said computer to form in said data storage means a stored representation of a rectangular binary matrix containing a set of adjacent rows equal in number to M1 together with another set of adjacent rows equal to M2, and containing a set of adjacent columns equal in number to N1 together with said another set of adjacent columns equal in number to N2, said step (a) including the following subsidiary steps; a1. storing in the positions of said matrix defined by said set of M1 rows and said set of N1 columns the bits of weave pattern W1; a2. storing in the positions of said matrix defined by said set of M2 rows and said set of N2 columns the bits of weave pattern W2; a3. storing in substantially all of the positions of said matrix defined by said set of M1 rows and said set of N2 columns bits having a selected one of the binary values (e.g., 0); a4. storing in substantially all of the positions of said matrix defined by said set of M2 rows and said set of N1 columns bits having the other of the binary values (e.g., 1); said 0 and 1 bits located in the respective positions specified by steps (a3) and (a4) above denoting that the weave patterns W1 and W2 respectively are positioned in different layers of the fabric; b. operating said computer to transpose certain of the rows of said matrix, without thereby altering the contents of any such row, so that at least some of the rows containing bits of one weave pattern are interleaved with rows containing bits of another weave pattern in said matrix; c. operating said computer to transpose certain of the columns of said matrix, without thereby altering the contents of any such column, so that at least some of the columns containing bits of one weave pattern are interleaved with columns containing bits of another weave pattern in said matrix; and d. operating said computer in accordance with the final arrangement of stored bits in the M1 and M2 rows and the N1 and N2 columns of said matrix, after the transpositions thereof recited in steps (b) and (c) have been effected, to manifest, at least in representative form, the various thread actuating instructions which a loom must be furnished in order to weave a multilayer fabric wherein said weave patterns W1 and W2 are in different layers of the fabric and occupy mutually overlapped positions.

Claim 9

A method of utilizing a computer having binary data storage means to form an array of bits indicating the manner in which a loom should be operated for weaving a multilayer fabric wherein two adjacent layers of said fabric have weave patterns W1 and W2, respectively, each such pattern being repeated throughout the weave of its layer and being capable of representation by a rectangular array of bits, wherein the 1 and 0 values of said bits respectively represent opposite types of weft and warp thread crossings; the array for weave pattern W1 having M1 rows and N1 columns; the array for weave pattern W2 having M2 rows and N2 columns; each of the rows in said arrays corresponding to the position of a weft thread in said fabric, and each of the columns in said arrays corresponding to the position of a warp thread in said fabric; said method comprising the steps of: a. operating said computer to form in said data storage means a stored representation of a rectangular binary matrix containing a set of adjacent rows equal in number to M1 together with another set of adjacent rows equal to M2, and containing a set of adjacent columns equal in number to N1 together with said another set of adjacent columns equal in number to N2, said step (a) including the following subsidiary steps; a1. storing in the positions of said matrix defined by said set of M1 rows and said set of N1 columns the bits of weave pattern W1; a2. storing in the positions of said matrix defined by said set of M2 rows and said set of N2 columns the bits of weave pattern W2; a3. storing in substantially all of the positions of said matrix defined by said set of M1 rows and said set of N2 columns bits having a selected one of the binary values (e.g., 0); a4. storing in substantially all of the positions of said matrix defined by said set of M2 rows and said set of N1 columns bits having the other of the binary values (e.g., 1); said 0 and 1 bits located in the respective positions specified by steps (a3) and (a4) above denoting that the weave patterns W1 and W2 respectively are positioned in different layers of the fabric; b. operating said computer to transpose certain of the rows of said matrix, without thereby altering the contents of any such row, so that at least some of the rows containing bits of one weave pattern are interleaved with rows containing bits of another weave pattern in said matrix; c. operating said computer to transpose certain of the columns of said matrix, without thereby altering the contents of any such column, so that at least some of the columns containing bits of one weave pattern are interleaved with columns containing bits of another weave pattern in said matrix; and d. operating said computer in accordance with the final arrangement of stored bits in the M1 and M2 rows and the N1 and N2 columns of said matrix, after the transpositions thereof recited in steps (b) and (c) have been effected, to manifest, at least in representative form, the various thread actuating instructions which a loom must be furnished in order to weave a multilayer fabric wherein said weave patterns W1 and W2 are in different layers of the fabric and occupy mutually overlapped positions.

Claim 11

A method of utilizing a computer having data storage means and data entering means to determine the manner in which warp threads and weft threads are to be manipulated by a loom for weaving a multilayer fabric wherein each layer has a selected weave pattern that is capable of representation by a rectangular bit matrix in which each ''''1'''' represents a warp-over-weft thread crossing and each ''''0'''' represents a weft-over-warp thread crossing, said method comprising the following steps: a. operating said data entering means to store in said data storage means a plurality of rectangular bit matrices each identified as one of said layer matrices, said layer matrices being numbered for reference according to the relative order of their respective layers commencing with the topmost layer of the fabric; b. operating said computer to rearrange said stored layer matrices in a block diagonal matrix wherein said layer matrices are positioned successively in the order of their respective layer numbers and in diagonally adjacent relationship along one diagonal of said matrix, said step (b) including the following subsidiary steps: b1. determining the row size value of said block diagonal matrix from the sum of the row sizes of said layer matrices; b2. determining the column size value of said block diagonal matrix from the sum of the column sizes of said layer matrices; and b3. entering the respective rows of said stored layer matrices successively into the respective rows of an array contained within said data storage means according to the sequence of layer numbers and row numbers of said layer matrices and in such fashion that each row of said block diagonal matrix is formed by entering into said array a string of ''''1'''' bits equal in length to the sum of the row sizes of all preceding layer matrices (if any), followed by a string of bits representing the current row of the current layer matrix, followed by a string of ''''0'''' bits equal in length difference (if any), between said column size value and the sum of the column sizes of the current layer matrix and all preceding layer matrices; and c. operating said computer to form in said data storage means a final matrix, derived from said block diagonal matrix, wherein each of a plurality of the rows containing the bits of each layer matrix is positioned adjacent to at least one row containing bits of a different layer matrix, and each layer matrix is positioned adjacent to at least one column containing bits of a different layer matrix; said final matrix representing the overall pattern of warp and weft thread crossings required to form a multilayer weave wherein the weave patterns of the respective layers are in superposed relationship to each other.

Claim 12

A method of utilizing a computer having data storage means and data entering means to determine the manner in which warp threads and weft threads are to be manipulated by a loom for weaving a multilayer fabric wherein each layer has a selected weave pattern that is capable of representation by a rectangular bit matrix in which each ''''1'''' represents a warp-over-weft thread crossing and each ''''0'''' represents a weft-over-warp thread crossing, said method comprising the following steps: a. operating said data entering means to store in said data storage means a plurality of rectangular bit matrices each identified as one of said layer matrices, said layer matrices being numbered for reference according to the relative order of their respective layers commencing with the topmost layer of the fabric; b. operating said computer to rearrange said stored layer matrices in a block diagonal matrix wherein said layer matrices are positioned successively in the order of their respective layer numbers and in diagonally adjacent relationship along one diagonal of said matrix, said step (b) including the following subsidiary steps: b1. determining the row size value of said block diagonal matrix from the sum of the row sizes of said layer matrices; b2. determining the column size value of said block diagonal matrix from the sum of the column sizes of said layer matrices; and b3. entering the respective rows of said stored layer matrices successively into the respective rows of an array contained within said data storage means according to the sequence of layer numbers and row numbers of said layer matrices and in such fashion that each row of said block diagonal matrix is formed by entering into said array a string of ''''1'''' bits equal in length to the sum of the row sizes of all preceding layer matrices (if any), followed by a string of bits representing the current row of the current layer matrix, followed by a string of ''''0'''' bits equal in length difference (if any), between said column size value and the sum of the column sizes of the current layer matrix and all preceding layer matrices; and c. operating said computer to form in said data storage means a final matrix, derived from said block diagonal matrix, wherein each of a plurality of the rows containing the bits of each layer matrix is positioned adjacent to at least one row containing bits of a different layer matrix, and each layer matrix is positioned adjacent to at least one column containing bits of a different layer matrix; said final matrix representing the overall pattern of warp and weft thread crossings required to form a multilayer weave wherein the weave patterns of the respective layers are in superposed relationship to each other.