Method and apparatus for controlling a cutting tool for cutting garment components from flat fabric

Claim 3

In the method defined in claim 1, producing the guide signal when the cutting tool is spaced ahead of the apex of a salient corner in the cutting line by a distance equal to the cutting tool braking distance.

Claim 4

In the method defined in claim 1, producing the guide signal when the cutting tool is spaced ahead of the point of intersection of a notch line with the cutting line by a distance equal to the cutting tool braking distance.

Claim 5

In the method defined in claim 1, producing the guide signal when the cutting tool is spaced ahead of a point on the cutting line of one pattern component from which the cutting tool is to be transferred to the cutting line of another pattern component by a distance equal to the cutting tool braking distance.

Claim 6

Apparatus for automatically cutting garment components from flat material having a pattern layout including a plurality of discrete pattern components, sensing means for tracing cutting lines of the pattern layout and producing signals corresponding thereto and a cutting tool, the improvement comprising marking means locatable along a cutting line and including a guide signal-producing portion, first cutting tool control means for controlling movement of the cutting tool in response to sensing means signals, second cutting tool control means for controlling movement of the cutting tool independently of the sensing means signals including braking the cutting tool to stop at the end of a predetermined distance, and switch means actuatable in response to said marking means guide signal to deactuate said first cutting tool control means and to actuate said second cutting tool control means and actuatable by said second cutting tool control means to actuate said first cutting tool control means.

Claim 7

Apparatus for automatically cutting garment components from flat material having a pattern layout including a plurality of discrete pattern components, sensing means for tracing cutting lines of the pattern layout and producing signals corresponding thereto and a cutting tool, the improvement comprising marking means locatable along a cutting line and including a guide signal-producing portion, first cutting tool control means for controlling movement of the cutting tool in response to sensing means signals, second cutting tool control means for controlling movement of the cutting tool independently of the sensing means signals including braking the cutting tool to stop at the end of a predetermined distance, and switch means actuatable in response to said marking means guide signal to deactuate said first cutting tool control means and to actuate said second cutting tool control means and actuatable by said second cutting tool control means to actuate said first cutting tool control means.

Claim 8

The apparatus defined in claim 5, the pattern layout including a background of one color, the pattern components being of a contrasting color, and the sensing means being photoelectric, the improvement further comprising the marking means including an area on a pattern component adjacent to a segment of the pattern component cutting line of a color intermediate the constrasting background and pattern component colors.

Claim 9

The apparatus defined in claim 5, the pattern layout including a background of one color, the pattern components being of a contrasting color, and the sensing means being photoelectric, the improvement further comprising the marking means including an area on a pattern component of the same color as the background adjacent to a segment of the pattern component cutting line, and a strip alongside said marking means area and aligned with the cutting line segment and of the same color as the pattern components.

Claim 10

The apparatus defined in claim 7, a segment of the cutting line of each of two pattern components being arranged in the pattern layout in adjacent spaced relationship, a cutting line connecting a point on each of the adjacEnt cutting line segments, said connecting line including marking means, the cutting line aligning strip thereof being spaced from each of the adjacent cutting line segments an interval corresponding to the cutting tool braking distance, and first and second spacer surfaces each being of the color of the pattern components and having a boundary alignable along said connecting line of a length equal to the cutting tool braking distance, each of said spacers being interposed between the cutting line aligning strip and the adjacent cutting line segment of a pattern component.

Claim 11

The apparatus defined in claim 5, in which the cutting line intersects a notch line and the marking means signal-producing portion is spaced ahead of the notch line intersection an interval corresponding to the cutting tool braking distance.

Claim 12

The apparatus defined in claim 5, in which the cutting line includes a salient corner and the marking means signal-producing portion is spaced ahead of the apex of the salient corner an interval corresponding to the cutting tool braking distance.

Claim 13

The apparatus defined in claim 5, in which the cutting line of each of two pattern components includes a salient corner, the components being arranged in the pattern layout with the apexes of the salient corners abutting, and the marking means signal-producing portion is located on the cutting line of one of the pattern components ahead of the abutting salient corner apexes an interval corresponding to the cutting tool braking distance.

Claim 14

The apparatus defined in claim 5, in which the marking means is preformed independently of a particular set of pattern components and is insertible in a pattern layout for producing a guide signal at a selected location along the cutting line.

Claim 15

The apparatus defined in claim 12, the pattern layout including a background of one color, the pattern components being of a contrasting color, and the sensing means being photoelectric, the improvement comprising the preformed marking means being a label including a cutting line aligning strip, an area along one side of said strip and disposable to overlie a portion of a pattern component of a color different than the pattern component color, a section on the other side of said cutting line aligning strip having the same color as the background and disposable to overlie the pattern layout background, and a spacer abutting an end of said strip having a cutting line aligning boundary and being of the color of the pattern components, said spacer boundary having a length proportionate to the cutting tool braking distance.

Claim 16

The apparatus defined in claim 13, the sensing device having a cutting line tracing pivot and a sensor leading such pivot and spaced therefrom by a lead interval, the improvement further comprising the label spacer having a width perpendicular to the boundary less than the sensing means lead interval, the label further including a cutting line simulating portion abutting the end of the spacer opposite the cutting line aligning strip, having the same color as the pattern components, disposable to overlie the pattern layout background and forming a cutting line aligning boundary, and an area alongside the spacer and the cutting line simulating portion having the same color as the background, being disposable to overlie a pattern component, having a width perpendicular to the cutting line simulating boundary greater than the sensing means lead interval and a length on each side of the location at which the cutting line simulating portion and spacer abut greater than the sensing means lead interval.

Claim 17

In the method defined in claim 1, after traversing the cutting tool forwardly along the predetermined line, the step of moving the cutting tool back along such predetermined line before restarting the sensing means operated guiding means.