GB1590571A

GB1590571A – Marker projection system
– Google Patents

GB1590571A – Marker projection system
– Google Patents
Marker projection system

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Publication number
GB1590571A

GB1590571A
GB21488/78A
GB2148878A
GB1590571A
GB 1590571 A
GB1590571 A
GB 1590571A
GB 21488/78 A
GB21488/78 A
GB 21488/78A
GB 2148878 A
GB2148878 A
GB 2148878A
GB 1590571 A
GB1590571 A
GB 1590571A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
film
pattern
image
carriage
fabric
Prior art date
1977-05-23
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)

Expired

Application number
GB21488/78A
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)

Levi Strauss and Co

Original Assignee
Levi Strauss and Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
1977-05-23
Filing date
1978-05-23
Publication date
1981-06-03

1978-05-23
Application filed by Levi Strauss and Co
filed
Critical
Levi Strauss and Co

1981-06-03
Publication of GB1590571A
publication
Critical
patent/GB1590571A/en

Status
Expired
legal-status
Critical
Current

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Classifications

A—HUMAN NECESSITIES

A41—WEARING APPAREL

A41H—APPLIANCES OR METHODS FOR MAKING CLOTHES, e.g. FOR DRESS-MAKING OR FOR TAILORING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

A41H3/00—Patterns for cutting-out; Methods of drafting or marking-out such patterns, e.g. on the cloth

A41H3/007—Methods of drafting or marking-out patterns using computers

Description

PATENT SPECIFICATION ( 11) 1 590 571
( 21) Application No 21488/78 ( 22) Filed 23 May 1978 ( 19) UW ( 31) Convention Application No 799216 ( 32) Filed 23 May 1977 in / ( 33) United States of America (US)
2 ( 44) Complete Specification Published 3 Jun 1981
U ( 51) INT CL 3 G 03 B 21/10 II 21/28 -I ( 52) Index at Acceptance G 2 J 41 A 1 41 C 1 41 D 41 G 2 B 7 M A 3 V 23 G 3 N 282 X 381 404 E 2 B ( 54) MARKER PROJECTION SYSTEM ( 71) We, LEVI STRAUSS & CO, a corporation organised and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, United States of America of, Two Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, California 94106, United States of America, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: 5
This invention relates to an apparatus for projecting a cutting pattern onto a length of planer material and particularly to an apparatus which correlates the position of fabric flaws with the location of the cutting pattern.
In the making of garments, one of the first steps is to spread the fabric to be sewn into the garment from a roll into long lengths on a cutting table The lengths of fabric are unrolled 10 first in one direction and then the roll is reversed and the fabric is laid upside down on the previous layer as it is unrolled in the opposite direction This process is continued until a stack of layers of a predetermined height is obtained At this point, a pattern is unrolled on top of the stack and the garment pieces are simultaneously cut out from all of the underlying layers beneath the pattern It sometimes happens that a defect or flaw in the fabric will 15 coincide with one of the pieces to be cut out in forming the garment In order to prevent this, the worker, as the roll of fabric is unrolled, must inspect the fabric and at each point where a flaw occurs he must cut out the flaw and overlap the fabric and continue with the spreading operation This is both time consuming and is a waste of materials since the flaw will often not coincide with one of the pieces to be cut out of the fabric to form the garment 20 It is possible to automatically inspect fabric as it is originally placed on the rolls and to mark the locations of flaws in a roll of fabric along the selvedge with either a metallic tape or with fluorescent ink which can be automatically detected upon the unrolling of the fabric While this aids the operator in locating the flaws, it does not help him determine the position of those flaws with respect to the pattern 25 Previous attempts to obviate this problem have included a mechanism which is attached to the fabric spreading machine and which carries a miniature marker, or pattern, in a loop which stays in registration with the corresponding position with the actual marker on the cutting table The device is geared to the spreading machine to maintain exact position of the marker loop with regard to the spread fabric The defect of this type of approach is that 30 it does not show the actual registration of the flaw in the fabric with respect to the marker.
We have sought to provide an apparatus which overcomes this defect.
Accordingly in one aspect the present invention provides an apparatus for projecting a pattern onto a continuous length of planar material which comprises a first carriage for traversing the length of the material in a first direction, a second carriage carried by the first 35 carriage for traversing the width of the material in a second direction, an image medium carried by the second carriage, the image medium having an image of the pattern to be projected, an image projector carried by the second carriage for selectively projecting a portion of the pattern as represented by the image medium onto the material, image medium transport means carried by the second carriage, and operatively connected to it, 40 for indexing the image medium with respect to the image projector such that the image projected onto the material by the projector appears stationary with respect to the material as the second carriage is moved.
In a further aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for correlating the position of fabric flaws with the location of a cutting pattern for the fabric so that an 45 2 1 590 571 2 operator can visually determine if the cutting pattern overlaps the flaws, wherein the apparatus simultaneously spreads the fabric on a planar surface while projecting the pattern from a film onto the fabric and comprises a film of a reduced scale image of the pattern to be cut out, a projector for projecting portions of the pattern from the film onto selected portions of the fabric, an x-y carriage mounting for the projector so that the projector is 5 movable over the length and width of the fabric spread on the planar surface, a film indexer to selectively advance the film lengthwise through the projector in correspondence with the projector’s position along the length of spread fabric, a gear and slide assembly for interconnecting the film and projector relative to the x-y carriage to the film and the x-y carriage so that as the projector and film are moved across the width of the fabric in one 10 direction and at a first velocity the gear assembly moves the projector relative to the film in the opposite direction and at a second velocity which has the same ratio to the first velocity as the scale of the film image pattern has to the actual size pattern so that the portions of the pattern on the film which are projected onto the fabric appear to the operator to have a fixed position relative to the fabric 15 In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the image medium transport means include means for sensing discrete locations on the material, representative, for example, of its length, relative to the travel of the first carriage in the first direction and means for selectively indexing the image medium in correspondence with the sensed discrete locations In this way, the image medium is selectively advanced in correspondence with the 20 advancement of the spreading apparatus at it moves along the length of the cutting table in spreading the material.
In order to compensate for the fact that the material is spread in one layer face down and the next layer face up, the image projecting means further includes optical means for reversing the projection with respect to the direction of travel of the second carriage 25 whereby the pattern can be sequentially projected in aligned fashion on each layer of a stack of layers of the material as they are laid alternately face up and face down This image projector means includes an amici prism which reverses the image in only one direction.
In operation, the system of the present invention provides a means by which a spreader operator can quickly and accurately determine the correlation of a defect on a vertical drop 30 of material to its position in the marker, that is the pattern to be cut out, during the spreading process Thus, defects in the fabric can be immediately referenced to the marker to determine if it will show on a finished garment or if it falls in a hidden area or in the fabric scrap area The fabric may have been previously inspected by automatic fabric inspection apparatus of the type described in U S Patent No 3,841,761 At each location of a 35 detected flaw, a mark is made in the selvage of the material The marker projector system of the present invention is attached to the fabric spreading apparatus and as the spreading operation is in progress, an optical scanner on the marker projector system gives an audible or visual signal to the operator of the presence of a defect which it has detected by means of the mark on the fabric In some embodiments, the defects in the fabric are noted by a 40 special reflective tape which is sensed by an optical scanner in the marker projector system.
(See U S Patent No 3,962,730) In the preferred embodiment, the marker projector system automatically stops the motorized fabric spreader The operator then moves the image projector means by moving the second carriage across the width of the spreading table and the fabric until the projector means illuminates the area of the cloth that contains 45 the defect.
When the projector means is projected in front of the defect, the portion of the full size marker appropriate for that area of the fabric is displayed on the fabric The operator is then visually able to evaluate the position and the seriousness of the defect relative to the marker 50 Preferably the apparatus of the present invention rides on its own set of wheels on the spreader table and is attached to a motorized spreader The apparatus thus derives its locomotion along the table from the motorized spreading machine The spreading apparatus is conventional and carries a bolt of fabric on rollers above the spreading table and allows a length of fabric to drop vertically to the table where it is laid flat on the table 55 The projector system of the present invention illuminates a full size image of a portion of the marker onto this vertical drop of cloth.
The means for indexing the image medium comprise mechanical drives, electronic interfaces, and micro-processor programs which are required to allow the film or image medium in the system to coincide with the marker as if it were placed onto the cutting table 60 The correct position of the image medium transport means is determined by a micro-processor The micro-processor is programmed to accept certain inputs and deliver certain output signals as described hereinafter The spreading table has marks along its length that represent the positions of the individual markers which make up a continuous length carried by the image medium transport means These marks are sensed by the 65 1 590 571 apparatus of the invention The image medium, which represents the marker scaled down by one fifth of its original size, also has marks along its length which the apparatus of the invention detects During an initial run, the micro-processor stores the information derived from the marks on the tables in the form of encoder inputs, i e pulses acquired by moving the mechanism down the length of the table At the completion of the initial run, the 5 micro-processor causes the image medium transport means to index the image medium through its entire length, noting the marks on the image medium as the image medium passes through the projector means If the number of marks on the image medium coincide with the number of marks detected from the spreading table, the program in the micro-processor outputs a «ready» signal to a control panel Any movement of the fabric 10 spreader and marker projector apparatus thereafter is detected by the encoder of the system and is inputted to an up/down counter The micro-processor monitors this interface at very short time intervals By knowing the number of marks, the number of marks detected along the table, and the encoder count, the major direction of travel along the table is known to the micro-processor This information is used to determine which prism is 15 to be used in the image medium projector means and which offset is required by the image indexing means to display the image correctly The image medium indexing means is brought into action only when requested by manual operation of scan drive switch At this time, the micro-processor makes all of its adjustments Errors can be corrected by the micro-processor by comparing the initialization run with where the marks appear to be at 20 the time the scan drive switch is actuated.
The image medium indexing means is preferably a stepping motor driving the image medium, which is a type of film, by means of a sprocketed tube driver Stalled, shaded, pole motors operating in opposite directions provide the take-up torque to the film reels.
In order to give the appearance of a stationary projection of the film, the second carriage 25 moves across the projector table in a forward or a reverse direction while simultaneously, by a one fifth gear reduction in speed, the projector means in the second carriage moves in the opposite direction Because of the one fifth gearing and the fact that the image medium is one fifth scale, the net result is that the image projected onto the fabric appears to be stationary to the operator despite the fact that the second carriage is moving across the 30 width of the fabric.
The invention is further illustrated in the accompanying Drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a marker projector system and spreader device according to the present invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged, vertical, sectional view taken generally along the lines 2-2 of 35 Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged, vertical view taken generally along the lines 33 of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of the drive mechanism for the marker projector system of the present invention; Figure 5 is a horizontal, diagrammatic, sectional view with portions broken away, of the 40 drive and transport system for the marker projector system viewed in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a vertical, sectional, diagrammatic view, taken generally along the lines 6-6 in Figure 5; Figure 7 is a vertical, sectional, diagrammatic view, taken generally along the lines 7-7 in Figure 5; 45 Figure 8 is an enlarged, diagrammatic, perspective view of the film transport drive system of the marker projector system according to the present invention; Figure 9 is a horizontal, diagrammatic, view of the film transport drive system according to the invention; Figure 10 is a vertical, sectional view taken generally along the lines 10-10 of Figure 9; 50 Figure 11 is an enlarged, sectional view of the tube sprocket of the film drive system according to the present invention; Figure 12 is an enlarged, perspective view of the transport mechanism for the image projector of the marker projector system according to the present invention; Figure 13 is a horizontal, sectional view with portions broken away of the image projector 55 system depicted in Figure 12; Figure 14 is a vertical, sectional view taken generally along the lines 14-14 in Figure 13; Figure 15 is a diagrammatic view of the mechanism of the image projector for inverting the image on alternate runs of the spreader; Figure 16 is a perspective, diagrammatic view of the mechanism for indexing the image 60 reversing mechanism depicted in Figure 15; Figure 17 is an enlarged, horizontal, sectional view of the image inverting mechanism depicted in Figures 15 and 16; Figure 18 is a vertical, sectional view taken generally along the lines 18-18 in Figure 17; Figures 19 and 20 are diagrammatic illustrations for use in explaining the operation of the 65 4 1 590 571 4 image inverting mechanism depicted in Figures 15 17; Figure 21 is a block diagram of the electronic control system for the marker projector system according to the invention; Figures 22 A 22 K, inclusive, are detailed schematic diagrams of portions of the block diagram depicted in Figure 21; and 5 Figures 23 A 23 M are flow charts of the microprocessor program depicted in Figure 21.
Detailed description of certain preferred embodiments
Referring now more particularly to Figure 1, the arrangement of the marker projector system of the invention together with a motorized fabric spreader is illustrated A bolt of 10 cloth 10 is rotatably carried in a motorized fabric spreader 12 which rolls on wheels 14 along a spreading table 16 Since such motorized spreaders are well known to those skilled in the art, no further description of it will be given Such spreaders are typically able to run the length of the table 16 in either direction under the manual control of an operator who is able to maneuver the spreader by means of control switches With each pass along the length of 15 the table 16 a layer of the fabric of the bolt 10 is laid down It will be appreciated that in reversing direction, the layer of fabric will be laid with opposite sides facing up from layer to layer When the fabric faces are the same on both sides, this makes no difference, however, most fabrics do have an outward face side and an inward face side, such as some denim material 20 The fabric after it leaves the bolt 10, drops in a vertical fall 18 down to the spreading table 16 where it passes between a pair of bars 19, only one of which is shown in Figure 1, before it actually contacts the surface of the table 16 The marker projector system 20 of the invention is mounted on a first wheeled carriage 22 which rides along the surface of the spreading table 16 and which is attached to the motorized spreader by means of braces 23 25 In this way, the first carriage 22 derives its locomotion from the movement of the motorized spreader 12 The carriage 22 supports a second carriage 28 transversely with respect to the length of the table 16 by means of a pair of parallel, spaced apart, horizontal rails 24 and 26 which span the width of the spreading table 16 As will be explained in greater detail hereinafter, the marker projector of the invention is contained within the housing of the 30 second carriage 28 and projects an image of the pattern, which is ultimately to be cut from the spread fabric, onto the vertical drop 18 of the fabric as it leaves the spreader.
Referring now more particularly to Figure 2, the details of the marker projector device 20 will be described The marker projector system 20 is contained within a housing 32 mounted on the carriage 28 The carriage 28 translates upon the rails 24 and 26 by means of 35 supporting rollers 30 mounted on the housing 32 The side of the housing facing the fall 18 of the cloth is provided with a projection window 34 through which the image is projected.
The projected image is generated by shining a light source 38 through a portion of a continuous length of film 36 to produce an image which is focused through the window 34 by means of an optical system 40 on the opposite side of the film 36 from the light source 38 40 The details of the optical system 40 will be explained hereinafter The light source 38 is contained within a housing 42 which translates by means of a roller along a horizontal rail 44 which extends parallel to the rails 24 and 26 within the housing 32 The translation of the housing 42 is stabilized by means of a vertical support 46 whose upper end slides along a horizontal rod 48 which is parallel to the rail 44 and which is mounted within the housing 32 45 A bracket 50 is attached to the vertical support member 46 and connects it to the housing 52 of the optical system 40 The housing 52 translates by means of a roller along a horizontal rail 54 mounted at the bottom left-hand edge of the housing 32, as viewed in Figure 2 The housing 52 is stabilized in this translation by means of a horizontal bar 56 which is above the housing 52 and which passes through the bracket 50 The bar 56 is mounted within the 50 housing 32 and is parallel to the bar 48 and the rail 44 In this way, the light source 38 and the optics 40 move simultaneously in a horizontal direction parallel to the direction of the rails 24 and 26 in scanning across the width of the film strip 36 The mechanism by which the light source and the optics are caused to translate will be explained in greater detail hereinafter 55 The film strip 36 is wound at its opposite ends onto film reels The first film reel 58 is located above the optics housing 40 The film unwinds from the reel 58 in a clockwise direction and passes over and around a sprocket tube driver 60, around, in a counter-clockwise direction, a roller 62, straight down vertically between the optics housing 40 and the light source 38, around and underneath a bottom roller 64, and clockwise onto a 60 second film reel 56 The terms clockwise and counter-clockwise are taken with respect to the film in a stationary position and refer to the direction of curl of the film itself All of the reels 58, 66, and the tube driver 60 and the rollers 62 and 64 are parallel to each other and extend horizontally and are rotatably mounted within the housing 32 The reels 58 and 66 are turned in opposite directions by stalled, shaded pole motors 68 and 70, respectively, to 65 1 590 571 1 590 571 provide a constant tension on the film Film strip 36 is actually indexed by the rotation of the sprocketed tube drive 60 The sprocketed tube driver 60 is indexed by means of a stepping motor 72, best shown in Figure 8 The capstan gear of the stepping motor 72 drives a timing chain 74 which is entrained about a gear 76 which is mounted on the shaft of the sprocketed tube driver 60 As will be explained in greater detail hereinafter, the stepping 5 motor 72 is operated under the control of a microprocessor to index the film 36 to the proper point along the length of the film corresponding to the length of the pattern at a particular location of the marker projector system along the spreading table 16 The stepping motor 72 is not energized to continuously step the film 36 through its length, but instead, the motor remains passive until the spreader is automatically stopped at a discrete 10 location along the spreading table 16 corresponding to the location of a flaw in the fabric which has been detected At this point, the operator pushes an appropriate control switch as will be described in greater detail hereinafter, to cause the microprocessor to energize the stepping motor 72 by a sufficient number of pulses of electrical current to index the strip of film 36 to the appropriate point corresponding to the location of that portion of the 15 cut-out pattern which will overlie the flaw in the fabric along the spreading table 16.
Referring now more particularly to Figures 12, 13, 14 and 15, the mechanism by which the image projected from the film 36 onto the vertical drop 18 of the fabric is caused to appear stationary to the operator as the second carriage 28 is moved across the rails 24 and 26 will now be described 20 A relatively straight timing chain 78 extends along the inside length of the rail 26, that is, on the side of the rail 26 which faces the rail 24 This chain 78 extends along substantially the entire length of the rail 26 The chain is in contact with a sprocket gear 80 which is rotatably mounted within the housing 32 of the second carriage 20 Thus the movement of the second carriage 20 along the rail 26 causes the sprocket 80 to be rotated The sprocket 25 is mounted on a sleeve 86 which is coupled to a shaft 84, contained coaxially within it, by means of a hand-operated clutch 88 A sprocket gear 82 on the end of the shaft 84 has a sprocket chain 90 entrained about it The chain 90 is entrained around a second sprocket gear 92 which is rotatably mounted within the housing 32 Still another sprocket gear 94 is coupled to the sprocket gear 92 to rotate with it The sprocket gear 94 drives a sprocket 30 chain 96 whose other end is entrained around still another sprocket gear 98 at the opposite side of the housing 32 from the sprocket gear 94 The sprocket gears 94 and 98 are aligned with the plane of the film strip 36 as it passes between the housings 42 and 52 of the optical projection source 38 and the optical system 40 The housing 52 of the optical system 40 is attached to the side of the sprocket chain 96 which is closest to the housing 52 35 As is perhaps best seen in Figure 13, as the carriage 20 moves in one direction, for example, in the direction indicated by the arrow 100, the light source 38 and the optical system 40, contained in the housings 42 and 52, respectively, move in the opposite direction as indicated by the arrow 102, due to the interaction of the sprocket gears and chains 78 98, inclusive The purpose of the clutch 88 is to align the system at one side so that the 40 optical system and light source are at the full extent of their travel when the carriage 20 is positioned at the edge of the vertical fall of the fabric 18 The movement of the carriage 20 is controlled by cables and a motor, as will be explained in greater detail hereinafter.
The light projection source 38 contains a bright projection lamp 104, such as a 500 watt lamp A blower 106 cools the light projector housing 42 The side of the housing 42 which 45 faces the strip of film 36 is provided with a transparent window 108 Contained within the housing 42, although not shown, are condensing optics which pick up as large a light cone as possible from the lamp 104 and then project all of the light beam through the window 108 and the film 36 with a minimum amount of spherical aberation To protect the optics and the film 36, a heat absorbent filter (not shown) is placed in the optical axis within the 50 housing 42.
Referring now more particularly to Figure 17, the optics contained within the optical system 40 will be explained in greater detail The light from the lamp 104 which shines through the film strip 36 forms an optical image which is reflected by either one of two mirrors 110 or 112 which are spaced one above the other, respectively, and is then reflected 55 through a lens 116 to a mirror 118 which reflects the image out of the window 34 in the housing 52 The mirrors 118, 112 and 110 are aligned with respect to each other in periscope fashion so that the axis of the light image passing from the optical source 38 is parallel to the axis of the light image leaving the window 34 but offset from it horizontally The mirrors 110 and 118 are flat and extend in parallel, vertical planes The mirror 112 is V-shaped, with the 60 axis of symmetry of the V being in a horizontal plane This type of mirror is known as an Amici mirror Its purpose will be explained in greater detail hereinafter, but it is fundamentally to provide a way of inverting the image about a horizontal axis for alternate layers of spread fabric The mirrors 110 and 112 are mounted on a vertically adjustable rack assembly 114 65 6 1 590 5716 Referring now more particularly to Figure 15, it will be seen that a light ray, for example, the light ray 120, passing through a particular spot «X» on the film strip 36 will be reflected by the mirrors 110 and 118 to a predetermined spot 122 on the vertical fall 18 of the fabric.
As the second carriage 20 moves in the direction of the arrow 100 the illumination source 38 S and the optical system 40 move in the opposite direction as indicated by the arrow 102 The 5 light ray passing through the same spot «X» on the film strip 36, however, now designated as 120 ‘, will be reflected by the mirrors 110 and 118 to the same spot 122 on the vertical drop of the cloth 18 This result takes place because the gearing ratio of the gears 80, 92, 94 and 98 taken together with the scale of the picture on the film 36 is such that for every incremental unit of distance traveled by the carriage 20 across the width of the spread 10 fabric, the light source 38 and optical system 40 will move in a direction and by a distance as far in the opposite direction across the film 36 which corresponds in scale to the equivalent distance on the actual pattern to be cut out from the fabric This gives an apparent display to the operator which is stationary That is, the projected image point 122 does not move across the width of the fabric drop 18 as the carriage 20 is moved across the rails 24 and 26 15 The gearing ratio and scale in the preferred embodiment is one fifth.
Referring now more particularly to Figures 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20, the purpose of the amici mirror 112 will be explained When the speader 12 completes a run on the spreading table 16, it then reverses direction and spreads a new layer of fabric on top of the previously spread layer The layers of fabric are thus laid alternately face-up and face-down Fabric 20 such as denim and corduroy, for example, have a particular face which will be observable in the sewn garment The opposite face will not be visible The pattern laid out on the fabric is cut out with respect to which way the layer of fabric is facing Since most garments can be cut symmetrically, however, it is possible to cut both the left and then right sides of the garment simultaneously by cutting the pieces from the face-up and facedown layers of 25 fabric The pieces which are laying face-up when they are cut will be, for example, the rightside pieces of the garment, whereas the layers of fabric pieces which are laying face-down will be, for example the left side of the garment.
This would pose no problem to the marker projector system of the invention if it were projecting directly onto the layer of fabric after it was spread onto the table However, the 30 projected image is always on the same side of the fabric as it drops from the roll 10 into the vertical fall 18 regardless of whether it is ultimately laid face-up or face-down This makes it necessary to invert the projected image on alternate runs in order to locate the fabric flaws with respect to the pattern The inversion of the image, however, is not a complete inversion as would take place in a mirror, but instead, is an inversion about a horizontal 35 axis Referring to Figures 19 and 20, it can be seen that the reflection of the points A, B from the mirror 110 to the mirror 118 and ultimately to project onto the vertical drop of cloth 18 results in no net inversion of the locations of the points When the mirror 112 is used however, the points A’, B’ are inverted vertically upon the ultimate reflection by the mirror 118 The vertex 113 of the two halves of the mirror 112, which are perpendicular 40 with respect to each other, must be parallel to the plane of the mirror 110 in order for this to take place Moreover the vertex 113 must lie in a horizontal plane It will be noted that the lens 116 has been omitted from the Figures 19 and 20 for simplicity of illustration In operation, after the spreader 12 has completed one run along the spreading table 16 during which the mirror 110 was in a position to receive the projected image, as shown in Figure 45 16, the rack 114 is lowered until the mirror 112 is in the position indicated in dashed line fashion in Figure 18 The rack 114 is lowered by means of a gear motor 124 whose output pinion gear 126 meshes in a vertical rack gear 128 attached to the rack frame 114 The rack 114 slides vertically on a support 130.
Referring now more particularly to Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7, the means by which the carriage 50 is moved back and forth across the rails 24 and 26 will be explained A motor 132 is mounted on the first carriage 22 at one side of the carriage A gear motor drives a cable or sprocket chain 134 whose opposite ends are attached to the second carriage housing 28 The cable or chain 134 passes around a pair of pulleys 138 mounted at the same side of the first carriage as the motor 132 is mounted on The direction of the cable or chain 134 is reversed 55 at the opposite side of the carriage by means of a pulley 136 When the motor 132 is activated in one direction the carriage 20 is driven correspondingly in the same direction across the rails 24 and 26 When the motor 132 is reversed, the direction of the carriage travel is also reversed.
Referring now more particularly to Figure 1, a photo-optical sensor 140 is mounted on 60 the spreader 12 just above the point where the unrolling fabric begins the vertical fall 18.
The sensor 140 is mounted to scan the edge or selvage of the fabric as it unrolls from the bolt 10 Where a flaw, such as flaw 142 appears in the fabric, a piece of reflective tape 144 is placed along the selvage The detection of the flaw 142 is done by automated apparatus of the type previously described in this application As will be explained in greater detail 65 1 590 571 7 1 590 571 7 hereinafter, when the piece of reflective tape 144 is detected an audible signal will sound to the operator indicating that the spreader 12 is stopping and the carriage 20 activated to scan the fabric In order to sense marks placed along the table, such as by means of reflective tape or painted stripes, a photo-optic sensor 146 is mounted on one end of the first carriage 22 and directly over the surface of the spreading table 16 at its edge The sensor 146, like the 5 sensor 140, is of the type which has its own light source and photo-optic cell The detector operates by means of the light being reflected from some means placed opposite the sensor, such as a reflective tape An encoder 148 is also mounted in the same end of the carriage 22 as is the sensor 146 The encoder includes a wheel 150 which rides along the spreading table 16 and which produces the series of periodic output pulses in proportion to the number of 10 rotations of the wheel 150 As will be explained in greater detail hereinafter, the outputs from the sensor 146 and the encoder 148 are fed to a microprocessor which utilizes the input to index the film 36.
Referring now more particularly to Figures 21 22, the electronic control of the marker projector system of the invention will be described in greater detail The purpose of 15 electronic control which is about to be described is to reverse the position of the amici prism on alternate runs, to index the film at selected points when the operator requires the marker projector system to scan across the fabric to project the pattern over a flaw and to calibrate the position of the film with respect to the fabric on the table so that the projected pattern will correspond to the pattern which is ultimately laid onto the stack of spread fabric layers 20 The basic control element is a micro-processor 150 The micro-processor is a general purpose, 8-bit, byte-oriented, parallel processor with a programmed read only memory It has an 8-bit Peripheral Data Bus, 8-bit Data Out Bus, and 16 bit Address Bus A suitable type of microprocessor would be a National Semiconductor Model IMP-8 C The port address decoder 154 is supplied with an output 152 from the microprocessor The port 25 address decoder uses a type 7442, 4-line-to-10-line binary to decimal decode address lines AD 0-AD 2 and AD 15 inverted as a control line These decoded signals are inverted by 7404 ‘s to form Port Enable signals PEN 0-PEN 4 and PEN 6 Line 5, as shown on Figure 22 F is used to generate the set counter latch (SETCL) signal which loads a number in an up-down counter 170 into an input port 0 ( 158) and 1 ( 160) latches It should be noted that 30 the various components of this electronic control system have been assigned reference numerals for the purpose of this patent application, however, in the schematic drawings of Figures 22 A-22 K, they are also provided with alpha numeric legends For better clarity of illustration, the alpha numeric legends have been retained.
Input ports 0 ( 158) and 1 ( 160) each consist of two 8 T 10 Quad TriState latches Data is 35 latched by the SETCL signal generated by the address decoder 154 or from the table sensor 146 when a table mark is sensed Data is placed on the peripheral bus 172 of the micro-processor 150 when the proper port enable (PEN) signal 174 is received along with a RDSTR (Read Strobe) from the micro-processor 150 Input port 0 ( 158) contains the lower 8-bits from the 16-bit up-down counter 170 and port 1 ( 160) contains the upper 8-bits 40 from the counter 170 (See Figure 22 D).
The pair of input ports 2 ( 162) and 3 ( 164) each consist of two 8 T 10 Quad-Tri-State Bus Drivers Data is continuously available from a set of ply height thumbwheel switches 212 and is placed on the peripheral data bus 172 of the microprocessor 150 when the proper port enable signal is received along with a read strobe 174 The port 2 ( 162) contains the lower 45 two digits from the thumbwheel switches 212 and the port 3 ( 164) contains the upper two digits from the thumbwheel switches 212 (See Figure 22 E).
A pair of input ports 4 ( 166) and 6 ( 168) each consist of an 8 T 10 quad tri-state latch The latches are loaded by the read strobe signal 174 from the micro-processor 150 and are enabled by the proper port enable signal from the address decoder 154 along with the read 50 strobe signal 174 The bulk of the physical controls carried out by the micro-processor are done through three output ports, numbers 0 ( 176), 1 ( 178) and 2 ( 180) These ports each consist of type 74175 quad latches Data on a data out bus 182 of the micro-processor 150 is latched when the proper port enable signal from the decoder 154 occurs along with a write strobe signal 184 (BWSTR) (See Figures 22 H and 221) 55 Clock pulse signals for the system are generated by a 4 MHZ oscillator 186 Such an oscillator may be, for example, a Motorola type K 1100 A The output from the clock oscillator 186 is fed into a divide by 4 logic unit 188 The divide by 4 unit 188 consists of a type 74161 binary counter The counter not only divides the clock output by 4, but also divides it by 16 The divided by 4 output is furnished as a 1 MHZ clock signal to a 60 programmable down counter 190 The divided by 16 output furnishes a 250 KHZ clock signal to a lamp control circuit 198 (See Figure 22 A).
The programmable down counter 190 consists of four type 74191 binary updown counters, connected to count down, and decoding logic The counter 190 is programmed from the output ports 0 ( 176) and 1 ( 178) to produce clock pulses at intervals from 1 65 1 590 571 1 590 571 microsecond to 65 5 milliseconds in 1 microsecond increments The counter output drives an interrupt request one-shot multivibrator 192 (See Figure 22 B).
The interrupt request one shot multivibrator 192 consists of one-half of a type 74123 dual, one-shot multivibrator which is timed to produce a 23 microsecond width pulse to the micro-processor 150 on an interrupt request line when it receives a count equals 0 (count 5 0) pulse from the down counter 190 (See Figure 22 B).
The programmable counter receives an output from a load one-shot multivibrator 194.
The load one-shot multivibrator consists of one-half of a type 74123 dual, one-shot multivibrator timed to produce a 1 microsecond width pulse to the load input of the down counter when the one-shot multivibrator 194 receives a pulse from the micro-processor 150 10 on USER 4 line.
A lamp power switch 196 consists of an alternate action push-button switch that activates a relay through a lamp control circuit 198 to supply 120 volts alternating current to the lamp blower 106 and to a solid state relay 200 for control of the projector lamp 104 The lamp control 198 consists of two type 555 timers and associated logic to control a solid state relay 15 in series with the projection lamp 104 and to furnish a lamp power on signal to the micro-processor 150 through the input port 4 ( 166) Timer A 2 shown in Figure 22 A provides an idle state filament current to operate the lamp 104 in a dimmed state for periods when the image is not being projected The timing is adjusted such that the solid state relay 200 is turned on for approximately one-half cycle every three cycles of the 60 HZ 20 alternating current line Timer Cl shown in Figure 22 A provides for full brightness viewing.
When the scan switch 202 is activated, timer Cl continuously triggers at a 250 KHZ rate from the divide by 16 output of unit 188 After the scan switch 202 is released, the timer keeps the lamp at full brightness for an adjustable period of 10 to 60 seconds Control of the solid state relay 200 then reverts back to the A 2 timer for dimmed operation The LAMP 25 POWER signal is furnished to the micro-processor 150 through the input port 4 ( 166) when the lamp 104 is at full brightness.
The solid state relay 200 is controlled by the lamp control 198 and is in series with the lamp 104 with the 60 cycle alternating power supply The solid state relay 200 could be for example a 10 amp solid state relay made by Monsanto Model MSR 100 B or ECC D 1210 30 The projection lamp 104 can be a Sylvania Model EGX, 500 watt projection lamp The scan switch 202 is a double-pole-double-throw momentary contact switch It provides closure to the lamp control circuit 198 and forward and reverse closures to the scan direction control circuit 204 (See Figure 22 A).
The scan direction control circuit 204 uses a conventional contact relay (DPDT) for 35 reversing the scan drive motor 132 which moves the second carriage back and forth across the rails 24 and 26 The control 204 also uses a solid state relay in turn on power to the motor 132 and passive components to form a delay circuit When the scan reverse switch 202 is closed, the reversing relay is immediately operated After a delay to allow relay operation, the solid state relay is operated, turning on power to the scan drive motor 132 40 When the scan reverse switch 202 is released, the solid state relay turns off on the next zero crossing of the alternating current and the reversing relay turns off after a delay When the scan forward switch 202 is operated, the solid state relay turns on at the first zero crossing the alternating current supply and the reversing relay remains in its normal position This circuit prevents large transients from being introduced onto the alternating current line 45 which would occur if the relay contacts were switched with the power on (See Figure 22 K).
The scan drive motor 132 which shuttles the second carriage 28 back and forth on the rails 24 and 26 may be a type Dayton Gearmotor Model 2 Z 803, rated at 1/15 H P with a 52:1 ratio.
The encoder 148 is a Renco Series No 2500, incremental optical encoder with 400 pulse 50 per revolution direction sensing when fitted with a 12 inch circumference wheel 149 The pulse shaper 206 consists of a type 8 T 14 Triple Line Reveiver with Hysteresis and inverters to convert the pulses from the encoder 148 to the proper polarity As previously mentioned, the wheel of the encoder rides on the tracks of the spreading table 16 and provides an indication to the micro-processor 150 of the position of the spreader 12 along the table The 55 up-down counter 170 consists of 4 type 74193 up-down counters used to count pulses from the encoder 148 Movement of the spreader 12 in the positive direction along the table 16 increments the counter, by means of the encoder output, and movement in the opposite or negative direction decrements the counter 170 Thus, the count indicates the position of the spreader from a reference point up to 163 feet in 0 03 inch increments The output of the 60 counter 170 is transferred to the micro-processor 150 through input ports 0 ( 158) and 1 ( 160) (See Figure 22 C).
A clear one-shot multivibrator 208, depicted in the right-hand portion of Figure 21, consists of one-half of a type 74123 dual one-shot multivibrator timed to provide a one microsecond width clear pulse to the up-down counter 170 at initialization in response to a 65 9 1 590 571 9 low to high transition signal of bit 2 of output port 2 ( 180) (See Figure 221).
The instantaneous direction circuit 210, consists of a type 7474 D-type flip-flop which monitors the count up and count down inputs to the up-down counter 170 to determine instantaneous direction of travel of the spreader 12 (See Figure 22 G).
The ply height thumbwheel switches 212 are set by the operator to give the height of 100 5 layers of the particular fabric being spread It is necessary to take this ply height into account in order to compensate for the differing lengths of the vertical fall 18 to the top most layer of the spread stack Once the height limit is programmed in by means of the thumbwheel switches, the micro-processor 150 will take this height into account, will count the number of spread layers and will provide an appropriate off-set to the indexing system 10 for the film 36 to correctly position the pattern when it is projected onto the fabric The thumbwheel switches 212 consist of 4 digit binary coded decimal thumbwheel switches used to tell the micro-processor 150, through the input ports 2 ( 162) and 3 ( 164) the height of 100 layers of the fabric (See Figure 22 E).
The table sensor 146 is a reflective photodetector and, as mentioned above, it detects 15 marks on the tracks of the table 16 The film sensor 214 is a photodetector which, as mentioned above, detects marks on the film.
The load switch 216 is an alternate action double-pole double-throw push button switch which is used while loading film It provides a signal to the microprocessor 150, through the input port 4 ( 166) and turns off the tension motors 220 for the film 36 The slew switch 218 is 20 a double-pole double-throw momentary contact rocker switch which is used when loading and unloading the film It provides forward and reverse signals to the micro-processor 150 through the input port 6 ( 168) and energizes the tension motors 68 and 70 The tension motor relay 220 is a single-pole single-throw relay which is used to supply alternating current power to the tension motors 68 and 70 The tension motors 68 and 70 are 1/40 H P 25 shaded pole motors operating stalled in opposite directions on the film rollers 58 and 66.
ohm adjustable resistors in series with the motors allow the tension to be adjusted (See Figure 22 K) The start switch 222 is a momentary contact push-button switch which is used to signal the micro-processor 150 through the input port 4 ( 166) during the initialization of the system 30 The ready time-out and lamp 224 consists of one-half of a type 74123 dual retriggerable one-shot multivibrator timed for 100 milliseconds and 2 type 7406 buffer gates used as lamp drivers When the micro-processor program is operating properly, the oneshot multivibrator is retriggered before the end of its timing cycle by a signal on the USE Ri line from the micro-processor 150 and the ready lamp remains turned on 35 The stepper motor direction control circuit 226 consists of a type 74123 dual one-shot multivibrator and two type 7406 buffer gates Signals on the USER 2 and USER 3 lines from the micro-processor 150 trigger one or the other of the two one-shot multivibrators which provide 113 millisecond pulses to the stepper motor electronics The stepper motor 72 is a SLO-SYN stepping motor M-series with type TBM control electronics (See Figure 22 K) 40 The level shifter 228 shifts a -40 volt level signal from the spreader 12 to the TTL voltage level of the electronics of the control system The flaw latch 230 consists of two R-S latches formed from type 7400 gates, type 7402 input gating and a type 75452 driver to drive the audible indicator 232 and the visual indicators A signal from the level shifter 228 sets both latches The upper latch signals the micro-processor 150 through the input port 4 ( 166) that 45 a flaw has been found It is reset when the stepper motor 72 starts to advance the film 36.
The lower latch turns on the audible and visual indicators It is reset when the scan switch 202 is activated.
The calibration lamp 234 is energized by a signal from bit 1 of output port 2 ( 180) which is buffered by two type 7406 gates to turn on the calibration lamp indicating that the system is 50 in the initialization phase.
The prism control circuit 236 is depicted in Figure 221 Bit 0 of output port 2 ( 180) drives one-half of a type 75452 driver directly and is inverted to drive the other half Depending on the polarity of this signal, either the prism relay or the prism relay and the «A» (reversing) relay 238 is activated The delay circuit is the same as in the scan circuit Limit switches 55 disable the drivers when the prism is in place The prism exchange motor 124 is a Dayton 1/100 H P 20 RPM Gearmotor.
The power supply 240 is shown in greater detail in Figure 22 K Input is 208 volts alternating current with input power to the D C supplies and motors being taken from the line to neutral The power is turned on by activating a relay manually from a switch A 60 safety switch prevents power from coming on after a power failure until it has been manually reset The D C supplies are Standard Power open frame modular supplies.
Power for the stepping motor 72 is furnished through a transformer, fullwave bridge and capacitor filter.
The operation of the control circuit is as follows As mentioned above, the table 16 has 65 1 590 571 101 590 571 marks on its surface that represent the marker positions The markers are the segments of the pattern and correspond to segments of the film 36 which are reduced by one-fifth scale from actual size These marks can be sensed by the table sensor 146 The reference medium or film 36 also has marks on it which the film sensor 214 detects During an initialization run, the micro-processor 150 stores table sensor inputs, that is signals representing the 5 marks on the table, with input signals from the encoder 148, that is pulses generated from moving the spreader down the table The micro-processor 150 then issues a command to the film motor 72 via the lines USER 2 or USER 3 to run The microprocessor notes the film marks on the film through the sensor 214 and the input port 4 ( 166) If the number of marks coincide, the program of the micro-processor outputs a «ready» signal via line USE Ri to 10 the control panel lamp 224 Any movement of the spreader 12 is detected by the encoder 148 and appropriate signals are given to the up-down counter 170 The micro-processor monitors this interface at very small time intervals By knowing the number of marks, the number of marks detected and the encoder count, the major direction of the travel is known through the instant direction sensor 210 This information is used to determine whether the 15 amici prism is to be used and the amount of off-set, as initially programmed by the thumbwheel switches 212, required by the film motor 72 to display the image correctly The film transport motor 72 is brought into action only when requested by actuating the scan drive switch 202 which is coupled through input port 4 ( 166) to the micro-processor 150 At that time, the micro-processor 150 makes all of its adjustments Errors can be corrected by 20 the micro-processor 150 by comparing the initialization run with where the marks appear to be now.
The detail functioning of the microprocessor 150 will now be described with reference to Figures 23 A 23 M which together comprise a software block diagram or programming flow chart for the microprocessor 25 The microprocessor sub-system consists of the processor elements themselves plus 256 bytes of RAM which are used as working storage, plus 7 ultra-violet PROMS, each of which has 256 bytes of memory The PROMS are used for storage of programs and data constants.
Inputsl Outputs: 30 This section will give a general description of the microprocessor interface.
Input Port 0 ( 158) Bit 0 through bit 7 of the UP/DOWN counter 170.
Input Port 1 ( 160) Bit 8 through bit 15 of the UP/DOWN counter 170.
The counter output is binary and requires two words The data from the counter is latched automatically by the table sensor 146 when a mark is detected The latches may be set at 35 other times by a Port 5 Enable, PEN 5 signal However, the data can be read only with Port 0 Enable PEN 0 signal for the lower order bits, and Port 1 Enable PEN 1 signal for the higher order bits.
Input Port 2 ( 162) Ply Height Thumbwheel switch 212 Bits 0 through 3 contain BCD ( 1,2,4,8) for the thousandths ( 0 001) position Bits 4 through 7 contain BCD for the 40 hundreths ( 0 01) position.
Input Port 3 ( 164) Ply Height Thumbwheel switch 212 Bits 0 through 3 contain BCD for the tenths ( 0 1) position Bits 4 through 7 contain BCE for the units ( 1 0) position.
(Inches per 100 ply) Input Port 4 ( 166) Contains the signal outputs that must be monitored or checked often: 45 Bit 0 Table Sensor 146 » 1 » indicates a mark on the table.
Bit 1 Film Sensor 214 » 1 » indicates a mark on the film.
Bit 2 Scan Switch 198 » 1 » indicates an operator request for service.
Bit 3 Lamp Power 198 » 1 » indicates projector lamp is OFF.
Bit 4 Load Film Switch 216 » 1 » indicates operator request for service 50 Bit 5 Spreader Instantaneous Direction ( 210) » 1 » indicates -X.
Bit 6 Start Switch 222 » 1 » indicates operator request for service.
Bit 7 Flaw Detector 230 » 1 » indicates spreader stop switch has been operated or flaw mark detector has detected mark.
Input Port 6 ( 168) Bit 0 Plus X film slew 218 request, where «X» is a given direction of 55 spreader movement Bit 1 Minus X film slew 218 request Bits 2 through 7 Unused.
Output Port 0 ( 176) Bit 0 through bit 7 to the programmable down counter 190.
Output Port 1 ( 178) Bit 8 through bit 15 to the programmable down counter 190.
The programmable down counter or «clock» 190 is programmed by loading the binary of the interval required in microseconds with the eight lower order bits latched in Output Port 60 0 ( 176) and the eight higher order bits latched in Output Port 1 ( 178) The interval may be started immediately with a PFLG 4 or may be allowed to start automatically at the end of the interval previously programmed At the end of the interval, an Interrupt Request (INTRO) will be generated and the clock will restart The clock will provide Interrupt Requests at the same interval until it is re-programmed 65 11 1 590 571 11 Output Port 2 ( 180) Contains only four lower order bits.
Bit 0 » 1 » = Prism In » O » Prism Out Bit 1 » 1 » = Cal Lamp ON » O » Cal Lamp OFF 5 Bit 2 » 1 » = Clear UP/DOWN Counter 170 » O » = Must hame 0 to 1 transition to provide CLEAR Bit 3 Not Used.
USER 1 Ready lamp 224 has a 100 ms time out PFLG 1 must occur at less than 100 ms intervals or the READY lamp will go off 10 USER 2 PFLG 2 Step CW signal to film transport stepper control 226.
USER 3 PFLG 3 Step CCW signal to film transport stepper control 226.
USER 4 PFLG 4 Load to programmable clock 190.
General Description: 15
The MPS software can be divided into the sub-sections listed below:
1 Initialization Section 2 Calibration Section 3 Ready Loop 4 Tracking Logic 20 Interrupt Processing 6 Error Correction Routines 7 Double Byte Math and Miscellaneous Utility Routines Initialization Section: (See Figure 23 A) 25 The Init’iiation Section is entered when power is applied to the microprocessor sub-system The MPS automatically starts executing instructions at location » 7 FFE» from which a juiiip to the Initialization Section is executed The following functions are then performed:
1 Initialization of software flags and working storage 30 2 Servicing of the slew controls on the film transport.
3 The monitoring of those conditions which are necessary to proceed into the calibration mode of operation Those conditions are listed below:
a) depression of INIT (START) push button 222 (causes exit from subroutine SLEW) 35 b) confirmation that the film transport is not in the LOAD mode.
c) presence of a film mark beneath the film mark sensor 214.
Calibration Section: (See Figure 23 B 23 E) When the conditions described above are satisfied, the program will enter the Calibration 40 Section Entry of this section is indicated by illumination of the CAL light 234 when passing over the first table mark.
Once the CAL light 234 is turned on, the program immediately begins to monitor the spreader table mark sensor 146 Each time the sensor indicates the presence of a table mark, the program reads the spreader motion encoder up/down counter 170 and stores this 45 value in the next successive location within a buffer reserved for that purpose within the computer’s RAM A counter is incremented each time a table mark is detected and its position thus recorded There is also some additional logic to avoid detection of the same mark more than once.
While in the Calibration mode, the computer is also continually monitoring the INIT 50 switch 222 The INIT switch 222 is used by the operator to signal to the computer when he has completed his CAL run with the spreader When the program senses that the INIT (START) push button 222 has been depressed, it proceeds to advance the film transport stepper motor 72 a distance which is long enough to assure that all the marks on the film will pass under the sensor 214 The distance which is actually used is determined by taking the 55 position of the last spreader table mask detected, converting it to an equivalent number of film transport pulses, then adding a fudge factor of about 24 5 inches This assures that the transport will be advanced far enough to pass all the film marks beneath the film mark sensor 214 It also requires the operator to put 2 or 3 feet of a trailer on this film to assure that the film is not pulled off the end of the roller 60Once the film advance is initiated by the program, it proceeds under interrupt control (refer to the discussion on the interrupt processing software below) During this film advance, the program is continually monitoring the film mark sensor 214 The position of each detected film mark is buffered and each mark is counted in a fashion similar to the analogous operation previously completed for the spreader table marks 65 1 590 571 1 1 1 590 571 Next, the program compares the number of spreader table marks detected to the number of film marks detected These two numbers should be the same If they are not the same, the film transport is returned to the initial position and the program returns to the Calibration Section to allow the operator to repeat the calibration procedure If the number of marks detected on the spreader table does equal the number of marks detected on the 5 flm, then the program advances to the ready loop.
In summary, the output of the Calibration Section is a pair of tables in RAM, the first of which contains the position of each spreader table mark, the second of which contains the position of each film mark.
10 Ready Loop: (See Figures 23 E-23 H) The system Ready Loop is so called because the program structure is simply a loop in which a number of conditions as described below are monitored Within this Ready Loop, the READY lamp 224 is strobed The READY lamp 224 is such that it will remain illuminated only if it is strobed at least once every 100 ms Therefore, the presence of the 15 READY light 224 assures one that the program has not only entered the Ready Loop, but is still in the Ready Loop.
All of the conditions listed below are monitored within the Ready Loop (see Figures 23 F, 23 G):
1 Depression of the film transport scan switch 20 2 Depression of the spreader stop switch.
3 Movement of the spreader into either of the «end-zones».
4 Presence of a film mark beneath the film sensor (sensed for error correction purposes).
5 Presence of a spreader table mark beneath the table mark sensor (sensed for error 25 correction purposes).
Depression of the film transport scan switch 202 or spreader stop switch by the operator is detected by the program while it is in the Ready Loop and causes the program to enter a mode in which the film transport is made to «track» the motion of the spreader This tracking logic is described in more detail below, in reference to Figures 231 23 J The 30 program will remain in the tracking mode until the projector lamp 104 goes out (a condition also sensed by the program).
The Ready Loop phase of the program continuously reads the spreader table motion encoder up/down counter 170 to determine when one of the «end-zones» is entered by the spreader (see Figure 23 F) It is in this fashion that the program keeps track of the «major 35 direction» of the spreader The «major direction» is changed to +X whenever the program detects that the spreader is within the -X «end-zone» and similarly, the program switches the «major direction» to X when it detects that the spreader is in the +X «end-zone» The «major direction» is used for several things within the program logic including proper setting of the prism and for computing the position to which the film transport must be 40 driven for viewing Also each time the major direction is changed, the plyheight is incremented (See Figure 23 F).
Tracking Logic Section (See Figure 231 23 J) The Tracking Logic Section is initiated whenever the operator presses the scan switch 45 202, the stop button on the spreader, or gets a signal from the spreader scanner (see Figure 23 F) It is within this section that the program computes the position to which the film transport must be advanced Once the computation is made, the commands are issued to the film transport 225, 72 so that it will proceed to move to the computed position As long as the program remains in the «tracking mode» the computation is repeated and the 50 position of the transport is updated continually.
The information below describes how the desired film transport position is determined from the inputs listed in the previous paragraph.
The following data items are inputs to the calculation required to compute the film transport position: 55 A Current reading from spreader motion up/down counter 170 (Figure 23 F).
B Major direction 210.
C Ply count (Figure 231).
D Ply density (from thumbwheel switches 212) (Figure 231).
E Offset from spreader table mark sensor to position on spreader table directly below 60 vertical drop 18 of cloth (Constant).
F Vertical drop distance 18 measured from projection center down to spreader table.
(Constant).
G Table of spreader mark positions as collected in CAL run.
H Table of film mark positions as collected in CAL run 65 1 590 571 The computation requires several steps as described generally below:
1 Adjust «A» using «E» Necessary since values in «G» are similarly adjusted.
2 Compute ply height by multiplying ply count («C») by ply density («D»).
3 Compute an adjusted vertical drop by substracting ply height from «F».
4 Using the result from Step #1, compute another intermediate value by adding or 5 subtracting the adjusted vertical drop (Step #3) The decision to add or subtract is made using the current major direction («B»).
Compare intermediate value from step #4 to table «G» determining the value in the table just smaller Compute offset distance to this table value.
6 Compute the desired film transport position by adding the offset value from step #5 10 to the value from table «H» which corresponds to the «just smaller» table «G» value.
Interrupt Processing: (See Figures 23 K-23 M) The Interrupt Processing logic within the program is executed each time an interrupt is received from the MPS programmable down counter (clock) 190 The clock may be 15 programmed to interrupt at intervals which are a multiple of microseconds The basic purpose served by the clock 190 is a time base for generating pulses of a known frequency to the film transport stepper motor 72 The Interrupt Processing logic also contains logic for generating acceleration and deceleration ramps to the film transport stepper motor 72.
Since there is no hardware accumulator for film transport stepper pulses (or position), 20 this function is provided by the software within the Interrupt Processing logic To accomplish this is simply a matter of keeping a running total of the pulses issued to the film transport stepper motor, adding pulses to the accumulator when the direction is positive and subtracting pulses from the accumulator when the direction is negative.
When the main line MPS program detects a need to advance the film transport, all that is 25 required is to set up three counters within the software As soon as these counters are set up, the Interrupt Processing logic automatically proceeds to use the three counters as a film transport up ramp, constant velocity count, and down ramp.
Error Detection Routines: 30 In the system Ready Loop, the presence of spreader table marks and film marks are constantly monitored When either is detected, the currrent position of the spreader (or film transport) is examined In either case, the closest mark within the appropriate table of table marks or film marks is determined The difference between the currently detected position of the mark and the position of the closest mark within the corresponding table is 35 then assumed to be an accumulated error and compensation is made to correct for the error (see Figures 23 G, 23 H) In the case of the film transport, the compensation is made by simply modifying the software accumulator for the film transport position If the correction needs to be made to the spreader position, since the accumulator is in the hardware, the correction is made by storing an appropriate value in a software «error accumulator» This 40 ‘error accumulator» is then included in the computation of the film transport position from the current spreader position (refer to the tracking logic section).
Double Byte Math & Miscellaneous Utility Routines:
The following utility routines are provided to support the needs of the MPS programs 45 1 Double precision signed subtract.
2 Double precision unsigned subtract.
3 Double precision add.
4 Double precision twos complement.
5 Double precision shift right 50 6 Double-byte integer divide.
7 Double-byte integer multiply.
8 BCD to binary conversion routine.
The terms and expressions which have been employed here are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and 55 expressions, ‘of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described, or portions thereof, it being recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

Claims (1)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:
1 An apparatus for projecting a pattern onto a continuous length of planar material 60 which comprises a first carriage for traversing the length of the material in a first direction, a second carriage carried by the first carriage for traversing the width of the material in a second direction, an image medium carried by the second carriage, the image medium having an image of the pattern to be projected, an image projector carried by the second carriage for selectively projecting a portion of the pattern as represented by the image 65 14 1 590 571 14 medium onto the material, image medium transport means carried by the second carriage, and operatively connected to it, for indexing the image medium with respect to the image projector such that the image projected onto the material by the projector appears stationary with respect to the material as the second carriage is moved.
2 A pattern projecting apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the image medium 5 transport means includes means for sensing discrete locations on the material relative to the travel of the first carriage in the first direction and means for selectively indexing the image medium in correspondence with the sensed discrete locations.
3 A pattern projecting apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, in combination with apparatus for spreading the material in a stack of layers on a horizontal surface from a roll of the 10 material wherein the image medium transport means further comprise means for compensating for the height of the topmost layer of the stack in indexing the image medium in correspondence with the discrete locations.
4 A pattern projecting apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the image projector includes optical means for reversing the projected image about an axis 15 parallel to the direction of travel of the second carriage whereby the pattern can be sequentially projected in aligned fashion on each layer of a stack of layers of the material as they are laid alternately face up and face down.
A pattern projecting apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 in combination with an apparatus for spreading web material from a roll onto a planar surface 20 6 A combination as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the first carriage is coupled to the material spreading apparatus and the material drops vertically from the spreader onto the planar surface, and further comprisng markings along the length of the planar surface which are representative of portions of predetermined lengths of the material to be spread and wherein the image medium transport means includes means for sensing and counting the 25 markings as the first carriage is moved over the planar surface and means for selectively indexing the image medium in a direction corresponding to the first direction by a distance representative of the number of markings counted.
7 A combination as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the image transport means includes means for automatically adjusting for the increasing height of the stack of layers of 30 material, as they are spread on the planar surface, when indexing the image medium in accordance with the number of markings counted.
8 A combination as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the image medium is a continuous, rolled web, whose length extends in a plane parallel to the length of the planar spreading surface, and which has markings spaced along the web length and wherein the image 35 medium transport means includes means for electronically correlating discrete portions of the image medium as represented by the markings along its length with respect to the markings on the planar spreading surface during an initial run of the first carriage along the planar surface.
9 An apparatus for correlating the position of fabric flaws with the location of a cutting 40 pattern for the fabric so that an operator can visually determine if the cutting pattern overlaps the flaws, wherein the apparatus simultaneously spreads the fabric on a planar surface while projecting the pattern from a film onto the fabric and comprises a film of a reduced scale image of the pattern to be cut out, a projector for projecting portions of the pattern from the film onto selected portions of the fabric, an x-y carriage mounting for the 45 projector so that the projector is movable over the length and width of the fabric spread on the planar surface, a film indexer to selectively advance the film lengthwise through the projector in correspondence with the projector’s position along the length of spread fabric, a gear and slide assembly for interconnecting the film and projector relative to the x-y carriage to the film and the x-y carriage so that as the projector and film are moved across 50 the width of the fabric in one direction and at a first velocity the gear assembly moves the projector relative to the film in the opposite direction and at a second velocity which has the same ratio to the first velocity as the scale of the film image pattern has to the actual size pattern so that the portions of the pattern on the film which are projected onto the fabric appear to the operator to have a fixed position relative to the fabric 55 A pattern correlation apparatus as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the pattern from the film is projected onto the face side of the cloth as it is dropped vertically from the spreader onto the planar surface and the projector includes a movable prism for reversing the projected image about an axis parallel to the width of the planar surface whereby the pattern can be sequentially projected in aligned fashion on the face side of each layer of a 60 stack of layers of the material as they are laid from the spreader alternately face up and face down.
11 A pattern correlation apparatus as claimed in Claim 9 or 10, wherein the planar surface has markings along its length which are representative of portions of predetermined lengths of the fabric to be spread, the film has markings spaced along its length, and 65 1 590 571 1 590 571 15 wherein the film indexer includes a sensor-counter for sensing and counting the planar surface markings as the first carriage is moved over the planar surface, a micro-computer for electronically correlating discrete portions of the film as represented by the markings along its length with respect to the markings on the planar surface sensed and counted by the sensor-counter during an initialization run of the first carriage along the planar surface,
5 and a motor operated by the micro-computer for selectively indexing the film in the direction of its length by a distance representative of the number of planar surface markings sensed and counted.
12 A pattern projecting apparatus substantially as herein described and with reference to the accompanying Drawings 10 13 A pattern correlation apparatus substantially as herein described and with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
For the Applicants, LLOYD WISE, BOULY & HAIG, 15 Chartered Patent Agents, Norman House, 105-109 Strand, London WC 2 R OAE.
Printed for Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, by Croydon Printing Company Limited, Croydon, Surrey, 1981.
Published by The Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC 2 A l AY, from which copies may be obtained.

GB21488/78A
1977-05-23
1978-05-23
Marker projection system

Expired

GB1590571A
(en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

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Priority Date
Filing Date
Title

US05/799,216

US4124285A
(en)

1977-05-23
1977-05-23
Marker projector system

Publications (1)

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Publication Date

GB1590571A
true

GB1590571A
(en)

1981-06-03

Family
ID=25175325
Family Applications (1)

Application Number
Title
Priority Date
Filing Date

GB21488/78A
Expired

GB1590571A
(en)

1977-05-23
1978-05-23
Marker projection system

Country Status (6)

Country
Link

US
(1)

US4124285A
(en)

JP
(1)

JPS53147895A
(en)

CA
(1)

CA1096212A
(en)

DE
(1)

DE2822200A1
(en)

GB
(1)

GB1590571A
(en)

IT
(1)

IT1103289B
(en)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party

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Priority date
Publication date
Assignee
Title

WO2007064798A1
(en)

*

2005-12-02
2007-06-07
The Boeing Company
System for projecting flaws and inspection locations and associated method

US9052294B2
(en)

2006-05-31
2015-06-09
The Boeing Company
Method and system for two-dimensional and three-dimensional inspection of a workpiece

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party

Publication number
Priority date
Publication date
Assignee
Title

US4468694A
(en)

*

1980-12-30
1984-08-28
International Business Machines Corporation
Apparatus and method for remote displaying and sensing of information using shadow parallax

FR2526455B1
(en)

*

1982-05-06
1986-03-14
Gerber Scient Inc

AUTOMATIC CUTTING MACHINE WITH AN INTEGRATED CONTROL UNIT

FR2548077B1
(en)

*

1983-06-30
1987-03-06
Gerber Scient Inc

APPARATUS FOR HELPING AN OPERATOR TO SOLVE PROBLEMS POSED BY FAULTS OF FABRICS

FR2564708B1
(en)

*

1984-05-22
1987-10-09
Imbert G Ets

INTERACTIVE PLACEMENT METHOD AND DEVICE ON A PROFILE SUPPORT FOR TRACING AND / OR CUTTING

FR2565884A1
(en)

*

1984-06-15
1985-12-20
Andre Chaussures Sa
Method and device for placing, especially a hide, on a surface for automated cutting out.

JP2734717B2
(en)

*

1990-02-10
1998-04-02
ブラザー工業株式会社

Sewing machine that can project various shapes such as patterns

JP4015738B2
(en)

*

1998-01-30
2007-11-28
錫培 鄭

Laser beam irradiation device for indicating the skirt line of clothes

US6833879B1
(en)

*

2000-08-25
2004-12-21
Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc.
Image projection in television off position

US20050180141A1
(en)

*

2004-02-13
2005-08-18
Norman Arrison
Protection device for high intensity radiation sources

DE102004010176B4
(en)

*

2004-03-02
2011-05-05
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.

Device and workstation for manufacturing a harness assembly

US7097310B2
(en)

*

2004-10-05
2006-08-29
Display Devices, Inc.
Ceiling-mounted projection system

US7490942B2
(en)

*

2004-11-23
2009-02-17
Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Projector with automatic focusing assistance

US9157182B2
(en)

2010-05-14
2015-10-13
Automated Vision, Llc
Systems, methods and computer program products for processing of coverings such as leather hides and fabrics for furniture and other products

US9421692B2
(en)

2010-05-14
2016-08-23
Automated Vision, Llc
Methods and computer program products for processing of coverings such as leather hides and fabrics for furniture and other products

US8295555B2
(en)

*

2010-05-14
2012-10-23
Automated Vision, Llc
Systems and methods for processing of coverings such as leather hides and fabrics for furniture and other products

JP5578162B2
(en)

*

2011-12-05
2014-08-27
ブラザー工業株式会社

sewing machine

US9254640B2
(en)

2012-07-25
2016-02-09
Nike, Inc.
Projector assisted alignment and printing

US8978551B2
(en)

2012-07-25
2015-03-17
Nike, Inc.
Projection assisted printer alignment using remote device

US9070055B2
(en)

2012-07-25
2015-06-30
Nike, Inc.
Graphic alignment for printing to an article using a first display device and a second display device

CN104947336A
(en)

*

2015-07-06
2015-09-30
苏州锴诚缝制设备有限公司
Sewing device with visible rear side

CN105133280B
(en)

*

2015-07-16
2017-07-28
合肥奥瑞数控科技有限公司
One kind paving cloth cutting and drawing apparatus and its control method

CN110375233B
(en)

*

2019-08-07
2021-07-30
大连美高光电工程有限公司
Projection lamp

TR202101481A2
(en)

*

2021-02-01
2021-12-21
Oezbilim Tekstil Makinalari San Tic Ltd Sti

AUGMENTED REALITY SUPPORT CUT GUIDE SYSTEM ON FABRIC SPREADING MACHINES

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party

Publication number
Priority date
Publication date
Assignee
Title

US2973688A
(en)

*

1958-05-12
1961-03-07
Bilibok Dezso
Adjustable pattern projecting machine

US3277780A
(en)

*

1965-01-13
1966-10-11
Zeiss Jena Veb Carl
Apparatus for strip-by-strip rectification of photograms

US3540830A
(en)

*

1967-07-03
1970-11-17
Cutting Room Appliances Corp
Means and method for detecting the effective position of flaws in cloth webs on cloth laying tables

DE2030559C3
(en)

*

1970-06-20
1974-06-20
Krauss U. Reichert Spezialmaschinenfabrik, 7012 Fellbach

Device for laying out and cross-cutting webs of fabric

US3734605A
(en)

*

1971-07-21
1973-05-22
Personal Communications Inc
Mechanical optical scanner

1977

1977-05-23
US
US05/799,216
patent/US4124285A/en
not_active
Expired – Lifetime

1978

1978-03-17
CA
CA299,169A
patent/CA1096212A/en
not_active
Expired

1978-04-28
JP
JP5218478A
patent/JPS53147895A/en
active
Pending

1978-05-19
IT
IT49452/78A
patent/IT1103289B/en
active

1978-05-22
DE
DE19782822200
patent/DE2822200A1/en
not_active
Withdrawn

1978-05-23
GB
GB21488/78A
patent/GB1590571A/en
not_active
Expired

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party

Publication number
Priority date
Publication date
Assignee
Title

WO2007064798A1
(en)

*

2005-12-02
2007-06-07
The Boeing Company
System for projecting flaws and inspection locations and associated method

US7480037B2
(en)

2005-12-02
2009-01-20
The Boeing Company
System for projecting flaws and inspection locations and associated method

US9052294B2
(en)

2006-05-31
2015-06-09
The Boeing Company
Method and system for two-dimensional and three-dimensional inspection of a workpiece

Also Published As

Publication number
Publication date

CA1096212A
(en)

1981-02-24

US4124285A
(en)

1978-11-07

IT1103289B
(en)

1985-10-14

JPS53147895A
(en)

1978-12-22

DE2822200A1
(en)

1978-11-30

IT7849452D0
(en)

1978-05-19

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Legal Events

Date
Code
Title
Description

1981-08-19
PS
Patent sealed [section 19, patents act 1949]

1982-12-22
PCNP
Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee

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