Abstract: A method and system are provided for automatically detecting characteristic points of a herringbone fabric with a view to automatically cutting pieces. The herringbone patterns are formed by V-shaped features with vertices that are aligned along a plurality of parallel axes. The method proceeds with a step of acquiring an image of a segment of the fabric, a detection initialization step including, on the basis of predefined parameters or on the basis of the image, acquiring geometric parameters of the herringbone patterns and defining lines of operation perpendicular to the axes of the herringbone patterns, and a step of determining, in the image, coordinates of points of passage of axes of the herringbone patterns along lines of operation via the optimization of a criterion of symmetry of two mirror sub-images acquired along lines of operation.

Abstract: A modular cutting-support element with suction in a machine for automatic cutting of sheet material by means of blades, includes a plurality of bristles arranged in the same single line, at least some of the bristles each having a base rigidly connected to a bearing plate intended to be mounted on a support, a head opposite the base on which a sheet material to be cut is intended to rest, and a stem connecting the head to the base, the largest cross-section of which is strictly included in the largest cross-section of the head, the bearing plate comprising, on each of its side surfaces, a plurality of transverse channels for the passage of suction air providing communication between an upper surface of the bearing plate from which the bristles extend and an inner surface opposite the upper surface.

Abstract: A method for placing pieces intended to be cut automatically from a fabric having a pattern that repeats at a predetermined pitch, called pattern pitch, involves the steps of determining a list of pieces to be placed on the fabric, for at least one piece of the placement, calculating a contour to be placed around the piece, the contour having a variable margin in order to avoid an overlap between adjacent pieces, the margin being a function of a predefined rate of variation of the fabric and of at least one predetermined constraint of placement of the piece on the fabric, and developing a theoretical placement of the pieces on the fabric taking into account the contour to be placed of each piece.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining components of a mechanical action torsor at the guiding point of a cutting blade (L) for a cutting machine, the blade being guided in a presser foot (P) of a cutting head of the machine, the method comprising the positioning of a five-component dynamometer on the presser foot, the dynamometer comprising a plurality of sensors for determining a frontal force, a lateral force, a rolling moment, a pitching moment and a yawing moment of the cutting blade, the establishment of a calibration matrix of the dynamometer, and the determination of the forces in three dimensions to which the cutting blade is subjected, on the basis of the measurements obtained by the sensors and the calibration matrix.

Abstract: A method and system for automatic cutting of defective parts in a fabric with a pattern repeating at a certain pitch, includes the steps of producing a theoretical layout of parts to be cut on a theoretical representation of the fabric whilst respecting layout constraints, spreading out at least one layer of fabric on a cutting table, checking at least one portion of the spread-out fabric to ascertain actual features, modifying the theoretical layout in order to generate an actual layout taking into account the actual features of the fabric, identifying in the actual layout, defective parts which will contain defects once cut in the fabric and which will need to be cut again, and automatically allocating each defective part to a new theoretical layout by adjusting the layout constraints associated with the defective parts according to the actual layout.

Abstract: A method for determining a dimension between the back and the cutting edge of a vibrating blade mounted on a cutting head includes successively of acquiring a digital image of the blade mounted on the cutting tool so a line corresponding to a cutting edge of the blade and a line corresponding to a back of the blade are visible in the image, determining on the digital image along a straight line perpendicular to the line corresponding to the cutting edge of the blade the pixels comprised between the line corresponding to the cutting edge of the blade and the line corresponding to the back of the blade, and calculating a filtered dimension between the back and the cutting edge of the blade from the number of pixels comprised between the line corresponding to the cutting edge of the blade and the line corresponding to the back of the blade.

Abstract: A method of partitioning involves a predetermined layout of parts that are to be cut out from a sheet of flexible material by moving at least one cutter tool along two directions in at least two distinct and determined cutting windows along which the material is advanced in succession. Starting from a predetermined layout of the parts in the material, the method comprises: automatically creating mutually distinct groups of parts by allocating each part to a single group of parts as a function of its geometrical position, each group of parts being associated, for cutting out, with a single cutter tool and with a single cutting window; and applying spacings between the various groups of parts.

Abstract: A method is provided for automatically modifying the cutting paths for parts to be cut out from a flexible material by automatically moving a cutter tool along predetermined cutting paths. The cutting paths are associated with each part being defined by a succession of cutting segments forming a polygon. Two cutting segments are identified and belonging to two different parts for cutting out in the material and for which a maximum distance condition between these cutting segments is satisfied. Two cutting segments are verified for being situated facing each other, and that no other cutting segments lie between the two cutting segments. A common cutting path for the two cutting segments is computed, and a common cutting path is connected to the cutting paths of the two parts for cutting out to obtain modified cutting paths for the two parts for cutting out.

Abstract: The invention provides a flattening method for flattening the edges of a swatch of flexible material from which pieces are to be cut out. The method comprises: establishing a digital representation of at least a portion of an outline (HC) of the swatch of flexible material (H); establishing a specific flattening direction (Di, Dj) and distance (Vi, Vj) for each of the points (Pi, Pj) of the scanned portion of the outline of the swatch; and for each selected point of the scanned portion of the outline of the swatch, using a presser foot of a cutter tool, to flatten the edges of the swatch along the specific flattening direction and distance established for said point, and along a flattening direction going from within the swatch towards its edges.

Abstract: The invention relates to a machine for automatically cutting sheet material, the machine comprising a bench having a cutting zone, a cutter head mounted on means for moving it relative to the bundle, a cutter conveyor housed inside a box placed under the cutting zone, and means for establishing suction in the box, the box bulging outwards at least in its bottom portion that is remote from the cutting zone.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for managing active safety for an automatically operating machine comprising a work surface and a work tool displaced according to a pre-established work program. The method consists of dividing (100) the work surface into several zones and, during the work program cycle and in response to detection (200) of an operator's intrusion into a first zone when the tool is active in a second zone, also consists of carrying out at least one of the following actions: keeping (210) the tool's programmed displacement at the normal speed if the tool's displacement is programmed in a zone not adjacent to the first one, keeping (220) the tool's programmed displacement at reduced speed if the tool's displacement is programmed in a zone adjacent to the first one and modifying (230) the work program if the tool's displacement is programmed in the first zone so that the tool's work can be continued in a zone other than the first one.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for managing active safety for an automatically operating machine comprising a work surface and a work tool displaced according to a pre-established work program. The method consists of dividing (100) the work surface into several zones and, during the work program cycle and in response to detection (200) of an operator's intrusion into a first zone when the tool is active in a second zone, also consists of carrying out at least one of the following actions: keeping (210) the tool's programmed displacement at the normal speed if the tool's displacement is programmed in a zone not adjacent to the first one, keeping (220) the tool's programmed displacement at reduced speed if the tool's displacement is programmed in a zone adjacent to the first one and modifying (230) the work program if the tool's displacement is programmed in the first zone so that the tool's work can be continued in a zone other than the first one.

Abstract: For an article of a given type, in particular a garment, a grading mask is used that has images of the pieces of a reference article, geometrical grading regions, each of which contains one or more characteristic points of a piece of the reference article, and grading formulae associated with respective ones of the various regions, each grading formula making it possible, in the associated grading region, and as a function of the variation in one or more magnitudes of a scale of measurements, or of a predetermined increment value, to determine a displacement to be applied to each characteristic point contained in said region for going from the base size to another size.