Patent ID: 10029379

Abstract:
Disclosed herein is a method for transforming cutting data for configuring a cutting machine for a cutting process. The method comprises a computing device: obtaining first cutting data that comprises patterns and an associated multiplicity of each pattern, wherein the multiplicity of a pattern is the number of times the pattern is repeatedly used in a cutting process; and transforming the first cutting data into second cutting data, wherein the number of patterns comprised by the second cutting data is less than the number of patterns comprised by the first cutting data; wherein each pattern comprises a plurality of items and the widths of the items in a pattern define knife positions of a cutting machine during a cutting process; and transforming the first cutting data into second cutting data comprises the steps of: determining a subset of patterns; searching for a new seed pattern, wherein the new seed pattern comprises items within the subset of patterns and the new seed pattern has a larger multiplicity than at least one of the patterns in the subset of patterns; searching, in response to finding a new seed pattern, for a plurality of further patterns comprising all of the items of the subset other than those used by the new seed pattern such that said new seed pattern and said further patterns consist of all of the items of the subset of patterns and the total number of patterns comprised by said new seed pattern and said further patterns is less than the total number of patterns in the subset of patterns; and generating second cutting data that comprises said new seed pattern and said further patterns as well as the patterns that were not included in the subset of patterns. Advantageously, applying the transformation according to embodiments reduces the number of patterns in the cutting data and thereby increases the efficiency of a cutting operation.