Patent Description:
Manufacturing apparel and footwear generally involves cutting a piece or a patch of pliable material from a larger piece of source material. For instance, the upper of a shoe being manufactured may be cut from a sheet, panel or roll of source material such as a sheet of leather, a roll of a textile, or any suitable polymer material.

It is well known in the art to use laser cutting methods and systems for that purpose. After cutting, the cut pieces or patches can then be further processed, e.g. be applied to the surface of a respective piece of apparel or footwear being manufactured either by hand, or by using a mechanical gripper configured to pick up the pieces or patches individually and position them in place on the piece of apparel or footwear.

In this context the prior art documents <CIT> and <CIT>, both describe mechanical grippers that can be used to attach components such as patches of a pliable material to shoe uppers during shoe manufacturing.

Further, prior art document <CIT> describes a laser trimming system for pliable items that comprises a vacuum suction device to retain the pliable item during trimming in an extended fashion on a retaining surface.

<CIT> discloses a method of fabricating pattern composite fabric pieces by an automatic pattern fabric article piece processing machine.

<CIT> discloses a method for the manufacture of sporting goods, in particular shoes.

However, the conventional manufacturing methods and systems known from the prior art have various deficiencies. For instance, the cutting systems known from the prior art may be bulky and / or inadequately integrated into the overall, in many cases, fully automated manufacturing process. As a consequence, the resulting apparel or footwear manufacturing process may be slow, expensive, and / or prone to errors, in particular, when highly customized pieces of apparel or footwear are desired. In the same manner, the corresponding conventional systems used for apparel or footwear manufacturing may be complex to deploy and operate as well as unreliable, difficult to reconfigure and / or inefficient.

It is therefore a problem underlying the present invention to improve the manufacture of apparel and footwear so that the above outlined disadvantages of the prior art are at least partly overcome.

The above-mentioned problem is at least partly solved by the subject matter of the independent claims of the present application. Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in the depended claims.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a piece of apparel, in particular a shoe, comprising cutting at least one patch from a panel or roll of source material with a cutting means, receiving the at least one cut patch by an automated gripping means after cutting, wherein the cutting means and the automated gripping means are arranged on opposite sides of the panel or roll of source material during cutting and translating, by the automated gripping means, the at least one cut patch to a further processing station after cutting, wherein the further processing station is configured to carry out assembly of the piece of apparel; and wherein the automated gripping means comprise a moveable gripping head attached to a robotic actuator.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a system for manufacturing a piece of apparel, preferably a shoe, comprising cutting means adapted to cut at least one patch from a panel or roll of source material, automated gripping means adapted to receive the at least one cut patch after cutting, wherein the cutting means and the automated gripping means are adapted to be arranged on opposite sides of the panel or roll of source material during cutting and wherein the automated gripping means is adapted to translate the at least one cut patch to a further processing station after cutting, wherein the further processing station is configured to carry out assembly of the piece of apparel; and wherein the automated gripping means comprise a moveable gripping head attached to a robotic actuator.

For instance, the cutting means may comprise a laser cutter, a water jet cutter and / or a mechanical cutter. Further, the automated gripping means may comprise a vacuum gripper, an electrostatic gripper, a needle gripper and / or an adhesion gripper.

The above described embodiments of the present invention significantly enhance the efficiency and speed of the respective apparel or footwear manufacturing process using said embodiments. In addition, manufacturing systems or plants using said embodiments may exhibit a larger degree of system integration which results in less stringent space and energy requirements for installing and operating such manufacturing systems or plants. For instance, by arranging the cutting means and the automated gripping means on opposite sides of the panel or roll of source material during cutting, the cutting means can be operated essentially unaffected by the presence and / or the operation of the automated gripping means. In addition, the present invention allows to determine the position of the at least one cut patch relative to the automated gripping means without requiring complex and expensive machine vision equipment. Moreover, the automated gripping means that transports the patches being cut may also be used as the cutting surface when the patches are being cut, e.g. laser cut.

Further, the step of receiving the at least one cut patch by the automated gripping means may comprises attaching the at least one cut patch to a surface of the automated gripping means, preferably via a suction force, an electrostatic force and / or an adhesion force.

Similarly, the automated gripping means may be adapted to attach the at least one patch to a surface of the automated gripping means, preferably via a suction force, an electrostatic force and / or an adhesion force.

In this manner, it can be ensured that the orientation and shape of the cut patch can essentially be maintained while receiving the cut patch and / or while transporting the cut patch to the target location.

Some embodiments of the present invention may further comprise contacting the panel or roll of source material with a surface of the automated gripping means at least partially during cutting.

Similarly, a surface of the automated gripping means may be adapted to be attached to a surface of the panel or roll of source material during cutting.

In this manner, the automated cutting means may assist in the cutting process. For instance, if a laser cutter is used, the surface of the automated gripping means may function as a heat sink and / or as a beam dump receiving a fraction of the heat generated by the laser cutting process or a fraction of the laser beam energy that is not absorbed by the panel or roll of source material during the cutting process.

Some embodiments of the present invention may further comprise maintaining the panel or roll of source material in an essentially flat configuration during cutting.

For instance, the automated gripping means may be adapted to maintain the panel or roll of source material in an essentially flat configuration during cutting.

Moreover, some embodiments may comprise additional or alternative means for maintaining the panel or roll of source material in an essential flat configuration during cutting. For instance, such means for maintaining the panel or roll of source material in an essentially flat configuration may comprises a clamping frame allowing access to both sides of the panel or roll of source material.

In this manner, the precision and reproducibility of the cutting process can be enhanced, in particular, when the panel or roll of source material may exhibit folds and / or warps if not properly flattened.

In some embodiments, the clamping frame may comprise a top and a bottom portion adapted to clamp the panel or roll of source material during cutting, preferably via exerting a magnetic force between each other.

In this manner, the source material can quickly and easily be exchanged after cutting of each patch or each batch of multiple patches. For instance, if the embodiments of the present invention are used for highly customized shoe manufacturing, it may be necessary to frequently change the type (e.g. color, texture, material thickness etc.) of source material depending on individual customer preferences.

Further, some embodiments may comprise the step of determining the location of at least one cut hole in the panel of source material relative to the clamping frame corresponding to the at least one cut patch.

Similarly, some embodiments may comprise means for determining the location of at least one cut hole in the panel of source material relative to the clamping frame corresponding to the at least one cut patch.

For instance, such means may be integrated in the clamping frame discussed above. Additionally or alternatively, such means may be implemented on the level of the control electronics and / or the control software of the cutting means.

In this manner material waste can be reduced. For instance, the system is thereby enabled to determine which parts of the panel of source material inside the clamping frame have already been cut and which parts can still be used for cutting further patches in a further iteration of the manufacturing process.

Further, in some embodiments, the step of cutting the at least one patch from the panel or roll of source material may comprise cutting at least two patches, preferably comprising a different shape, before translating the at least two patches to the target location. For instance, in shoe manufacturing, a first patch may be the shoe upper or a part of the shoe upper and a second patch may be a structural or an aesthetic element that may be attached to the outer surface of the shoe upper during manufacturing of the shoe.

In this manner, the speed and efficiency of the apparel or footwear manufacturing process may be further increased. For instance, the cutting means may first cut all components required for the assembly of a piece of apparel or footwear before the automated gripping means transports the cut components to the target location, e.g. to a further processing station that is configured to carry out the assembly of the piece of apparel or footwear.

Further, in some embodiments, the patch may be a first component of the piece of apparel and the provided method may further comprise a step of attaching the at least one cut patch, preferably with the automated gripping means, to a second component of the piece of apparel being manufactured.

Similarly, the automated gripping means may further be adapted to attach the at least one patch to the piece of apparel or a component of the piece of apparel being manufactured. Moreover, the automated gripping means may also be adapted to rotate the at least one patch in space after cutting.

In this manner, the degree of system integration and thereby the versatility of the provided manufacturing systems and processes can be further enhanced. For instance, the automated gripping means may be configured to receive the cut patch, translate and / or orientate the cut patch in space and then directly attach it to the piece of apparel, such as a shoe upper, which may be supplied by a separate conveyor mechanism at the target location.

Some embodiments of the present invention may further comprise a step of at least partially melting a surface of the at least one cut patch
Alternatively or additionally, the present invention may further comprise a step of applying an adhesive, a dye and / or a coating to the at least one cut patch.

Similarly, the systems provided by embodiments of the present invention may comprise means for applying an adhesive, a dye and / or a coating to the at least one patch and / or heating means for at least partially melting a surface of the at least one patch.

In this manner, the present invention facilitates a fast and cost-efficient assembly of the piece of apparel or footwear being manufactured. For instance, the cut patch can directly be fixed to the piece of apparel by the automated gripping means by just pressing the cut patch onto the piece of apparel or footwear. The surface of the cut patch which has been melted and / or provided with an adhesive then ensures a proper bonding between the cut patch and the piece of apparel or footwear to which the cut patch is pressed onto.

Further, in some embodiments, the step of cutting the at least one patch from the panel or roll of source material may comprise controlling a cutting head of the cutting means such as to provide the at least one patch with a pre-programmed shape.

Similarly, the cutting means may comprise a controllable cutting head adapted to provide the at least one patch with a pre-programmed shape during cutting.

For instance, such a controllable cutting head may comprise a controllable translation stage and / or controllable beam steering optics.

In this manner, the present invention enables that any desired shape of patch can be cut by the cutting means and then further processed by the automated gripping means. For instance, the methods and systems provided by the present invention may be used for manufacturing customized pieces of apparel and footwear comprising customized design elements whose shape can be pre-programmed according to individual customer preferences.

Further, the cutting means and the automated gripping means may be arranged, or adapted to be arranged, on opposite sides of the panel or roll of source material during the step of cutting the at least one patch from the panel or roll of source material and during the step of receiving the cut patch.

In some embodiments of the present invention the automated gripping means may comprises a moveable gripping head adapted to be moved with respect to a cutting position in a direction essentially parallel to the panel or roll of source material.

In this manner, transporting the cut patch to the target location can be even faster and more efficient.

According to the claimed invention, the automated gripping means comprises a moveable gripping head that is attached to a robotic actuator, preferably having six, preferably independent, actuation axes.

In this manner, the versatility and reconfigurability of the systems and methods provided by the present invention can be further enhanced. For instance, using such a robotic actuator may allow to arbitrarily orient the at least one cut patch while transporting and /or while attaching it to a piece of apparel or footwear being manufactured. Moreover, such a robotic actuator may also allow to use different target locations (e.g. a dyeing station, a heating station, an assembly station etc.) to which the at least one cut patch is being transported after cutting.

Aspects of the present invention are described in more detail in the following by reference to the accompanying figures. These figures show:.

In the following, some exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail, with reference to processes and systems usable during apparel and shoe manufacturing. While specific feature combinations are described in the following with respect to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to such embodiments. In other words, not all features have to be present for realizing the invention, and the embodiments may be modified by combining certain features of one embodiment with one or more features of another embodiment.

<FIG> depicts a diagram illustrating a method and system <NUM> for apparel and footwear manufacturing according to an embodiment of the present invention. A panel of source material <NUM> is provided in an essentially flat configuration. The source material may comprise any pliable material suitable for apparel and footwear manufacturing such as leather, a textile, a non-woven, a polymer foil or film, etc. The source material may also be provided from a roll of material.

A cutting head <NUM>, such as a laser cutting head, a water jet cutting head or a mechanical cutting head is arranged on one side of the panel of source material <NUM> (e.g. above the panel). The cutting head <NUM> may be adapted to be moved with respect to the panel of source material <NUM>. For instance, the cutting head <NUM> may be adapted to be moved along arbitrary, pre-programmed trajectories in a plane parallel to the panel of source material <NUM>. Alternatively or additionally, the cutting head <NUM> may be tilted.

The cutting head <NUM> may be configured to emit a laser beam <NUM> or a water jet <NUM> in direction of the source material <NUM> to cut a patch of material from the panel of source material <NUM>. The shape of said patch that is being cut from the panel of source material <NUM> can essentially arbitrarily be adjusted by controlling the trajectory of the cutting head <NUM> during cutting, e.g. during the time period the cutting head <NUM> is emitting the laser beam or water jet <NUM>. For instance, the cutting head <NUM> may be mounted onto or may comprise a controllable translation stage having two independent actuation axes. In other embodiments, also the distance between the cutting head <NUM> and the surface panel of source material <NUM> (i.e. the height) may be adjustable.

In some embodiments, the cutting head <NUM> may further comprise beam steering optics for the laser beam <NUM> that may be configured to control the location and / or the size of the laser beam <NUM> incident on the panel or roll of source material <NUM>. In addition, the cutting head <NUM> may further comprise means for controlling the output power and / or pulse energy of the cutting laser beam <NUM>.

On the other side of the panel of source material <NUM> (e.g. below the panel) an automated gripper <NUM>, such as a vacuum gripper, an adhesion gripper and / or an electrostatic gripper may be arranged. The automated gripper <NUM> may comprise a metal (e.g. steel, aluminum, etc.) plate with air holes <NUM> through which air is sucked in to provide the automated gripper <NUM> with a gripping mechanism, e.g. a suction force. Such plate may not need to be a sperate component of the gripper <NUM> but it or it's functionality may also be integrated into the gripper <NUM>. To generate the suction force conventional vacuum generation such as a vacuum pump can be used. The metal plate of the automated gripper <NUM> can have a laser resistant surface finish (e.g. aluminum, anodized aluminum etc.) which cannot be cut using a cutting laser such as a CO<NUM> laser.

The automated vacuum gripper <NUM> may be configured to receive the patch of pliable material cut from the panel <NUM> of source material. For instance, the top surface of the automated gripper <NUM> may be attached to the panel <NUM> during the cutting procedure. For instance, due to the suction force applied via the air holes <NUM> the bottom surface of the panel <NUM> may be maintained in an essential flat configuration during cutting. After cutting is completed, e.g. after the cutting head <NUM> and /or the cutting point has completed the pre-programmed trajectory associated with the shape of the patch being cut from the panel or roll of source material <NUM>, the automated gripper <NUM> can be translated to a target location where the cut patch or the cut patches are being processed further. While the remainder of the panel of source material <NUM> stays at the same position as during cutting of the patch, the cut patch will remain attached to the top surface of the automated gripper <NUM> and thus will be transported to the target position.

<FIG> shows a diagram illustrating a method and system comprising a robotic actuator <NUM> usable in apparel and footwear manufacturing according to an embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated cutting system <NUM> may comprise a cabinet construction <NUM>. The cutting head <NUM> is positioned at the top of the cabinet <NUM> in order to cut from above. There may be a receiving slot <NUM> about halfway down the cabinet <NUM> that can receive the panel or roll of source material <NUM> to be cut. The lower part of the cabinet <NUM> is open to allow the robotic actuator <NUM> to move in and out with the automated gripper (not shown; see <FIG>).

As described above with respect to <FIG> the vacuum gripper can be attached to the bottom surface of the panel or roll of source material <NUM> while the cutting head <NUM> is moved along a trajectory that corresponds to the shape of the patch of pliable material being cut, e.g. via laser beam <NUM> such as a continuous CO<NUM> laser or a pulsed laser such as a femtosecond fiber laser.

In some embodiments, the source material <NUM> may be clamped inside a clamping device such as a clamping frame (see <FIG>) that may be configured to maintain the panel or roll of source material <NUM> in an essentially flat configuration prior to cutting, during cutting and / or after cutting is completed.

A user or a second robot (not shown) can insert the clamped panel of source material <NUM> into the horizontal slot <NUM> in the cabinet <NUM>, so that the cutting head <NUM> (e.g. the laser source or water jet source) is arranged above the clamped panel <NUM>. Of course, any other relative orientation of cutting head <NUM>, clamped panel <NUM> and automated gripper is also possible as long as the cutting head <NUM> and the automated gripper are arranged on opposite sides of the clamped panel of source material <NUM>. The robotic actuator <NUM> which is configured on one end with the automated gripper described above with reference to <FIG> extends into lower part of the cutting system <NUM>, i.e. below the slot <NUM> for the panel or roll of source material <NUM>.

The robotic actuator <NUM> can move with six degrees of freedom to manipulate the automated gripper with maximum movement freedom. In other embodiments, it may be also possible to use a much simpler robotic actuator or even a simple translation device that simply moves back and forth in a direction parallel to the surface of the panel of source material <NUM> such as to move the automated gripper into the cabinet <NUM>, under the panel <NUM> and back out again.

The illustrated configuration provides a plurality of advantages. For instance, the cut patch or patches may effectively land on the automated gripper instead of needing to be picked up. Additionally, the automated gripper is not limited to picking up one patch at a time. Instead a plurality of patches can be cut in a short time by the cutting head <NUM> and picked up at the same time by the automated gripper. These patches can then also be placed simultaneously on the piece of apparel or footwear being manufactured. As a consequence, the time saved in picking up and placing multiple patches may be substantial. In addition, the cutting design (e.g. the shape of the patches being cut) can be created to match the final placement of the patches relative to each other. Therefore, the positioning of the patches is easier than positioning each patch independently. The relative placement of the patches can already be determined during cutting. As discussed above, this may be done by the cutting system <NUM> without requiring any additional vision system and / or machine vision equipment.

The cutting system <NUM> may further comprise heating means such as an infrared (IR) or hot air heat source at the entrance to the lower opening in the cabinet <NUM> so that as the robotic actuator <NUM> removes the cut patches, a hot melt on the top surface of the patches may be activated so that the patches can be immediately applied and attached to a piece of apparel or footwear being manufactured. Additionally or alternatively, the cutting system <NUM> may also comprise means for applying a dye and / or an adhesive (e.g. glue sprayers) to the upper surface of the patches after cutting.

<FIG> shows a diagram illustrating a clamping frame <NUM> usable in apparel and footwear manufacturing according to an embodiment of the present invention. For instance, the clamping frame <NUM> may be used to clamp a panel of source material <NUM> inside the clamping frame <NUM>. Such a clamping frame <NUM> may also be configured to be inserted into the cutting system <NUM> described above with referenced to <FIG>. The clamping frame <NUM> may be adapted to maintain the panel of source material <NUM> in an essential flat configuration, specifically during cutting of the patches by the cutting head. In other words, the clamping frame may be used to clamp the panel of source material in position so that it does not move during the cutting.

The clamping frame <NUM> may comprise two halves <NUM> and <NUM>. A first half <NUM> may be equipped with magnets in the outside of the frame. The other half <NUM> may be a metal frame that is attracted to the magnets arranged in the opposite half <NUM>. The frame halves <NUM> and <NUM> both have openings in the center so that the clamped panel of source material <NUM> may be exposed on both sides. One of the halves <NUM> may further comprise a handle or gripping site <NUM> that may be configured to be gripped by the operator or a robotic actuator that is configured to insert the clamping frame <NUM> into the cutting system <NUM> described above with reference to <FIG>.

An example of the insertion process of the clamping frame <NUM> into the cutting system <NUM> is illustrated in <FIG>.

<FIG> shows a diagram illustrating operational details of a method and system <NUM> for apparel and footwear manufacturing according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, it is shown how a cutting laser beam <NUM> (or water jet) is moved along a pre-programmed trajectory <NUM> on a top surface of a panel or roll of source material <NUM> in order to cut a patch <NUM> of pliable material from the panel or roll of source material <NUM>. As discussed above with reference to <FIG>, the panel of source material <NUM> may be clamped or attached to a clamping frame <NUM> that may be configured to maintain the panel or roll of source material <NUM> in an essentially flat configuration during cutting. For instance, the clamping frame <NUM> may be adapted to ensure that the panel or roll of source material <NUM> comprises essentially no folds or creases or warps, in particular during cutting. Moreover, such a clamping frame <NUM> can also ensure that the panel or roll of source material <NUM> is not stretched during cutting. Thereby it can be avoided that the resulting patch or patches would return to an un-tensioned state after cutting and thus exhibit a wrong (e.g. too small) size.

While the patch <NUM> is being cut from the potentially clamped panel of source material <NUM> an automated gripper <NUM> such as a vacuum gripper, an electrostatic gripper or an adhesion gripper can be arranged below the panel of source material <NUM> and / or the clamping frame <NUM>. The automated gripper <NUM> can also be connected to a robotic actuator <NUM> that holds the automated gripper <NUM> in place during cutting of the patch <NUM>. In some embodiments the upper surface of the automated gripper <NUM> may be directly attached to the lower surface of the panel of source material <NUM> during cutting. Alternatively, there may also be some distance between both surfaces.

After the patch <NUM> is cut the robotic actuator <NUM> can transport the patch <NUM> to a target location where the patch <NUM> can then further be processed. For instance, at the target location, the cut patch <NUM> can be dyed, melted, combined with other components etc. Additionally, the robotic actuator <NUM> may also be configured to attach the cut patch <NUM> to other components (not shown) of the piece of apparel or footwear being manufactured. It is also possible that the laser beam <NUM> first cuts more than one patch from the panel of source material <NUM> before the robotic actuator <NUM> transports the plurality of cut patches <NUM> to one or several target locations for further processing.

<FIG> shows a further diagram illustrating operational details of a method and system for apparel and footwear manufacturing according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the panel of source material <NUM> is hold in place by a clamping frame <NUM>. A gripper <NUM> can be arranged on one side of the panel of source material <NUM> (e.g. below the panel <NUM>) and a laser cutting means <NUM> can be arranged on the opposite side of the panel of source material <NUM> (e.g. above the panel <NUM>). In the depicted embodiment the system is configured to cut more than one patch <NUM> from a single panel of source material <NUM> hold in place by the clamping frame <NUM>. In some embodiments the spatial arrangement of the cut patches <NUM> during cutting corresponds to the desired arrangement of the cut patches on the piece of apparel (e.g. a shoe upper) to be manufactured. Said spatial arrangement is maintained while transporting the cut patches to the target location for further processing (e.g. for attaching the cut patches to the piece of apparel being manufactured) via the gripper <NUM>.

The system of <FIG> may further comprise means for determining the location of the cut holes <NUM> inside the panel of source material <NUM> with respect to the clamping frame <NUM>. In this way, the system can determine unused portions of the panel of source material <NUM> that may be used to cut further patches in a subsequent iteration of the cutting procedure. For instance, the clamping frame may comprise sensor devices that allow to determine the location of the cut holes <NUM>. Moreover, the control electronics and / or control software for the laser cutter <NUM> may be configured to determine the location of the cut holes <NUM>.

Claim 1:
Method for manufacturing a piece of apparel, in particular a shoe, comprising:
a. cutting, by a cutting means (<NUM>), at least one patch (<NUM>) from a panel or roll of source material;
b. receiving, by an automated gripping means (<NUM>), the at least one cut patch (<NUM>) after cutting;
c. wherein the cutting means (<NUM>) and the automated gripping means (<NUM>) are arranged on opposite sides of the panel or roll of source material during cutting;
d. translating, by the automated gripping means (<NUM>), the at least one cut patch (<NUM>) to a further processing station after cutting, wherein the further processing station is configured to carry out assembly of the piece of apparel; and
e. wherein the automated gripping means (<NUM>) comprise a moveable gripping head attached to a robotic actuator.