SYSTEM FOR CUTTING OF CUTTING STOCK

Abstract

The invention relates to a system made of an electronic display device having a display screen for displaying augmented reality, an electronic memory, and a cutting device for cutting planar cutting stock, e.g., paperboard, corrugated cardboard, film, textile, plastic, foam, or wooden slabs or sheets. The system has a computer unit for computing a position and alignment of the display device in relation to the cutting device. The display device is designed to be worn by a user and positioned in the field of vision of the user. The system is designed to display to the user retrieved cutting-stock-related information by means of the display screen in a manner readable by the user in the field of vision of the user, adapted to the position and alignment of the display device in relation to the cutting device, and linked to an actual and/or setpoint position of the cutting stock.

Claims

1. A system made of an electronic mobile display device having a display screen for displaying augmented reality, an electronic memory, and a cutting device for cutting of cutting stock, in particular substantially planar cutting stock such as slabs of sheets of paper, paperboard, corrugated cardboard, film, leather, textile, plastic, foam, or wood, wherein the cutting device has a cutting table for depositing cutting stock to be cut and a cutting tool, which is arranged above the cutting table, is displaceable within a cutting region in parallel to the cutting table, and by means of which cutting stock to be cut, which is deposited on the cutting table, can be processed by cutting in the cutting region, the memory is designed to store cutting-stock-related information, which is retrievable by means of a data connection from the display device, the system has a computer unit for computing a position and alignment of the display device in relation to the cutting device, in particular in relation to the cutting table, the display device is designed to be worn by a user and positioned in the field of vision of the user, whereby the system is designed to display to the user retrieved cutting-stock-related information by means of the display screen in a manner readable by the user in the field of vision of the user, adapted to the position and alignment of the display device in relation to the cutting device, and linked to an actual and/or setpoint position of the cutting stock.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display device is designed as augmented reality spectacles or a head cover, in particular a helmet, having heads-up display.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the cutting-stock-related information is related to one or more contours to be cut, and/or one or more identifiers of the cutting stock, and/or one or more registration marks for positioning the cutting tool, and/or one or more actual or setpoint positions and/or actual or setpoint alignments of the cutting stock or parts thereof, in particular for the purpose of manual placement of the cutting stock on the cutting table before the cutting by the user, and/or a categorization of cut parts, in particular for the purpose of manual sorting, and/or quality zones of the cutting stock.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is designed to display at least a part of the cutting-stock-related items of information as a graphic, in particular wherein the graphic is displayable at least partially overlaid on the cutting stock in a position-specific manner.

5. The system according to claim 4, which refers to claim 3, wherein the system is designed for the graphic identification of quality zones, in particular by means of graphics having different colors or patterns, and/or contours to be cut, in particular by means of lines, and/or sorting categories, in particular by means of different colors and/or different text and/or different symbols.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the system is designed such that the display of the graphic identifier is performed adapted to the position and alignment of the display device in relation to the cutting device such that in the field of vision of the user, the graphic identifier is displayed overlaid on the respective region of the cutting stock precisely and in a dimensionally-accurate manner, in particular also progressively upon possible change of the position and alignment of the display device in relation to the cutting device.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is designed for user guiding by means of the display screen on the basis of the cutting-stock-related items of information, in particular for guiding the user during the placement of cutting stock on the cutting table and/or sorting cut parts, in particular wherein the user guiding is performed by means of graphic symbols.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system has a camera for recording images, in particular live images, wherein the camera is arranged on the display device or in a fixed spatial relationship in relation to the cutting device.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the computer unit is designed to determine position and alignment of the display device in relation to the cutting device on the basis of at least one image recorded by the camera of at least one part of the cutting device and/or the display device used as a position reference, in particular wherein, for the case in which the camera is arranged on the display device, the cutting device has optical markings especially for this purpose, which are used as the position reference and/or the determination is performed progressively on the basis of progressively recorded images and/or the determination is performed by means of resection.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the system is designed to automatically, on the basis of one or more recorded images of the cutting stock by means of image processing carry out a registration of the respective cutting stock to be cut, in particular on the basis of a barcode or a serial number, and/or carry out a recognition of the cutting stock type and/or the cutting stock material of the cutting stock to be cut, in particular on the basis of a color, structure, and/or surface composition of the cutting stock, and/or carry out a determination of the actual position of the deposited cutting stock on the cutting table, which is used for positioning the cutting tool, and/or carry out a recognition of quality zones of the cutting stock, in particular wherein subsequently cutting-stock-related information, which is specific for the cutting stock to be cut, is displayed to the user on the basis of the data thus obtained.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system comprises a sensor unit and the system is designed to compute a position and alignment of the display device in relation to the cutting device on the basis of measurement data of the sensor unit, in particular wherein the sensor unit has an inertial measurement unit, in particular having an acceleration sensor and/or a gyroscope, and/or a depth sensor and/or a distance meter and/or a compass.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is designed for control of the cutting device by the user by means of the display device, in particular by means of gesture control if a display device having camera is provided.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the cutting table comprises a conveyor belt and the cutting device has a drive for driving the conveyor belt, by means of which the cutting stock to be cut, which rests on the cutting table, is transportable in an in particular substantially horizontal direction on the cutting device, in particular into and/or out of the cutting region.

14. The method for cutting processing of cutting stock, in particular substantially planar cutting stock such as slabs or sheets of paper, paperboard, corrugated cardboard, film, leather, textile, plastic, foam, or wood, using a cutting device, wherein the cutting device has a cutting table for depositing cutting stock to be cut and a cutting tool, which is arranged above the cutting table, is displaceable within a cutting region in parallel to the cutting table, and by means of which cutting stock to be cut, which is deposited on the cutting table, can be processed by cutting in the cutting region, wherein in the scope of the method, by means of a display screen of an augmented reality display device, which is designed to be worn by a user, cutting-stock-related information is displayed to a user in a manner readable by the user in the field of vision of the user, adapted to the position and alignment of the display device in relation to the cutting device, and linked to an actual and/or setpoint position of the cutting stock.

15. A computer program product having program code, which is stored on a machine-readable carrier, for controlling and/or carrying out the method according to claim 14, in particular when the program is executed on an electronic data processing unit designed as a control unit of a system according to claim 1.

Description

[0033] The device according to the invention will be described in greater detail hereafter solely by way of example on the basis of specific exemplary embodiments which are schematically illustrated in the drawings.

[0034] In the specific figures:

[0035] FIG. 1 shows an oblique view of a cutting device of the prior art;

[0036] FIG. 2 shows a schematic oblique view of a system according to the invention;

[0037] FIGS. 3a-c show examples of a display of cutting-stock-related information in conjunction with a setpoint position of the cutting stock;

[0038] FIG. 4 shows a further example of a display of cutting-stock-related information;

[0039] FIG. 5 shows a further example of a display of cutting-stock-related information; and

[0040] FIG. 6 shows a last example of a display of cutting-stock-related information.

[0041] FIG. 1 shows a cutting device 2 of the prior art for cutting planar cutting stock, in particular paper, paperboard, corrugated cardboard, film, textile, plastic, foam, or wooden slabs or sheets, in an oblique view. The device 2 is divided into a cutting table 20, which has a conveyor belt in the example and on which three leather hides rest as cutting stock 4 in the exemplary embodiment shown, and a cutting tool 21 on a guide rail 23. By means of a control unit 54, at least the drives of a cutting head, on which the cutting tool 21 is arranged, for displacing the cutting head, and optionally a drive for driving the conveyor belt can be activated. In the example, the device additionally has a checking means 53, using which a deposited cutting stock 4 to be cut can be optically analyzed, for example, to determine various quality zones of the leather hide, which are then taken into consideration in a targeted manner for the cutting procedure, by selecting an arrangement, which is optimized with respect to the existing quality regions, of the cutting parts to be cut on the leather hides.

[0042] The cutting tool 21 is arranged above the cutting table and above the resting cutting stock 4, and is displaceable within a cutting region 22 in parallel to the cutting table 21, i.e., substantially horizontally, along two horizontal axes perpendicular to one another. The cutting tool 21 is preferably also vertically displaceable, to engage it with the cutting stock 4—optionally at different engagement depths. By means of the cutting tool 21, cutting stock 4 to be cut (in the image the leather hide located on the top right) which is deposited on the cutting table can be cut in the cutting region 22 into individual cut pieces 5. The contours of the cut pieces 5 are stored in this case in a memory of the device 2, for example, as part of the control unit 54, and form the foundation for a cutting plan. The horizontal movement of the cutting tool 4 then occurs depending on the cutting plan, i.e., the arrangement of the contours on the respective cutting stock 4. If the cutting stock 4 is placed on the cutting table 20, it assumes a defined position and alignment in relation to the cutting table 20 and/or to the cutting device. In order that the cutting occurs at the correct points of the cutting stock 4, this placement either has to be performed on a setpoint position or the actual position of the cutting stock 4 in relation to the cutting table 20 has to be ascertained before the cutting, for example, by optical detection. In other words, for a correct cut, the initial position relationship between cutting stock 4 and cutting device has to be established.

[0043] In the front region of the figure, cutting stock 4 is shown, which has been completely cut into individual cut parts 5, so that the individual cut parts 5 are ready to be removed from the cutting table 20, wherein this sorting is performed manually in the example. In accordance with the above-described division of the cutting stock 4 into different quality zones, cut pieces 5a-5c of different quality, and/or, for example, also different geometry (such as identical parts once for shoe size 38 and once for shoe size 39, which the operator otherwise practically cannot differentiate) are provided after the cutting. For example, the cut parts 5a are parts of highest quality, cut parts 5b are parts of moderate quality, and cut parts 5c are those of lowest quality. The cutting device has a projector 50 in the example, which illuminates the cut parts 5 in a targeted manner by means of light beams 51 of various colors with a different color depending on the quality category, so that the user can recognize on the basis of the illumination color which category the respective cut part belongs to. In FIG. 1, the color is lighter the better the quality. Because in devices of the prior art, the quality display projection is not always sufficiently recognizable for the user for various reasons, the device additionally has to have a display screen 52, which displays a categorizing image of the cut cutting stock 4. However, the assignment of a respective part to a category on the basis of a display screen display is made more difficult for the user in comparison to color projection, because he first has to compare the provided cutting stock 4 to the displayed image and has to identify the association.

[0044] FIG. 2 shows a system 1 according to the invention for cutting planar cutting stock 4. The system 1 has a cutting device 2 having a cutting table 20, which optionally comprises a conveyor belt, a control unit 54, and a cutting tool 21 on a guide rail 23, similarly to that from FIG. 1. In addition, the system has a display device 3 having a display screen for displaying augmented reality, designed in the example as augmented reality spectacles, which is worn by the user 26 on the head, so that the display screen or the display device 3 is positioned in the field of vision 8 of the user 26. Alternatively, the display screen is designed as a heads-up display. The advantage of such embodiments of the display device 3 is that the user 26 also has both hands free when wearing the display device 3. Optionally, the display device 3 has an eye tracker, using which the viewing direction of the user 26 is determined, whereby items of information are possibly displayed adapted to the viewing direction.

[0045] The display screen is used in a manner known per se for displaying information in a manner readable to the user in his field of vision 8, which is overlaid on his view of the surroundings, in this case especially his view of the cutting device 2 and/or the cutting stock 4. According to the invention, the information is cutting-stock-related information, for example, information about an actual or setpoint position of the cutting stock or parts thereof or about cutting contours. The information is retrieved progressively or in a targeted manner as needed by means of a data connection 24, for example, a wireless connection, from a memory 6, which is housed in the example in the control unit 54, by the display device 3.

[0046] The display of the cutting-stock-relevant information is performed in this case according to the invention depending on and/or adapted to the position and alignment of the display device 3 in relation to the cutting device 2 and/or in relation to the cutting table 20, for example, adapted such that information is only displayed when the cutting device 2 or the cutting table 20 is in the field of vision 8 or the positioning of the information on the display screen is dependent on the relative position or relative alignment of the display device 3 and, for example, the positioning is progressively adapted thereto. For this purpose, the system has a computer unit 7, which is housed in the control unit 54 in the example, for computing just this position and alignment. The display device 3 preferably has a camera for recording a live image. The computation of the position is then performed by means of image processing of the recorded live image in a manner known per se, from which distinctive and specific features of the cutting table are extractable and on the basis of which, for example, by means of resection, the position and alignment of the camera and therefore the display device 3 are computed. For this purpose, as shown in the example, the cutting device 2 can have special optical markings 25a-25d, the location and/or arrangement of which are known and stored in the memory 6 and which are therefore used as a position reference. Alternatively or additionally to a feature-based determination of the relative position and alignment, the system 2 can also have further sensors for this purpose, which can be arranged in the display device 3, for example, an inertial measurement unit (IMU or INS as an abbreviation for inertial navigation system), compass, inclination sensors, a depth sensor such as an RIM camera or strip projection camera, etc. In general, further methods normally known to a person skilled in the art for indoor navigation can also be used here, such as WLAN-based, RFID-based, and/or Bluetooth-based location, etc.

[0047] The display of the cutting-stock-related information is additionally performed linked to a position of the cutting stock 4. In the example, the already cut cutting stock 4 is in the field of vision 8 of the user 26 and the display screen displays the information in relation to the location of this cutting stock 4, for example, by not displaying a graphic symbol at any arbitrary or fixed point on the display screen and therefore in the field of vision 8 of the user 26, but rather so that it can be read by the user overlaid on the cutting stock at a certain point. The actual position of the cutting stock 4 is ascertained in this case by image processing of a recorded live image or proceeding from a previously known location of the cutting stock 4 on the cutting table on the basis of the computed position and alignment of the display device 3 in relation to the cutting table 20.

[0048] FIG. 3a shows a first example of the display of cutting-stock-relevant information. The view of the user through the display device 3, which is designed as augmented reality spectacles, on a part of the cutting table 20 is shown, on which the cutting stock 4 to be cut is to be positioned, which the user also observes through the lenses of the spectacles. In addition to this view of his surroundings located in the field of vision, the user sees, by means of the spectacle lens used as the display screen 10, a display of cutting-stock-related information 9, which is displayed by the display device 3 so that the user can see it sharply and therefore can read it (for example, by means of a small projector as part of the display device, which projects the information 9 on the lens).

[0049] In the example, the cutting-stock-related information 9 is related to a setpoint position of the cutting stock 4, which it is to assume for the subsequent cutting procedure. The display of the cutting-stock-related information is performed linked to the actual position of the cutting stock 4. This actual position deviates in relation to a coordinate system aligned to the cutting table 20, for example, in the x direction by −0.04 units and in the y direction by +0.15 units, from the setpoint position, which is displayed to the user as text information 9b in the top left of the display screen. In addition, an arrow is displayed as graphic cutting-stock-related information 9a, which indicates in which direction he has to manually shift the cutting stock so that the setpoint position is reached. Such a graphic is optionally additionally animated. The text information 9b and the arrow 9a are progressively adapted in the example depending on the ascertained deviation of the actual position from the setpoint position, the arrow 9a, for example, by changing its direction and length.

[0050] FIG. 3b is a variation of FIG. 3a. The setpoint position is graphically displayed here as two lines as cutting-stock-related information 9a, which identify the setpoint position to be assumed. In this case, in the example, the location of these lines 9 in relation to the viewed image 20 of the cutting table 20 is fixedly maintained, for which purpose the location of the lines 9a on the display screen 10 is changed if needed, depending on whether the viewing direction of the user and/or the alignment of the display device 3 in relation to the cutting table 20 changes. If the user looks further forward, for example, the cutting-stock-related information 9, which is linked to the setpoint position of the cutting stock 4, travels farther downward in the display screen.

[0051] FIG. 3c is a further variation of FIG. 3a. In this example, the cutting stock 4 is, for example, a printed sheet of paper, which has a print to be cut out (not shown) and is provided with registration marks 24, which are used in a known manner for a precise cut. For manual or also machine depositing on the cutting table 20, these registration marks 24 are used as a positioning aid, by depositing or displacing the sheet such that the registration marks 24 are congruent with graphic marks 9, which are displayed in the display screen 10 as linked to the setpoint position. The display of the cutting-stock-related information 9 can be used as a control means, to check the correct position of the cutting stock 4 and/or as a user guide during manual depositing of the cutting stock 4.

[0052] FIG. 4 shows a further example of the display of cutting-stock-relevant information. A portion of the cutting table 20 having deposited cutting stock 4 and the view of the user thereon through the display device 3 are again shown in the figure. Augmented reality is created in the display screen 10 in that contours 9 to be cut are displayed overlaid on the cutting stock 4, which contours have been selected by the control unit for this stock 4. The user can thus check whether the selected cutting contours are appropriate, for example, optimally adapted to the cutting stock 4. The user can optimize the positioning of the cutting stock 4 with respect to the contours if necessary.

[0053] FIG. 4 furthermore shows how, alternatively or additionally, the system according to the invention enables the user to arrange the contours to be cut in an optimized manner on the cutting stock 4 via gesture control. For example, by means of image processing of live images of a camera (not shown) of the display device 3, a recognition of the movements of the hands 25 of the user is performed, which he executes on the cutting stock 4 (for example, a pushing or pulling movement with the index finger, symbolized by the arrow 26) and whereby he virtually shifts and/or changes the cutting contours 9 displayed to him so that a new virtual arrangement of the cutting contours 9 results, which is registered by the control unit and stored as a new cutting pattern, on the basis of which the cutting is subsequently performed.

[0054] FIG. 5 shows a further form of the control of the cutting device by the user by means of the display device 3. It has a camera (not shown) for the progressive recording of live images. As in the example according to FIG. 4, a recognition of the hand movements 26 of the user hand 25 is performed by means of image processing. In the present example, these are used to define regions of the cutting stock 4. In the example, the user has defined a first region 27 by the hand movement, which is stored in the control unit. For example, zones of different quality of the material to be cut or flawed regions to be left out may thus be communicated in a simple manner by the user to the system, whereby subsequently a cutting procedure adapted to the quality zones or flawed regions can be performed automatically.

[0055] Alternatively or additionally, a definition of quality or flawed regions is performed on the basis of a live image recorded by the display device 3 by means of corresponding algorithms, which the system has. As further options, a live image is used to automatically carry out a registration or recognition of the cutting stock 4 or the cutting stock type, for example, by means of a barcode or serial number imprinted on the cutting stock 4 or on the basis of a composition of the cutting stock 4, for example, its color, structure, or shape, or a surface composition. Optionally, subsequently to the registration or recognition, the display of cutting-stock-related information is at least partially performed specifically on the registered or recognized cutting stock 4, for example, by displaying to the user items of information for the optimum manual handling of the cutting stock 4 or information relating to a cutting tool to be selected for this cutting stock 4.

[0056] FIG. 6 shows a further example of the display of cutting-stock-relevant information. A portion of the cutting table 20, on which a cutting stock 4 already cut into parts 5 rests, and the view of the user thereof through the display device 3 are shown. In this example, both lenses of the spectacles are used as the display screen 10. The cutting stock 4 has parts 5 of different categories 5a-5c. Categories can be defined, for example, with respect to quality, component group, or the like. For example, in the case of natural materials such as leather as the cutting stock 4, the quality is often not consistent over the entire surface, but rather the cutting stock 4 has different quality zones, whereby different qualities also result on the part of the cut parts 5. To display the respective category 5a-5c to the user, in the display screen 10, the respective cut parts are overlaid precisely and in a dimensionally-accurate manner with a graphic identifier 9, in the example, with different colors, depending on the category association. The user is therefore capable, thanks to this type of user guiding, by looking at the cutting stock 4, on the basis of the coloration as augmented reality, of immediately assigning a respective cut part to the correct category (for example, white for category 5a, gray for 5b, and black for 5c), which is particularly advantageous for manual sorting into containers of the respective category. It is furthermore advantageous that this is achieved without having to make use of an external projector as in the prior art (cf. FIG. 1).

[0057] The overlaid display of the identifying graphic 9 is advantageously performed adapted or linked to the position and alignment of the display device 3 to the cutting table 20 and to the position of the cutting stock 4 so that the dimensionally-accurate and precise overlay is also progressively maintained in the event of a change of the head position or viewing direction of the user, i.e., a change of the relative position and alignment of the spectacles 3, by dynamically adapting the display of the graphic 9 (adaptation of the size and/or positioning of the graphic 9 on the display screen 10).

[0058] It is additionally possible according to the invention to combine the features of the individual exemplary embodiments with one another or with the known prior art, if not otherwise indicated.