Generation of thread stitch color data for in-line thread coloring processes

Abstract

A computer-implemented method (200) for generating thread stitch coloring data for an in-line thread coloring process is disclosed, the method including the steps of: obtaining (210) first thread stitch coloring data (114) based on a digital representation generated as a decorative thread pattern; obtaining (220) at least one thread color boundary (115) defining a color change from a first color to a second color; determining (230) residual stitch data (116) based on the at least one thread color boundary (115) indicative of a number of residual stitches required to effect the color change in an in-line thread coloring process; and generating (240) second thread stitch coloring data (117) based on the residual stitch data (116) such that the color change of the first thread stitch coloring data (114) is effected in the in-line thread coloring process.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of thread consuming devices. In particular, the present invention relates to a computer-implemented method for generating thread stitch coloring data for an in-line thread coloring process. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an associated system, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product. [Background technology]

[0002] Thread-consuming devices, such as embroidery machines, traditionally rely on pre-colored threads, limiting design creativity and causing operational inefficiencies due to frequent thread changes. In-line thread coloring technology offers a solution by coloring the thread at the time of consumption, enabling design versatility while reducing thread changes. However, handling color transitions in in-line thread coloring processes has proven challenging. These challenges relate to ensuring consistent color changes, synchronizing timing with thread-consuming devices, providing accurate color correction, maintaining thread quality, and integrating with existing machinery.

[0003] The present inventors have discovered the above deficiencies in the prior art and have insightfully proposed solutions. Summary of the Invention

[0004] It is therefore an object of the present invention to manage color transitions in an in-line thread coloring process. To reproduce a decorative pattern using an embroidery device, a new type of embroidery device includes a computerized controller adapted to receive thread stitch coloring data, for example, via a computer file in a predetermined format. The thread stitch coloring data is then processed to identify locations where the color of a particular decorative pattern changes, for example, by analyzing the color values ​​and positions of each pixel of the thread stitch coloring data. The computerized controller then proceeds by determining which portions of the thread to cut in order to switch between various thread source representations, each associated with a particular thread color representation. Through this control procedure, the embroidery device may be controlled to perform color transitions by appropriately switching between multiple pre-colored thread sources to reproduce the decorative pattern on the substrate.

[0005] The above control procedures do not provide satisfactory results in the context of an in-line thread coloring process because an in-line thread coloring device utilizes a single thread supply having a single color (usually white) that is colored while the thread is consumed within the embroidery device. To reproduce decorative patterns using an in-line thread coloring device, it is important to properly manage color transitions, otherwise the color material may be smeared. Color smearing during color transitions is undesirable because it reduces the visual appeal, precision, and professionalism of the embroidery, potentially reducing production efficiency and reducing quality. Finally, color quality is compromised, and so is the embroidery result.

[0006] The inventors have realized that color transitions can be controlled by a computer-controlled process by monitoring thread color boundaries that define color changes and converting first thread stitch coloring data accordingly into second thread stitch coloring data, which takes into account the residual stitches required to effect the color change.

[0007] Accordingly, in a first aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-implemented method for generating thread stitch coloring data for an in-line thread coloring process is provided, the method including the steps of: obtaining first thread stitch coloring data having a color representation set assigned to a corresponding thread source representation set based on a digital representation generated as a decorative thread pattern, obtaining from the first thread stitch coloring data at least one thread color boundary, each thread color boundary defining a color change from a first color to a second color in the color representation set, determining residual stitch data indicating a number of residual stitches required to effect the color change in an in-line thread coloring process based on the residual stitch data, and generating second thread stitch coloring data having a color representation set assigned to a single thread source representation based on the residual stitch data, such that the color change of the first thread stitch coloring data is effected in the in-line thread coloring process.

[0008] A first aspect can convert thread stitch color data from a conventional embroidery file (i.e., adapted for a non-inline thread coloring process) into thread stitch color data applicable to an inline thread coloring process. Accordingly, it is understood that the first thread stitch coloring data is thread stitch color data compatible with a conventional embroidery device using multiple pre-colored thread supplies, and the second thread stitch coloring data is thread stitch color data compatible with an inline embroidery device. This conversion effectively accounts for necessary residual stitches necessitated by a color change from one or more first colors to one or more second colors. By including the residual stitch data for the residual stitches required to execute a color change in the second thread stitch coloring data, additional technical advantages may be assumed from one or more of the following embodiments.

[0009] In some embodiments, the residual stitch data is determined by estimating the number of residual stitches adapted to be performed on a residual substrate different from the substrate on which the decorative thread pattern is created.

[0010] In some embodiments, the substrate is adapted to be received by a main frame and the remaining substrate is adapted to be received by at least one sub-frame.

[0011] In some embodiments, the residual stitch data is determined by estimating the number of residual stitches adapted to be performed as underlay stitches on a substrate on which the decorative thread pattern is created.

[0012] In some embodiments, the estimation of the number of remaining stitches depends on one or more operating conditions of the in-line yarn coloring process.

[0013] In some embodiments, determining the remaining stitch data includes defining a thread color boundary range indicating a range of remaining stitches having intermediate colors between the first color and the second color, the thread color boundary range having a start value indicating a start of the color change and an end value indicating a completion of the color change.

[0014] In some embodiments, the method further includes setting a respective buffer for each of the start value and the end value, the buffer indicating the number of stitches to be added to the remaining stitch data at each end of the thread color boundary range.

[0015] In some embodiments, the thread color boundary range depends on one or more of the number of stitches, the amount of thread consumed, substrate characteristics, thread characteristics, and combinations thereof.

[0016] In some embodiments, the color change is caused by one or more of a color transition in the digital representation, a thread cutting process, relative movement of a substrate, and combinations thereof.

[0017] In some embodiments, the residual stitch data includes one or more of the following information: a length of the color change, a direction of the residual stitch used to perform the color change, a characteristic of the substrate on which the color change is performed, a thread characteristic of the thread used to perform the color change, and combinations thereof.

[0018] In some examples, subsequent consumption of the thread supply source in the in-line thread coloring process includes controlling the in-line thread coloring process based on the second thread stitch coloring data by controlling an in-line thread coloring process of the thread, controlling a thread consumption process of the thread relative to a substrate, and controlling a residual embroidery process of the thread as one or both of a residual stitch on a residual substrate different from the substrate and a residual stitch as an underlay stitch on the substrate.

[0019] In some embodiments, generating the second thread stitch coloring data includes obtaining pattern data from the digital representation, the pattern data including a plurality of pixels, each pixel associated with a position and a color value in the digital representation; generating resolution data by processing the pattern data, the processing of the pattern data including determining a thread configuration including a plurality of stitches, the entire thread configuration corresponding to the digital representation generated in the in-line thread coloring process; and generating second thread stitch coloring data for the thread based on at least the resolution data.

[0020] In some embodiments, processing the pattern data further includes determining information regarding stitch lengths, stitch directions, and connector types for connecting one or more stitches to one another.

[0021] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a control unit, the control unit including a processor configured to perform the steps of the method of the first aspect.

[0022] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a system for in-line treatment of at least one thread for use with a yarn consuming device, the system including at least one dispensing device including at least one nozzle, the at least one dispensing device disposed along the at least one thread, a processing unit configured to dispense one or more coating substances onto the thread upon activation, and a control unit configured to control the dispensing device to dispense the coating substances onto the at least one thread based on second thread stitch coloring data generated from the method of the first aspect.

[0023] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a control unit, cause the processors to perform the functions of the method of the first aspect.

[0024] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product, the computer program product comprising computer code for performing the functions of the method of the first aspect.

[0025] The term thread consuming device in this context refers to any device that consumes thread during use, such as, for example, an embroidery machine, a weaving machine, a sewing machine, a knitting machine, a loom, a tufting machine, a thread winding machine or other thread consuming device for other processes that involve exposing the thread to a substance, such as a surface treatment or coating, or dyeing.

[0026] The term treatment, in this context, refers to any process designed to change the properties of the yarn, including, but not limited to, coloring, wetting, lubricating, washing, fixing, heating, curing, dyeing, etc.

[0027] The term representations of various units in this context refers to digitized representations of said units. Thus, a digital representation of a decorative thread pattern is data that digitally represents said thread pattern, including pixels and associated data. Also, a color representation is interpreted as a way of representing an actual color in digital form. For example, a color representation may include RGB color values. Furthermore, a thread source representation is a digital representation of a thread source, such as a thread reel. For example, a thread source may be digitally represented as a data structure having length data in arbitrary units related to the actual length of the corresponding physical thread source.

[0028] The term residual stitch, in this context, refers to a stitch that is not visually indicated in the decorative pattern. In some embodiments, residual stitch is interpreted as an underlay stitch, i.e., a stitch that is located on the side of the substrate opposite the side on which the decorative pattern is visually indicated. In some embodiments, residual stitch is interpreted as a "trash" or "waste" stitch, i.e., a stitch made on a substrate different from the substrate used to create the decorative thread pattern. Other similar interpretations of residual stitch other than underlay stitch or waste stitch can easily be envisioned with the basic idea that they are visually indistinguishable to the human eye. Accordingly, the term residual stitch data refers to digitized data related to the residual stitch, e.g., digitally defining various characteristics of the physical stitch.

[0029] In this specification, all references to upstream and / or downstream should be interpreted as relative positions during normal operation of the yarn consuming device, i.e., when the device is operating to process an elongate substrate, such as a yarn, that moves continuously through the device in a normal direction of operation. Thus, the upstream component is positioned such that a particular portion of the yarn passes through the upstream component before passing through the downstream component. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0030] Embodiments of the present invention are described in the following description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show non-limiting examples of how the inventive concepts can be put into practice.

[0031] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for in-line processing of yarn according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a system including a thread consuming device, an embroidery frame, and a processing unit, according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a processing unit for use with a system according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram of a dispensing device forming part of a processing unit according to one embodiment; [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a thread being applied to a substrate, according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a color transition of a thread applied to a substrate, according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of converting first thread stitch color data into second thread stitch color data according to one embodiment. [Figure 8A] 1 is a schematic top view of an embroidery frame according to a different embodiment; [Figure 8B] 1 is a schematic top view of an embroidery frame according to a different embodiment; [Figure 8C] 1 is a schematic top view of an embroidery frame according to a different embodiment; [Figure 8D] 1 is a schematic top view of an embroidery frame according to a different embodiment; [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic top view of an embroidery frame according to one embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10A] 1 is a schematic top view of an embroidery frame according to one embodiment, showing a first side of a substrate. [Figure 10B] 10B is a schematic top view of an embroidery frame according to one embodiment, showing a second side opposite the substrate of FIG. 10A. [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic top view of a decorative pattern to be created, according to one embodiment. [Figure 12]FIG. 10 is a schematic top view of determining remaining stitch data according to one embodiment. [Figure 13] 1 is a schematic diagram of a method according to one embodiment; [Figure 14] 1 is a schematic diagram of a method according to one embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system 10 for in-line treatment of yarn. The system 10 includes a treatment unit 100 having a dispensing device 150 configured to dispense one or more coating substances onto at least one yarn. The system 10 is connected to at least one yarn consuming device 15, which may be in the form of, for example, one or more embroidery machines, looms, sewing machines, knitting machines, tufting machines, winding machines, etc. Hereinafter, the yarn consuming device may be referred to as an embroidery machine in various embodiments. Thus, the system 10 forms a yarn consuming unit including at least one embroidery machine 15 and the treatment unit 100. It should be noted that the yarn consuming device may use multiple yarns.

[0033] Processing unit 100 allows embroidery machine 15 to operate without the need for unique pre-colored threads required by conventional thread consuming devices. Instead, processing unit 100 can produce colored embroidery by in-line coloring of threads according to a predetermined coloring pattern. Thus, processing unit 100 replaces the individual thread reels, each with pre-colored thread, present in conventional systems that consume threads in the prior art.

[0034] FIG. 2 illustrates the case where the thread consuming device 15 is an embroidery machine, shown here as a single-head embroidery machine with a processing unit 100. The embroidery machine 15 may include a movable stage 2b on which a substrate 3 to be embroidered is placed. During operation, the movable stage 2b may be controlled to change its position in the X and Y directions (i.e., in this case in a horizontal plane, but may also be in a vertical plane). The speed of the movable stage 2b may be controlled according to the operation of the embroidery machine 15. In some embodiments, the substrate 3 to which the thread 20 is applied is positioned within a frame 30. If a movable stage 2b is present, the frame 30 may be positioned above the stage 2b. An embodiment of such a frame 30 will be described in more detail later in this disclosure.

[0035] The substrate 3 is preferably a woven fabric, a textile, or a cloth. In some embodiments, the substrate 3 has a set of fixed properties, such as a particular thickness or elastic constant. The substrate 3 may be divided into different sections, each of which may have different properties, such as thickness and / or elasticity, of the substrate 3.

[0036] FIG. 3 illustrates various components of the processing unit 100 according to one embodiment. It is contemplated that other embodiments may include fewer, additional, or alternative components than those illustrated. Most of the components are located within the housing 105. Immediately downstream of the thread reel 120 may be a thread feeder 130 configured to pull the thread forward through the processing unit 100. While the thread feeder 130 will not be further described herein, it is generally configured to receive one or more threads 20 from the thread reel 120 and deliver the thread 20 to other components of the processing unit 100. The thread feeder 130 is controlled by the control unit 109. The thread feeder 130 is preferably configured to control thread tension, e.g., by a drive roller, an encoder wheel, and / or one or more thread guides. After passing through the thread feeder 130, the thread 20 engages a thread guide device 140.

[0037] A yarn guide device 140 , for example in the form of one or more guide rollers 142 , 144 or other suitable means, ensures that the yarn 20 is aligned with one or more process nozzles that form part of the discharge device 150 .

[0038] The dispensing device 150 is configured to dispense a treatment substance, such as a coloring substance, onto the yarn 20 as it passes through the dispensing device 150. To this end, the nozzles are preferably arranged in the longitudinal direction of the yarn 20. The dispensing device 150 may be movable by a drive unit (not shown). The provision of a drive unit allows the dispensing device 150 to be placed in different operating states to perform different tasks, such as a first state for dispensing a coating substance onto the yarn and a second state for performing a cleaning session, other maintenance, or idling. To this end, the drive unit may be connected to the dispensing device 150. The drive unit may be configured to move the dispensing device 150 between an idle position and an operating position by means of a transmission having a different transmission ratio during movement from the idle position towards the operating position.

[0039] Downstream of the discharge device 150, another yarn guiding device 160 may be provided. The second yarn guiding device 160 cooperates with the first yarn guiding device 140 to ensure precise positioning of the yarn 20 as it moves along the discharge device 150. The second yarn guiding device 160 may be in the form of, for example, one or more guide rollers 162, 164, and may be designed to induce rotation of the yarn 20 along its longitudinal axis.

[0040] The processing unit 100 may further include a yarn speed sensor (not shown) configured to measure the speed of the yarn 20 passing through the processing unit 100. The yarn speed sensor may be located outside or inside the housing 105. The yarn speed sensor may be located immediately before the discharge device 150. In some embodiments, the yarn speed sensor may replace or complement the yarn guiding device 140. In some embodiments, the yarn speed sensor may be located immediately after the discharge device 150. In some embodiments, the yarn speed sensor may replace or complement the second yarn guiding device 160. In still some embodiments, two yarn sensors are provided, a first yarn sensor located before the discharge device 150 and a second yarn sensor located after the discharge device 150, e.g., the first yarn guiding device 140 and the second yarn guiding device 150.

[0041] The yarn 20 is then fed forward to pass through one or more fixation units 170 provided to fix the treatment substance to the yarn 20. The fixation units 170 preferably include heating means, such as a hot air supplier or heating element, or a UV light source, so that the treatment substance, such as a coloring substance, is cured or fixed on the yarn 20. The fixation units 170 may be positioned horizontally, vertically, or at an angle between horizontal and vertical.

[0042] Before exiting the housing 105, the yarn 20 passes through a cleaning unit 180, such as an ultrasonic bath, where unwanted particles are removed from the yarn 20. Because the treatment substance is fixed on the yarn 20, the cleaning unit 180 does not affect the treatment substance.

[0043] The processing unit 100 may further include a lubrication unit 185 disposed inside the housing 105. The processing unit 100 may also include additional yarn buffers and yarn feeders (not shown) disposed at various locations in the yarn path.

[0044] The thread 20 preferably exits the processing unit 100 through an opening or the like, which directs the thread 20 to an associated thread consuming device, such as an embroidery machine 15 .

[0045] The thread supply device 130 and other components that engage the thread 20 during operation are preferably configured so that the force required to pull the thread 20 from the processing unit 100, i.e., the pulling force applied by the downstream embroidery machine 15, is approximately the same as if the processing unit 100 had replaced a thread reel in the prior art.

[0046] A control unit 109 is also provided, including associated electronics such as power electronics, a communication module, and memory. The control unit 109 is connected to the thread supply device 130, the discharge device 150, and the fixation unit 170, allowing for control of the operation of these components. Furthermore, the control unit 109 is configured to control the operation of the entire processing unit 100, including the cleaning unit 180, the lubrication unit 185, the cutter for the thread 20, thread speed sensors at various locations along the processing unit 100, a thread buffer, etc. The control unit 109 may also be configured to receive control signals from one or more components of the processing unit 100, such as control signals for triggering certain controls, or other information regarding, for example, thread consumption by the embroidery machine 15. The control unit 109 is also configured to receive information from a second control unit 110, which will be described in more detail below.

[0047] Control unit 109 may include one or more processors configured to be implemented by any commercially available CPU ("Central Processing Unit"), DSP ("Digital Signal Processor"), any other electronic programmable logic device, or a combination of these processors or other electronic programmable logic devices. Control unit 109 may be implemented using instructions enabling hardware functions, for example, by using computer program instructions executable within a general-purpose or special-purpose processor, which may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium (disk, memory, etc.) that are executed by such processor.

[0048] In some embodiments, a user interface is also provided via a display 195, preferably located at the front end of the housing 105. The display 195 is connected to the control unit 109 to allow a user to interact with it, so that control parameters of the thread feeder 130, the discharge device 150, the fixation unit 170, etc. can be set according to process specifications. The display 195 can also be used to alert the user to critical situations, so that the control unit 109 can issue alarms, etc.

[0049] The control unit 109 may be configured to receive digital content, which may be a photograph taken by a camera unit included in the system 300 or external to the system 300. Alternatively, the digital content may be virtually rendered by the control unit or any other type of device capable of rendering digital content.

[0050] The control unit 109 may be configured to communicate via the communication interface in any known short-range or long-range communication standard known in the art. Short-range communication interfaces include, for example, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15, ZigBee, WirelessHART, WiFi, Bluetooth, BLE, RFID, QR, WLAN, MQTT IoT, CoAP, DDS, NFC, AMQP, LoRaWAN, Z-Wave, Sigfox, Thread, EnOcean, mesh communication, or other forms of proximity-based device-to-device wireless communication signals such as LTE Direct. Long-range communication interfaces include, for example, W-CDMA / HSPA, GSM, UTRAN, or LTE.

[0051] A memory unit (not shown) is associated with the control unit 109, for example, residing in the control unit 109, and may be implemented with any known memory technology, including, but not limited to, E(E)PROM, S(D)RAM, or flash memory. Alternatively, the memory unit may be a cloud storage unit. The cloud storage unit may be deployed as an SQL data model, such as MySQL®, PostgreSQL®, or Oracle® RDBMS. Alternatively, a deployment based on a NoSQL data model, such as MongoDB®, Amazon DynamoDB®, Hadoop®, or Apache Cassandra®, may be used. Alternatively, the memory unit may reside on an external server configured in any type of client-server or peer-to-peer (P2P) computer architecture. The server configuration may include, for example, any combination of web servers, database servers, email servers, web proxy servers, DNS servers, FTP servers, file servers, DHCP servers, etc.

[0052] In some embodiments, the memory unit may be integrated with or internal to the control unit. The memory unit may store program instructions executed by the control unit and temporary and permanent data used by the control unit. The program instructions and / or temporary and permanent data relate to in-line thread stitch color data and other data used by the control unit to generate the in-line thread stitch color data. The stored in-line thread stitch color data may be used to color threads directly (with at least some expected delay, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art of computer networking) or at a later stage.

[0053] It should be noted that the above components do not necessarily have to be included in a stand-alone processing unit 100. In other embodiments, the components of processing unit 100 are divided into multiple units, at least one of which is a stand-alone unit. Preferably, the stand-alone unit includes at least one dispensing device 150.

[0054] The control unit 109 may be part of the system 10, the processing unit 100, the yarn consuming device 15 or may be an external control unit.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 3 , the control unit 109 may be in communication with a further control unit 110. As described in more detail with reference to FIG. 7 , the control unit 110 may be configured to generate thread stitch coloring data for an in-line coloring process. The technical description above regarding the first control unit 109 (e.g., communication techniques, memory, processor 112, etc.) is also applicable to the second control unit 110. It should further be noted that the first control unit 109 and the second control unit 110 may be one single control unit. Thus, the separate controllers and the control unit 110 may be cooperatively configured to operate in accordance with aspects and related embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0056] FIG. 4 illustrates a dispensing device 150 according to one embodiment. Dispensing device 150, as described above, forms part of processing unit 100. The direction of movement of yarn 20 during use is indicated by the bold arrow in FIG. 4, i.e., the longitudinal direction. Dispensing device 150 includes multiple nozzles 152a-152f positioned at different longitudinal positions (e.g., a distance d1 apart) along yarn 20 as it passes through processing unit 100 during use. Each nozzle 152a-152f is positioned to dispense a coating substance, such as ink, onto yarn 20 when the nozzle is actuated. The coating substance is absorbed into yarn 20 at different circumferential positions of yarn 20 as it is wound around its longitudinal axis. The relative positions of two adjacently dispensed droplets of coating substance may be selected so that the droplets overlap.

[0057] The processing unit 100 includes one or more ejection devices 150. Each ejection device 150 is preferably formed as a series of inkjet printheads 151a-151d, each printhead 151a-151d having one or more nozzle arrays. Each nozzle array typically includes hundreds or thousands of nozzles. For illustrative purposes, only six nozzles 152a-152f are shown for each printhead 151a-151d, but it should be understood that each nozzle array may include hundreds or thousands of nozzles 152. By way of example, each printhead 151a-151d may be associated with a single color. In the example shown, the ejection device 150 has four printheads 151a-151d, each associated with a specific color according to the CMYK standard. However, other coloration models may also be used.

[0058] The exact configuration of the dispensing device 150 located within the processing unit 100 may vary. For example, the processing unit 100 may be provided with a single dispensing device 150 having multiple printheads 151a-151d. Similarly, each printhead 151a-151d may be provided with multiple nozzles 152a-152f.

[0059] In some embodiments, the processing unit 100 is provided with multiple dispensing devices 150 arranged in series or parallel. Each dispensing device 150 is then provided with multiple printheads 151a-151d. When arranged in series, an upstream dispensing device 150 may have printheads 151a-151d associated with one or more colors of a particular color standard, while a downstream dispensing device 150 has printheads 151a-151d associated with other colors of the same color standard. When arranged in parallel, each dispensing device 150 may have printheads 151a-151d associated with all colors of a particular color standard, but associated with different yarns 20. In such embodiments, two separate yarns 20 can be processed simultaneously in parallel. Of course, combinations of parallel / series configurations are also possible.

[0060] In some further embodiments, the dispensing device 150 comprises only a single printhead 151a-151d. Dynamic coloring of the yarn 20 also requires multiple dispensing devices 150 in the processing unit 100.

[0061] Each nozzle 152a-152f may dispense a coating material having a color according to the CMYK color model, in which the primary colors are cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Thus, by activating the nozzles 152a-152f such that the total colorant of a particular length of yarn 20 is a mixture of the colorants dispensed by the nozzles 152a-152f, a wide variety of colors can be dispensed onto the yarn. As previously mentioned, this is preferably achieved by arranging multiple printheads 151a-151d in series, whereby the nozzles 152a-152f of a particular printhead 151a-151d are dedicated to a single color. In some embodiments, each nozzle 152a-152f dispenses a coating material having a color that includes a mixture of two or more primary colors of the CMYK color model. It should be noted that the nozzles may be arranged to dispense different types of coating materials, not just color coatings.

[0062] The control unit 109 is configured to control the operation of the nozzles 152a-152f so that the coating substance is ejected onto the yarn 20 as it passes through the processing unit 100, and particularly as it passes through the dispensing device 150. Such an arrangement allows for very precise coloring of the yarn 20, for example, allowing the coloring provided by the processing unit 100 to provide highly sophisticated embroidery patterns with a highly visually sophisticated appearance. For coloring operations, the control unit 109 receives one or more input signals specifying the desired color and / or coloring effect. The color inputs preferably include information regarding the exact color and the vertical start and stop positions of the yarn 20 for that particular color. The vertical start and stop positions can be expressed as specific time values ​​when the yarn speed is determined.

[0063] The coloring operation can produce various visual effects on the yarn. Visual effects may include, for example, gradients, stripes, mottling, and the like. More specifically, common effects used include: i) color variation according to absolute yarn length (e.g., 3 cm red, 23 cm green); ii) color variation according to relative yarn length (e.g., 30% red, 70% green); iii) solid colors; iv) gradients; v) noise; vi) manipulations (e.g., variations in hue, tone, brightness, contrast, etc.); and vii) blending (i.e., merging different swatches). Each of these effects can be repeated multiple times within a particular effect area. In this context, the term "noise" refers to one or more colors to which multiple types of manipulations, such as saturation or brightness, have been added, and the manipulations may be fractal, Gaussian, or other manipulations. The term "swatch" refers to a setting that creates a specific distribution pattern of coating material for a particular design segment. The design segment may be part of a pattern, figure, shape, text, emblem, symbol, color gradient, etc. A swatch may be, for example, a solid color, a gradient, or a transformation that changes from a solid color to a gradient between two colors after a certain length of time.

[0064] 5 , the thread consuming device 15 is arranged to provide a thread placement on the substrate 3 using a colored thread. The thread 20 is applied to the substrate 3 by a plurality of continuous thread portions 24. The thread placement corresponds to a decorative thread pattern to be created, such as an embroidery object 26. The plurality of thread portions 24 thus form the object 26 as a decorative thread pattern on the substrate 3. The object 26 may be a particular pattern, figure, shape, text, emblem, symbol, etc. The object 26 may be, for example, a logotype or company name in embroidery form.

[0065] The thread portion may be a stitch. In this context, a stitch may be, for example, a single spool of thread, a single loop of thread, a single spool of yarn, or a single loop of yarn. The stitch may be applied using, for example, sewing, knitting, embroidery, crocheting, and / or needle lacemaking.

[0066] Depending on the particular details of the thread consuming device 15, the thread arrangement may be a stitching pattern (e.g., in the case of an embroidery machine, knitting machine, or sewing machine), a weaving pattern (e.g., in the case of a loom), or a tufting pattern (e.g., in the case of a tufting machine).

[0067] In embroidery, a stitch can be considered, for example, a running stitch, which is a simple up-and-down motion through the fabric, a back stitch, which is a circular motion through the fabric, a chain stitch, which catches a loop of thread on the surface of the fabric, a knot stitch, which is formed by wrapping the thread around a needle, etc. A stitch can be formed by creating two insertion points in the substrate 30.

[0068] In knitting, a stitch can be considered a single loop of yarn that is secured to the loops beside it to form a row or series of stitches, and secured to the loops above and below it to form a wale. Upon securing the previous stitch in the wale, the next stitch can pass through the previous loop from below or above. In crocheting, a stitch can be considered to be made by pulling a yarn loop through the previous stitch. While particular types of stitches have been described, it should be noted that any type of stitch can be used with the systems disclosed herein.

[0069] FIG. 6 shows a decorative thread pattern 5 having two different color portions 5a and 5b according to one embodiment. In this example, color A is disposed in thread portion 5a, and color B is disposed in thread portion 5b. When creating a decorative thread pattern containing multiple different colors on a substrate, it is important that the color transitions are accurately determined. Therefore, the color change from color A to color B must be precisely controlled. The inventors of the present invention have realized a new method for creating accurate color transitions and translating different pattern data to produce these specific color changes. Generally, this is achieved by adding additional thread portions that process the color transitions. To provide an aesthetically pleasing decorative object on a substrate, it is advantageous for the color transitions to be accurate and for the additional thread portions (e.g., stitches) that produce the color change to be hidden from the final object. This can be achieved in at least two different ways. The first option is to add the additional thread portions as background thread portions that are not visually visible in the finished object. The second option is to add the additional thread portions to the remaining substrate that do not form part of the object. Either of these options can be implemented alone or in combination.

[0070] Thus, in the following examples of the present disclosure, a thread portion may be a stitch, and a residual stitch may be one or more of 1) a stitch on residual fabric, or 2) an underlay stitch. The residual fabric is not intended to be a decorative thread pattern that is part of a finished product. The fabric may be considered residual fabric, waste fabric, etc. The fabric is configured to receive at least one unnecessary stitch or residual stitch that results in a color change. Thus, it is possible to control the color change of a thread on a substrate that is not part of a finished product. For residual stitches intended as underlay stitches, these residual stitches are positioned on the opposite side of the decorative pattern to be created, so that they are visually indistinguishable from a person viewing the decorative pattern from their own perspective. Therefore, the underlay stitch does not necessarily need to be positioned on the opposite side of the substrate from the side on which the decorative pattern is created, but rather on the opposite side of the decorative pattern itself.

[0071] 7 illustrates exemplary inputs and outputs for control unit 110 as defined herein. Control unit 110 is configured to receive, process, and transmit said inputs and outputs to convert first thread stitch coloring data 114 into second thread stitch coloring data 117. As shown in FIG. 7, first thread stitch coloring data 114 is understood to be data applicable to a conventional (non-inline) system, and second thread stitch coloring data 117 is understood to be data applicable to an inline system. Thus, control unit 110 is configured to allow an inline system to process thread stitch coloring data originally constructed for use in a non-inline system.

[0072] The first thread stitch coloring data 114 includes a set of color representations 114a and a corresponding set of thread source representations 114b. In a non-inline process, typically, one color is associated with each thread source. Thus, in these representations, a particular color representation 114a is assigned to a particular thread source representation 114b, forming a one-to-one relationship. Any suitable data structure, such as a hash map, array, tuple, set, graph, etc., may be used to store the assignment of color representations to thread source representations.

[0073] The control unit 110 is configured to acquire first thread stitch coloring data 114. The first thread stitch coloring data 114 may be acquired from a user interface, such as the display 195 described with reference to FIG. 3, or may be acquired from an external device, such as a mobile phone, tablet, laptop computer, or the like.

[0074] The control unit 110 is configured to obtain at least one thread color boundary 115 from the first thread stitch coloring data 114. The thread color boundary defines a color change from a first color to a second color in the color representation set 114a. By obtaining the thread color boundary from the first thread stitch coloring data 114, the control unit 110 may identify locations where one or more color transitions occur in the digital representation. In general, the color change can be the result of one or more of a color transition in the digital representation based on the first thread stitch coloring data, a thread cutting process, relative movement of the substrate, and combinations thereof.

[0075] Identifying the locations where one or more of the color transitions occur may include, by the control unit 110, obtaining pattern data from the first thread stitch coloring data 114. The pattern data includes information related to pixels in the digital representation. Thus, the pattern data includes a plurality of pixels, each pixel associated with a position in the digital image and a color value. In examples where the digital representation is a digital image, the pattern data may be considered image data. Because digital representations are typically two-dimensional, the location refers to a two-dimensional position. As an example, the location of a pixel in the upper left corner of a digital image is (0,0), and the location of a pixel in the lower right corner of a digital image is (row max ,col max ), where row max is the maximum number of pixel rows in a digital image, and col max is the maximum number of pixel columns in a digital image. In this example, if the resolution of the digital representation is 1080p (1920x1080), the location of the pixel in the lower right corner of the digital image is (1080,1920). Similar pixel locations can be achieved for other image resolutions such as 2K, 4K, 8K, etc.

[0076] The color values ​​may relate to any color space known in the art, such as the RGB or CMYK color spaces. Thus, if the color value of a pixel in the RGB color space is derived as 0,0,0, the color value represents the color black.

[0077] After obtaining the pattern data of the first thread stitch coloring data, the method further includes generating resolution data. The resolution data is generated by processing the digital representation of the pattern data. During this procedure, information regarding the thread placement, including multiple consecutive thread segments, of the pattern to be created is determined. Processing the pattern data may include determining information regarding the length of the thread segments, the direction of the thread segments, and / or the type of connector used for the consecutive thread segments.

[0078] Control unit 110 is further configured to determine remaining stitch data 116 based on the (at least one) thread color boundary 115. The remaining stitch data indicates the number of remaining stitches required to perform a color change in the in-line thread color process. The remaining stitch data may be determined in different ways depending on the manner in which remaining stitches are to be performed in the future in-line thread color process, as described later in this disclosure.

[0079] The residual stitch data may include one or more of the following information: the length of the color change, the direction of the residual stitch used to perform the color change, the characteristics of the substrate on which the color change is performed, the thread characteristics of the thread used to perform the color change, and combinations thereof. The residual stitch data may also include information regarding the type of residual stitch used. The type of residual stitch relates to whether an underlay stitch or a residual stitch is used. This information may be automatically determined by the control unit 110, for example, based on other data in the residual stitch data. For example, if the residual stitch data indicates that the length of the color change is 5 cm, the direction of the residual stitch is longitudinal to the substrate, the substrate is made of a particular material, such as linen, and a particular thread, such as polyester fiber, is used, the control unit 110 may be configured to automatically set the type of residual stitch to an underlay stitch or a residual stitch on the residual substrate based on this information. Therefore, this selection depends on the suitability of different types of information in the residual stitch data. In an alternative embodiment, the type of residual stitch may be selected by the user.

[0080] The control unit 110 is configured to generate second thread stitch coloring data 117 based on the residual stitch data 116 so that the color change of the first thread stitch coloring data 114 is effected in an inline thread coloring process. In the context of this disclosure, the term "effected" generally corresponds to a future use of the second thread stitch coloring data 117 requiring additional stitches compared to the use of the first thread stitch coloring data 114. This is because color changes in an inline process are not as intuitive as corresponding color changes in a non-inline process. In an inline process, the thread is typically (re)colored from a first color to a second color, resulting in intermediate colors between the first and second colors. Conversely, in a non-inline process, the color change occurs immediately in response to a switch from a first thread supply source to a second thread supply source, each containing a different colored thread. Such a switch is typically performed by precisely cutting the thread at the location of the thread color boundary. However, such a switch is not possible in an inline process because one or more additional stitches are necessarily required to effect the (re)coloring of the thread. Furthermore, in an inline process, it can be difficult to accurately predict the location of the thread color boundary.

[0081] As such, second thread stitch coloring data 117 is adapted to be processed by an in-line thread coloring system, such as system 10 described above. The conversion may be performed by the same system that acquires first thread stitch coloring data 114, or by a separate system. Accordingly, it is contemplated that second thread stitch coloring data 117 may be received by another system for subsequent creation of a decorative pattern. It is also contemplated that second thread stitch coloring data 117 may be generated based on first thread stitch coloring data and then consumed by the same system, since second thread stitch coloring data 117 is packaged into a file suitable for transmission to another in-line thread coloring system.

[0082] The first thread stitch coloring data 114 and the second thread stitch coloring data 117 may be maintained in corresponding files, such as embroidery files. The embroidery files contain information about the digital representations to be created as decorative thread patterns and may be maintained in bitmap image formats, including, but not limited to, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, XBM, BMP, PCX, etc. Alternatively, the digital representations may be virtually rendered by a control unit or other type of device capable of rendering digital content.

[0083] In the following examples of the present disclosure, various methods for determining the residual stitch data are defined. While these examples refer to physical components such as a frame, it should be understood that the determination of the residual stitch data is performed by the control unit 110 before the actual decorative pattern is created. The illustrated diagrams are provided for illustrative purposes only and should be understood to convey a sense of what occurs when second thread stitch coloring data is used in an in-line thread coloring process according to thread color boundaries obtained from first thread stitch coloring data, based on the already determined residual stitch data.

[0084] 8A-8D show different examples of determining the remaining stitch data. In these examples, the remaining stitch data is determined by estimating the number of remaining stitches adapted to be performed on a remaining substrate 3b that is different from the substrate 3a on which the decorative thread pattern is created. When a color transition from a first color to a second color is made, a predetermined number of stitches closest to the start of the color transition are performed on the remaining substrate 3b, rather than on the substrate 3a that forms the finished product (i.e., the substrate 3a on which the decorative thread pattern is created). Thus, stitches 6a associated with the first color are performed on the substrate 3b until a color transition from color A to color B occurs, at which point stitches 6b associated with the second color are performed. When the thread color boundary range is reached, stitches are performed on the substrate 3a. The boundary range may depend on the number of stitches, the amount of consumed thread, and / or a combination of these two parameters. These values ​​are typically stored as part of the remaining stitch data.

[0085] To enable the visual effect of the created decorative yarn pattern, the control unit 110 is configured to determine an object to be created as the decorative yarn pattern. This object may be, for example, a graphical representation of an item, an image, a logotype, etc. The control unit 110 is further configured to determine a thread arrangement including a plurality of consecutive thread portions, each having a thread portion direction, the entire thread arrangement corresponding to the object to be created. The control unit 110 may be configured to receive thread arrangement data from another control unit. For example, the yarn consuming device 15 may be provided by a first supplier, and the processing unit 100 may be provided by a second supplier. In such a case, the control unit 110 may be provided with the processing unit 100 and configured to receive thread arrangement data from the control unit 110 of the yarn consuming device 15.

[0086] In these embodiments, a frame 30 is used. The frame 30 is arranged to hold a substrate 3 having two sections 3a and 3b. In these embodiments, the substrate 3 is fabric 3. The embroidery frame 30 includes a main frame 32 and at least one sub-frame 34. The main frame 32 is configured to receive the fabric 3a on which the decorative thread pattern is to be created. The sub-frame 34 is configured to receive the fabric 3b on which the decorative thread pattern is not to be created, i.e., the residual fabric 3b. The embroidery frame 30 includes four sides 31a-31d: two vertical sides 31a and 31b and two horizontal sides 31c and 31d. The length of the vertical sides is H3, and the length of the horizontal sides is L3. The sub-frame 34 is preferably smaller in size than the main frame 32. This is preferable because the main frame 32 is a frame configured to hold the fabric 3a on which the decorative thread pattern is to be created.

[0087] In the embodiment of FIG. 8A, length H3 is longer than length L3. However, it should be understood that L3 may be equal to H3, or that length L3 may be longer than length H3. Also, frame 30 may have another shape, such as a round shape. Sub-frame 34 is disposed above main frame 32. However, it should be understood that sub-frame 34 may have a different arrangement relative to main frame 34, as further illustrated in the embodiment of FIGS. 8B-8D.

[0088] In the embodiment of FIG. 8B, the sub-frame 34 is positioned below the main frame 32.

[0089] In the embodiment of FIG. 8C, the sub-frame 32 is disposed along the vertical side of the main frame 32.

[0090] In the embodiment of Figure 8D, the sub-frame 34 has the same length L3 as the main frame 32, and the height H2 of the sub-frame 34 is less than the height H1 of the main frame 32. The frame 30 is composed only of the main frame 32; therefore, the sub-frame 34 is not present. However, the main frame 32 includes two different fabrics: a fabric 3a on which the decorative thread pattern is created, and a fabric 3b configured to receive at least one unwanted stitch / residual stitch. A similar embodiment is shown in Figure 9, in which the frame has a generally circular shape.

[0091] The dimensional relationship between the sub-frame 34 and the main frame 32 can be varied. Thus, the frame 30 has fixed dimensions, but the dimensions of the sub-frame 34 and the main frame 32 are adjustable. This size adjustment can be achieved, for example, by making the main frame and sub-frame 34 slidable relative to each other. Alternatively, the main frame 32 and the sub-frame 34 have fixed dimensions.

[0092] As mentioned above, the frame 30 may be disposed on the movable stage 2b. Thus, the frame 30 may move relative to at least one needle of the yarn consuming device 15. The movement of the movable stage 2b may be performed based on instructions from the yarn consuming device 15, the processing unit 100, and / or the control unit 110.

[0093] FIG. 9 shows yet another example of determining the residual stitch data. Similar to the example of FIGS. 8A-8D, the residual stitch data is determined by estimating the number of residual stitches adapted to be performed on a residual substrate 3b that is different from the substrate 3a on which the decorative thread pattern is created. Also, in this example, the frame 30 is round. In this example, the decorative thread pattern is a parrot with four colors c1, c2, c3, and c4.

[0094] In this example, the stitching sequence is determined to begin with a first color, cl, corresponding to the color of the parrot's head, proceed to a second color, c2, corresponding to the color of the parrot's feathers, proceed to a third color, c3, corresponding to the color of the parrot's body, and end with a fourth color, c4, corresponding to the color of the parrot's legs. The remaining stitch data is determined by identifying three color transitions: from cl to c2, from c2 to c3, and from c3 to c4. For each color transition, the number of remaining stitches is estimated. For this purpose, the parrot is stitched by (i) coloring the thread with a first color cl and sewing the parrot's head to the base material 3a using the thread colored with the first color cl; (ii) identifying the next color change, and thereby starting the remaining stitching to the remaining base material 3b in the first sewing patch using the thread colored with the first color c1, and starting (re)coloring the thread to the second color c2; (iii) identifying that the color change is complete, and thereby starting the sewing of the parrot's wings to the base material 3a using the thread colored with the second color c2; and (iv) identifying the next color change, and thereby starting the remaining stitching to the remaining base material 3b in the second sewing patch using the thread colored with the second color c2. (v) by identifying that the color change is complete, starting to sew the body of the parrot to the base material 3a using the thread colored in the third color c3; (vi) by identifying that the next color change is complete, starting the remainder stitching to the remainder base material 3b at the third stitching patch using the thread colored in the third color c3 and starting to (re)color the thread in the fourth color c4; and (vii) by identifying that the color change is complete, completing the sewing of the parrot by sewing the legs of the parrot to the base material 3a using the thread colored in the fourth color c4.

[0095] In the above embodiment, and in other embodiments in which color change identification is performed, various different methods known in the art may be used for these purposes. For example, color identification may be performed using a lighting device configured to illuminate the area in which the yarn is located and an image sensor, such as a camera, configured to capture an image of the illuminated yarn. One or more image processing techniques, for example, using color analysis or color segmentation, may then be used to determine color data for the yarn. The color data may be compared to expected color data to output a determination of whether a color change has been performed. The lighting device and image sensor may be located in suitable locations within system 10, and control unit 110 may be configured to control their operation and to perform suitable image processing techniques.

[0096] 10A and 10B show another example of determining the remaining stitch data. In this example, the remaining stitch data is determined by estimating the number of remaining stitches adapted to be performed as underlay stitches on the substrate on which the decorative thread pattern is created.

[0097] FIG. 10A shows a first side 3a-1 of the substrate 3 placed in the frame 30 on which the inking is to be made. Instead of having residual substrate as in the embodiment of FIG. 9, the underlay stitches are determined to be made on the opposite side 3a-2 of the decorative pattern. This is shown in FIG. 10B. Thus, the residual stitches necessary to achieve the color change are determined to be made on the reverse side of the decorative pattern to be made, usually randomly, as shown in the figure.

[0098] FIG. 11 illustrates another, more advanced example of determining residual stitch data. This procedure is performed similarly to steps (i) through (vii) defined with respect to FIG. 9, except that instead of residual stitch patches, the residual stitches are created in multiple contiguous rows. In this example, the residual stitches are created on the same substrate 3a as the decorative thread pattern, but below the substrate 3a. Alternatively, a separate substrate may be used, as described herein. Instead of using four different colors as in the example of FIG. 9, eight different colors are used in the example of FIG. 11. However, the general approach to identifying color changes and controlling the generation of residual stitch data accordingly is equally applicable in this example.

[0099] Regardless of the method used to estimate the number of remaining stitches, the estimation may depend on one or more operating conditions of the in-line yarn coloring process. The operating conditions may relate to the equipment on which the in-line yarn coloring is performed, the substrate used, the yarn used, and / or external conditions. Alternatively, the number of remaining stitches may be set to a fixed stitch value, such as 10 stitches, or a fixed yarn length value, such as 20 cm, or virtually any other type of suitable fixed value.

[0100] FIG. 12 shows various examples of determining residual stitch data by defining different types of thread color boundary ranges r1, r2, r3, and r4. In these examples, the ranges are defined as lines, but other examples, such as patches and circles, may also be envisioned. The thread color boundary range relates to the residual stitch data that forms the basis for generating the second thread stitch coloring data, and therefore should not be mixed with the thread color boundaries of the first thread stitch coloring data. Therefore, the thread color boundary range is not a fixed boundary, but a range necessary to allow time for the thread to be (re)colored from the first color to the second color. Therefore, the thread color boundary range indicates the range of residual stitches with intermediate colors between the first and second colors. The thread color boundary range has a start value indicating the start of a color change and an end value indicating the completion of the color change. As with the above example, the thread color boundary range may be automatically determined by the control unit 110 based on the operating conditions of the inline thread coloring process. The thread color boundary range may also be changed during operation of the inline thread coloring process. The thread color boundary range may also be selected by the operator.

[0101] The first thread color boundary range r1 has a start value s1 and an end value e1. Various buffers are defined for the second thread color boundary range r2, the third thread color boundary range r3, and the fourth thread color boundary range r4. The purpose of adding buffers to the ranges is to further ensure that the entire color change is completed before returning to sewing the decorative thread pattern. The size of the buffers may vary. The number of buffers may vary. Buffers may be assigned to the start and / or end values ​​of the thread color boundary ranges. Typically, the buffer added to the start value is associated with the first color, the buffer added to the end value is associated with the second color, and the range between the two buffers includes any combination of intermediate colors between the first and second colors. As with the thread color boundary ranges, the buffers may be automatically determined by the control unit 110 based on the operating conditions of the inline thread coloring process. Also, the buffers may be changed during operation of the inline thread coloring process. Additionally, the buffers may be selected by the operator.

[0102] The second thread color boundary range r2 has a start value s2 and an end value e2. Furthermore, two buffers b1-1 and b1-2 are defined, one for each of the start value s2 and end value e2. The third thread color boundary range r3 has a start value s3 and an end value e3. Furthermore, one buffer b2-1 is defined for the start value s3. The fourth thread color boundary range r4 has a start value s4 and an end value e4.

[0103] Furthermore, one buffer b3-2 is defined for the end value e4.

[0104] 13 shows an exemplary schematic diagram of a method 200 for generating thread stitch coloring data for an in-line thread coloring process. The dashed boxes in method 200 are optional steps.

[0105] Method 200 includes step 210 of obtaining first thread stitch coloring data having a color representation set assigned to a corresponding thread source representation set based on a digital representation created as a decorative thread pattern. Method 200 includes step 220 of obtaining at least one thread color boundary from the first thread stitch coloring data, each thread color boundary defining a color change from a first color to a second color in the color representation set. Method 200 includes step 230 of determining, based on the at least one thread color boundary, residual stitch data indicating the number of residual stitches required to effect a color change in an in-line thread coloring process. Method 200 includes step 240 of generating second thread stitch coloring data having a color representation set assigned to a single thread source representation based on the residual stitch data, such that the color change of the first thread stitch coloring data is effected in the in-line thread coloring process.

[0106] Generating second thread stitch coloring data 240 may include obtaining pattern data 242 from the digital representation, the pattern data including a plurality of pixels, each pixel associated with a position and a color value in the digital representation. Step 240 may further include generating resolution data 244 by processing the pattern data, the processing of the pattern data including determining a thread placement including a plurality of stitches, the thread placement corresponding to the digital representation generated in the in-line thread coloring process. Step 240 may further include generating second thread stitch coloring data for the thread based at least on the resolution data.

[0107] Method 200 may further include subsequent consumption of the thread supply in the in-line thread coloring process, which is performed by controlling 250 an in-line thread coloring process of the thread based on the second thread stitch coloring data and the resulting control of the in-line thread coloring process, controlling 252 a thread consumption process of the thread relative to the substrate, and controlling 254 a residual embroidery process of the thread. The residual embroidery process may be controlled as one or both of a residual stitch on a residual substrate different from the substrate and a residual stitch as an underlay stitch on the substrate.

[0108] 14 illustrates a method 300 of a control unit 109, 110 configured to perform the method in an in-line yarn coloring process. In the following example, the method is described using the frame 30 embodied in FIGS. 8A-8D, but is also applicable to other embodiments provided herein. The control units 109, 110 are configured to cause the thread consuming device 15 to perform (305) a stitch on a fabric 3a, disposed within the main frame 32, on which a decorative thread pattern is to be created, and to cause the thread consuming device to cut (310) at least one thread used to perform the at least one stitch.

[0109] The control units 109, 110 are further configured to cause 315 relative movement between the needles of the yarn consuming device and the sub-frame 34. In one embodiment, this is performed by causing the movable stage 2b to move the frame 30. In another embodiment, the control units 109, 110 are configured to move the needles of the yarn consuming device 15.

[0110] Once the needle and sub-frame 34 are in position relative to each other, the control units 109, 110 are further configured to cause the thread consuming device to perform (320) at least one remainder stitch on the remainder fabric 3b.

[0111] Once the rest stitch has been applied to the fabric 3b, the control units 109, 110 are configured to cause the thread consuming device 15 to cut (325) the at least one thread 20 used to perform the at least one rest stitch.

[0112] The control units 109, 110 are further configured to cause 330 relative movement between the needles of the yarn consuming device and the main frame 32. In one embodiment, this is performed by causing the movable stage 2b to move the frame 30. In another embodiment, the control units 109, 110 are configured to move the needles of the yarn consuming device 15.

[0113] The method of cutting the thread can also be applied to the underlay stitching.

[0114] Further alternative aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated in the examples below.

[0115] An embroidery frame 30 for use with a system for in-line processing of thread and a thread consuming device 15 is provided. The embroidery frame 30 includes a main frame 32 configured to receive a first portion of one or more substrates on which a decorative thread pattern is to be created, and at least one sub-frame configured to receive a second portion of the one or more substrates, which is the remaining substrate.

[0116] The dimensions of the sub-frame are smaller than the dimensions of the main frame 32. The dimensions of the main frame 32 and the at least one sub-frame may be compatible relative to one another.

[0117] The substrate of the subframe is configured to receive at least one waste stitch / residual stitch.

[0118] At least one unwanted stitch / residual stitch is associated with a color transition.

[0119] The embroidery frame 30 is configured to be positioned on the movable stage 2 b such that the substrate within the embroidery frame 30 is movable relative to the thread consuming device 15 .

[0120] The control units 109 , 110 are configured to cause relative movement between the needles of the yarn consuming device 15 and the sub-frame or to cause relative movement between the needles of the yarn consuming device 15 and the main frame 32 .

[0121] The control units 109, 110 are further configured to cause the thread consuming device 15 to perform at least one stitch with at least one thread using at least one needle on a substrate 3a arranged in the main frame 32 on which a decorative thread pattern is to be created, cause the thread consuming device 15 to cut the at least one thread used to perform the at least one stitch, and generate relative movement between the needles of the thread consuming device 15 and the subframe, cause the thread consuming device 15 to perform at least one remainder stitch on a remainder substrate 3b, cause the thread consuming device 15 to cut the at least one thread used to perform the at least one remainder stitch, and generate relative movement between the needles of the thread consuming device 15 and the main frame 32.

[0122] A system for in-line processing of thread for use with a thread consuming device 15 is provided, including an embroidery frame 30. The system is in operative communication with control units 109, 110 configured to cause relative movement between the needles of the thread consuming device 15 and the sub-frame or to cause relative movement between the needles of the thread consuming device 15 and the main frame 32.

[0123] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, various variations of these embodiments are encompassed within the concept of the present invention. For example, the processing unit 100 may be provided with one control unit 110a, while the yarn consuming device 15 relies solely on an external control unit 110c. Also, the movable stage 2b may be provided with a separate control unit, not shown.

[0124] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to specific examples, it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein. Rather, the present invention is limited only by the accompanying provisions. As will be understood by one skilled in the art, the examples defined herein can be construed as embodiments of the present invention.

[0125] The term "comprises / comprises" does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Furthermore, although individual features may be included in different clauses, they may possibly be advantageously combined, and inclusion in different clauses does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and / or advantageous. Also, singular references do not exclude plural references. Terms such as "a," "an," "first," and "second" do not exclude plural references. Reference signs within clauses are provided merely as a means of clarifying examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the clauses in any way.

Claims

1. 1. A computer-implemented method (200) for generating thread stitch coloring data for an in-line thread coloring process, comprising: obtaining (210) first thread stitch coloring data (114) having a color representation set (114a) assigned to a corresponding thread source representation set (114b) based on the digital representation generated as the decorative thread pattern; obtaining (220) at least one thread color boundary (115) from the first thread stitch coloring data (114), each of the thread color boundaries (115) defining a color transition from a first color to a second color in the color representation set (114a); determining (230) residual stitch data (116) indicative of the number of residual stitches required to effect the color change in an in-line thread coloring process based on at least one of the thread color boundaries (115); generating (240) second thread stitch coloring data (117) based on the residual stitch data (116) having a color representation set (117a) assigned to a single thread source representation (117b) such that the color change of the first thread stitch coloring data (114) is effected in the in-line thread coloring process; A method (200) comprising:

2. 2. The method (200) of claim 1, wherein the residual stitch data (116) is determined by estimating the number of residual stitches adapted to be performed on a residual substrate (3b) different from the substrate (3a) on which the decorative thread pattern is created.

3. 3. The method (200) of claim 2, wherein the substrate (3a) is adapted to be received by a main frame (32) and the remaining substrate (3b) is adapted to be received by at least one sub-frame (34).

4. 4. The method (200) of claim 1, wherein the remaining stitch data (116) is determined by estimating the number of remaining stitches adapted to be performed as underlay stitches on a substrate on which the decorative thread pattern is created.

5. The method (200) of any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the estimation of the number of remaining stitches depends on one or more operating conditions of the in-line yarn coloring process.

6. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the remaining stitch data includes defining a thread color boundary range indicating a range of remaining stitches having an intermediate color between the first color and the second color, the thread color boundary range having a start value indicating a start of the color change and an end value indicating a completion of the color change.

7. 7. The method (200) of claim 6, further comprising setting a respective buffer for each of the start value and the end value, the buffer indicating the number of stitches to be added to the remaining stitch data at each end of the thread color boundary range.

8. 8. The method (200) of claim 6 or 7, wherein the thread color boundary range depends on one or more of the number of stitches, the amount of thread consumed, substrate properties, thread properties, and combinations thereof.

9. The method (200) of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the color change is caused by one or more of a color transition in the digital representation, a cutting process of the thread (20), a relative movement of a substrate, and combinations thereof.

10. 10. The method (200) of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the residual stitch data (116) includes information on one or more of the length of the color change, the direction of the residual stitches used to effect the color change, the characteristics of the substrate on which the color change is to be effected, the thread characteristics of the thread (20) used to effect the color change, and combinations thereof.

11. Subsequent consumption of thread resources in the in-line thread coloring process is determined based on the second thread stitch coloring data (117) by: controlling (250) an in-line yarn coloring process of the yarn (20); controlling (252) a yarn consumption process of said yarn (20) relative to a substrate (3a); a step (254) of controlling a residual embroidery process of the thread (20) as one or both of a residual stitch on a residual substrate (3b) different from the substrate (3a) and a residual stitch as an underlay stitch on the substrate (3a); The method (200) of any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising controlling by

12. The step (240) of generating the second thread stitching coloring data (117) includes: obtaining (242) pattern data from the digital representation, the pattern data comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel associated with a position (p) and a color value (cv) in the digital representation; generating resolution data by processing the pattern data (244), wherein the processing of the pattern data includes determining a thread placement including a plurality of stitches, the thread placement corresponding to the digital representation generated in the in-line thread coloring process; generating (246) the second thread stitch coloring data for the thread (20) based at least on the resolution data; The method (200) of any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising:

13. 13. The method (200) of claim 12, wherein processing the pattern data further comprises determining information regarding stitch length (23), stitch direction (24), and type of connector (25) for connecting one or more stitches to one another.

14. A control unit (110) comprising a processor (112) configured to perform the steps of the method (200) of any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A system (10) for in-line processing of at least one yarn (20) for use with a yarn consuming device, comprising: a processing unit (100) including at least one dispensing device (150) including at least one nozzle, the at least one dispensing device (150) being disposed along the at least one thread (20) and configured to dispense one or more coating substances onto the at least one thread (20) upon activation; a control unit (109) configured to control the dispensing device (150) to dispense the coating substance onto at least one of the threads based on the second thread stitch coloring data (117) generated from the method (100) of any one of claims 1 to 13; A system (10) comprising:

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (300) comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors (112) of a control unit (110), cause the processors (112) to perform the functions of the method (200) of any one of claims 1 to 13.

17. A computer program product comprising computer code for performing the functions of the method (200) of any one of claims 1 to 13.

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