System and method for detecting seam puckering

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a seam puckering detection system. The seam puckering detection system includes a first optical sensor that measures the length of the fabric before sewing centered on a needle that performs a sewing operation on the fabric to be sewn, a second optical sensor that measures the length of the fabric after sewing centered on the needle, and a processor that determines whether seam puckering occurs based on the difference in passage time between the fabric before sewing and the fabric after sewing, calculated based on first optical data and second optical data, respectively measured by the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for detecting seam puckering occurring during sewing, and more specifically, to a technology for determining the presence or absence of seam puckering by measuring the fabric length before and after sewing using two sensors. Background Technology

[0003] Recently, the utilization of data is increasing across all industries due to the creation of digital-based industrial ecosystems. This trend of digital transformation is expanding to the entire industrial stream, ranging from production and distribution management to quality control and sales. In particular, technologies have been developed to replace qualitative factors based on sensor data with quantitative evaluations for quality control and forecasting.

[0004] Among various industrial sectors, sewing technology in the textile industry tends to show significant quality variations depending on the technician's competence, materials, and equipment settings. A representative factor contributing to sewing quality degradation is seam puckering, which refers to wrinkling that occurs along the seam line during fabric sewing. Seam puckering causes quality degradation in sewn products such as clothing, and factors inducing it include fabric characteristics, fabric relaxation / shrinkage during the sewing process, and faulty machine settings. Among these, the influence of fabric relaxation / shrinkage resulting from the physical properties of the fabric and the operator's sewing style has been identified as a major cause of seam puckering. Therefore, installing a detection module on the sewing machine to detect seam puckering during the sewing process can be more efficient.

[0005] Existing methods for detecting the presence of seam puckering have utilized image sensors to determine the degree of wrinkles through contrast analysis. However, processing image data requires the installation of high-performance processors, which increases production costs and poses a problem that makes it difficult to apply to the current sewing industry. The problem to be solved

[0007] The present disclosure provides a method for detecting shim puckering, a computer program stored on a recording medium, and a device for solving the above-described problems. means of solving the problem

[0009] The present disclosure may be implemented in various ways, including a method, an apparatus (system), or a computer program stored on a readable storage medium.

[0010] A seam puckering detection system performed by at least one processor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a first optical sensor that measures the length of the fabric before sewing centered on a needle that performs a sewing operation on the fabric to be sewn, a second optical sensor that measures the length of the fabric after sewing centered on the needle, and a processor that determines whether seam puckering occurs based on the difference in the passage time of the fabric before sewing and the fabric after sewing calculated based on the first optical data and the second optical data, respectively measured by the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a first optical sensor and a second optical sensor are installed on both sides of the needle-holding screw of a sewing machine and may be positioned corresponding to both ends of the presser foot of the sewing machine, respectively, so as to be parallel to the direction of movement for performing sewing of the fabric to be sewn.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a first optical sensor and a second optical sensor each include a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, and the first optical data and the second optical data may include information regarding the time at which light is irradiated by the light-emitting element and the time at which the light-receiving element receives light reflected by the needle plate of a sewing machine or the fabric to be sewn.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the passage time of the fabric before sewing calculated based on the first optical data corresponds to the difference in time between the first rising edge and the first falling edge of the first optical data, and the passage time of the fabric after sewing calculated based on the second optical data corresponds to the difference in time between the second rising edge and the second falling edge of the second optical data.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a processor may determine that seam puckering has occurred if the passage time of the fabric after sewing is shorter than the passage time of the fabric before sewing.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a seam puckering detection method may include: a step of measuring first optical data by a first optical sensor that measures the length of the fabric before sewing centered on a needle that performs a sewing operation on the fabric to be sewn; a step of measuring second optical data by a second optical sensor that measures the length of the fabric after sewing centered on the needle; and a step of determining whether seam puckering occurs based on the difference in the passage time of the fabric before sewing and the fabric after sewing calculated based on the first optical data and the second optical data, respectively measured by the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor, by a processor.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor are installed on both sides of the needle-holding screw of a sewing machine and may be positioned corresponding to both ends of the presser foot of the sewing machine, respectively, so as to be parallel to the direction of movement for performing sewing of the fabric to be sewn.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a first optical sensor and a second optical sensor each include a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, and the first optical data and the second optical data may include information regarding the time at which light is irradiated by the light-emitting element and the time at which the light-receiving element receives light reflected by the needle plate of a sewing machine or the fabric to be sewn.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the passage time of the fabric before sewing calculated based on the first optical data corresponds to the difference in time between the first rising edge and the first falling edge of the first optical data, and the passage time of the fabric after sewing calculated based on the second optical data corresponds to the difference in time between the second rising edge and the second falling edge of the second optical data.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the step of determining whether seam puckering occurs based on the difference in passing time between the fabric before sewing and the fabric after sewing may include the step of determining by a processor that seam puckering has occurred if the passing time of the fabric after sewing is shorter than the passing time of the fabric before sewing. Effects of the invention

[0021] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, when utilizing a seam puckering detection system, seam puckering that may occur in the sewing process can be detected cost-effectively by using two sensors instead of using hardware for high-performance image analysis.

[0022] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, information regarding whether seam puckering occurs during the sewing process, detected through sensors, can be expressed as a quantitative value and can be used as quality control data for the sewing process.

[0023] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, since only two sensors and a low-spec processor for analyzing sensor measurements are required, it can be easily applied to relatively small-scale sewing processes and sewing machines. In addition, using this seam puckering detection system, sewing process errors can be detected at a faster speed than when an operator directly detects them visually.

[0024] The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains (referred to as "person skilled in the art") from the description in the claims. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0026] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings described below, wherein similar reference numerals indicate similar elements, but are not limited thereto. FIG. 1 is a drawing showing an example of a shim puckering detection system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 shows an example of a sensor part of a shim puckering detection system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a shim puckering detection system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is an example of a method for detecting shim puckering according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is an example of calculating the passage time of a fabric before and after sewing based on optical data according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a shim puckering detection method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0027] Hereinafter, specific details for implementing the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, in the following description, specific descriptions regarding widely known functions or configurations will be omitted if there is a risk that the gist of the present disclosure may be unnecessarily obscured.

[0028] In the attached drawings, identical or corresponding components are assigned the same reference numerals. Additionally, in the description of the following embodiments, the description of identical or corresponding components may be omitted. However, even if a description of a component is omitted, it is not intended that such component is not included in any embodiment.

[0029] The advantages and features of the disclosed embodiments and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but may be implemented in various different forms, and the embodiments provided are merely to make the present disclosure complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention.

[0030] The terms used in this specification will be briefly explained, and the disclosed embodiments will be described in detail. The terms used in this specification have been selected to be as generally used as possible, taking into account their functions in this disclosure; however, these terms may vary depending on the intent of those skilled in the art, case law, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Additionally, in specific cases, terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in such cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the relevant description of the invention. Therefore, the terms used in this disclosure should be defined not merely by their names, but based on their meanings and the content throughout this disclosure.

[0031] In this specification, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly specifies them as singular. Additionally, plural expressions include singular expressions unless the context clearly specifies them as plural. Throughout the specification, when a part is described as including a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components.

[0032] In this specification, the description "A and / or B" means A, or B, or A and B.

[0033] Additionally, the terms 'module' or 'part' as used in the specification refer to software or hardware components, and the 'module' or 'part' performs certain roles. However, the meaning of 'module' or 'part' is not limited to software or hardware. The 'module' or 'part' may be configured to reside in an addressable storage medium or configured to run on one or more processors. Thus, as an example, the 'module' or 'part' may include components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, and at least one of processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, or variables. The components and the functions provided within the 'module' or 'part' may be combined into a smaller number of components and 'modules' or 'parts', or further separated into additional components and 'modules' or 'parts'.

[0034] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a ‘module’ or ‘part’ may be implemented as a processor and memory. The term ‘processor’ should be broadly interpreted to include a general-purpose processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, etc. In some environments, the term ‘processor’ may refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. The term ‘processor’ may also refer to a combination of processing devices, such as, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a combination of multiple microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other combination of such configurations. Additionally, the term ‘memory’ should be broadly interpreted to include any electronic component capable of storing electronic information. 'Memory' may refer to various types of processor-readable media, such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM), Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), Erasable-Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable PROM (EEPROM), Flash Memory, Magnetic or Optical Data Storage Devices, Registers, etc. If a processor can read information from memory and / or write information to memory, the memory is said to be in an electronic communication state with the processor. Memory integrated into a processor is in an electronic communication state with the processor.

[0035] In the present disclosure, the 'system' may include at least one of a server device and a cloud device, but is not limited thereto. For example, the system may be composed of one or more server devices. As another example, the system may be composed of one or more cloud devices. As yet another example, the system may be configured and operated with both a server device and a cloud device.

[0036] In the present disclosure, 'each of a plurality of A' or 'each of a plurality of A' may refer to each of all components included in a plurality of A, or each of some components included in a plurality of A.

[0037] In the present disclosure, 'seam puckering' may refer to wrinkles occurring along the seam when two pieces of fabric are sewn together and / or unwanted small wrinkles appearing along the seam after sewing, which are not smooth.

[0038] In the present disclosure, a rising edge and / or a falling edge may refer to a point in time when a digital signal changes from a low level to a high level or vice versa, and may refer to a moment when the state of the digital signal changes in this way.

[0039] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating an example of a seam puckering detection system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the seam puckering detection system (100) may include a first optical sensor (110), a second optical sensor (120), and a presser foot (130) installed on a sewing machine. The first optical sensor (110) and the second optical sensor (120) may be installed on both sides of the needle-holding screw of the sewing machine. The first optical sensor (110) and the second optical sensor (120) may each be positioned corresponding to both ends of the presser foot (130) of the sewing machine so as to be parallel to the direction of movement for performing sewing of the fabric to be sewn. For example, the first optical sensor (110) may be installed to measure the fabric before the fabric to be sewn passes the position where the needle of the sewing machine is installed, and the second optical sensor (120) may be installed to measure the fabric after the fabric to be sewn passes the position where the needle of the sewing machine is installed. The first optical sensor (110) and the second optical sensor (120) may each include a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element. Hereinafter, information or data measured or detected by the first optical sensor (110) and the second optical sensor (120), respectively, will be referred to as the first optical data and the second optical data. The first optical data and the second optical data may include information regarding the time at which light is irradiated by the light-emitting element of each optical sensor and the time at which the light-receiving element of the corresponding optical sensor receives light reflected by the needle plate of the sewing machine or the fabric to be sewn.

[0040] In one embodiment, the seam puckering detection system (100) can measure the length of the fabric before sewing and the length of the fabric after sewing based on first optical data and second optical data. The seam puckering detection system (100) can measure the length of the fabric before sewing and the length of the fabric after sewing by corresponding the passage time of the fabric before sewing and the passage time of the fabric after sewing, respectively, to the length of the fabric before sewing and the length of the fabric after sewing. For example, the first optical sensor (110) and the second optical sensor (120) may be installed close to each other within a range that minimizes interference between the sensors so that there is no significant difference in the speed at which the fabric to be sewn passes the point irradiated by the first optical sensor (110) and the speed at which the fabric to be sewn passes the point irradiated by the second optical sensor (120). If there is no significant difference between the speed at which the fabric to be sewn passes the point irradiated by the first optical sensor (110) and the speed at which the fabric to be sewn passes the point irradiated by the second optical sensor (120), the time it takes for the fabric to be sewn to pass the point where the optical sensors (110, 120) irradiate and receive light can be corresponded to the length of the fabric to be sewn. Meanwhile, the speed at which the fabric to be sewn passes the point irradiated by the optical sensors (110, 120) can correspond to the speed of the motor that operates the needle of the sewing machine.

[0041] In one embodiment, the seam puckering detection system (100) measuring the passage time of the fabric before sewing may correspond to the difference in timing between the first rising edge and the first falling edge of the first optical data measured by the first optical sensor (110). Similarly, measuring the passage time of the fabric after sewing may correspond to the difference in timing between the second rising edge and the second falling edge of the second optical data measured by the second optical sensor (120). The first rising edge and / or the second rising edge may correspond to the time when the first optical sensor (110) and / or the second optical sensor (120) receive light reflected by the fabric to be sewn while receiving light reflected by the needle plate of the sewing machine. The first falling edge and / or the second falling edge may correspond to the time when the first optical sensor (110) and / or the second optical sensor (120) receives light reflected by the needle plate of the sewing machine while receiving light reflected by the fabric to be sewn.

[0042] In one embodiment, the seam puckering detection system (100) may determine that seam puckering has occurred if the passage time of the fabric after sewing is shorter than the passage time of the fabric before sewing. As described above, the passage time of the fabric before sewing can correspond to the passage length of the fabric before sewing, and the passage time of the fabric after sewing can correspond to the passage length of the fabric after sewing. The occurrence of seam puckering in the fabric to be sewn may refer to the occurrence of wrinkles and / or creases along the seam line in the fabric after sewing, and when seam puckering occurs, a difference in length may occur between the fabric before sewing and the fabric after sewing.

[0043] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a sensor unit of a seam puckering detection system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the seam puckering detection system may include a sensor unit, which may be composed of a first optical sensor (210) and a second optical sensor (220). The first optical sensor (210) and the second optical sensor (220) may be installed on both sides of the needle holder screw (240) of a sewing machine. The needle holder screw (240) may be for securing the needle (250) of the sewing machine. The first optical sensor (210) and the second optical sensor (220) may be installed so as to be positioned at each end of the presser foot (230) of the sewing machine, respectively, parallel to the direction of movement for performing sewing on the fabric to be sewn. The presser foot (230) of the sewing machine may refer to a device that presses the fabric to be sewn appropriately to perform sewing.

[0044] In one embodiment, to perform sewing, the fabric to be sewn may pass sequentially through a target location where the first optical sensor (210) and the second optical sensor (220) each irradiate and receive light. Accordingly, the first optical sensor (210) may be installed to receive light reflected by the fabric or needle plate of the fabric to be sewn before sewing. Similarly, the second optical sensor (220) may be installed to receive light reflected by the fabric or needle plate of the fabric to be sewn after sewing.

[0045] In one embodiment, a first optical sensor (210) may be installed to measure the length of the fabric before sewing, centered on the needle (250) that performs the sewing operation on the fabric to be sewn. Similarly, a second optical sensor (220) may be installed to measure the length of the fabric after sewing, centered on the needle (250) that performs the sewing operation on the fabric to be sewn. The first optical sensor (210) may measure the length of the fabric before sewing based on the time the fabric to be sewn passes through the target location where the first optical sensor (210) irradiates and receives light. Similarly, the second optical sensor (220) may measure the length of the fabric after sewing based on the time the fabric to be sewn passes through the target location where the second optical sensor (220) irradiates and receives light. The first optical sensor (210) and the second optical sensor (220) may be installed in close proximity so that there is no significant difference in the speed of the fabric to be sewn passing through the location where the first optical sensor (210) and the second optical sensor (220) each irradiate light. Additionally, the first optical sensor (210) and the second optical sensor (220) may be installed in close proximity to each other within a range that does not affect each other when measuring the first optical data and the second optical data.

[0046] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a seam puckering detection system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the seam puckering detection system (300) may include a first optical sensor (310), a second optical sensor (320), an A / D converter (330), and a processor (340). The first optical sensor (310) may include a first light-emitting unit (312) and a first light-receiving unit (314). The second optical sensor (320) may include a second light-emitting unit (322) and a second light-receiving unit (324). The first optical sensor (310) and the second optical sensor (320) may each measure first optical data and second optical data. The first optical data may include information regarding the time at which light is irradiated from the first light-emitting unit (312) and the time at which light reflected by the needle plate of a sewing machine or the fabric to be sewn is received by the first light-receiving unit (314). Similarly, the second optical data may include information regarding the time at which light is irradiated from the second light-emitting unit (322) and the time at which light reflected by the needle plate of the sewing machine or the fabric to be sewn is received by the second light-receiving unit (324).

[0047] In one embodiment, the first optical sensor (310) may be configured to measure first optical data for the fabric to be sewn before sewing, and the second optical sensor (320) may be configured to measure second optical data for the fabric to be sewn after sewing. The first optical sensor (310) may be configured to detect the presence or absence of the fabric at a target location where the first light-emitting unit (312) and the first light-receiving unit (314) irradiate light and receive the reflected light. For example, it may be determined that the fabric is not present while the first light-receiving unit (314) receives light reflected by the needle plate of the sewing machine, and it may be determined that the fabric is present while the first light-receiving unit (314) receives light reflected by the fabric to be sewn. Similarly, the second optical sensor (320) may be configured to detect the presence or absence of a fabric at a target location where the second light-emitting unit (322) and the second light-receiving unit (324) irradiate light and receive reflected light. For example, it may be determined that the fabric is not present while the second light-receiving unit (324) receives light reflected by the needle plate of the sewing machine, and it may be determined that the fabric is present while the second light-receiving unit (324) receives light reflected by the fabric to be sewn.

[0048] In one embodiment, the first optical sensor (310) and the second optical sensor (320) determining the presence of the fabric may be for determining the time the fabric to be sewn passes through a target location where the first optical sensor (310) and the second optical sensor (320) irradiate light and receive the reflected light. The time the fabric to be sewn passes through the first optical sensor (310) and the second optical sensor (320) may correspond to the time the light reflected by the fabric to be sewn is received at the first light receiving unit (314) and the second light receiving unit (324). The first light receiving unit (314) may be configured to receive light reflected by the fabric before sewing, and the second light receiving unit (324) may be configured to receive light reflected by the fabric after sewing. At this time, if the passage time of the fabric before sewing measured by the first optical sensor (310) is longer than the passage time of the fabric after sewing measured by the second optical sensor (320), the processor (340) may determine that seam puckering has occurred.

[0049] FIG. 4 is an example of a method for detecting seam puckering according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, a seam puckering detection system can detect seam puckering based on a first state (410), a second state (420), and a third state (430). The first state (410) may mean a state in which a first optical sensor (440) receives light reflected by a fabric to be sewn (400), and a second optical sensor (450) receives light reflected by a needle plate of a sewing machine. In the first state (410), the first optical sensor (440) may receive light reflected by the fabric to be sewn (400) to determine the passing time of the fabric to be sewn (400) before sewing.

[0050] In one embodiment, the second state (420) may mean that the first optical sensor (440) and the second optical sensor (450) receive light reflected by the fabric to be sewn (400). In the second state (420), the first optical sensor (440) may receive light reflected by the fabric to be sewn (400) to determine the passing time of the fabric to be sewn (400) before sewing. In the second state (420), the second optical sensor (450) may receive light reflected by the fabric to be sewn (400) to determine the passing time of the fabric to be sewn (400) after sewing.

[0051] In one embodiment, the third state (430) may mean that the first optical sensor (440) and the second optical sensor (450) receive light reflected by the needle plate of the sewing machine. The seam puckering detection system may determine the time during which the first optical sensor (440) receives light reflected by the sewing target fabric (400) as the time the sewing target fabric (400) has passed before sewing. Similarly, the time during which the second optical sensor (450) receives light reflected by the sewing target fabric (400) may be determined as the time the sewing target fabric (400) has passed after sewing. In the third state (430), the seam puckering detection system may determine that seam puckering has occurred if the time the sewing target fabric (400) has passed measured by the second optical sensor (450) is shorter than the time the sewing target fabric (400) has passed measured by the first optical sensor (440).

[0052] FIG. 5 is an example of calculating the passage time of a fabric before and after sewing based on optical data according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. A seam puckering detection system can calculate the difference in timing between a rising edge (512, 522) and a falling edge (514, 524) based on first optical data and second optical data to calculate the passage time (510, 520) of the fabric before and after sewing. The first optical data measured by the first optical sensor may include a first rising edge (512) at the time when light reflected by the fabric to be sewn before sewing is received. Additionally, the first optical data may include a first falling edge (514) at the time when light reflected by the needle plate of a sewing machine is received while receiving light reflected by the fabric to be sewn before sewing. Similarly, the second optical data measured by the second optical sensor may include a second rising edge (522) at the time when light reflected by the fabric to be sewn after sewing is received. Additionally, the second optical data may include a second falling edge (524) at the time when light reflected by the needle plate of the sewing machine is received while receiving light reflected by the fabric to be sewn after sewing.

[0053] In one embodiment, the seam puckering detection system can determine the passing time (510) of the fabric before sewing based on first optical data. The passing time (510) of the fabric before sewing may correspond to the difference in timing between the first rising edge (512) and the first falling edge (514) of the first optical data measured by the first optical sensor. Similarly, the seam puckering detection system can determine the passing time (520) of the fabric after sewing based on second optical data. The passing time (520) of the fabric after sewing may correspond to the difference in timing between the second rising edge (522) and the second falling edge (524) of the second optical data measured by the second optical sensor. The seam puckering detection system may have the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor installed in close proximity to each other so that there is no significant difference in the speed of the fabric to be sewn passing through the target location where each of the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor irradiates light and receives the reflected light. Accordingly, the passage time (510) of the fabric before sewing can correspond to the length of the fabric before sewing, and the passage time (520) of the fabric after sewing can correspond to the length of the fabric after sewing. The seam puckering detection system can determine that seam puckering has occurred if the passage time (520) of the fabric after sewing is shorter than the passage time (510) of the fabric before sewing.

[0054] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a seam puckering detection method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The seam puckering detection method (600) may begin by measuring first optical data for a fabric before sewing at a first optical sensor (S610). The first optical data may include a first rising edge and a first falling edge. The first rising edge may correspond to receiving light reflected by the fabric before sewing, and the first falling edge may correspond to receiving light reflected by the needle plate of a sewing machine while receiving light reflected by the fabric before sewing.

[0055] In step (S620), the seam puckering detection system can measure second optical data for the fabric after sewing at the second optical sensor. The second optical data may include a second rising edge and a second falling edge. The second rising edge may correspond to receiving light reflected by the fabric after sewing, and the second falling edge may correspond to receiving light reflected by the needle plate of the sewing machine while receiving light reflected by the fabric after sewing.

[0056] In step (S630), the seam puckering detection system can compare the difference in timing between the first rising edge and the first falling edge based on the first optical data. In step (S640), the seam puckering detection system can determine the difference in timing between the first rising edge and the first falling edge as the time of passing the fabric before sewing. At this time, the time of passing the fabric before sewing can correspond to the length of the fabric before sewing.

[0057] In step (S650), the shimpuckering detection system can compare the difference in time between the second rising edge and the second falling edge.

[0058] In step (S660), the seam puckering detection system can determine the difference between the timing of the second rising edge and the second falling edge as the time of passing the fabric after sewing. At this time, the time of passing the fabric after sewing can correspond to the length of the fabric after sewing.

[0059] In step (S670), the seam puckering detection system can compare the passing time of the fabric after sewing with the passing time of the fabric before sewing. If it is determined that the passing time of the fabric after sewing is not shorter than the passing time of the fabric before sewing, the step can be terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the passing time of the fabric after sewing is shorter than the passing time of the fabric before sewing, the seam puckering detection system can determine that seam puckering has occurred in the fabric to be sewn (S680).

[0060] The method described above may be provided as a computer program stored on a computer-readable recording medium for execution on a computer. The medium may continuously store a program executable by a computer, or temporarily store it for execution or download. Additionally, the medium may be various recording or storage means in the form of a single or multiple hardware components, and may not be limited to a medium directly connected to a computer system but may exist distributed over a network. Examples of media may include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes; optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magneto-optical media such as floptical disks; and media configured to store program instructions, including ROM, RAM, and flash memory. Furthermore, other examples of media may include recording or storage media managed by app stores that distribute applications or sites and servers that supply or distribute various other software.

[0061] The methods, operations, or techniques of the present disclosure may be implemented by various means. For example, these techniques may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will understand that the various exemplary logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate such interchangeability between hardware and software, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above in terms of their functional aspects. Whether such functions are implemented in hardware or in software depends on the design requirements imposed on the specific application and the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the functions described in various ways for each specific application, but such implementations should not be construed as departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0062] In a hardware implementation, the processing units used to perform the techniques may be implemented in one or more ASICs, DSPs, digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure, computers, or a combination thereof.

[0063] Accordingly, the various exemplary logic blocks and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure may be implemented or performed by any combination of general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or those designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors coupled with a DSP core, or any other combination of configurations.

[0064] In firmware and / or software implementations, techniques may be implemented as instructions stored on a computer-readable medium such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc (CD), magnetic or optical data storage devices, etc. The instructions may be executable by one or more processors, and may cause the processor(s) to perform specific aspects of the functions described in this disclosure.

[0065] Although the embodiments described above have been described as utilizing aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein in one or more standalone computer systems, the present disclosure is not limited thereto and may be implemented in conjunction with any computing environment, such as a network or a distributed computing environment. Furthermore, aspects of the subject matter in the present disclosure may be implemented in a plurality of processing chips or devices, and storage may be similarly affected across a plurality of devices. Such devices may include PCs, network servers, and portable devices.

[0066] Although the present disclosure has been described in relation to some embodiments, it should be understood that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as understood by a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Furthermore, such modifications and changes should be considered to fall within the scope of the claims appended to this specification. Explanation of the symbols

[0067] 100: Simpuckering detection system 110: First optical sensor 120: Second optical sensor 130: Presser foot 400: Fabric to be sewn 512: 1st Rising edge 514: 1st Falling edge 522: 2nd Rising edge 524: The Second Falling Edge

Claims

Claim 1 A seam puckering detection system comprising: a first optical sensor that measures the length of the fabric before sewing centered on a needle that performs a sewing operation on the fabric to be sewn; a second optical sensor that measures the length of the fabric after sewing centered on the needle; and a processor that determines whether seam puckering has occurred based on the difference in the passage time of the fabric before sewing and the fabric after sewing calculated based on first optical data and second optical data, respectively measured by the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor, wherein the processor determines that seam puckering has occurred if the passage time of the fabric after sewing is shorter than the passage time of the fabric before sewing. Claim 2 A seam puckering detection system according to claim 1, wherein the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor are installed on both sides of the needle-holding screw of a sewing machine and are positioned respectively at both ends of the presser foot of the sewing machine so as to be parallel to the direction of movement for performing sewing of the fabric to be sewn. Claim 3 A seam puckering detection system according to claim 1, wherein the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor each include a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, and the first optical data and the second optical data include information regarding the time at which light is irradiated by the light-emitting element and the time at which the light-receiving element receives light reflected by the needle plate of a sewing machine or the fabric to be sewn. Claim 4 A seam puckering detection system according to claim 1, wherein the passage time of the fabric before sewing calculated based on the first optical data corresponds to the difference in time between the first rising edge and the first falling edge of the first optical data, and the passage time of the fabric after sewing calculated based on the second optical data corresponds to the difference in time between the second rising edge and the second falling edge of the second optical data. Claim 5 delete Claim 6 A method for detecting seam puckering, comprising: a step of measuring first optical data by a first optical sensor that measures the length of the fabric before sewing centered on a needle that performs a sewing operation on the fabric to be sewn; a step of measuring second optical data by a second optical sensor that measures the length of the fabric after sewing centered on the needle; and a step of determining whether seam puckering has occurred based on the difference in passing time between the fabric before sewing and the fabric after sewing, calculated based on the first optical data and the second optical data respectively measured by the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor by a processor, wherein the step of determining whether seam puckering has occurred based on the difference in passing time between the fabric before sewing and the fabric after sewing includes, by the processor, a step of determining that seam puckering has occurred if the passing time of the fabric after sewing is shorter than the passing time of the fabric before sewing. Claim 7 A method for detecting seam puckering according to claim 6, wherein the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor are installed on both sides of the needle-holding screw of a sewing machine and are positioned respectively at both ends of the presser foot of the sewing machine so as to be parallel to the direction of movement for performing sewing of the fabric to be sewn. Claim 8 A method for detecting seam puckering according to claim 6, wherein the first optical sensor and the second optical sensor each include a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, and the first optical data and the second optical data include information regarding the time at which light is irradiated by the light-emitting element and the time at which the light-receiving element receives light reflected by the needle plate of a sewing machine or the fabric to be sewn. Claim 9 A seam puckering detection method according to claim 6, wherein the passage time of the fabric before sewing calculated based on the first optical data corresponds to the difference in time between the first rising edge and the first falling edge of the first optical data, and the passage time of the fabric after sewing calculated based on the second optical data corresponds to the difference in time between the second rising edge and the second falling edge of the second optical data. Claim 10 delete

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