Overview Camera Cutting Machine for Precise Registration Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cutting machines are inefficient in terms of speed, personnel requirements, accuracy, and waste generation when processing objects with graphic designs and optical registration features.
Innovation Solution
A cutting machine equipped with a first camera unit capturing the entire work surface, a processing unit for image evaluation, and additional features like movable second cameras and optical sensors to enhance positioning accuracy and reduce waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a camera unit is positioned above the work surface to capture the entire work area, then the field of view encompasses the entire work surface, but the positioning accuracy of objects decreases due to distance and image resolution limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the imaging function into two segments: an overview camera for capturing the entire work surface and a detail camera for capturing high-resolution images of specific objects. This segmentation allows each camera to be optimized for its specific function - the overview camera provides broad coverage while the detail camera provides precise positioning data when positioned close to individual objects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces reference features as intermediaries that bridge the two camera systems. These reference features are captured by both the overview camera and the detail camera, allowing the system to correlate positions between the two views and accurately determine object locations on the work surface by combining data from both cameras.
2Productivity
If manual positioning and cutting path definition is used, then equipment complexity is low, but productivity decreases due to time-consuming operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service automation where the camera system automatically captures object positions, the processing unit automatically defines cutting paths based on captured images, and the cutting device automatically executes cuts without manual intervention. This self-service approach significantly increases productivity while the modular design keeps complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical positioning and path definition with an automated vision-based system. The camera captures object positions, computer processing automatically determines cutting paths, and this information is transmitted to control the cutting device, substituting manual mechanical operations with automated optical and computational systems.
3Area of stationary object
If the overview camera captures images from a distance, then it can cover the entire work surface, but the image resolution and contrast decrease making registration feature detection difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging function is segmented between two cameras: the overview camera captures the entire work surface from a distance to provide broad coverage, while the detail camera captures high-contrast, high-resolution images of specific objects when positioned close to them. This segmentation allows each camera to operate in its optimal range - the overview camera provides context and the detail camera provides the contrast needed for accurate feature detection.
Solution Approach 2:
Reference features serve as intermediaries that are visible in both the overview camera image and the detail camera image. By detecting these reference features in the high-contrast detail images and correlating their positions with the overview image, the system recovers the contrast and precision information that would be lost in the distance-captured overview image alone.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a
Figure 2b~2c
AI summary
Cutting machine (1), designed for cutting objects (40, 40') with a flat surface, wherein the surface has a graphic design (44, 44') with optical registration features, comprising a working surface (10), a first camera unit (20) arranged relative to the working surface (10) such that its field of view covers the entire working surface (10), a work group (12) movably arranged above the working surface (10) and comprising at least one cutting device (15), and a computing unit (30) with a circuit and program code for controlling the cutting machine (1), comprising a storage unit for storing orders for cutting the object (40, 40') comprising information about an expected position of the object (40, 40') on the working surface (10).The processing unit (30) comprises a circuit and program code for evaluating images (50) from the first camera unit (20) and is configured to recognize the registration features in the image (50) of the first camera unit (20), whereby, based on the expected position of the at least one object (40, 40'), expected positions of registration features are derived, and areas (52) around the expected positions are defined as regions of interest in the recorded image (50) of the first camera unit (20), outside of which no registration features are searched. Furthermore, the processing unit (30) is configured to define a cutting path (45, 45') for the cutting device (15) according to the stored command and based on the positions of the registration features (42) in the image (50).