Shoe Last Assembly Guidance Using Camera Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
In shoe production, especially for made-to-order shoes, the lack of advanced equipment like 3D printers in stores can lead to inefficiencies and inaccuracies when assembling or adjusting standard lasts, as unskilled store clerks may rely on trial and error, resulting in time-consuming and potentially inaccurate last production.
Innovation Solution
A last production assisting apparatus and system that includes a camera, storage, processor, and display to image, process, and display information for accurately assembling or adjusting parts, enabling precise attachment and adjustment of plate-shaped or voxel parts, or processing of objects to create a customized last.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a store clerk assembles or adjusts standard lasts manually without advanced equipment, then the last can be produced without requiring expensive 3D printers, but the production time increases and accuracy decreases due to trial and error methods
Solution Approach 1:
The system captures images of the last and parts using a camera, processes these images to detect positions and dimensions, and provides feedback information to guide the clerk's assembly or adjustment actions. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables real-time correction of positioning errors without requiring multiple trial-and-error attempts, thereby improving accuracy while reducing time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
An image processing system acts as an intermediary between the physical last/parts and the clerk's manipulation actions. The system captures visual information, processes it to extract positional and dimensional data, and translates this into guidance information, serving as a mediator that bridges the gap between manual operation and precise manufacturing requirements.
2Ease of operation
If a store clerk produces the last by trial and error without skilled expertise, then the work can be performed by any clerk, but the production accuracy deteriorates and time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service operation where the apparatus automatically performs detection, measurement, and guidance generation without requiring the clerk to possess specialized skills. The clerk simply follows the system's guidance information, allowing any clerk to produce accurate lasts independently without extensive training or expertise.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides real-time feedback information that guides the clerk's actions, transforming a skill-dependent process into a skill-independent one. The feedback mechanism compensates for the clerk's lack of expertise by providing step-by-step instructions based on automatic detection and measurement, ensuring high accuracy regardless of the operator's skill level.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple parts are assembled or adjusted to produce a last, then the last can be customized without 3D printing equipment, but the complexity of the production process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the last into multiple discrete parts that can be separately manufactured and then assembled. By detecting and measuring each part individually and providing specific guidance for their assembly, the system manages the complexity of multi-part construction while enabling customization without requiring advanced 3D printing equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The image processing and control system serves as an intermediary that manages the complexity of assembling multiple parts. It automatically detects each part's position and dimensions, processes this information to determine correct assembly configurations, and provides guidance information that simplifies the complex multi-part assembly process into manageable steps for the clerk.
Data Source
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AI summary
A last production assisting apparatus (100) comprises a camera (20), a storage (110), a processor (102), and a display (30). The camera (20) images a plurality of parts constituting a last. The storage (110) stores production information for producing the last. Based on the production information, the processor (102) calculates attachment positions or the like for the plurality of parts imaged by the camera (20). The display (30) displays the attachment positions calculated by the processor (102) for the plurality of parts.