Method for cutting sheet material with variable gain closed loop
AssigneeGerber Garment Technology, Inc.
InventorsH. Joseph Gerber, Leonard G. Rich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for cutting limp sheet material with a rigid, cantilevered blade that is reciprocated as it advances along a cutting path through sheet material employs a load sensor to measure lateral loads applied to the blade by the sheet material during cutting. A load signal from the sensor is applied to the blade controls through a variable gain feedback circuit and causes the blade to be oriented slightly toward the side of the cutting path from which an unbalanced load is applied. The adjustment of the gain in the feedback network is made by means of speed sensors which measure the rate at which the cutting blade advances through the sheet material and adjust the feedback gain in inverse relationship.
Claims8
A method of cutting limp sheet material with a cutting blade comprising:
- advancing the cutting blade and sheet material relative to one another in cutting engagement and generally tangent to a desired cutting path;
- sensing lateral loads applied to the blade by the sheet material as the blade is advanced;
- orienting the blade slightly out of a position tangent to the cutting path as the blade is advanced to oppose the lateral loads applied to the blade;
- and
- regulating the amount by which the blade is oriented out of the tangent position in accordance with the sensed lateral load on the blade and an adjustable gain factor influencing the effect of lateral load on blade orientation;
- and
- adjusting the gain factor as the blade advances in accordance with the rate at which the blade and material are advanced relative to one another.
A method of cutting limp sheet material with a cutting blade in an automatically controlled cutting machine comprising:
- advancing the cutting blade and sheet material relative to one another in cutting engagement and generally tangent to a desired cutting path in the material;
- sensing lateral loads applied to the blade by the sheet material as the blade is advanced and producing load signals representative of the sensed lateral loads on the cutting blade;
- amplifying the sensed lateral load signals with an adjustable gain factor;
- adjusting the gain factor upwardly and downwardly in inverse relationship with the rate of advancement of the cutting blade and sheet material;
- and
- orienting the cutting blade out of the tangent position by an amount determined by the amplified load signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.