Method and apparatus for matching panels to be cut from patterned fabrics

A matching apparatus for the automatic cutting of patterned fabrics by an integrated marking and cutting system comprising:

• a means for defining matching points in each of a plurality of patterns of panels to be cut, a means for digitizing the matching points, and a means for recording a set of coordinates and also a respective identification code for each of the digitized points in a memory of the system;
• a means for defining matching relationships for the matching points which unequivocally fix the position which the design must be in at each of the matching points, and a means for digitizing these relationships and recording them in said memory of said integrated marking and cutting system;
• a means for establishing separation margins between said panels, either automatically or interactively, on the basis of said matching relationships which have been defined;
• a means for initially assigning a position to each of said panels to be cut on a spread piece of the patterned fabric and for distributing said panels to the assigned positions;
• a means for automatically positioning a vision sensor device over the spread patterned fabric which is to be cut, at the positions of said matching points which have been defined for each one of the said panels which have been distributed;
• a means for determining a relative design position with respect to a reference position at each of said matching point positions at which said vision sensor is positioned;
• and
• a means for obtaining a position correction for each panel with respect to the initially assigned position based on said relative design position and said defined matching relationships, wherein all of said panels which are to be cut are matched prior to proceeding with their cutting operation.