US 6,587,745 B1 · Curved line fill stitching in embroidery designs

Abstract

This invention concerns automatically generating embroidery stitch patterns in a computer aided design system where areas defined by vector outline shapes are filled with stitches which follow curved lines rather than straight lines. This is done in a way to maintain consistent densities and consistent needle penetration patterns inside the areas. The shapes of the areas may be simple polygons which can be filled in one contiguous segment of curved stitching, or they may be complex or multi-boundary shapes which must be stitched in more than one distinct segments of curved line stitching. The areas are transformed into another coordinate space where known calculation methods for straight line stitching are used to calculate straight line fills of the transformed area. The resulting area and stitches are then transformed back to the original coordinates, resulting in even stitching along smooth curves which fills the original area such that the intermediate stitch penetration points along the curves form a smooth continuous visual pattern throughout the area.

Claims53

Dependent claims

A method for generating an embroidery design in a computer aided design system, including the following steps:

(a) specifying an area in the design to be filled with stitching;
(b) specifying a stitch type of embroidery fill stitch to fill the area;
(c) specifying a stitch definition curve;
(d) calculating the positions of stitch points to fill the area, such that the stitch points extend along lines of fill, each of which in order of stitching has a first edge point at one edge of the area, a series of intermediate stitch points and a second edge point at another edge of the area, and such that the intermediate stitch points extend across the lines of fill to form lines of patterns made up of either individual stitch points or groups of stitch points according to the characteristics of the stitch type, and where the lines of fill and the lines of patterns are curved in dependence upon the stitch definition curve but not on the shape of the area to be filled;
and
(e) recording the positions of the stitch points which extend throughout the area.

3 more elements

A computer aided embroidery design system for generating the positions of stitch points for use by automatic embroidery machines to fill shaped areas in embroidery designs, the system including:

data input means to receive specifications for an area in the design to be filled with stitching, specifications for a stitch type of embroidery fill stitch to fill the area, and specifications for a stitch definition curve;
computation means to calculate the positions of stitch points to fill the area, such that the stitch points extend along lines of fill, each of which in order of stitching has a first edge point at one edge of the area, a series of intermediate stitch points and a second edge point at another edge of the area, and such that the intermediate stitch points extend across the lines of fill to form lines of patterns made up of either individual stitch points or groups of stitch points according to the characteristics of the stitch type, and where the lines of fill and the lines of patterns are curved in dependence upon the stitch definition curve but not on the shape of the area to be filled;
and
memory means to record the positions of the stitch points which extend throughout the area.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Curved line fill stitching in embroidery designs

Life of this patent

Curved line fill stitching in embroidery designs

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims53