Automated identification and assembly of shoe parts

• US 10,667,581 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2019
• Issued: 06/02/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Niike Incorporated, Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Regan, Patrick Conall, Lee, Kuo-Hung, Chang, Chih-Chi, Jean, Ming-Feng, Liao, Chang-Chu
• Primary Examiner(s): Hartman, Jr., Ronald D
• Application Number:
  US16/238,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20190133258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 516 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 1/08 Measuring devices for shoe parts
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 11/00 Machines for preliminary treatment or assembling of upper-parts, counters, or insoles on their lasts preparatory to the pulling-over or lasting operations; Applying or removing protective coverings
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 111/00 Shoe machines with conveyors for jacked shoes or for shoes or shoe parts
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 111/006 with special means to place the shoe or shoe part in the following machine
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 117/00 Racks for receiving or transporting shoes or shoe parts; Other conveying means
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 119/00 Driving or controlling mechanisms of shoe machines; Frames for shoe machines
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 2200/10 Fully automated machines, i.e. machines working without human intervention
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 2200/30 Machines including a magazine, e.g. for feeding blanks, pre-forms or sheets
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 2200/50 Machines using pneumatic means
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 2200/60 Computer aided manufacture of footwear, e.g. CAD or CAM
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 86/00 Machines for assembling soles or heels onto uppers, not provided for in groups A43D25/00 - A43D83/00, e.g. by welding
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 95/00 Shoe-finishing machines
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1687 Assembly, peg and hole, palletising, straight line, weaving pattern movement
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/08 using ultrasonic vibrations non-plastics element to plastics elements B29C65/645
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/7802 Positioning the parts to be joined, e.g. aligning, indexing or centring
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/7847 using vacuum to hold at least one of the parts to be joined vacuum work holders in general B25B11/005
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1122 Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints B29C66/45, B29C66/472, B29C66/52272 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/472 said single elements being substantially flat
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/727 being porous, e.g. foam
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/729 : Textile or other fibrous material made from plastics
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7392 : characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoplastic
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7484 : Leather
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8161 : said pressing elements being supported or backed-up by springs or by resilient material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8167 : Quick change joining tools or surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/863 : Robotised, e.g. mounted on a robot arm
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/9672 : involving special data inputs, e.g. involving barcodes, RFID tags
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2021/00 : Use of unspecified rubbers as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2075/00 : Use of PU, i.e. polyureas or polyurethanes or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/50 : Footwear, e.g. shoes or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/505 : Uppers
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2270/0421 : Controlled or regulated
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4099 : Surface or curve machining, making 3D objects, e.g. desktop manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37205 : Compare measured, vision data with computer model, cad data
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37555 : Camera detects orientation, position workpiece, points of workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39107 : Pick up article, object, measure, test it during motion path, place it
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45243 : Shoe, footwear making
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30108 : Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 : using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/06 : Recognition of objects for industrial automation

Abstract

Manufacturing and assembly of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by automated placement and assembly of shoe parts. For example, a part-recognition system analyzes an image of a shoe part to identify the part and determine a location of the part. Once the part is identified and located, the part can be manipulated by an automated manufacturing tool.

Claims

1. A method for positioning and assembling shoe parts in an automated manner during a shoe-manufacturing process, the method comprising:

determining a first geometric coordinate of a first shoe part in a geometric coordinate system from a first captured image of the first shoe part that depicts a two-dimensional representation of the first shoe part; and

transferring, using a part-transfer tool having a part-contacting surface, the first shoe part from the first geometric coordinate to a second geometric coordinate to position the first shoe part on a second shoe part.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the part-transfer tool generates a pickup force at the part-contacting surface to retain the first shoe part during transfer, and wherein the part-transfer tool operates in the geometric coordinate system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the part-contacting surface comprises a plurality of distinct portions, and wherein the pickup force is independently generated at the plurality of distinct portions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the part-contacting surface comprises a plurality of apertures.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the part-transfer tool generates at least a vacuum force that is applied through the plurality of apertures during transfer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the part-transfer tool is coupled to a robot arm that is directed by a computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, determining an orientation of the first shoe part from the first captured image.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the part-transfer tool transfers the first shoe part through a degree of rotation based on the determined orientation to align the first shoe part with the second shoe part for attachment.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, determining an identity of the first shoe part from the first captured image prior to transferring the first shoe part to the second shoe part.

10. A system for positioning and assembling shoe parts in an automated manner during a shoe-manufacturing process, the system comprising:

a camera adapted to record an image of a first shoe part; and

a computing device configured to;

determine a first geometric coordinate of the first shoe part in a geometric coordinate system from analysis of the image, and

direct a part-transfer tool having a part-contacting surface to transfer the first shoe part from the first geometric coordinate to a second geometric coordinate to position the first shoe part on a second shoe part.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising the part-transfer tool, wherein the part-transfer tool generates a pickup force at the part-contacting surface to retain the first shoe part during transfer.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the part-contacting surface comprises a plurality of distinct portions, and wherein the pickup force is independently generated at the plurality of distinct portions.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the part-contacting surface comprises a plurality of apertures.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the part-transfer tool generates at least a vacuum force that is applied through the plurality of apertures during transfer.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the part-transfer tool is coupled to a robot arm that is directed by the computing device.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the computing device is further configured to determine an orientation of the first shoe part from the image.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the part-transfer tool transfers the first shoe part through a degree of rotation based on the determined orientation to align the first shoe part with the second shoe part for attachment.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the computing device is further configured to determine an identity of the first shoe part from the image prior to directing the part-transfer tool to transfer the first shoe part to the second shoe part.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the identity is determined through comparison of the image with a plurality of shoe-part reference images, and wherein the first shoe part, when identified, comprises one of a plurality of shoe parts positioned at a manufacturing station.

20. The system of claim 11, further comprising a part-attachment tool adapted to attach the first shoe part to the second shoe part.