abstract |
Patterns can be automatically arranged on the surface of a material in a manner which will require less material than that which is consumed by a competent human performing the same task. The simulated movement of each pattern piece about an already established marker boundary may be accomplished by data processing techniques. Once the contour of a piece outline and the boundary outline is known and the slopes of the vertex connecting segments determined, the displacing moves of the piece about the boundary may be carried out in a nonoverlapping manner. In such a system it is only necessary to examine the trial marker dimension after each move in order to ascertain whether the new position is a preferred location. |