具体实施方式：
[0032]A method in accordance with one embodiment includes manufacturing an upper of the footwear by additively depositing material (e.g., successively depositing material) to form a fabric element having a plurality of threads, and incorporating the fabric element into the footwear. The plurality of threads of the fabric element may form at least one texture. Additionally or alternatively, the fabric element may be manufactured with a shape that conforms to a 3-D contoured surface.
[0033]A footwear generation system in one embodiment may be configured to generate an article of footwear with an upper incorporating a 3-D printed fabric element having first and second areas with different texture configurations. The 3-D printed fabric element may include a plurality of threads. The footwear generation system in accordance with one embodiment is shown in FIG. 1 and generally designated 100. For purposes of disclosure, the footwear generation system 100 in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 is depicted with several components, including a 3-D encoded file generator 110. It should be understood that the system 100 may include all or a subset of the components depicted in the illustrated embodiment. It should further be understood that the footwear generation system 100 may include any combination of the one or more components described in the illustrated embodiment along with any of the one or more components described herein. It should also be understood that although the application is described in connection with generating a fabric element for footwear, the present disclosure is not so limited. The fabric element may be incorporated into any product, including garments such as shirts.
[0034]I. 3-D Encoded File Generator
[0035]The footwear generation system 100 may include the 3-D encoded file generator 110 as depicted in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1. The 3-D encoded file generator 110 may be communicatively coupled to one or more data sources, including a textile pattern document 112, a 3-D model document 114 and a normal mapping document 116. The 3-D encoded file generator 110 may process and translate the one or more data sources to yield a 3-D descriptive file 118 that can be processed by a textile generator controller as commands for generating the fabric element with an additive manufacturing device. An example configuration of the 3-D encoded file generator 110 is depicted in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 including one or more of the following: a processor 120, memory 121, an input interface 125, and an output interface 126. The input interface 125 may include one or more input communication interfaces, including, for example, wired communication and wireless communication capabilities. Likewise, the output interface 126 may include one or more output communication interfaces, including at least one wired interface and at least one wireless interface, or any combination thereof. The processor 120 and memory 121 may be configured to generate a 3-D descriptive file or an encoded file representative of instructions to generate a 3-D fabric element according to one or more processes described herein.
[0036]For instance, the processor 120 and memory 121 may be programmed to receive, via the input interface 125, the one or more data sources including the textile pattern document 112, the 3-D model document 114, and the normal mapping document 116, or any combination thereof. Additionally, or alternatively, the processor 120 and memory 121 may be programmed to receive user input via the input interface 125, including user input to adapt or change aspects of the one or more data sources.
[0037]The textile pattern document 112 according to one embodiment is a textile description file with a description of thread arrangements in the textile, such as a weave pattern for use on a conventional weaving machine (e.g., a jacquard loom). The textile description file may be a plaintext file, such as a WIF file with plaintext description according to the WIF specification 1.1, published Apr. 20, 1997, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. File types other than WIF files may be used. The description within the textile pattern document 112 may include warp and weft sections that provide information such as default color, spacing, and thickness values for each warp and waft thread. Based on the description of the textile pattern document 112, a planar arrangement of threads may be generated. For instance, the description of the textile pattern document may identify how threads of the textile are manipulated or positioned by a machine to yield the textile. The position of each thread within a planar textile including the relative positions of two or more threads may be obtained from the textile pattern document 112. In the context of weaving, the intersection of a warp thread and a weft thread may be identified as a connection. Similar types of connections may be identified in knit textiles where two threads intersect. At each connection, or intersection between two or more threads, a Z-order or stack order of the two or more threads may be identified according to the textile pattern document 112. Whether a thread is over or under another thread may be identified for each connection. In this way, the textile pattern document 112 may identify how each thread of the textile traverses through the textile, including direction and over or under one or more other threads of the textile. It should be understood that the textile is not necessarily a basic weave (e.g., a plain weave) with crisscrossing threads that are substantially 2-D—any type of textile may be described within the textile pattern document 112 including textiles having 3-D aspects such as a spacer mesh or a spacer knit, which is a planar type of textile with one or more threads that traverse the textile from a top surface to a bottom surface. The bottom surface and the top surface in this example are separated by a distance such that one or more threads that traverse the textile are located in a void or space between the bottom surface and the top surface.
[0038]It should be understood that the textile pattern document 112 is not limiting to the realm of weaving, and that any type of thread descriptive document may be used including, for instance, a knitting descriptive document. And although described in connection with weaving and a weaving information file, it should be understood that any type of textile pattern document may form the basis for translating a patterned representation off a plurality of threads to a 3-D contoured surface 162. It should also be understood that the textile pattern document 112 may or may not define a thread configuration according to a pattern. For instance, the textile pattern document 112 may define a plurality of threads in a manner that is non-patterned. Conversely, the textile pattern document 112 may define a plurality of threads in a patterned manner. Additionally, the textile pattern document 112 may define a least one of a plurality of threads in a patterned manner and at least one other of the plurality of threads in a non-patterned manner.
[0039]For instance, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 12, a textile pattern document 112 in the form of a knit pattern document is provided and generally designated 412. The knit pattern document 412 is shown as a text pattern with instructions provided in the form of a text pattern. The text pattern may comprise a plurality of characters or groups of characters that each correspond to a knit instruction. For instance, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 12, the knit pattern document 412 includes 28 rows designated 414, with each row 414 being defined by a plurality of stitches 416 that are identified by a text abbreviation. The text abbreviation may vary depending on the stitch type. As an example, in the illustrated embodiment, the abbreviations are defined as follows: p—purl, yo—yarn over, s—knit stitch, and cdd—center double decrease.
[0040]In the illustrated embodiment, text abbreviations may also be utilized to define yarn color for one or more rows, and are generally designated 418. The color text abbreviations 418 may designate the color for one or more stitches following the color text abbreviations 418. For instance, the color text abbreviation 418 at row 1 in the illustrated embodiment is designated CA and defines the color for stitches in rows 1-4 until another color text abbreviation is encountered. The color text abbreviations 418 in the illustrated embodiment include the following letter designations: CA, CB, CC, and CD. These letter designations correspond generally to four different colors used in the knit pattern document 412. The assignment of a color to each letter designation may be conducted according to a pattern or user selection. In one embodiment, the color text abbreviation 418 may provide context for the type of color to be assigned. For instance, the color text abbreviation 418 designated CC in the illustrated embodiment may be suggestive that a contrasting color should be assigned.
[0041]The knit pattern document 412′ in an alternative embodiment is depicted in FIG. 13 in the form of a chart instead of a text document. The chart of the knit pattern document 412′ is not limited to the type shown, and may be defined differently, such as with numbered columns and rows or with different symbols, or a combination thereof. For purposes of disclosure, and to facilitate understanding, the knit pattern document 412′ in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 13 defines the same knitting pattern defined in the knit pattern document 412 in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 12. Any type of thread configuration, including a knitting pattern, may be defined in the knit pattern document 412, 412′.
[0042]The knit pattern document 412′ in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 13 includes a grid of stitches or stacks of stitch rows 414′. In the illustrated embodiment, a box provided for each stitch 416′, and a symbol or lack of a symbol may be indicative of the stich-type for each stitch 416. For instance, the following symbols are used in FIG. 13: O=Purl, ( )=Yarn over, Λ=Centre double decrease, and Blank=Stitch. It should be understood that these are not the only symbols that can be used in a knit pattern document 412′—additional and/or alternative symbols may be utilized. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 18, the textile color is identified through use of different colors (shown as varying shades of gray) and designated CA, CB, CC and CD, similar to the color designations in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 12.
[0043]As discussed herein, the textile pattern document 112 may provide the basis for a planer fabric element. The planar fabric element may be represented as a 2-D+Stack Order translation, but the present disclosure is not so limited. As another example, as depicted in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 14, the planar fabric element may be represented as a planar translation 400 including a plurality of thread modules 420. For purposes of disclosure, only two of the plurality of thread modules 420 are designated in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 14—but each of the rectangular modules in the planar translation 400 may be a thread module 420. It is noted that each of the thread modules 420 is depicted as a 2-D quadrilateral shape but the thread module 420 may be a 3-D dimensional object (e.g., a quadrilaterally-faced hexahedron) within which a path of one or more threads is defined. It should also be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to a 3-D object like the one shown in FIG. 13—the thread modules 420 may be defined by any closed surface object, including a closed, curved surface object, an N-sided polygon faced polyhedron (with or without parallel sides), or a closed surface with curved and/or planar surfaces. Each of the thread modules 420 may include a locating point 421 that can be used to locate the thread module 420 to an X, Y coordinate of the planar translation 400 of the planar fabric element. In the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of thread modules 420 are depicted as similar types of objects—quadrilaterally-faced hexahedrons—but the present disclosure is not so limited. A plurality of differently shaped objects may form the planar translation 400.
[0044]A thread module 420 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIGS. 14A-B. In the illustrated embodiment, the thread module 420 may be defined by one or more parameters that govern a position of one or more threads 422 within the thread module 420 and the way in which the one or more threads 422 of the thread module 420 interact with one or more threads 422 of an adjacent thread module 420. The thread module 420 in the illustrated embodiment depicts a thread configuration for a stockinette stitch, but the present disclosure is not so limited—the thread module 420 may define any type of thread configuration, including a stitch configuration or weave configuration or a combination thereof.
[0045]For instance, one parameter of the thread module 420 may define a location of a thread junction 432A, 432B at or near a surface of the thread module 420. The thread junction 432A, 432B may define a position at which a thread 422 of the thread module 420 is capable of joining with a thread 422 of an adjacent thread module 420. The joint at the thread junction 432A, 432B may be seamless such that the thread 422 appears to be defined as a continuous thread in the planar translation 400. The thread modules 420 may form blocks with thread junctions 432A, 432B that can be adjoined respectively with thread junctions 432A, 432B of one or more adjacent blocks. In this way, two adjacent thread modules 420 may define different thread configurations that can be joined together to form the planar translation 400 of the planar fabric element, which includes one or more threads. As mentioned herein, the textile pattern document 112 and the related planar fabric element may be based on a thread pattern, but it should be understood that a pattern is not strictly necessary to generate the planar fabric element. The textile pattern document 112 may define locations of one or more threads in an un-patterned manner.
[0046]The thread module 420 may include a plurality of thread junctions 432A, 432B, such as two thread junctions 432A, 432B, for a single thread 422 as shown in the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 15A, 15B. However, there may be more than two thread junctions 432A, 432B, which may be provided by one or more threads or thread segments. For instance, the thread module 420 may define a thread configuration with thread sections in the shape of a+, which may define thread junctions at the left, right, upper and lower sides of the +.
[0047]Another example of a parameter of the thread module 420 is a loop region 434 that defines a space through which the thread module 420 may accept a thread from another thread module 420 in proximity to the thread module 420. The loop region 434 of a first thread module 420 may define a surface through which one or more connecting thread segments 436 from a second thread module 420 may pass at or near a passage region 435, thereby providing a connection or interface between the first and second thread modules 420. An example of such a loop region 434 and a passage region 435 is shown in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 16. There are first and second thread modules 420A, 420B shown in the illustrated embodiment in an adjacent relationship with a connecting thread segment 436 of the first thread module 420A passing through a passage region 435 of the loop region 434B of the second thread module 420B. It should be noted that all or portions of the first and second thread modules 420A, 420B may overlap each other. The positions 421 and the scale of the first and second thread modules 420A, 420B may be determined such that one or more threads of the first module 420A pass through the loop region 434B of the second thread module 420B at or near the passage region 435. The scale of the first thread module 420A and/or the scale of the second thread module 420B may be varied to achieve passage of the connecting thread segment 436 through the loop region 434—in some cases, the scale may be varied in different directions at different factors to allow passage of the connecting thread segment 436 through the loop region 434. For instance, the thread module 420A may be elongated and/or skewed so that the loop region 434 is aligned with a connecting thread segment 436B of the second thread module 420B. Although shown in connection with a single, first thread module 420A having two connecting thread segments 436 passing through the loop region 434 of the second thread module 420B, the present application is not so limited connecting thread segments 436 from multiple thread modules 420 may pass through the loop region 434 of the second thread module 420B.
[0048]Another example of one or more parameters associated with the thread module 420 include thread locations 431A, 431B, 431C, 431D, 431E that define a path of one or more threads or thread segments of the thread module 420. The thread locations 431A-E may facilitate scaling and/or distorting the thread module 420 to connect with one or more adjacent thread modules 420, potentially affecting the paths of the one or more threads defined by the thread module 420 in accordance with changes in position of the thread locations 431A-E.
[0049]Yet another example of one or more parameters associated with the thread module 420 include the type information for one or more threads or thread segments. Type information may include color information, size information, or identify whether a thread includes at least one of a single filament, multiple filaments, or multiple fibers, or a combination thereof. One or more threads and/or one or more thread segments of the thread module 420 may have different type information than one or more other threads and/or one or more other thread segments of the thread module 420. For instance, one thread segment may be different from another thread segment of the same thread module 420.
[0050]The textile pattern document 112 in the context of a knit pattern document 412 may be translated to a plurality of thread modules 420 to form the basis for the planar translation 400. For instance, for each stitch defined by the knit pattern document 412, a thread module 420 may be identified and positioned at a location associated with the stitch. The 3-D encoded file generator 110 may conduct this translation process based on a library of thread modules 420 stored in memory 121.
[0051]The library of thread modules 420 may include thread modules for various types of stitches, including, for instance, stockinette stitch as shown in the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 15A and 15B. Examples of other types of stitches include faggoting, garter stitch, reverse stockinette stitch, seed stitch, and tricot. A plurality of thread modules 420 may be arranged to form a thread arrangement, such as a thread pattern. The thread pattern in one embodiment may include a knit pattern that appears similar in thread arrangement to one or more mechanically knitted fabrics, such as fabrics knitted according to at least one of intarsia, fair isle, slip-stich color, and double knit.
[0052]In one embodiment, thread modules 420 are not limited to a particular stitch, and may include multiple types of stitches in a thread arrangement. For instance, the thread modules 420 may be utilized in conjunction with each other to form a thread arrangement that forms the basis of a fabric element 150, 150′ with one or more types of thread configurations. An example of a fabric element with a single type of thread configuration is depicted in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 20.
[0053]The 3-D encoded file generator 110 may identify a thread module 420 based on one or more stitches defined by the knit pattern 412. A first thread module 420 may be located in X, Y space with respect to the planar translation 400 in accordance with the knit pattern 412, and may be coupled to a second thread module 420, which may be adjacent to the first thread module 420. This arrangement is depicted in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 17 with respect to the planar translation 400.
[0054]The coupling between the first and second thread modules 420 may vary in accordance with the positional relationships of the first and second thread modules 420 and their respective thread configurations. In one embodiment, the thread modules 420 may be scaled in size and/or direction to facilitate coupling to another thread module 420 (e.g., the loop height may be increased).
[0055]For instance, in the case of first and second thread modules 420A, 420B being stockinette stitches (similar in some respects to the thread modules 420A, 420B in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 16) and the first and second thread modules 420A, 420B being displaced along the Y-Axis relative to each other, the connecting thread segments 436 of the first thread module 420A may be disposed to pass through the loop region 434 of the second thread module 420B. In this way, the first thread module 420A may couple to the second thread module 420B.
[0056]In an alternative embodiment, with the first and second thread modules being displaced along the X-Axis relative to each other, such as in the case of thread module 420B being the first thread module and thread module 420C being the second thread module. In this case, the thread junction 432B of the first thread module 420A may be joined with the thread junction 432A of the second thread module 420C.
[0057]In another alternative embodiment, the first and second thread modules may be displaced along the X-Axis and the Y-Axis relative to each other, such as in the case of thread module 420G being the first thread module and thread module 420F being the second thread module. The connecting thread segments 436 of the second thread module 420F and/or the loop region 434 of the first thread module 420G may be extended or scaled (by scaling the first and/or second thread modules 420F, 420G) so that the connecting thread segments 436 of the second thread module 420F pass through the loop region 434 of the first thread module 420G. This type of connection may be utilized in cases where the nearest adjacent thread module to the first thread module 420G is not disposed directly above or below (e.g., displaced only along the Y-axis relative to the first thread module 420B), such as if thread module 420A were absent in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 14.
[0058]In yet another alternative embodiment, the first and second thread modules 420 may be displaced along the Y-Axis relative to each other, but with one or more other thread modules 420 disposed in a gap between the Y-Axis positions as shown in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 17 The thread module 420B and/or the thread module 420E in the illustrated embodiment may be scaled to connect with each other so that the connecting thread segments 436 of the thread module 420E pass through the loop region 434 of the thread module 420B. The thread modules 420 may be scaled in size and/or direction to facilitate coupling to another thread module 420.
[0059]In one embodiment, the textile pattern document 112 may represent the plurality of threads according to a generally flat or planar textile or as a 3-D shaped textile (e.g., a 3-D knit structure). The arrangement of threads according to the textile pattern document 112 may or may not form a repeatable pattern. The arrangement of threads may vary in density from one area of the textile to another according to the textile pattern document 112. It should further be understood that the threads themselves may be represented as monofilaments but are not so limited. For instance, each thread may be formed of more than one filament, which may or may not have the same length. The threads may be formed of fibers mapped into digital space similar to a 3-D digital representation of a natural yarn. The threads may vary in diameter from one thread to another thread, or along a thread from one end to the other, or a combination thereof. The color of the threads may also vary from one thread to another, or along the thread, or a combination thereof. As discussed herein, a physical manifestation of the threads may be generated by the additive manufacturing device 130.
[0060]The textile pattern document 112 may provide the basis for a planar fabric element (e.g., two-dimensional (2-D)) having a plurality of threads (e.g., warp and weft) arranged according to a pattern described in the textile description file. At each intersection between warp and weft threads, the weft thread is over or under the warp thread according to the textile description file. As a result, the textile description file may provide a description of a planar fabric element with threads that can be physically described in terms of X-Y coordinates and a third parameter indicating whether a thread is over or under one or more intersecting threads. For instance, a thread of the planar fabric element may be described by a plurality of intersection points (X, Y coordinates) where, at each point, the thread is either over or under an intersecting thread. This planar translation of the textile description file may be considered a 2-D+Stack Order translation of the textile pattern document 112 and may be processed by the 3-D encoded file generator 110 in order to setup a translation according to a UV mapping to a 3-D contoured surface 162.
[0061]The textile pattern document 112 may define a textile having more than one type of weave or stitch configuration, and more than one type of thread. For instance, the 2-D+Stack Order translation according to the textile pattern document 112 and/or the planar translation 400 may include first and second areas having first and second weave or stitch configurations that are different from each other. In a more specific example, the first area may include at least a first configuration of a weave configuration and a stitch configuration, and the second area may include at least a second configuration of a weave configuration and a stitch configuration. The first configuration may be different from the second configuration, including where the first configuration includes a stitch configuration and the second configuration includes a different stitch configuration, or where the first configuration includes a weave configuration and the second configuration includes a different weave configuration.
[0062]In one embodiment, the 2-D+Stack Order translation may include X-Y coordinates for each of a plurality of connections that exist among the plurality of threads described in accordance with the textile pattern document 112. Each of these X-Y coordinates may be associated with a stack order for the two or more threads intersecting at the X-Y coordinate. In other words, for each connection among a plurality of threads in a textile, there is an X-Y coordinate mapped to a stack order for the plurality of threads at that connection. The illustrated embodiments of FIGS. 7 and 9 depict a visual representation of this mapping according to one embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, each intersection or connection between warp and weft threads of a textile is identified at an X-Y coordinate and a stack order of the threads intersecting at the connection. At X-Y coordinate (2, 3), the Warp Thread 2 and Weft Thread 3 intersect with the Warp Thread 2 being above or over the Weft Thread 3. This stack order can be represented by a Z-order value for each thread at the connection coordinate, where a first Z-order value less than a second Z-order value is indicative of the first Z-order value being beneath or under the second Z-order value in the stack order. For instance, the Weft Thread 2 is associated with a Z-order value of 0, which is beneath the Warp Thread 2 with a Z-order value of 1. It should be understood that the stack order is not limited to this type of description, and that any type of description of the stack order may be utilized, including, for example, a “+” or “−” identifier. For purposes of disclosure, the 2-D+Stack Order translation is described in connection with an X-Y coordinate system. As will be described herein, U-V or UV coordinate designations may be used in place of X-Y to avoid confusion when mapping to 3-D space, which is identified with X, Y, Z coordinates.
[0063]Additionally, or alternatively, the planar translation 400 may provide information for thread locations generally within an X-Y coordinate system with Z-axis information included to identify relative locations of one or more threads within a planar fabric element. For instance, as described herein, the planar translation may include a plurality of thread modules 420 defined at X-Y coordinates within the planar translation—each thread module 420 may include X, Y, Z information relating to locations of one or more threads within the thread module 420 so that the one or more threads may be coupled to one or more threads of one or more adjacent thread modules 420 (such as by a thread junction or a loop connection). In this way, the planar translation 400 may define locations of one or more threads to define a planar fabric element, which has a thickness associated with Z-Axis information defined by the one or more thread modules 420.
[0064]The planar translation 400 may be translated to a U-V coordinate system. In one embodiment, this translation to the U-V coordinate system may include defining connections between thread modules 420 that do not appear adjacent in the U-V coordinate system but are adjacent to each other in the 3-D contoured surface 162. For instance, in the illustrated embodiments of FIGS. 19 and 20, an example of the 3-D contoured surface 162 is shown in the form of a sphere. Next to the sphere is a UV mapping of the sphere designated 430. The UV mapping 430 in the illustrated embodiment, as discussed herein, may include a plurality of vertices corresponding to those of the 3-D contoured surface 162. The UV mapping 430 in the illustrated embodiment is defined to include a plurality of thread modules 420, which may be connected to an adjacent thread module 420 via at least one of a thread junction, a loop connection, and an overlapping intersection.
[0065]The UV mapping 430 and a plurality of thread modules 420 are shown in further detail in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 20, which shows an enlarged section of the UV mapping 430 in FIG. 19. The thread modules 420 in this embodiment are shown in a grid form with adjacent thread modules 420 connected to each other. As discussed herein, the UV mapping 430 may define thread modules 420 that appear separated from each other but are connected in the 3-D contoured surface 162. Two such thread modules are designated in the illustrated embodiment as first thread module 420X and second thread module 420Y. These two thread modules 420X, 420Y may be connected together in an adjacent relationship and form part of the lowermost part of the sphere depicted in FIG. 19. Although the first and second thread modules 420X, 420Y may be connected together in the sphere in FIG. 19, in the UV mapping 430, the first and second thread modules 420X, 420Y are depicted separated from each other. The connection between the first and second thread modules 420X, 420Y and the connections between other adjacent thread modules shown separated in the UV mapping 430 are depicted with connection lines 432. For purposes of disclosure, some but not all of the connection lines 432 between adjacent thread modules 420 are shown in the illustrated embodiment. In one embodiment, the connection lines 432 may facilitate connecting stitch configurations defined by the thread modules 420.
[0066]The UV mapping 430 and the thread modules 420 may facilitate generating a 3-D contoured surface 162 with thread modules 420. The 3-D contoured surface 162 may be defined in terms of a plurality of threads or thread segments that can be joined in a variety of ways, including loop connections similar to mechanical knitting. In one embodiment, the 3-D contoured surface 162 may include a plurality of thread modules 420 that define knitting stitch configurations that together model at least a part of the fabric element 150, 150′, which can be generated based on the model with additive manufacturing. In this way, al