Vision-guided gripping process with minimizing folding for flexible fabric materials by integrating a sequential optimization algorithm and FEM analysis

초록

Automatic fabric handling in garment manufacturing presents significant challenges due to the soft, deformable, and highly variable nature of textile materials. This paper proposes an integrated robotic fabric gripping system capable of reliably identifying and manipulating fabric parts with minimal folding. The system comprises an industrial robotic arm, four needle grippers mounted on an adjustable jig mechanism, and a high-precision 3D vision camera for real-time fabric detection. A key contribution of this work is a sequential optimization model that determines four optimal gripping points for each fabric pattern, based on material characterization, deformation criteria, and folding definitions derived from experiments and finite element simulations. These points are mapped relative to CAD data and stored for retrieval. A vision-based matching algorithm then aligns real-time image inputs with CAD templates to localize the fabric piece and recover the precomputed optimal gripping points, which are transmitted to the robot for autonomous execution. Quantitative evaluations demonstrate that the proposed approach significantly reduces fabric folding and enhances the reliability of robotic garment handling, representing a substantial step toward fully automated garment production. © 2026 Elsevier B.V.

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