System and method for monitoring quilting

Abstract

A stitch monitoring system configured to provide one or more real-time views of stitching applied to a quilt during construction of the quilt on a long arm sewing machine. The stitch monitoring system including a camera having a housing configured to selectively adhere to an exterior of a sewing machine, an imaging module configured to convert photons to electrons for digital processing, a compound macro lens assembly comprising a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, and a spacer element positioned between the second lens and the third lens having a length to enable a sharp image of stitching applied to the quilt when the quilt is positioned adjacent to the third lens, and a wireless transceiver module configured to wirelessly transmit data gathered by the imaging module via a wireless network to display real-time views of stitching applied to the quilt by the sewing machine.

1 . A stitch monitoring system configured to provide one or more real-time views of stitching applied to a quilt during construction of the quilt on a long arm sewing machine, the stitch monitoring system comprising:
 a camera module comprising:
 a housing including at least one of a magnet or an adhesive strip configured to removably couple to an exterior of a long arm sewing machine to selectively position the camera module relative to stitching applied to a quilt by the long arm sewing machine during construction of the quilt; 
 a power module configured to receive a supply of electrical power from an external source; 
 an imaging module comprising a complementary metal oxide semiconductor sensor configured to convert photons to electrons for digital processing; 
 a compound macro lens assembly comprising a first lens having a first magnification, a second lens having a second magnification, a third lens, and a spacer element positioned between the second lens and the third lens, wherein the second magnification is greater than the first magnification, the first lens and the second lens having a combined fixed focal length, and the spacer element having a length substantially equal to the combined fixed focal length to enable a sharp image of stitching applied to the quilt when the quilt is positioned adjacent to the third lens; and 
 a wireless transceiver module configured to wirelessly transmit data gathered by the imaging module via a wireless network; and 
   a user interface configured to receive the data transmitted by the wireless transceiver module to display real-time views of stitching applied to the quilt by the long arm sewing machine, as captured by the imaging module.   
     
     
         2 . The stitch monitoring system of  claim 1 , wherein the stitch monitoring system includes a first camera module and a second camera module. 
     
     
         3 . The stitch monitoring system of  claim 2 , wherein the first camera module is positioned below a quilting plane, and the second camera module is positioned above the quilting plane. 
     
     
         4 . The stitch monitoring system of  claim 2 , wherein the first camera module and the second camera module are configured to transmit views of stitching applied to the quilt to the user interface to enable a user to simultaneously view the stitching from multiple angles. 
     
     
         5 . The stitch monitoring system of  claim 2 , wherein the first camera module is removably coupled to a first long arm sewing machine, and the second camera module is removably coupled to a second long arm sewing machine to enable a user to simultaneously view the stitching from two separate long arm sewing machines. 
     
     
         6 . A camera module configured to provide views of stitching applied to a quilt during construction of the quilt on a sewing machine, the camera module comprising:
 a housing configured to selectively adhere to an exterior of a sewing machine to position the camera module relative to stitching applied to a quilt by the sewing machine during construction of the quilt;   an imaging module configured to convert photons to electrons for digital processing;   a compound macro lens assembly comprising a first lens having a first magnification, a second lens having a second magnification, a third lens, and a spacer element positioned between the second lens and the third lens having a defined length to enable a sharp image of stitching applied to the quilt when the quilt is positioned adjacent to the third lens; and   a wireless transceiver module configured to wirelessly transmit data gathered by the imaging module via a wireless network to display real-time views of stitching applied to the quilt by the sewing machine, as captured by the imaging module.   
     
     
         7 . The camera module of  claim 6 , wherein the imaging module comprises a complementary metal oxide semiconductor sensor. 
     
     
         8 . The camera module of  claim 6 , wherein the imaging module has a resolution output of about 1920 pixels by about 1080 pixels. 
     
     
         9 . The camera module of  claim 6 , wherein the compound macro lens assembly is operably coupled to an exterior of the housing. 
     
     
         10 . The camera module of  claim 6 , wherein the housing is configured to selectively adhere to an exterior of the sewing machine via at least one of a magnetic or an adhesive. 
     
     
         11 . The camera module of  claim 6 , wherein the spacer element is constructed of at least one of an opaque or translucent material to reduce glare and distribute light evenly. 
     
     
         12 . The camera module of  claim 11 , wherein the spacer element is constructed of a frosted acrylic material. 
     
     
         13 . The camera module of  claim 6 , further comprising a light assembly configured to provide illumination in proximity to the compound macro lens assembly. 
     
     
         14 . The camera module of  claim 13 , wherein the light assembly comprises a plurality of LEDs. 
     
     
         15 . The camera module of  claim 6 , wherein the camera module is configured to be positioned at least one of below a quilting plane or above the quilting plane. 
     
     
         16 . The camera module of  claim 6 , wherein the wireless transceiver module is configured to transmit data gathered by the imaging module to a remotely located user interface. 
     
     
         17 . A method of monitoring stitching applied to a quilt during construction of the quilt on a long arm sewing machine, the stitch monitoring system comprising:
 providing a first camera module comprising an imaging module configured to convert photons to electrons for digital processing and a compound macro lens assembly comprising a first lens having a first magnification, a second lens having a second magnification, a third lens, and a spacer element positioned between the second lens and the third lens having a length to enable a sharp image of stitching applied to the quilt when the quilt is positioned adjacent to the third lens;   transmitting data gathered by the imaging module to a user interface via a wireless network to display real-time views of stitching applied to the quilt by the long arm sewing machine, as captured by the imaging module.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising providing a second camera module, and transmitting data gathered by the second camera module to the user interface via the wireless network. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the first camera module and the second camera module are configured to transmit views of stitching applied to the quilt to the user interface to enable a user to simultaneously view the stitching from multiple angles. 
     
     
         20 . The stitch monitoring system of  claim 18 , wherein the first camera module is adhered to a first long arm sewing machine, and the second camera module is adhered to a second long arm sewing machine to enable a user to simultaneously view the stitching from two separate long arm sewing machines.