JP2002325989A - Thread cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thread cassette, which causes no hindrance to reeling out a thread or forming a stitch in sewing after the thread is passed through a thread path, by forming a gap at least between the peripheral portion of a hinged cover adjacent to the thread path and the portion of the cassette body counterposed thereto when the hinged cover is closed, even if the thread becomes loose due to some reason to enter the gap. SOLUTION: The cassette body 33 of a thread cassette 24, which is detachably attached to the cassette mounting portion 5 of a sewing machine body, comprises a thread reel container 27 containing therein an inner thread reel 26, a thread path 30 for guiding a needle thread T1 reeled out from the inner thread reel 26 and an openable hinged cover 34 for covering the thread reel container 27 and the thread path 30. They are designed such that a narrow gap W exists between the outer peripheral surface 34A of the hinged cover 34 and the front surface 33A of peripheral wall of the cassette body 33 counterposed thereto when the hinged cover 34 is closed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thread cassette detachably mounted on a main body of a sewing machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a thread cassette of this type, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-81693 discloses a technique of a cassette type thread passing device of a sewing machine. This cassette type thread passing device is provided with a cassette mounting portion provided in a balance moving region of an arm portion of a sewing machine and a right region thereof, and a cover body for opening and closing the cassette mounting portion, and attaching and detaching an upper thread cassette to and from the cover body. . A thread tensioner and a thread take-up spring protrude from the cassette mounting section, and a balance moving space exists at the left end of the cassette mounting section. The upper thread cassette has a thread spool accommodating portion, a pair of legs, and the like. The upper thread drawn from the center of the thread spool is extended between the pair of legs to form a free span. Then, rotate the cover body 90 degrees forward and open it,
After setting the upper thread cassette on the cover, the cover is raised and closed. In this closed state, the peripheral portion of the cover body facing the sewing machine is joined to the machine frame of the sewing machine to be in a sealed state. During the closing operation of closing the cover with the balance at the lowermost position, the free span of the upper thread cassette is automatically hooked to the thread tensioner and the thread take-up spring. Thereafter, when the balance is raised, the upper thread is automatically hooked on the thread hooking portion of the balance. When the cover is closed, the axis of the thread spool is oriented horizontally and in the front-rear direction.

In this state, when sewing is started, the upper thread is sequentially drawn out from the thread spool and consumed. Then, immediately before the thread of the thread spool runs out, stop the sewing machine,
The operator opens the cover body and removes the upper thread cassette, and replaces the upper thread cassette with another upper thread cassette, or removes the thread spool from the upper thread cassette and uses a thread winding device or the like for the thread spool. The upper thread is wound and the thread spool is set again in the thread spool accommodating portion of the upper thread cassette so as to cope with sewing.

[0004] Further, the upper thread unwound from a normal thread spool provided on the upper right side of the arm portion of the sewing machine,
The cover body can be used similarly to the thread of the thread spool of the upper thread cassette. That is, in this case, the cover body substantially corresponds to the position where the free span is formed by the upper thread of the upper thread cassette,
A pair of groove-shaped thread guides for guiding the upper thread of the thread spool in a straight line is provided, and when using the upper thread of the thread spool, an upper thread cassette is set on the cover body. The upper thread cassette blocks the upper thread guide path of the thread spool, so that the upper thread cassette is removed from the cover body in advance, and in this state, the upper thread cassette fed out of the thread spool is removed. By wrapping the yarn over the pair of groove-shaped yarn guides of the cover body, and by raising the cover body and closing it tightly,
Like the upper thread of the thread spool of the upper thread cassette, the upper thread of the thread spool is made to participate in the balance and the like.

[0005]

According to the prior art, when the upper thread cassette is set in the open cover as described above and the cover is raised and closed in a closed state, Alternatively, from the state where the upper thread cassette is removed from the cover body and the upper thread unwound from the thread spool is hung over the pair of groove-shaped thread guides,
When the cover body is raised and closed in a closed state, the operator's finger happens to be pulled out from the thread spool of the upper thread cassette, the portion where the free span is formed, or the thread being pulled out from the thread spool. For some reason, such as touching the thread part by mistake, the upper thread of the thread spool or the upper thread of the thread spool is slackened, and the slackened portion is pinched between the peripheral portion of the closed cover body and the sewing machine frame. If the upper thread is sewn, there will be problems such as the above-mentioned upper thread being pulled and hindering the formation of a seam at the time of sewing, and the upper thread cannot be smoothly fed out.

However, according to the present invention, when the cover is closed, a gap is formed between at least a peripheral portion of the cover near the thread path and the cassette body facing the peripheral portion. Therefore, even if the thread is loosened for some reason and enters the gap when the thread is passed over the thread path, for example, the thread may be unwound at the time of sewing or a seam may be formed. The purpose is to avoid any problems.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thread cassette which is detachably mounted on a sewing machine main body and is provided inside the cassette main body. And a thread spool accommodating section for holding a thread spool wound with a thread to be supplied to the sewing section of the sewing machine main body, and a guide for guiding the thread fed from the thread spool toward the sewing section of the sewing machine main body. In a yarn cassette including a yarn path, and an opening / closing cover that opens and closes the yarn path housing section and the yarn path, in a closed state in which the thread path housing section and the yarn path are covered by the open / close lid, A gap is formed between at least a peripheral edge of the opening / closing lid near the yarn path and the cassette body facing the peripheral edge.

Therefore, according to this configuration, when the yarn is hung over the yarn path to close the opening / closing lid, the yarn may loosen for some reason and enter the gap. However, since the slackened portion is not sandwiched between the opening / closing lid and the cassette main body, there is no hindrance to the feeding of the thread and the formation of the seam at the time of subsequent sewing.

Further, the yarn cassette according to the second aspect is the first aspect.
In the yarn cassette according to the above, the yarn path has a bending guide portion that bends and guides the yarn at at least one place, and a portion corresponding to the bending guide portion of the yarn path in the cassette body, A cover is provided to cover both end portions of the bending guide portion from a direction perpendicular to the running direction of the yarn.

Therefore, according to this configuration, even if the yarn guided to the bending guide portion of the yarn path fluctuates at this portion during the guiding, both ends of the bending guide portion are covered with the cover. As a result, the yarn does not catch on both ends of the bending guide portion, and the yarn can always be guided smoothly.

Further, the yarn cassette according to the third aspect is the first aspect.
Alternatively, in the yarn cassette according to claim 2, at least a part of the opening / closing lid that faces the yarn path due to the closed state of the opening / closing lid, blindly moves in a direction orthogonal to the running direction of the yarn guided by the yarn path. And a yarn regulating portion for regulating the pressure.

Therefore, according to this configuration, even if the yarn guided along the yarn path fluctuates in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction during the guidance, the yarn regulating portion moves in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction. To act on the yarn to regulate the fluctuation of the yarn, and to guide the yarn securely confined in the yarn path.

[0013] The yarn cassette according to claim 4 is the same as the claim 1.
The yarn cassette according to any one of claims 3 to 3,
The thread spool is accommodated in the thread spool accommodating portion while being inserted through a support shaft, and the support shaft is swingable to a position where the other end protrudes to the outside around one end in the axial direction. It is characterized by being supported.

Therefore, according to this configuration, when the thread spool is first set in the thread cassette, or when the thread spool of the thread spool is reduced or lost and the thread spool is replaced with another thread spool, etc.
By swinging the support shaft to a position where its open end protrudes to the outside, the thread spool can be easily attached to and detached from the support shaft without being obstructed by the thread cassette body.

Further, the yarn cassette according to the fifth aspect is the fourth aspect of the present invention.
In the yarn cassette described in the above, a portion on the other end side of the support shaft is provided with a thread holder press that prevents the thread spool inserted and supported by the support shaft from coming off from the support shaft. I do.

Therefore, according to this configuration, the thread spool inserted and supported by the support shaft is held by the thread spool retainer.
Since it is possible to prevent the thread from coming off from the support shaft, it is possible to smoothly carry out the thread while the movement of the thread spool in the axial direction is reliably restricted.

Further, the yarn cassette according to the sixth aspect is the fifth aspect of the present invention.
Wherein the thread holder is detachably supported on the support shaft.

Therefore, according to this configuration, when attaching and detaching the thread spool to and from the support shaft, the thread spool can be easily exchanged, etc., with the attachment and detachment of the thread spool retainer. After that, it can be reliably held at a predetermined position on the support shaft by the thread spool presser.

Further, the yarn cassette according to the seventh aspect is the fifth aspect of the present invention.
Alternatively, in the yarn cassette according to the sixth aspect, a swing regulating portion that regulates swing of the support shaft according to a closed state thereof is provided on a back surface of the open / close lid.

Therefore, according to this configuration, if the opening / closing lid is closed while the thread spool is inserted and supported on the support shaft,
The swing regulating portion reliably regulates the swing of the support shaft, and the thread spool can be stably accommodated in the thread segment accommodating portion.

Further, the yarn cassette of claim 8 is the first embodiment.
The yarn cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A recess is provided on a surface of the cassette body opposite to a surface on which the opening / closing lid is installed, into which a fingertip of an operator can be inserted.

Therefore, according to this configuration, for example, when a thread spool is attached to or detached from the thread cassette, a finger is inserted into the recess to easily and stably hold the cassette body on the palm. In this state, the opening / closing lid can be freely opened and closed without being disturbed by the fingers.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This electronically controlled sewing machine
The upper thread cassette containing the thread spool can be mounted in the cassette device section of the arm head, and the thread hooking section of the thread pick-up member and the application of the thread tension in conjunction with the mounting operation when the upper thread cassette is mounted. The structure is such that threading is performed on the member and threading is performed through the needle hole of the needle.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, this electronically controlled sewing machine 1 includes a bed 2, a pillar 3 erected at the right end of the bed 2, and a top end of the pillar 3. It has an arm 4 extending to the left. The arm unit 4 includes a well-known needle bar vertical movement mechanism (not shown), a cassette mounting unit 5 for mounting a yarn cassette described later, a yarn pick-up member 6, a yarn tension applying member 7, an automatic threading mechanism 8, and the like. Have been. The cassette mounting section 5 is provided on the head of the arm section 4 (arm head). A main shaft (not shown) is rotatably supported in the arm portion 4 via a pair of bearings, and the main shaft is rotationally driven via a belt and a pulley 9 by a driving force of a sewing machine motor (not shown). You.

As is well known, a balance crank (not shown) of the thread pick-up member 6 is provided at a left end portion of the main shaft.
A needle bar crank (not shown) is rotatably connected to the balance crank via a crank pin. A needle bar holder (not shown) is fixed to a substantially middle portion of the needle bar 10, and a needle bar crank is connected to the needle bar holder. During sewing, the main shaft is rotationally driven by a sewing machine motor, and the needle bar 10 is reciprocated up and down by a needle bar crank.

As is well known, the arm unit 4 has a thread take-up member provided with a balance 12 for taking up the upper thread of a thread spool to be described later in synchronization with the vertical movement of a needle 11 fixed to the lower end of a needle bar 10. 6 are provided. A thread hooking section 13 capable of threading from above is formed at the tip of the balance 12, and extends over substantially the entire length of the right end portion of the cassette mounting section 5 in the vertical direction.
A balance moving area 14 in which the thread hooking portion 13 of the balance 12 can reciprocate up and down is provided.

The lower part of the cassette mounting portion 5 is provided with the well-known thread tension applying member 7 for applying passage resistance to the upper thread so as to protrude forward. The thread tension applying member 7 includes a pair of thread tension plates 1 that can be opened and closed by a presser lifting lever that raises and lowers a well-known cloth presser foot (not shown).
5, a shaft member 16 supporting these thread tension dishes 15,
An operation plate 17 on the rear side of the rear thread tension plate 15, a spring member 18 for elastically urging the rear thread tension plate 15 and the operation plate 17 forward, and an upper thread near the thread tension plate 15. Tension spring 19 for elastically supporting the tension and thread tension dial 2 for adjusting the spring force.
It has a general structure with 0 or the like. As will be described later, the thread tension device 9 is also opened and closed even when the later-described thread cassette is mounted.

A substantially vertical longitudinal axis is disposed in the pillar 3, and the longitudinal axis is operatively connected to the main shaft via a gear mechanism. Is transmitted to the yarn catching hook. Similar to a general electronic control sewing machine, the work cloth is sewn by cooperation of a needle 11, a thread catching hook, and a cloth feeding mechanism driven by a stepping motor.

The automatic threading mechanism 10 for threading the upper thread through the needle hole of the needle 11 is the same as that described in the specification and drawings of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-398266 filed by the present applicant. The operation and operation of the thread cassette is transmitted to the automatic threading mechanism 10 via the transmission mechanism by inserting the thread cassette described below from above into the cassette mounting portion 5 and pressing it down as it is. At this time, the threading shaft 21 and the slider guide shaft 2
2 descends, stops in a state where an offset member (not shown) is in contact with the threading positioning member, and lowers the threading slider relatively with respect to the threading shaft 21 and the slider guide shaft 22. The sliding pin 21 is moved along the spiral threading slider cam portion of the threading slider, and the threading shaft 21 is rotated clockwise in a plan view by a predetermined angle in a plan view. The threading hook of the hook mechanism 23 provided at the lower end of the needle 21 is inserted through the needle hole of the needle 11 to hook the upper thread, and then the threading shaft 21 is rotated at a predetermined angle in a counterclockwise direction in plan view. Just rotate
The upper thread is inserted through the needle hole of the needle 11 and then the threading shaft 21
Further, the slider guide shaft 22 is returned to the upper standby position.

Next, the yarn cassette 24 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 to 14, the thread cassette 24 accommodates a cassette case 25 having a shape close to a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped having a small width in the left-right direction, and an inner thread pin 26 set inside. Spool section 27, a thread spool support member 28 for holding the inner thread spool 26 in the thread spool housing section 27, and a thread path for guiding the upper thread T1 unwound from the inner thread spool 26 to the thread outlet 29. 30, a balance moving space 31 where the thread hooking portion 13 of the balance 12 of the thread pick-up member 6 reciprocates up and down, a thread tensioner accommodating portion 32 into which the thread tension applying member 7 is inserted, and the like. The thread outlet 29 is formed near the right end of the bottom wall of the cassette case 25.

The cassette case 25 has a cassette body 33 made of synthetic resin and an opening / closing lid 34. The base end of the opening / closing lid 34 can be opened and closed by a pair of upper and lower fulcrum pins 35 at the right end of the cassette body 33. Are linked. However, the opening / closing lid 34 may be configured to slide up and down with respect to the cassette body 33 to open and close. In order to identify the thread color of the upper thread T1 of the inner thread spool 26 and to easily check the remaining amount of the upper thread T1, the opening / closing lid 34 is made of a transparent synthetic resin material. However, at least a portion corresponding to the accommodated inner thread spool 26 in the front-rear direction may be made of a transparent synthetic resin material.

FIG. 11, FIG. 13, FIG. 16, FIG. 18 and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9, the upper end of the balance moving space 31 is closed on the right rear surface of the cassette case 25 over a length substantially equal to the vertical length of the cassette case 25. The lower end is formed in a vertically elongated groove shape. FIGS. 1, 18 and 19 show the scale moving space 31 in an easy-to-understand manner by removing the opening / closing lid 34 and a later-described guide member and cutting out the front-side wall portion to make the vertically elongated groove for convenience. It is shown in the form of. The balance moving space 31 also functions as a recess into which the operator's fingers (four fingers from the index finger to the little finger) can be inserted. The user inserts his / her finger into the cassette case 25 and receives the back of the cassette case 25 with the palm of the user.
5 can be easily and stably held in the hand. Then, in the state held in the hand, the opening / closing lid 3 is not disturbed by the finger at all.
4 can be freely opened and closed.

The spool 27 is provided in the cassette case 2.
5 from the left and right center to the left and about 2/3 of the top
The lower part of the cassette main body 33 is formed in an arcuate wall portion
It is formed as.

The inner thread roller support member 28 for accommodating and supporting the inner thread roller 26 in the above-mentioned piece storage section 27 has its lower base end swingable about a left-right support shaft 37 fixed to the cassette body 33. At the center of the disc-shaped thread spool support portion 38 at the lower part thereof, a thread spool support shaft 39 that stands upward is provided.
Further, the piece accommodating portion 27 on the front side of the thread spool supporting portion 38.
The operation piece 4 for hanging the tip of the operator's finger and swinging the inner thread pin support member 28 forward on the portion along the inner wall surface of
0 is provided so as to protrude upward to about half the height of the thread spool support shaft 39. As shown in FIG. 14, the swing range of the inner thread spool support member 28 is limited between the upright position A and the forward inclined position B. At the upright position A, as shown in FIG. 9, the operation piece 40 comes into contact with a locking projection 41 formed on the inner wall surface of the piece housing portion 27, so that it cannot swing further backward. And also
In the inclined position B, as shown in FIG. 14, the lower surface of the thread spool support portion 38 is connected to the front edge portion 4 of the cassette body 33.
2 so that it cannot swing forward any further. Further, a disc-shaped thread spool retainer 43 for preventing the inner thread spool 26 inserted and supported through the thread spool support shaft 39 from coming off from the thread spool support shaft 39 is press-fitted into the thread spool support shaft 39 so as to be insertable and removable. .

The thread tensioner accommodating portion 32 is formed as a space whose lower side is opened below the thread spool accommodating portion 27 of the cassette case 25 and has a left end in the cassette main body 33 for the thread path path 30. The area is partitioned by partition walls 44 and 45. Then, on the left side of each of the partition walls 43 and 44,
An outer wall 46 that forms the yarn path 30 in cooperation with each of the partition walls 44 and 45 is provided. In the thread tension device accommodating portion 32, a notch 47 for introducing the thread tension applying member 7 into the thread tension device accommodating portion 32 is formed on a rear wall of the cassette main body 33.

Next, the yarn path 30 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 16, 18 and 19, the yarn path 30
The upper thread T1 is fed upward from the inner thread spool 26 supported by the thread spool support shaft 39 of the thread spool support member 28, and the upper thread unreeled forward from the outer thread spool held by the later-described thread spool holding portion. T
2 is a needle thread guide path for guiding the thread 2 to the thread outlet 29 of the cassette case 25, respectively. The yarn path 30 is formed by the upper thread T
It also functions as a yarn simultaneous supply path that can simultaneously guide 1 and T2. The yarn path 30 includes, in order from the upstream side, a first holding portion 48, a first metal guide pin 49, a second metal guide pin 50, and a third guide pin 51. With the inner thread spool 26 held by the thread spool support shaft 39 of the thread spool support member 28, the upper thread T1 fed upward from the inner thread spool 26 is once provided in the cassette body 33 above the upper thread T1. It is configured to be guided to the first holding portion 48 via a U-shaped thread hooking wire 52 and a thread hooking pin 53.

As shown in FIG. 15, a guide member 54, which is meshed and shown (actually, there is no mesh pattern on the surface and is shown for convenience), is fixed to the front surface of the cassette body 33. The outer peripheral edge of the guide member 54 covers the yarn path 30 from the front and regulates the blind movement of the upper threads T1 and T2. Then, on the front surface of the guide member 54, the thread hooking wire 52, the first holding portion 48, the first guide pin 49, the second guide pin 50, and the portion corresponding to the installation position of the third guide pin 51 are sequentially placed. , "1", "2",
The numbers "3", "4", and "5" are displayed, and it is taught that the upper thread T1 unwound from the inner thread spool 26 is wound in the order of the numbers. In addition, the upper thread T2 unwound from the outer thread spool to be described later is wound over from the number “2”.

As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 18, the first holding portion 48 provides a passing resistance to the upper yarns T1 and T2 in the upstream portion of the yarn path
The first holding portion 48 is provided on the left side of the cassette body 33 to prevent the yarn from being entangled with the yarn at 1 and T2 before the yarn tension applying member 7. A metal flat plate 56 fixed to the partition wall 44 facing the passage 30 and having a thread guide groove 55 at an upper portion; a lower portion fixed to the front surface of the flat plate 56; It faces the yarn guide groove 55 and has a flat plate 56.
And a leaf spring 57 having a self-holding elasticity in contact with the surface of the spring. Accordingly, by inserting the upper yarns T1 and T2 into the yarn guide groove 55 from above, the upper yarns T1 and T2 are introduced into the yarn guide groove 55 and the flat And the leaf spring 57, so that relatively low passage resistance is provided.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 16, 18 and 19, the first guide pin 49, the second guide pin 50 and the third guide pin 51 are provided on the downstream side of the yarn path 30. ing. The first guide pin 49 is located at the lower left corner in the cassette case 25, and the second guide pin 50 is located in the cassette case 2.
The third guide pin 51 is located at the lower end of the boundary between the thread tensioner accommodating portion 32 and the balance moving space 31 in the cassette case 2.
5 is provided near the lower end near the right end. The first guide pin 49 and the second guide pin 50 are both made of metal, and their respective ends are buried and fixed inside the cassette body 33 and the guide member 54 (this buried portion is defined in claim 2).
Of the upper thread T1, T
2 does not get caught. The third guide pin 51 is made of metal, and has its base end embedded and fixed inside the cassette body 33.

Accordingly, when the upper threads T1 and T2 are passed over the yarn path 30 according to the display number of the guide member 54,
It extends vertically downward from the first holding portion 48 to the first guide pin 49, where it is bent at a right angle and horizontally and extends horizontally from the first guide pin 49 to the second guide pin 50, and further from the second guide pin 50. It extends obliquely to the third guide pin 51 and finally reaches the yarn outlet 29.

When the thread cassette 24 is completely mounted in the cassette mounting section 5, the upper thread is placed between the pair of thread tension discs 15 of the thread tension applying member 7 which enters the thread tensioner accommodating section 32 in the cassette case 25. Since T1 and T2 are clamped to provide passage resistance, the upper threads T1 and T2 between the first clamping portion 48 and the thread tension applying member 7 maintain a tensioned state. For this reason, the upper yarns T1 and T2 on the upstream side of the yarn tension applying member 7 in the yarn path 30 do not become entangled with the yarn by the yarn.

It is also possible to equip the yarn cassette 24 with the yarn tension applying member 7 instead of equipping the arm tensioning member 7 with the yarn tension applying member 7. The upper thread T1, between the section 48 and the thread tension applying member 7,
Since T2 maintains the tension state, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of tangling of the yarn due to the twisting of the yarn.

The thread tensioner accommodating section 32 captures the upper threads T1 and T2 of the thread path 30 immediately adjacent to the right side of the thread tension applying member 7 when the thread cassette 24 is mounted. Thread catching piece 5 that pushes down the upper thread T1 and T2 securely between the pair of thread tension discs 15.
8 are provided.

A base end is connected to the right end of the cassette main body 33 by a pair of upper and lower fulcrum pins 35 so as to be openable and closable. At the same time, a projection 59 is provided, the lower end of which is bent rightward to the left and connected to the left side wall, and this projection 59 contacts the front surface of the guide member 54 when the opening / closing lid 34 is closed. The lid closing position is restricted by the contact. Then, in the closed state, the outer periphery of the opening / closing lid 34 is opened along the yarn path 30, particularly over the arrangement positions of the yarn hooking wire 52, the first holding portion 48, and the first guide pin 49. It is configured such that a slight gap W exists between the surface 34A and the front surface 33A of the peripheral wall of the cassette body 33 facing the outer peripheral opening surface 34A. When the upper thread T1 or T2 is set in the thread path 30 and the opening / closing cover 34 is closed, the gap W happens to be in the middle of the thread path 30 when the upper thread T1 or T2 is closed.
Is loosened and enters between the outer peripheral opening surface 34A of the opening / closing lid 34 and the front surface 33A of the peripheral wall of the cassette body 33, the loosened upper threads T1 and T2 are removed from the outer peripheral opening surface of the opening / closing lid 34. 34A and the front surface 33A of the peripheral wall of the cassette main body 33 are not sandwiched between the main body 34A and the upper thread T1 and T2 during subsequent sewing.

In addition, approximately in the center of the back surface of the opening / closing lid 34,
In the closed state, the pressing protrusion 60 as a point-like swing restricting portion that contacts the front surface of the operation piece 40 of the thread spool support member 28 and holds the thread spool support member 28 at the upright position A.
Is formed. Also, on the lower side of the back surface of the opening / closing lid 34,
In the closed state, the first guide pin 49 and the second
A portion corresponding to the yarn path 30 on the right side immediately adjacent to each of the guide pins 50 is provided with a front surface 33A of the peripheral wall of the cassette body 33.
First and second yarn regulating pieces 61 and 6 projecting slightly rearward from
2, in the closed state, the third guide pin 51
And a third thread regulating piece 63 protruding rearward substantially in contact with the upper side of the open end of the third thread. Those yarn regulation pieces 6
1, 62, 63 function as the yarn regulating portion of claim 3,
In the closed state of the opening / closing lid 34, the upper yarns T1 and T2 guided to the yarn path 30 are confined in the yarn path 30.
In particular, it prevents blinding forward.

Further, on the left side of the back surface of the opening / closing lid 34,
In the closed state, a locking piece 65 having a locking hole 65A that engages with a locking projection 64 formed on the right side of the partition wall 44 of the cassette body 33 is formed to protrude rearward. The locking piece 65 holds the opening / closing lid 34 in the closed position in cooperation with the locking projection 64. When the opening / closing lid 34 is closed, the locking piece 65 comes into contact with the locking projection 64 and temporarily stops. After bending to the right against the retained elasticity, when the locking holes 65A correspond to the locking projections 64, the fitting is enabled by the return by the elasticity, and from the fitted state, By operating the opening / closing lid 34 in the opening direction (operable with a relatively weak operating force), the opening / closing lid 34 bends rightward against the elasticity, and the locking hole 65A is disengaged from the locking projection 64. ing.

As shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 20, and 21, near the fulcrum pin 35 on the upper right side of the opening / closing lid 34, the upper thread T1, which is drawn out from the thread outlet 29, A thread locking member 66 for locking T2 is provided. The thread locking member 66 has a flanged pin 67 fixed to the opening / closing lid 34, and is vertically movably inserted through the flanged pin 67, and is always dish-shaped pressed against the upper surface of the opening / closing lid 34 by a spring action. And a locking plate 68. Therefore, the upper threads T1 and T2 are connected to the locking plate 68 and the opening / closing lid 34.
The upper thread T1, T2 is inserted between the upper thread T1 and the upper thread
Can be locked between the locking plate 68 and the upper surface of the opening / closing lid 34. Further, a slit 69 through which the upper threads T1 and T2 can be inserted is provided in a portion of the opening / closing lid 34 near the front side of the thread locking member 66, and an upper thread inserted through the slit 69 is provided inside the slit 69. A thread cutting blade 70 for cutting T1 and T2 is provided. Therefore, as is apparent from FIGS. 20 and 21, after the upper threads T1 and T2 pulled out from the thread outlet 29 are once locked to the thread locking member 66,
Subsequently, cutting can be performed by inserting the slit into the slit 69, so that the thread can be locked to the thread locking member 66 with the thread ends aligned.

Note that projecting pieces 34B and 34C slightly projecting outward in the left-right direction are formed on the left and right front surfaces of the opening / closing lid 34, respectively, over the entire vertical length. The overhanging pieces 34B and 34C make it easier to hold the left and right edges of the opening / closing lid 34 with fingers when opening and closing the opening / closing lid 34 (one side edge is hooked by the thumb and the other side edge is The part can be hooked with another finger), and its operability is considered to be improved.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the cassette main body 33 of the thread cassette 24 has a thread piece holding member 7 as a thread piece holding portion for holding the outer thread piece 71 outside.
2 is provided detachably. The thread spool holding member 72 is
A base 73 that is long in the front-rear direction, a thread pin holder 75 in which a front portion swings up and down with a left-right support shaft 74 as a fulcrum at a portion standing on the upper surface of the rear side of the base 73; Mounting leg 76 projecting downward from the front lower surface of 73
In addition, a thread guide plate 77 that rises upward from the front upper surface of the base 73 and a round pin-shaped thread guide pin 78 that projects forward on the front surface of the base 73 are provided. The outer thread piece 71
For the inner thread spool 26, a large thread having a significantly larger amount of retained yarn than the inner thread spool 26 is used. It is considered that this can easily cope with sewing with a large amount of consumption in which the same thread is repeatedly used.

The thread spool holding portion 75 has a disc-shaped thread segment joining piece 79 which is in contact with the rear side of the outer thread segment 71 at the rear thereof,
A thread spool holding shaft 80 projecting forward from a center portion of the thread spool joining piece 79 and supporting the outer thread spool 71 so as to be able to be inserted and removed therefrom.
The outer thread spool 71 supported by the thread spool holding shaft 80 is held between the thread spool joining piece 79 by regulating the forward and backward movement thereof, and is press-fitted so as to be insertable into and removable from the thread spool holding shaft 80. And a disc-shaped thread-piece holding piece 81. When replacing or attaching the outer thread spool 71, as shown in FIG. 4, the distal end side of the thread spool holding shaft 80 is swung upward, and the rear side surface of the thread spool joining piece 79 is supported. At this position (shown by a two-dot chain line), the swinging is stopped, and the state of this position is maintained by a finger, and the outer thread piece 71 is replaced or attached. After the replacement, the thread spool holder 75 is placed at the solid line position by its own weight.

The mounting leg 76 has a horizontal cross section formed in an arc shape with the same radius of curvature as the arc-shaped mounting groove 82 formed on the upper surface of the arc-shaped wall portion 36 of the cassette body 33 shown in FIG. , Which is removably fitted into the mounting groove 82, and has a notch at the substantially right and left central portions, and the cutout portion projects downwardly in parallel with the mounting leg portion 76, and A locking piece 83 having a locking portion 83A slightly projecting rearward is provided. On the other hand, inside the mounting groove 82 of the cassette body 33, a through-hole-shaped locking hole 84 for fitting the locking portion 83A of the locking piece 83 is provided. The locking piece 83 cooperates with the locking hole 84 to hold the mounting leg 76 at the insertion position, and resists the elasticity of the locking piece 83 when the mounting leg 76 is inserted. And the locking portion 83
A is inserted in a bent state in which it is pressed against the inner surface of the mounting groove 82, and when the locking portion 83A corresponds to the locking hole 84, it is restored by the elastic force and the locking portion 83A is inserted into the locking hole 84. Then, by lifting the thread spool holding member 72 upward from the engaged state, the locking portion 83A is bent while resisting the elasticity.
Escape from Accordingly, the mounting leg 76 can be removed from the mounting groove 82.

As described above, since the attachment leg portion 76 can be attached to and detached from the attachment groove 82, the thread cassette 24 can be removed from the sewing machine and stored.
Although it is very bulky when the spool holding member 72 is connected to the cassette main body 33, by separating the two,
It can be stored compactly. In addition, it does not hinder the carrying and storage of the sewing machine.

The cross section of the mounting leg portion 76 and the mounting groove 82 into which this portion fits are formed in an arc shape, so that the fitting portion can be configured to have strength and to be in contact with each other. Since the area can be increased, the fitting and holding of the mounting leg portion 76 can be surely and stabilized.

The yarn guide plate 77 is viewed from the front as shown in FIG.
16 and the like, as shown in FIG.
5 are formed. The thread guide pin 78 is provided below the thread guide plate 77 and slightly to the left. The upper thread T2 fed forward from the outer thread spool 71 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 6 to 19, after being hooked on the thread guide groove 85 of the thread guide plate 77, the thread guide pin 78 is hooked from the right side, and thereafter the same as the upper thread T <b> 1 of the inner thread spool 26. Is introduced into the yarn path 30 from the position of the first holding portion 48.

As shown in FIG. 17, the lower bottom surface 33B of the arc-shaped wall portion 36 of the cassette main body 33 is used when the thread cassette 24 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 5, as shown in FIG.
The power intake unit 86 of the automatic threading mechanism 8 is operated.

In addition, the electronic control sewing machine according to the present embodiment has a single needle 11 as well as a single needle 11 with respect to the needle bar 10.
As shown in FIG. 22, if necessary, two needles 87 and 88 which are unitized can be attached to perform so-called double needle sewing. In the case of this sewing, the upper threads T1 and T2 are set in advance in the thread path 30 at the same time, and a pair of thread tensions of the thread tension applying member 7 when the thread cassette 24 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 5. It is simultaneously inserted between the plates 15 and simultaneously hangs on the thread hook 13 of the balance 12 of the thread pick-up member 6.

In the case of this sewing, since the automatic threading mechanism 8 cannot be used, after the thread cassette 24 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 5, the needles 87, 88 are manually operated to control the upper thread T1, T1. T2 is threaded. Therefore, when the thread cassette 24 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 5, the power intake section 86 is previously moved to the lower side of the arc-shaped wall section 36 of the cassette main body 33 so that the automatic threading mechanism 8 does not operate. This can be achieved by retreating to a position where the automatic threading mechanism 8 does not engage with the bottom surface 33B or by providing a switching mechanism for transmitting or shutting off power in the drive system of the automatic threading mechanism 8. For example, in the case of the former,
Although not shown, of the power intake portion 86, a portion protruding to the outside of the cassette mounting portion 5 is separated from a portion located inside, and the portion protruding to the outside is screwed, fitted, or the like. It can be connected to a portion located inside, and in the case of two-needle sewing, it may be separated and removed in advance, and in the case of single-needle sewing, it may be connected in advance.

This embodiment is configured as described above.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, when performing the single needle stitching using the thread cassette 24, the upper thread T1, T
2, the upper thread T1, T according to the use condition, the sewing pattern, etc.
2 can be properly used.

For example, when sewing with a particularly large or relatively large amount of thread, the outer thread piece 71 is used, and with the opening / closing cover 34 opened, as shown in FIG. The upper thread T2 fed from the
As described above for the yarn path 30 of the
4, the thread cassette 24 with the opening / closing cover 34 closed is inserted into the cassette mounting portion 5 of the sewing machine from above, and the thread cassette is temporarily inserted. 89 marked on the upper surface on the right side of the opening / closing lid 34 and an arrow 90 marked on the arm 4 of the sewing machine.
(See FIG. 18) and stops at the corresponding position (the display position in FIG. 17, the lower bottom surface 33B of the arc-shaped wall portion 36 of the cassette main body 33 in the power intake portion 86 of the automatic threading mechanism 8). Is in the state immediately before the power take-up section 86 is about to be actuated by contact with the thread take-up section 86).
2A (see FIG. 18).

From this state, as shown in FIG.
By further depressing the thread cassette 24, the upper thread T2 laid over the thread path 30 is inserted between the pair of thread tension plates 15 of the thread tension applying member 7 and the balance of the thread pick-up member 6 12 and the lower bottom surface 3 of the arc-shaped wall portion 36 of the cassette body 33.
Since the power intake unit 86 is operated by 3B, the hook mechanism 23 of the automatic threading mechanism 8 is operated, and the upper thread T2 is threaded through the needle hole of the needle 11.

Then, as shown in FIG. 19, the thread cassette 24 is further pushed down, and the
When the lower bottom surface 33B of the third arc-shaped wall portion 36 comes into contact with the step portion 91 provided on the cassette mounting portion 5 and the further downward movement is stopped, the power intake portion 86 is moved to the cassette body 33. Is disengaged from the lower bottom surface 33B of the arc-shaped wall portion 36, and the automatic threading mechanism 8 returns to the original position. Therefore, the sewing can be started from this state.

Further, instead of the above-mentioned upper thread T2, the upper thread T1 is wrapped around the thread path 30 in the procedure shown in FIG. 15, and set and used for sewing in the same manner as when the above-mentioned upper thread T2 is used. be able to.

When performing the double needle sewing, as described above, it is necessary to set the power intake portion 86 in advance so as not to be engaged with the lower bottom surface 33B of the arc-shaped wall portion 36 of the cassette main body 33. The switching mechanism for transmitting and interrupting power in the middle of the drive system of the automatic threading mechanism 8 is turned off, and two unitized needles 87 and 88 are attached to the needle bar 10. . Then, in the yarn cassette 24, the upper yarns T1 and T2 fed from the inner yarn spool 26 and the outer yarn spool 71 are simultaneously set in the yarn path 30 and
By mounting the yarn cassette 24 in this state on the cassette mounting portion 5, the upper yarns T1 and T2 are simultaneously inserted between the pair of yarn tension plates 15 of the yarn tension applying member 7 and the yarn pick-up member 6 The thread is also hooked on the thread hook 13 of the balance 12 at the same time. Then, the thread ends of the upper threads T1, T2 are individually threaded through the needle holes of the needles 87, 88 by an operator. In this state, predetermined two-needle sewing can be performed.

In this embodiment, the thread spool holding member 7
Although an example in which one outer thread spool 71 is held in the second embodiment has been described, for example, the base 73 of the thread spool holding member 72 is formed to be longer in the left-right direction or additionally in the front-rear direction, It is also possible to arrange two or more pieces 71 in the left-right direction or a plurality of pieces in the front-rear direction in addition thereto, and to provide a large number of two or more outer thread pieces 71 as a whole. This is particularly effective in the case of embroidery sewing using a large number of color threads.

[0067]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, particularly, in a closed state in which the thread spool accommodating portion and the thread path are covered by the opening / closing lid, at least a peripheral portion of the opening / closing lid near the thread path is provided. Since a gap is formed between the cassette body and the peripheral portion thereof, the thread is loosened for some reason when the thread is hung over the thread path and the opening / closing lid is closed, and the thread is loosened in the gap. Even if it does, the loosened portion will not be caught between the opening / closing lid and the cassette body, so it will not be necessary to feed out the thread during sewing and to form a seam at all. There is no hindrance.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the yarn path has at least one bending guide portion for bending and guiding the yarn, and the bending guide of the yarn path in the cassette body. In the portion corresponding to the portion, a cover that covers both ends of the bending guide portion from a direction orthogonal to the running direction of the yarn is provided, so that the yarn guided by the bending guide portion of the yarn path is guided during the guidance. Even if it fluctuates in this portion, since both ends of the bending guide portion are covered with the cover, the yarn does not catch on both ends of the bending guide portion, and the yarn can always be smoothly guided. it can.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, at least a part of the opening / closing lid which is opposed to the yarn path due to its closed state is orthogonal to the running direction of the yarn guided by the yarn path. Since the yarn regulating portion that regulates the blind movement in the direction is provided, even if the yarn guided along the yarn path fluctuates in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction during the guidance, the yarn regulating portion is moved in the traveling direction. Acting on the yarn from orthogonal directions,
The fluctuation of the yarn can be regulated, and the yarn can be reliably confined and guided in the yarn path.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the thread spool is accommodated in the thread spool accommodating portion while being inserted through a support shaft, and the support shaft is centered on one end in the axial direction. Since the other end is swingably supported to a position protruding to the outside, when the thread spool is first set in the thread cassette, or when the thread of the thread spool is reduced or lost, the thread spool is connected to another thread spool. At the time of replacement, etc., the support shaft is swung to a position where its open end protrudes to the outside, so that the thread spool can be easily attached to and detached from the support shaft without being disturbed by the thread cassette body. can do.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the thread spool presser which is provided at the other end of the support shaft so as to prevent the thread spool inserted and supported by the support shaft from coming off from the support shaft. Is provided, the thread spool inserted and supported by the support shaft can be prevented from coming off from the support shaft by the thread spool presser, and the axial movement of the thread spool is reliably restricted. Thus, the yarn can be smoothly fed.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the thread spool presser is detachably supported on the support shaft, when the thread spool is attached to and detached from the support shaft, With the attachment and detachment of the thread spool, the thread spool can be easily replaced or the like, and after the thread spool has been mounted, the thread spool can be securely held at a predetermined position on the support shaft by the thread spool.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since a swing regulating portion for regulating the swing of the support shaft is provided on the back surface of the opening / closing cover in a closed state, the thread spool is provided on the support shaft. If the opening / closing lid is closed in a state where the thread is inserted and supported, swinging of the support shaft can be reliably regulated by the swing regulating portion, and the thread spool can be stably accommodated in the thread segment accommodating portion. .

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, a recess is provided on the surface of the cassette body opposite to the surface on which the opening / closing lid is provided, into which a fingertip of an operator can be inserted. When attaching / detaching the thread spool to / from the thread cassette,
The cassette body can be easily and stably held on the palm by putting fingers in the recesses, and in this state, the opening and closing lid can be freely opened and closed without being disturbed by the fingers. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an electronically controlled sewing machine and a thread cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sewing machine arm with a thread cassette removed.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the sewing machine arm with the thread cassette attached.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the yarn cassette.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the thread spool holding member.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a mounting portion of the thread holding member, showing a main part cut away.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a cassette case of the thread cassette.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 7;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line FF of FIG. 7;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line GG of FIG. 7;

FIG. 14 is a sectional side view of a main part of the cassette body.

FIG. 15 is a front view of the cassette main body, showing a position where the upper thread is passed.

FIG. 16 is a front view showing a state before the thread cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting section.

FIG. 17 is a sectional side view of a main part of the yarn cassette in the course of being mounted on the cassette mounting portion.

FIG. 18 is a front view showing a state where the thread cassette is being mounted on the cassette mounting portion.

FIG. 19 is a front view showing a state where the thread cassette has been completely mounted on the cassette mounting section.

FIG. 20 is a top view of the cassette case.

FIG. 21 is a front view of the cassette case.

FIG. 22 is a front view of the sewing machine arm in a state where two needles and a thread cassette are set.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sewing machine 5 Cassette mounting part 6 Thread pick-up member 7 Thread tension applying member 11 Needle 24 Thread cassette 26 Inner thread piece 27 Thread piece accommodation section 30 Thread path (thread simultaneous supply path) 34 Opening / closing lid 43 Thread piece holding 54 Guide member 66 Thread locking member 70 Thread cutting blade 71 Outer thread piece 72 Thread piece holding member 76 Attachment leg 78 Thread guide pin 82 Attachment groove 87, 88 Needle

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hidetaka Inagaki 15-1 Naeshiro-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya F-term (reference) in Brother Industries, Ltd. 3B150 CD01 CE02 CE23 FA01 FA05 FA06 FA07

Claims (8)

[Claims] A cassette body detachably attached to a sewing machine body, and a cassette body provided inside the cassette body;
A thread spool accommodating section for holding a thread spool wound with a thread to be supplied to a sewing section of the sewing machine main body; and a thread for guiding a thread fed from the thread spool toward a sewing section of the sewing machine main body. In a thread cassette provided with a path route and an opening / closing lid that opens and closes the thread spool accommodating section and the thread path, in a closed state in which the thread segment accommodating section and the thread path are covered by the opening / closing lid, A yarn cassette, wherein a gap is formed between at least a peripheral portion of the opening / closing lid near the yarn path and the cassette body facing the peripheral portion. 2. The yarn path has at least one bending guide for bending and guiding the yarn, and a portion of the cassette body corresponding to the bending guide of the yarn path is provided with a yarn guide. 2. The thread cassette according to claim 1, wherein a cover is provided to cover both end portions of the bending guide portion from a direction orthogonal to a running direction. 3. A yarn regulating portion for regulating blind movement of a yarn guided by the yarn path in a direction perpendicular to the running direction, at least in a part of the opening / closing lid which is opposed to the yarn path by its closed state. The yarn cassette according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: 4. The thread spool is accommodated in the thread spool accommodating portion in a state of being inserted through a support shaft, and the support shaft is positioned such that the other end protrudes outside with one end in the axial direction as a center. The yarn cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the yarn cassette is supported so as to be able to swing up to the position. 5. A thread spool retainer for preventing the thread spool inserted through and supported by the support shaft from coming off the support shaft is provided at a portion on the other end side of the support shaft. Item 5. The yarn cassette according to Item 4. 6. The thread cassette according to claim 5, wherein said thread holder is detachably supported on said support shaft. 7. A swing restricting portion provided on the back surface of the opening / closing lid to regulate the swing of the support shaft depending on a closed state of the lid. Thread cassette. 8. The cassette body according to claim 1, wherein a recess is provided on a surface of the cassette body opposite to a surface on which the opening / closing lid is installed, into which a fingertip of an operator can be inserted. A yarn cassette according to the present invention.