JP2008036341A - Sewing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily change a looper thread in a sewing machine equipped with a needle threader for threading a looper. <P>SOLUTION: The lower end of a thread guide lever 121 attached oscillatably to a lower looper 21 for supporting a thread guide tube 110 is connected to an air blower unit 130 disposed to face a thread insertion hole 111 of the thread guide tube 110 in such a way as can be moved close or separated for blowing air to the thread insertion hole 111 by a connection member 161, so that the both members interlock with each other. Specifically, when a thread outlet 112 is disposed at a thread insertion position matching a thread hole 21b of the lower looper 21 by operating a control lever 4, an outlet 132a of an air nozzle 132 is disposed at the blowing position adjacent to the thread insertion hole 111, and when the thread guide tube 110 is moved to a retreated position, the air nozzle 132 is moved to a standby position. Accordingly, threading to the lower looper 21 can be more easily performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sewing machine, and more particularly to a sewing machine including a threading device that passes a thread through a looper.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in an edge overlock sewing machine, a double chain stitch sewing machine, or the like, a sewing machine including a threading device that passes a thread through a looper using pressurized air is known (for example, Patent Documents). 1). As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the threading device in such a sewing machine includes a lower looper 510 having an extending portion 510 a that is inserted into a needle thread loop by moving back and forth in synchronization with the vertical movement of the needle. The lower looper driving mechanism 500, one end of which is a yarn insertion port 521, the other end is a yarn discharge port 522, a yarn path pipe 520 having a thread path through which a thread can be inserted, and the yarn discharge port 522 is a yarn of the looper 510. A thread guide lever 530 for moving the thread passage tube 520 so as to move between a threading position that matches the hole 510b and a retracted position that is away from the threading position, and a thread insertion port 521 that is disposed to face the thread insertion position. An air blowing unit 540 that blows air to the mouth 521 and an air pump 550 that supplies air to the air blowing unit 540 are provided.
When passing a thread (hereinafter referred to as the lower looper thread T) through the thread hole 510b of the lower looper 510, the thread discharge port 522 which is the other end of the yarn path pipe 520 is made to match the thread hole 510b of the lower looper 510. After that, the lower looper thread is inserted into the thread hole 510b of the lower looper 510 by blowing pressurized air to the thread insertion port 521 which is one end of the yarn path pipe 520.
JP 2005-318932 A

  By the way, in the sewing machine having the threading device disclosed in Patent Document 1, when changing the thread of the lower looper 510, first, the indications m1, m2 provided on the flywheel 507 and the sewing machine frame M are firstly displayed. The lower looper 510 is arranged at the threading position so that the yarn guide lever 530 is moved in the direction of arrow A (see FIG. 12), and the yarn discharge port 522 of the yarn path pipe 520 and the thread hole of the lower looper 510 are aligned. 510b is matched (see FIG. 13). Then, the operating lever 4 of the air blowing unit 540 is moved in the direction of arrow C shown in FIG. 11 so that the air outlet 541a of the air nozzle 541 is close to the yarn insertion port 521, and then the air pump 550 is turned on. Operated to blow compressed air and let the lower looper thread through. Further, after passing the lower looper thread T, it is necessary to first move the operation lever 4 in the direction of arrow D shown in FIG. 11, and then move the thread guide lever 530 in the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. For this reason, there is a problem that there are many operation parts when changing the thread of the lower looper 510, and the thread change is troublesome. In addition, there is a problem that the operation is troublesome because of the procedure.

  An object of the present invention is to facilitate the replacement of the looper yarn.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 includes a looper driving mechanism including a looper having a thread hole formed at a tip inserted into a needle thread loop by moving back and forth in synchronization with the vertical movement of the needle. A thread passage tube having one end as a thread insertion port and the other end as a thread discharge port and having a thread path through which a thread can be inserted; and a threading position where the thread discharge port matches the thread hole of the looper A yarn path pipe moving means for moving the yarn path pipe so as to move between a retracted position away from a threading position, and an air blowing means which is arranged opposite to the thread insertion port and blows air to the yarn insertion port. An air supply means for supplying air to the air blowing means, and an air blowing for moving the air blowing means so as to move between a blowing position close to the yarn insertion port and a standby position away from the blowing position. Move And interlocking means for interlocking the yarn path moving means and the air blowing moving means so that the air blowing means is arranged at the blowing position when the yarn path pipe is arranged at the threading position. It is a sewing machine characterized by comprising.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the interlocking means includes a first actuator that drives the yarn path moving means, a second actuator that drives the air blowing moving means, and the yarn. It is characterized by comprising interlocking control means for driving the first and second actuators so that the movement directions of the passage moving means and the air blowing moving means coincide with each other.

  According to a third aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the interlocking means includes a connecting member that connects the yarn path moving means and the air blowing means.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the third aspect, the interlocking unit includes an actuator that drives at least one of the yarn path moving unit and the air blowing unit.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the second or fourth aspect, the looper is threaded through a thread through the looper when power is applied by a sewing machine motor via a looper shaft interlocking with the main shaft. Input means for inputting the start of the rotation, spindle angle detection means for detecting that the spindle rotated by the sewing machine motor is located at a predetermined rotation angle, and when the start of the threading operation is input from the input means, And a spray control means for stopping the spindle at a predetermined rotation angle based on detection by the spindle angle detection means and driving the actuator to place the air spray means at a spray position.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising return means for arranging the yarn path tube at a retracted position in accordance with driving of the sewing machine motor. And

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the air blowing means is moved to the blowing position by moving the yarn path pipe to the threading position by the interlocking means, and conversely, by moving the air blowing means to the blowing position. The thread guide pipe is moved to the threading position. That is, by operating one of the yarn path moving means and the air blowing moving means, the other can be operated simultaneously. As a result, the operation for passing the thread through the looper is simplified as compared with the prior art, and the operation procedure is not required, so that the threading operation is facilitated. As a result, the operability of the sewing machine can be improved.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the same effect as that of the first aspect of the invention can be obtained. In particular, the yarn path moving means is driven by the first actuator, and the air blowing moving means is the second actuator. Driven by. Further, the yarn guide pipe moving means and the air blowing moving means are driven by the interlock control means so that their operation directions coincide with each other. That is, the yarn path moving means and the air blowing moving means are electrically interlocked. Therefore, for example, the yarn path pipe can be automatically arranged at the threading position, and the threading operation to the looper can be easily performed. It is also possible to automatically arrange the yarn path pipe at the retracted position. In addition, since the yarn path moving means and the air blowing moving means can be interlocked without mechanically connecting them directly, the degree of freedom of arrangement in the sewing machine can be improved.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, the yarn path moving means and the air blowing means are mechanically connected and interlocked by the connecting member. For this reason, the same effect as that of the first aspect of the invention can be obtained with a simple configuration at low cost.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the same effect as the third aspect of the invention can be obtained, and in particular, the yarn passage moving means and the air blowing means are electrically controlled by driving the actuator. It is possible to control both of the driving simultaneously via the connecting member. That is, by using one actuator and a connecting member, it is possible to electrically control the yarn path moving means and the air blowing means while suppressing costs. Further, for example, by using detection means for detecting that the yarn path moving means and the air blowing means are arranged at a predetermined position, the both can be controlled to automatically stop at the predetermined position. It becomes possible.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the same effect as that of the second or fourth aspect of the invention can be obtained, and in particular, the spraying control means performs a threading operation of passing the thread from the input means to the looper. When the start is input, the spindle is stopped at a predetermined rotation angle based on the detection by the spindle angle detection means, and the actuator is driven to place the air blowing means at the blowing position. This also places the yarn path tube at the threading position. Therefore, the threading operation of passing the thread through the looper can be easily performed, and the operability of the sewing machine can be improved.
The “predetermined rotation angle” refers to, for example, a main shaft angle when a looper that swings in conjunction with the main shaft is arranged at one end of the swing, and can be set to a desired rotation angle.

  According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of any one of the first to fifth aspects of the invention can be obtained. A canal is placed in the retracted position. Further, the air blowing means is arranged at the standby position via the interlocking means. Thereby, for example, even if the user forgets to return the yarn path pipe to the retracted position after passing the thread through the looper, the sewing operation can be smoothly performed. That is, in the threading operation of passing the thread through the looper, the user of the sewing machine does not need to perform a return operation for returning the thread passage pipe from the threading position to the retracted position after passing the thread through the looper. Work becomes easy. As a result, the operability of the sewing machine can be improved.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, an edge sewing machine will be described as an example of the sewing machine. The edge sewing machine includes a sewing needle 3 that moves up and down, a lower looper 21 that inserts a lower looper thread T into a loop of a sewing thread that is passed through the sewing needle 3 below the cloth that is to be sewn, and a lower looper thread. The sewing machine includes an upper looper 11 for inserting an upper looper thread through a loop of T, and sews the fabric by tangling the thread by the sewing needle 3, the lower looper 21, and the upper looper 11 in order.
In the following description, the vertical vertical direction is the Z-axis direction, and the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the arm portion of the sewing machine 1 in a state of being installed on a horizontal plane is the Y-axis direction, which is parallel to the plate surface of a needle plate (not shown). The longitudinal direction perpendicular to the Y-axis direction is taken as the X-axis direction. The X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction are assumed to be orthogonal to each other.

(First embodiment: overall configuration)
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an overall configuration of a sewing machine 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, a sewing machine (edge sewing machine) 1 includes a needle driving mechanism (not shown) that drives a sewing needle 3 (needle) up and down by a sewing machine motor 5 (see FIGS. 7 and 8), and a sewing needle 3. A lower looper provided with a lower looper 21 having an extending portion 21a inserted into the loop of the needle threads T1, T2 (see FIG. 4) below the fabric being sewn by moving back and forth in synchronization with the vertical movement. A drive mechanism 20 (looper drive mechanism), an upper looper drive mechanism 10 having an upper looper 11 for inserting the upper looper thread into the loop of the lower looper thread T, and a thread for passing the thread through the thread hole 21b of the lower looper 21 And a threading device 100. Hereinafter, each part will be described in detail.

(Needle drive mechanism)
The needle drive mechanism (not shown) includes an upper shaft (not shown) that is rotated by the sewing machine motor 5 and a known transmission mechanism that converts the rotational movement of the upper shaft into a vertical movement by the rotary weight and the crank rod and transmits the movement to the needle bar 2. ing. Two sewing needles 3 and 3 are held at the lower end of the needle bar 2. When the upper shaft is rotated by driving the sewing machine motor 5, the needle bar 2 is moved up and down through the transmission mechanism, and the needle bar 2 and the sewing needle 3 reciprocate up and down.

(Upper looper drive mechanism)
The upper looper driving mechanism 10 includes an upper looper 11, an upper looper holding body 12 that holds the upper looper 11, and a support member that supports the upper looper holding body 12 so as to be capable of linearly moving and rotating around two axes. 13 and an operating mechanism 14 for reciprocating a connection point between the upper looper holding body 12 and two positions. The upper looper holding body 12 is a round bar, and holds the upper looper 11 at one end (upper end in FIG. 1). Then, the upper looper 11 passes the rear of the movement locus of the lower looper 21, which will be described later, and inserts the upper looper thread, and also moves the tip of the upper looper thread to the needle drop position of the sewing needles 3 and 3 to move the upper looper thread. The sewing needles 3, 3 and the needle threads T1, T2 (see FIG. 4) are inserted through the loop.

(Lower looper drive mechanism)
The lower looper drive mechanism 20 is disposed below the needle plate (not shown), and is a lower looper drive shaft 22 that is a looper shaft rotatably supported by the sewing machine frame M along the front-rear direction, and is a sewing machine main shaft (main shaft). A transmission mechanism (not shown) that branches from the lower shaft 6 and converts the rotational driving force into a reciprocating rotational driving force and applied to the lower looper driving shaft 22, and is fixedly mounted on the tip of the lower looper driving shaft 22 and swings. The lower looper holding arm 23 for performing the above and the lower looper 21 held at the swing end portion thereof are provided.
The lower looper drive shaft 22 swings the lower looper holding arm 23 by reciprocating in synchronization with the lower shaft 6. As a result, the lower looper 21 moves so as to pass near and behind the movement locus of the sewing needles 3 and 3 below the needle plate. That is, the lower looper 21 is driven by being powered by the sewing machine motor 5 via the lower looper drive shaft 22 that is linked to the lower shaft 6. The lower looper 21 captures the loop of the needle threads T1 and T2 inserted through the lowered sewing needles 3 and 3, and inserts the loop of the lower thread (hereinafter referred to as the lower looper thread T) into the loop.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a thread hole 21b through which the lower looper thread T discharged from the thread discharge port 112 of the yarn path pipe 110 described later is passed through the blade tip of the lower looper 21, that is, the extension portion 21a. Is formed. Further, a looper groove 21c is formed from the yarn hole 21b toward a portion facing the retracted position of the yarn discharge port 112. The looper groove 21c prevents the lower looper yarn T discharged from the yarn discharge port 112 from being sandwiched between the lower looper 21 and a yarn guide lever 121 described later, and preventing the yarn guide lever 121 from rotating. Is for.
Further, a flywheel 7 positioned outside the sewing machine frame M is fixed to one end of the lower shaft 6, and the flywheel 7 and the lower shaft 6 rotate together. Such a flywheel is provided with a display m1, and when the display m1 matches the display m2 provided on the sewing machine frame M, the lower looper 21 is one of the swing ends of the swing, and is shown in FIG. It is arranged at the rightmost position as shown.

(Threading device)
Next, the threading device 100 in this embodiment will be described in detail.
The threading device 100 is for passing the lower looper thread T guided from the thread groove 17 formed in the sewing machine frame M through the thread hole 21b of the lower looper 21, and is provided below the needle bar 2. Yes.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the threading device 100 has a thread path having one end as a thread insertion port 111 and the other end as a thread discharge port 112 and a thread path through which the lower looper thread T can be inserted. The pipe 110 and the thread discharge port 112 can be moved between a threading position (see FIG. 5) that matches the thread hole 21b of the lower looper 21 and a retracted position (see FIG. 4) away from the threading position. As described above, the yarn passage moving mechanism 120 as the yarn passage moving means for moving the yarn passage 110 and the air blowing means as the air blowing means which is disposed opposite to the yarn insertion opening 111 and blows air to the yarn insertion opening 111. A unit 130, an air pump 140 as an air supply means for supplying air to the air blowing unit 130, a blowing position close to the yarn insertion port 111, and a standby position apart from the blowing position The air blowing moving mechanism 150 as an air blowing moving means for moving the air blowing unit 130 so as to move between the air blowing unit 130 and the air blowing unit 130 at the blowing position when the yarn path pipe 110 is arranged at the threading position. An interlocking mechanism 160 is provided as interlocking means for interlocking the yarn path moving mechanism 120 and the air blowing moving mechanism 150 so as to be arranged.

(Thread guide means)
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the yarn path pipe 110 is provided in parallel to a plane on which the lower looper 21 provided below the needle bar 2 swings. The yarn path pipe 110 is a tubular member that is curved in two places and is formed in a substantially U shape in a side view. As shown in FIG. 4, the yarn path pipe 110 functions as a thread insertion port 111 into which one end inserts a thread, and the diameter of the thread insertion port 111 is increased toward the end side. This is to facilitate the insertion of the lower looper thread T. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the yarn path pipe 110 functions as a yarn discharge port 112 for discharging the lower looper yarn T at the other end, and the yarn discharge port 112 is bent at a substantially right angle. ing. That is, the yarn path pipe 110 functions as a yarn guiding means for guiding the lower looper yarn T to the yarn hole 21b of the lower looper 21. The yarn path pipe 110 is connected to a thread path moving mechanism 120 described later, so that the thread discharge port 112 matches the thread hole 21b of the lower looper 21 (position shown in FIGS. 2 and 5). And a retracted position (position shown in FIGS. 1 and 4) away from the threading position.

(Thread passage moving means)
The yarn path moving mechanism 120 supports the thread path 110 and swings the thread guide lever 121 with one end (upper end) reciprocating between the threading position and the retracted position by swinging, and the thread guide lever 121. The thread guide lever base 122 movably supported, one end of the thread guide lever 121 and the thread guide lever base 122 are connected, and the thread guide lever 121 is swung so that the position of the thread discharge port 112 becomes the threading position. A switching lever 123 that switches to the retracted position is provided.

  The yarn guide lever 121 is formed from a long plate material, and is formed such that one end and the other end are curved in opposite directions. The thread guide lever 121 has a long hole 121a substantially at the center, and is locked to the thread guide lever base 122 through this long hole 121a. One end of the yarn guide lever 121 (the upper end in FIGS. 1 to 5) is attached so that the other end of the yarn path pipe 110 penetrates from the front surface side to the back surface side. Function as. Further, in the vicinity of the center portion of the yarn guide lever 121, the vicinity of the yarn insertion port 111 of the yarn path pipe 110 is bonded by an adhesive or solder. Further, a connecting hole 121 b for connecting to the switching lever 123 is formed at the other end of the yarn guide lever 121.

The thread guide lever base 122 is made of a plate material and is detachably attached to the lower looper holding arm 23 that supports the lower looper 21. The lower looper holding arm 23 is connected to a lower looper shaft 22 that supports the lower looper 21 at one end and rotates the lower looper 21 at the other end. That is, the yarn path moving mechanism 120 is detachably attached to the lower looper 21, and the yarn path pipe 110 provided in the yarn path moving mechanism 120 is of course also connected to the lower looper 21. It is attached detachably.
At one end of the yarn guide lever base 122, a fulcrum shaft 122a that protrudes toward the yarn guide lever 121 and serves as a fulcrum when the yarn guide lever 121 rotates is formed. It is latched by the long hole 121a. In addition, a rotation shaft 122b that rotatably supports the switching lever 123 is formed at the other end of the yarn guide lever base 122.

  The switching lever 123 is made of a plate material and is provided between the yarn guide lever 121 and the yarn guide lever base 122. An insertion hole 123a for inserting the rotation shaft 122b is formed at one end of the switching lever 123, and when the rotation shaft 122b is inserted into the insertion hole 123a, the switching lever 123 is connected to the rotation shaft 122b. Is freely rotatable. Further, a connecting shaft 123b for connecting to the thread guide lever 121 is formed at the other end of the switching lever 123, and by inserting the connecting shaft 123b of the switching lever 123 into the connecting hole 121b of the thread guide lever 121. The switching lever 123 is rotatably connected to the yarn guide lever 121. Furthermore, the connecting shaft 123b in the present embodiment protrudes in the X-axis direction, that is, the front side of the paper in FIGS. 4 and 5, and is fitted in a connecting groove 161a of a connecting member 161 described later (FIG. 4 and FIG. 5).

(Air blowing means)
The air blowing unit 130 moves between a blowing position (position shown in FIGS. 2 and 5) close to the yarn insertion port 111 and a standby position (position shown in FIGS. 1 and 4) away from the blowing position. A base 131 that is made possible, and an air nozzle 132 that is attached along the moving direction of the base 131 and blows air onto the yarn insertion port 111 are provided.
The base 131 is provided with a convex portion 131a projecting in the X-axis direction at the lower end and a long hole 131b formed along the Y-axis direction.
The air blowing unit 130 according to the present embodiment is arranged so as to face the yarn insertion port 111 and blows air to the yarn insertion port 111 when the yarn hole 21b of the lower looper 21 and the yarn discharge port 112 coincide with each other. Functions as a means.
As shown in FIG. 1, the threading device 100 is threaded inside such that one end is opened outwardly from the sewing machine frame M and the other end is opened above the air outlet 132a of the air nozzle 132. A yarn groove 17 is provided as a yarn introduction means having a thread path through which insertion is possible. Then, the lower looper thread T inserted from one end opened to the outside of the sewing machine frame M and pulled from the other end is inserted into the thread insertion port 111 by blowing air pressurized by the air blowing unit 130. The

(Air supply means)
The air pump 140 includes a hollow bellows portion 141 that can be expanded and contracted, and a lever portion 142 that is connected to one end portion of the bellows portion 141 and compresses the bellows portion 141. The other end portion of the bellows portion 141 is connected to the air nozzle 132 via the air tube 143.
In other words, by operating the lever portion 142 to compress the bellows portion 141, the air in the bellows portion 141 is sent to the air nozzle 132 through the air pipe 143 and blown out from the air outlet 132a at the tip. ing.

(Air spray moving means)
The air blowing movement mechanism 150 is movable between a support member 151 that is fixed to the sewing machine frame M and supports the base 131, and a blowing position that is close to the yarn insertion port 111 and a standby position that is away from the blowing position. And an operation lever 4 for moving the air blowing unit 130 (see FIG. 1).
The support member 151 has two convex portions 151 a and 151 a that protrude in the X-axis direction and are juxtaposed in the Y-axis direction, and the convex portion 151 a fits into the elongated hole 131 b of the base 131. Thus, the air blowing unit 130 is slidably supported along the Y-axis direction.
The operation lever 4 is fixed to substantially the center of the base 131, and the base 131 is also moved along the Y-axis direction in accordance with the movement of the operation lever 4. The operation lever 4 is movably locked in a groove 8 formed in the sewing machine frame M, and the user operates the operation lever 4 to move the air blowing unit 130 along the Y-axis direction. Can be done.

(Interlocking mechanism)
Here, the interlocking mechanism 160 in the sewing machine 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The interlocking mechanism 160 includes a connecting member 161 that connects the yarn guide lever 121 of the above-described yarn path moving mechanism 120 and the base 131 of the air blowing unit 130.
As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting member 161 is made of a rectangular plate material that has a substantially U-shape in plan view, and is disposed below the bed so that the longitudinal direction thereof is along the Y-axis direction. The connecting member 161 is provided with a long hole 161c along the Y-axis direction on one end side and the other end side in the longitudinal direction. The elongated holes 161c are respectively fitted with convex portions 162a projecting from the lower surface of the base 162 screwed to the sewing machine frame M from below. That is, the connecting member 161 is slidably movable along the Y-axis direction with respect to the sewing machine frame M by being supported by the base 162 via the long hole 161c and the convex portion 162a.

  One end of the connecting member 161 (the left end in FIG. 3) is bent upward to form a substantially U-shaped connecting groove 161a having an open upper end. The other end (the right end) of the connecting member 161 is also bent upward, and a long connecting hole 161b is provided along the vertical direction. Then, in a state of being incorporated in the sewing machine 1, a coupling shaft 123b that couples the yarn guide lever 121 and the switching lever 123 is fitted into the coupling groove 161a. The connecting hole 161b is fitted with a convex portion 131a projecting in the X-axis direction at the lower end of the base 131. That is, the yarn guide lever 121 connected to one end side of the connecting member 161 and the base 131 connected to the other end side are interlocked with each other with respect to the movement along the Y-axis direction.

  In the connecting member 161, the distance between the connecting groove 161a and the connecting hole 161b located at both ends in the Y-axis direction is such that the yarn path pipe 110 is threaded by the thread path moving mechanism 120 connected to one end (see FIG. 5), the length (discharging port 132a) of the air nozzle 132 of the air blowing unit 130 connected to the other end is set to a length that is arranged at the blowing position. That is, the connecting member 161 is a connecting member in the present embodiment that mechanically connects the yarn guide lever 121 of the yarn path moving mechanism 120 and the base 131 of the air blowing unit 130, and the yarn path 110 is threaded. It functions as an interlocking means that links the yarn path moving mechanism 120 and the air blowing unit 130 so that the air blowing unit 130 is arranged at the blowing position when the air blowing unit 130 is arranged at the position.

(Description of sewing machine operation)
Next, the operation of the sewing machine 1 according to this embodiment will be described.
When the thread of the lower looper 21 is changed, first, the flywheel 7 is rotated so that the indication m1 of the flywheel 7 and the indication m2 of the sewing machine frame M are matched, and the lower looper 21 is moved to the rightmost end in the swing. Move.
As shown in FIG. 1, when the operation lever 4 is arranged at the rightmost end, that is, the most retracted position, the connecting member 161 connected to the lower end of the yarn guide lever 121 is also arranged at the rightmost end in FIG. 1. For this reason, the yarn guide lever 121 is rotated in the B direction (counterclockwise direction) about the fulcrum shaft 122a, and the yarn path pipe 110 is disposed at the retracted position (see FIG. 4). Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the air nozzle 132 of the air blowing unit 130 is disposed at a standby position where the discharge port 132 a at the tip thereof is separated from the yarn insertion port 111.
Next, when the operation lever 4 is moved to the leftmost end in FIG. 1, that is, the most advanced position by the user's operation, the connecting member 161 is also moved to the leftmost end in FIG. As a result, the yarn guide lever 121 is rotated in the A direction (clockwise direction) about the fulcrum shaft 122a, and the yarn path pipe 110 is disposed at the threading position (see FIG. 5).
When the air pump 140 is operated at such a threading position, the pressurized air is discharged from the discharge port 132a at the tip of the air nozzle 132, and the lower looper inserted into the yarn path pipe 110 from the yarn insertion port 111. The yarn T is discharged from the yarn discharge port 112 and inserted into the yarn hole 21b of the lower looper 21.
After the lower looper thread T is inserted into the lower looper 21, by moving the operation lever 4 to the right side, the yarn path pipe 110 is moved to the retracted position, and the air blowing unit 130 is moved to the standby position. .

(Effects of the first embodiment)
As described above, according to the sewing machine 1 according to the first embodiment, the air blowing unit 130 can be moved to the blowing position by moving the yarn path pipe 110 to the threading position by the connecting member 161, and vice versa. In addition, the yarn passage pipe 110 can be moved to the threading position by moving the air blowing unit 130 to the blowing position. That is, by operating either the yarn guide lever 121 or the air blowing movement means by operating the operation lever 4, the other can be operated simultaneously. As a result, the operation for passing the lower looper thread T through the lower looper 21 is simplified as compared with the prior art, and the operation procedure is not required, so that the threading operation is facilitated. In addition, the operability of the sewing machine 1 can be improved.

(Second embodiment: overall configuration)
Next, based on FIGS. 6-9, 2nd embodiment of this invention is described in detail. Note that in the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.
The interlocking mechanism 260 in the second embodiment detects that the stepping motor 270 as an actuator that drives the interlocking mechanism 260 and the lower shaft 6 are positioned at a predetermined rotation angle, as shown in FIGS. A spindle sensor 280 as a spindle angle detection means, a control unit 50 for controlling the driving of the stepping motor 270 based on detection of the spindle sensor 280, and an input for inputting the start of a threading operation for passing the lower looper thread T through the lower looper 21. This is different from the first embodiment in that a threading button 290 as means is provided.

(Interlocking mechanism)
The connecting member 261 shown in FIG. 6 is provided with a connecting groove 261a, a connecting hole 261b, and a long hole 261c as in the first embodiment, and an end edge parallel to the Y-axis direction. There are provided tooth portions or racks 261d arranged linearly along.
A stepping motor 270 is disposed on the side of the connecting member 261, and a pinion gear 271 attached to the stepping motor 270 meshes with the rack 261d.
The stepping motor 270 is fixed in the bed portion of the sewing machine frame M. The stepping motor 270 is electrically connected to the control unit 50 (see FIG. 8), and rotates according to a predetermined number of pulses output from the control unit 50. A reciprocating linear motion along the axial direction is applied. The movement distance and the required number of pulses (predetermined number of pulses) for placing the yarn path tube 110 at the threading position or the retracted position are stored in advance in the ROM 52 which is a storage unit of the control unit 50 described later. In this embodiment, since the stepping motor 270 functions as a drive source for the interlocking mechanism 260, an operation unit corresponding to the operation lever 4 in the first embodiment is not necessarily required.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, in the second embodiment, the shielding plate 6 a is fixed in the vicinity of the end of the lower shaft 6 (main shaft) that is rotated by the rotational force applied from the sewing machine motor 5 via the drive belt 9. ing. The shielding plate 6a is attached to the outer periphery of the lower shaft 6, that is, a part around the shaft, in parallel with the XZ plane, and is provided so as to be rotatable integrally with the lower shaft 6.
The main shaft sensor 280 is fixed to the upper part in the sewing machine frame M. The main shaft sensor 280 in the present embodiment is a photosensor having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, and a shielding plate 6a that rotates together with the lower shaft 6 is disposed between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion so that the lower shaft 6 Is positioned at a predetermined rotation angle.

(control panel)
In addition, the sewing machine 1 is provided with an operation panel 60 for performing operation input by a user, and various data and operation signals input to the operation panel 60 are output to a control unit 50 described later. The operation panel 60 includes a liquid crystal display panel (not shown) and a touch panel (not shown) provided on the display screen of the liquid crystal display panel, and various operation keys displayed on the liquid crystal display panel. Is touched to detect the position where the touch panel is instructed to touch, and an operation signal corresponding to the detected position is output to the control unit 50 described later.
Furthermore, the operation panel 60 according to the present embodiment places the threading button 290 as input means for inputting the start of the threading operation for passing the lower looper thread T through the lower looper 21 and the air blowing unit 230 after the threading to the standby position. And a retreat button 291 for inputting the start of a retreat operation for moving the yarn path pipe 110 to the retreat position.
When the threading button 290 and the retract button 291 are pressed by the user, a signal indicating that each button has been pressed is output to the control unit 50, and the control unit 50 performs various controls described later.

(Sewing machine control system)
Next, the configuration of the control unit 50 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, a drive source such as the sewing machine motor 5 and the stepping motor 270, a sensor such as the spindle sensor 280, the sewing machine starting pedal 15, the operation panel 60, and the like are connected to the control unit 50. FIG. 8 shows only the configuration necessary for the present embodiment, and the control unit 50 includes other drive sources, sensors, and the like.
The control unit 50 includes an MPU (Micro Processor Unit) 51, which is a microcomputer, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 52, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 53, and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) 54. Yes.
The ROM 52 stores a control program for the edge sewing machine 1. In particular, the ROM 52 in the present embodiment requires the number of pulses necessary to move the air blowing unit 230 from the standby position to the blowing position, and conversely, necessary to move the air blowing unit 230 from the blowing position to the standby position. Data relating to the number of pulses is stored. The RAM 53 is a memory that provides a work area to the MPU 51. Various data relating to sewing are backed up in the EEPROM 54. The MPU 51 performs processing in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM 52.

Further, the control unit 50 according to the present embodiment stops the lower shaft 6 at a predetermined rotation angle based on the detection of the main shaft sensor 280 when the start of the threading operation is input from the threading button 290 and the stepping motor 270. Is controlled to place the air blowing unit 230 at the blowing position. That is, the control unit 50 functions as the spray control means of the present invention.
Specifically, when the threading button 290 of the operation panel 60 is pressed, the control unit 50 causes the lower looper 21 that swings in conjunction with the lower shaft 6 to swing based on the detection signal from the spindle sensor 280. After stopping the lower shaft 6 at an angle (predetermined rotation angle) arranged at a position that is one end (position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5), the yarn passage tube 110 is retracted based on the data stored in the ROM 52. The number of pulse signals necessary for moving from the position to the threading position is output to control the stepping motor 270 to be driven.
Further, when the retreat button 291 of the operation panel 60 is pressed, the control unit 50 performs the number of pulses necessary for moving the thread passage tube 110 from the threading position to the retreat position based on the data stored in the ROM 52. A control for driving the stepping motor 270 is performed by outputting a signal.

(Description of sewing machine operation)
Next, the operation of the sewing machine 1 according to the second embodiment will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG.
First, when the threading button 290 is pressed (step S1), a signal indicating that the threading button 290 has been pressed is output from the operation panel 60 to the control unit 50. Based on this, the control unit 50 drives the sewing machine motor 5 (step S2) and determines whether or not the lower shaft 6 is positioned at a predetermined rotation angle (step S3).
Here, the predetermined rotation angle can be set to a desired rotation angle in accordance with the attachment position of the shielding plate 6 a with respect to the lower shaft 6. In the present embodiment, the lower looper 21 interlocked with the lower shaft 6. However, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rightmost end in each drawing, that is, a state in which the extending portion 21a is inserted through the loop of the needle threads T1, T2 formed when the sewing needles 3, 3 are raised. The angle of the lower shaft 6 when it is disposed at one end of the swing of the lower looper 21.
When the lower shaft 6 is not arranged at the predetermined rotation angle (step S3; No), the control unit 50 repeatedly makes a determination until the lower shaft 6 reaches the predetermined rotation angle while continuing to drive the sewing machine motor 5. Do. When it is detected that the lower shaft 6 is positioned at a predetermined rotation angle (step S3; Yes), the control unit 50 stops the lower looper 21 by stopping the sewing machine motor 5 (step S4).

  Next, the controller 50 drives the stepping motor 270 in the direction of arrow E shown in FIG. 6 (step S5) to advance the air nozzle 132 to the blowing position (see FIG. 5) (step S6). At that time, the yarn guide lever 121 interlocking with the air blowing unit 230 via the connecting member 261 is swung in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. The stepping motor 270 outputs the number of pulse signals corresponding to the distance (movement distance) for moving the connecting member 261 from the standby position to the spraying position and stored in advance in the ROM 52 from the control unit 50. To be driven. Then, after rotating by an amount corresponding to the predetermined number of pulses, the stepping motor 270 stops (step S7).

  When the threading is performed after the stepping motor 270 is stopped in step S7 and the retract button 291 is pressed (step S9), the control unit 50 drives the stepping motor 270 in the direction of arrow F shown in FIG. Step S9) The air nozzle 132 is retracted to the standby position (Step S10). At that time, the yarn guide lever 121 interlocking with the air blowing unit 230 via the connecting member 261 is swung in the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. Then, the control unit 50 rotates the stepping motor 270 by an amount corresponding to the predetermined number of pulses as in the case of forward movement, and then stops (Step S11) and ends the process.

(Effect of the second embodiment)
According to the sewing machine 1 according to the second embodiment, the yarn guide lever 121 that supports the yarn path pipe 110 and the air blowing unit 230 can be electrically controlled by the driving of the stepping motor 270, and the connection member 261 can be used for the control. Thus, it is possible to control the driving of both at the same time. In other words, by using the connecting member 261 and one actuator (stepping motor 270) for driving the connecting member 261, it is possible to perform control to drive the yarn guide lever 121 and the air blowing unit 230 at the same time while suppressing cost. it can. Accordingly, the threading operation can be performed more easily than in the prior art, and the operability of the sewing machine 1 is improved.

(Other)
As shown in FIG. 10, a guide member 167 as a return means for arranging the yarn path pipe 110 at the retracted position in accordance with the driving of the sewing machine motor 5 may be fixedly provided in the bed portion of the sewing machine frame M. Good. As a result, when the sewing machine motor 5 is driven and the lower looper 21 starts to swing via the lower shaft 6 and the lower looper drive shaft 22, the yarn guide is rotatably supported at the center of the lower looper 21. The lever 121 is also swung together with the lower looper 21. And if the convex part 121e of the thread | yarn guide lever 121 is contact | abutted to the inclination part 167a of the guide member 167, it will guide to a retracted position along the said inclination part 167a. That is, the yarn path pipe 110 can be moved to the retracted position in accordance with the driving of the sewing machine motor 5. Therefore, for example, after the lower looper thread T is passed through the lower looper 21, even if the user forgets to return the yarn path pipe 110 to the retracted position, the sewing operation can be smoothly performed. That is, in the threading operation of passing the lower looper thread T through the lower looper 21, the user of the sewing machine 1 returns the rear thread passage tube 110 that has passed the lower looper thread T through the lower looper 21 from the threading position to the retracted position. There is no need to perform the operation, and the threading operation is facilitated.

In the second embodiment, the rack 261d is provided on the edge of the coupling member 261 so that the coupling member 261 is directly driven by the stepping motor 270. For example, at least the base 231 and the thread guide lever 121 One of them may be driven by a stepping motor 270, and the base 231 and the thread guide lever 121 may be interlocked via a connecting member 261. The actuator may be not only a stepping motor but also a solenoid, for example.
As interlocking means, a first stepping motor (not shown) as a first actuator for swinging the yarn guide lever 121 and a second stepping motor (not shown) as a second actuator for driving the air blowing unit 130 are used. ) And the step guide motors may be controlled by the control unit 50 so that the yarn guide lever 121 and the air blowing unit 130 are electrically interlocked with each other.
In addition, by using a gear having a different rotation ratio or a link having a different length at the connecting portion between the connecting member 161 and the thread guide lever 121 or the base 131 connected to both ends thereof, the Y-axis direction of the operating lever 4 is used. It is also possible to change the movement distance along the distance and the movement distance of the air blowing unit 130 moving accordingly.

It is a side view showing the whole sewing machine composition which is a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion I shown in FIG. 1, showing a state where the thread guide lever is moved to the threading position and the air nozzle is moved to the blowing position. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the interlocking mechanism in 1st embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the connection structure (retraction | saving position) of the thread guide lever and air blowing unit in 1st embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the connection structure (threading position) of the thread guide lever and air blowing unit in 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the interlocking mechanism in 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the main-axis angle detection sensor in the sewing machine which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control part in 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the sewing machine which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the other example to which this invention is applied, and shows the example which provided the return means in the threading device. It is a schematic side view which shows the structure of the conventional sewing machine. It is a side view which shows the threading device (retracting position) in the conventional sewing machine. It is a side view which shows the threading device (threading position) in the conventional sewing machine.

Explanation of symbols

1 Sewing machine
2 Needle bar 3 Sewing needle 4 Operation lever (Air spray moving means)
5 Sewing motor 6 Lower shaft (sewing spindle)
7 Handwheel 8 Groove 9 Drive belt 10 Upper looper drive mechanism (looper drive mechanism)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Upper looper 12 Upper looper holding body 13 Support member 14 Operation mechanism 15 Sewing machine starting pedal 17 Yarn groove 20 Lower looper drive mechanism (looper drive mechanism)
21 Lower looper (looper)
21a Extension part 21b Thread hole 21c Looper groove 22 Lower looper drive shaft 23 Lower looper holding arm 50 Control part 60 Operation panel 100 Threading device 110 Thread path pipe 111 Thread insertion port 112 Thread discharge port 120 Moving mechanism (Yarn path movement) means)
121 Thread guide lever 121a Long hole 121b Connection hole 121d Wrinkle-shaped part (yarn gathering part)
122 Yarn guide lever base 122a Support shaft 122b Rotating shaft 123 Switching lever 123a Insertion hole 123b Connecting shaft 130, 230 Air blowing unit (air blowing means)
131,231 Base 132 Air nozzle 140 Air pump (air supply means)
150 Air spray moving mechanism (Air spray moving means)
160,260 interlocking mechanism (interlocking means)
161, 261 Connecting member 161a, 261a Connecting groove 161b, 261b Connecting hole 161c, 261c Long hole 162 Base 163 Support member 167 Guide member (return means)
261d Rack 270 Stepping motor (actuator)
271 Pinion 280 Spindle sensor (Spindle angle detection means)
290 Threading button (input means)
291 Retraction button M Sewing machine frame T Lower looper thread

Claims (6)

A looper drive mechanism comprising a looper having a thread hole formed at the tip inserted into the needle thread loop by moving back and forth in synchronization with the vertical movement of the needle;
One end is a thread insertion port, the other end is a thread discharge port, and a thread passage pipe having a thread path through which a thread can be inserted,
Thread passage moving means for moving the thread passage so that the thread discharge port moves between a threading position that matches the thread hole of the looper and a retracted position away from the threading position;
An air blowing means disposed opposite to the yarn insertion port and blowing air to the yarn insertion port;
Air supply means for supplying air to the air blowing means;
An air blowing moving means for moving the air blowing means to move between a blowing position close to the yarn insertion port and a standby position away from the blowing position;
Interlocking means for interlocking the yarn path moving means and the air blowing moving means so as to arrange the air blowing means at the blowing position when the yarn path pipe is arranged at the threading position. Characteristic sewing machine.   The interlocking means includes a first actuator for driving the yarn path moving means, a second actuator for driving the air blowing moving means, and operating directions of the yarn path moving means and the air blowing moving means coincide with each other. The sewing machine according to claim 1, further comprising interlocking control means for driving the first and second actuators.   The sewing machine according to claim 1, wherein the interlocking means includes a connecting member that connects the yarn path moving means and the air blowing means.   The sewing machine according to claim 3, wherein the interlocking means includes an actuator that drives at least one of the yarn path moving means and the air blowing means. The looper is powered by a sewing machine motor via a looper shaft interlocking with the main shaft,
Input means for inputting the start of threading operation for threading the looper;
A main shaft angle detecting means for detecting that the main shaft rotated by the sewing machine motor is located at a predetermined rotation angle;
When the start of threading operation is input from the input means, the spindle is stopped at a predetermined rotation angle based on the detection of the spindle angle detection means, and the actuator is driven to bring the air blowing means to the blowing position. The sewing machine according to claim 2 or 4, further comprising spray control means to be disposed.   The sewing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising return means for arranging the yarn path tube at a retracted position in accordance with driving of the sewing machine motor.

Images