JP2013151764A - Workpiece holding frame - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a reduction in a stretched degree regardless of whether a workpiece is stretched so as to be flush with an upper surface or a lower surface of a holding frame.SOLUTION: A holding frame S includes: an upper fame 1 and a lower frame 2 which have approximately the same thickness; and an inner frame 3 removably fitted to inner circumferences of the upper frame and the lower frame. The upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 are fastened while being vertically superposed, and a workpiece H is held between them. A stretched state can be set to both a first stretched state where the workpiece H is pushed upward by the inner frame 3 and stretched so as to be approximately flush with the upper surface of the upper frame 1 and a second stretched state where the workpiece H is pushed downward by the inner frame 3 and stretched so as to be approximately flush with the lower surface of the lower frame 2. Accordingly, stretched degrees can be made almost equal to each other in the first and second stretched states, so that loosening is prevented when the stretched state of the same workpiece is switched from the first stretched state to the second stretched state, or vice versa.

Description

  The present invention is a holding frame that holds a workpiece such as a cloth in a stretched state, for example, for printing on the workpiece while holding the same workpiece. The present invention relates to a holding frame that can be attached to both a printing apparatus and an embroidery sewing machine for performing embroidery on the workpiece.

  There are a wide variety of embroidery products, and a combination of printing and embroidery is also known. When creating a product in which printing and embroidery are combined, an arbitrary pattern is printed on a fabric (workpiece) by a printing apparatus, and then an arbitrary embroidery is applied to the fabric by an embroidery sewing machine. I have to. As a printing apparatus, for example, a printer using a printer used for a personal computer or the like is known. This printing apparatus includes a print head that moves in the X direction and a transfer device that moves a member called a platen that can stretch and hold a workpiece such as a T-shirt in the Y direction. The platen holding the workpiece is moved in the Y direction by the transfer device based on the image data, and the print head is moved in the X direction to print on the workpiece.

  On the other hand, the embroidery sewing machine includes a sewing head having a sewing needle that is driven to reciprocate up and down, and a frame moving mechanism that moves the embroidery frame in the X and Y directions. A conventionally known embroidery frame includes an outer frame and an inner frame, and holds and stretches a workpiece between the inner peripheral surface of the outer frame and the outer peripheral surface of the inner frame. The embroidery frame holding the workpiece is set on the frame moving mechanism, the embroidery frame is moved in the X and Y directions, and the sewing needle of the sewing head is moved up and down to embroider the workpiece.

  Thus, in the typical prior art, when printing on a workpiece, the workpiece is stretched and held on the platen of the printing apparatus, while when embroidering on the workpiece, The workpiece is stretched and held on the embroidery frame of the embroidery sewing machine, and it is necessary to attach and detach the workpiece to and from the platen and then to attach and detach it to the embroidery frame. Therefore, it takes time and labor, and it is difficult to align the printed design and the embroidery design. For this reason, it has been considered that the embroidery frame can be mounted on the printing apparatus and the workpiece is attached to the printing apparatus and the embroidery sewing machine while being held on the embroidery frame. However, in general, the embroidery frame sandwiches the workpiece between the inner peripheral surface of the outer frame and the outer peripheral surface of the inner frame, and the workpiece is substantially the same height as the lower surfaces of the outer frame and the inner frame. It is extended. Assuming that the embroidery frame is mounted on the printing apparatus as it is, the print head is positioned at a height that interferes with the inner frame directly above the workpiece. For this reason, the print head can move only within a range that does not interfere with the inner frame (a limited range closer to the center). However, in this case, since the print head has a large width and depth, the movement of the print head is limited, and the printable range is greatly reduced. An embroidery frame that solves such a problem is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.

  The embroidery frame disclosed in Patent Document 1 holds a workpiece by an outer frame and an inner frame as in the conventional case during embroidery, and stretches the outer frame to approximately the same height as the lower surface of the outer frame and the inner frame. The auxiliary frame is pushed into the inner periphery of the inner frame from below so that the upper surface of the frame and the inner frame are extended to substantially the same height. If this is the case, the workpiece is stretched to substantially the same height as the upper surface of the outer frame and the inner frame at the time of printing, and the print head does not interfere with the inner frame, so the printing range does not decrease.

JP 2005-36330 A

  By the way, in many embroidery products that combine printing and embroidery, embroidery is performed after printing, and the embroidery is superimposed on a part of the printed pattern. In the embroidery frame of Patent Document 1, the work piece is first stretched and held by the outer frame and the inner frame. Then, when printing is performed first, the auxiliary frame is pushed into the inner periphery of the inner frame from below, and the workpiece is stretched to substantially the same height as the outer frame and the upper surface of the inner frame. The embroidery frame in this state is set on the printing apparatus, and printing is performed on the workpiece. When printing is completed, the embroidery frame is removed from the printing apparatus, the auxiliary frame is removed from the embroidery frame, and the workpiece is stretched to the same height as the lower surface of the outer frame and the inner frame. The embroidery frame in this state is set on the embroidery sewing machine and embroidery is performed on the workpiece.

  In the embroidery frame of Patent Document 1, the auxiliary frame is pushed into the inner periphery of the inner frame when printing is performed, so that the degree of expansion of the workpiece increases during printing. For this reason, when the auxiliary frame is subsequently removed and embroidery is performed, the degree of expansion of the work piece is loosened and looseness occurs. As a result, the quality of the embroidery is reduced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and even when the workpiece is stretched in accordance with either the upper surface or the lower surface of the holding frame, the degree of stretching does not loosen or hardly occurs. It is an object of the present invention to provide a workpiece holding frame having an improved structure.

  The workpiece holding frame according to the present invention includes an upper frame, a lower frame having substantially the same thickness as the upper frame, and the workpiece is sandwiched between the upper frame and the lower frame stacked one above the other. A fixing member that fixes the upper frame and the lower frame to each other; and an inner frame that is detachably mounted on the inner periphery of the upper frame and the lower frame, and the workpiece is pushed upward by the inner frame. A first stretched state in which the workpiece is stretched substantially flush with the upper surface of the upper frame, and the workpiece is pushed down downward by the inner frame to substantially flush with the lower surface of the lower frame. It can be set to any of the second extended states in which the object is extended.

  According to the present invention, the thickness of the upper frame and the lower frame is substantially the same, and the workpiece is sandwiched between the upper frame and the lower frame, so that the workpiece is directed upward by the inner frame. The degree of expansion in the first stretched state in which the workpiece is pushed up and stretched substantially flush with the upper surface of the upper frame, and the workpiece is pushed downward by the inner frame to be substantially flush with the lower surface of the lower frame First, the degree of extension in the second extension state in which the workpiece is extended is substantially the same. This is because the workpiece sandwiched between the upper and lower frames of approximately the same thickness is the height of the boundary (intermediate position) between the upper and lower frames unless the inner frame is attached. The workpiece is pushed upward from the intermediate position to the first extended state, and the workpiece is pushed downward from the intermediate position to the second extended state. This is because the degree of expansion in the first and second extended states is substantially the same because the amount of movement is substantially equal. Thereby, for example, in the case where printing is performed on the workpiece under the first stretched state and when the workpiece is embroidered under the second stretched state, the workpiece is loosened or distorted. Is eliminated or minimized. That is, the degree of extension in the first and second extension states can be made substantially the same, and the extension state for the same workpiece is switched from the first extension state to the second extension state or vice versa. In this case, the loosening does not occur.

  Therefore, when performing embroidery sewing in the second extended state, there is no problem that the quality of the embroidery is lowered due to insufficient tension. Similarly, when printing is performed in the first stretched state, there is no problem that the print quality deteriorates due to insufficient tension. Further, when printing on the work piece in the first stretched state, the print frame is stretched to substantially the same height as the upper surface of the upper frame, so that the holding frame does not interfere with the print head during printing, and the printing range. There will be no disadvantage that will decrease.

The disassembled perspective view of the holding frame which concerns on one Example of this invention. The top view of the holding frame. The expanded plane sectional view which shows the structural example for fixing an inner frame to the inner periphery of an upper frame in the holding frame. The expanded side surface sectional view which shows the example of a structure for similarly fixing an inner frame to the inner periphery of an upper frame. The expanded side sectional view which shows the structural example for fixing an inner frame to the inner periphery of a lower frame. Front sectional drawing which shows the state which introduced the to-be-processed object between the upper frame and the lower frame in the state which fixed the inner frame to the inner periphery of the lower frame. From the state shown in FIG. 6, the work piece is sandwiched between the upper frame and the lower frame, the work piece is pushed up by the inner frame, and the work piece is stretched and fixed so as to be substantially flush with the upper surface of the upper frame. Front sectional drawing which shows the 1st extended state to do. The front sectional view showing the state where the inner frame is positioned above the upper frame with the workpiece sandwiched between the upper frame and the lower frame. FIG. 9 is a front sectional view showing a second stretched state in which the workpiece is pushed down by the inner frame from the state of FIG. 8 and is stretched and fixed so as to be substantially flush with the lower surface of the lower frame. 1 is a perspective view of a printing apparatus that can be used in one embodiment. 3 is a three-dimensional view illustrating the relationship between a support base, a platen, and a holding frame in the printing apparatus. FIG. The perspective view which shows an example of the single head type embroidery sewing machine which can be utilized in one Example.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIG. 1, the holding frame S has an upper frame 1 and a lower frame 2 that are annular and have substantially the same thickness, and has a thickness that is substantially the same as the thickness of the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 that are overlapped. It has an inner frame 3. Holding plates 4 and 5 for fixing the holding frame S to the embroidery sewing machine are fixed at substantially the center of the left and right sides of the upper frame 1. Blocks 6 having through holes 6a are fixed to the upper portions of the four corners of the upper frame 1, respectively. A plurality of circular recesses are formed on the upper surface of the upper frame 1, and magnets 7 are fitted in the recesses. Covers 8 and 9 divided into left and right are arranged on the upper surface of the upper frame 1 to prevent the magnet 7 from coming out of the recess.

  Blocks 10 having through holes 10a are fixed to the lower portions of the four corners of the lower frame 2, respectively. On the lower surface of the lower frame 2, recesses are formed at positions corresponding to the magnets 7 of the upper frame 1, and magnets 11 are fitted in the recesses, respectively. Covers 12 and 13 divided into right and left are fixed to the lower surface of the lower frame 2 to prevent the magnet 11 from coming out of the recess. The lower frame 2 has long guide members 14 protruding and fixed on the upper surfaces of the front and rear sides thereof, and two short guide members 15 protruding and fixed on the upper surfaces of the left and right sides, respectively. . The upper frame 1 is formed with engaging grooves 16 for engaging the guide members 14 on the lower surfaces of the front and rear sides thereof, and engaging grooves 17 for engaging the guide members 15 are formed on the lower surfaces of the left and right sides, respectively. It is.

  By superposing the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 vertically, the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 are attracted by the magnetic force of the magnets 7 and 11, and the workpiece is sandwiched between them. Yes. At this time, the overlapping position of the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 is determined by the guide members 14 and 15 of the upper frame 1 and the engaging grooves 16 and 17 of the lower frame 2. In this example, the plurality of magnets 7 and 11 function as a fixing member for fixing the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 to each other by magnetic force. One of the magnets 7 and 11 attracting each other may be replaced with a ferromagnetic material such as iron.

  The inner frame 3 is formed so that the outer periphery thereof is slightly smaller than the inner periphery of the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2, and is substantially the same size as the inner periphery of the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 at the upper part of the four corners. The protrusion 18 is formed. Blocks 19 in which through holes 19a are formed are fixed to the upper portions of the four corners of the inner frame 3, respectively. The inner frame 3 is inserted into the inner peripheries of the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 so that the workpiece is stretched.

  At the time of embroidery, the inner frame 3 is inserted from above (from above the upper frame 1), and the inner frame 3 is fixed to the upper frame 1. In order to fix the inner frame 3 to the upper frame 1, the through hole 19 a of the block 19 of the inner frame 3 and the through hole 6 a of the block 6 of the upper frame 1 are matched. Then, the fixing pin 20 is inserted into the through hole 6 a of the block 6 of the upper frame 1 from the outside, and the tip thereof is inserted into the through hole 19 a of the block 19 of the inner frame 3. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan sectional view showing portions of the blocks 6 and 19 in order to show a structure for fixing the inner frame 3 to the upper frame 1. As is clear from this figure, a ball plunger 21 is provided on the side of the through hole 6a of the block 6 of the upper frame 1. The fixing pin 20 is formed with grooves 20a and 20b that engage with the ball at the tip of the ball plunger 21 at a substantially middle portion and a tip portion thereof. When the fixing pin 20 is engaged with the ball 20 of the ball plunger 21 at the substantially intermediate groove portion 20a, the front end portion thereof is held at the position where it is inserted into the through hole 19a of the block 19 of the inner frame 3, and the inner frame 3 Is mounted on the upper frame 2. A side sectional view of the blocks 6 and 19 at this time is shown in FIG. 4, and H is a workpiece (cloth). As will be described later, in this state (second extended state), the workpiece H pushed down by the lower surface of the inner frame 3 is substantially flush with the lower surface of the lower frame 2 (almost flush). Designed. In this case, the combination of the fixing pin 20 and the through holes 6 a and 19 a corresponds to a member for fixing the inner frame 3 to the upper frame 1.

  When the groove 20b at the tip of the fixing pin 20 is slightly pulled and engaged with the ball plunger 21 of the upper frame 1, the tip of the fixing pin 20 is in the through hole 6a of the block 6 of the upper frame 1. Thus, the inner frame 3 can be inserted into and removed from the inner periphery of the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2. However, this forward groove 20b is not always necessary.

  On the other hand, when printing, the inner frame 3 is inserted from the lower side (from the lower side of the lower frame 2) with the upper and lower directions of the inner frame 3 opposite to those at the time of embroidery. Fix to the lower frame 2. In order to fix the inner frame 3 to the lower frame 2, the through hole 19 a of the block 19 of the inner frame 3 and the through hole 10 a of the block 10 of the lower frame 2 are matched. Then, the fixing pin 20 is inserted into the through hole 10 a of the block 10 of the lower frame 2 from the outside, and the tip thereof is inserted into the through hole 19 a of the block 19 of the inner frame 3. The block 10 of the lower frame 2 also has a ball plunger 21 as in the block 6 of the upper frame 1. Then, the groove 20a at the substantially intermediate portion of the fixing pin 20 is engaged with the ball of the ball plunger 21 so that the distal portion of the fixing pin 20 is held at the position inserted into the through hole 19a of the block 19 of the inner frame 3. The inner frame 3 is attached to the lower frame 2. FIG. 5 shows a side cross-sectional view of the blocks 10 and 19 at this time. As will be described later, in this state (first extended state), the workpiece H pushed up by the upper surface of the inner frame 3 is substantially flush with the upper surface of the upper frame 1 (substantially flush). Designed. In this case, the combination of the fixing pin 20 and the through holes 10 a and 19 a corresponds to a member for fixing the inner frame 3 to the lower frame 2.

  Next, a method for holding the workpiece H on the holding frame S (a stretching method) will be described. In this example, a case will be described in which embroidery is performed after printing on the workpiece H first.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the inner frame 3 is inserted into the inner periphery of the lower frame 2 in advance, and the inner frame 3 is attached to the lower frame 2 by the fixing pins 20. The workpiece H is placed on the lower frame 2 and the inner frame 3, and the upper frame 1 is overlaid on the lower frame 2 from above. The upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 are attracted by the magnetic force of the magnets 7 and 11, and the workpiece H is clamped. Since the inner frame 3 protrudes upward from the lower frame 2 by substantially the same thickness as the upper frame 1, the workpiece H is pushed up by the upper surface of the inner frame 3 and the upper frame as shown in FIG. 1 is extended to substantially the same height as the top surface of (1). This is referred to as a first extended state. In this example, the inner frame 3 is attached to the lower frame 2 in advance. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and after the workpiece H is sandwiched between the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2, the inner frame 3 is first clamped. May be inserted into the inner periphery of the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 from below the lower frame 2, and the inner frame 3 may be attached to the lower frame 2. As shown in FIG. 7, the holding frame S in which the workpiece H is stretched and held in the first stretched state is set in the printing apparatus.

  FIG. 10 shows a printing apparatus, which includes a print head 22 that moves in the X direction and a transfer plate 23 that moves the workpiece H in the Y direction. A support base 24 that is attracted to the transfer plate 23 by a magnetic force is provided on the upper surface of the transfer plate 23, and a platen 25 that holds the holding frame S is detachably provided on the support base 24. FIG. 11 is a three-dimensional view of the support base 24, the platen 25, and the holding frame S. Support blocks 26 and 27 are fixed to the front and rear ends of the support base 24, and recesses 26a and 27a are formed on the upper surfaces of the support blocks 26 and 27, respectively. Engaging arms 28 and 29 that engage with the recesses 26 a and 27 a of the support blocks 26 and 27 are formed at the front and rear ends of the platen 25. A leaf spring 30 is fixed to the front surface of the support block 26 at the front end portion to press the top surface of the front end of the engagement arm 28 of the platen 25 engaged with the recess 26 a of the support block 26. A leaf spring 31 is fixed to the upper surface of the support block 27 at the rear end to press the upper surface of the engagement arm 29 of the platen 25 engaged with the recess 27 a of the support block 27. The platen 25 includes a support portion 32 that supports the holding frame S, and a guide projection 33 that fits into the inner periphery of the inner frame 3 and positions the holding frame S. The guide protrusion 33 is set to a height at which the upper surface of the guide projection 33 comes into contact with the workpiece H that is stretched and held when the holding frame S is set on the platen 25. It comes to support.

  When the holding frame S is set on the platen 25, the platen 25 is removed from the support base 24, and the holding frame S is fitted on the outer periphery of the guide projection 33 of the platen 25 and supported by the support portion 32. At this time, when the workpiece H is a bag such as a T-shirt, the lower (rear) side that is not stretched and held is preferably positioned below the platen 25. When the holding frame S is set on the platen 25, the platen 25 is mounted on the support base 24. When the holding frame S is set, the support base 24 may be detached from the transfer plate 23.

  As described above, when the holding frame S is set in the printing apparatus, the workpiece H is moved in the Y direction by the transfer plate 23 based on the image data of the pattern to be printed, and the print head 22 is moved in the X direction. Then, a desired pattern is printed on the workpiece H. When printing is completed, the holding frame S is removed from the printing apparatus.

  Next, the fixing pins 20 inserted in the four corners of the lower frame 2 are removed, and the inner frame 3 is extracted downward. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the inner frame 3 is turned upside down from the time of printing and is brought above the upper frame 1. Then, the inner frame 3 is inserted into the upper frame 1 from above, and the inner frame 3 is fixed to the upper frame 1 by the fixing pins 20. As a result, the workpiece H is pushed down by the lower surface of the inner frame 3 and is stretched to substantially the same height (substantially flush) with the lower surface of the lower frame 2 as shown in FIG. This is referred to as a second extended state. As shown in FIG. 9, a holding frame S in which the workpiece H is stretched and held in the second stretched state is set on the embroidery sewing machine.

  Note that FIG. 8 shows that the workpiece H has been loosened somewhat due to being stretched to the first stretched state in the previous step. In FIG. 9, the workpiece H is pushed down and stretched to the second stretched state, so that the looseness is absorbed and stretched at substantially the same degree of stretch as in the first stretched state. Show. This is because the work piece H sandwiched between the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 and having the substantially same thickness is stretched between the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 unless the inner frame 3 is attached. When the workpiece H is flatly extended at the height of the intermediate position), the movement amount by which the workpiece H is pushed upward from the intermediate position to the first extended state, and from the intermediate position to the second extended state. This is because the amount of movement in which the workpiece H is pushed downward is substantially equal, and the degree of expansion in the first and second extended states is substantially the same.

  FIG. 12 shows a single-head embroidery sewing machine. The embroidery sewing machine can be mounted with a sewing machine head 34 having sewing needles that are driven to reciprocate up and down, a cylinder bed 35 having a shuttle that is driven to rotate, and a holding frame S, and a pair of drives that are driven in the X and Y directions. Holding bases 36 and 37 are provided.

  When the holding frame S is set on the embroidery sewing machine, the holding plates 4 and 5 of the upper frame 1 are inserted into the distal ends of the pair of holding bases 36 and 37, and the holding frame S is attached by the pair of holding bases 36 and 37. Hold. When the holding frame S is set, the sewing needle of the sewing head 34 is moved up and down and the shuttle of the cylinder bed 35 is rotated to perform well-known sewing, and the holding frame S together with the pair of holding bases 36 and 37 is moved in the X and Y directions. The workpiece H is embroidered based on the embroidery data. When the embroidery is finished, the holding frame S is removed from the embroidery sewing machine, and the workpiece H is removed from the holding frame S.

  According to the holding frame S of the present invention, the workpiece H is stretched to approximately the same height as the upper surface of the upper frame 1 during printing, and is stretched to approximately the same height as the lower surface of the lower frame 2 during embroidery. The holding frame S does not interfere with the print head 22 during printing, and the printing range does not decrease.

  Further, as described above, the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 have substantially the same thickness, and the work piece H has a boundary (intermediate) between the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 by substantially the same movement distance during printing and embroidery. From the position) to the upper surface of the upper frame 1 or the lower surface of the lower frame 2, they are pushed and expanded by the inner frame 3, so that the degree of expansion of both is substantially the same. As a result, the degree of expansion of the workpiece H does not loosen during one of printing and embroidery, and therefore, slack does not occur and the quality of printing or embroidery does not deteriorate.

  Note that the holding frame S shown in the present embodiment is merely an example, and may have any shape. There are various shapes and sizes of the holding frame S, and the holding frame S may be used according to the work piece, printing, or embroidery design (size). Further, the platen 25 of the printing apparatus may be the one having the guide projection 33 according to the shape and size of the holding frame S to be used.

  In the present embodiment, the structure for fixing the inner frame 3 to the upper frame 1 or the lower frame 2 is configured to be mounted on the upper frame 1 or the lower frame 2 by the fixing pins 20. In addition to providing the ball plunger on the inner frame 3, the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 are formed with recesses that engage the balls at the tips of the ball plungers, and the balls at the tips of the ball plungers are placed in these recesses. The inner frame 3 may be mounted by engaging. Further, any fixing means or structure using screws, clips, springs, etc. may be used without using the pin 20, and the inner frame 3 is semi-fixed by press-fitting into the upper frame 1 or the lower frame 2. It may be a structure. In short, any structure may be used as long as the inner frame 3 can be detachably mounted on the inner periphery of the upper frame 1 or the lower frame 2.

  Further, the fixing member for fixing the upper frame 1 and the lower frame 2 is not limited to the one applying the magnetic force as in the above embodiment, and any fixing member or structure using a screw, a clip, a spring or the like is used. You can do it.

S Holding frame 1 Upper frame 2 Lower frame 3 Inner frame 7, 11 Magnet (fixing member)

Claims (3)

Upper frame (1),
A lower frame (2) having substantially the same thickness as the upper frame;
A fixing member (7, 11) for sandwiching a workpiece between the upper frame and the lower frame which are vertically stacked, and fixing the upper frame and the lower frame to each other;
An inner frame (3) that is detachably mounted on the inner periphery of the upper frame and the lower frame, and the workpiece is pushed upward by the inner frame to be substantially flush with the upper surface of the upper frame. Either a first stretched state in which the workpiece is stretched or a second stretched state in which the workpiece is pushed downward by the inner frame to stretch the workpiece substantially flush with the lower surface of the lower frame. A workpiece holding frame, characterized in that can also be set.   The workpiece holding frame according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member is configured to fix the upper frame and the lower frame to each other by a magnetic force.   The workpiece holding frame according to claim 1, further comprising a member for fixing the inner frame to at least one of the upper frame and the lower frame.

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