JP3145443B2 - Automatic embroidery machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an embroidery frame for holding an embroidery material such as T-shirt cloth in an expanded state, an embroidery needle reciprocating through the embroidery material, an embroidery frame and an embroidery needle. And an automatic embroidery machine for forming an embroidery pattern on an embroidery material, such as T-shirt cloth, according to the trajectory of the relative movement. In particular, the present invention relates to an automatic embroidery machine in which a circular pattern is formed on, for example, a T-shirt cloth and the like, which can meet the demand for embroidering along the circular pattern.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to perform embroidery along an arc, the curvature of the arc must first be specified. If the curvature of the arc is not accurate, the embroidery pattern may be separated from the arc or cut into the arc. To specify the curvature of an arc, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-220.
In the technique described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 90, a method of inputting a radius from a numerical key is adopted. Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 62-1208
Japanese Patent Publication No. 77 introduces a method of providing a large number of points on an arc and inputting the coordinates of each point using a digitizer.

[0003]

The method of designating the curvature of a circular arc by inputting a radius is performed when the center O of the circular arc 106 exists in the embroidery frame 102, as shown in FIG. Is very effective because the radius R can be measured directly. However, as illustrated in FIG. 3B, when the arc 106 is smooth and its center O does not exist in the embroidery frame 102, a large work space is required to find the center O of the arc 106. However, it is difficult to measure the radius R in practice, and it is likely that an incorrect radius is specified. Therefore, the embroidery pattern is curved or flatter than expected, and the intended curved pattern cannot be obtained.

In practice, the embroidery pattern is not determined simply by specifying the curvature of the arc. FIG. 4 illustrates this, and if the position of the arc 106 on the circumference 108 is not specified, even if the arc 106 has the same central angle φ,
For example, it cannot be determined whether the pattern will be the pattern of FIG. 4A or the pattern of FIG. 4B. Therefore, in addition to the curvature of the arc, it is necessary to determine at which position of the circle the embroidery is performed along the arc. Among the above-mentioned conventional techniques, in the method of inputting a radius, data for inputting a radius and data for specifying a position of an arc are completely different, and both must be calculated by calculation. Further, in the method of inputting the coordinates of many points using a digitizer or the like, the input operation is troublesome, and a separate device for inputting the coordinates is required. Therefore, the present invention provides an automatic embroidery machine which can obtain necessary data only by working within the embroidery frame even when specifying an arc having a gentle curvature, and which can easily specify the position of the arc on the circumference. Is to develop.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided an automatic embroidery machine whose concept is schematically shown in FIG. 1, that is, embroidery for holding an embroidered material M7 in a developed state. A frame M8, an embroidery needle M6 reciprocating through the embroidery material M7 held by the embroidery frame M8, and relative moving means M5 for changing a relative positional relationship between the embroidery needle M6 and the embroidery frame M8. Embroidery original data output means M1 for outputting embroidery original data corresponding to a designated embroidery pattern, the curvature of an arc to be embroidered along with the length of the chord, and the length of the chord from the chord. An arc curvature specifying means M2 for specifying the height of the arc, a reference point specifying means M3 for specifying a reference point for specifying the position of the arc on the specified circumference of the curvature, and the embroidery original data output means M1 embroidery is output from the original The chromatography data, the arc of curvature designating means M2
The reference point designating means M of a circle having a curvature designated by
3. A data correction means M4 for correcting the position and angle to be arranged along the circular arc of the position specified by the reference point specified by 3 and outputting the corrected data to the relative moving means M5 is added. We have created an automatic embroidery machine that can embroider the embroidery pattern along a circular arc at a specified position on a circle having a specified curvature.

Here, the term “curvature” is not used in the meaning of a strict mathematical term (ie, the reciprocal of a radius or the like) and generally includes a variable representing the degree of curvature of a curve (here, a circular arc). Used as a concept. Specifically, it includes the radius itself as well as the reciprocal of the radius and the like.

[0007]

According to the automatic embroidery machine of the present invention having the above function, the curvature of the circle is determined by the length of the chord and the height of the arc from the chord.
It is specified in the difference. FIG. 2A exemplifies this. Assuming that the length of the chord is L and the height of the arc from the chord is H, data (for example, radius R) indicating the curvature of the circle is obtained from L and H. It is determined. Here, the length L of the chord and the height H of the arc
Can be directly known by measuring the vicinity of the embroidery position to be applied, and the work for this can always be performed only in the embroidery frame 2. In the present invention, since the position of the reference point 10 is input and the position of the arc 6 on the circumference 8 is input, when embroidery is started, 4 (instead of the pattern of FIG. The occurrence of such a situation that the pattern of b) is formed is prevented. In this way, even when specifying an arc having a gentle curvature, necessary data can be obtained only by working within the embroidery frame, and an automatic embroidery machine can easily specify the position of the arc on the circumference. is there.

[0008]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
This will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIGS. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a method of specifying an arc in an automatic embroidery sewing machine which is an embodiment of the automatic embroidery machine of the present invention, and a basic configuration of a control unit of the automatic embroidery sewing machine. FIGS. 2A and 2B show an example of embroidery along an arc, a series of embroidery patterns “A” and “A” along an arc 6 on an embroidery cloth 4 held in an expanded state on an embroidery frame 2. The case where "B", "C", "D", and "E" are embroidered is shown. As described above, even when the center O of the circle 8 to which the arc 6 belongs is located outside the embroidery frame 2, the chord length L of the arc 6 (or another arc belonging to the same circle 8) and By using the height H of the arc, the size of the radius R of the arc 6 can be obtained.
FIG. 2A shows the position of the arc 6 on the circumference 8 (that is, the positions of the embroidery patterns “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, and “E”).
Is designated at the left end 10 of the embroidery pattern at which the embroidery is actually started.
On the other hand, FIG. 2B shows a series of embroidery patterns “A”, “B”,
Using the center point 12 of “C”, “D”, “E”, circle 8
The case where the upper position is specified is shown.

Next, the electrical configuration of the control unit of the automatic embroidery sewing machine will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
FIG. 3C is a block diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a control unit of the automatic embroidery sewing machine according to the present embodiment. The control unit includes a central processing unit (CPU) 16, a ROM 14, a keyboard 18, an RA
M20, and an I / O port 24 for inputting and outputting to and from an embroidery frame drive mechanism of the automatic embroidery sewing machine. The ROM
14 includes a program 14a for controlling the automatic embroidery sewing machine and data (unit embroidery data) 14b corresponding to the X and Y coordinates of each point forming a unit pattern such as each character.
Is stored. The keyboard 18 is used as input means for inputting various data. The RAM 20 is a working memory for temporarily storing various calculation results and the like by the CPU 16, and temporarily stores a storage area for embroidery original data 20a and embroidery correction data 20b, which will be described later, and other data. Region 20c to be formed.

These ROM 14, keyboard 18, RA
According to the data and program of M20, the CP
In U16, various calculation processes are performed, and the results are output from the I / O port 24, and the embroidery frame X-axis motor 2
6 and the embroidery frame Y-axis motor 28 are operated. As a result, the embroidery frame 2 is driven, and the embroidery frame 2 is relatively displaced in the XY plane with respect to an embroidery needle (not shown). The bus 2
Reference numeral 2 functions as a data transfer path between these devices. The memory device of the ROM 14 and the RAM 20 is not limited to an IC memory, but may be an externally connected memory such as a floppy disk. In this embodiment, a floppy disk drive is used as an area of the ROM 14 where the unit embroidery data 14b is stored. In FIG. 2, only the parts related to the present invention among the automatic embroidery sewing machines are extracted and shown. In addition to the constituent parts shown in the figure, the essential parts of the automatic embroidery sewing machine such as the embroidery needles and the driving parts thereof are also shown. Needless to say, it is attached.

Now, a specific procedure for automatic embroidery along an arc by the control unit of the automatic embroidery sewing machine according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 5 to 10. I do. As an example of the actual work of embroidery along an arc, there is a case where a pattern is previously formed on a fabric such as a T-shirt or a jumper, and initial characters are embroidered around the pattern. First, an embroidery pattern such as a character to be embroidered is selected and input from the keyboard 18. In the case of the alphabetic characters "A", "B", "C", "D", and "E" shown in FIG.
The input is performed using character keys “A”, “B”,. On the other hand, in the case of a character or the like not present on the keyboard 18, the character is input by a predetermined code (for example, a four-digit number). The correspondence between characters and codes is
It is stored in the ROM 14 as unit embroidery data 14b.

Subsequently, the size of each pattern and the interval between each pattern are similarly input from the keyboard 18. To enter the size and spacing, first enter a series of embroidery patterns,
It may be input after the arrangement order is determined, or may be input each time a code or the like of each pattern is input. With respect to the embroidery patterns such as characters selected in this way, data corresponding to the X and Y coordinates of each point forming each pattern is obtained, together with data on the size, arrangement order, and interval between the embroidery patterns. The embroidery data 20a is temporarily stored in the RAM 20. As described above, the embroidery original data 20a includes data (unit embroidery data) 14b corresponding to the X and Y coordinates of each point forming the unit pattern of the embroidery pattern.
And data on the size and arrangement order of each embroidery pattern and the interval between the embroidery patterns. However, data on how to arrange each embroidery pattern (whether to arrange linearly or along an arc) has not yet been given. Therefore, next, this arrangement method is specified as described below.

First, as shown in FIG. 2A, in order to determine the radius R of the arc 6 (the circle 8 to which the arc 6 belongs), the chord length L of the arc and the height H of the arc are input. . The values of the input string length L and the arc height H are assumed to be the arc 6 to be embroidered along the vicinity of a pattern or the like formed on the cloth 4 in advance, and the string at an arbitrary position. The length L and the height H of the arc 6 from the chord can be determined by actually measuring the length on the cloth 4. The values of L and H obtained in this way are input by keyboard 18 and RA
It is stored in the data temporary storage area 20c of M20. Using the values of L and H, CPU 16, ROM 14, R
According to formulas (1) and (2) described later in AM20,
The value of the radius R of the arc 6 is calculated.

Next, it is selected which of the start point mode and the center point mode is to be used for embroidery. In any case, embroidery is started from the left end of a series of embroidery patterns finally specified, and embroidery is performed toward the right end of the embroidery pattern. The start point mode is, as shown in FIG.
This is a method of designating the position of a series of embroidery patterns by designating the left end point 10 of the embroidery pattern on which the embroidery is started on the circumference 8. When the embroidery is actually performed, the point where the operator sets the embroidery needle is the embroidery starting point on the embroidery cloth, and the embroidery along the circular arc 6 from the position 10 on the specified circumference is used as a starting point. It is done. On the other hand, the center point mode is a method of determining the position of the embroidery pattern by designating the center point 12 of a series of embroidery patterns as shown in FIG. Also in this case, the actual embroidery starts from the left end of the pattern.

The start point mode is an effective embroidery mode when the length of a character string is short or when it is desired to make the left end position of an embroidery pattern the same for a plurality of fabrics. On the other hand, the center point mode is used when the length of the character string is long and it is difficult to know where the end of the embroidery pattern will end when specified at the start point, or when you want to embroider the entire embroidery pattern so as to form a symmetrical circular arc. Used. If it is desired to be symmetrical in this way, it is specified that the center point coincides with the vertex of the arc. In the start point mode, a point at which embroidery is started is directly specified. On the other hand, in the case of the center point mode, it is necessary to calculate the distance from the center point to the embroidery start point where embroidery actually starts. This calculation is performed by obtaining 1/2 of the length of the embroidery pattern using the designated character size and interval. At the time of actual embroidery, embroidery is started after the embroidery needle is moved by this distance from the position corresponding to the center point where the embroidery needle is first set by the operator.

Now, when one of the modes is selected,
Next, the input of the reference point position is performed. Here, as the value of the reference point, as shown in FIG. 7, an XY coordinate system having the origin at the center Z of the circle 40 including the arc 30 to be embroidered is considered. Input the value of the X coordinate in. When the start point mode is selected, the value of the X coordinate of the start point is input, and when the center point mode is selected, the value of the X coordinate of the center point is input. Using the input X-coordinate value of the reference point position, in the CPU 16, the ROM 14, and the RAM 20, in the case of the start point mode, the start point shown in FIG. the value of the angle beta ₁ indicating a position on the arc 30 of 41a is calculated. Also,
In the case of the central point mode, an angle value indicating the position of the central point is calculated using the input X coordinate value of the central point position according to Expressions (4) to (12).

Next, the direction of rotation is specified. In the automatic embroidery sewing machine of the present embodiment, the direction in which embroidery is performed is always determined in one direction from the left side to the right side of the embroidery cloth, and embroidery along an arc is always performed along the outside of the circle. . Therefore, by determining the rotation direction (clockwise or counterclockwise), it is determined whether to embroider the upper side along an upward arc or to embroider the lower side along a downward arc.

FIG. 6 illustrates this. This figure 6
, The alphabetic characters "A", "B", "C"
Is embroidered so that the start point 10 is located at the position of X coordinate = X1 on the circle 8 along an arc belonging to the circle 8. With just this specification,
Whether it is embroidery along the arc 6a from the start point 10a on the upper side of the figure or embroidery along the arc 6b from the start point 10b on the lower side of the figure is not yet known. The method of embroidery is determined in one way. When the rotation direction is specified to be clockwise, the embroidery is performed along the arc 6a in the embroidery frame 2a, that is, along the upward arc. On the other hand, if the rotation direction is specified to be counterclockwise, the embroidery will be embroidered along the arc 6b in the embroidery frame 2b, that is, along the downward arc.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, when the length L of the chord and the height H of the arc have a relationship of 2H> L, the arc becomes larger than a semicircle. The number of characters to be embroidered is "A",
If there are many such as “B”,..., “Z”, the arc has such a shape. Here, when the X coordinate of the start point 10 is designated as X3, if the rotation direction is clockwise, FIG.
Is embroidered along the circular arc 6c from the starting point 10c of the embroidery.
On the other hand, if the rotation direction is specified to be counterclockwise, embroidery is performed along the circular arc 6d from the start point 10d in FIG. 7B.

By the above procedure, the magnitude of the radius of the arc, the position of the arc on the circumference, and the direction of the embroidery are all determined. Therefore, finally, the inclination of each embroidery pattern is calculated using the above-described various data, and data (unit embroidery data) representing the X and Y coordinates of each point constituting each embroidery pattern so that the inclination value is obtained. Is corrected. Thereafter, at the time of actual embroidery, the operator operates the embroidery frame X-axis motor 26 and the Y-axis motor 28 shown in FIG. Relative to the embroidery frame 2 in the XY plane. Thus, the embroidery needle is set at a desired position on the surface of the embroidery cloth 4. Here, when the start point mode is selected, an embroidery needle is set at a position on the embroidery cloth 4 where the left end of the embroidery pattern is to be located,
When the center point mode is selected, the embroidery needle is set at a position where the center of the embroidery pattern is to be located. Thereafter, by switching to an automatic operation (embroidery operation mode), the embroidery frame X-axis motor 26 and the Y-axis motor 28 are automatically operated to start embroidery. Then, the designated pattern is embroidered in the designated direction along the circular arc having the designated size with the place where the embroidery needle is set as the start point or the center point.

Now, specific examples of the above-described mathematical methods of various data processing will be described with reference to FIGS. First, a method of determining the radius of the arc (a circle to which the arc belongs) from the chord length of the arc and the height of the arc will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows a case where embroidery is performed along an arc 30 on an embroidery cloth 33 fixed to an embroidery frame 32.
The radius R of the arc 30 (the circle 40 to which it belongs) is calculated as follows based on the chord length L of the designated arc 30 and the height H of the arc from the chord. As shown in FIG. 8, the radius R of the arc 30 is an isosceles triangle a ₁ b ₁
It is the radius of the circumscribed circle 40 for c _1. Therefore, this radius R is obtained by the following equation (2) using Pythagorean theorem (formula (1)) well known in geometry. R ² = (L / 2) ² + (R−H) ² (1) ∴ R = ｛(L / 2) ² + H ² ｝ / 2H (2) The equation of the circle 40 to which the arc 30 belongs is: Assuming that the center Z of the circle is the origin of the XY coordinates as described above, the radius R is expressed by the following equation (3). R ² = X ² + Y ² (3)

Next, referring to FIG. 8, in the case of the start point mode, the value of the angle θ representing the position of the start point 34 on the circumference 40 is calculated using the value of the X coordinate of the start point position. The method will be described. The angle between a straight line (radius) connecting the embroidery start point 34 on the arc 30 and the center Z of the circle to which the arc 30 belongs with the + direction of the Y axis is θ. Since the position of the embroidery start point 34 is specified by the value of X when the center Z of the circle is the origin of the XY coordinate as described above, the value of θ is determined by using the value of X. Can be obtained by the following equation (4). θ = arcsin (X / R) (4) Here, the relationship between the position of the embroidery start point and the sign of the specified X value is such that when X is specified as a plus value, the embroidery start point is an arc. The embroidery start point is located on the right side of the vertex of the circular arc when X is specified as a negative value.

Next, a data processing method in the case of the center point mode will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 shows a case where the characters 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 are embroidered along the arc 30. First, the angle θ of the center point is calculated from the value of the X coordinate of the center point position in the center point mode using Expression (4) as in the case of the start point mode.
Is calculated. In the present embodiment, since the center point 35 coincides with the vertex of the arc 30 as shown in FIG. 9, the value of the X coordinate at the center point position is zero, and the equation (4)
Is 0 degree. In this manner, by making the center point 35 coincide with the vertex of the arc 30, the entire embroidery pattern draws a symmetrical arc. When the center point is specified by a positive value, the center point is located on the right side of the vertex of the arc, and when the X point is specified by a negative value, the central point is located on the left side of the vertex of the arc. Shall be.

As described above, in the center point mode, not only the position of the center point is obtained, but also the actual embroidery start point is obtained from the center point using the specified embroidery pattern size and interval value. The distance to the left end of the embroidery pattern must be calculated. A mathematical method for this will be described with reference to FIGS. This is because, in FIG. 9, using the value of distance (which is zero in this case) between the width W ₁ to _W-6, and each character of the character 41 to 46 which is embroidered along the arc 30, each character 41 to 46 arcs 30
Is to determine the position above. Specifically, each character 4
The X and Y coordinates of a point serving as a reference for specifying the X and Y coordinates of each point constituting the patterns 1 to 46 are calculated.
In this embodiment, the reference point of each character pattern is defined by the lower left corner point 4 of each of the characters 41 to 46 shown in FIG.
1a to 46a.

First, each of the characters 41 to 46 with respect to the arc 30
Central angle alpha ₁ to? ₆ that is occupied, obtained in the following manner. Generally, the length of each side of the triangle is a, b, c,
When the angle between the side a and the side b is φ, the following cosine formula (5) is established. cos φ = (a ² + b ² −c ² ) / 2ab (5) where a and b are the radii R of the arc 30, and c is replaced with the width (base length) W _{1 to} W ₆ of the embroidery character. If
The central angles α _{1 to} α ₆ occupied by the characters 41 to 46 are calculated by the following equation (6). cosα _n = (2R ² −W _n ² ) / 2R ² (6) where n = 1, ² ,.

That is, the width W of each character_nTo give
Therefore, the angle α in FIG.₁~ Α₆Can be calculated
it can. And α₁~ Α₆If can be calculated, FIG.
Angle β₁~ Β₆Is calculated by the following equations (7) to (12).
Can be issued. β₁= − (Α₁+ Α_Two+ Α_Three) … (7) β_Two= − (Α_Two+ Α_Three) … (8) β_Three= −α_Three … (9) β_Four= Α_Four ... (10) β_Five= Α_Four+ Α_Five … (11) β₆= Α_Four+ Α_Five+ Α₆ … (12)

Further, based on the angles β _{1 to} β ₆ , the X coordinates X _{1 to} X ₆ of the points 41 a to 46 a serving as the reference of the X and Y coordinates of each point constituting each of the characters 41 to 46 are expressed by the following equation ( 13)-
It can be calculated by (18). _{X 1 = Rsinβ 1 ... (13} ) X 2 = Rsinβ 2 ... (14) X 3 = Rsinβ 3 ... (15) X 4 = 0 ... (16) X 5 = Rsinβ 4 ... (17) X 6 = Rsinβ 5 ... (18) Here, since the angles β _{1 to} β ₃ take negative values, X _{1 to} X 3
_{3 is} also negative. Further, the Y coordinate is calculated by the following equations (19) to (2).
4). _{Y 1 = Rcosβ 1 ... (19} ) Y 2 = Rcosβ 2 ... (20) Y 3 = Rcosβ 3 ... (21) Y 4 = R ... (22) Y 5 = Rcosβ 4 ... (23) Y 6 = Rcosβ 5 ... (24) All Y coordinates have positive values.

By the above calculations, the values of the X and Y coordinates (X ₄ , Y ₄ ) of the center point 44a and the X and Y coordinates (X ₁ , Y ₁ ) of the embroidery start point 41a shown in FIG. 10 are obtained. Can be This is a particular distance to _{(X 1 -X 4, Y 1} -Y 4) values embroidery starting point 41a from the central point 44a in the. Therefore, after the embroidery needle moves within the XY plane by the value of (X ₁ −X ₄ , Y ₁ −Y ₄ ) from the position of the set center point, embroidery is started.

Finally, in each case, the inclination of each character is calculated. Here, the case of the center point mode will be described with reference to FIG. 10, but the inclination of each character is similarly obtained in the case of the start point mode. FIG.
, The angle between the straight line connecting the half of the character width of each of the characters 41 to 46 and the center Z of the arc and the straight line serving as the angle reference on the arc, that is, the + direction of the Y axis Define γ _n as the slope of the character. This angle γ _n
Can be calculated by the following equations (25) to (30). _{γ 1 = - (α 1/} 2 + α 2 + α 3) _{... (25) γ 2 = -} (α 2/2 + α 3) _{... (26) γ 3 = -} (α 3/2) _{... (27) γ 4 = α} 4/2 ... (28) γ 5 = α 4 + α 5/2 _{... (29) γ 6 = α} 4 + α 5 + α 6/2 In ... (30) Note that Figure 10 shows only these gamma ₁ and gamma _4.

As described above, the chord length L of the input arc, the height H of the arc, the value of the X coordinate of the reference point or the center point position, the size of each embroidery pattern, and the interval between the patterns are input. Is used to calculate the radius R of the arc (the circle to which it belongs), the position of the starting point on the circumference, and the inclination of each character. Thereby, the unit embroidery data is corrected,
The embroidery correction data represents the X and Y coordinates of each point for executing actual embroidery.

The above is a description of the case where the apex of the arc is within the embroidery frame. Next, a method of specifying the position of an arc on the circumference when the vertex of the arc does not exist in the embroidery frame will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 11 shows an arc 38 by the automatic embroidery sewing machine according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of specifying a circular arc when no vertex is in the embroidery frame. In this case, the embroidery data of the embroidery pattern is developed on the basis of both ends of the string specifying the arc, and the reference point can be set in the start point mode and the center point mode. First, similarly to the case where the vertex of the arc is in the embroidery frame, the chord length (the straight-line distance between a _{2 and} b ₂ ) and the height of the arc (the straight-line distance between the center point 36 and the point e ₂ ) , The radius of curvature R is determined. Next, X with the lower end a ₂ of the string as the origin
(2) -Y (2) Given the coordinate system, through the upper end b ₂ strings X (2) = 0 the straight line in the linear length that intersect at 90 degrees,
That specifying values of X (2) coordinate point b _2. Thereby, the triangle a ₂ b ₂ c ₂ is determined. Where point a
₂ is the end point of the specified circular arc, the point b ₂ is the starting point of the specified arc (embroidery starting point).

Next, X = 0 in the original XY coordinate system and the point b ₂
Find the angle ω that is made by Here, the triangle a ₂ b
₂ c ₂ is the center point 3 on the arc where embroidery of the embroidery pattern starts
Consider a triangle a ₂ d ₂ e ₂ separated by an extension of a line connecting 6 with the origin of the original XY coordinate system. This triangle a ₂ d
₂ e ₂ share the interior angles of a triangle a ₂ b ₂ c ₂ and the vertex a _2, the interior angle of vertex c ₂ and vertex e ₂ are each 90 degrees (center point 36 of the arc a ₂ b ₂ midpoint Therefore, the inner angles of the vertex b ₂ and the vertex d ₂ are equal. Then, X = 0 of the XY coordinate and X of the X (2) -Y (2) coordinate
(2) = from 0 are parallel, interior angle of vertex d ₂ of the triangle a ₂ d ₂ e _2, it is seen equal to the angle omega ₁ of the center point on the arc represented by X-Y coordinate system. Therefore, the central point 3
6, the angle ω ₁ based on the + direction of the Y-axis becomes equal to the inner angle of the vertex b ₂ , and the length of the chord (the straight-line distance between a _{2 and} b ₂ ) is L2 and the X of the point b ₂ ( 2) Assuming that the value of the coordinate is X2, it is obtained by the following equation (31). _{ω 1 = -arccos (X2 / L2} ) ... (31) Here, right in the positive Y-axis of the value of the angle omega ₁ original X-Y coordinate system, to the negative on the left, the formula (31) Has a minus sign on its right side.

On the other hand, to determine the angle ω of the point b ₂ in the XY coordinate system, the origin of the XY coordinate and the points a ₂ and b
Consider the triangle made of _2, the X-Y coordinate system angles 1/2 interior angle of the corner to the vertex at the origin by subtracting from omega ₁ of.
That is, the angle ω of the point b ₂ is obtained by the following equation (32). ω = ω ₁ −arccos {(2R ² −L ^{2 2} ) / 2R ² } (32) In this way, the reference points in the start point mode and the center point mode are set. That is, equation (31) is expressed as X−
Lead angle of the center point of the arc a ₂ b ₂ in the Y-coordinate, the formula (32) are leading angle of the start point of the arc a ₂ b ₂ in X-Y coordinates. Next, using the data such as the size and interval of the embroidery pattern from any one of the designated reference points, X, X, and X of each point constituting each embroidery pattern are calculated according to the above-described equations (5) to (24). A Y coordinate is calculated. In this way,
Even when the vertex of the arc does not exist in the embroidery frame, the embroidery start point and the position of each embroidery pattern are determined.

The above-described work procedure will be described together with reference to FIG. 2 and FIGS. 6 to 11 along the flowchart of FIG. In step S10 in FIG. 5, the operation of the automatic embroidery sewing machine is started. First, a pattern (characters, graphics, etc.) to be embroidered is selected and input from the keyboard 18 using character keys or codes. At this time, the embroidery order of each pattern is also determined at the same time, and is input as a series of code groups (step S12). Subsequently, the size of each embroidery pattern and the interval between them are input (step S14). By these two-stage operations, the embroidery pattern for outputting the embroidery original data is designated.

Next, data on an arc for correcting the embroidery original data is input. That is,
The length L of the chord and the height H of the arc are measured with respect to the arc to be embroidered along the embroidery cloth held in the embroidery frame, and these values are input from the keyboard 18.
(Steps S16 and S18). According to the values of L and H, the CPU 1 can be operated according to the above-described equations (1) and (2).
At 6, the radius R of the arc 6 is calculated. Next, a selection is made between the start point mode and the center point mode. This selection is also made by key input from the keyboard 18 (step S20). If the start point mode is selected, the process proceeds to step S22, where the X coordinate of the start point is input (step S22). According to the value of the X coordinate of the start point, the CPU 16 is executed in accordance with the above-described equations (4) to (12).
In, the value of the angle indicating the position of the start point is calculated.

Subsequently, the rotation direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) is input (step S24). This determines whether to embroider on the upper side along the upward arc or to embroider on the lower side along the downward arc. Based on the above input data, the position and angle of the data of each point corresponding to each embroidery pattern with respect to the start point are calculated using the above-described equations (4) to (30) (step S2).
6) Then, the data of each point corresponding to each embroidery pattern is converted (step S28). As described above, the unit embroidery data is corrected to become embroidery correction data representing the X and Y coordinates of each point for executing actual embroidery. And
Automatic embroidery is started by proceeding to the embroidery operation mode in step S28.

On the other hand, if the center point mode is selected, the flow advances to step S30 to input the X coordinate of the center point. According to the value of the X coordinate of the center point, the above equation (4) is obtained.
The value of the angle indicating the position of the center point is calculated according to Equation (12). Subsequently, as in the case of the start point mode, the rotation direction is input (step S32), and it is determined whether to embroider the upper side along the upward arc or to embroider the lower side along the downward arc. You. Next, in the case of the center point mode, the number, size, and interval of the embroidery patterns are calculated in order to specify the positional relationship between the embroidery start point and the center point (step S34). Based on the above data, the position and angle of the data of each point corresponding to each embroidery pattern with respect to the center point are calculated using the above-described equations (4) to (30) (step S36). The data of each point corresponding to the embroidery pattern is converted (step S38), and automatic embroidery is performed (step S40).

In this way, even when an arc having a gentle curvature is specified, necessary data can be obtained only by working within the embroidery frame, and the position of the arc on the circumference can be easily specified. It becomes. Note that RO in FIG.
The control program 14a for the automatic embroidery sewing machine stored in the M14 is assembled so as to execute the work procedure described above. When the program 14a is executed, a display device (CRT) not shown in FIG. The input items for each step are displayed on the display).

As described above, the automatic embroidery sewing machine of this embodiment
An embroidery frame 2 that holds the embroidery material 4 in an expanded state, an embroidery needle (not shown) that reciprocates through the embroidery material 4 held by the embroidery frame 2, and a relative position of the embroidery needle and the embroidery frame 2 This is an automatic embroidery machine having relative moving means 26 and 28 for changing the positional relationship. Accordingly, the ROM 14, the CPU 16, the keyboard 18, the RAM 20, and the bus 22 are provided with an arc curvature designating means for designating the curvature of the arc to be embroidered along with the length of the chord and the height from the chord to the vertex of the arc. Is composed. ROM 14, CPU 16, keyboard 1
8, the RAM 20, and the bus 22 also function as embroidery original data output means for outputting original data corresponding to the designated embroidery pattern.

Further, the ROM 14, the CPU 16, the keyboard 18, the RAM 20, and the bus 22 also function as reference point designating means for designating a reference point for defining the position of an arc on the circumference having the specified curvature. And ROM1
4, CPU 16, keyboard 18, RAM 20, bus 2
2, and the I / O port 24, the original data output from the embroidery original data output means 14 to 22 at the position specified by the reference point specified by the reference point specifying means 14 to 22, the arc curvature specifying means The data compensating means constitutes a data compensating means for compensating for a position and an angle arranged along an arc having a curvature designated by 14 to 22, and outputting the compensated data to the relative moving means 26, 28.

In the above description and drawings, only the parts relating to the present invention in the automatic embroidery sewing machine of the present embodiment are shown. Needless to say, it is attached. Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the bottom side of each embroidery pattern is inscribed in the arc has been described, but the embroidery pattern may be arranged such that the center of the upper side is inscribed in the arc. In this case, the central angles α _{1 to} α ₆ and the expression (1)
The calculation is performed by changing the value of R and the like in 4) to (20). Also, a case has been described in which six independent embroidery patterns are sewn. However, a continuous pattern can be handled in the same manner by dividing and thinking.

In addition to the XY coordinates, the origin thereof, and the angle θ (α, β, γ), and the embroidery start point, there are several methods other than this embodiment. . In this embodiment, the embroidery pattern is specified by the automatic embroidery machine.
The embroidery pattern may be specified in advance by another method. The structure of other parts of the automatic embroidery machine, the connection method of the control unit, and the like are not limited to the present embodiment.

[0043]

According to the present invention, there is provided an automatic embroidery machine which calculates the radius of curvature of an arc by designating the height and width of the chord of the arc and inputs the position of the arc on the circumference as a reference point position. Due to the creation, even when an arc having a gentle curvature is designated, necessary data can be obtained only by working within the embroidery frame, and the automatic embroidery machine can easily designate the position of the arc on the circumference. Thus, with an inexpensive configuration, there is no error in specifying the arc, and anyone can sew the embroidery pattern along the arc with a simple operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the concept of an automatic embroidery machine of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a method of specifying an arc by the automatic embroidery machine of the present invention;
It is a figure showing the basic composition of the control part of an automatic embroidery machine.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a method of specifying a circular arc by a conventional automatic embroidery machine.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an example in which embroidery is performed at different positions on the circumference.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the automatic embroidery machine.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a rotation direction and an embroidery position.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a rotation direction and an embroidery position.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a calculation method of a radius of a circular arc and the like.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of specifying the position of the embroidery pattern on the circumference.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of specifying the position of the embroidery pattern on the circumference.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a designation method when a vertex of an arc is not in an embroidery frame;

[Explanation of symbols]

M1 or 14,16,18,20 Embroidery original data output means M2 or 14,16,18,20 Arc curvature specifying means M3 or 14,16,18,20 Reference point specifying means M4 or 14,16,18,20, 22 Data correction means M5 or 26, 28 Relative moving means M6 Embroidery needle M7 or 4 Embroidery material M8 or 2 Embroidery frame 6 Arc

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) D05B 19/08

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An embroidery frame for holding an embroidery material in an expanded state, an embroidery needle that reciprocates through the embroidery material held by the embroidery frame, and a relative position between the embroidery needle and the embroidery frame. In an automatic embroidery machine having relative movement means for changing a positional relationship, an embroidery original data output means for outputting embroidery original data corresponding to a designated embroidery pattern, and a curvature of an arc to be embroidered along with a string. The length of the string
An arc curvature designating unit that designates a height of an arc from a reference point; a reference point designating unit that designates a reference point that defines a position of an arc on a circumference having the specified curvature; and an embroidery original data output unit. The output embroidery original data is arranged along an arc at a position defined by the reference point specified by the reference point specifying means on the circle having the curvature specified by the arc curvature specifying means. Data correction means for correcting the position and the angle, and outputting the corrected data to the relative movement means; and adding the specified embroidery pattern to the circular arc having the specified curvature, at the specified position. Automatic embroidery machine that can embroider along the line.