JPH05208085A - Embroidery device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a small-sized embroidery device which can be applied for the embroidery having a length in the Y direction. CONSTITUTION:An embroidery frame shifting means for shifting a rectangular embroidery frame 3 is constituted of an X shifting means and Y shifting means, and the Y shifting means is constituted of the first and second racks 31b and 32b installed on a pair of opposed peripheral side parts of the embroidery frame, the first and second pinions 21 and 22 meshed with the first and second racks, and a turn driving means for turning the first and second pinions, and each pinion is shifted at the same time by an equal quantity in the X direction by the X shifting means. Further, the turn driving means is constituted of the first and second turn driving means, and a detecting means for detecting if the peripheral part of the embroidery frame coincides with the Y direction is installed, and the turn driving means is driven independently on the basis of the result in the detection, and the side part of the embroidery frame and the Y direction is allowed to coincide.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an embroidery device in which an embroidery frame for supporting a cloth on a sewing machine is moved above a sewing machine bed, and more particularly, it can be additionally installed on a domestic sewing machine or the like. The present invention relates to the embroidery device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, an embroidery device has been proposed which can be embroidered by additionally installing it on a domestic sewing machine. FIG. 4 is a view showing the conventional embroidery device E and the domestic sewing machine M. As shown in the figure, in the embroidery device E, basically, an embroidery frame E2 that horizontally supports the cloth W above the sewing machine bed M2 is moved in two directions orthogonal to each other by a moving mechanism housed in the device main body E1. (X direction, Y direction), the movement control is
This is performed by the control device housed in the device body E1 or the like based on the embroidery data stored in the predetermined storage device.

As a moving mechanism for moving the embroidery frame E2 in the X and Y directions, two belts stretched in the X and Y directions drive a motor provided corresponding to each belt. The embroidery frame E2 is moved within the belt erection range to perform various embroidery.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional embroidery device E, since the movable range of the embroidery frame E2 is limited to the belt erection range, the range in which continuous embroidery can be performed ( Hereinafter, in order to expand this range, which is referred to as an embroidery range, it is necessary to expand the erection range of the belt, and there is a problem that the size of the entire apparatus increases. For example, on the back of a T-shirt or jumper, as shown in FIG.
When embroidering characters and the like continuous in the direction, it is necessary to expand the erection range of the belt together with the embroidery frame in the Y direction so that this can be performed by one continuous sewing operation.
However, when the erection range of the belt is expanded, the apparatus main body E1 must be increased in size in the Y direction accordingly, which requires a lot of space and is difficult to carry around. It is unsuitable as a device.

Therefore, when the conventional embroidery device E is configured as a household device, the embroidery range cannot be expanded so much, and when embroidery as shown in FIG. The embroidery range is divided, for example, for each character. For this reason, the attachment position of the cloth to the embroidery frame E2 must be changed for each part, resulting in a complicated work for the user.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the conventional problems, and embroidery having a length in the Y direction can be easily dealt with by using an embroidery frame suitable for the embroidery. It is an object of the present invention to provide an embroidery device that can be made extremely small in size.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided embroidery frame moving means for horizontally moving a rectangular embroidery frame holding a cloth in two directions orthogonal to each other, and the drive of the embroidery frame moving means is controlled in advance by a control means. In the embroidery device which is controlled according to the set embroidery data, the embroidery frame moving means includes X moving means for moving the embroidery frame in the X direction and Y moving means for moving the embroidery frame in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction. The Y moving means includes first and second racks provided on a pair of opposite side portions of the embroidery frame, and first and second pinions that mesh with the first and second racks, respectively. , And the rotation driving means for rotating the first and second pinions, while the X moving means moves each of the pinions in the X direction.

Further, the rotation driving means is composed of first rotation driving means for rotating the first pinion and second rotation driving means for rotating the second pinion, and
The embroidery frame is provided with detection means for detecting whether or not the side portion of the embroidery frame matches the Y direction, and the control means drives the respective rotation drive means independently based on the detection result from the detection means. You may make it correct | amend so that the side part of and the Y direction may correspond.

[0009]

In the present invention, since the racks formed on the sides of the embroidery frame mesh with both pinions, the embroidery frame is made parallel to the Y direction by rotating both pinions at the same time. Can be moved. Therefore, the range of embroidery that can be continuously sewn can be freely changed only by changing the size of the embroidery frame, and it is not necessary to enlarge the outer shape of the main body of the embroidery device. In other words, the outer shape of the main body of the embroidery device only needs to be large enough to accommodate the rotation drive means for rotating both pinions, does not require much installation space, and has a compact shape that is easy to carry. Can be

Further, it is detected whether or not the side portion of the embroidery frame and the Y direction match in the initial state before the start of sewing,
Based on the detection result, rotate each pinion independently,
By matching the side of the embroidery frame with the Y direction,
The initial setting of the embroidery frame can be performed easily and accurately.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
It will be explained based on. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of this embodiment. In the drawing, M is a household sewing machine, and its sewing machine arm M1 moves up and down as the sewing machine main shaft (not shown) rotates and, if necessary, moves laterally. Needle bar N that swings in the direction
L is provided, and the sewing needle N is fixed to the needle bar NL. Further, the sewing machine arm M1 supports a cloth presser P that moves up and down in synchronism with the vertical movement of the sewing needle.

Reference numeral 1 is an embroidery device in this embodiment. This embroidery device includes an embroidery device main body (hereinafter simply referred to as a device main body) 2 in appearance, and a rectangular embroidery frame 3 that is detachable from the embroidery device main body 2 and horizontally supports cloth on the upper surface of the sewing machine bed M2. Consists of. Sides 31, 3 of the embroidery frame 3
The side 2 is provided with side surfaces 31a and 32a that are bent downward, and a first rack 31b and a second rack 32b are provided so as to face the side surfaces 31a and 32a. There are various methods for fixing the cloth to the embroidery frame 3. For example, the cloth placed on the upper surface of the embroidery frame 3 is pressed from above by a frame body (not shown) having the same shape as the embroidery frame 3. Then there is a method of fixing.

The apparatus main body 2 is bent in an L shape so that it can be installed along the side surface of the sewing machine bed M2, and its upper surface is flush with the upper surface of the sewing machine bed M2. Is becoming A long groove 2a is formed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 2 along the X direction, and a pair of rotating shafts 21a and 22a protruding upward from the long groove 2a.
The first and second pinions 21 and 22 are respectively fixed to.

Each pinion has a sewing machine bed M2.
Each rack 31b, 32b of the embroidery frame 3 placed on the upper surface of the
Can be engaged with. Also, the rotating shaft 21
Reference numerals a and 22a denote a Y drive motor 23 (first rotation drive means) and a Y drive motor 2 housed in the apparatus main body 2, respectively.
4 (second rotation driving means) can be independently driven to rotate, and these Y drive motors 23,
24 and the rotating shafts 21a and 22a are supported by a support member (not shown) housed inside the apparatus main body 2 so as to be movable in the X direction. In addition, both the Y drive motors 23, 2
4 constitutes a rotation drive means, and further, these Y drive motors 23 and 24 and the above pinions 2
2. The Y moving means is composed of the racks 31b and 32b.

Numerals 25 and 26 are rotary rollers which are rotatably supported so as to oppose the respective pinions 21 and 22, and in a state where the pinions 21 and 22 are engaged with the racks 31b and 32b of the embroidery frame 3, The side surfaces 31a, 32a of the embroidery frame 3 are elastically pressed against each other. The support shafts 25a and 26a of the rotating rollers 25 and 26 are the same as the rotating shaft 21.
a and 22a are supported by a supporting member, and the supporting member is moved by an X drive motor 27 (see FIG. 2) as an X moving means housed in the apparatus main body 2 to rotate the rotating roller 25. , 26 are the first and second
It moves in the X direction together with the pinions 21 and 22 and the Y drive motors 23 and 24.

Further, 28a, 28b, 29a, which are provided to enable the embroidery frame 3 to be used regardless of the setting direction,
Reference numeral 29b is a reflecting plate that reflects light, and is attached to the lower surface of one end of each of the side edges 31 and 32 of the embroidery frame 3, and each side edge 3
They are arranged in the same straight line orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of 1, 32.

On the other hand, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the control means in this embodiment. In the figure, 5 is a CPU 5
It is a well-known microcomputer (control means) including a, a ROM 5b and a RAM 5c. On the input side of the CPU 5a, a start / stop switch 6 for instructing the operation / stop of the sewing machine M, a pattern selection switch 7 for selecting an embroidery pattern, and two optical sensors 8a, 8b (pinion 2 in FIG. 1).
(Attached to the apparatus main body 2 near 1 and 22) and the like are connected. When the embroidery frame 3 is exactly at the initial position, these photosensors detect the reflected light from the above-mentioned reflection plates 28a, 28b, 29a, 29b and send the detection signal to the CPU 5a. The light sensor 8a detects the reflection plate 28a or 28b, and the light sensor 8b detects the reflection plate 29b or 29b, respectively. The light sensor and the reflection plate described above constitute a detection means.

On the output side of the CPU 5a, the sewing machine motor MM for rotating the sewing machine spindle, the Y drive motors 23, 24, the X drive motor 27, etc. are provided with drive circuits MMa, 23a, 24a, 27a, respectively. Connected through. It should be noted that in FIG. 2, those enclosed by broken lines are those incorporated in the sewing machine M, and the other components are those incorporated in the device main body 2 of the embroidery device 1. That is, in this embodiment, the drive control of the embroidery device 1 is also performed by the microcomputer 5 that controls the drive of the sewing machine M, and the electrical connection between the embroidery device 1 and the sewing machine M is provided in both devices. It can be appropriately performed by a connector (not shown).

Next, the operation will be described based on the above configuration. When forming a normal stitch such as a straight stitch, the embroidery device 1 is removed from the sewing machine M, the cloth is placed on the sewing machine bed M2, and the cloth is conveyed by a well-known feed dog or the like to perform the sewing operation. On the other hand, when performing embroidery sewing,
First, the device main body 2 of the embroidery device 1 is installed on the side of the sewing machine bed M2, and then an embroidery frame having a size capable of enclosing a range (embroidery range) to be continuously embroidered is selected, and the embroidery frame is selected. Attach to the device body 2. The embroidery frame 3 can be easily mounted by engaging the racks 31b and 32b with the pinions 21 and 22. Since the rotating rollers 25 and 26 are in pressure contact with the side surface of the embroidery frame 3 that is mounted, the meshing state between the pinions 21 and 22 and the racks 31b and 32b can be made stable.

Here, the cloth is fixed on the upper surface of the embroidery frame 3, the pattern to be embroidered is selected by the selection switch 7, and the sewing operation start command is input by the start / stop switch 6. The initial position setting operation of the frame 3 is performed. That is, in order to embroider on the proper position of the cloth, it is necessary to set the embroidery frame 3 to the proper position at the start of the sewing operation, but the embroidery frame 3 mounted by the user.
Is not necessarily in the initial position. For example, in FIG.
As shown in (a), the embroidery frame 3 is displaced from the initial position (shown by the one-dot chain line in the figure) in the Y direction, or as shown in (b), the first and second pinions 21, 22. The embroidery frame 3 may be mounted in an inclined state with respect to the Y direction due to a clearance between the first and second racks 31b and 32b. Therefore, before starting the sewing operation, the CP
U5a performs the following initial position setting operation control.

That is, when the sewing operation start command is input, the CPU 5a first determines whether or not the detection signals are output from both the optical sensors 8a and 8b, that is, the embroidery frame 3
Is in the initial position, and if output signals are sent from both optical sensors, the sewing operation is started.

If the detection signals are not output from both the optical sensors, it is determined that the state is as shown in FIG. 3 (b), and at least one of the optical sensors 8a and 8b detects the optical sensor 8a or 8b. Operate the two Y drive motors 23 and 24 until a signal is output,
22 are simultaneously rotated by the same amount to move the embroidery frame 3 in parallel in the Y1 direction. When a detection signal is output from at least one optical sensor, driving of one Y drive motor is stopped based on the detection signal. The sensor-side motor that has not been detected is driven until the sensor detects it.

Here, when the detection signals are output from both the optical sensors, it is determined that the embroidery frame 3 is accurately located at the initial position, and the sewing operation is started. When the detection signal is output from only one of the optical sensors, one of the Y drive motors is slightly rotated in both the forward and reverse directions. As a result, the embroidery frame 3 is shown in FIG.
It rotates and swings within a predetermined range from the position shown in (b). If a detection signal is output from the other set of optical sensors by this rotation, the CPU 5a stops driving the Y drive motor and determines that the embroidery frame 3 is correctly positioned at the initial position. Then, the sewing operation is started.

As described above, in this embodiment, the embroidery frame can be automatically set to the initial position regardless of where the user sets the embroidery frame on the apparatus main body 2, so that the sewing can be performed efficiently. You can work on it. In addition,
The initial position in the X direction is set by the X drive motor 27 at the end of the front sewing operation, and not set at the start of the sewing operation. Further, in the sewing operation, the CPU 5a sets the embroidery data selected by the pattern selection switch 7 to R
The Y drive motors 23 and 24 and the X drive motor 27 are driven according to the embroidery data read from the OM 5b to move the embroidery frame 3 in both X and Y directions to form a predetermined pattern. During the sewing operation, both pinions 21 and 22 are simultaneously rotated by the same amount by both Y drive motors 23 and 24, so that the embroidery frame 3 moves in parallel.

As described above, since the movement of the embroidery frame 3 in the Y direction is performed by the rotation of both the pinions 21 and 22, it is possible to cope with a large embroidery range in the Y direction. In other words, since the size of the device main body 2 can be small, the size of the device main body 2 does not limit the embroidery range in the Y direction, because the size of the device main body 2 can be small.

In the above embodiment, four reflecting plates 28a, 28b and 29 are provided as detecting means for detecting whether the side portions 31 and 32 of the embroidery frame 3 are inclined with respect to the Y direction.
a, 29b and two optical sensors 8a, 8b are used, but the number of optical sensors may be four or more,
Further, depending on the detection position, it is also possible to detect the tilt using two or three optical sensors.

Further, the detecting means can be constructed by using a sensor other than the optical sensor. For example, the reflector 2
Instead of 8a, 28b, 29a, 29b, it is also possible to provide a magnetic substance and detect this magnetic substance by a porcelain sensitive element. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the microcomputer 5 built in the sewing machine M is used as the control means of the embroidery device 1 is shown. However, the embroidery device 1 itself has a control means such as a microcomputer and the like. It is also possible to control the device. Since a control device such as a microcomputer can be stored in a very small space, incorporating the control device does not increase the size of the device body, and the same effect can be expected. As described above, the present invention is not particularly limited to the above-described embodiments, and the embodiments thereof can be appropriately modified within the technical scope described in the claims.

[0028]

As described above, in the embroidery device according to the present invention, the rack is formed on the pair of side edges of the embroidery frame, the pinion is provided on the main body of the device, and the pinion is rotated. Since the embroidery frame is moved in the Y direction, the embroidery range in the Y direction can be freely expanded without enlarging the dimensional shape of the device body. For this reason, it is possible to provide a compact size and shape that is easy to carry, and it is possible to provide a suitable sewing machine for home use and the like. Further, a detecting means for detecting the inclination of the embroidery frame in the Y direction is provided, and when the initial position of the embroidery frame is set, one of the driving means is driven based on the detection result of the detecting means to correct the inclination of the embroidery frame. By doing so, the work of setting the initial position of the embroidery frame can be easily performed, and good workability can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control means in the embodiment.

FIG. 3A is an explanatory plan view showing an example of a state when the embroidery frame is mounted in the embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a plan view showing a state in which the embroidery frame is tilted with respect to the Y direction.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a conventional embroidery device.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing an example of embroidery formed on a T-shirt, jumper or the like.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 device body 3 embroidery frame 31b first rack 32b second rack 21 first pinion 22 second pinion 23 Y drive motor (first rotation drive means) 24 Y drive motor (second rotation drive means) 27 X drive motor (X moving means) 5 Microcomputer (control means) 8a Optical sensor 8b Optical sensor 28a Reflector 28b Reflector 29a Reflector 29b Reflector M Home sewing machine M1 Sewing machine arm M2 Sewing bed

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An embroidery frame that holds the embroidery forming area of a cloth in a flat state, an embroidery device body that horizontally holds the embroidery frame along a bed surface of a sewing machine that performs a stitch forming operation, and An embroidery device comprising: an embroidery frame moving unit that is provided in the main body of the embroidery device and horizontally moves the embroidery frame in two orthogonal directions; and a control unit that drives the embroidery frame moving unit according to preset embroidery data. The embroidery frame moving means moves the embroidery frame in the X direction.
The moving means and the Y moving means for moving in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction are provided, and the Y moving means includes first and second racks provided on a pair of opposite side portions of the embroidery frame, and The first and second pinions are respectively meshed with the first and second racks, and the rotation driving means for rotating the first and second pinions are provided. A sewing machine embroidery device characterized by being moved in any direction. 2. The rotation driving means comprises first rotation driving means for rotating the first pinion and second rotation driving means for rotating the second pinion, and a side portion of the embroidery frame. Is provided in the Y direction, and the control means independently drives each rotation drive means based on the detection result from the detection means so that the side portion and the Y direction match. The embroidery device according to claim 1, wherein the embroidery device is corrected to