JPH0871288A - Sewing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To secure the safety of a worker during the operation of a sewing machine without using a protective cover and save the labor to open/close or fit/remove the protective cover during the sewing preparation work. CONSTITUTION: The front side of a sewing machine head 14 and a sewing machine table 20 arranged below it is used as the work space, and sewing is conducted by sewing needles 17 vertically reciprocated on the side of the sewing machine head 14, thread take-up levers 18, and a shuttle 24 rotatively driven below the sewing machine table 20 synchronously with their drive in this sewing machine. A light projector 32 and a light receiver are arranged so that light passes between the work space and at least one of the sewing needles 17, thread take-up levers 18, and shuttle 24, and the operation of the sewing machine is stopped when the light is interrupted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sewing machine of a type in which sewing is performed by a sewing needle and a balance which are vertically reciprocally driven, and a shuttle which is rotationally driven in synchronization with the driving of these.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a structure in which a protective cover is provided so as to cover the sewing needle, the balance and the hook in order to ensure the safety of an operator during the operation of a sewing machine. These protective covers can be opened or closed individually for threading the thread through the sewing needle or the balance, or when replacing the bobbin thread bobbin in the hook.

[0003]

However, the workability is poor if the protective cover is opened / closed / removed every time such a sewing preparation work is performed, and in particular, in a multi-head sewing machine having a plurality of sewing heads. The protective cover must be opened / closed or detached for each sewing machine head, and the labor required for the work cannot be ignored.

One problem to be solved by the present invention is
When a worker brings his or her hand closer to the sewing needle while the sewing machine is operating, the light is blocked and the sewing machine stops operating, ensuring the safety of the worker without using a protective cover. It is to save the trouble of opening and closing or removing the cover. Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to adjust the positions of the light transmitter and the light receiver for passing the light, and the position of this light is an optimum region for ensuring the safety of the operator. It is possible to change so that Still another problem to be solved by the present invention is to facilitate mutual alignment for determining the optical axes of the light emitter and the light receiver when adjusting the positions of the light emitter and the light receiver. Is.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the sewing machine according to the present invention is constructed as follows. In the technique according to claim 1, a working space is provided on the front side of the sewing machine head and a sewing machine table arranged below the sewing machine head, and a sewing needle and a balance which are reciprocally driven up and down on the side of the sewing machine head, and these. A sewing machine that is sewn by a rotary hook that is rotationally driven under the sewing machine table in synchronization with the driving of the sewing machine.
A light emitter and a light receiver are arranged so that light passes between at least one of the balance and the kettle and the working space, and the sewing machine is stopped when the light is cut off. There is. According to a second aspect of the invention, in the sewing machine according to the first aspect, the light emitter and the light receiver are attached to their respective support housings so that their positions can be adjusted. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the sewing machine according to the second aspect, the light emitter and the light receiver are positioned on the support housing at positions corresponding to each other.

[0006]

According to the technique of claim 1, when a worker standing in the working space brings his or her hand closer to the sewing needle or the like which is vertically reciprocally driven while the sewing machine is operating, the light is emitted. It is cut off and the sewing machine stops operating. Therefore, even if the protective cover is not used, the safety of the operator is ensured, and the trouble of opening / closing or removing the protective cover during the sewing preparation work is unnecessary. According to the second aspect of the present invention, by adjusting the positions of the light projector and the light receiver, it is possible to change the position of the light so as to be an optimum region for ensuring the safety of the worker. . Claim 3
In the described technique, the light emitter and the light receiver are positioned at positions corresponding to each other when adjusting their positions, and the mutual alignment is facilitated.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Example 1 FIG. 1 is a front view showing the entire multi-head, multi-needle sewing machine. As shown in this drawing, a plurality of (four) sewing heads 14 are provided at regular intervals in the left-right direction on the front surface of a sewing machine frame 12 supported by the legs 10 of the sewing machine. For each of these sewing heads 14,
A sewing machine main shaft 26, which is rotated by a motor (not shown) that is a drive source of the sewing machine, penetrates through the sewing machine. A sewing machine table 20 supported by the legs 10 is arranged below each sewing machine head 14. This sewing table 20
A hook base 22 is arranged at a position corresponding to each of the sewing machine heads 14 in the lower part of the. The front side of the sewing machine head 14, the sewing machine table 20, and the hook base 22 is a working space for a worker.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of a part of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a right side view of FIG. As is clear from these drawings, the sewing machine head 14 is fixed to the sewing machine frame 12 and has a head arm 15 penetrating the sewing machine main shaft 26, and a left and right direction with respect to the front surface of the head arm 15. The needle bar case 16 is slidably assembled. The needle bar case 16 is provided with a plurality of needle bars (not shown) each having a sewing needle 17 connected to the lower end thereof so as to be vertically movable. Further, the needle bar case 16 is provided with as many balances 18 and cloth pressers 19 as the respective sewing needles 17 so as to be vertically movable. As is well known, the needle bar case 16 is slid on the basis of a thread switching signal, and the one sewing needle 17 selected thereby and the balance 18 and the presser foot 19 corresponding thereto are rotated by the sewing machine main shaft 26. Interlockingly, they are reciprocally driven up and down at predetermined timings.

As shown in FIG. 3, a shuttle drive shaft 28 extends through each of the shuttle bases 22. The shuttle drive shaft 28 is rotated by the same drive source (motor) as the sewing machine main shaft 26. Has become. Due to the rotation of the shuttle drive shaft 28, the shuttle 24 rotatably incorporated in each shuttle base 22 is rotationally driven in synchronization with the vertical movement of the sewing needle 17, the balance 18, and the presser foot 19. By these drives, with respect to the cloth to be sewn (not shown) placed on the sewing machine table 20, the needle thread on the side of the sewing needle 17 and the hook 24
A stitch is formed by the lower thread on the side of.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sewing machine table 20 is provided.
At the left end of the front side of the floodlight unit 30,
Further, the light receiving unit 50 is attached to the right end portion by the respective supporting members 36 and 56. The light projecting unit 30 has a light projecting device 32 fixed inside the support housing 34, and the light receiving unit 50 has a light receiving device 52 fixed inside the support housing 54. The side of the projector 32 facing the light receiver 52 is shown in FIG.
As is clear from the above, a plurality (4 pieces) arranged in a vertical line
Projectors 32a are provided, and the light receiver 52 is provided with the same number of light receivers (not shown) for receiving the light emitted from each projector 32a.

The light projecting unit 30 and the light receiving unit 50.
Is different in whether the individual subject is the light projector 32 or the light receiver 52, but the other configurations are the same as each other. Therefore, the configuration of the light projecting unit 30 arbitrarily selected will be described, and the description of the configuration of the light receiving unit 50 will be omitted. FIG. 4 shows the light projecting unit 30 in a perspective view. As is clear from this drawing, the projector 32 is fixed to the support housing 34 by bolts 35 at the upper and lower sides thereof. On the other hand, the support member 36 is fixed to the lower portion of the support housing 34, and has a shape that sandwiches the sewing machine table 20 from above and below.

In the portion of the support member 36 located on the upper surface side of the sewing machine table 20, support plates 37 are formed so as to project to both sides thereof. Also, this support member 3
In FIG. 6, a nut member 42 is fixed inside the portion of the sewing machine table 20 located on the lower surface side, and two bolts 40 are screwed into the nut member 42 from below. A sandwiching plate 38 is provided at the tip of both bolts 40 so as to face the supporting plate 37. Then, by screwing in the bolt 40, the sewing machine table 20 is clamped from above and below by the support plate 37 and the sandwiching plate 38, whereby the sewing machine table 20 is clamped.
A light projecting unit 30 is attached to.

By the way, the light projecting unit 30 and the light receiving unit 50 are arranged such that each light projecting element 32a of the light projecting device 32 to the light receiving device 52.
The light projected on each light receiving element (not shown) is arranged so as to pass between the sewing needle 17, the balance 18, and the presser foot 19 of the sewing machine head 14 and the working space. When this light is cut off by a worker's hand or the like, a signal is sent to turn off the electric circuit of the drive source (motor) of the sewing machine main shaft 26, and the sewing machine is started as long as the light is cut off. The operation does not restart even if the switch is operated.

In the above structure, when the operator brings his or her hand close to the sewing needle 17, the balance 18, or the presser foot 19 which is reciprocally moved up and down while the sewing machine is operating, the light is emitted from the light emitter 32 to the light receiver 52. One of the lights is blocked and the sewing machine stops operating. As a result, the safety of the worker is ensured, and the protective cover of each part conventionally used for ensuring this safety is unnecessary. The timing for stopping the operation of the sewing machine is set so as to rotate the sewing machine main shaft 26 to a preset original position (the position where the sewing needle 17 has risen) and stop it. Further, when an operator puts his / her hand under the sewing machine head 14 while the sewing machine is stopped and another operator mistakenly operates the start switch of the sewing machine, the operation is not started, which is safe. Is.

Second Embodiment FIG. 5 is a front view showing a light projecting unit 30 of a second embodiment, FIG. 6 is a right side view of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. In the second embodiment shown in these drawings, the projection unit 30 arbitrarily selected for the same reason as in the first embodiment.
1 will be described, and the members that are considered to have the same or equivalent structures to those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings and redundant description will be omitted. Also, with regard to Embodiments 3 and 4 described later, duplicate description will be omitted because of the same idea.

As is apparent from FIGS. 5 to 7, each of the light projecting units 30 of this embodiment has a single projector 32a.
A plurality of (four in the drawing) light projectors 32 having Each of the projectors 32 is fixed to a slide body 44, each slide body 44 is slidable along a pair of vertically long guide holes 43 formed in the side portion of the support housing 34, and an arbitrary lock nut 45 is used. It is designed to be fixed in position. On the other hand, the light receiver in the light receiving unit (not shown) has the same structure. As a result, the position of the light projected from each light projector 32 to the corresponding light receiver can be changed, and the position of this light can be adjusted so as to be the optimum region for ensuring the safety of the operator.

In the second embodiment, notches extending laterally from the guide hole 43 are formed on the side of the support housing 34 at regular intervals along the length of the guide hole. It is also possible to regulate the adjustment position of each light projector 32 by these notches. In this case, as a matter of course, the light receiver of the light receiving unit has the same structure, and when the positions of the light projector 32 and the light receiver are adjusted, they are positioned at positions corresponding to each other.
There is no need for mutual alignment work for determining the optical axis.

Embodiment 3 FIG. 8 is a front view showing a light projecting unit 30 of Embodiment 3 together with a part of a sewing machine, and FIG. 9 is a right side view of FIG. As shown in these drawings, in this embodiment, a projector 32 extends below the sewing machine table 20, and four projectors 32a are provided above the sewing machine table 20 (the same as in the first and second embodiments). There is a total of five below. The projector 32 below the sewing machine table 20
The light projected from a to the corresponding light receiving element of the light receiver (not shown) passes between the shuttle 24 and the working space, and when the operator's hand or the like approaches the shuttle 24, the light is blocked. The sewing machine will stop operating.

Further, in the third embodiment, the first embodiment
The second support member 36 is eliminated, and a portion of the support housing 34 near the lower end is directly attached to the sewing machine table 20. That is, the support housing 34 is integrally formed with the support plate 46 on the upper surface side of the sewing machine table 20.
And a bolt flange 49 integrally formed on the lower surface side of the sewing machine table 20. A sandwiching plate 47 is provided on each side of the projector 32 at the tip of a plurality of (four) bolts 48 screwed into the bolt flange 49 from below. By screwing in these bolts 48, the sewing machine table 20 is held by the sandwiching plates 47 and the supporting plate 46.
Is clamped from above and below. Further, in order to make the mounting state of the support housing 34 more stable, the lower portion thereof is also fixed to the leg portion 10 of the sewing machine with bolts or the like.

Embodiment 4 FIG. 10 shows a front view of a sewing machine according to Embodiment 4, and FIG. 11 shows an enlarged sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. The fourth embodiment is a technique for coping with the case where the width of the sewing machine is long because it has a larger number of sewing heads 14 as compared with the above-described respective embodiments, as is apparent from FIG. That is, in the present embodiment, in the set of the light projecting unit 30 and the light receiving unit 50 arranged at both ends of the sewing machine table 20,
When exceeding the light projecting range, another set of the light receiving unit 60 and the light projecting unit 62 is provided in the middle portion in the width direction of the sewing machine.

According to the fourth embodiment, the light projecting unit 30 provided at one end of the sewing machine table 20 receives the light projected by the light receiving unit 60 provided in the intermediate portion, and the light receiving unit 60 is provided in the intermediate portion. The projected light of the projected unit 62 is received by the light receiving unit 50 provided at the other end of the sewing machine table 20. The light receiving unit 60 and the light projecting unit 62 in the intermediate portion may be retracted because they may interfere with the work of replacing the cloth to be sewn (not shown) on the sewing machine table 20. As for the configuration for retracting the light receiving unit 60 and the light projecting unit 62, only the arbitrarily selected light projecting unit 62 side will be described, and description of the light receiving unit 60 side will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 11, a support arm 64 extending from the sewing machine frame 12 to an upper portion of the sewing machine head 14 is fixed to the back side of the sewing machine frame 12. One end of a connecting member 65 is rotatably connected to the tip of the support arm 64 by a pin 66, and the light projecting unit 62 is connected to the other end of the connecting member 65.
Is rotatably supported by a pin 67. Therefore, during operation of the sewing machine, the light projecting unit 62 is held at a position corresponding to the light receiving unit 50 as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 12, the light projecting unit 62 can be retracted above the sewing machine head 14 when the sewing cloth is replaced when the operation is stopped.

Although each of the above embodiments has been described for a multi-head, multi-needle type sewing machine, it is naturally possible to target a single-head or single-needle type sewing machine. Further, it is possible to turn on and off the detection signal due to the interruption of light, so that the detection signal can be turned off when the detection signal due to the interruption of light is not required such as when there is no worker in the work space. Good.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, the safety of the worker can be secured without using a protective cover, so that it is possible to save the labor such as opening and closing or attaching and detaching the protective cover at the time of sewing preparation work. Further, according to the present invention, the position of light can be changed to an optimum region for ensuring the safety of the operator by adjusting the positions of the light transmitter and the light receiver. It is also easy to align each other.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the entire sewing machine.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a part of FIG. 1 in an enlarged manner.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a light projecting unit.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a light projecting unit 30 according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a right side view of FIG.

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

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a light projecting unit of Example 3 together with a part of a sewing machine.

9 is a right side view of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing a sewing machine according to a fourth embodiment.

11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

12 is a cross-sectional view when the light projecting unit is retracted from the state of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 14 sewing machine head 17 sewing needle 18 balance 20 sewing machine table 24 hook 32 light projector 34 support housing 52 light receiver 54 support housing

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A sewing machine head and a balance are provided on the front side of a sewing machine table arranged below the sewing machine head, and a sewing needle and a balance which are reciprocally driven up and down on the side of the sewing machine head, and to these drives. A sewing machine in which sewing is performed in synchronization with a rotary hook that is rotationally driven under the sewing machine table, and a floodlight is provided to allow light to pass between at least one of the sewing needle, the balance, and the rotary hook and the working space. A sewing machine characterized in that it is arranged with a light receiver and is configured to stop the operation of the sewing machine when the light is blocked. 2. The sewing machine according to claim 1, wherein the light emitter and the light receiver are attached to respective support housings such that their positions can be adjusted. 3. The sewing machine according to claim 2, wherein the light emitter and the light receiver are configured to be positioned on the support housing at positions corresponding to each other.