JPWO2020054557A1 - Sewing machines capable of sewing cord materials and methods for controlling the sewing of cord materials - Google Patents

Abstract

When starting sewing of the cord material, first, by lowering the sewing needle and the cord guide body, the portion of the cord material passing through the hole of the cord guide body is pierced by the descending sewing needle to pierce the sewing material. Drop it up. Next, by operating the sewing needle a plurality of times while holding the lower limit position of the lowered cord guide body, the portion of the cord material is sewn onto the stitched material with a plurality of stitches. At the end of the sewing operation of the cord material, the cord guide body is raised, and the cord material extending downward from the cord guide body is cut by the cord cutting device. The tip of the cord material after cutting is in a state of hanging downward from the cord guide, and when the sewing is restarted next time, the sewing is automatically stopped as described above. Before cutting the cord material, the needle thread hook operation is performed to cut the thread. As a result, appropriate control of sewing of the cord material can be automatically performed, and automation of operations related to sewing of the cord material can be promoted.
[Selection diagram] FIG. 17

Description

The present invention relates to appropriately controlling the sewing of the cord material in a sewing machine capable of sewing the cord material to the sewing material, and further, in combination with automatic cutting of the cord material at the end of the sewing operation of the cord material. This relates to a technique suitable for fully automating the entire process from sewing of the cord material to the end.

Various embroidery sewing machines capable of sewing a decorative cord material to a material to be sewn (a work piece such as a cloth) have been conventionally known. For example, in the embroidery sewing machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, a needle bar case provided with a plurality of needle bars is provided, and one of the plurality of needle bars is used according to the sliding movement of the needle bar case in the left-right direction. It is configured to be selected for the operating position, and one or more of the needle rods are provided with lifting rods that move up and down by a drive source different from the drive source of the needle rods, and each of the lifting rods is provided. A cord guide body for guiding the cord material to the needle drop position is attached to the lower end.

In the embroidery sewing machine shown in Patent Document 1, when a desired cord material is sewn, a needle rod provided with an elevating rod for guiding the desired cord material is selected so as to be set to an operating position. The cord material is sent out by raising and lowering the corresponding lifting rod in synchronization with the sewing operation by the needle bar and the sewing needle set in the operating position, and the cord material guided to the needle drop position is used as the sewing material (fabric). Sew on. By changing the elevating stroke of the elevating rod, the amount (length) of the cord material sent out in one sewing operation is adjusted, which is optimal according to the sewing pattern of the cord material with respect to the material to be sewn (fabric). A large amount (length) of cord material can be sent out.

For example, by setting the elevating stroke length of the elevating rod to zero, it is possible to perform "cord sewing" in which the cord material is sewn so as to be attached flat along the material to be sewn, while the elevating rod can be sewn. By making an ascending / descending stroke with a stroke length larger than zero, it is possible to perform "loop sewing" in which the cord material is looped and sewn to the material to be sewn. It is also possible to form a three-dimensional cord pattern by stacking and sewing cord materials while changing the elevating stroke of the elevating rod.

Further, according to the embroidery sewing machine shown in Patent Document 1, the needle bar case is slid during sewing a series of cord embroidery patterns to provide a needle bar (and an elevating bar) to be used at a predetermined operating position. By switching, it is possible to sew a wide variety of cord materials having different materials, colors, thicknesses, etc. in the series of cord embroidery patterns selectively and with different feed amounts as needed. However, in the above-mentioned embroidery sewing machine, when the sewing of the cord material is completed, the cord material must be manually cut near the sewing end point. Therefore, in order to sew various types of cord materials while switching the needle bar to be used while sewing a series of cord embroidery patterns, the sewing machine is temporarily stopped each time the needle bar is switched and manually. The cord material must be cut. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes time and effort and the production efficiency is poor. In particular, it is a difficult task for a multi-headed embroidery sewing machine having a plurality of embroidery heads.

On the other hand, Patent Document 2 below discloses an embroidery material cutting device that automatically cuts a string-like material such as a cord material. By the way, in general, at the end of the sewing operation of the cord material, the portion of the cord material to be cut extends toward the cord guide body above the sewing end position in a state of tension. When the cord material is cut under tension in this way, the length of the cord material near the cut portion is considerably increased by releasing the tension in the cord material made of a shrinkable material. Shortens (that is, returns from stretched to normal length). Therefore, the length (sewn residual length) from the cord guide body to the tip portion of the cord material after cutting extending downward thereof becomes short. When the remaining sewing length is shortened in this way, the tip of the cord guide may come out of the cord guide in the process of lowering the cord guide when the sewing operation of the cord material is started next time. sell. Then, the cord material cannot be properly placed on the material to be sewn, and a sewing error occurs, which is not preferable.

Conventionally, in order to prevent the above-mentioned inconvenience (sewing error), that is, in order to properly sew the cord material, when starting a new cord material sewing operation, the front As a process, the tip of the cord material extending downward from the cord guide is manually pulled out, placed on the material to be sewn, and temporarily fixed with tape or the like. Therefore, when performing a variety of cord embroidery while switching the type of cord material to be sewn, at least manual work is required for each cord material to be sewn, which is a bottleneck for full automation of cord embroidery. rice field. Further, since the portion temporarily fixed with tape or the like must be manually removed later, double labor is required manually.

On the other hand, the following Patent Documents 3 and 4 also disclose a sewing machine for sewing a cord material, but it is not shown that a special device is applied when sewing the cord material. That is, in any of the prior arts, the sewing operation (normal sewing operation) according to the desired cord material sewing pattern is merely configured to be performed from the beginning, and a special cord is provided before the normal sewing operation is performed. It does not control the sewing of materials.

International release WO2015 / 147118 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-163361 Patent 6084059 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-31826

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to automatically control the sewing of the cord material in a sewing machine capable of sewing the cord material to the sewing material, and further, sewing related to the cord material. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device and a method capable of facilitating appropriate automation of operation from various viewpoints.

The sewing machine according to the present invention has a sewing mechanism configured to drive a sewing needle and a cord material configured to be movable up and down in order to sew a sewing material to be sewn. A cord guide body for guiding to a position having a hole at the bottom through which the sewing needle and the cord material are passed, and here, the cord material guided to the needle drop position is based on the sewing mechanism. It is sewn onto the stitched material by the sewing operation, and when the sewing of the cord material is started, first, the sewing needle and the cord guide body are lowered to pass through the hole of the cord guide body. The part of the cord material to be sewn is pierced by a descending sewing needle and dropped onto the sewing material, and then the sewing needle is operated a plurality of times while holding the lower limit position of the lowered cord guide body. A control device for controlling the sewing mechanism and the cord guide body is provided so that the portion of the cord material is sewn onto the stitched material with a plurality of stitches.

According to the present invention, the cord material sewing control is performed before the sewing operation (normal sewing operation) according to an arbitrary cord material sewing pattern is performed. In this sewing control, first, by lowering the sewing needle and lowering the cord guide body, the portion of the cord material that passes through the hole at the bottom of the cord guide body that is lowered together in the process of lowering the sewing needle. Is pierced by the descending sewing needle and descends, and is dropped onto the stitched material. Next, by operating the sewing needle a plurality of times while holding the lower limit position of the lowered cord guide body, the portion of the cord material dropped onto the stitched material was firmly held by the cord guide body. In this state, a plurality of stitches are sewn, and the portion of the cord material (that is, the tip portion) is reliably sewn. Therefore, even if the remaining length of the cord material hanging from the cord guide body (that is, the length from directly below the cord guide body to the tip) is short, the cord material is pierced by the descending sewing needle. Since the cord guides descend together, there is no inconvenience that the cord material comes out of the cord guide while the cord guide is descending. In this way, the sewn end of the cord material can be automatically sewn without manual intervention, and no sewn error occurs regardless of the material (particularly the highly shrinkable material) of the cord material. Can be done.

According to a preferred embodiment, the cord material guided by the cord guide body and sewn on the sewing material is cut at a position between the cord guide body and the sewing material. The control device further comprises a cord cutting device for the purpose of moving the cord guide body upward at the end of the sewing operation of the cord material, and the cord material extending downward from the cord guide body. The cord cutting device may be used to control the cutting, whereby the tip portion of the cord material after cutting is in a state of hanging downward from the cord guide body. Then, when sewing of the cord material is started after cutting, the tip portion of the cord material after cutting hanging from the cord guide body is pierced by the descending sewing needle and dropped onto the stitched material. Rarely, it is sewn with the plurality of stitches. As a result, it is possible to automate all sewing operations of the cord material, including sewing operation according to an arbitrary cord material sewing pattern (normal sewing operation), sewing control before the sewing operation, and subsequent cord cutting. ..

A sewing machine according to another aspect of the present invention includes a sewing mechanism configured to drive a sewing needle and a cord configured to be movable up and down and unwound from a supply source in order to sew a sewing material. The cord guide body for guiding the material to the needle drop position and the cord material guided to the needle drop position are sewn onto the stitched material by a sewing operation by the sewing mechanism. When the thread is cut at the end of the sewing operation, the needle thread hook that advances on the vertical movement line of the sewing needle to hook the needle thread extending from the sewing needle to the sewing material, and the sewing end of the cord material. Later, the cord is provided with a cord cutting device for cutting the cord material and a control device for controlling the cord guide to move to the standby position before the needle thread is hooked by the needle thread hook. The standby position of the guide body is a position lower than the position where the needle thread hook advances on the vertical movement line of the sewing needle, and the control device is before the cord cutting device cuts the cord material. It is characterized in that the needle thread hooking operation of the needle thread hook and the thread cutting operation of the thread cutting device are executed.

According to this, the cord guide is controlled to move to the standby position before the needle thread is hooked by the needle thread hook, and the needle thread hook is sewn at the standby position of the cord guide body. Since the position is lower than the position where the needle advances on the vertical movement line, the cord material connected to the stitched material from the cord guide body comes off from the advance position of the needle thread hook, and the cord material is hooked by the needle thread hook. It is left on the vertical movement line of the sewing needle without any problem. Therefore, when cutting the cord material, the cord material left on the vertical movement line of the sewing needle can be appropriately cut, and a cutting error does not occur. Further, since the thread is cut by the thread cutting device before cutting the cord material, the needle thread is not cut at the cord material cutting position above the sewing material, and the thread is cut below the sewing material. Since it is cut by the device, it is possible to secure a sufficient needle thread residual length for sewing. By appropriately controlling the relationship between the needle thread hook operation and the thread cutting operation and the cord material cutting in this way, it is possible to further promote appropriate automation of the entire sewing operation related to the cord material.

The front view of the embroidery head of the multi-head embroidery sewing machine which concerns on one Example of this invention. The right side view of the embroidery head of FIG. (A) and (b) are enlarged perspective views showing an attached state of the cord guide body, (c) is a perspective sectional view of the cord guide body, and (d) is a plan view of the cord guide body. Enlarged sectional view of the cord guide. An exploded perspective view showing an enlarged view of the main components of the cord cutting device. Enlarged plan view of the cord cutting device. Left side view of the cutter unit in the retracted position. Left side view of the cutter unit at the cutting preparation position. The perspective view which shows by extracting the female stand. It is a side schematic which illustrates the difference in the height of the cutting position of the cutter unit which is variably set according to the height (bulk) of the sewn cord pattern, and (a) is the height (bulk) of the sewn cord pattern. ) Is the minimum, and (b) is a diagram showing an example in which the height (bulkness) of the cord pattern is increased by loop sewing. Right side view of the cutter unit in the retracted position. Right side view of the cutter unit at the cutting preparation position. Right side view of the cutter unit at the cutting position. Right side view of the cutter unit during cutting operation. A block diagram showing an outline of an electronic control system provided in an embroidery sewing machine. The enlarged side view which shows the standby position of the cord guide body at the time of thread cutting. A flowchart showing an embodiment of a fully automated process of code embroidery-related operations. The perspective view which shows the modification of the 1st moving body, the 2nd moving body and a cutting device in a cutter unit.

Hereinafter, as an example of a sewing machine according to the present invention, an example in which the present invention is applied to a multi-headed embroidery sewing machine will be described. However, the present invention is applicable not only to embroidery sewing machines but also to ordinary sewing machines.

FIG. 1 is a front view of one embroidery head (sewing machine head) 1 of a multi-head embroidery sewing machine, and FIG. 2 is a right side view of the embroidery head 1. The needle bar case 4 is slidably supported in the left-right direction on the front surface of the sewing machine arm 3 attached to the front surface of the main body frame 2. The needle bar case 4 is provided with a plurality of needle bars 5 (see FIG. 3A) so as to be movable up and down. Each needle bar 5 is arranged so that the axial direction extends in the vertical direction (vertical direction), and a sewing needle 6 is attached to the lower end of each needle bar 5. A slide shaft 7 is formed through the needle bar case 4, and the needle bar case 4 slides in the left-right direction by sliding the slide shaft 7 in the lateral direction (left-right direction when viewed from the front) by driving the motor. Depending on the slide position of the needle bar case 4, any one of the plurality of needle bars 5 is located at a predetermined operating position, whereby one needle bar 5 to be operated is selected. A well-known bobbin thread hook (not shown) is provided below the predetermined operating position. The bobbin thread hook is arranged below the sewing machine table 10, and the needle plate 11 covers the upper part of the hook. The needle plate 11 is provided with a needle hole through which the sewing needle 6 of the selected needle bar 5 can be inserted.

A spindle 8 is pierced through the sewing machine arm 3. When the spindle 8 is rotated by a spindle motor (first drive source) (not shown), the rotation causes a cam mechanism (not shown) in the sewing machine arm 3 to rotate. , The needle bar drive body 9 moves up and down. The needle bar 5 selected as the operating position is caught by the needle bar driving body 9 and is moved up and down along the axial direction by the vertical movement of the needle bar driving body 9. A well-known sewing operation is performed by moving the needle bar 5 (sewing needle 6 at the tip thereof) selected at the operating position up and down.

As shown in FIG. 2, the needle bar case 4 is provided with an elevating rod (elevating member) 12 that can move up and down, respectively, behind each needle rod 5. Like the needle bar 5, the lifting rod 12 is arranged so that its axial direction extends in the vertical direction (vertical direction). The lifting rod 12 is driven by a motor 13 (second drive source) fixed to the sewing machine arm 3. A link mechanism (not shown) is connected to the motor 13, and when the motor 13 is reciprocally driven to rotate, the cloth presser drive body 14 provided so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the sewing machine arm 3 moves up and down via the link mechanism. .. Then, among the plurality of elevating rods 12 provided in the needle rod case 4, the elevating rod (elevating member) 12 corresponding to the needle rod 5 selected at the operating position is caught by the cloth presser drive body 14, and the cloth presser drive is driven. The elevating movement of the body 14 causes the body 14 to move up and down along its axial direction. As is known, a sensor for detecting the drive position of the motor 13 is appropriately provided, and the sensor output is used for motor drive control.

A cloth pressing body 15 or a cord guide body 20 is attached to the lower ends of each of the plurality of lifting rods 12. The cloth presser body 15 may have a well-known structure for pressing the material to be sewn from above when performing normal embroidery sewing, and may be attached to the needle bar 5 used for performing normal embroidery sewing. It is attached to the lower end of the corresponding lifting rod 12. On the other hand, the cord guide body 20 is for guiding the cord material C on the sewing material and pressing the cord material C on the sewing material from above when sewing the cord material C. , Attached to the lower end of the lifting rod 12 corresponding to the needle rod 5 used to perform the cord material sewing operation. As a mere example, in FIG. 1, 12 needle rods 5 are provided in one needle rod case 4, and a cord guide body is provided at the lower end of the lifting rod 12 corresponding to the 6 needle rods 5 in the central portion. 20 are attached to each, and the cloth holding body 15 is attached to the lower end of the elevating rod 12 corresponding to each of the three needle rods 5 on the left and right portions. This is because one embroidery head 1 is capable of selective cord material sewing operation by six different types of cord material C, or selective normal sewing by six different types (colors) of needle threads. It means that it can operate. As shown in FIG. 2, below the sewing machine arm 3, on the back side of the vertical movement path of the sewing needle 6, an upper thread hook 16 for hooking the upper thread after cutting and the upper thread hook 16 are provided. A needle thread holder 17 for holding the hooked needle thread is provided.

The combination of each member and / or each device and / or each mechanism for the sewing operation provided on the embroidery head 1 having the above-described configuration sets the sewing needle 6 in order to sew the sewing material. Corresponds to a sewing mechanism configured to drive. Then, the combination of the elevating rod 12 and the cord guide body 20 corresponds to the cord guide device 21 for guiding the cord material C to the needle drop position, and the cord material C guided to the needle drop position is described above. The sewing operation by the sewing needle 6 in the sewing mechanism causes the sewing material to be sewn on the material to be sewn.

[Code guide]
Next, a detailed example of the code guide body 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3A is an enlarged perspective view of the code guide body 20 as viewed diagonally from the front right direction. As shown in the figure, the cord guide body 20 is attached to the lower end portion of the elevating rod 12 via the attachment member 18. The mounting member 18 is provided with a mounting portion 18a protruding forward at the lower end thereof, and the main body of the cord guide body 20 is detachably fixed to the mounting portion 18a with screws 19. Further, the lower end of the mounting member 18 is provided with a pushing-down portion 18b that projects to the left and extends downward. The pushing-down portion 18b functions to push down the cutter unit 50, which will be described later, to the cutting position. Note that FIG. 3B is an enlarged perspective view of the cord guide body 20 viewed from the diagonally left front direction in order to clearly indicate the pressing portion 18b.

The main body of the cord guide 20 includes a cup-shaped pressing portion 20a arranged at a position below the needle bar 5. As shown in the perspective cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 (c) and the plan view of FIG. 3 (d), the bottom surface of the pressing portion (main body portion) 20a is allowed to pass the sewing needle 6 and the cord material C is sewn on. A lead-out hole 20b is formed as an opening for guiding the material. Further, a supply port 20c for guiding the cord material C to the lead-out hole 20b is formed on the wall portion substantially in the center of the front surface of the pressing portion 20a. As shown in FIG. 3D, the lead-out hole 20b has a substantially drop-shaped shape that tapers toward the supply port 20c. That is, the lead-out hole 20b is composed of a tapered opening portion (around the base of the drop shape) and an opening portion other than that. The needle drop position (the position through which the sewing needle 6 passes) in the lead-out hole 20b corresponds to substantially the center of the bottom surface of the pressing portion 20a, and is located in the tapered opening portion (around the base of the drop). Due to such a tapered shape, a regulation structure for restricting the movement of the cord material C in the left-right direction is integrally formed at the needle drop position in the lead-out hole 20b. At the supply port 20c of the wall portion, a tubular portion 20e that guides the cord material C into the holding portion 20a extends horizontally toward the front (direction in front of the sewing machine), and the cord material C extends at the tip thereof. An introduction port 20d is provided. In this way, each cord guide body 20 is attached to the lower end of the corresponding elevating rod 12, and allows the pressing portion 20a for pressing the sewing material and the sewing needle 6 to pass through, and the sewing material is allowed to pass through. It has an opening (leading hole 20b) for guiding the cord material C on the top. The cord guide body 20 is not limited to a mode in which the main body and the mounting member 18 can be separated as shown in the drawing, and the main body and the mounting member 18 may be integrally formed. Therefore, in the present invention, the "cord guide body 20" is a concept including a mounting member 18 (particularly, a pressing portion 18b). In other words, the pushing-down portion 18b that functions to push down the cutter unit 50 to the cutting position may be included on the main body side of the cord guide body 20.

As described above, the lead-out hole 20b of the cord guide body 20 according to the present embodiment has a tapered opening portion (around the base of the drop shape) having a shape that tapers toward the tubular portion 20e (that is, the introduction port 20d or the supply port 20c). , It consists of other openings. Due to the tapered shape that points to the tubular portion 20e (that is, the introduction port 20d or the supply port 20c), it depends on the specific cord material sewing direction (in the case of this embodiment, the direction of the tubular portion 20e, that is, the front). It is possible to prevent sewing mistakes (sewn spills).

This point will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the cord guide body 20, and shows an example of “cord sewing” that is sewn by moving the embroidery frame (that is, the sewing material W) toward the front of the sewing machine. .. When sewing is performed so that the embroidery frame moves in the direction of the tubular portion 20e, that is, forward, the direction of the cord material C above and below the lead-out hole 20b faces the tubular portion 20e (that is, the introduction port 20d or the supply port 20c). The upper direction and the lower direction connected to the sewn cord material portion are the same, and the cord material C is bent at the lead-out hole 20b. As shown by the alternate long and short dash line, the portion of the cord material C on the outer side of the bent portion corresponds to the needle drop position, and this is the sewing portion. As a result, in the cord material C sewn on the lumber W to be sewn, a good-looking cord material is sewn so that the sewn portion is hidden on the back side. When the sewing needle 6 moves upward, tension is generated in the portion of the needle thread U connected from the needle hole of the sewing needle 6 to the final sewing point of the cord material C on the sewing material W, but the needle thread is tentatively Even if the bent portion of the cord material C is pushed by the tension portion of the U, the hole (outlet hole 20b) at the bottom of the main body portion includes the opening portion having the regulation structure provided near the supply port 20c. , The bent portion of the cord material C is regulated by the regulation structure, so that it does not move easily. Further, as shown in the example shown in FIG. 4, the tensioned needle thread U portion deviates from the needle drop position, which adversely affects the sewn portion (the portion closer to the outside of the bent portion) of the cord material C. No.

Here, assuming that the lead-out hole 20b of the cord guide body 20 is a perfect circle, when the bent portion (outside) of the cord material C is pushed by the tension portion of the needle thread, the cord material C becomes an arc of the lead-out hole. It becomes easy to move left and right along the line, and it shifts from the needle drop position, causing a sewing error (sewn spill). On the other hand, if the lead-out hole 20b has a substantially drop-shaped shape that tapers toward the tubular portion 20e as in the present embodiment, the lead-out hole 20b is led out from the supply port 20c at the rear end of the tubular portion 20e. A part of the cord material C that enters the hole 20b and bends is restricted from both sides at the tapered opening portion (around the base of the drop shape), the cord material C does not move in the lead-out hole 20b, and the cord material C does not move from the needle drop position. It will not come off. Further, since the needle drop position comes within the tapered opening portion of the lead-out hole 20b, the cord material C regulated by the tapered opening portion is always located at the needle drop position, and a sewing error (sewn spill) occurs. No.

In the cord guide body 20 to guide the cord material C to the needle drop position, the opening area of the lead-out hole 20b is sufficient to facilitate the passage of the cord material C, which is relatively thicker than the needle 6. On the other hand, if this is done, the location of the cord guide body 20 in the lead-out hole 20b becomes unstable, and the above-mentioned sewing error (sewn spill) occurs. However, as in this embodiment, by devising the opening shape of the lead-out hole 20b, that is, the opening shape of the lead-out hole 20b is tapered toward the introduction port 20d (cylindrical portion 20e) (that is, the cylinder). Such a problem can be solved by arranging the regulation structure, that is, the tapered opening portion closer to the shape portion 20e).

The opening shape of the lead-out hole 20b is not limited to a tapered shape such as a substantially drop shape, and may be another tapered shape, and is not limited to a strict tapered shape, and the area of the entire opening is the cord material C. While making it wide enough to facilitate the passage of the needle, an appropriate regulation structure (small size opening) is formed around the needle drop position, and the regulation structure (small size opening) is the other opening. The shape may be set closer to the supply port 20c or the introduction port 20d (that is, the tubular portion 20e). For example, the opening shape of the lead-out hole 20b is a daruma or gourd-like shape composed of a combination of a small opening portion (for example, a small diameter circle) and a large opening portion (for example, a large diameter circle), and the small opening portion is the needle drop position. Moreover, the shape may be closer to the supply port 20c or the introduction port 20d (that is, the tubular portion 20e), and the same effect as described above can be obtained by this. As a modification of the cord guide body 20, the cord guide body 20 may be configured so as to have the feature of the lead-out hole 20b having a unique opening shape as described above, but not the feature of the tubular portion 20e. In that case, the cord material C supplied from above can be directly introduced through the supply port 20c provided on the side wall surface of the main body portion 20a.

[Code supply system]
Next, the code supply system 22 for supplying the cord material C to the code guide device 21, that is, the code guide body 20 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, mounting brackets are fixed to the left and right sides of the adjustment base 30 provided above the needle bar case 4 in a substantially inverted L shape when viewed from the side surface. Each mounting bracket is composed of first brackets 23a and 23b that are elongated upward and second brackets 24a and 24b that project diagonally forward. The second brackets 24a and 24b are rotatably supported by screws 24c, and the mounting angle with respect to the corresponding first brackets 23a and 23b can be adjusted by changing the fixing position of the screws 24d. .. Each of the second brackets 24a and 24b has a shape in which the upper side protrudes greatly toward the front and the lower side protrudes slightly toward the front, and between the upper and lower tips of the left and right second brackets 24a and 24b. Support plates (upper / lower) 25 and 26 are bridged. The bobbin (cord material storage portion) 27 around which the cord material C is wound is rotatably supported by pins 28 erected on the support plates 25 and 26.

At the lower end between the left and right first brackets 23a and 23b, a holding plate 29 for attaching a flexible tube 31 (for example, a spiral tube) through which the cord material C is passed is bridged. Further, a support rod 33 is bridged between brackets 32a and 32b fixed to the left and right side surfaces of the case 4 at the lower part of the front surface of the needle rod case 4, and the holding plate 34 is fixed to the support rod 33. The upper and lower holding plates 29 and 34 are provided with a plurality of tube connection ports 35 and 36 corresponding to the individual needle rods 5 provided with the cord guide body 20. Then, the upper end and the lower end of the tube 31 for preventing the cord members C from interfering with each other are connected to the tube connection ports 35 and 36 of the holding plates 29 and 34, respectively. In this way, as shown in FIG. 1, each tube 31 is extended in the vertical direction on the front surface of the embroidery head (sewing machine head) 1, and a plurality of tubes 31 are arranged in parallel on the front surface of the embroidery head (sewing machine head) 1. Be placed.

A flexible resistance member 37 is arranged near the tube connection port 35 (immediately above) on the upper holding plate 29. The resistance member 37 is a portion of the resistance member 37 in front of the cord material C so that the cord material C that has been excessively drawn out does not loosen near the needle base at the end when the cord material C is strongly pulled out. It is intended to loosen with. The flexible resistance member 37 includes fluffy fibers (or a flexible brush or the like), and when the fluffy fibers are brought into contact with the supplied cord material C, a slight resistance is imparted to the cord material C. Therefore, when the cord material C is strongly pulled out, the cord material C is excessively drawn out from the bobbin 27 with that momentum, but the movement of the cord material C is weakened at the position of the resistance member 37 where resistance is applied, so that the cord material C is said to be pulled out. The excessively drawn cord material C will loosen near the upper part of the resistance member 37. As a result, it is possible to prevent the cord material C from loosening near the needle base at the end.

One guide frame 38 is provided corresponding to the plurality of bobbins 27 on the upper stage side, and a plurality of guide frames 39 are provided individually corresponding to the plurality of bobbins 27 on the lower stage side. One small loop 39a is formed in each guide frame 39 on the lower stage side, and a large loop 39b is formed by the remaining portion. The cord material C pulled out from the bobbin 27 on the upper stage side is passed through the inside of the guide frame 38 on the upper stage side, then through the small loop 39a of the guide frame 39 on the lower stage side, and further through the corresponding tube 31. Then, it is passed through the introduction port 20d (FIG. 3) of the corresponding code guide body 20. On the other hand, the cord material C pulled out from the bobbin 27 on the lower stage side is passed through the large loop 39b of the guide frame 39 on the lower stage side, and further through the corresponding tube 31, the introduction port 20d of the corresponding cord guide body 20. It is passed through (Fig. 3). In this way, the cord material C pulled out from the bobbin 27 hangs down with almost no bending and is smoothly introduced into the cord guide body 20. In the cord guide body 20 shown in FIG. 3, the cord material C introduced from the introduction port 20d passes through the tubular portion 20e, enters the inside of the cup-shaped pressing portion 20a from the supply port 20c, and enters the inside of the cup-shaped pressing portion 20a. It escapes downward through the lead-out hole 20b at the bottom and is pulled out of the cord guide body 20.

In the small loop 39a and the large loop 39b provided on the lower guide frame 39, the cord material C unwound from the upper bobbin 27 and the cord material C unwound from the lower bobbin 27 interfere with each other. It functions to properly sort and guide the bobbin so that it does not occur. In FIG. 1, for the sake of clarity, only one cord material C drawn from one bobbin 27 is shown, and the other cord material C drawn from the other bobbin 27 is not shown. In the actual operating state of the sewing machine, one or more cord materials C unwound from one or more bobbins 27 required are guided to the corresponding cord guides 20 through the corresponding tubes 31. The upper guide frame 38 and the lower guide frame 39 having the small loop 39a and the large loop 39b, respectively, are the upper ends of the tubes 31 to which the cord material C drawn out from each bobbin (cord material storage portion) 27 corresponds. In the state of being introduced into the above, it functions as a guide frame for guiding each cord material so that the cord materials do not interfere with each other.

According to the cord supply system 22 as described above, as shown in FIG. 2, the supply source (bobbin 27) of the cord material C is arranged above the embroidery head (sewing machine head) 1, and the supply source (bobbin 27) is arranged. The cord material C from the above is supplied to the cord guide body 20 in a substantially straight line without changing the direction in a path that crosses from above to below on the front surface of the embroidery head (sewing machine head) 1. Then, in the cord guide body 20, the cord material C introduced from the front end (introduction port 20d) of the tubular portion 20e extending forward and led out from the rear end (supply port 20c) is placed at the needle drop position of the outlet hole 20b. Therefore, the cord material C is not significantly changed in direction or bent. Therefore, by smoothly supplying the cord material C from the supply source to the needle base position without significantly bending from the front, the load on the cord material C is eliminated, and the cord material C is led out from the lead-out hole (needle) regardless of the sewing direction. It is possible to reliably guide to the fall position). As a result, for example, when performing "loop sewing" of the cord material C as described later, stable bulkiness (height) and uniform "loop sewing" can be performed.

Further, the cord guide body 20 includes a tubular portion 20e extending forward, and the cord material C is introduced from the front end (introduction port 20d) of the tubular portion 20e and derived from the rear end (supply port 20c). Since the structure is such that the lead-out hole 20b (needle drop position) is reached, the introduction port 20d of the cord material C is kept away from the lead-out hole 20b (needle drop position). As a result, the introduction port 20d of the cord guide body 20 is appropriately separated from the vertical movement line of the sewing needle 6, and the portion of the cord material C above the introduction port 20d of the cord guide body 20 is separated. , It does not interfere with the sewing operation of the cord material, and various inconveniences as described below are eliminated.

During the sewing operation of the cord material, the portion of the cord material C on the supply side (cord material C hanging from the tube 31 before entering the cord guide body 20) sways as the cord guide body 20 moves up and down, but the swaying supply There is no possibility that the portion of the cord material C on the side crosses the moving line of the vertical movement of the sewing needle 6. Therefore, there is no inconvenience that the swinging supply-side cord material C is erroneously sewn by the sewing needle 6.

Since the portion of the cord material C on the supply side near the introduction port 20d of the cord guide body 20 and the portion of the cord material C sewn at the needle drop position are appropriately separated from each other, the cord material C is separated from the fluffy material. Even if this happens, there is no risk of pilling. If the cord guide body 20 is not provided with the tubular portion 20e, the distance between the cord material portion on the supply side near the introduction port of the cord guide body 20 and the cord material portion sewn at the needle drop position is relatively short. Then, the cord material part on the supply side that enters the introduction port comes into contact with the cord material part sewn on the fabric, and the fluff is entangled and is supplied to the introduction port while being entangled, and as the sewing continues. It becomes a ring-shaped pill that passes through the introduction port and the outlet hole and adheres to the holding portion of the cord guide body, and if the pill becomes large, the outlet hole may be blocked. However, as in the present embodiment, by providing the tubular portion 20e extending forward in the cord guide body 20, the portion of the cord material C on the supply side entering the introduction port 20d and the cord material C coming out from the outlet hole 20b are sewn to the fabric. There is no risk of contact with the attached cord material C portion, and therefore there is no risk of pilling.

[Outline of sewing operation of cord material]
A known cord embroidery technique may be appropriately applied as a specific method for operating the cord guidance device 21 according to the present embodiment to perform a cord material sewing (cord embroidery) operation. For example, the code embroidery method shown in Patent Document 1 can be preferably applied in this embodiment as well. For example, when sewing a desired cord material C, a needle is set so that the needle rod 5 corresponding to the elevating rod 12 to which the cord guide body 20 for guiding the desired cord material C is attached is set to the operating position. Select the slide position of the bar case 4. Then, the cord material C is sent out by raising and lowering the corresponding elevating rod 12 in synchronization with the sewing operation by the needle rod 5 and the sewing needle 6 set at the operating position, and the cord material C guided to the needle drop position. Is sewn on the material to be sewn (fabric). By changing the elevating stroke of the elevating rod 12, the amount (length) of the cord material C sent out in one sewing operation is adjusted, thereby forming a sewn pattern of the cord material C with respect to the material to be sewn (fabric). The optimum amount (length) of cord material C corresponding to the problem is sent out. The elevating stroke of the elevating rod 12 is adjusted by controlling the motor 13 (second drive source). Any cord material sewing pattern (cord embroidery pattern) can be selected, and as is known, the embroidery frame is driven XY for each stitch according to the selected cord material sewing pattern (cord embroidery pattern). In addition, the cord material sewing style (such as the above-mentioned "cord stitching" or "loop stitching") is controlled based on the variable control of the lifting stroke of the lifting rod 12 according to the present embodiment, and thus the cord material sewing operation (cord) is performed. Embroidery operation) progresses.

When embroidering the cord, the position of the bottom dead center of the cord guide body 20 and the amount of the elevating stroke of the elevating rod 12 are set in advance on the operation panel for each embroidery step. The bottom dead center can be set at a position within a predetermined range according to the thickness of the cord material C to be sewn, the thickness of the material to be sewn (fabric), and the like. The elevating stroke amount can also be set within a predetermined range. For example, when the elevating stroke amount is set to zero, the cord guide body 20, that is, the elevating rod 12 does not move in a stroke. The well-known "cord sewing" is advanced while being pressed onto the material to be sewn by the bottom surface of the pressing portion 20a. When the ascending / descending stroke amount is set to an arbitrary value (arbitrary height from bottom dead center = top dead center), the cord guide body 20 is set from bottom dead center in synchronization with each stroke of the needle bar 5. A well-known "loop stitch" is performed by stroking between top dead centers. Further, it is also possible to form a three-dimensional cord pattern by overlapping and sewing the cord materials C while changing the ascending / descending stroke amount of the elevating rod 12. In this embodiment, when the sewing of the cord material is completed, the cord material C is automatically cut in the vicinity of the sewing end position by the operation of the cord cutting device 40 described below.

[Cord cutting device]
As shown in FIG. 2, a cord cutting device 40 is provided below the sewing machine arm 3, and the cord cutting device 40 is detachably attached to the sewing machine arm 3. The cord cutting device 40 has a cutter unit 50 for cutting the cord material C, is arranged at a predetermined retracted position during the sewing operation, and cuts the cord material C after the sewing of the cord material C is completed. It is configured to be moved to the position of. Note that FIG. 2 shows a state in which the cord cutting device 40 is arranged at the retracted position. The retracted position is a position separated rearward from the movement locus (vertical movement path) of the sewing needle 6 and is a position where the cord cutting device 40 does not interfere with the sewing operation by the sewing needle 6. Preferably, the cord cutting device 40 further includes a moving mechanism that moves the cutter unit 50 between the retracted position and the cutting preparation position that enters the moving locus of the sewing needle 6.

First, the support (mounting) structure of the cord cutting device 40 in the sewing machine arm 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 5. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing the main components of the cord cutting device 40 in an enlarged manner. The cord cutting device 40 includes a flat plate-shaped support (mounting) base 41 at the uppermost portion. The left and right ends of the front edge of the support base 41 are protrusions 41a and 41b, and an L-shaped bracket 42 (see FIG. 2) is fixed below each protrusion 41a and 41b via a spacer. A connecting bracket 42a is fixed to the inner side surface of each L-shaped bracket 42, and the cord is cut by screwing the connecting bracket 42a to each bracket 42b on the sewing machine side attached to the left and right side surfaces of the sewing machine arm 3. The device 40 is attached to the sewing machine arm 3 via the support base 41.

Two front and rear guide rods 43 and 44 are arranged below the protrusions 41a and 41b of the support base 41 at predetermined intervals, and are guided by the linear bushes 45 and 46 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. doing. A coil spring 47 is fitted to the guide rod 43 on the front side, and a spring seat 48 is screwed to the upper end portion. An elevating base 49 is hung on the lower ends of the left and right guide rods 43 and 44, and is fixed by screws from the lower surface. In this way, the support base 41 is fixed to the sewing machine arm 3, and the elevating base 49 is supported by the support base 41 so as to be able to move up and down along the guide rods 43 and 44, and is attached upward by the coil spring 47. It is being pushed. That is, the elevating base 49 lowers when a downward force is applied against the urging force of the coil spring 47, and rises due to the stability of the coil spring 47 when the downward force is released.

[Movement mechanism]
Next, the moving mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The moving mechanism includes a driving device 60 for transporting the cutter unit 50, and first and second moving bodies provided on the side of the cutter unit 50 for transmitting the transporting motion by the driving device 60 to the cutter unit 50. It is composed of a combination with the required parts of 70 and 80. The drive device 60 is fixed to the lower surface of the support base 41 via the mounting bracket 61. A part of the mounting bracket 61 is formed as a bent portion that hangs downward, and the drive motor 62 is fixed to the vertical surface of the bent portion. The drive motor 62 functions as a drive source for reciprocating the cutter unit 50 in the horizontal direction, and as a preferable example, it is also used as a drive source for operating the moving scalpel in the cutter unit 50. A drive pulley 63a is provided on the rotating shaft of the drive motor 62, a driven pulley 63b is pivotally supported at the tip of the mounting bracket 61, and a timing belt 64 is hung between the drive pulley 63a and the driven pulley 63b. Inside the mounting bracket 61, the guide rail 61A is fixed along the longitudinal direction (moving direction of the timing belt 64). Further, a moving body 65 is fixed at a predetermined position of the timing belt 64, and the moving body 65 is slidably fitted to the guide rail 61A inside the mounting bracket 61. Therefore, when the drive motor 62 is operated, the moving body 65 reciprocates linearly in the horizontal direction along the guide rail 61A with the reciprocating motion of the timing belt 64.

A drive piece 66 is integrally formed on the moving body 65. The drive piece 66 is long in the vertical direction and is engaged with four rollers in the vertical and front directions of the cutter unit 50, which will be described later. A detected body 67 for detecting the position of the moving body 65 is fixed to the moving body 65, and the position of the moving body 65 is detected by the optical sensor 68 fixed to the mounting bracket 61. .. As an example, when the optical sensor 68 is not blocked by one or a plurality of slits provided in the object to be detected 67, the cord cutting device 40 is located at the predetermined retracted position, the cutting preparation position, or the like. Is detected.

[Cutter unit]
Next, the cutter unit 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9 and the like. The cutter unit 50 includes a first moving body 70, a second moving body 80, and a cutting device 90, and can be slid horizontally with respect to the elevating base 49, but is integrally raised and lowered in the vertical direction. As such, it is supported by the elevating base 49. As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting member 51 is fixed at a predetermined position on the elevating base 49, and the slide guide 52 in the horizontal direction is fixed to the mounting member 51. On the other hand, in the first moving body 70 on the cutter unit 50 side, the cam base 72 and the guide rail 73 are fixed to the moving base 71 in a predetermined arrangement. The guide rail 73 is slidably fitted to the slide guide 52 on the elevating base 49 side in the horizontal direction (front-back direction with respect to the front surface of the sewing machine). At both ends of the member to which the guide rail 73 is attached in the longitudinal direction, bent portions 73a are formed so as to come into contact with the ends of the slide guide 5 and limit the slide movement.

7 and 8 are left side views of the cutter unit 50, and the guide rail 73 is omitted for convenience in order to clearly show the state of the cam base 72 of the first moving body 70. Note that FIG. 7 shows the cutter unit 50 placed in the retracted position, and FIG. 8 shows the cutter unit 50 placed in the cutting preparation position. In the figure, the hatched parts indicate the cross section. A cam groove 74 is formed in the cam base 72, and a cam roller 54 (see FIG. 2) supported by a bracket 53 fixed to the lower surface of the support base 41 is fitted in the cam groove 74. In addition, in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the bracket 53 and the cam roller 54 are also shown for convenience. The cam groove 74 includes an inclined portion 74a that is obliquely upward toward the rear, a bent portion 74b that bends vertically from the rear end of the inclined portion 74a, and a vertical portion 74c that extends vertically from the bent portion 74b. Since the position of the cam roller 54 is fixed on the support base 41, when the first moving body 70 moves in the horizontal direction (front-back direction), the cam base 72 of the first moving body 70 moves horizontally (front-back) along the cam groove 74. (Direction) and vertical movement, whereby the first moving body 70 can move not only in the horizontal direction (front-back direction) but also in the vertical direction. Further, by fitting the slide guide 52 of the elevating base 49 and the guide rail 73 of the first moving body 70, the first moving body 70 and the elevating base 49 move up and down in conjunction with each other, but the elevating base 49 moves in the horizontal direction. It does not move (front-back direction).

Returning to FIGS. 5 and 6, a guide groove 75 is formed in the moving base 71 of the first moving body 70, and the engaging pin 81a provided on the left side surface of the moving base 81 of the second moving body 80 is provided. Engage with the guide groove 75. A guide shaft 76 is fixed to the upper surface of the moving base 71 in the horizontal direction (front-back direction). The moving base 81 of the second moving body 80 is pierced through the guide shaft 76, and the second moving body 80 is slidably supported along the guide shaft 76. By engaging (guide) the guide groove 75 and the guide shaft 76 at two points, the posture of the second moving body 80 along the guide shaft 76 during horizontal movement (forward and reverse) is maintained. That is, the second moving body 80 moves horizontally (forward and backward) along the guide shaft 76 while its rotation is restricted by the engaging pin 81a fitted in the guide groove 75.

On the right side surface of the moving base 81 of the second moving body 80, a pair of rollers 82 that engage with the driving piece 66 of the moving body 65 of the driving device 60 are provided side by side. Further, also in the first moving body 70, a pair of rollers 77 that engage with the driving piece 66 of the moving body 65 of the driving device 60 are provided side by side on the right side surface of the moving base 71. As shown in FIG. 5, the pair of rollers 82 on the second moving body 80 side are arranged above the pair of rollers 77 on the first moving body 70 side. In the assembled state (or retracted state), as shown in FIG. 5, the positions of the upper pair of rollers 82 and the lower pair of rollers 77 in the horizontal direction (front-rear direction) are the same, and the drive device 60 The drive piece 66 of the moving body 65 is inserted between the rollers of each pair. Therefore, when the moving body 65 of the driving device 60 reciprocates in the horizontal direction (front-back direction), the driving piece 66 pushes the rollers 77 and 82 on the front side to move the first moving body 70 and the second moving body 80 forward. Then, when the drive piece 66 pushes the rollers 77 and 82 on the rear side, the first moving body 70 and the second moving body 80 are retracted. In this way, when the rollers 77 and 82 of the first moving body 70 and the second moving body 80 are both engaged with the drive piece 66, the first moving body 70 and the second moving body 80 move together. In this state, the cutter unit 50 is moved between the retracted position and the cut preparation position according to the drive of the drive motor 63, as will be described later. Therefore, the combination of the drive device 60 and the first and second moving bodies 70 and 80 on the cutter unit 50 side functions as a moving mechanism for moving the cutter unit 50 between the retracted position and the cutting preparation position. As will be described later, when only the roller 82 of the second moving body 80 is engaged with the driving piece 66 due to the lowering of the cutter unit 50, only the second moving body 80 is moved by the driving device 60. obtain.

As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting arm 78 extends diagonally forward and downward from the moving base 71 of the first moving body 70, and similarly, the mounting arm 83 extends diagonally forward and downward from the moving base 81 of the second moving body 80. A cutting device 90 is attached to the tips of these attachment arms 78 and 83. The cutting device 90 is rotatable relative to the horizontal female base 91, the fixed female (first cutter component) 92 fixed to the upper surface of the female base 91, and the fixed female 92 on the female base 91. A moving scalpel (second cutter component) 93 pivotally supported via a pin 94, a contact member 95 provided slightly upward at the rear of the scalpel base 91, and a link mechanism for moving the moving scalpel 93. including. The female base 91 is attached to the tip of the mounting arm 78 of the first moving body 70, and moves in the horizontal direction (front-back direction) and moves up and down together with the first moving body 70. The contact member 95 is a portion where the pressing portion 18b of the cord guide body 20 abuts, and the pressing portion 18b of the descending cord guide body 20 abuts on the corresponding contact member 95 and pushes down the female base 91. Is lowered, and thus the entire cutting device 90 is lowered. The contact member 95 is fixed to the female base 91 in a state of being arranged slightly above the moving female 93 so as not to interfere with the moving female 93.

The link mechanism for moving the moving female 93 includes a swing link 96 and a swing link 97, and one end of the swing link 96 is attached to the tip of the mounting arm 83 of the second moving body 80 with a shaft (linking pin). ) 98 is oscillatingly connected. A torsion spring 100 (see, for example, FIG. 7) is fitted to the linking pin 98, and one end of the spring 100 is hung on the mounting arm 83 and the other end is hung on the swing link 96. The oscillating link 96 is urged toward the lower surface by the torsion spring 100. At the other end of the swing link 96, one end of the rotation link 97 is rotatably connected by a shaft (linking pin) 99. The other end of the rotating link 97 is rotatably connected to the free end of the moving knife 93. As a result, when the second moving body 80 advances while the first moving body 70 is stopped, the free end of the moving female 93 moves forward by the link mechanism connected to the second moving body 80, and the pin 94 is pushed. When the moving scalpel 93 is rotated clockwise with respect to the axis, the moving scalpel 93 intersects the fixed scalpel 92, and a cutting operation is performed. Next, when the second moving body 80 retracts, the moving female 93 rotates counterclockwise around the pin 94 and returns to the initial position.

On the other hand, the female base 91 is formed with a capturing structure (capturing means) 101 for capturing the cord material C to be cut and guiding and holding the cord material C to an appropriate holding position (holding space). FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view showing the female base 91 extracted in order to clarify the form of the capture structure 101. The capture structure 101 includes a guide portion 103 for abutting the cord material C and guiding the cord material C to the insertion port 102, and an insertion path 104 connecting the guide portion 103 to an internal holding position (holding space). A regulation unit 105 is provided to prevent the cord material C from escaping from the holding position (holding space). The guide portion 103 forms a contour line that gradually recedes (that is, diagonally) rearward from the front end edge of the female base 91. As will be described later, while the cutter unit 50 (cutting device 90) moves to the cutting preparation position, the cord material C extending upward (to be cut) substantially along the vertical movement locus of the sewing needle 6 is a female. It comes into contact / contact with the front end edge of the base 91, and at that time, the portion where the cord material C first contacts the front end edge of the female base 91 is arranged so as to be the portion where the guide portion 103 is formed. (Or controlled as such by additional control described below).

When the sewing of the cord material is completed, the sewing needle 6 is of course raised to a predetermined position, and the cord guide body 20 is in the cutting preparation position via the lifting rod 12 under the control of the motor 13. It is raised to a higher predetermined upper position so as not to interfere with the cutter unit 50 (cutting device 90) moving to the cutting preparation position. Therefore, while the cutter unit 50 (cutting device 90) moves from the retracted position to the cutting preparation position, the cord material C to be cut is above a predetermined position from the sewing end position of the cord material C on the material to be sewn. The cord guide body 20 at the position extends upward along the vertical movement locus of the sewing needle 6.

According to the form of the capture structure 101 as described above, when the cutter unit 50 is about to reach the cutting preparation position, the female base 91 (particularly, the female base 91 (particularly) is placed at the intermediate portion of the cord material C to be cut (extending upward). The part of the guide portion 103) hits, and the cord material C is guided by the oblique contour line formed by the guide portion 103 to smoothly enter the insertion port 102, and passes through the insertion path 104 to the holding position (in the capture structure 101). You will be guided smoothly to the space). After that, even if the tensioned cord material C is bent and moves (escapes) from the holding position due to the descent of the cutter unit 50 (cutting device 90), the cord material C moves (escapes) from the holding position. Escape) is regulated. As a result, the cord material C can be appropriately cut without making a mistake during the automatic cutting operation by the cutter unit 50 (cutting device 90). As shown in FIG. 5, the moving scalpel 93 is provided with a blade on the lower side of the portion 93a, and the cord material C is held at the holding position when the cord material C is cut at a portion 93b different from the blade. A holding portion for holding the lumber is formed. Therefore, in this embodiment, appropriately holding the cord material C at the holding position (space in the catching structure 101) at the time of cutting is not only the regulation portion 105 of the catching structure 101 of the female base 91, but also the moving female 93. This is preferably achieved in collaboration with the holding unit 93b.

[Height adjustment device]
In the present invention, a height adjusting device for variably adjusting the height of the cutter unit 50 when cutting the cord material C is provided. In a preferred embodiment, the height adjusting device is composed of at least an elevating member (for example, the elevating rod 12). That is, the height of the elevating member (for example, the elevating rod 12) is adjusted according to the desired height (cutting position) of the cutter unit 50, and the elevating member (for example, the elevating rod 12) is lowered as the elevating member (for example, the elevating rod 12) is lowered. By lowering the cutter unit 50, the cutter unit 50 is moved to a position (cutting position) defined by the elevating member (for example, the elevating rod 12).

In a more preferred embodiment (that is, the illustrated embodiment), the height adjusting device is composed of a combination of the elevating member (elevating rod 12) and the cord guide body 20. That is, the elevating member (elevating rod 12) and the cord guide body 20 are subjected to a height adjusting function of the cutter unit 50, which is different from the function at the time of sewing (cord embroidery) of the cord material described above. By making it function, a height adjustment device is realized. The height adjusting device in the present embodiment has a configuration in which the elevating rod 12 is lowered to a certain set height (cutting position) after the sewing of the cord material C is completed, and the elevating rod 12 is lowered. The height of the cutter unit 50 is adjusted by pushing the cutter unit 50 downward by the cord guide body 20 (specifically, the pushing-down portion 18b) attached to the lower end. More specifically, the pressing portion 18b of the cord guide body 20 abuts on the contact member 95 (FIG. 5) fixed to the female base 91 of the cutting device 90 in the cutter unit 50 and pushes it downward. The cutter unit 50 is lowered to the cutting position. In the illustrated embodiment, when the cord material C is cut, the elevating rod 12 and the cord guide body 20 are not used for sewing the cord material (cord embroidery), so that the elevating rod 12 and the cord guide are not used. The body 20 can also be used as an elevating member (and a pressing body) for cutting the cord.

Preferably, the height adjusting device adjusts the height of the cutter unit 20 according to the height (bulkness) of the cord material C sewn on the stitched material. That is, when the elevating rod 12 functions as an elevating member for cutting a cord, the height of the elevating rod 12 (that is, the lower limit position of the cord guide body 20) is the cord material C sewn on the material to be sewn. It is variably set according to the height (bulkness) of. Specifically, the height of the elevating rod 12 (that is, the lower limit position of the cord guide body 20) is adjusted by setting the height as the stop target position of the motor 13 (second drive source) and setting the stop target position. This is done by stopping the motor 13 when it reaches it.

As an example, FIG. 10A shows a side view of the cord pattern of "cord sewing" in which the height (bulkness) of the cord material C sewn on the sewing material W is the minimum. In the figure, the alternate long and short dash line with the reference number 91 is the height of the female base 91 of the cutting device 90 set to the lower limit position (cutting position) for cutting corresponding to such a sewn cord pattern. Indicates the position. Such a cord pattern of "cord sewing" is obtained when the lifting stroke amount of the lifting rod 12 is set to zero in the above-mentioned cord material sewing operation. Further, as another example, the cord pattern when the cord material C is "loop-sewn" on the stitched material W is shown in the side view as shown in FIG. 10B, and the reference number 91 in the drawing. The two-dot chain line with the mark indicates the height position of the female base 91 of the cutting device 90 set to the lower limit position (cutting position) for cutting corresponding to the cord pattern of such loop sewing. Such a "loop sewing" cord pattern is obtained when the lifting stroke amount of the lifting rod 12 is set to an appropriate value other than zero for the desired "loop sewing" in the above-mentioned cord material sewing operation. Is.

As is clear from comparing FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b), the height of the cutting position of the cutter unit 50 (that is, the height of the scalpel stand 91) according to the bulkiness (height) of the sewn cord pattern. Is variably adjusted. Of course, even in loop sewing as shown in FIG. 10B, the height of the cutting position of the cutter unit 50 (that is, the height of the scalpel stand 91) depends on the difference in the bulkiness (height) of the loop sewing after sewing. Is variously variably adjusted. Further, although not shown, when forming a three-dimensional cord pattern other than loop sewing, the height of the cutting position of the cutter unit 50 ( That is, the height of the female base 91) is variably adjusted.

The height of the cutting position of the cutter unit 50 (that is, the height of the scalpel stand 91) is set according to the thickness of the cord material C, the bulkiness (height) of the sewn cord pattern, and the like of the embroidery sewing machine. By manually operating the operation panel by the operator, it can be set for each needle bar of each sewing machine head. As another example, the cutting position height data is programmed in the pattern data (sewing pattern data) for automatically sewing the cord pattern, and when the automatic cord material sewing operation is executed, the cutting related to the cord pattern for which sewing has been completed is performed. The position height data may be recalled and the motor 13 may be controlled according to the cutting position height data.

As is clear from the above, in one embodiment as described above, the function of the height adjusting device is a pushing-down mechanism including the elevating member (elevating rod 12), the motor 13 and the cord guide body 20 as described above. And, in response to this push-down, it is realized by a combination with a transfer mechanism on the cord cutting device 40 side that appropriately shifts the cutter unit 50 downward via the contact member 95 (FIG. 5). The transition mechanism on the cord cutting device 40 side will be further described with reference to FIGS. 2, 5, 8 and the like. When a pushing force is applied to the contact member 95 by the descending cord guide body 20, the first moving body 70 of the cutter unit 50 refers to the support plate 41 via the vertical portion 74c (FIG. 8) of the cam groove 74. Since it is in a state where it is allowed to move up and down, it moves downward. At that time, by fitting the guide rail 73 (FIG. 5) of the first moving body 70 with the slide guide 52 of the elevating base 49, the elevating base 49 also moves downward together. The vertical movement of the elevating base 49 is guided by the linear bushes 45, 46 (FIG. 2) of the support base 41 via the guide rods 43, 44 (FIG. 2). In this way, the combination of the contact member 95, the first moving body 70, the elevating base 49, the guide rods 43, 44, etc. provided in the cord cutting device 40 shifts the cutter unit 50 from the cutting preparation position to the cutting position. It functions as a transition mechanism to make it. Specifically, the configuration in which the elevating base 49 supporting the cutter unit 50 can move up and down via the guide rods 43 and 44 functions as a transition guide for guiding the cutter unit 50 from the cutting preparation position to the cutting position. Further, the structure in which the cutter unit 50 is pushed down by the elevating member (elevating rod 12) via the cord guide body 20 functions as a means for pushing down the cutter unit 50. Further, the contact member 95 (FIG. 5) provided on the female base 91 of the cutter unit 50 functions as a receiving portion that receives a pressing force applied from the outside. Further, the coil spring 47 (FIG. 2) for urging the elevating base 49 upward functions as a spring for returning the cutter unit 50 upward.

[A series of operations of the code cutting device 40]
Next, a series of operations of the cord cutting device 40 having the above-described configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14 and the like. 11 to 14 exemplify some main states in the operation process of the cord cutting device 40, and are views showing the right side surface of the cutter unit 50 and the like. In the figure, the hatched parts indicate the cross section. It should be noted that this series of operations is performed under the control of the electronic control system equipped on the embroidery sewing machine, similarly to the above-mentioned sewing operation of the cord material (cord embroidery operation).

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an outline of an electronic control system provided in the embroidery sewing machine. This electronic control system performs various sewing operations including a cord material sewing operation (cord embroidery operation) and a series of the above-mentioned operations (code) by processing of a computer (that is, a control device) including a CPU (processor) 110 and a memory device 111. Controls operations related to disconnection). As is known, the memory device 111 is a semiconductor memory such as a ROM, a RAM, and a flash memory, a hard disk, a detachable storage medium, and the like, and these are comprehensively shown. The operation panel 112 accepts user operations for making various settings related to the operation of the embroidery sewing machine, such as various sewing operations including the sewing operation of the cord material. The XY drive device 113 drives the embroidery frame (not shown) XY according to the embroidery pattern to be sewn. The spindle motor 114 is a motor that drives the spindle 8. The needle bar selection motor 115 is a motor that drives the slide shaft 7 for sliding the needle bar case 4 for needle bar selection. The sensor group 116 is the optical sensor 68 and various sensors provided in connection with each motor and the like, and these are comprehensively shown. The motors 13 and 62 are also incorporated into the electronic control system via a bus. The memory device 111 includes a program for executing a series of operations (particularly operations related to cutting of the cord material C) as described in the present specification according to a predetermined procedure, the above-mentioned sewing operation of the cord material, and various other operations. Programs for controlling the operation of the above are stored, and these programs can be executed by the CPU 110 (processor).

When the embroidery head 1 is performing a sewing operation (including a cord material sewing operation), the cutter unit 50 of the cord cutting device 40 is set to the retracted position as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. Of course, the cord cutting operation is not performed at this retracted position. FIG. 11 is a right side view showing the cutter unit 50 and the like in the same retracted position. As described above, when the sewing of the cord material is completed, the sewing needle 6 is raised to a predetermined position, and the cord guide body 20 is higher than the cutting preparation position via the lifting rod 12 under the control of the motor 13. It has been raised to a predetermined upper position. At the same time, the control of moving the cutter unit 50 from the retracted position to the cutting preparation position is performed as in step 1 below. Then, the following steps 2 to 6 are performed.

Step 1: The motor 62 of the drive device 60 is rotated forward, and the moving body 65 attached to the timing belt 64 is moved (advanced) forward. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, the drive piece 66 of the moving body 65 is engaged with both the pair of rollers 77 of the first moving body 70 and the pair of rollers 82 of the second moving body 80. Therefore, by pushing the rollers 77 and 82 on the front sides of both pairs, both the first moving body 70 and the second moving body 80 move forward. Along with this advancement, the position of the cam groove 74 of the first moving body 70 shifts along the inclination of the cam groove 74 with respect to the fixed cam roller 54, so that the first moving body 70 and the second moving body 70 and the second moving body 70 are displaced. The moving body 80 and the cutting device 90 (thus the entire cutter unit 50) are gradually lowered, and the elevating base 49 is also lowered (see FIG. 7).

Step 2: Eventually, when the cutter unit 50 reaches the cutting preparation position, as shown in FIG. 8, the fixed cam roller 54 engages with the bent portion 74b of the cam groove 74, and this engagement causes the first moving body 70. The advance of the cutter unit 50 is mechanically stopped. When the cutter unit 50 reaches the cutting preparation position in this way, as described above with reference to FIG. 9, the intermediate portion of the cord material C guided by the cord guide body 20 cuts the tip of the cutter unit 50. The state is appropriately held in the holding position (space) in the trapping structure 101 of the female base 91 of the device 90, and the intermediate portion of the held cord material C is the fixing female (first cutter) of the cutting device 90. It is between the moving scalpel (part) 92 and the moving scalpel (second cutter part) 93 (see FIG. 5).

The cooperation between the drive device 60 and the first and second moving bodies 70 and 80 on the cutter unit 50 side in steps 1 and 2 moves the cutter unit 50 between the retracted position and the cutting preparation position. It functions as a mechanism.

Step 3: When the cutter unit 50 reaches the cutting preparation position, the rotation of the motor 62 is stopped, and the motor 13 is controlled to start driving so as to lower the elevating rod 12. FIG. 12 is a right side view showing the cutter unit 50 and the like placed in the cutting preparation position, and shows a state in which the cord guide body 20 is descending as the elevating rod 12 descends. In FIGS. 12 to 14, the cord material C is not shown for the sake of simplification.

Eventually, when the pushing-down portion 18b of the cord guide body 20 that descends with the elevating rod 12 comes into contact with the contact member 95 of the cutting device 90, the corresponding contact member 95 is pushed down, and the cutting device 90 and further through the scalpel stand 91. The first moving body 70 and the second moving body 80, that is, the entire cutter unit 50, are lowered. At this time, since the fixed cam roller 54 engages with the vertical portion 74c (see FIG. 7 or 8) of the cam groove 74 of the first moving body 70, the cutter unit 50 does not move in the horizontal direction. , It can move up and down in the vertical direction. Further, while the height of the drive piece 66 on the drive device 60 side does not change, the entire cutter unit 50 descends, so that the rollers 77 of the first moving body 70 and the rollers 82 of the second moving body 80 are lowered. The engagement relationship of the drive piece 66 changes, and finally, at the cutting position described below, only the roller 82 of the second moving body 80 is engaged with the drive piece 66. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, since the roller 77 of the first moving body 70 is arranged below the roller 82 of the second moving body 80, the drive piece 66 also has a predetermined limited vertical size. When the first moving body 70 and the second moving body 80 move downward relative to the driving piece 66, the driving piece 66 engages with the roller 82 of the upper second moving body 80. Is maintained, but the drive piece 66 is disengaged from the roller 77 of the lower first moving body 70. The position at which the drive piece 66 is disengaged from the roller 77 of the lower first moving body 70 may be when the cutter unit 50 reaches the cutting preparation position (state in FIG. 12). However, it may be when the cutter unit 50 reaches the cutting position (state in FIG. 13), or when the cutter unit 50 is located between the cutting preparation position and the cutting position. In short, the first moving body 70 and the second moving body 80 move horizontally together at least between the retracted position and the cutting preparation position according to the driving of the driving piece 66, and the second moving body at least at the cutting position. Only 80 needs to move in response to the drive of the drive piece 66.

Step 4: When the elevating rod 12 reaches a height variably set according to the bulkiness of the sewn cord handle (that is, the lower limit position of the cord guide body 20), the driving of the motor 13 is stopped. This means that the cutter unit 50 has reached the height of the cutting position, which is variably set according to the bulkiness of the sewn cord pattern. FIG. 13 is a right side view showing the cutter unit 50 and the like in a state where the cutting position has been reached. In the preferred embodiment, the function of the height adjusting device is realized by controlling the height of the elevating rod 12 (that is, the lower limit position of the cord guide 20) in the procedure 4.

As described above, the transition of the cutter unit 50 from the cutting preparation position to the cutting position in steps 3 and 4 is performed by a pushing-down mechanism including an elevating member (elevating rod 12), a cord guide body 20 and the like, and a cord cutting device. It is realized by the combination with the transition mechanism including the contact member 95, the first moving body 70, the elevating base 49, the guide rods 43, 44 and the like in 40.

Step 5: With the cutter unit 50 in the cutting position, the motor 62 of the drive device 60 is rotated forward by the amount required for the cutting operation, so that the moving knife (second cutter component) 93 of the cutting device 90 is rotated. Is moved, thereby cutting the cord material C held at the holding position (space) in the trapping structure 101 of the female base 91. That is, as shown in FIG. 13, when the cutter unit 50 reaches the cutting position, the engagement of the drive piece 66 with the roller 82 of the upper second moving body 80 is maintained, but the lower first moving body 80 is maintained. The drive piece 66 is disengaged from the roller 77 of the body 70. Therefore, when the drive piece 66 advances by a predetermined distance due to the forward rotation of the motor 62, the first moving body 70 does not move and only the second moving body 80 moves forward. As a result, as described above with reference to FIG. 5, in the cutting device 90, the moving scalpel 93 is rotated clockwise by the link mechanism including the swing link 96 and the rotation link 97, and the cord material C is cut. Will be done. FIG. 14 is a right side view showing the cutter unit 50 and the like immediately after performing the cutting operation at the cutting position. Since the cord guide body 20 pushes down the cutter unit 50 during the cutting operation, the cord material C on the sewing material can be pressed by the lower surface of the scalpel base 91, and the cord material C can be pressed during cutting. There is an additional effect that the escape of C can be suppressed. After cutting the cord material C, the motor 62 of the drive device 60 is rotated in the reverse direction by a predetermined amount to retract the second moving body 80 to, for example, the position shown in FIG. 13, and return the moving knife 93 to the initial position. In this way, the cutting operation is completed.

Step 6: After the cutting operation is completed, the lifting rod 12 is raised by rotating the motor 13 in the reverse direction, and the cord guide body 20 is moved upward (for example, returned to the predetermined upper position). As the cord guide body 20 rises, the pressing force on the cutter unit 50 is released, and the restoring force of the coil spring 47 raises the cutter unit 50 together with the elevating base 49. As a result, the cutter unit 50 rises to the position shown in FIG. At the same time, the drive piece 66 is retracted by rotating the motor 62 of the drive device 60 in the reverse direction. At the position shown in FIG. 12, both the roller 77 of the first moving body 70 and the roller 82 of the second moving body 80 engage with the drive piece 66, so that the cutter unit 50 also moves as the drive piece 66 retracts. It retracts and is returned to the retracted position shown in FIG. When the position returns to the retracted position, the motor 62 is stopped and a series of operations is completed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the cord material C can be automatically cut at an appropriately set arbitrary height at the end of sewing the cord material. Therefore, by changing the height of the cut portion according to the thickness of the cord material C, the thickness of the sewn material W (fabric), the bulkiness of the sewn cord pattern (overall thickness), and the like, the cord material C can be used. It is possible to always cut at a height position suitable for the sewn state, so that the remaining length of the cord material C on the sewn material W (fabric) side after cutting can be set to an appropriate length without excess. This makes it possible, and the process of manually cutting the end of the cord material C after sewing becomes unnecessary. For example, in FIG. 10, the difference in the height of the cut portion of the cord material C according to the difference in the bulkiness (overall thickness) of the cord handle according to this embodiment is illustrated. That is, when the bulkiness (overall thickness) of the cord handle is low as shown in FIG. 10 (a), the height of the cut portion Ce1 of the cord material C is lowered accordingly, and the cord is as shown in FIG. 10 (b). When the handle is bulky (overall thickness), the height of the cut portion Ce2 of the cord material C is increased accordingly.

[Relationship with thread cutting]
In the above embodiment, the relationship between the cutting of the needle thread passed through the sewing needle 6 and the cutting of the cord material C is not particularly described. That is, the present invention can be carried out independently of the thread cutting technique. However, in a preferred embodiment, in automating the cutting of the cord material C, it is preferable to cut the needle thread (and the bobbin thread) before cutting the cord material C. This is because if the cord material C is cut while the needle thread is still connected to the sewing material (fabric) side from the needle hole of the sewing needle 6, the needle thread is cut together with the cord material C. This is because the remaining length of the needle thread on the sewing needle 6 side is shortened. If the remaining length of the needle thread on the sewing needle 6 side is shortened in this way, there arises a problem that it becomes difficult to perform the next sewing as it is. Therefore, as a method for preventing such a problem from occurring, at the end of sewing the cord material, before cutting the cord material C according to the present invention, the needle thread (and bobbin thread) is cut. Good to do. As is generally known, in a sewing machine, a thread cutting device is provided below the table 10 to cut the needle thread and the bobbin thread. As is known, the needle thread hook 16 and the needle thread holder 17 shown in FIG. 2 are held by the needle thread holder 17 by hooking the needle thread with the needle thread hook 16 before or after thread cutting by the thread cutting device. Is for. In this way, when the needle thread is held in the needle thread holder 17, there is no possibility that the needle thread will be cut together when the cord material C is cut.

[Standing position of cord guide (thread cutting position)]
In the above embodiment, it has been explained that when the sewing of the cord material is completed, the cord guide body 20 is raised to a predetermined upper position higher than the cutting preparation position. This predetermined upper position is a resting position (or retracting position) when the sewing operation is not performed, and is usually the highest height. However, as described above, since the thread cutting operation is performed before the cutting operation of the cord material C, if the cord guide body 20 is placed in the highest rest position (or retracted position), the cord guide body 20 It is not preferable because the cord material C connected to the sewing material is caught in the needle thread hooking operation by the needle thread hook 16. Therefore, in this embodiment, the cord guide body 20 is positioned at a standby position (thread cutting position) at a predetermined height at the time of thread cutting. The standby position (thread cutting position) of the cord guide body 20 is a position below the advance position (movement locus) of the needle thread hook 16.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged side view showing an example of a preferable standby position (thread cutting position) of the cord guide body 20 at the time of thread cutting. The position of the cord guide 20 shown in FIG. 16 specifies the standby position (thread cutting position), and reference numeral 16'refers to the needle thread (not shown) extending from the sewing needle 6 to the sewing material. A two-dot chain line indicates a state in which the needle thread hook 16 is advanced on the vertical movement line of the sewing needle 6 for hooking. That is, the standby position (thread cutting position) of the cord guide body 20 is a position where the cord material C connected from the cord guide body 20 to the stitched material does not interfere with the needle thread hooking operation by the needle thread hook 16. It is below the advance position (two-dot chain line 16') of the needle thread hook 16. By setting the standby position of the cord guide body 20 in this way, as shown in the figure, the cord material C connected from the cord guide body 20 to the stitched material is at the advance position of the needle thread hook 16 (two-dot chain line 16'. ), The cord material C is not hooked by the needle thread hook 16. When the thread cutting is completed, the cord guide body 20 is raised again to the predetermined upper position, that is, the resting position (or retracted position), and then the cord cutting operation by the cord cutting device 40 is performed by the procedure as described above. Be evacuated.

The advantage that the cord guide body 20 has the tubular portion 20e has already been described, but since it has a further advantage in relation to the needle thread hooking operation by the needle thread hook 16, this point will be described. As shown in FIG. 16, when the standby position of the cord guide body 20 is set below the advance position (two-dot chain line 16') of the needle thread hook 16, assuming that the tubular portion 20e is not provided, the cord As shown by the broken line C', the portion of the cord material C on the supply side above the guide body 20 is arranged so as to interfere with the needle thread hooking operation by the needle thread hook 16. However, as described above, since the introduction port 20d of the cord guide body 20 is kept away from the outlet hole 20b (needle drop position) due to the presence of the tubular portion 20e, the cord on the supply side above the introduction port 20d. The portion of the material C is prevented from entering the advance position (two-dot chain line 16') of the needle thread hook 16. Therefore, the portion of the cord material C on the supply side above the introduction port 20d of the cord guide body 20 does not interfere with the needle thread hooking operation by the needle thread hook 16.

[Additional control related to code disconnection operation]
The series of operations performed by the cord cutting device 40 for cord cutting have already been described. As a preferred embodiment, as an additional control related to such a cord cutting operation, an intermediate portion of the cord material C to be cut by the capture structure 101 (FIG. 9) provided on the female base 91 of the cutting device 90 of the cutter unit 50. It is advisable to perform control to ensure that is captured.

First, immediately before starting the cord cutting operation by the cord cutting device 40, that is, immediately before starting the forward rotation of the motor 62 of the drive device 60 in the above procedure 1, the embroidery frame is placed from the sewing end position of the cord material. It moves a predetermined distance to the right (X direction) when viewed from the front. This predetermined distance means that the cord material C extending upward from the sewing end position of the cord material toward the cord guide body 20 is in the front-rear direction (Y direction) with respect to the guide portion 103 (FIG. 9) of the capture structure 101. This is the distance at which they will face each other. This predetermined distance is generally determined according to the amount of deviation in the X direction between the needle drop position on the cord guide body 20 and the position of the guide portion 103 on the female base 91. By moving the embroidery frame by a predetermined distance in the X direction in this way, the cord material C connected from the cord guide body 20 onto the sewing material is positioned in front of the guide portion 103 on the female base 91.

In this state, the steps 1 and 2 are executed. As a result, as the cutter unit 50 advances, when the cord material C extending upward from the sewing end position of the cord material comes into contact with the female base 91, the cord material C causes the guiding portion 103 of the capturing structure 101 to come into contact with the female base 91. Guided by the diagonal contour line formed, it smoothly enters the insertion port 102.

Next, before executing the step 3, or at the same time as the step 3, the embroidery frame is returned to the left (X direction) by a predetermined distance. As a result, the cord material C is guided to the holding position (space in the capturing structure 101) through the insertion path 104 and returned to the original sewing end position, and is appropriately held in the holding position in the capturing structure 101. .. After that, the above steps 4 to 6 are executed, and the cord cutting operation is performed as described above.

[Full automation of code embroidery related operations]
Next, an embodiment of the fully automated processing of the cord embroidery-related operation performed by using the embroidery sewing machine shown in the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a fully automated process for code embroidery-related operations. For example, according to an instruction from a control device (CPU 110, memory device 111, etc.) included in the electronic control system shown in FIG. It is executed by controlling the operation of each device in the embroidery sewing machine shown in the above embodiment.

FIG. 17A shows the overall processing flow. In step S1, the cord material sewing control is performed. As a premise for performing this cord material sewing control (S1), a cord guide body 20 is attached to the lower end of the lifting rod 12 corresponding to the needle rod 5 selected for sewing, and the cord guide body 20 has a cylinder. It is assumed that the cord material C is introduced through the shaped portion 20e, and the tip portion of the cord material C comes out of the lead-out hole 20b of the cord guide body 20 and hangs down at an appropriate length. When the cord material is first sewn, the state in which the tip portion of the cord material C hangs down from the lead-out hole 20b of the cord guide body 20 is, of course, manually performed. However, when the sewing of the same cord material C is started (restarted) after the cord material C is cut as described above, the tip portion (sewn remaining length portion) of the cord material C after cutting is the cord. Since it is in a state of hanging from the lead-out hole 20b of the guide body 20, it is not necessary to perform any special manual work in order to set such a premise state. The cord material sewing control performed in step S1 means that the tip portion of the cord material C hanging from the lead-out hole 20b of the cord guide body 20 is automatically sewn onto the stitched material W. It is the control to be performed.

FIG. 17B shows a specific example of the cord material sewing control performed in step S1. First, in the first step S11, the spindle motor 114 and the motor 13 are controlled to lower the sewing needle 6 and the cord guide body 20 at predetermined rest positions above, respectively. The lowering control of both is appropriately synchronized so that the portion of the cord material C passing through the lead-out hole 20b of the cord guide body 20 is pierced by the descending sewing needle 6 and dropped onto the stitched material W. .. As a result, even if the remaining length of the cord material C hanging from the cord guide body 20 (that is, the length from directly below the cord guide body 20 to the tip of the cord material C) is short, the sewing is lowered. Since the cord material C is pierced by the needle 6 and descends together, there is no inconvenience that the cord material comes out of the cord guide while the cord guide C is descending, and the tip of the cord guide C does not occur. The portion can be reliably dropped onto the sewing material W.

Next, in the first step S12, by controlling the spindle motor 114 and the motor 13, the sewing needle 6 is sewn a plurality of times while the lowered cord guide body 20 is held at the lower limit position, whereby the sewing needle 6 is sewn a plurality of times. , The portion of the cord material C dropped onto the sewn material W is sewn onto the sewn material W with a plurality of stitches. Therefore, a plurality of stitches are sewn while the portion of the cord material C dropped onto the stitched material W is firmly held by the cord guide body 20, and the portion of the cord material C (that is, sewn out). The end) is securely sewn.

Since the cord material C described above is performed in a state where a certain amount of tension is applied to the cord material C, the cord material C made of a shrinkable material is released from the tension after cutting. The length of the cord material C near the cut portion is considerably shortened (that is, it returns from the stretched state to the normal length). Therefore, the length (sewn residual length) from the cord guide body 20 to the tip end portion of the cord material C after cutting extending downward thereof is shortened. However, even in such a case, according to the sewing control according to the present embodiment, the cord material C is pierced by the descending sewing needle 6 and the cord material C is lowered together, so that the tip of the cord guide body C is The portion can be reliably dropped onto the sewing material W and sewn.

In this way, according to the sewing control according to the present embodiment, the sewing end portion of the cord material can be automatically sewn without manpower, and any material (particularly a material having abundant shrinkage) can be sewn. Even if it is a cord material, it is possible to prevent a sewing error from occurring.

Returning to FIG. 17A, after step S1, in step S2, the cord material sewing control (cord embroidery control), which is the main process, is performed. That is, in step S2, according to the selected cord material sewing pattern (cord embroidery pattern), the embroidery frame is driven XY for each stitch as is known, and the lifting rod 12 is raised and lowered according to the present embodiment. The cord material sewing operation (cord embroidery operation) proceeds in any cord material sewing style based on variable stroke control (such as the above-mentioned "cord stitching", "loop stitching", or "three-dimensional cord pattern formation"). Let me.

When a series of pattern sewing related to one cord material is completed, the process proceeds from step S2 to step S3. In step S3, the needle thread hooking operation control by the needle thread hook 16 including the control to the standby position of the cord guide body 20 as described in the above embodiment and the needle thread and bobbin thread cutting operation control by a known thread cutting device. I do.

After step S3, code cut control is performed in step S4. As described in the above embodiment, the cord cut control comprises cutting the cord material C by the cord cutting device 40 after the sewing of the cord material C is completed. In this step S4, for example, the code cut control including the above steps 1 to 6 is performed.

When starting sewing of another cord material C after the cord cut control is completed,
Alternatively, when resuming sewing of the same cord material C, the process returns to step S1 and the same processing routine as described above is repeated. In this way, all processes related to code embroidery can be fully automated.

[Modification example of cutter unit]
FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the cutter unit 50, in particular, extracting and showing the portions of the first moving body 70, the second moving body 80, and the cutting device 90. The first moving body 70, the second moving body 80 and the cutting device 90 shown in the modified example of FIG. 18, and the first moving body 70 and the second moving body having the same reference numerals shown in the above embodiment (particularly FIG. 5). The differences between the body 80 and the cutting device 90 are as follows. In FIG. 18, first, a compression spring 117 is provided on the guide shaft 76 of the first moving body 70, and the moving base 81 of the second moving body 80 and the guide shaft 76 that can move in the front-rear direction along the guide shaft 76. It is configured so that the urging force acts in the direction of widening the distance from the fixed end near the front of the. Next, of the pair of rollers 77 on the first moving body 70 side, the front roller (indicated by reference numeral 77a in FIG. 18) is arranged at a position appropriately displaced forward from the arrangement shown in FIG. NS. There is no change in the arrangement of the rear rollers of the pair of rollers 77, and there is no change in the arrangement of the pair of rollers 82 of the second moving body 80. That is, the distance between the front roller (77a) and the rear roller of the pair of rollers 77 is wider than the distance shown in FIG. Further, in the modified example of FIG. 18, the shape of the holding portion 93c of the moving scalpel 93 provided in the cutting device 90 is slightly more protruding than the shape of the holding portion 93b of the moving scalpel 93 shown in FIG. I am trying to be. The other configurations in FIG. 18 are unchanged and are the same as the configurations shown by the same reference numerals in the above embodiment (particularly FIG. 5).

The operation of the modified example shown in FIG. 18 will be described below. First, the operation when the cutter unit 50 is moved from the retracted position to the cutting preparation position will be described. At the retracted position of the cutter unit 50, the drive piece 66 (see FIG. 5 and the like) of the moving body 65 is engaged between the pair of rollers 82 of the second moving body 80, but the first moving body 70 The pair of rollers 77 are only in contact with the rear rollers. When the drive piece 66 of the moving body 65 moves forward in response to the forward rotation of the motor 62 (see FIG. 5 and the like) of the driving device 60, the second moving body 80 is engaged with the pair of rollers 82 to move the second moving body 60. The body 80 moves forward, the moving base 81 of the second moving body 80 acts on the compression spring 117, and the front fixed end of the guide shaft 76 moves forward accordingly, resulting in. The first moving body 70 moves forward, and the entire cutter unit 50 moves forward.

When the cutter unit 50 reaches the cutting preparation position, the first moving body 70 is stopped from advancing when the cam roller 54 comes into contact with the bent portion 74b of the cam groove 74 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the cutter unit 50 reaches the cutting preparation position, the forward rotation of the motor 62 is not immediately stopped, and the second moving body 80 moves further forward. The further forward movement of the second moving body 80 causes the holding portion 93c of the moving scalpel 93 arranged at the front end of the second moving body 80 to move somewhat forward. At this time, the forward movement of the moving base 81 of the second moving body 80 is absorbed by the compression spring 117, so that the first moving body 70 does not move. Therefore, the capturing structure 101 of the female base 91 arranged at the front end of the first moving body 70 does not move, and the holding portion 93c of the moving female 93 moves slightly forward relative to the capturing structure 101 of the female base 91. It will move. As described above, when the cutter unit 50 reaches the cutting preparation position, the intermediate portion of the cord material C guided by the cord guide body 20 is held at the holding position (space) in the capturing structure 101 of the female base 91 of the cutting device 90. ), And the intermediate portion of the held cord material C comes between the fixed scalpel 92 and the moving scalpel 93 of the cutting device 90. Therefore, in response to the further forward movement of the second moving body 80 at this cutting preparation position, the holding portion 93c of the moving scalpel 93 moves somewhat forward relative to the capturing structure 101 of the scalpel 91. , The insertion port 102 (FIG. 9) of the capture structure 101 is closed by the holding portion 93c of the moving scalpel 93, and the intermediate portion of the cord material C held at the holding position (space) in the capturing structure 101 moves. It is in a state of being surrounded by the holding portion 93c of the female 93. That is, the forward rotation amount of the motor 62 that is further maintained even after the cutter unit 50 reaches the cutting preparation position is such that the holding portion 93c of the moving scalpel 93 closes the insertion port 102 (FIG. 9) of the capture structure 101. The amount is so small that no cutting operation is performed. As a result, the intermediate portion of the cord material C is reliably held at the holding position (space) in the trapping structure 101, and does not protrude from the insertion port 102 (FIG. 9). Due to the arrangement of the front roller (77a in FIG. 18) of the pair of rollers 77 on the side of the first moving body 70, the minute movement amount of the holding portion 93c of the moving knife 93 after reaching the cutting preparation position. May be regulated.

After that, the rotation of the motor 62 is stopped, the driving of the motor 13 is started, and the elevating rod 12 is lowered. As a result, the cutter unit 50 descends from the cutting preparation position to the cutting position as in the above embodiment. Similar to the above embodiment, when the cutter unit 50 is lowered to the cutting position, the motor 13 is stopped and the motor 62 of the drive device 60 is rotated forward by an amount required for the cutting operation, thereby moving the cutting device 90. (Second cutter component) 93 is moved, thereby cutting the cord material C held at the holding position (space) in the catching structure 101 of the female base 91. That is, as in the above embodiment, when the cutter unit 50 reaches the cutting position, the engagement of the drive piece 66 with the roller 82 of the upper second moving body 80 is maintained, but the lower first moving Since the drive piece 66 is disengaged from the roller 77 of the body 70, when the drive piece 66 advances by a predetermined distance due to the forward rotation of the motor 62, the first moving body 70 does not move and the second moving body 70 does not move. Only 80 advances and the cord material C is cut. As described above, in the process of the cutter unit 50 descending from the cutting preparation position to the cutting position, the intermediate portion of the cord material C is surely held at the holding position (space) in the trapping structure 101, and the insertion port 102 ( Since it does not protrude from FIG. 9), a mistake such as the absence of the cord material C at the cutting position does not occur, and therefore a mistake such as failure to cut the cord material C does not occur.

[Other variants]
In the above embodiment, in the height adjusting device, the operation is performed in order to adjust the height of the cutter unit 50 according to the height (bulkness) of the cord material C sewn on the stitched material. A target position is set according to the height (bulkness) of the cord material C by manual operation by a person or by data predetermined in the sewing program, and the motor 13 is stopped at this target position. .. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other control methods may be adopted. For example, after sewing the cord material and before cutting the cord, the lifting rod 12 is lowered by driving the motor 13 with a low power, and the motor 13 when the cord guide body 20 comes into contact with the cord material C. The height (bulky) of the cord material C is automatically calculated based on detecting that the cord guide body 20 has come into contact with the cord material C from the change in the load of the motor 13 and reading the drive position of the motor 13 at that time with a sensor. It may be detected (estimated). Then, the height (bulk) of the cord material C automatically detected (estimated) in this way may be set as the cutting position (target position), and the motor 13 for cutting the cord may be controlled. Of course, the method for automatically detecting (estimating) the height (bulkness) of the cord material C is not limited to the above, and other methods may be used.

Further, in the above embodiment, the height adjusting device for variably adjusting the height of the cutter unit 50 includes a combination of an elevating member (elevating rod 12) for elevating and lowering the cord guide body 20 and a motor 13. It shares a device for sewing cord materials. However, the height adjustment device is not limited to this, and the height adjustment device may be configured by an elevating member and / or a drive device dedicated to height adjustment. Alternatively, a mechanism may be adopted in which the drive source on the cord cutting device 40 side (for example, the motor 62 or a dedicated drive source) can be shared as the drive source for adjusting the height of the cutter unit 50.

Similarly, in the above embodiment, the combination of the elevating member (elevating rod 12) for elevating and lowering the cord guide body 20 and the motor 13 is particularly used as a transition mechanism for shifting the cutter unit 50 from the cutting preparation position to the cutting position. , The cutter unit 50 functions as a means for pushing down from the cutting preparation position to the cutting position, but the specific configuration of the transition mechanism is not limited to this. For example, a drive source on the cord cutting device 40 side (for example, a motor 62 or a dedicated drive source) may be used to shift the cutter unit 50 from the cutting preparation position to the cutting position.

Further, in the above embodiment, the multi-head sewing machine having a plurality of sewing machine heads 1 (multi-head embroidery sewing machine) has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the sewing machine having a single sewing machine head 1 (single-head embroidery sewing machine) may also be used. The present invention can be applied. Further, in the above embodiment, one sewing machine head 1 includes a plurality of needle bars 5, but the present invention is not limited to this, and one sewing machine head 1 includes a single needle bar 5 (embroidery sewing machine). The present invention can also be applied to the above. In addition, not only embroidery machines that sew decorative cord materials, but also sewing machines that sew heater wires and other sewing machines that sew while supplying string-like materials onto the material to be sewn without limiting the material. The present invention can be applied.

Further, in the above embodiment, the cord material storage portion (bobbin 27) for storing the cord material is arranged at the upper part of the sewing machine head 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the cord material storage portion (bobbin 27) is arranged at an arbitrary place such as behind the sewing machine head 1. You may. For example, when the cord material storage portion (bobbin 27) is arranged behind the sewing machine head 1, an appropriate supply path is provided so that the cord material drawn out from the cord material storage portion passes above the sewing machine head 1 and comes to the front surface. After that, the cord material may be supplied via a path (a path passing through the tube 31) that crosses from above to below on the front surface of the sewing machine head 1 as described above. Further, the cord material storage portion is not limited to the winding type such as the bobbin 27, and may store the cord material in any other storage form.

Claims (7)

A sewing mechanism configured to drive a sewing needle to sew on the material to be sewn.
A cord guide body that is configured to be movable up and down and guides the cord material drawn out from the supply source to the needle drop position, and has a hole at the bottom through which the sewing needle and the cord material pass. The cord material guided to the needle drop position is sewn onto the stitched material by the sewing operation by the sewing mechanism.
When starting sewing of the cord material, first, by lowering the sewing needle and the cord guide body, a portion of the cord material passing through the hole of the cord guide body is pierced by the descending sewing needle. By dropping the cord material onto the sewing material and then operating the sewing needle a plurality of times while holding the lower limit position of the lowered cord guide body, the portion of the cord material is placed on the sewing material. A sewing machine including the sewing mechanism and a control device for controlling a cord guide so as to sew with a plurality of stitches. Further provided with a cord cutting device for cutting the cord material guided by the cord guide body and sewn on the sewn material at a position between the cord guide body and the sewn material. ,
The control device further controls to move the cord guide body upward and cut the cord material extending downward from the cord guide body by the cord cutting device at the end of the sewing operation of the cord material. As a result, the tip of the cord material after cutting is in a state of hanging downward from the cord guide.
When sewing of the cord material is started after cutting, the tip portion of the cord material after cutting hanging from the cord guide is pierced by the descending sewing needle and dropped onto the stitched material. The sewing machine according to claim 1, which is sewn with the plurality of stitches. Further provided with a needle thread hook that advances on the vertical movement line of the sewing needle to hook the needle thread extending from the sewing needle to the material to be sewn at the time of thread cutting at the end of the sewing operation.
The control device further controls the cord guide body to move to a standby position before the needle thread hooking operation of the needle thread is performed, and the standby position of the cord guide body is set to the needle thread. The sewing machine according to claim 2, wherein the hook is at a position lower than the position where the hook advances on the vertical movement line of the sewing needle. The sewing machine according to claim 3, wherein the control device executes a needle thread hooking operation by the needle thread hook and a thread cutting operation by the thread cutting device before the cord cutting device cuts the cord material. A sewing mechanism configured to drive a sewing needle to sew on the material to be sewn.
A cord guide body that is configured to be movable up and down and guides the cord material drawn out from the supply source to the needle drop position, and here, the cord material guided to the needle drop position is sewn by the sewing mechanism. It is sewn on the material to be sewn by the operation.
When the thread is cut at the end of the sewing operation, the needle thread hook is advanced on the vertical movement line of the sewing needle in order to hook the needle thread extending from the sewing needle to the material to be sewn.
A cord cutting device that cuts the cord material after the sewing of the cord material is completed,
The needle thread hook is provided with a control device for controlling the cord guide body to move to the standby position before the needle thread hook is hooked by the needle thread hook. It is a position lower than the position where it advances on the vertical movement line of the sewing needle.
The sewing machine is characterized in that the control device executes a needle thread hooking operation by the needle thread hook and a thread cutting operation by the thread cutting device before the cord cutting device cuts the cord material. In a sewing machine for sewing a cord material to a sewing material, a method of controlling sewing of the cord material, wherein the sewing machine is configured to drive a sewing needle in order to sew the sewing material. It is a cord guide body that is configured to be movable up and down and guides the cord material drawn out from the supply source to the needle drop position, and has a hole at the bottom through which the sewing needle and the cord material pass. Here, the cord material guided to the needle drop position is sewn onto the stitched material by a sewing operation by the sewing mechanism, and the method is:
When starting sewing of the cord material, first, by lowering the sewing needle and the cord guide body, a portion of the cord material passing through the hole of the cord guide body is pierced by the descending sewing needle. The first step of dropping onto the sewing material and
Next, in the second step, the cord material portion is sewn onto the stitched material with a plurality of stitches by operating the sewing needle a plurality of times while holding the lower limit position of the lowered cord guide body. Method consisting of. The step of moving the cord guide body upward at the end of the sewing operation of the cord material, and
Next, a step of cutting the cord material extending downward from the cord guide body by the operation of the cord cutting device is further provided, whereby the tip portion of the cord material after cutting is moved downward from the cord guide body. When the cord material is hung down and the sewing of the cord material is started after cutting, the first step is performed without manually manipulating the state of the tip portion of the cord material hanging from the cord guide body. The method of claim 6.

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