WO2016117442A1

WO2016117442A1 - Sewing machine

Info

Publication number: WO2016117442A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/050956
Authority: WO
Inventors: 保彦川口; 野々部　文浩
Original assignee: ブラザー工業株式会社
Priority date: 2015-01-20
Filing date: 2016-01-14
Publication date: 2016-07-28
Also published as: JP2016131728A

Abstract

Provided is a sewing machine which without having to be provided with a separate member is able to hold fabric to be processed. The sewing machine (1) is provided with a carriage (17) on which an embroidery frame can be mounted. The carriage (17) is capable of being moved in the Y-axis direction between a needle bar (6) and a foot stand section (3). The sewing machine (1) regulates a Y-axis motor to control the position of the carriage (17) in the Y-axis direction. The sewing machine (1) is configured so that it is possible to switch between two operation modes, which are an embroidery sewing mode and a free motion mode, via an operation panel (9). When an instruction to switch to the free motion mode is received on a setting screen of the operation panel (9), the sewing machine (1) moves the carriage (17) to a specific position in front of the foot stand section (3) by a predetermined distance. A rolled end (301) of the fabric (300) to be processed can be inserted and held in the space (70) between the foot stand section (3) and the carriage (17). Since the position of the rolled end (301) is fixed, work efficiency during free motion sewing is improved.

Description

sewing machine

The present invention relates to a sewing machine.

In an embroidery sewing machine that performs embroidery sewing on a work cloth held by an embroidery frame, a so-called “free motion sewing” in which a user manually moves a work cloth (for example, a quilted cloth) and sews without using an embroidery frame. Has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, a holder is disclosed that can hold a work cloth in a rounded state when free motion sewing is performed on a large work cloth using a main sewing machine that is not an embroidery sewing machine (see, for example, Patent Document 2). . By holding the end portion of the work cloth on the holder, the position of the end portion of the work cloth is fixed, so that it is easy to perform free motion sewing.

JP 2007-229291 A US Pat. No. 6,688,247

When the holder is applied to the embroidery sewing machine, the holder may get in the way when performing embroidery sewing. Moreover, there also existed a problem that the cost of the holder which is another member starts. Further, when the holder is made detachable, there is a problem that it takes time to attach and detach.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sewing machine that can hold a work cloth without using a separate member.

A sewing machine according to an aspect of the present invention is disposed between a needle bar and a pedestal portion, can be equipped with an embroidery frame that holds a work cloth, and has a predetermined distance between the needle bar and the pedestal portion. The embroidery frame is automatically moved with respect to a carriage that is movable in range, a drive means that moves the carriage, a control means that controls the drive means, and a sewing needle that is mounted on the needle bar that moves up and down. Switching receiving means for accepting switching between a first mode for performing embroidery sewing on the work cloth and a second mode for performing sewing while the user manually moves the work cloth, and the control means includes the switching And a first control unit configured to control the driving unit to move the carriage to a specific position within the predetermined range when the receiving unit receives the switching to the second mode. .

The sewing machine of this aspect can form a gap between the pedestal and the carriage when the carriage moves to a specific position in the second mode. The user can insert and hold the end of the work cloth, for example, in a rolled state or a folded state in the gap. Thereby, since the position of the edge part of a work cloth is fixed, the workability | operativity at the time of moving a work cloth manually improves. In addition, since the carriage used for moving the embroidery frame in the first mode can be used to hold the end of the work cloth in the second mode, the labor for attaching the separate member to the sewing machine and the cost for the separate member can be reduced. Can be reduced.

1 is a front view of a sewing machine 1. FIG. 2 is a right side view (carriage 17: 0 mm) of the sewing machine 1 on which a work cloth 200 is placed on a table 100. FIG. 2 is a right side view (carriage 17: 0 mm) of the sewing machine 1 on which a work cloth 300 is placed on a table 100. FIG. 2 is a right side view (carriage 17: 50 mm) of the sewing machine 1 on which a work cloth 300 is placed on a table 100. FIG. It is a front view of the operation panel 9 on which a carriage movement screen 80 is displayed. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the sewing machine 1. FIG. It is a flowchart of a main process. It is a flowchart of free motion sewing control processing. It is a flowchart which shows the continuation of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the upper side, the lower side, the left side, and the right side in FIG. 1 are the upper side, the lower side, the left side, and the right side of the sewing machine 1, respectively. The upper side, lower side, left side, and right side of FIGS. 2 and 3 are the upper side, lower side, front side, and rear side of the sewing machine 1, respectively. The left-right direction and the front-rear direction of the sewing machine 1 are defined as an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction, respectively. In the Y-axis direction, the direction from the rear to the front of the sewing machine 1 is the + (plus) direction, and the direction from the front to the rear is the-(minus) direction.

The configuration of the sewing machine 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The sewing machine 1 includes a bed part 2, a pedestal part 3, an arm part 4, a head part 5, an operation panel 9, and the like. The bed portion 2 is located below the sewing machine 1 and supports the entire sewing machine 1. The bed 2 is formed in a substantially U shape in plan view, and includes a main body 2A and a pair of legs 2B and 2C. The main body 2A is located at the approximate center of the bed portion 2 in the left-right direction, and is formed in a plate shape that is substantially rectangular in plan view. The leg portions 2B and 2C are respectively located at the left and right end portions of the main body portion 2A, and extend in front of the front surface of the main body portion 2A and substantially parallel to each other.

A cylinder bed 7 is provided in the approximate center of the front surface of the main body 2A. The cylinder bed 7 is formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape and extends forward. A hook mechanism (not shown) is provided inside the cylinder bed 7. The shuttle mechanism rotates the shuttle (not shown). The shuttle is provided on the tip side of the cylinder bed 7 and accommodates a bobbin (not shown) around which a lower thread (not shown) is wound. A needle plate 10 is provided on the top surface of the tip of the cylinder bed 7. The needle plate 10 is located above the hook. The needle plate 10 is provided with a needle hole (not shown). A sewing needle 8, which will be described later, is inserted through the needle hole in the vertical direction. A thread cutting mechanism is provided below the needle plate 10 and in the vicinity of the shuttle. The thread cutting mechanism includes a fixed blade and a movable blade (not shown), and cuts the upper thread and the lower thread by moving the movable blade with respect to the fixed blade. The movable blade is driven by a thread trimming motor 54 described later.

A pair of guide grooves (not shown) extending in parallel with the Y-axis direction are provided on the upper surfaces of the leg portions 2B and 2C, respectively. The pair of guide grooves guide the movement of the carriage 17 in the Y-axis direction. The carriage 17 is formed in a substantially prismatic shape extending in parallel with the X-axis direction, and spans between the leg portions 2B and 2C. The bed 2 is provided with a Y-axis moving mechanism (not shown). The Y-axis moving mechanism moves the carriage 17 in the Y-axis direction when driven by a Y-axis motor 53 (see FIG. 5). A mounting portion 17A is provided on the front surface of the carriage 17 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. An embroidery frame (not shown) that holds the work cloth can be attached to the attachment portion 17A.

Also, a flat table 100 can be attached to the legs 2B and 2C. When the table 100 is attached to the leg portions 2B and 2C, the table 100 is arranged so as to be bridged over the leg portions 2B and 2C. The table 100 can place a work cloth 200 (see FIG. 2) such as a quilted cloth on the upper surface, for example. In the table 100, a notch-like groove (not shown) is provided at a position facing the upper surface of the cylinder bed 7. The height of the upper surface of the table 100 is substantially the same as the height of the upper surface of the cylinder bed 7 disposed inside the groove. Therefore, the work cloth 200 is placed on the upper surface of the cylinder bed 7. An X axis moving mechanism (not shown) is provided inside the carriage 17. The X-axis moving mechanism moves the mounting portion 17A in the X-axis direction when the X-axis motor 52 (see FIG. 6) is driven. Thus, when performing embroidery sewing, the sewing machine 1 can move the embroidery frame back and forth and right and left by moving the carriage 17 in the front-rear direction and moving the mounting portion 17A in the left-right direction by the moving mechanism.

The pedestal 3 is formed in a substantially prismatic shape, and is erected on the upper surface rear end side of the main body 2A. The arm portion 4 extends forward from the upper end portion of the pedestal column portion 3 and faces the upper surface of the cylinder bed 7. A flat thread stand 30 that is long in the left-right direction is provided on the upper surface of the arm portion 4. On the upper surface of the thread stand 30, four thread standing bars 32 are provided at equal intervals. A thread spool 37 around which the upper thread 12 is wound is rotatably supported on each thread stand 32. A guide member 33 having a T-shape when viewed from the front is provided behind the thread stand 30. The guide member 33 includes a rod-like column 34 erected on the upper surface of the arm unit 4 and a guide rod 35 extending in the left-right direction from the upper end of the column 34. The guide bar 35 is provided with four holes 35A at equal intervals through which the upper thread 12 is inserted.

The head portion 5 is provided at the front end portion of the arm portion 4. The head 5 is provided with a substantially cuboid needle bar case 15. Inside the needle bar case 15, a needle bar drive mechanism, a balance mechanism, and the like (not shown) are provided. The needle bar drive mechanism is provided on the front side of the head 5 and supports the needle bar 6 so as to be movable up and down. The needle bar 6 extends downward from the lower end of the head 5, and a sewing needle 8 is detachably attached to the lower end of the needle bar 6. On the left side of the sewing needle 8, a presser member 11 having a substantially L shape in front view is provided. The lower end portion of the presser member 11 is positioned below the lower end (tip) of the sewing needle 8, and a hole (not shown) through which the sewing needle 8 is inserted is formed.

The balance mechanism moves the balance 16 (see FIG. 1) up and down as the needle bar 6 moves up and down. The balance 16 moves up and down along a slit 151 provided on the front surface 15 A of the needle bar case 15. The slit 151 is a narrow gap extending in the vertical direction. During the sewing operation of the sewing machine 1, the needle bar 6 and the sewing needle 8 cooperate with the shuttle and entangle the upper thread with the lower thread drawn from the bobbin accommodated in the shuttle. The balance 16 pulls the upper thread entangled with the lower thread onto the needle plate 10. Thereby, a stitch is formed on the work cloth.

An inclined surface 15 B is provided on the upper surface of the needle bar case 15. The inclined surface 15B is gently inclined downward from the rear to the front. The inclined surface 15B is provided with a thread tension mechanism 25 for applying tension to the upper thread. The thread tension mechanism 25 includes a secondary thread tensioner 27, a main thread tensioner 26, and a secondary thread tensioner 28 in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the upper thread supply direction. The main thread tensioner 26 includes a rotating plate (not shown) inside, and the rotating plate rotates in conjunction with the supply amount of the upper thread, thereby applying tension to the upper thread. The

auxiliary thread tensioners

27 and 28 respectively apply tension to the upper thread by clamping the upper thread with a plate-shaped clamping unit (not shown).

The operation panel 9 is provided on the right side of the head 5. A rectangular liquid crystal display 91 (hereinafter referred to as “LCD 91”) that is long in the vertical direction when viewed from the front is provided at the approximate center of the front surface of the operation panel 9. A touch panel 92 (see FIG. 6) is provided on the front surface of the LCD 91. Below the LCD 91, a start / stop key 93 (hereinafter referred to as "S / S key 93"), a needle position key 94, a thread trimming key 95, and a threading key 96 are provided side by side. Yes. Various screens for operating the sewing machine 1 are displayed on the LCD 91. The touch panel 92 receives an instruction from the user by detecting a position touched by a finger on various screens displayed on the LCD 91. The S / S key 93 is a key for instructing the start and stop of sewing. The thread trimming key 95 is a key for accepting an operation of cutting the upper thread and the lower thread by the thread cutting mechanism. Since the needle position key 94 and the threading key 96 are not related to the present invention, description thereof is omitted.

In the sewing machine 1 having the above configuration, when a sewing machine motor 51 (see FIG. 6) provided therein is driven, the sewing machine main shaft (not shown) rotates, and the needle bar 6 and the balance 16 are driven up and down synchronously. The Then, by cooperating with a rotary hook (not shown) provided at the front end portion of the cylinder bed 7, a stitch is formed on the work cloth held on the embroidery frame, for example, on the upper side of the cylinder bed 7.

The electrical configuration of the sewing machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The sewing machine 1 includes a control unit 60, drive circuits 51A to 53A, a rotational phase detector 50, a sewing machine motor 51, an X-axis motor 52, a Y-axis motor 53, a thread trimming motor 54, an operation panel 9, and the like. The control unit 60 includes a CPU 61, a ROM 62, a RAM 63, an EEPROM (registered trademark) 64, an input / output interface (I / O) 66, and the like, which are connected to each other by a signal line 65. The CPU 61 manages the main control of the sewing machine 1 and executes various calculations and processes related to sewing. The ROM 62 stores various programs including a main program for executing a main process (see FIG. 7) described later. The RAM 63 stores a state flag and the like to be described later in addition to the calculation result calculated by the CPU 61. The EEPROM 64 stores pattern data of an embroidery pattern to be sewn. The pattern data includes, for example, coordinate data of the needle drop point of the sewing needle 8 in the embroidery coordinate system, stitch data indicating the type and setting value of the stitch of the embroidery pattern, thread color data indicating the thread color, and in the embroidery coordinate system. This includes contour data indicating the contour of the embroidery pattern, mask data of the embroidery pattern, coordinate data of the center point of the embroidery pattern, and the like. The embroidery coordinate system is a coordinate system on a two-dimensional plane composed of an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction for moving the embroidery frame.

Rotational phase detector 50 and drive circuits 51A to 54A are connected to I / O 66. The rotational phase detector 50 detects the rotational phase of the sewing machine spindle and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 60. The drive circuit 51 A drives the sewing machine motor 51 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 60. The drive circuit 52A drives the X-axis motor 52 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 60. The drive circuit 53A drives the Y-axis motor 53 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 60. The drive circuit 54A drives the thread trimming motor 54 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 60. The X-axis motor 52 and the Y-axis motor 53 are stepping motors. Further, a drive circuit 91A provided on the operation panel 9, a touch panel 92, an S / S key 93, a needle position key 94, a thread trimming key 95, and a threading key 96 are connected to the I / O 66. The drive circuit 91A drives the LCD 91 according to a control signal from the control unit 60.

Next, the operation mode of the sewing machine 1 will be described. In the sewing machine 1, two operation modes of an embroidery sewing mode and a free motion mode can be switched and set on a setting screen (not shown) to be described later displayed on the operation panel 9. The embroidery sewing mode is a mode for performing embroidery sewing while moving the embroidery frame holding the work cloth in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction with respect to the sewing needle 8 that moves up and down. In the embroidery sewing mode, after completion of sewing, the upper thread and the lower thread are automatically cut by the thread cutting mechanism. The sewing machine 1 drives the thread cutting mechanism even when the thread trimming key 95 is operated, that is, when a thread trimming instruction is received from the user.

In the free motion mode, as shown in FIG. 2, the user sews the work cloth 200 such as a quilting cloth manually on the table 100 with respect to the sewing needle 8 that moves up and down without using an embroidery frame. In this mode, so-called “free motion sewing” is performed.

When performing free motion sewing, since the work cloth 200 is manually moved on the upper surface of the table 100, it is necessary to retract the carriage 17 rearward so as not to interfere. As will be described later, in the sewing machine 1 of the present embodiment, on the carriage movement screen 80 (see FIG. 5) displayed on the operation panel 9, in the movement range of the carriage 17 between the pedestal 3 and the needle bar 6, The position of the carriage 17 can be adjusted. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 17 can be moved to the innermost position where the distance between the front surface of the pillar 3 and the rear surface of the carriage 17 is 0 mm. Thereby, since the user can use the upper surface of the table 100 widely, the workability | operativity of free motion sewing improves.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, when a large work cloth 300 is placed on the upper surface of the table 100, the end of the work cloth 300 protrudes from the table 100. Or need to be folded. When such a work cloth 300 is sewn, sewing is performed while the work cloth 300 is manually moved in a state where the roll-shaped end portion 301 rounded into a roll shape is disposed on the rear end side of the table 100. At this time, when the work cloth 300 is moved, the roll-shaped end portion 301 is pulled and moves, so that the work cloth 300 may be wrinkled and it may be difficult to work.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, when the operation panel 9 accepts switching to the free motion mode, the carriage 17 has a predetermined distance (for example, 50 mm) between the front surface of the pedestal 3 and the rear surface of the carriage 17. Is moved to a first position, which will be described later. As a result, a gap 70 is formed between the front surface of the pillar 3 and the rear surface of the carriage 17. The user can fix the position of the roll-shaped end 301 by inserting the roll-shaped end 301 into the gap 70 and holding the roll-shaped end 301 between the pillar 3 and the carriage 17. Therefore, workability at the time of free motion sewing is improved. Note that the position control of the carriage 17 in the free motion mode by the CPU 61 will be described later.

Next, the status flag stored in the RAM 63 will be described. The status flag is a flag indicating the type of operation mode in the sewing machine 1. As described above, the user can switch between the embroidery sewing mode and the free motion mode on the setting screen (not shown) of the operation panel 9 described later. When the embroidery sewing mode is set, the CPU 61 stores 0 as a status flag in the RAM 63. On the other hand, when the free motion mode is set, the CPU 61 stores 1 as a status flag in the RAM 63. Therefore, the CPU 61 can recognize the type of operation mode currently being executed by the sewing machine 1 by referring to the state flag stored in the RAM 63.

The main processing executed by the CPU 61 will be described with reference to FIGS. When the power of the sewing machine 1 is turned on, the CPU 61 of the control unit 60 reads the main program from the ROM 62 and executes this processing. As shown in FIG. 7, first, the CPU 61 executes an initial setting process (S1). In the initial setting process, the CPU 61 initializes various settings stored in the RAM 63 and sets the status flag to 0.

The CPU 61 executes carriage origin processing (S2). In the carriage origin process, the CPU 61 drives the X-axis motor 52 and the Y-axis motor 53 to move the carriage 17 and the mounting portion 17A to the origin position. The origin position is, for example, a position corresponding to the midpoint of the movement range of the mounting portion 17A in the X-axis direction and the midpoint of the movement range of the carriage 17 in the Y-axis direction. The CPU 61 stores the coordinate position of the carriage 17 and the mounting portion 17A moved to the origin position in the RAM 63 as the origin of the embroidery coordinate system.

CPU 61 displays a setting screen (not shown) on LCD 91 (S3). A plurality of pattern group keys and a free motion mode key are displayed on the setting screen. The plurality of pattern group keys categorize the embroidery patterns formed on the work cloth in the embroidery sewing mode for each category. For example, a first pattern group key for a one-point pattern such as “bird” or “flower”, “round frame” And a second pattern group key related to a frame pattern such as “square frame”, and a third pattern group key related to a character pattern such as an alphabet. The category of the pattern group is not limited to these. The pattern group key also functions as a key for accepting switching to the embroidery sewing mode. The free motion mode key is a key for accepting switching to the free motion mode. Pressing various keys is detected by the touch panel 92.

-Embroidery sewing mode-
The CPU 61 executes a key scan process (S4). In the key scan process, the CPU 61 detects which key is pressed on the setting screen. The CPU 61 determines whether or not the pattern group key has been pressed (S5). For example, when switching to the embroidery sewing mode, the user presses the pattern group key. When the pattern group key is pressed (S5: YES), the CPU 61 accepts switching to the embroidery sewing mode and determines whether the status flag is 1 (S6). Since the state flag is 0 when the sewing machine 1 is turned on (S6: NO), the CPU 61 executes a pattern selection process (S9). In the pattern selection process, the CPU 61 displays a pattern selection screen (not shown) on the LCD 91. A plurality of pattern images that can be selected by the user are displayed on the pattern selection screen. Further, the CPU 61 reads the pattern data of the embroidery pattern corresponding to the pattern image selected by the user from the plurality of pattern images from the EEPROM 64 and stores it in the buffer of the RAM 63.

The CPU 61 determines whether or not the S / S key 93 on the operation panel 9 has been pressed (S10). Until the S / S key 93 is pressed (S10: NO), the CPU 61 returns to S10 and waits. When the S / S key 93 is pressed (S10: YES), the CPU 61 executes an embroidery sewing process based on the pattern data stored in the buffer of the RAM 63 (S11). In the embroidery sewing process, the CPU 61 drives the sewing machine motor 51 to move the needle bar 6 and the sewing needle 8 up and down based on the pattern data, and drives the X-axis motor 52 and the Y-axis motor 53 to control the movement of the embroidery frame. I do. Thereby, an embroidery pattern corresponding to the pattern data is formed on the work cloth. When the sewing of the embroidery pattern is completed, the CPU 61 drives the thread cutting motor 54 and executes thread cutting processing by the thread cutting mechanism (S12). Thereby, the upper thread and the lower thread connected from the stitches of the work cloth are cut. The CPU 61 returns to S3, displays a setting screen on the LCD 91, and repeats the above processing.

-Free motion mode-
The CPU 61 executes key scan processing (S4). When the pattern group key is not pressed (S4: NO), the CPU 61 determines whether or not the free motion mode key is pressed (S13). When the free motion mode key is not pressed (S13: NO), the CPU 61 returns to S4 and continues the key scan process. When the free motion mode key is pressed (S13: YES), the CPU 61 accepts switching to the free motion mode, sets the status flag to 1 (S14), and executes free motion sewing control processing (S15).

The free motion sewing control process will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 8, first, the CPU 61 drives the Y-axis motor 53 to move the carriage 17 to the first position (S21). As shown in FIG. 4, the first position is a position where the distance between the front surface of the pedestal 3 and the rear surface of the carriage 17 is 50 mm. As described above, when free motion sewing is performed on the work cloth 300, the user places the roll-shaped end portion 301 of the work cloth 300 in the gap 70 formed between the front surface of the pedestal 3 and the rear surface of the carriage 17. By inserting, the position of the roll-shaped end portion 301 can be fixed. On the other hand, when the size of the roll-shaped end portion 301 and the length of the gap 70 do not match, the user can adjust the position of the carriage 17 on a carriage movement screen 80 described later displayed on the LCD 91.

The CPU 61 displays the carriage movement screen 80 (see FIG. 5) on the LCD 91 (S22). As shown in FIG. 5, in the upper area of the carriage movement screen 80, three keys 81 to 83 are displayed in the vertical direction as selection keys for the carriage selection position. Keys 81 to 83 each accept movement to three preset carriage selection positions. The three carriage selection positions are, for example, a first position, a second position, and a third position. As described above, the first position is a default position that is first moved when switching to the free motion mode. The second position is a position where the distance between the front surface of the pillar 3 and the rear surface of the carriage 17 is 60 mm. The third position is a position where the distance between the front surface of the pillar 3 and the rear surface of the carriage 17 is 70 mm. The key 81 receives the movement of the carriage 17 to the first position. The key 82 receives the movement of the carriage 17 to the second position. The key 83 receives the movement of the carriage 17 to the third position. Accordingly, the user changes the position of the carriage 17 from the first position, which is the default position, to the second position, or from the first position to the third position, in accordance with the size of the roll-shaped end portion 301 of the work cloth 300. it can. Further, the second position and the third position can be changed to the first position. The first position, the second position, and the third position are stored in the EEPROM 64 in advance.

Further, in the middle area of the carriage movement screen 80, a rear key 84 and a front key 85 for moving the carriage 17 manually are displayed vertically. The rear key 84 moves the carriage 17 in the Y-axis direction by −1 mm when pressed once, and continuously moves the carriage 17 in the − direction in the Y-axis direction by long pressing for two seconds or more. The front key 85 moves the carriage 17 by +1 mm in the Y-axis direction when pressed once, and continuously moves the carriage 17 to the + side in the Y-axis direction by long pressing for 2 seconds or more. In addition, the moving distance by one press is not limited to 1 mm, and can be freely changed.

In the lower area of the carriage movement screen 80, a return key 86 is displayed. The return key 86 receives an operation of returning from the carriage movement screen 80 to the setting screen. Note that pressing of the keys 81 to 86 is detected by the touch panel 92. The touch panel 92 outputs detection signals corresponding to the keys 81 to 86 detected to be pressed to the control unit 60.

Referring back to FIG. 8, with the carriage movement screen 80 displayed on the LCD 91, the CPU 61 determines which of the keys 81 to 83 is pressed (S23 to S25). When the key 81 is pressed (S23: YES), the CPU 61 drives the Y-axis motor 53 to move the carriage 17 to the first position (S26). When the key 82 is pressed (S23: NO, S24: YES), the CPU 61 drives the Y-axis motor 53 to move the carriage 17 to the second position (S27). When the key 83 is pressed (S23: NO, S24: NO, S25: YES), the CPU 61 drives the Y-axis motor 53 to move the carriage 17 to the third position (S28). If the pressed key is for accepting movement to the same position as the current carriage 17, the CPU 61 does not move the carriage 17. If none of the keys 81 to 83 is pressed (S23: NO, S24: NO, S25: NO), the CPU 61 proceeds to S29 without doing anything.

CPU 61 determines whether or not the previous key 85 is pressed (S29). When the front key 85 is pressed (S29: YES), the CPU 61 drives the Y-axis motor 53 and moves the carriage 17 by +1 mm in the Y-axis direction (S31). Further, the CPU 61 determines whether or not the front key 85 has been pressed for 2 seconds or longer (S32). When the front key 85 is pressed for 2 seconds or longer (S32: YES), the CPU 61 drives the Y-axis motor 53 and continuously moves the carriage 17 to the + side in the Y-axis direction (S33). Subsequently, the CPU 61 determines whether or not pressing of the front key 85 has not been detected (S34). While the pressing of the front key 85 is detected (S34: NO), the CPU 61 returns to S33 and continuously moves the carriage 17 to the + side in the Y-axis direction. When pressing of the front key 85 is not detected (S34: YES), the CPU 61 stops the movement of the carriage 17 (S35).

On the other hand, when the front key 85 is not pressed (S29: NO), the CPU 61 determines whether or not the rear key 84 is pressed (S30). When the rear key 84 is pressed (S30: YES), the CPU 61 drives the Y-axis motor 53 to move the carriage 17 by -1 mm in the Y-axis direction (S36). Further, the CPU 61 determines whether or not the rear key 84 has been pressed for 2 seconds or longer (S37). When the rear key 84 is pressed for 2 seconds or longer (S37: YES), the CPU 61 drives the Y-axis motor 53 to continuously move the carriage 17 to the-side in the Y-axis direction (S38). Subsequently, the CPU 61 determines whether or not pressing of the rear key 84 has not been detected (S39). While the pressing of the rear key 84 is detected (S39: NO), the CPU 61 returns to S38 and continuously moves the carriage 17 to the-side in the Y-axis direction. When the pressing of the rear key 84 is not detected (S39: YES), the CPU 61 stops the movement of the carriage 17 (S40). Accordingly, after the user roughly determines the position of the carriage 17 with the keys 81 to 83 and then performs fine adjustment with the rear key 84 and the front key 85, the user can change the leg according to the size of the end portion held by the work cloth 300. The space between the column part 3 and the carriage 17 can be adjusted appropriately and quickly. The long pressing time of the rear key 84 and the front key 85 is not limited to 2 seconds, and may be longer or shorter.

Thus, the user can adjust the position of the carriage 17 in accordance with the size of the roll-shaped end portion 301 of the work cloth 300 on the carriage movement screen 80. For example, in FIG. 4, the carriage 17 is moved to the first position and can be sandwiched between the pedestal 3 and the carriage 17 by pushing the roll-shaped end 301 into the gap 70. In addition, for example, the carriage 17 may be further moved forward from the first position so that the gap 70 is longer than the diameter of the roll-shaped end portion 301. In this case, the roll-shaped end 301 can roll between the pedestal 3 and the carriage 17. Since the carriage 17 has a substantially prismatic shape that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the table 100 in the X-axis direction, even if the work cloth 300 is moved forward, the roll-shaped end portion 301 remains in the carriage. Cannot get over 17 forward. Therefore, it is possible to proceed with sewing while gradually pulling the work cloth 300 forward from the roll-shaped end portion 301.

As shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 61 determines whether or not the S / S key 93 on the operation panel 9 has been pressed (S41). When the S / S key 93 is not pressed (S41: NO), the CPU 61 determines whether or not the return key 86 is pressed (S47). When the return key 86 is not pressed (S47: NO), the CPU 61 returns to S23 in FIG. 8 and continues to monitor the pressing of the keys 81 to 86.

When the S / S key 93 is pressed (S41: YES), the CPU 61 drives the sewing machine motor 51 (S42), and moves the needle bar 6 and the sewing needle 8 up and down while the position of the carriage 17 is fixed. The user can freely form a stitch on the work cloth 300 by manually moving the work cloth 300 with respect to the sewing needle 8 that moves up and down on the upper surface of the table 100. At this time, since the roll-shaped end portion 301 is sandwiched between the pedestal column portion 3 and the carriage 17, the roll-shaped end portion 301 does not move even if the work cloth 300 is manually moved. Therefore, workability in free motion sewing is improved.

The CPU 61 determines whether or not the S / S key 93 is pressed again (S43). The user presses the S / S key 93 to end the sewing. Until the S / S key 93 is pressed (S43: NO), the CPU 61 returns to S42 and continues to drive the sewing machine motor 51. When the S / S key 93 is pressed again (S43: YES), the CPU 61 stops the sewing machine motor 51 with the sewing needle 8 raised to the uppermost position based on the detection signal from the rotational phase detector. (S44). Next, the CPU 61 determines whether or not the thread trimming key 95 has been pressed (S45). The CPU 61 stands by until the thread trimming key 95 is pressed (S45: NO). When the thread trimming key 95 is pressed (S45: YES), the CPU 61 drives the thread trimming motor 54 and executes a thread cutting process (S46). Thereby, the upper thread and the lower thread connected from the stitches of the work cloth are cut.

CPU 61 determines whether or not the return key 86 is pressed (S47). When the return key 86 is pressed (S47: YES), the CPU 61 returns to S3 in FIG. 7, displays a setting screen on the LCD 91, and executes key scan processing (S4).

-Switching from free motion mode to embroidery sewing mode-
When performing sewing in the embroidery sewing mode after performing the free motion sewing, the user removes the table 100 from the sewing machine 1 and switches the embroidery frame holding the work cloth to the mounting portion 17A of the carriage 17 in order to switch to the embroidery sewing mode. Attach to. Next, the pattern group key displayed on the setting screen of the LCD 91 is pressed.

Here, in the previous free motion mode, the user may intentionally or mistakenly move the carriage 17 without moving the carriage 17 on the carriage movement screen 80. As a result, when the Y-axis motor 53 steps out, the CPU 61 cannot recognize the correct position of the carriage 17. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, when the pattern group key is pressed (S5), the CPU 61 accepts switching to the embroidery sewing mode and determines whether or not the status flag is 1 (S6). If the status flag is 1 (S6: YES), there is a possibility that the Y-axis motor 53 has stepped out, so the CPU 61 executes the carriage origin process again (S7). As a result, the origin of the embroidery coordinate system is updated, so that the CPU 61 can recognize the correct positions of the carriage 17 and the mounting portion 17A in the subsequent embroidery sewing. Next, the CPU 61 sets a status flag to 0 (S8). Then, the CPU 61 executes a pattern selection process and an embroidery sewing process (S9 to S11). After the thread cutting process (S12) is completed, the CPU 61 returns to S3, displays a setting screen on the LCD 91, and repeats the above process. .

In the above description, the Y-axis motor corresponds to “driving means” of the present invention, and the CPU 61 corresponds to “control means” of the present invention. The embroidery sewing mode corresponds to the “first mode” of the present invention, and the free motion mode corresponds to the “second mode” of the present invention. The operation panel 9 corresponds to the “switching reception unit” of the present invention, and the first position corresponds to the “specific position” of the present invention. The EEPROM 64 corresponds to the “storage unit” of the present invention. The CPU 61 that executes the process of S21 in FIG. 8 corresponds to the “first control means” of the present invention, and the touch panel 92 that detects pressing of the keys 81 to 83 on the carriage movement screen 80 shown in FIG. 8 corresponds to the “second control means” of the present invention, and the CPU 61 that executes the process of S7 of FIG. 7 corresponds to the “first change means”. The touch panel 92 corresponding to “3 control means” and detecting the pressing of the rear key 84 and the front key 85 on the carriage movement screen 80 in FIG. 5 corresponds to the “movement accepting means” of the present invention, and S31 and S33 in FIG. , S 36 and S 38 are equivalent to the “fourth control means” of the present invention.

As described above, the sewing machine 1 according to this embodiment includes the carriage 17 on which the embroidery frame can be mounted. The carriage 17 is movable in a Y axis direction within a predetermined range between the needle bar 6 and the pedestal 3. The Y-axis motor 53 moves the carriage 17 in the Y-axis direction. The CPU 61 of the control unit 60 controls the drive of the Y-axis motor 53 and controls the position of the carriage 17 in the Y-axis direction. In the sewing machine 1, two operation modes of the embroidery sewing mode and the free motion mode can be switched on the setting screen of the operation panel 9. When the switching to the free motion mode is accepted on the setting screen, the CPU 61 controls the drive of the Y-axis motor 53 so as to move the carriage 17 to the first position within a predetermined range. The first position is, for example, a specific position where a predetermined distance (for example, 50 mm) is provided between the front surface of the pillar 3 and the rear surface of the carriage 17.

When the carriage 17 is moved to the first position in the free motion mode, a gap 70 can be formed between the pedestal 3 and the carriage 17. The user can insert and hold, for example, the roll-shaped end portion 301 of the work cloth 300 in the gap 70. Thereby, since the position of the roll-shaped edge part 301 is fixed, the workability | operativity at the time of moving the work cloth 300 manually improves. Further, since the carriage 17 used for moving the embroidery frame in the embroidery sewing mode can be used to hold the roll-shaped end portion 301 of the work cloth 300 in the free motion mode, another member for holding the sewing machine 1 can be used. It is not necessary to attach to the battery, and the cost for another member can be reduced.

Further, in this embodiment, keys 81 to 83 for accepting movement to the first position, the second position, and the third position are displayed on the carriage movement screen 80 of the operation panel 9. When the touch panel 92 detects that the key 82 or 83 is pressed, the CPU 61 controls the drive of the Y-axis motor 53 so as to change the position of the carriage 17 moved to the first position to the second position or the third position. To do. Accordingly, the position of the carriage 17 is appropriately determined according to various conditions such as the thickness of the work cloth that holds the end part, the end part of the work cloth that is folded and held, or rolled and held. Can change.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the switching from the free motion mode to the embroidery sewing mode is received on the setting screen of the operation panel 9, the CPU 61 executes a carriage origin process for moving the carriage 17 to the origin position. Thereby, even when the Y-axis motor 53 is stepped out during the previous free motion mode, the correct position of the carriage 17 can be recognized in the subsequent embroidery sewing mode.

In this embodiment, a rear key 84 and a front key 85 are further displayed on the carriage movement screen 80 of the operation panel 9. When the touch panel 92 detects that the rear key 84 or the front key 85 is pressed, the CPU 61 controls the drive of the Y-axis motor 53 so as to move the carriage 17 in accordance with the rear key 84 or the front key 85. Thereby, the position of the carriage 17 moved to the first position, the second position, or the third position can be further moved, so that the gap 70 between the pedestal 3 and the carriage 17 can be finely adjusted.

Further, in this embodiment, the sewing machine 1 can be further equipped with a table 100 on which a work cloth can be placed. The carriage 17 is formed in a substantially prismatic shape protruding above the upper surface of the table 100 in the X-axis direction with the table 100 mounted on the sewing machine 1. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the roll-shaped end portion 301 of the work cloth 300 held between the carriage 17 and the pedestal portion 3 from getting over the carriage 17 and coming out to the table 100 side.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. The sewing machine 1 of the present embodiment is an embroidery sewing machine having a single needle bar, but may be a so-called multi-needle embroidery sewing machine having a plurality of needle bars.

In this embodiment, switching between the embroidery sewing mode and the free motion mode is accepted on the setting screen of the operation panel 9. For example, a dedicated button for accepting switching to various modes is provided on the operation panel 9. May be. In addition, switching to various modes may be performed using an optional device such as a foot controller.

In this embodiment, three carriage selection positions (first to third positions) are preset, but the number of preset carriage selection positions may be larger or smaller. In addition, the carriage selection position may be appropriately changed by the user. The carriage selection position is specified by the distance (for example, 50, 60, 70 mm) from the front surface of the pillar 3 to the rear surface of the carriage 17, but the position of the carriage 17 is specified by other methods. Also good. For example, the carriage selection position may be specified by the distance in the Y-axis direction from the origin of the embroidery coordinate system to the carriage 17. Further, the carriage selection position may be specified by the distance in the Y-axis direction from a predetermined portion where the position is fixed by the sewing machine 1 to the carriage 17.

Further, in the present embodiment, when switching to free motion is accepted on the setting screen of the operation panel 9, the distance from the front surface of the pedestal 3 to the rear surface of the carriage 17 is moved to the first position where the distance is 50 mm. However, it may be moved to the second position or the third position, or may be moved to a specific position other than this.

Further, the carriage 17 of the present embodiment has a substantially prismatic shape extending in parallel with the X-axis direction, and all parts of the carriage 100 extend along the X-axis direction with the table 100 mounted on the sewing machine 1. Although it is configured to protrude upward from the upper surface, it is not limited to a substantially prismatic shape, and at least a part may be protruded upward from the upper surface of the table 100.

1 sewing machine 3 pedestal 6 needle bar 8 sewing needle 9 operation panel 17 carriage 53 Y-axis motor 61 CPU
81-83 Key 84 Rear key 85 Front key 92 Touch panel 100 Table 200, 300 Work cloth

Claims

A carriage that is disposed between the needle bar and the pedestal portion, can be mounted with an embroidery frame that holds a work cloth, and can move within a predetermined range between the needle bar and the pedestal portion;
Drive means for moving the carriage;
Control means for controlling the drive means;
A first mode in which embroidery sewing is performed on the work cloth while the embroidery frame is automatically moved with respect to the sewing needle mounted on the needle bar that moves up and down, and sewing is performed while the user manually moves the work cloth. Switching acceptance means for accepting switching with the second mode to be performed,
The control means includes
And a first control unit configured to control the driving unit to move the carriage to a specific position within the predetermined range when the switching receiving unit receives the switching to the second mode. Sewing machine.
A change receiving means for receiving an input of a change instruction for changing the specific position;
The control means includes
The sewing machine according to claim 1, further comprising second control means for controlling the driving means so as to change the specific position based on the change instruction received by the change receiving means.
Storage means for storing a plurality of positions within the predetermined range;
The change accepting means accepts an input of the change instruction for selecting one position from a plurality of positions stored in the storage means,
The sewing machine according to claim 2, wherein the second control unit controls the driving unit to move the carriage to the one position selected by the change instruction.
The control means includes
And a third control unit configured to control the driving unit to move the carriage to the origin position when the switching receiving unit receives the switching from the second mode to the first mode. The sewing machine according to claim 2 or 3.
A movement receiving means for receiving an input of a movement instruction for moving the carriage moved to the specific position by the control of the driving means by the control means;
The control means includes
5. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a fourth control unit configured to control the driving unit so as to move the carriage based on the movement instruction received by the movement receiving unit. sewing machine.
The sewing machine can be mounted with a table on which the work cloth can be placed.
The sewing machine according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the carriage projects upward from an upper surface of the table in a state where the table is mounted on the sewing machine.