Sewing machine and sewing machine control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11149369-B2
Application number	US-202016751928-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2020
Priority date	Mar 11, 2019
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

A sewing machine includes a movement mechanism, a swinging mechanism, a presser device, a guide portion, a processor, and a memory configured to store computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, instruct the processor to perform processes. The processes include acquiring pattern data used for sewing a couching pattern in which a plurality of motifs are continuously arranged. The motif is configured in a predetermined shape by a plurality of stitches including a main stitch and a sub-stitch. The processes include correcting at least one selected from the group of a start point position and an end point position of the main stitch of one of the motifs, such that the length of the main stitch of the one motif is longer in a second case than in a first case, and driving the movement mechanism and the swinging mechanism in accordance with the corrected pattern data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sewing machine comprising:
a movement mechanism configured to move a sewing object in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
a swinging mechanism including a needle bar having a lower end on which a sewing needle is mountable, and configured to swing the needle bar in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction;
a presser device including an insertion hole through which the sewing needle is insertable;
a guide portion configured to guide a cord to the insertion hole from one side in the first direction;
a processor configured to control the movement mechanism and the swinging mechanism; and
a memory configured to store computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, instruct the processor to perform processes comprising:
acquiring pattern data that is used for sewing a couching pattern in which the cord inserted through the insertion hole is stitched to the sewing object, and that represents positions of a plurality of needle drop points, the couching pattern being a pattern in which a plurality of motifs are continuously arranged, each motif of the plurality of motifs being configured in a predetermined shape by a plurality of stitches including a main stitch and a sub-stitch, the main stitch having a longest length from among the plurality of stitches of the respective motif, the sub-stitch having a length shorter than that of the main stitch and extending in a direction intersecting the main stitch, and the pattern data being represented using a coordinate system of the movement mechanism in the first direction and the second direction;
correcting at least one selected from the group of a start point position and an end point position of the main stitch of one of the plurality of motifs included in the pattern data, such that the length of the main stitch of the one motif, among the plurality of motifs represented by the acquired pattern data, is longer in a second case than in a first case, the first case being a case in which the end point position is a position obtained by moving the sewing object from the start point position toward another side in the first direction with respect to the needle bar, and the second case being a case in which the end point position is a position obtained by moving the sewing object from the start point position toward the one side in the first direction with respect to the needle bar; and
driving the movement mechanism and the swinging mechanism in accordance with the corrected pattern data to sew the couching pattern.

2. The sewing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the correcting the at least one selected from the group of the start point position and the end point position included in the pattern data includes
in the first case, not correcting either of the start point position and the end point position represented by the pattern data, and
in the second case, correcting the end point position represented by the pattern data further to the other side in the first direction than before the correction.

3. The sewing machine according to claim 2 , wherein
the correcting the at least one selected from the group of the start point position and the end point position included in the pattern data includes
in the second case, with respect to the end point position, correcting the position in the first direction and not correcting the position in the second direction.

4. The sewing machine according to claim 2 , wherein
lengths of line segments connecting start point positions of any chosen two of the motifs that are continuous in a sewing order and represented by the corrected pattern data are the same as each other.

5. The sewing machine according to claim 2 , wherein
the computer-readable instructions further instruct the processor to perform processes comprising:
acquiring a thickness of the cord, and

the correcting the at least one selected from the group of the start point position and the end point position included in the pattern data includes correcting the at least one selected from the group of the start point position and the end point position included in the pattern data to a position that is contained within at least one selected from the group of a first range and a second range, the first range being a range in which a length from the main stitch of the one motif represented by the acquired pattern data is equal to or less than half the thickness, and the second range being a range in which a length from the main stitch of a motif that is next in a sewing order after the one motif is equal to or less than half the thickness.

6. The sewing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the correcting the at least one selected from the group of the start point position and the end point position included in the pattern data includes correcting the at least one selected from the group of the start point position and the end point position included in the pattern data such that the length of the main stitch in the second case is contained in a range that is 1 to 2 times the length of the main stitch in the first case.

7. The sewing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
in the one motif of the acquired pattern data,
the sub-stitch orthogonally intersects the main stitch on a side closer to a center of the main stitch than to the end point position,
a center of the sub-stitch is on the main stitch,
of lengths of the plurality of stitches, the length of the sub-stitch is next longest after the length of the main stitch, and
the end point position of the main stitch is aligned with the start point position of a motif that is next in a sewing order after the one motif.

8. A sewing machine control method for a sewing machine including a movement mechanism configured to move a sewing object in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, a swinging mechanism including a needle bar having a lower end on which a sewing needle is mountable, and configured to swing the needle bar in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction, a presser device including an insertion hole through which the sewing needle is insertable, a guide portion configured to guide a cord to the insertion hole from one side in the first direction, and a processor configured to control the movement mechanism and the swinging mechanism, the sewing machine control method comprising the steps of:
acquiring pattern data that is used for sewing a couching pattern in which the cord inserted through the insertion hole is stitched to the sewing object, and that represents positions of a plurality of needle drop points, the couching pattern being a pattern in which a plurality of motifs are continuously arranged, each motif of the plurality of motifs being configured in a predetermined shape by a plurality of stitches including a main stitch and a sub-stitch, the main stitch having a longest length from among the plurality of stitches of the respective motif, the sub-stitch having a length shorter than that of the main stitch and extending in a direction intersecting the main stitch, and the pattern data being represented using a coordinate system of the movement mechanism in the first direction and the second direction;
correcting at least one selected from the group of a start point position and an end point position of the main stitch of one of the plurality of motifs included in the pattern data, such that the length of the main stitch of the one motif, among the plurality of motifs represented by the acquired pattern data, is longer in a second case than in a first case, the first case being a case in which the end point position is a position obtained by

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yamanashi Yoko
• Muto Yukiyoshi
• Naka Takafumi
• Nakashima Fuyuki

Classifications

• D05C7/02 Primary

  with accessories for peculiar kinds of embroidery · CPC title

• D05B19/16

  Control of workpiece movement, e.g. modulation of travel of feed dog · CPC title

• D05B3/02

  with mechanisms for needle-bar movement · CPC title

• D05B53/00 Primary

  Thread- or cord-laying mechanisms; Thread fingers · CPC title

• D05B27/00

  Work-feeding means · CPC title