Sewing machine and pattern alignment method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11180879-B2
Application number	US-202016816465-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2020
Priority date	Mar 28, 2019
Publication date	Nov 23, 2021
Grant date	Nov 23, 2021

Abstract

A sewing machine includes a sewing portion, a movement portion, a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, instruct the processor to perform processes. The processes include acquiring pattern data indicating positions of a plurality of needle drop points to sew a pattern, acquiring a position of a sewing start point of the pattern, performing first correction, performing second correction that uses the acquired position of the sewing start point as a base point, and corrects the pattern data, by changing, by an acquired change amount, the positions of the plurality of needle drop points represented by the pattern data corrected by the first correction, and controlling the sewing portion and the movement portion and sewing the pattern on the sewing object, in accordance with the pattern data corrected by the second correction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sewing machine comprising:
a sewing portion having a needle bar, the sewing portion being configured to form stitches on a sewing object by moving the needle bar up and down;
a movement portion having a holder on which an embroidery frame that holds the sewing object is detachably mounted, the movement portion being configured to move the holder with respect to the needle bar;
a processor configured to control the sewing portion and the movement portion; 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 indicating positions of a plurality of needle drop points to sew a pattern, using a coordinate system of the movement portion;
acquiring a position of a sewing start point of the pattern indicated by the coordinate system of the movement portion;
performing first correction that corrects the pattern data by moving the positions of the plurality of needle drop points represented by the acquired pattern data in accordance with a difference between a position of the sewing start point represented by the pattern data and the acquired position of the sewing start point;
acquiring a change amount by which the positions of the plurality of needle drop points represented by the pattern data corrected by the first correction are changed, using the acquired position of the sewing start point as a base point;
performing second correction that uses the acquired position of the sewing start point as the base point, and corrects the pattern data corrected by the first correction, by changing, by the acquired change amount, the positions of the plurality of needle drop points represented by the pattern data corrected by the first correction; and
controlling the sewing portion and the movement portion and sewing the pattern on the sewing object held by the embroidery frame, in accordance with the pattern data corrected by the second correction.

2. The sewing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the change amount is a rotation amount, and
the second correction changes the positions of the plurality of needle drop points represented by the pattern data corrected by the first correction to positions obtained by rotating, by the acquired change amount, the positions of the plurality of needle drop points around the acquired position of the sewing start point, and thus corrects the pattern data corrected by the first correction.

3. The sewing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the change amount is a scale factor, and
the second correction changes the positions of the plurality of needle drop points represented by the pattern data corrected by the first correction to positions obtained by enlarging or contracting the pattern by the acquired change amount, using the acquired position of the sewing start point as the base point, and thus corrects the pattern data corrected by the first correction.

4. The sewing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the acquiring the position of the sewing start point includes, when a plurality of the patterns are connected and one embroidery pattern is formed as a whole, after one of the patterns is completed in accordance with the pattern data and before sewing the pattern that is next in a sewing order after the one pattern, acquiring the position of the sewing start point of the next pattern.

5. The sewing machine according to claim 4 , wherein
the computer-readable instructions further instruct the processor to perform processes comprising:
acquiring a size of the embroidery pattern having a rectangular frame shape,
acquiring a first pattern that is arranged in each of four corner portions of the rectangular frame-shaped embroidery pattern, and a second pattern that is arranged in each of four side portions that connect the four corner portions to form the rectangular frame shape,
determining a number of the second patterns arranged in each of the four side portions, on the basis of the acquired size of the embroidery pattern, and
generating embroidery data including the pattern data corresponding to each of the first pattern and the second pattern, the embroidery data being data to sew the embroidery pattern in which the acquired first pattern is arranged in each of the four corner portions and the determined number of the acquired second patterns are arranged in each of the four side portions, and

the acquiring the pattern data includes acquiring a plurality of the pattern data included in the generated embroidery data in accordance with the sewing order.

6. The sewing machine according to claim 5 , wherein
the computer-readable instructions further instruct the processor to perform processes comprising:
acquiring a size of a sewing area that is set inside the embroidery frame, and

the generating the embroidery data includes generating the embroidery data including the pattern data to sew the first pattern, and the pattern data to continuously sew a maximum number of the second patterns contained within the acquired area, in a range equal to or less than the determined number of the second patterns.

7. The sewing machine according to claim 5 , wherein
the computer-readable instructions further instruct the processor to perform processes comprising:
performing, when the pattern data to sew the second pattern which is arranged in the side portion and which is last in the sewing order is acquired, notification of a position of at least one selected from the group of an inner corner and an outer corner of the corner portion which is one of the four corner portions and in which the first pattern adjacent to the second pattern is arranged, and

the acquiring the change amount includes acquiring the change amount in accordance with a movement amount of the notified position of the at least one selected from the group of the inner corner and the outer corner, after the position of the at least one selected from the group of the inner corner and the outer corner is notified.

8. The sewing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the computer-readable instructions further instruct the processor to perform processes comprising:
performing notification of the position of the sewing start point represented by the acquired embroidery data, and

the acquiring the position includes acquiring the position of the sewing start point after the position of the sewing start point is notified.

9. The sewing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the computer-readable instructions further instruct the processor to perform processes comprising:
performing notification of a position of at least one of two corners that are in contact with a side separated from the sewing start point, among four corners of a mask that is a rectangular graphic indicating a position and a size of the pattern represented by the pattern data corrected by the first correction, and

the acquiring the change amount includes acquiring the change amount after the position of the at least one of the two corners is notified.

10. The sewing machine according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a projector, wherein
the computer-readable instructions further instruct the processor to perform processes comprising
projecting the pattern represented by the pattern data corrected by at least one selected from the group of the first correction and the second correction, onto a position represented by the pattern data, before sewing the pattern.

11. A pattern alignment method comprising:
a pattern data acquiring step of acquiring pattern data to sew a pattern using a sewing machine, the sewing machine including a sewing portion, a movemen

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yamanashi Yoko
• Muto Yukiyoshi
• Nakashima Fuyuki

Classifications

• D05B19/14

  Control of needle movement, e.g. varying amplitude or period of needle movement · CPC title

• D05C3/02

  with vertical needles · CPC title

• D05B39/00

  Workpiece carriers (for automatically controlling movement of work-carrier to obtain particular configuration of seam D05B21/00; in general A41H15/00) · CPC title

• D05D2205/085

  combined with a display arrangement, e.g. touch sensitive control panel · CPC title

• D05C9/22

  Adjusting or registering devices for the base fabric, e.g. for alignment with respect to the needles · CPC title