Sewing machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11214904-B2
Application number	US-201916576964-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2019
Priority date	Mar 29, 2017
Publication date	Jan 4, 2022
Grant date	Jan 4, 2022

Abstract

A sewing machine includes a needle plate, a bed portion, a first urging member, a first engagement member, a second engagement member, and a lock release mechanism. The bed portion is configured to support the needle plate. The first urging member is provided inside the bed portion and configured to urge the needle plate upward. The first engagement member is provided on the needle plate. The second engagement member is provided inside the bed portion, and is configured to fix the needle plate in a fixed position by being engaged with the first engagement member of the needle plate pressed downward against an urging force of the first urging member. The lock release mechanism is configured to release the engagement of the first engagement member and the second engagement member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sewing machine comprising:
a needle plate;
a bed portion configured to support the needle plate;
a first urging member provided inside the bed portion and configured to urge the needle plate upward;
a first engagement member provided on the needle plate;
a second engagement member provided inside the bed portion, and configured to fix the needle plate in a fixed position by being engaged with the first engagement member of the needle plate pressed downward against an urging force of the first urging member;
a lock release mechanism configured to release the engagement of the first engagement member and the second engagement member;
a second urging member configured to urge the second engagement member such that the second engagement member is rotatable in a first direction, the first direction intersecting with an up-down direction; and
a pin rotatably fixing the second engagement member, wherein:
the first engagement member extends downward from a lower surface of the needle plate, and has an engagement portion configured to engage with the second engagement member, and a first convex portion provided below the engagement portion and protruding further in a horizontal direction than the engagement portion,
the lock release mechanism has a first lever capable of rotating the second engagement member in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the first lever being rotatably fixed by the pin, the first lever configured to rotate with the second engagement member around the pin, and
when the first engagement member and the second engagement member are engaged with each other, the second engagement member comes into contact with the engagement portion of the first engagement member due to an urging force of the second urging member, and also comes into contact with an upper end of the first convex portion of the first engagement member due to the urging force of the first urging member.

2. The sewing machine according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a positioning pin extending upward inside the bed portion,
wherein
the needle plate includes a hole into which the positioning pin is inserted, and
when the first engagement member and the second engagement member are engaged with each other, an upper end of the positioning pin is lower than a height of an upper surface of the needle plate in the fixed position.

3. The sewing machine according to claim 2 , wherein
the positioning pin includes
a second convex portion protruding in a horizontal direction in a position below the needle plate in the fixed position, and
a cushion material provided on an upper end of the second convex portion.

4. The sewing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the first lever is provided inside the bed portion such that the first lever is able to be exposed on a side of an upper surface of the bed portion.

5. The sewing machine according to claim 4 , wherein
the first lever is provided below the upper surface of the bed portion.

6. The sewing machine according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a cover supported by the bed portion,
wherein
in a state in which the cover is supported by the bed portion, the cover forms a horizontal plane flush with the upper surface of the bed portion and covers the first lever from above.

7. The sewing machine according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an actuator,
wherein
the lock release mechanism releases the engagement of the first engagement member and the second engagement member using a driving force of the actuator.

8. The sewing machine according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a feed dog configured to move a sewing object; and
a feed dog retraction mechanism configured to be coupled to the actuator, and to switch the feed dog from a normal position, in which the feed dog is capable of moving the sewing object, to a retracted position, in which the feed dog is retracted below an upper surface of the needle plate, using the actuator as a drive source.

9. The sewing machine according to claim 8 , wherein
the actuator is a motor having an output shaft,
the feed dog retraction mechanism switches the feed dog from the normal position to the retracted position when the feed dog retraction mechanism is coupled to the output shaft and the output shaft reaches a first actuated position in which the output shaft is rotated in a predetermined direction from a reference position, and
the lock release mechanism includes a second lever configured to rotate the second engagement member in the second direction, and a pressing member configured to press the second lever in the second direction when the output shaft reaches a second actuated position in which the output shaft is rotated further in the predetermined direction than in the first actuated position.

10. The sewing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the first urging member is a plate spring.

11. The sewing machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the first lever is configured to rotate the second engagement member in the second direction opposite to the first direction, the second direction extending parallel to a horizontal plane of the sewing machine, so as to separate the second engagement member from the engagement portion of the first engagement member.

12. The sewing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the pin extends in the up-down direction.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Ueda Daisuke
• Funato Nobuhiko
• Nonobe Fumihiro
• Taguchi Yuki
• KITO Junya
• Funaki Koji

Classifications

• D05B73/12 Primary

  Slides; Needle plates · CPC title

• D05B27/24

  Feed-dog lifting and lowering devices · CPC title