Patent Grant
10954616
The present disclosure relates to an embroidery frame transport device that is configured to transport an embroidery frame and to an embroidery frame.
An embroidery frame transport device is known that is used by being mounted on a sewing machine capably of embroidery sewing. The known embroidery frame transport device includes an engagement mechanism and a lock mechanism. The engagement mechanism disengagably engages a coupling portion of an embroidery frame with a carriage, and stops the coupling portion of the embroidery frame that has moved in a sliding direction at a predetermined position with a locking portion. The lock mechanism is supported on the carriage. A lock member can be switched between a press position that presses the coupling portion of the embroidery frame against the locking portion, and a release position that releases the pressing.
With the known embroidery frame transport device, removing the embroidery frame from the embroidery frame transport device is troublesome because it requires that a user perform an operation of switching the lock member of the lock mechanism to the release position, as well as perform an operation of pulling out the embroidery frame in a predetermined direction.
Various embodiments of the broad principles derived herein provide an embroidery frame transport device and an embroidery frame in which the embroidery frame can be attached to and detached from the embroidery frame transport device by a simpler operation compared to the related art.
Embodiments provide an embroidery frame transport device that includes a carriage, a guide portion, a rotation shaft, and a lock release lever. The carriage is configured to detachably mount with a coupling portion of an embroidery frame. The guide portion is provided on the carriage. The guide portion is configured to define a mounting direction and a removing direction of the embroidery frame. The rotation shaft is provided at a position facing the guide portion of the carriage. The lock release lever includes a first restricting portion and a contact portion. The lock release lever is configured to rotate to a first position and a second position around the rotation shaft. The first restricting portion contacts the coupling portion to restrict the embroidery frame from moving in the removing direction by moving to the first position when the embroidery frame is moved in the mounting direction in a process of mounting the coupling portion on the carriage. The contact portion contacts the coupling portion and presses the embroidery frame in the removing direction as a result of the lock release lever moving to a third position between the first position and the second position when the lock release lever is rotated in a releasing direction toward the second position from the first position while the coupling portion is in a state mounted on the carriage.
Embodiments further provide an embroidery frame that includes a first frame, a second frame, and a coupling portion. The second frame is configured to hold together with the first frame, a sewing object. The coupling portion is coupled together with the second frame. The coupling portion is configured to be mounted on a carriage of an embroidery frame transport device. The coupling portion includes a guide portion and an inclined portion. The guide portion is configured to define a mounting direction of the embroidery frame by contacting the carriage. The inclined portion extends along the mounting direction and inclines on the guide portion side toward the mounting direction.
Embodiments will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
An embodiment of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to the drawings. A physical configuration of a sewing machine 1 on which an embroidery frame transport device (hereinafter referred to as the device) 40 is mounted will be explained with reference to
As shown in
A feed dog, a feed mechanism, a shuttle mechanism and the like, which are not shown in the drawings, are provided inside the bed portion 11 of the sewing machine 1. When normal sewing that is not embroidery sewing is performed, the feed dog is driven by the feed mechanism and moves the sewing object by a predetermined movement amount. The shuttle mechanism entwines an upper thread (not shown in the drawings) with a lower thread (not shown in the drawings) below a needle plate (not shown in the drawings) that is provided on an upper surface of the bed portion 11. The pillar 12 is internally provided with a sewing machine motor (not shown in the drawings). An upper portion of the arm portion 13 is provided with a cover 16 that can open and close.
As shown in
The main body portion 41 is internally provided with an X axis movement mechanism (not shown in the drawings) and an X axis motor (not shown in the drawings). The X axis movement mechanism causes the carriage 42 to move in the left-right direction (an X axis direction). The X axis motor is configured to drive the X axis movement mechanism. When embroidery sewing is performed using the embroidery frame 50, the movement mechanism 40 is configured to move the embroidery frame 50 mounted on the carriage 42 (more specifically, on the frame holder) to a position indicated by an XY coordinate system (an embroidery coordinate system) specific to the embroidery frame 50.
The embroidery frame 50 will be described with reference to
The protrusion 57 is a protrusion that protrudes farther upward than an extending surface (upper surface) of the contact portion 56 that extends from the front end toward the rear, at substantially the center in the left-right direction of the front portion of the contact portion 56. As shown in
The inclined portion 63 is a portion that is provided on the rear end of the contact portion 56 and is inclined toward the guide portion 74, which will be described later, side (downward) in the mounting direction M. The identifying portion 39 is a protrusion that protrudes toward the left from the left surface of the contact portion 56 and is provided at a position unique to the embroidery frame 50. When the embroidery frame 50 is mounted on the holder 43 of the device 40, the sewing machine 1 can identify that the embroidery frame 50 has been attached as well as the type of the embroidery frame 50, on the basis of the position of the identifying portion 39 detected by a detector (not shown in the drawings). The contact portion 56 has the guide portion 74 on a lower surface. The guide portion 74 defines the mounting direction M of the embroidery frame 50 by contacting the holder 43 of the carriage 42. The guide portion 74 is a protrusion that extends along the longitudinal direction of the coupling portion 55 and protrudes downward.
The contact portion 73 is a portion that extends substantially parallel to the extending surface of the contact portion 56, to the left of the contact portion 56. The position of the upper surface of the contact portion 73 in the up-down direction is a position lower than the position of the upper surface of the contact portion 56. The front end portion 75 forms a front surface provided on the front end of the coupling portion 55. As shown in
The holder 43 will now be described with reference to
The second plate portion 28 extends upward from the left end portion of the first plate portion 26. The second plate portion 28 is a flat plate-shaped portion facing the Y-axis movement mechanism (not shown in the drawings) of the carriage 42. The second plate portion 28 forms a left side portion of the C-shaped attachment base 22 in a front view. A cylindrical-shaped rotation shaft 27 that protrudes toward the side on which the guide portion 25 is provided (toward the right) from the extending surface of the second plate portion 28 is provided on the front portion of the second plate portion 28. The rotation shaft 27 is provided at a position facing the guide portion 25 of the carriage 42 (holder 43). A hole 19 that extends through in the left-right direction is provided in the center portion of the second plate portion 28 in the front-rear direction. A detector (not shown in the drawings) that detects the identifying portion 39 is disposed in the hole 19.
The third plate portion 29 is a flat plate-shaped portion facing the first plate portion 26. The third plate portion 29 forms an upper side portion of the C-shaped attachment base 22 in a front view. A hole 48 that passes through in the up-down direction and a protrusion 47 that protrudes in the up-down direction are lined up in the front-rear direction on a rear portion of the third plate portion 29. A pair of protrusions 45 that protrude in the up-down direction are provided lined up in the front-rear direction between a pair of holes 46 that pass through in the up-down direction, in the center portion in the front-rear direction of the third plate portion 29. There is a cutout portion 21 that is cut out in a rectangular shape in the front right portion of the third plate portion 29. There is a cutout portion 23 that is cut out from the right end toward the left on the side slightly to the rear of the center portion in the mounting direction M of the third plate portion 29.
The lock release lever 80 is lever that is fitted over the rotation shaft 27 and can be rotated around the rotation shaft 27 to a first position shown in
The first restricting portion 85 is an end portion on the base end portion 81 side of the lever portion 83, and is a portion that protrudes to the right of the base end portion 81. When the embroidery frame 50 is moved in the mounting direction M and arranged in the mounting position in the process of mounting the coupling portion 55 on the holder 43 of the carriage 42, the first restricting portion 85 moves to the first position and contacts the protrusion 57 (contact portion 62) of the coupling portion 55. The contact portion 84 of the lock release lever 80 contacts the lower surface of the third plate portion 29. The lock release lever 80 is restricted from moving counterclockwise in a right side view by the third plate portion 29. As a result, the lock release lever 80 restricts the embroidery frame 50 from moving in the removing direction R. As shown in
A first urging member 24 is provided on the holder 43 of the carriage 42, and urges the lock release lever 80 in a locking direction from the second position toward the first position around the rotation shaft 27 (counterclockwise in a right side view). The first urging member 24 of present embodiment is a torsion spring that is fitted over the rotation shaft 27. The second urging member 36 is provided on the holder 43 of the carriage 42 and urges the coupling portion 55 that is mounted on the holder 43 of the carriage 42 in the removing direction R. The second urging member 36 in present embodiment is a plate spring that is bent in an L-shape in a side view, so as to have a front portion that extends in the front-rear direction and a rear portion that extends in the up-down direction. The front portion of the second urging member 36 in present embodiment extends along the third plate portion 29. A pair of holes 38 (only one is shown in
The urging member 31 is a plate spring that extends substantially parallel to the guide portion 25. The urging member 31 includes a third urging member 32, a fourth urging member 33, and four holes 35 (only two are shown in
The four holes 35 are provided lined up in the front-rear direction in the center portion of the urging member 31 in the front-rear direction. The urging member 31 is fixed by a pair of bolts 34 and nuts 91 in a state in which the third urging member 32 is arranged in the cutout portion 21 of the third plate portion 29 of the attachment base 22, and the fourth urging member 33 is inserted through the cutout portion 23 from the upper side toward the lower side. More specifically, the pair of bolts 34 of the attachment base 22 are inserted through the frontmost- and rearmost-holes 35, and the pair of holes 46, and the lower ends of the pair of bolts 34 are fixed with the pair of nuts 91. The protrusions 45 are inserted through the remaining two holes 35.
The front end of the third urging member 32 and the rear end of the fourth urging member 33 are free ends. The third urging member 32 and the fourth urging member 33 have curved shapes that protrude downward so as to avoid hitting the rear end portion of the coupling portion 55 when the coupling portion 55 is mounted on the holder 43. The third urging member 32 and the fourth urging member 33 are separated from the first plate portion 26. When the coupling portion 55 is attached to the holder 43, the coupling portion 55 is arranged between the third urging member 32 and the fourth urging member 33, and the first plate portion 26. The pressing force from above of the third urging member 32 and the fourth urging member 33 does not interfere with the movement of the coupling portion 55 in the mounting direction M and the removing direction R, and suppresses looseness in the up-down direction when attaching and detaching the coupling portion 55.
The lock release lever 80 is configured to rotate in the locking direction to a position where the lever portion 83 contacts the third plate portion 29. The third plate portion 29 is provided on the holder 43 of the carriage 42, and comes into contact with the lock release lever 80 when the lock release lever 80 is in the first position, to restrict the lock release lever 80 from moving beyond the first position in the releasing direction. The lock release lever 80 can rotate in the releasing direction to a position where the contact portion 84 contacts the third plate portion 29.
The operation of attaching and detaching the embroidery frame 50 to and from the holder 43 will be described with reference to
When the user moves the coupling portion 55 farther in the mounting direction M such that the coupling portion 55 is arranged in the mounting position shown in state (1), the rear end portion 76 of the coupling portion 55 comes into contact with the second urging member 36. The coupling portion 55 receives force in the removing direction R from the second urging member 36. When the coupling portion 55 is moved to the mounting position, the contact between the lever portion 83 of the lock release lever 80 and the flat portion 61 of the protrusion 57 is released, and the lever portion 83 of the lock release lever 80 rotates in the locking direction by the urging force of the first urging member 24 and moves to the first position. The first restricting portion 85 comes into contact with the contact portion 62. The holder 43 restricts the movement of the coupling portion 55 in the mounting direction M and the removing direction R, with the second urging member 36 and the first restricting portion 85. The third urging member 32 comes into contact with the flat portion 59 of the protrusion 57. The fourth urging member 33 comes into contact with the contact portion 56. The coupling portion 55 is restricted from moving in the up-down direction by the first plate portion 26, the third urging member 32, and the fourth urging member 33.
As shown in
As shown in state (4), when the user rotates the lock release lever 80 farther in the releasing direction, the third urging member 32 separates from the flat portion 59 of the coupling portion 55. The fourth urging member 33 comes into contact with the inclined portion 63 and pushes the coupling portion 55 forward. When the user rotates the lock release lever 80 farther in the releasing direction such that the lock release lever 80 moves to the second position shown in
According to the device 40, the user can both release the movement restriction on the coupling portion 55 by the first restricting portion 85, and push the embroidery frame 50 in the removing direction R, by operating the lock release lever 80. In other words, the device 40 can simplify the operation of removing the embroidery frame 50 from the device 40, compared to an embroidery frame transport device of known art in which the release of the lock of the embroidery frame with respect to the holder 43 is performed separately from the operation to pull out the embroidery frame. The contact portion 84 and the first restricting portion 85 are provided on the lock release lever 80, so the number of parts can be reduced compared to a case where both are separate members. As shown in
The device 40 includes the first urging member 24 and the second urging member 36. The first urging member 24 is provided on the holder 43 of the carriage 42, and urges the lock release lever 80 in the locking direction from the second position toward the first position around the rotation shaft 27. The second urging member 36 is provided on the holder 43 of the carriage 42, and urges the coupling portion 55 that is mounted on the holder 43 of the carriage 42 in the removing direction R. The lock release lever 80 comes into contact with the coupling portion 55 when the embroidery frame 50 is moved in the mounting direction M in the process of mounting the coupling portion 55 on the holder 43 of the carriage 42. The lock release lever 80 rotates in the releasing direction against the urging force of the first urging member 24. When the coupling portion 55 is moved to the mounting position, the contact between the lock release lever 80 and the flat portion 61 of the protrusion 57 of the coupling portion 55 is released, and the lock release lever 80 rotates to the first position by the urging force of the first urging member 24. The holder 43 of the carriage 42 restricts the movement of the coupling portion 55 in the mounting direction M and the removing direction R, with the second urging member 36 and the first restricting portion 85. According to the device 40, the user can mount the embroidery frame 50 on the holder 43 of the carriage 42 of the device 40 and restrict the movement of the embroidery frame 50 in the mounting direction M and the removing direction R by the simple operation of moving the coupling portion 55 of the embroidery frame 50 in the mounting direction M and positioning the coupling portion 55 in the mounting position.
When the lock release lever 80 is in the first position, the third plate portion 29 of the device 40 comes into contact with the lock release lever 80, restricting the lock release lever 80 from moving beyond the first position in the releasing direction. Therefore, the device 40 can reliably avoid the lock release lever 80 moving beyond the first position in the releasing direction.
The lock release lever 80 is provided on the end portion of the holder 43 in the removing direction R. When the lock release lever 80 is arranged in the first position, the first restricting portion 85 comes into contact with the contact portion 62 that is the end portion of the coupling portion 55 in the removing direction R. The lock release lever 80 includes the lever portion 83. When the lock release lever 80 is in the first position, the lever portion 83 assumes a posture extending from the rotation shaft 27 in the removing direction R and following the extending direction of the guide portion 25. The first restricting portion 85 is provided on the end portion on the rotation shaft 27 side of the lever portion 83. Therefore, according to the device 40, the user can easily operate the lock release lever 80. The device 40 can prevent the lock release lever 80 from interfering with sewing during embroidery sewing. Moreover, the device 40 can clamp the coupling portion 55 in the front-rear direction and thus restrict movement of the coupling portion 55 in the mounting direction M and the removing direction R, by the simple configuration of the second urging member 36 and the lock release lever 80.
The device 40 includes the third urging member 32 and the fourth urging member 33. The third urging member 32 is provided at a position facing the guide portion 25 and protrudes toward the guide portion 25 side. The fourth urging member 33 is provided on the second urging member 36 side with respect to the third urging member 32, at a position facing the guide portion 25. The fourth urging member 33 protrudes farther toward the guide portion 25 than the third urging member 32. When the coupling portion 55 is positioned in the mounting position, the third urging member 32 and the fourth urging member 33 each come into contact with the contact portion 56 of the coupling portion 55, and urge the coupling portion 55 toward the guide portion 25 side. Therefore, according to the device 40, when the coupling portion 55 is mounted on the holder 43 of the carriage 42, the coupling portion 55 can be pressed toward the guide portion 25 side by the third urging member 32 and the fourth urging member 33.
When the lock release lever 80 is rotated from the first position to the second position while the coupling portion 55 is positioned in the mounting position, the third urging member 32 and the fourth urging member 33 each separate from the coupling portion 55. According to the device 40, when the lock release lever 80 is rotated to the second position, the embroidery frame 50 does not receive force from either the third urging member 32 or the fourth urging member 33 of the device 40, so the user can easily remove the embroidery frame 50 from the device 40 with relatively little force.
The embroidery frame 50 includes the first frame 51, the second frame 52, and the coupling portion 55. The coupling portion 55 includes the guide portion 74 and the inclined portions 58 and 63. According to the embroidery frame 50, when the embroidery frame 50 is mounted on the device 40, the embroidery frame 50 can be moved smoothly with respect to the carriage 42. As shown in state (4), when the fourth urging member 33 is contacting the inclined portion 63, the coupling portion 55 receives force toward the removing direction R from the fourth urging member 33. Therefore, with the device 40, the embroidery frame 50 can be moved in the removing direction using the urging force of the third urging member 32 and the fourth urging member 33.
An embroidery frame transport device and an embroidery frame of the present disclosure are not limited to the above described embodiment, and various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, the following modifications (A) and (B) may be added as appropriate.
(A) The configuration of the sewing machine 1 may be amended as appropriate. The sewing machine 1 may be an industrial sewing machine or a multi-needle sewing machine. It is sufficient that the device be such that the holder is able to move relative to the needle bar in a first direction and a direction intersecting the first direction. The device 40 may be integrally formed with the sewing machine 1. The embroidery frame that can be mounted on the device 40 need only include the first frame, the second frame, and the coupling portion, and may be an embroidery frame that clamps the sewing object in the up-down direction, for example. The size and shape of the embroidery frame may be changed as appropriate. The configuration of the coupling portion of the embroidery frame may be changed as appropriate. The shape and position of the recessed portion of the coupling portion may be changed as appropriate.
(B) At least one of the first urging member 24 and the second urging member 36 may be omitted, or the configuration thereof may be changed. The second restricting portion may be omitted as necessary, or the configuration thereof may be changed. For example, the second restricting portion may be a protrusion that protrudes to the right from the second plate portion 28 of the attachment base 22 and contacts the lower surface of the lever portion 83 when the lock release lever 80 is in the first position. The arrangement position of the lock release lever 80 may be changed as appropriate. The extending direction of the lever portion 83 when the lock release lever 80 is in the first position may be changed as appropriate. At least one of the third urging member 32 and the fourth urging member 33 may be omitted, or the configuration and material and the like thereof may be changed. The rotatable range of the lock release lever 80 may be changed as appropriate. When the lock release lever 80 is in the second position, at least one of the third urging member 32 and the fourth urging member 33 may contact the coupling portion 55 of the embroidery frame 50. One of the inclined portions 58 and 63 of the embroidery frame 50 may be omitted, or the inclined portions 58 and 63 may be continuous.
The apparatus and methods described above with reference to the various embodiments are merely examples. It goes without saying that they are not confined to the depicted embodiments. While various features have been described in conjunction with the examples outlined above, various alternatives, modifications, variations, and/or improvements of those features and/or examples may be possible. Accordingly, the examples, as set forth above, are intended to be illustrative. Various changes may be made without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the underlying principles.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP2016-051352 | Mar 2016 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation application of International Application No. PCT/JP2017/001894, filed Jan. 20, 2017, which claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-051352, filed on Mar. 15, 2016. The disclosure of the foregoing application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8327782 | Tseng et al. | Dec 2012 | B2 |
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| 20080141915 | Bowlus | Jun 2008 | A1 |
| 20150225882 | Ihira | Aug 2015 | A1 |
| 20180320300 | Kawaguchi | Nov 2018 | A1 |
| 20180371662 | Fujihara | Dec 2018 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2006-14800 | Jan 2006 | JP |
| 2006-34561 | Feb 2006 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| Apr. 25, 2017 Search Report issued in International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2017/001894. |
| Sep. 18, 2018 International Preliminary Report on Patentability issued in International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2017/001894. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20180355534 A1 | Dec 2018 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP2017/001894 | Jan 2017 | US |
| Child | 16107265 | US |
