Looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine capable of very easily clearing up tangling thread

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6263812
  • Patent Number
    6,263,812
  • Date Filed
    Friday, October 13, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, July 24, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
Looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine capable of very easily clearing up tangling thread, including: a rotary shaft; a first and a second take-up cam plates each having a cam outer rim and a non-circular shaft hole, the first and second take-up cam plates being detachably keyed on the rotary shaft; and a spacing ring having a through hole and detachably fitted on the rotary shaft between the first and second take-up cam plates for spacing the same. In case a stitching thread is accidentally tangled on the spacing ring, the first and second take-up cam plates can be separated from each other for quickly and easily clearing up the tangling thread.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to an improved sewing machine, and more particularly to an improved looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine, which is capable of very easily clearing up tangling thread.




2. Description of the Prior Art




In each sewing travel of a conventional sewing machine, the looper thread is taken up once by a take-up mechanism so as to automatically feed the thread and adjust the tightness of the looper thread.

FIGS. 1 and 2

show the take-up mechanism which includes a set of take-up cam member


61


and a thread guiding member


62


. The looper thread


63


is first passed from a thread reel (not shown) through a thread guiding eye


64


of the thread guiding member


62


and then conducted to a looper (not shown) to cooperate with the upper thread


65


passed through the stitching needle


66


for sewing. Referring to

FIG. 3

, the take-up cam member


61


is a one-piece member formed of two identically shaped cam plates


67


by burning and welding. The two cam plates


67


are spaced by a wheel rim


68


with smaller diameter to define a cam gap


69


for the thread guiding member


62


to pass there through. By means of the rotation of the take-up cam member


61


, the path of the outer rims of the cam plates


67


rotating through the thread guiding member


62


is varied in height so as to take up the stitching thread.




The earlier take-up mechanism is hidden in the base seat (not shown) of the sewing machine and fixed on a lower shaft not shown ). Once the stitching thread is broken, the thread head will be wound and tangled on the rim between the two cam plates during continuous rotation of the take-up cam member. The take-up cam member is fixed in the base seat of the sewing machine so that it is impossible to detach the take-up cam member therefrom. Under such circumstance, it is necessary to use a thin artistic knife to clear up the tangling thread in a very narrow space. This is a task. In order to solve this problem, some manufactures try to mount the take-up mechanism beside the column of the sewing machine instead (as shown in

FIGS. 1

,


2


and


3


). However, such improved structure only makes it easier to detach the take-up cam member


61


from the sewing machine. In such structure, the take-up cam plates


67


still form a one-piece member made by burning and welding. After the take-up cam member is detached, it is still very difficult to clear up the tangling thread from the very narrow wheel gap (having a width of only 2 mm ). When the thin artistic knife is extended into the very narrow wheel gap to cut off the tangling thread, it often takes place that the polished outer rim of the take-up cam member is incautiously cut by the sharp blade of the artistic knife. After the take-up cam member is mounted back onto the sewing machine for further operation, the cut formed on the polished outer rim tends to cut off the stitching thread. This leads to a more serious problem of higher ratio of broken thread. Therefore, it is not secure to use the artistic knife for clearing up the tangling thread.




Furthermore, no matter what kind of tool is used to clear up the tangling thread, it is very hard to operate the tool in the very narrow gap for removing the tangling thread. Therefore, it often takes a considerably long time (half day to one day) to clear up the tangling thread. During this period, the machine must be stopped. This greatly affects the production efficiency and results in great trouble in working. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a measure to solve the above problem.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine, which is able to easily and quickly clear up the tangling thread and can be quickly totally installed back onto the sewing machine. (An operator only needs to open the cover and unscrew the screws to quickly separate the two take-up cam plates. Accordingly, the tangling thread can be easily and quickly removed. It only takes several minutes to clear up the tangling thread and totally install the two take-up cam plates back onto the sewing machine for further sewing operation.)




It is a further object of the present invention to provide the above looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine, which has simplified structure and thus can be more easily manufactured.




It is still a further object of the present invention to provide the above looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine, which will not damage the polished outer rim of the take-up cam plates during removal of the tangling thread.




According to the above objects, the looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine of the present invention includes: a rotary shaft; a first take-up cam plate having a cam outer rim and a non-circular shaft hole detachably keyed on the rotary shaft; a second take-up cam plate having a cam outer rim and a non-circular shaft hole detachably keyed on the rotary shaft; and a spacing ring having a through hole and fitted on the rotary shaft between the first and second take-up cam plates for spacing the same, the spacing ring being detachable from the rotary shaft, whereby in case a stitching thread is accidentally tangled on the spacing ring, the first and second take-up cam plates can be separated from each other for easily clearing up the tangling thread.




In the above looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine, the spacing ring can be integrally fixed with the first take-up cam plate.




In the above looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine, the spacing ring can be integrally fixed with the second take-up cam plate.




In the above looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine, the spacing ring, the first take-up cam plate and the second take-up cam plate are independent bodies.




Alternatively, the looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine of the present invention includes: a rotary shaft; a first fixing ring detachably keyed on the rotary shaft, the first fixing ring having a key section; a first take-up cam plate having a cam outer rim and a non-circular shaft hole detachably fitted with the key section of the first fixing ring; a second take-up cam plate having a cam outer rim and a non-circular shaft hole detachably fitted with the key section of the first fixing ring; a spacing ring having a through hole and fitted on the first fixing ring between the first and second take-up cam plates for spacing the same, the spacing ring being detachable from the first fixing ring; and a second fixing ring attached the second take-up cam plate to integrally lock the first take-up cam plate, the spacing ring and the second take-up cam plate with the first fixing ring, whereby in case a stitching thread is accidentally tangled on the spacing ring, the first and second take-up cam plates can be separated from each other for easily clearing up the tangling thread.




In the above looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine, the spacing ring can be integrally fixed with the first take-up cam plate.




In the above looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine, the spacing ring can be integrally fixed with the second take-up cam plate.




In the above looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine, the spacing ring, the first take-up cam plate and the second take-up cam plate are independent bodies.




The present invention can be best understood through the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a conventional sewing machine;





FIG. 2

is an enlarged view of a part of

FIG. 1

indicated by arrow


1


;





FIG. 3

is a sectional view taken along line


3





3


of

FIG. 2

;





FIG. 4

is a perspective exploded view of the present invention;





FIG. 5

is a perspective assembled view of the present invention;





FIG. 6

is a sectional view taken along line


6





6


of

FIG. 5

;





FIG. 7

is a sectional view taken along line


7





7


of

FIG. 5

;





FIG. 8

is a sectional view taken along line


8





8


of

FIG. 5

;





FIG. 9

is a perspective view showing that the present invention is installed on a sewing machine;





FIG. 10

is a sectional view taken along line


10





10


of

FIG. 9

;





FIG. 11

is a sectional view taken along line


11





11


of

FIG. 9

;





FIG. 12

is a left view showing that the present invention is installed on a sewing machine and operated in one state; and





FIG. 13

is a left view showing that the present invention installed on a sewing machine and operated in another state.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Please refer to

FIG. 11. A

motor (not shown) outputs power which is transmitted by a belt


11


to drive a pulley


13


mounted on outer side of a housing


12


of the sewing machine. The pulley


13


further drives a lower shaft


14


to rotate. A timing pulley


15


(toothed pulley) is installed on the lower shaft


14


. Another timing pulley


17


is installed on the upper shaft


16


of the sewing machine. A timing belt


18


(toothed belt) is wound between the timing pulleys


15


,


17


of the lower and upper shafts


14


,


16


, whereby the upper and lower shafts


16


,


14


can be synchronously rotated. The above structure pertains to conventional structure of a sewing machine.




Further referring to

FIG. 11

, a rotary shaft


19


is additionally mounted between the upper and lower shafts


16


,


14


. The rotary shaft


19


is disposed at the column


20


of the housing


12


of the sewing machine with left end extending out of the column


20


. In addition, a timing pulley


21


is mounted on the rotary shaft


19


and a timing pulley


22


is additionally mounted on the lower shaft


14


. A timing belt


23


is wound between the two timing pulleys


21


,


22


. Accordingly, the lower shaft


14


can sequentially via the timing pulley


22


, timing belt


23


and the timing pulley


21


drive the rotary shaft


19


to rotate. The looper thread take-up structure


10


of the present invention is installed on the rotary shaft


19


and driven thereby.




Please refer to FIG.


4


. The looper thread take-up structure


10


of the present invention includes a rotary shaft


19


, a first take-up cam plate


24


, a second take-up cam plate


25


and a spacing ring


26


.




The first take-up cam plate


24


has a cam outer rim


27


and a non-circular shaft hole


28


fitted with a key section


30


of a first fixing ring


29


. The first take-up cam plate


24


can be detached from the first fixing ring


29


. The second take-up cam plate


25


has a cam outer rim


31


and a non-circular shaft hole


32


detachably fitted with a key section


30


of a first fixing ring


29


. The spacing ring


26


has a through hole


33


and is fitted on the first fixing ring


29


between the first and second take-up cam plates


24


,


25


for spacing the same. The spacing ring


26


can be detached from the first fixing ring


29


. In case the stitching thread is accidentally tangled on the spacing ring


26


, the first and second take-up cam plates


24


,


25


can be separated from each other for easily clearing up the tangling thread.




Referring to

FIGS. 4

to


8


, when assembled, the first take-up cam plate


24


, the spacing ring


26


and the second take-up cam plate


25


are sequentially fitted onto the first fixing ring


29


with the key section


30


thereof fitted in the non-circular shaft holes


28


,


32


of the first and second take-up cam plates


24


,


25


. Then screws


34


are screwed into the thread holes


35


of the second fixing ring


36


, the shaft hole


32


of the second take-up cam plate


25


, the through hole


33


of the spacing ring


26


and the shaft hole


28


of the first take-up cam plate


24


so as to lock the second fixing ring


36


with the first fixing ring


29


. Therefore, the first take-up cam plate


24


, the spacing ring


26


, the second take-up cam plate


25


, the first fixing ring


29


and the second fixing ring


36


are locked together. Then the locked first take-up cam plate


24


, the spacing ring


26


, the second take-up cam plate


25


, the first fixing ring


29


and the second fixing ring


36


are locked on the rotary shaft


19


by screws


37


. Accordingly, the first take-up cam plate


24


, the spacing ring


26


and the second take-up cam plate


25


are not only locked together, but also they are fixed at the left end of the rotary shaft


19


to rotate along therewith. Then the conventional thread guiding member


38


is locked on a supporting rack


39


.




According to the above arrangement, the first take-up cam plate


24


, the second take-up cam plate


25


and the spacing ring


26


are independent bodies which are detachably locked together.




Please refer to

FIGS. 4

to


13


. In case the stitching thread is incautiously tangled on the spacing ring


26


, a cover


40


is opened (as shown in

FIGS. 9

,


10


,


12


,


13


) and the thread guiding member


38


is removed. The screws


37


at the left end are unscrewed as shown in

FIGS. 4

to


8


so as to take away the locked first take-up cam plate


24


, the spacing ring


26


, the second take-up cam plate


25


, the first fixing ring


29


and the second fixing ring


36


. Then the screws


34


are unscrewed and the leftmost first take-up cam plate


24


and the spacing ring


26


are sequentially detached. At this time, the thread tangling on the outer rim of the spacing ring


26


can be very easily removed. Then the components can be quickly re-assembled by a reverse procedure for further sewing operation. It only takes several minutes to complete such procedure. Therefore, the tangling thread can be very easily removed.




According to the above arrangement, the looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine capable of very easily clearing up tangling thread of the present invention has the following advantages:




1. The looper thread take-up structure of the present invention is able to easily and quickly clear up the tangling thread and can be quickly totally installed back onto the sewing machine. (An operator only needs to open the cover and unscrew the screws to quickly separate the two take-up cam plates


24


,


25


. Accordingly, the tangling thread can be easily and quickly removed. It only takes several minutes to clear up the tangling thread and totally install the two take-up cam plates


24


,


25


back onto the sewing machine for further sewing operation.




2. The looper thread take-up structure of the present invention has simplified structure and thus can be more easily manufactured.




3. When clearing up the tangling thread, the looper thread take-up structure of the present invention will not damage the polished outer rim of the take-up cam plates.




The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention, not intended to limit the scope thereof. Many modifications of the above embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.



Claims
  • 1. Looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine capable of very easily clearing up tangling thread, comprising:(a) a rotary shaft; a first take-up cam plate having a cam outer rim and a non-circular shaft hole detachably keyed on the rotary shaft; (b) a second take-up cam plate having a cam outer rim and a non-circular shaft hole detachably keyed on the rotary shaft; and (c) a spacing ring having a through hole and fitted on the rotary shaft between the first and second take-up cam plates for spacing the same, the spacing ring being detachable from the rotary shaft, whereby in case a stitching thread is accidentally tangled on the spacing ring, the first and second take-up cam plates can be separated from each other for easily clearing up the tangling thread.
  • 2. Looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spacing ring is integrally fixed with the first take-up cam plate.
  • 3. Looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spacing ring is integrally fixed with the second take-up cam plate.
  • 4. Looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spacing ring, the first take-up cam plate and the second take-up cam plate are independent bodies.
  • 5. Looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine capable of very easily clearing up tangling thread, comprising a rotary shaft; a first fixing ring detachably keyed on the rotary shaft, the first fixing ring having a key section; a first take-up cam plate having a cam outer rim and a non-circular shaft hole detachably fitted with the key section of the first fixing ring; a second take-up cam plate having a cam outer rim and a non-circular shaft hole detachably fitted with the key section of the first fixing ring; a spacing ring having a through hole and fitted on the first fixing ring between the first and second take-up cam plates for spacing the same, the spacing ring being detachable from the first fixing ring; and a second fixing ring attached the second take-up cam plate to integrally lock the first take-up cam plate, the spacing ring and the second take-up cam plate with the first fixing ring, whereby in case a stitching thread is accidentally tangled on the spacing ring, the first and second take-up cam plates can be separated from each other for easily clearing up the tangling thread.
  • 6. Looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein the spacing ring is integrally fixed with the first take-up cam plate.
  • 7. Looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein the spacing ring is integrally fixed with the second take-up cam plate.
  • 8. Looper thread take-up structure of sewing machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein the spacing ring, the first take-up cam plate and the second take-up cam plate are independent bodies.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Number Name Date Kind
1947333 Clayton Feb 1934
2391517 Rubel Dec 1945
2895441 Engel et al. Jul 1959
4633795 Von Hagen Jan 1987
4917033 Satoma Apr 1990