SEWING MACHINE WITH SEQUIN SEWING DEVICE

Abstract

In a first shifting operation for shifting a sequin sewing device from an operative position to an evacuated position or in a second shifting operation for shifting the sequin sewing device from the operative position to the evacuated position, descending movement of a needle bar is inhibited by jumping the needle bar with a sewing machine maintained in an operating condition. Also, a jump code is inserted into embroidery data at a position where a shift is to be made from sequin sewing to ordinary sewing or from ordinary sewing to sequin sewing. Alternatively, the descending movement of the needle bar may be inhibited by reducing a rotation speed of the main machine shift with the machine maintained in the operating condition.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a general outer appearance of a multi-head sewing machine in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a left side view showing in enlarged scale a part of an example sequin sewing device attached to one of the machine heads in the embodiment of the present invention, which particularly shows the sequin sewing device lowered to its operative position;

FIG. 3 is a left side view of the sequin sewing device, which shows the sequin sewing device raised to its evacuated position;

FIG. 4 is a right side view showing in enlarged scale a part of a sequin feed mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example control system of the embroidery sewing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an embodiment of processing performed in the embodiment for automatically creating needle bar jump data on the basis of embroidery data and then inserting the created needle bar jump data in the embroidery data;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an embroidery pattern that comprising a mixture of sequin-sewn portions and ordinary embroidery portions; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing example formats of embroidery data corresponding to the embroidery pattern of FIG. 7, of which (a) shows original embroidery data before insertion of jump codes and (b) shows embroidery data after insertion of jump codes.

Claims

1. A sewing machine comprising: a machine head including a needle bar mechanism usable for both sequin sewing and ordinary sewing, said needle bar mechanism having a vertically-movable needle bar for sewing;a sequin sewing device provided in correspondence with the needle bar mechanism and movable between an operative position where said sequin sewing device can perform sequin sewing and an evacuated position where said sewing device can not perform sequin sewing;a needle bar control section that, in a first shifting operation for shifting said sequin sewing device from the operative position to the evacuated position or in a second shifting operation for shifting said sequin sewing device from the evacuated position to the operative position, inhibits or delays descending movement of the needle bar of the needle bar mechanism while maintaining said sewing machine in an operating condition; anda movement mechanism that moves said sequin sewing device to the evacuated position in said first shifting operation but moves said sequin sewing device to the operative position in said second shifting operation while said needle bar control section inhibits or delays descending movement of the needle bar.

2. A sewing machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein, when an embroidery pattern comprising a mixture of a sequin-sewn portion and an ordinary embroidery portion is to be sewn, not only said needle bar control section is caused to inhibit or delay the descending movement of the needle bar but also said movement mechanism is caused to move said sequin sewing device, in correspondence with an embroidery pattern position where said first shifting operation or said second shifting operation is to be performed.

3. A sewing machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said needle bar control section inhibits the descending movement of the needle bar by jumping the needle bar.

4. A sewing machine as claimed in claim 3 which further comprises: an embroidery data supply section that supplies embroidery data of an embroidery pattern comprising a mixture of a sequin-sewn portion and an ordinary embroidery portion; anda data generation section that determines, on the basis of supplied embroidery data, an embroidery pattern position where said first shifting operation or said second shifting operation is to be performed and inserts a jump code, instructing a needle bar jump, into the embroidery data in correspondence with the determined embroidery pattern position, andwherein, in accordance with the jump code inserted in the embroidery data, said needle bar control section and said movement mechanism jump the needle bar and move said sequin sewing device from the operative position to the evacuated position or from the evacuated position to the operative position.

5. A sewing machine as claimed in claim 3 which performs embroidery sewing on the basis of embroidery data of an embroidery pattern comprising a mixture of a sequin-sewn portion and an ordinary embroidery portion, and wherein the embroidery data have a jump code, instructing a needle bar jump, inserted therein in advance in correspondence with an embroidery pattern position where said first shifting operation or said second shifting operation is to be performed, andwherein, in accordance with the jump code inserted in the embroidery data, said needle bar control section and said movement mechanism jump the needle bar and move said sequin sewing device from the operative position to the evacuated position or from the evacuated position to the operative position.

6. A sewing machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said needle bar control section delays the descending movement of the needle bar by reducing an operating speed of a main machine shaft.

7. A sewing machine as claimed in claim 6 which further comprises: an embroidery data supply section that supplies embroidery data of an embroidery pattern comprising a mixture of a sequin-sewn portion and an ordinary embroidery portion; anda data generation section that determines, on the basis of supplied embroidery data, an embroidery pattern position where said first shifting operation or said second shifting operation is to be performed and inserts a main-machine-shaft speed reduction instruction, instructing reduction of the operating speed of the main machine shaft, in the embroidery data in correspondence with the determined embroidery pattern position, andwherein, in accordance with the main-machine-shaft speed reduction instruction inserted in the embroidery data, said needle bar control section and said movement mechanism reduces the operating speed of the main machine shaft and move said sequin sewing device from the operative position to the evacuated position or from the evacuated position to the operative position.

8. A sewing machine as claimed in claim 6 which performs embroidery sewing on the basis of embroidery data of an embroidery pattern comprising a mixture of a sequin-sewn portion and an ordinary embroidery portion, and wherein the embroidery data have a main-machine-shaft speed reduction instruction inserted therein in advance in correspondence with an embroidery pattern position where said first shifting operation or said second shifting operation is to be performed, andwherein, in accordance with the main-machine-shaft speed reduction instruction inserted in the embroidery data, said needle bar control section and said movement mechanism jump the needle bar and move said sequin sewing device from the operative position to the evacuated position or from the evacuated position to the operative position.