This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-104256, filed on May 31, 2018, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a sewing machine.
A sewing machine on which a thread spool device can be mounted is known. The known sewing machine has a cover member that covers a part of an arm portion such that the part of the arm portion can be opened and closed. The cover member is detachably and rotatably attached to an attachment portion that is provided on the arm portion. When the thread spool device is mounted on the sewing machine, first, the cover member is removed from the arm portion. As a result, the attachment portion is exposed. Next, the thread spool device is mounted on the exposed attachment portion.
With the above-described sewing machine, it is necessary to remove the cover member from the arm portion in order to mount the thread spool device on the sewing machine. Therefore, there is a problem that a removal operation of the cover member, which is troublesome, is required to cause the sewing machine to be in a state in which the thread spool device can be used.
It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a sewing machine in which a thread spool device is brought into a usable state by an easy operation.
A sewing machine according to the present disclosure includes a bed portion, a pillar, an arm portion, a cover, and a thread spool device. The pillar extends upward from the bed portion. The arm portion extends from an upper end portion of the pillar in parallel with the bed portion. The cover is provided on the arm portion and is configured to be rotatable between a closed position and an open position. The closed position is a position in which a base surface, which is a part of a surface of the cover, faces an upper side of the arm portion and the base surface covers the upper side of the arm portion. The open position is a position in which the base surface is directed upward and the base surface does not cover the upper side of the arm portion. The thread spool device is provided on the base surface and including at least one thread spool pin. The thread spool device is capable of holding a thread spool on each of the at least one thread spool pin in a state in which the cover is disposed in the open position.
Embodiments of the disclosure 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. The up-down direction, the lower left side, the upper right side, the upper left side and the lower right side of
Overall Configuration of Sewing Machine 1A
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 1A. The feed dog is driven by the feed mechanism and moves a 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 11A that is provided on the upper surface of the bed portion 11. A sewing machine motor (not shown in the drawings) is provided inside the pillar 12.
An upper portion of the arm portion 13 is provided with a cover 3 that can open and close. As shown in
As shown in
The upper surface 13A is further provided with a thread housing portion 16. The thread housing portion 16 has a shape that is recessed downward. A thread spool (not shown in the drawings), around which the upper thread is wound, can be housed in the thread housing portion 16. A thread spool pin 16A is provided on an inner peripheral surface on the right side of the thread housing portion 16. The thread spool pin 16A extends to the left from the inner peripheral surface on the right side of the thread housing portion 16. The thread spool is mounted on the sewing machine 1A by the thread spool pin 16A being inserted into an insertion hole of the thread spool. A third thread guide portion 17 is provided in the upper surface 13A, on the left side of the thread housing portion 16. The third thread guide portion 17 is a curved groove. The third thread guide portion 17 guides the upper thread pulled out from the thread spool housed in the thread housing portion 16, to the sewing needle. A drive shaft (not shown in the drawings) that extends in the left-right direction is provided inside the arm portion 13. The drive shaft is driven to rotate by the sewing machine motor. The upper surface 13A is further provided with a first thread guide portion 18 on the rear side of the thread housing portion 16. The first thread guide portion 18 is a hook. The first thread guide portion 18 hooks the upper thread drawn out from the thread spool mounted on a thread spool device 5 (refer to
The head portion 14 is provided with a needle bar up-and-down movement mechanism (not shown in the drawings) and a presser foot up-and-down movement mechanism (not shown in the drawings). The needle bar up-and-down movement mechanism drives the needle bar, on which the sewing needle is mounted, in the up-down direction in accordance with the rotation of the drive shaft. The presser foot up-and-down movement mechanism drives the presser bar, on which the presser foot 14A is mounted, in the up-down direction in accordance with the rotation of the drive shaft.
Cover 3
As shown in
As shown in
The cover 3 is disposed in the open position by being rotated around the rotation axis X1 (refer to
As shown in
The first convex portion 31A is a rib to attach the hinge 15A to the cover 3. The first convex portion 31A is provided on a front end portion of the base surface 3A and to the right of the through hole 90A. The first convex portion 31B is a rib to attach the hinge 15B to the cover 3. The first convex portion 31B is provided on the front end portion of the base surface 3A and to the left of the through hole 90B. The first convex portions 31A and 31B have a plate shape. The first convex portions 31A and 31B are orthogonal to the left-right direction. The first convex portions 31A and 31B are aligned in the left-right direction. The first convex portion 31A is disposed to the left of the first convex portion 31B.
The magnet 33A is provided to the right of the first convex portion 31A in the left-right direction. The magnet 33A is disposed in the vicinity of a central portion of the base surface 3A in the front-rear direction. The magnet 33B is provided at a substantially the same position as the first convex portion 31B in the left-right direction. The magnet 33B is disposed in the vicinity of the central portion of the base surface 3A in the front-rear direction. The magnets 33A and 33B are aligned in the left-right direction. Hereinafter, the magnets 33A and 33B are collectively referred to as a “first attachment portion 33.”
Thread Spool Device 5
The thread spool device 5 will be explained with reference to
As shown in
The thread spool pins 5A and 5B hold the thread spools in a state in which the thread spool pins 5A and 5B are respectively inserted into insertion holes of the thread spools (not shown in the drawings), around each of which the upper thread is wound. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In a similar manner, the thread spool pin 5B enters the second groove 56B when it is disposed in the second position, and extends in the same direction as the second groove 56B. Note that, since the second groove 56B extends along the left-right direction, the thread spool pin 5B also extends along the left-right direction. More specifically, the thread spool pin 5B extends to the left from the position Bp that corresponds to a connection portion with the thread spool base 50. Further, more specifically, the thread spool pin 5B extends diagonally to the rear left side along the second groove 56B, from the position Bp toward an end portion (referred to as a “leading end of the thread spool pin 5B”) on the opposite side to the position Bp side. Further, since the depth of the second groove 56B becomes smaller as the second groove 56B separates from the position Bp, a part of the thread spool pin 5B on the leading end side protrudes above the upper surface 50A of the thread spool base 50.
The thread guide mechanism 5C uses second thread guide portions 59A and 59B (to be described later) to upwardly guide the upper thread that is drawn out from each of the thread spools (not shown in the drawings) respectively held by the thread spool pins 5A and 5B disposed in the first position. As shown in
The support pin 58 is a bent wire. The support pin 58 is provided at an end portion of the thread guide pin 57 (hereinafter referred to as a “leading end of the thread guide pin 57”) on the opposite side to the position Cp side. The support pin 58 can rotate, with respect to the thread guide pin 57, around a rotation axis that is parallel to the extending direction of a connection portion with the thread guide pin 57. The position of the support pin 58 with respect to the thread guide pin 57 shown in
As shown in
Two sections each curved in a ring shape are formed in the second portion 58B of the support pin 58. Hereinafter, these sections are referred to as second thread guide portions 59A and 59B. The second thread guide portion 59A overlaps with a virtual line L1 that extends upward along the thread guide pin 5A disposed in the first position. The second thread guide portion 59B overlaps with a virtual line L2 that extends upward along the thread guide pin 5B disposed in the first position. The second thread guide portions 59A and 59B are held in positions that are separated upward from the thread spool base 50, by the thread guide pin 57 disposed in the third position.
The support pin 58 is disposed in the six position from the fifth position by being rotated 270 degrees clockwise in a front view with respect to the thread guide pin 57 disposed in the third position. As shown in
As shown in
The magnets 53A and 53B are respectively provided at two positions of the lower surface 50B. More specifically, the magnets 53A and 53B are disposed to be aligned in the left-right direction, at the center of the lower surface 50B in the front-rear direction. The positional relationship between the magnets 53A and 53B matches the positional relationship between the magnets 33A and 33B provided on the upper surface 13A of the cover 3. The magnets 53A and 53B are collectively referred to as a “second attachment portion 53.”
Attachment/Detachment Method of Thread Spool Device 5 With Respect to Cover 3
First, the cover 3 of the sewing machine 1A is switched from the closed position to the open position. The thread spool device 5 is prepared such that the thread spool pins 5A and 5B are each disposed in the second position, the thread guide pin 57 is disposed in the fourth position, and the support pin 58 is disposed in the sixth position (refer to
Next, the user pinches and pulls up the thread spool pins 5A and 5B that protrude from the upper surface 50A of the thread spool base 50. The thread spool pins 5A and 5B are switched from the second position to the first position (refer to
Next, the user pinches the thread guide pin 57 that extends along the upper surface 50A of the thread spool base 50, rotates the thread guide pin 57 by 90 degrees clockwise in a front view, and pulls it up above the upper surface 50A. The thread guide pin 57 is switched from the fourth position to the third position (refer to
As shown in
The thread spool device 5 is removed from the cover 3 by the second attachment portion 53 (refer to
Operations and Effects of Above-Described Embodiment
The sewing machine 1A has the thread spool device 5 on the base surface 3A of the cover 3. In the state in which the cover 3 is disposed in the open position, the thread spool device 5 can hold the thread spools on the thread spool pins 5A and 5B. In other words, in the sewing machine 1A, there is no need to remove the cover 3 from the arm portion 13 in order to mount the thread spool device 5. Therefore, the user can easily cause the sewing machine 1A to be in a state in which the use of the thread spool device 5 is possible.
The sewing machine 1A is provided with the first attachment portion 33 provided on the base surface 3A of the cover 3, and the second attachment portion 53 provided on the thread spool device 5. The thread spool device 5 is mounted on the cover 3 by the second attachment portion 53 being attached to the first attachment portion 33, and is removed from the cover 3 by the second attachment portion 53 being detached from the first attachment portion 33. That is, since the thread spool device 5 can be attached to and detached from the cover 3 of the sewing machine 1A, the user can mount the thread spool device 5 on the sewing machine 1 when the user performs sewing using the thread spool device 5, and can remove the thread spool device 5 from the sewing machine 1A when the user performs sewing without using the thread spool device 5. Thus, when the thread spool device 5 is not used, the user can reduce the space for the sewing machine 1A.
The first attachment portion 33 of the cover 3 is provided with the magnets 33A and 33B, and the second attachment portion 53 of the thread spool device 5 is provided with the magnets 53A and 53B. Owing to the magnetic force of the magnets 33A, 33B, 53A and 53B that acts between the first attachment portion 33 and the second attachment portion 53, the second attachment portion 53 of the thread spool device 5 is attached to the first attachment portion 33. Thus, the sewing machine 1A can easily realize the thread spool device 5 that is detachably mounted on the cover 3, using the magnets 33A, 33B, 53A and 53B.
The base surface 3A of the cover 3 and the thread spool device 5 are provided with the positioning members P used to position the thread spool device 5 with respect to the base surface 3A. Thus, the sewing machine 1A can stabilize the position of the thread spool device 5 mounted on the cover 3, using the positioning members P.
The positioning members P include the first convex portions 31A and 31B provided on the cover 3, and the first grooves 51A and 51B provided in the thread spool device 5. The positioning members P position the thread spool device 5 with respect to the base surface 3A of the cover 3 by the first convex portion 31A being engaged with the first groove 51A and the first convex portion 31B being engaged with the first groove 51B. Thus, the sewing machine 1A can reduce a possibility of positional displacement of the thread spool device 5 positioned with respect to the base surface 3A.
The thread spool device 5 has the thread spool base 50 on which the thread spool pins 5A and 5B are provided. In the state in which the cover 3 is disposed in the open position, each of the thread spool pins 5A and 5B can be switched between the first position, in which the thread spool pins 5A and 5B extend upward from the thread spool base 50, and the second position, in which the thread spool pins 5A and 5B extend along the extending direction of the arm portion 13. Thus, by disposing each of the thread spool pins 5A and 5B in the first position when the user uses the thread spool device 5, the user can perform sewing using the upper thread of each of the thread spools held by the thread spool pins 5A and 5B. On the other hand, by disposing each of the thread spool pins 5A and 5B in the second position when the thread spool device 5 is not used, the user can downsize the sewing machine 1A.
When the thread spool pins 5A and 5B are each disposed in the first position, they are disposed to be aligned in the left-right direction, which is the extending direction of the arm portion 13. When the thread spool pins 5A and 5B are each disposed in the second position, the thread spool pin 5A extends to the right from the position Ap that corresponds to the connection portion with the thread spool base 50, and the thread spool pin 5B extends to the left from the position Bp that corresponds to the connection portion with the thread spool base 50. At this time, the thread spool pins 5A and 5B partially overlap with each other in the left-right direction. Thus, by disposing each of the thread spool pins 5A and 5B in the second position, the user can reduce the size of the sewing machine 1A in the direction (the left-right direction) in which the arm portion 13 extends.
The first thread guide portion 18 guides the upper thread drawn out from each of the thread spools respectively held by the thread spool pins 5A and 5B. In the left-right direction, the first thread guide portion 18 is disposed between the thread spool pins 5A and 5B disposed in the first position. More specifically, the first thread guide portion 18 is disposed between the position Ap and the position Bp in the left-right direction. With this configuration, the sewing machine 1A can reduce a possibility that a force that acts when the upper thread is guided by the first thread guide portion 18 may become uneven depending on whether the upper thread is drawn out from the thread spool on the thread spool pin 5A or the upper thread is drawn out from the thread spool on the thread spool pin 5B. Thus, the sewing machine 1A can smoothly draw out the upper thread from either of the thread spools on the thread spool pins 5A and 5B.
The thread spool device 5 is supported by the arm portion 13 via the rotation axis X1. Here, in the state in which the cover 3 is disposed in the open position, the thread spool pins 5A and 5B are disposed on the rotation axis X1 side of the cover 3 with respect to the virtual line X2 that passes through the center of the cover 3, in the front-rear direction that is orthogonal to the directions (the up-down direction and the left-right direction) in which the pillar 12 and the arm portion 13 respectively extend. Thus, in the sewing machine 1A, the thread spool device 5 can be stably supported by the arm portion 13, in comparison to when the thread spool pins 5A and 5B are disposed on the opposite side to the rotation axis X1 side of the cover 3 with respect to the virtual line X2.
The thread guide pin 57 can be switched between the third position in which the thread guide pin 57 extends upward from the thread spool base 50 and the fourth position in which the thread guide pin 57 extends along the left-right direction. Therefore, by disposing the thread guide pin 57 in the fourth position when the thread spool device 5 is not used, the user can downsize the sewing machine 1A.
The thread spool pins 5A and 5B extend in the up-down direction when the thread spool pins 5A and 5B are each disposed in the first position. This direction is a direction orthogonal to the upper surface 13A and the base surface 3A, and is also a direction parallel to the extending direction of the pillar 12. With this configuration, the thread spool pins 5A and 5B can receive, from the base surface 3A of the cover 3, the force received from the thread spools in the held state. Thus, in comparison to when the thread spool pins 5A and 5B extend in parallel with the upper surface 13A, the sewing machine 1A can reduce the strength that is required to hold the thread spools.
A sewing machine 1B according to a first modified example of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to
As shown in
The second convex portion 32B protrudes from the base surface 3A of the cover 3. In a state in which the cover 3 is disposed in the open position, the second convex portion 328 protrudes upward. In a state in which the thread spool device 6 is mounted on the cover 3, the second convex portion 32B is disposed below the through hole 52B.
Note that, although not shown in the drawings, the thread spool device 6 further includes a through hole that communicates with a space between the lower surface 50B and the second groove 56A, and a transmission portion that is disposed inside the through hole. The cover 3 further includes a second convex portion that is disposed below the through hole that communicates with the second groove 56A.
When the thread spool device 6 is mounted on the cover 3 in a state in which the thread spool pin 5B is disposed in the second position, the second convex portion 32B is inserted through the first opening 521B of the through hole 52B (refer to
Operations and Effects of First Modified Example
In the sewing machine 1B, the second convex portion 32B is inserted through the first opening 521B by the operation of mounting the thread spool device 6 on the cover 3, and the thread spool pin 5B is moved from the second position toward the first position so that the thread spool pin 5B can protrude from the second groove 56B. The user of the sewing machine 1B can cause the thread spool pin 5B to protrude significantly from the second groove 56B, simply by performing the operation of mounting the thread spool device 6 on the cover 3. With this configuration, the user can easily pinch the thread spool pin 5B and move it to the first position. This also applies to the thread spool pin 5A.
Second Modified Example
A sewing machine 1C according to a second modified example of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to
The thread spool device 7 includes the thread spool pins 5A and 5B having the same configuration as the thread spool device 5 (refer to
When the user causes the thread spool device 7 of the sewing machine 1C to be in a usable state, first, the user switches the cover 3 from the closed position to the open position. The base surface 3A of the cover 3 is directed upward. As shown in
On the other hand, when the thread spool device 7 is not used, so that the cover 3 can be disposed in the closed position, the user switches the support pin 58 from the fifth position to the six position, switches the thread guide pin 57 from the third position to the fourth position, and switches each of the thread spool pins 5A and 5B from the first position to the second position. As a result, the thread spool device 7 can be accommodated between the upper surface 13A of the arm portion 13 and the base surface 3A of the cover 3. By rotating the cover 3, the user switches the cover 3 from the open position to the closed position.
Operations and Effects of Second Modified Example
In the second modified example, the thread spool device 7 is not detachable from the cover 3. Therefore, when the thread spool device 7 is not used, the user need not secure the space to store the thread spool device 7.
Other Modified Examples
The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. Hereinafter, although the sewing machine 1A (the thread spool device 5) is used as an example to explain modified examples, it is needless to mention that the modified examples can be applied not only to the sewing machine 1A but also to the sewing machine 1B (the thread spool device 6) and the sewing machine 1C (the thread spool device 7).
The magnets 33A and 33B may only be provided on the first attachment portion 33 of the cover 3, and the magnets 53A and 53B need not necessarily be provided on the second attachment portion 53 of the thread spool device 5. For example, a ferromagnetic material (iron or the like) that can generate a magnetic force between itself and the magnets 33A and 33B may be used as the second attachment portion 53. Meanwhile, the magnets 53A and 53B may only be provided on the second attachment portion 53 of the thread spool device 5, and the magnets 33A and 33B need not necessarily be provided on the first attachment portion 33 of the cover 3. For example, a ferromagnetic material (iron or the like) that can generate a magnetic force between itself and the magnets 53A and 53B may be used as the first attachment portion 33. The first attachment portion 33 and the second attachment portion 53 may attach the thread spool device 5 to the cover 3 without using the magnetic force. For example, the first attachment portion 33 and the second attachment portion 53 may be formed in shapes such that they can engage with each other. The thread spool device 5 may be attached to the cover 3 by the first attachment portion 33 and the second attachment portion 53 engaging with each other. The first attachment portion 33 and the second attachment portion 53 may be a screw and a screw hole that can be screwed together. Further, the cover 3 may be provided with an attachment portion, and the thread spool device 5 need not necessarily be provided with an attachment portion. In this case, the attachment portion of the cover 3 may have a rib corresponding to the outer circumference of the thread spool base 50 of the thread spool device 5, and the thread spool device 5 may be attached to the cover 3 by the thread spool base 50 being disposed in an area surrounded by the rib.
The positioning members P may include a first groove provided in the base surface 3A of the cover 3, and a first convex portion provided on the thread spool device 5. The positioning members P may perform the positioning of the thread spool device 5 with respect to the base surface 3A of the cover 3, using a configuration other than the first grooves and the first convex portions. For example, the positioning members P may perform the positioning of the thread spool device 5 with respect to the base surface 3A of the cover 3, using magnetic forces of magnets that are respectively provided on the base surface 3A of the cover 3 and on the thread spool device 5. The sewing machine 1A need not necessarily have the positioning members P.
The thread spool pin 5A disposed in the second position may extend to the left from the position Ap. The thread spool pin 5B disposed in the second position may extend to the right from the position Bp. In the state in which the thread spool pins 5A and 5B are each disposed in the second position, they need not necessarily overlap with each other in the left-right direction.
In the left-right direction, the first thread guide portion 18 need not necessarily be disposed between the thread spool pins 5A and 5B disposed in the first position. For example, the first thread guide portion 18 need not necessarily be provided on the arm portion 13. In this case, in place of the first thread guide portion 18, the third thread guide portion 17 may directly guide the upper thread drawn out from each of the thread spools held by the thread spool pins 5A and 5B.
The number of the thread spool pins 5A and 5B need not necessarily be limited to two, and may be one, or three or more. The thread spool pins 5A and 5B may be fixed in the first position and may not be switchable to the second position. The thread guide pin 57 may be fixed in the third position and may not be switchable to the fourth position. The thread spool device 5 may be provided on the cover 3 on the opposite side to the rotation axis X1 with respect to the virtual line X2. The thread spool device 5 may include only the thread spool pins 5A and 5B and need not necessarily include the thread guide mechanism 5C.
In the first modified example, the transmission portion 54B need not necessarily be provided inside the through hole 52B. For example, the second convex portion 32B of the cover 3 may be longer than the length of the through hole 52B. When the thread spool device 6 is mounted on the cover 3, the second convex portion 32B may be inserted through the through hole 52B and may protrude upward from the second groove 56B. The second convex portion 32B may directly move the thread spool pin 5B disposed in the second groove 56B, from the second position toward the first position.
The extending direction of each of the thread spool pins 5A and 5B disposed in the first position need not necessarily be exactly orthogonal to the base surface 3A of the cover 3, and may be inclined with respect to the direction orthogonal to the base surface 3A.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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JP2018-104256 | May 2018 | JP | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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3665875 | Bantor | May 1972 | A |
3749039 | Fritts | Jul 1973 | A |
9346650 | Niizeki | May 2016 | B2 |
20150239707 | Niizeki | Aug 2015 | A1 |
20180010275 | Fujihara | Jan 2018 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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2015-159946 | Sep 2015 | JP |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20190368093 A1 | Dec 2019 | US |