CN109281075B - Sewing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a sewing machine, which can well convey along the curve shape of a sewed object. A sewing machine (10) comprises: a first feeding mechanism (30) which feeds the sewed material (H) through a conveying wheel (31) with a rotating shaft inclined relative to the horizontal direction at the adjacent position of the needle falling position (T); a second feeding mechanism (50) which is arranged at the upstream side of the feeding direction relative to the first feeding mechanism and enables the rotating spherical feeding body (51) to contact from the upper side to feed the sewed object; the control device (90) controls the drive source (33) of the first feeding mechanism and the drive source (53) of the second feeding mechanism, in the sewing machine (10), a guide member (80) is provided, which guides the curve-shaped end edge part (H1) of the sewed object along the curve shape, and the control device is provided with opening parts (81, 82) with concave sections and opening at the side of the feeding body of the second feeding mechanism.

Description

Sewing machine

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a sewing machine suitable for sewing along a curved line.

Background

For example, in the case of sewing a workpiece along a curved line, sewing has been conventionally performed in such a manner that an operator presses the workpiece with the left hand and slides the workpiece with the right hand to rotate the workpiece about the left hand.

In this sewing, a skilled skill is required to perform the sewing along the trajectory of the target curve, and there is a problem that the sewing can be performed only by a worker having an excellent skill.

Conventionally, there is a high demand for a sewing machine capable of performing sewing regardless of skills along the trajectory of the target curve as described above, and in order to achieve this demand, a sewing machine has been proposed in which a sewing object is fed by a feed wheel arranged with a rotation axis inclined obliquely to the horizontal direction and a spherical feeder that rotates (see, for example, patent document 1).

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2017-029337

However, in the conventional sewing machine described above, the contact state of the feed wheel and the feed body changes due to the influence of disturbance in the case where there is a portion where the thickness of the object to be sewn changes, the object to be sewn is in a three-dimensional shape, or the like, and there is a possibility that the feed direction may deviate to an unexpected direction.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a sewing machine capable of well conveying along the curve shape of a sewed object.

The invention described in claim 1 is a sewing machine,

it has the following components:

a first feeding mechanism which feeds the sewed object through a conveying wheel arranged in a state that a rotating shaft is inclined relative to the horizontal direction at the position adjacent to the needle falling position;

a second feeding mechanism which is arranged at the upstream side of the feeding direction relative to the first feeding mechanism and enables a spherical feeding body which rotates to contact from the upper side to feed the sewed object; and

a control device that controls a drive source of the first feeding mechanism and a drive source of the second feeding mechanism,

the sewing machine is characterized in that the sewing machine is provided with a sewing machine,

the sewing machine further includes a guide member having an opening with a concave cross section that opens toward the feeder side of the second feeding mechanism, and guiding a curved end edge portion of the workpiece along the curved shape while holding the workpiece through the opening so as not to be displaced in the vertical direction.

The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the sewing machine described in claim 1,

the guide member has a curved shape along an edge portion of the material to be sewn in a plan view.

The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in the sewing machine described in claim 1,

the opening of the guide member is formed by a plurality of guide bodies arranged along the curve shape of the end edge of the sewed fabric.

The invention described in claim 4 is a sewing machine including:

a first feeding mechanism which feeds the sewed object through a conveying wheel arranged in a state that a rotating shaft inclines obliquely relative to the horizontal direction at the adjacent position of the needle falling position;

a second feeding mechanism which is arranged at the upstream side of the feeding direction relative to the first feeding mechanism and enables a spherical feeding body which rotates to contact from the upper side to feed the sewed fabric; and

a control device that controls a drive source of the first feeding mechanism and a drive source of the second feeding mechanism,

the sewing machine is characterized in that the sewing machine is provided with a sewing machine,

having a first guide member and a second guide member,

the first guide member contacts the workpiece from above, the second guide member is disposed upstream of the first guide member in the feed direction, and contacts the workpiece from below, and guides the curved edge portion of the workpiece along the curved shape while sandwiching the workpiece between the first guide member and the second guide member so as not to deviate in the vertical direction.

The invention described in claim 5 is the sewing machine described in claim 4, wherein the second guide member is movable to an operating position where it is in contact with the workpiece and a retracted position where it is not in contact with the workpiece.

The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that, in the sewing machine described in claim 5, the second guide member moves to the operating position at the start of sewing, and moves to the retreat position immediately before the end of sewing of the terminal end of the object to be sewn.

The invention described in claim 7 is the sewing machine described in any one of claims 1 to 6,

the sewing machine sews a first sewed object sewed on the upper surface side of the sewed object and a second sewed object sewed on the lower surface side,

the sewing machine includes a first air nozzle that blows out an end edge portion of the second sewn article protruding outward from a curved end edge portion of the sewn article toward the feeder side of the second feeding mechanism on an upstream side in a feeding direction from a needle drop position.

The invention described in claim 8 is characterized in that, in the sewing machine described in claim 7,

the second air nozzle is provided to blow out an end edge portion of the second sewn product blown out toward the feeder side of the second feeding mechanism by the first air nozzle toward an opposite side to the feeder of the second feeding mechanism on an upstream side in a feeding direction from a needle drop position.

The invention described in claim 9 is characterized in that, in the sewing machine described in claim 8,

and a third air nozzle that blows out an end edge portion of the second sewn product that is blown out by the second air nozzle to a side opposite to the feeder of the second feeding mechanism toward the needle plate side on an upstream side in a feeding direction from a needle drop position.

The invention described in claim 10 is characterized in that, in the sewing machine described in any one of claims 7 to 9,

the sewing machine is provided with a cloth stretching mechanism which is used for applying tension to the opposite side of the feeding body of the second feeding mechanism relative to the end edge part of the first sewed object which extends outwards from the curve-shaped end edge part of the sewed object at the opposite side of the feeding body of the second feeding mechanism relative to the needle drop position.

The invention described in claim 11 is characterized in that, in the sewing machine described in claim 10,

the cloth stretching mechanism applies the tension to the end edge portion of the first sewn article by rotation of a sliding contact body.

The invention described in claim 12 is characterized in that, in the sewing machine described in claim 11,

the sliding contact body of the cloth stretching mechanism applies the tension to the end edge portion of the first sewn product by sliding contact of a plurality of sliding contact portions provided on the outer periphery,

the plurality of sliding contact portions are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the sliding contact body.

The invention described in claim 13 is the sewing machine described in claim 12,

the plurality of sliding contact portions are constituted by brushes or sponges.

The invention according to claim 14 is the sewing machine according to any one of claims 10 to 13,

the fourth air nozzle is disposed below the needle plate, and blows out the end edge of the first sewn product from the opening of the needle plate to the opposite side of the second feeding mechanism from the feeder.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the above configuration of the present invention, the conveyance along the curved shape of the material to be sewn can be performed satisfactorily.

Drawings

Fig. 1 (base:Sub>A) isbase:Sub>A plan view showingbase:Sub>A workpiece of the sewing machine according to the present embodiment, and fig. 1 (B) isbase:Sub>A cross-sectional view taken along linebase:Sub>A-base:Sub>A of fig. 1 (base:Sub>A).

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the sewing machine according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 3 is an oblique view of the sewing machine viewed from a direction different from that of fig. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the periphery of a needle drop position in the sewing machine.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the periphery of a needle drop position in the sewing machine.

Fig. 6 is an oblique view of a second feeding mechanism of the sewing machine.

Fig. 7 (a) is a bottom view of the feeder body of the second feeding mechanism, and fig. 7 (B) is a side view.

Fig. 8 (a) is a bottom view of another example of the feeder, and fig. 8 (B) is a side view.

Fig. 9 is an oblique view of a height detecting portion of the sewing machine.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the edge detecting portion of the sewing machine.

Fig. 11 is an explanatory view of a state where the light projecting section projects the irradiation light from below onto the material to be sewn and the first and second sewn materials on the needle plate, as viewed from above.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the guide member.

Fig. 13 is a left side view of the guide member.

Fig. 14 is an explanatory view showing a relationship between a feed trajectory of an end edge portion of a sewn article and a needle drop position required at the time of feeding a cloth.

Fig. 15 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a function of the inclined surface of the rear end portion of the support plate of the guide member.

Fig. 16 is a plan view showing another example of the guide member.

Fig. 17 (a) is a sectional view taken along the line U-U of fig. 12, fig. 17 (B) is a sectional view taken along the line V-V of fig. 12, fig. 17 (C) is a sectional view taken along the line W-W of fig. 12, and fig. 17 (D) is a sectional view taken along the line S-S of fig. 12.

Fig. 18 is an oblique view of the periphery of the cloth stretching mechanism.

Fig. 19 (a) is a front view and fig. 19 (B) is a side view of the slide contact body of the cloth stretching mechanism as viewed from the direction of the rotation center line.

Fig. 20 (a) is a front view of another example of the slide contact body of the cloth stretching mechanism as viewed from the direction of the rotation center line, and fig. 20 (B) is a side view.

Fig. 21 is a block diagram showing a control system of the sewing machine.

Fig. 22 (a) and 22 (B) are explanatory views showing a relationship between an edge portion of a workpiece and a reference line showing a target position in a light projection range.

FIG. 23 is a flow chart of the feed control of the sewing material.

Fig. 24 (a) and 24 (B) are explanatory views of the operation of the height control (1) of the feeder.

Fig. 25 a is a diagram showing a correspondence relationship between the detected height of the upper surface of the workpiece and the height command of the lifting motor by the distance sensor of the height detecting unit when the height control (1) of the feeder is performed, and fig. 25B is a diagram showing a correspondence relationship between the detected height of the upper surface of the workpiece and the height command of the lifting motor by the distance sensor of the height detecting unit when the height control (2) of the feeder is performed.

Fig. 26 is an explanatory view showing a state of a height variation of a sewn article.

Fig. 27 (a) is an explanatory view showing an abutment range of the feeder when moving upward, and fig. 27 (B) is an explanatory view showing an abutment range of the feeder when moving downward.

Fig. 28 (a) is an explanatory view showing another example of the guide body, fig. 28 (B) is an explanatory view of a state in which the guide body is at the operating position, and fig. 28 (C) is an explanatory view of a state in which the guide body is at the retracted position.

Description of the reference symbols

10. Sewing machine

11. Sewing needle

12. Needle bar

13. Needle plate

14. Motor for sewing machine

15. Cloth presser foot

16. Cloth presser foot bar

17. Edge detection unit

20. Sewing machine frame

30. First feeding mechanism

31. Conveying wheel

32. Support wrist

33. First feed motor (drive source of first feed mechanism)

40. Height detection unit

47. Distance sensor

50. Second feeding mechanism

51. Feeding body

52. Support shaft

53. Second feed motor (drive source of second feed mechanism)

60. Lifting motor (driving source for lifting)

70. Cloth stretching mechanism

71. Sliding contact body

74. Sliding contact part

80. 80A guide member

81. First guide body

81a 1 st guide

82. Second guide body

82a 2 nd guide

81A guide body

83. Supporting plate

83ax fulcrum shaft

84. First air nozzle

85. Second air nozzle

86. Third air nozzle

87. Fourth air nozzle

88. Fifth air nozzle

89. Air cylinder

90. Control device

91 CPU

95. Setting switch

172. Light projecting part

831. Inclined plane

H-shaped sewn article

H1 End edge part

J first stitch

K second stitch

T needle position

Detailed Description

[ subject of Sewing ]

Next, a sewing machine 10 as an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 27.

Fig. 1 (base:Sub>A) isbase:Sub>A plan view showingbase:Sub>A workpiece H of the sewing machine 10, and fig. 1 (B) isbase:Sub>A cross-sectional view taken alongbase:Sub>A linebase:Sub>A-base:Sub>A of fig. 1 (base:Sub>A).

The material to be sewn H is a cup material of a so-called brassiere as a female underwear, and has flexibility and shape-setting properties in which a central portion is formed into a convex shape on the front side and a concave curved shape on the back side. Fig. 1 (a) shows a state in which the front surface of the workpiece H faces the back side of the paper surface and the back surface of the workpiece H faces the front side of the paper surface.

As shown in the figure, an end edge portion H1 of the material to be sewn H is formed in a curved shape, a first sewn material J as a surface material is sewn to the entire surface of the material to be sewn H, and a band-shaped second sewn material K is sewn to the back surface of the material to be sewn H along the end edge portion H1.

The second sewn material K is a so-called set portion (stabilizer) which suppresses expansion and contraction of the edge portion H1 of the material to be sewn H.

As shown in fig. 1 (B), the first sewn article J and the second sewn article K each extend outward from an end edge portion H1 of the material to be sewn H.

In the present embodiment, the sewing machine 10 stitches the first sewn product J and the second sewn product K along the end edge portion H1 of the material to be sewn H while maintaining a constant distance d from the end edge portion H1 to the outside.

[ integral Structure of Sewing machine ]

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a part of the sewing machine 10 with a structure thereof omitted, and fig. 3 is a perspective view viewed from another direction.

The sewing machine 10 includes: a needle bar 12 for holding the needle 11 at a lower end portion; a needle bar vertical moving mechanism (not shown) for vertically moving the needle bar 12; a pot mechanism (not shown) for catching the upper thread passing through the sewing needle 11 and winding the lower thread; a main feed mechanism (not shown) which advances and retracts the feed dog from the opening of the needle plate 13 and feeds the workpiece in a predetermined straight direction; a first feeding mechanism 30 which is adjacent to a needle hole of the needle plate 13 as a needle drop position and feeds the sewing object by a conveying wheel 31 arranged in an inclined state; a second feeding mechanism 50 which is arranged on the upstream side of the first feeding mechanism 30 in the feeding direction and rotates and conveys a feeding body 51 which is in spherical contact with the workpiece; an edge detection unit 17 for detecting the position of an edge of the workpiece H at the needle drop position in a direction (Y-axis direction) orthogonal to the feed direction of the workpiece H; a guide member 80 for guiding a workpiece H along an edge portion H1 of the workpiece H; a cloth stretching mechanism 70 for applying tension to an end edge part of a first sewn product J extending outward from an end edge part H1 of a sewn product H; a sewing machine frame 20 for mounting the above-mentioned components; and a control device 90 that controls the above-described respective configurations.

The sewing machine frame 20 has: a sewing machine base part 21 located at the lower part; an upright body part (not shown) that is erected from the sewing machine bed part 21; and a sewing machine arm 23 extending from an upper end portion of the upright body portion in parallel with the sewing machine base portion 21.

The needle plate 13 is provided on the upper surface of one end side of the sewing machine base 21.

Next, the longitudinal and horizontal directions of the sewing machine base portion 21 and the sewing machine arm portion 23 are defined as the Y-axis direction, the horizontal and orthogonal direction to the Y-axis direction is defined as the X-axis direction, and the vertical up-down direction orthogonal to both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is defined as the Z-axis direction. The X-axis direction is parallel to the feed direction of the workpiece by the main feed mechanism, and the downstream side in the feed direction is "front", the upstream side is "rear", the left-hand side is "left", and the right-hand side is "right" in a state of facing "front", and the following description will be given.

The needle bar up-down moving mechanism comprises: a sewing machine motor 14; an upper shaft rotated by the sewing machine motor 14; and a crank mechanism for converting the rotational force of the upper shaft into a driving force for moving up and down and applying the driving force to the needle bar.

The kettle mechanism has: so-called full-circle rotary vertical kettles; a kettle shaft which supports the vertical kettle; and a gear mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the upper shaft to the kettle shaft at double speed through the transmission mechanism, which is a known structure, and therefore, detailed description thereof is omitted.

The main feed mechanism is a well-known structure having: a feed tooth which enters and exits from an opening of the needle plate 13 and moves forward when protruding from the opening, thereby conveying the object to be sewn to the front side; an upper and lower feed shaft which swings in conjunction with the upper shaft; a horizontal feed shaft which swings in conjunction with the upper shaft; and a feed table which holds the feed teeth and is provided with reciprocating motion in the X-axis direction and reciprocating motion in the Z-axis direction from the horizontal feed shaft and the vertical feed shaft.

The feed table is transferred with vertical reciprocating motion and reciprocating motion along the X-axis direction, the motions are combined to form long and round motions along the X-Z plane, and the feed teeth move in the X-axis direction when protruding upwards from the opening of the needle plate 13, so that the sewing object is fed.

The feeding direction of the sewed object realized by the feeding teeth of the main feeding mechanism is a straight direction parallel to the X-axis direction.

A needle hole, not shown, is formed in the center of the plurality of openings through which the feed dog advances and retracts, and the needle 11 is dropped into the needle hole.

Above the needle hole, a cloth presser foot 15 for pressing the material to be sewn from above is disposed. The cloth presser 15 is supported by a lower end portion of a cloth presser bar 16 (see fig. 4).

The cloth presser bar 16 is supported in the sewing machine arm 23 so as to be movable up and down, and is pressed downward by a spring. Therefore, the cloth presser foot 15 can press the workpiece by the spring pressure.

Further, a presser foot lifting lever, not shown, is provided in the arm portion 23 of the sewing machine, and the cloth presser foot 15 and the cloth presser bar 16 can be lifted upward against the spring by the turning operation of the presser foot lifting lever.

[ first feed mechanism ]

As shown in fig. 3, the first feeding mechanism 30 includes: a conveyance wheel 31 disposed adjacent to the needle hole of the needle plate 13 as the needle drop position T and in an obliquely inclined state; a support wrist 32 that rotatably supports the transport wheel 31; a first feed motor 33 serving as a rotation drive source of the conveying wheel 31; a drive pulley 34 provided on an output shaft of the first feed motor 33; an intermediate pulley 35 rotatably supported by the sewing machine arm 23 at the rear of the driving pulley 34; a driven pulley 36 rotatably provided to the support wrist 32 below the intermediate pulley 35; a bevel gear 37 coaxially coupled to the driven pulley 36; a bevel gear 38 coaxially coupled to the conveyance wheel 31; a synchronous belt 39 mounted between the driving pulley 34 and the intermediate pulley 35; and a timing belt 351 that is stretched over the intermediate pulley 35 and the driven pulley 36 (see fig. 4 and 5, and not shown in fig. 3).

Fig. 4 is a front view of the structure of the periphery of the needle drop position T as viewed from the front, and fig. 5 is a plan view as viewed from above.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the rotation center line C of the transport wheel 31 is parallel to the Y-Z plane and is inclined downward to the left with respect to the Y-axis direction. The rotation center line C of the feed wheel 31 is arranged to intersect the center line of the needle 11.

The outer periphery of the feed wheel 31 is formed of an elastic material, and is slightly elastically deformed against the material to be sewn on the needle plate 13 and pressed against the material. Therefore, the conveying wheel 31 is formed in an arc shape protruding toward the right (needle drop position T side) with respect to the contact area of the workpiece. In addition, the arc of the contact region has a smaller radius of curvature as the inclination angle with respect to the Y-axis direction is larger.

The conveying wheel 31 is given a rotational force in the clockwise direction when viewed from the left. Therefore, the first feed mechanism 30 functions to feed the material to be sewn in a direction that curves to the left and in the forward direction from the needle drop position T.

As described above, the main feed mechanism conveys the workpiece straight forward by the feed teeth. Therefore, if the feed speed of the first feed mechanism 30 is reduced to reduce the conveyance capacity of the workpiece, the influence of the main feed mechanism is relatively increased to perform the feed in the direction close to the straight direction, and if the feed speed of the first feed mechanism 30 is increased to improve the conveyance capacity of the workpiece, the influence of the main feed mechanism is relatively decreased to increase the influence of the first feed mechanism 30 to perform the feed in the direction close to the left curve.

The rotational speed of the transport wheel 31 is set in consideration of the balance with the main feed mechanism.

The first feed motor 33 is supported by the sewing machine arm 23 so that the output shaft is parallel to the Y-axis direction, and the driving pulley 34, the intermediate pulley 35, and the driven pulley 36 are also supported so as to be rotatable about a center line parallel to the Y-axis direction.

On the other hand, the rotation center line C of the conveying wheel 31 is inclined, but the bevel gear 38 coupled to the conveying wheel 31 so as to be rotatable in conjunction therewith and the bevel gear 37 coupled to the driven pulley 36 so as to be rotatable in conjunction therewith are both inclined with respect to the rotation center at the tooth tips, and therefore, by meshing these, it is possible to favorably apply a rotational force to the inclined conveying wheel 31.

[ second feed mechanism ]

As shown in fig. 5, the second feeding mechanism 50 is in contact with the workpiece H from above at a position slightly to the left of the needle drop position T on the upstream side (rear side) in the feeding direction, and feeds the workpiece H.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a structure of a part of the second feeding mechanism 50.

As shown in fig. 2, 3, or 6, the second feeding mechanism 50 includes: a feeding body 51 which is abutted with the sewed object on the needle plate 13 from the upper part; a support shaft 52 for supporting the feeder body 51; a key groove nut 54 through which the support shaft 52 is inserted; a support frame 55 that rotatably supports the spline nut 54; a second feeding motor 53 which is a rotation driving source of the feeding body 51; a transmission mechanism 56; a drive pulley 57 that rotates via the transmission mechanism 56; a driven pulley 58 fixedly attached to an upper end portion of the spline nut 54; a timing belt 59 that is mounted on the driving pulley 57 and the driven pulley 58; a lifting motor 60 serving as a driving source for lifting the feeder body 51; a support block 61 for rotatably and vertically movably supporting the support shaft 52; a connecting body 62 connected to the upper end of the support shaft 52 in a rotatable state of the support shaft 52; a guide shaft 63 for guiding the vertical movement of the connecting body 62; a rack member 64 provided to the connecting body 62; and a pinion gear 65 that meshes with the rack member 64.

The feeder 51 is a rotary body having a spherical contact surface 511 projecting downward from the bottom thereof and contacting the sewing object, and a support shaft 52 is connected to the center of rotation thereof in a fixed state. The center line of the support shaft 52 is fixed to the feeder body 51 so as to pass through the center of the spherical contact surface 511.

Fig. 7 (a) is a bottom view of the feeder body 51, and fig. 7 (B) is a side view.

At least a portion of the feeder body 51 constituting the abutment surface 511 is formed of an elastic material such as silicone resin. As shown in the drawing, the contact surface 511 of the feeder body 51 has a plurality of ridges 512 at uniform intervals in the circumferential direction.

The feeder 51 is rotated about the support shaft 52 in a state where the contact surface 511 is brought into contact with the workpiece H from above, whereby a portion of the workpiece H on the upstream side (rear side) in the feeding direction from the needle drop position T is swung left and right, and the workpiece H can be maintained at a constant distance along the curved end edge portion H1.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 7 (a), a plurality of convex portions 512 are formed on the contact surface 511 of the feeder body 51, whereby the following effects can be obtained. For example, in the case where the contact surface 511 of the feeding body 51 is formed of only a spherical surface without the convex portion 512, the contact area with respect to the workpiece H becomes large, and thus the contact resistance becomes large, and the effect of swinging the portion on the upstream side in the feeding direction of the workpiece H in the left-right direction is reduced.

On the other hand, if the raised portion 512 is formed on the contact surface 511 of the feeding body 51, the raised portion 512 contacts the workpiece H exclusively, and therefore the contact area is reduced, and the portion on the upstream side in the feeding direction of the workpiece H can be swung left and right well.

As shown in the bottom view of fig. 8 (a) and the side view of fig. 8 (B), the feeder body 51 may have a plurality of circular recesses 513 formed in the contact surface 511 of the feeder body 51. In this case, the contact area is also reduced with respect to the material to be sewn H, and the portion on the upstream side in the feeding direction of the material to be sewn H can be swung in the right and left directions in a satisfactory manner.

The lower end of the support shaft 52 is fixedly connected to the upper surface of the feeder 51. A lower portion of the support shaft 52 and an upper portion thereof with respect to the feeder body 51 are inserted into and supported by a cylindrical spline nut 54, and an upper portion of the support shaft 52 is supported by a support block 61.

The support shaft 52 and the spline nut 54 are both supported by the support frame 55 in a state along the Z-axis direction.

A spline structure, not shown, is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the support shaft 52 and the inner peripheral surface of the spline nut 54, and the support shaft 52 is slidable in the Z-axis direction relative to the spline nut 54. Further, according to the spline structure, the support shaft 52 and the spline nut 54 rotate together about the Z axis.

The support frame 55 supports the upper end and the lower end of the spline nut 54 rotatably about the Z axis by bearings not shown, and the support frame 55 itself is fixed to the sewing machine arm 23.

Therefore, the support shaft 52 and the feeder body 51 can be raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction and rotated about the Z-axis with respect to the sewing machine arm 23 by the key nut 54 and the support frame 55.

A driven pulley 58 is fixedly attached to the upper end of the spline nut 54 concentrically with the spline nut 54. Torque is input from the second feed motor 53 to the driven pulley 58 via the driving pulley 57, the transmission mechanism 56, and the timing belt 59, whereby the feed body 51 and the support shaft 52 can be rotationally driven about the Z axis together with the spline nut 54.

The second feed motor 53 is provided on the front side of the sewing machine arm 23 with its output shaft parallel to the Y-axis direction and its tip end directed to the left.

The transmission mechanism 56 converts the output torque of the second feed motor 53 from around the Y axis to around the Z axis. That is, the transmission mechanism 56 has an input shaft parallel to the Y-axis direction connected to the output shaft of the second feed motor 53 and an output shaft parallel to the Z-axis direction connected to the driving pulley 57. Further, a bevel gear, a crown gear, a helical gear, a worm gear, and the like are provided between the input shaft and the output shaft to transmit torque between the two shafts orthogonal to each other.

Thereby, the drive pulley 57 provided on the output shaft of the transmission mechanism 56 rotates about the Z axis, and transmits torque about the Z axis to the driven pulley 58 via the timing belt 59.

A support block 61 for supporting the upper portion of the support shaft 52 is fixedly provided on the upper left side of the sewing machine arm 23. The support block 61 supports the support shaft 52 via a slide bearing, not shown, and allows the support shaft 52 to move up and down and rotate with respect to the support block 61.

The support shaft 52 extends upward from the upper surface of the support block 61, and a coupling body 62 is provided at the upper end thereof. A rolling bearing, not shown, is interposed between the coupling body 62 and the support shaft 52, and the support shaft 52 can rotate relative to the coupling body 62. However, the support shaft 52 and the connecting body 62 are connected to each other so as to be vertically moved in conjunction with each other.

An upper end portion of a guide shaft 63 attached to the support shaft 52 is fixed to the connecting body 62. The guide shaft 63 is also supported by the support block 61 so as to be able to be raised and lowered in a state parallel to the Z-axis direction. The guide shaft 63 is arranged behind the support shaft 52 and functions as a rotation stopper, i.e., when the support shaft 52 and the connecting body 62 are lifted and lowered together, and when the support shaft 52 is rotated by the second feed motor 53, the connecting body 62 does not rotate together with the support shaft 52.

The rack member 64 is in the shape of a circular bar parallel to the Z-axis direction, and is fixed at its upper end to the connecting body 62 in a state of being attached to the front side of the support shaft 52. Rack teeth aligned in the vertical direction are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rack member 64.

The lifting motor 60 is supported on the left side of the arm 23 of the sewing machine in a state where the output shaft is parallel to the Y-axis direction and the front end thereof faces the right.

Further, a pinion gear 65 is provided on the output shaft of the elevating motor 60, and the pinion gear 65 meshes with the rack teeth of the rack member 64.

Thus, if the elevation motor 60 is driven, the support shaft 52 can be elevated via the pinion 65 and the rack member 64.

Further, since the support shaft 52 is input with rotation about the Z axis via the spline nut 54 as described above, the support shaft 52 and the feeder body 51 can perform the lifting operation in the Z axis direction and the rotation operation about the Z axis in parallel.

[ height detecting part ]

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the height detection unit 40.

As shown in the drawing, the height detection unit 40 includes: a detection member 41 that abuts against an upper surface of the material to be sewn H (or the second sewn material K); a support member 42 that rotatably supports one end of the detection member 41; a lifting body 43 which performs a lifting operation in accordance with the rotation of the detection member 41; a connecting link 44 connecting the detecting member 41 and the elevating body 43; a step screw 49 that supports the vertically movable body 43 so as to be movable up and down in the Z-axis direction; a guide shaft 45 that penetrates the elevating body 43 in the Z-axis direction; a pressing spring 46 as an elastic body that presses the vertically movable body 43 downward; a distance sensor 47 for detecting the height of the vertically movable body 43; and a support plate 48 fixed to the sewing machine arm 23 and supporting the entire height detection unit 40.

The base end of the detection member 41 is supported by a support member 42 so as to be rotatable about the Y axis, and the support member 42 is fixedly attached to a support plate 48. The rotation end of the detection member 41 extends downward, and the tip thereof abuts against the upper surface of the material to be sewn H (or the second sewn material K) from above. The contact position (detection position) of the distal end portion of the detection member 41 is near the rear (upstream side in the feeding direction) of the feeder 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50.

The vertically movable body 43 is elongated in the Z-axis direction, and has a long hole 431 formed in the Z-axis direction. The vertically movable body 43 is supported by two stepped screws 49 inserted into the elongated holes 431 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction with respect to the support plate 48.

The upper end of the connecting link 44 is connected to the upper part of the vertically movable body 43 so as to be rotatable about the Y axis, and a detection plate 432 for the distance sensor 47 is provided at the lower part of the vertically movable body 43. Detected plate 432 has a smooth surface along the X-Y plane.

In addition, a through hole through which the guide shaft 45 passes is formed in the left portion of the elevating body 43.

As described above, the upper end of the connecting link 44 is connected to the elevating body 43 so as to be rotatable about the Y axis, and the lower end thereof is connected to the vicinity of the rotation end of the detection member 41 so as to be rotatable about the Y axis. The connecting link 44 is oriented in a direction substantially along the Z-axis direction.

Thus, if the tip end portion of the detection member 41 on the rotating end portion side is lifted and lowered in accordance with the thickness of the workpiece H, the lifting body 43 is lifted and lowered by an operation amount substantially equal to the lifting operation amount of the detection member 41 via the connecting link 44.

The guide shaft 45 is fixedly supported by the support plate 48 in a state of being inserted into the through hole of the elevating body 43 along the Z-axis direction. The guide shaft 45 is also inserted into a pressing spring 46 as a coil spring. The pressing spring 46 is disposed in a compressed state above the vertically movable body 43. Therefore, the lower end of the pressing spring 46 is pressed against the vertically movable body 43, and presses the vertically movable body 43 downward.

The distance sensor 47 is an optical distance detecting unit that detects a distance by irradiating detection light and reflecting light, and is supported by the support plate 48 so as to irradiate the detection target plate 432 of the vertically movable body 43 with detection light from above in the Z-axis direction.

That is, the distance to the detected plate 432 in the state where the workpiece H is not present on the needle plate 13 is set as the origin, and the thickness of the workpiece H (including the first and second workpieces J, K) can be detected based on the difference between the detected distance and the distance to the origin.

[ end edge detection part ]

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the edge detecting unit 17.

As shown in fig. 10, the edge detecting section 17 is a camera that photographs the material to be sewn H (including the first and second sewn materials J, K) on the needle plate 13. The edge detection unit 17 includes a two-dimensional image sensor such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and is capable of acquiring two-dimensional captured image data.

The edge detection unit 17 is fixed and supported to the support plate 48 by a support member 171 in a state where the line of sight is slightly inclined in a forward oblique downward direction with respect to the vertical direction, and performs imaging of the workpiece H from above with respect to the needle plate 13.

The center position of the imaging range of the edge detecting unit 17 is the upstream side (rear side) in the feeding direction with respect to the needle drop position T.

Further, at the imaging position of edge detecting portion 17 on needle plate 13, light projecting portion 172 is provided for projecting the irradiation light upward from the side of needle plate 13. The light projecting section 172 is composed of a light source, not shown, disposed below the rectangular light projecting window 131 formed in the needle plate 13, and a light-transmissive diffusion plate provided so as not to project from the upper surface of the needle plate 13.

The light source of the light projector 172 emits light with sufficient light intensity that transmits most of the fiber cloth, and the light emitted through the diffuser plate becomes diffused light and is projected upward from the light projection window 131.

Fig. 11 is an explanatory view of a state after irradiation light is projected from below to the workpiece H and the first and second sewed materials J, K on the needle plate 13 by the light projection section 172, as viewed from above.

In fig. 11, a range indicated by a two-dot chain line shows a light projection range L of the light to be emitted by the light projection section 172. The light projection range L is included in the imaging range of the edge detection unit 17. As shown in fig. 11, the light projection range L is a range including a portion which is expected to pass through the needle fall position T in the Y-axis direction, and is disposed at a position which is upstream (rearward) in the transport direction from the needle fall position T in the X-axis direction.

When the irradiation light is not projected, the edge portion H1 of the material to be sewn H is hidden by the second sewn material K and cannot be visually recognized. However, since the irradiation light passes through the first and second sewed objects J and K within the irradiation range of the irradiation light by the light emitter 172, the edge portion H1 of the sewed object H appears as a shadow in the irradiation range of the irradiation light by the light emitter 172, and can be visually recognized.

Therefore, by imaging the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H after the light-projecting section 172 projects the irradiation light by the end edge detecting section 17, the position of the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H shielded by another workpiece (here, the second workpiece K) can be detected with high accuracy in the Y-axis direction.

[ guide Member ]

The sewing machine 10 includes a guide member 80, and the guide member 80 guides a right end edge portion H1 of a curved shape of the workpiece H on the needle plate 13 along the curved shape.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the guide member 80, and fig. 13 is a left side view.

As shown in the drawing, the guide member 80 is integrally provided with the rear end portion of the cloth presser foot 15. In addition to fig. 5, 12, and 13, the guide member 80 is not shown.

The guide member 80 includes: first and second guide bodies 81 and 82 arranged along a curve of an end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H and serving as concave openings that open on the side of the workpiece H; and a support plate 83 that fixedly supports the guide bodies 81 and 82.

The support plate 83 is in the form of a long plate, and is fixedly supported in a state of extending rearward from the rear end of the cloth presser 15 in a state in which the longitudinal direction thereof is substantially along the X-axis direction.

The support plate 83 has a plate surface standing upright in the Z-axis direction, and is curved in a shape in plan view such that it follows a curve along the right end edge H1 of the workpiece H and is curved toward the left toward the rear.

As shown in fig. 14, in sewing, the material to be sewn H is required to be fed so that a point P1 separated to the left of the needle drop position T by a distance d from the needle drop position T by a tangent line (reference line) that is parallel to the X-axis direction is a tangent line (tangent line) to the line L1 and the edge portion H1. The distance d is a target distance of the edge portion H1 with respect to the needle drop position T.

In fig. 12, an end edge portion H1 of the material to be sewn H to be conveyed in accordance with the above-described request is indicated by a two-dot chain line. As shown in fig. 12, the left side surface of the support plate 83 is curved so as to be in a state close to the end edge portion H1 of the material to be sewn H over substantially the entire length thereof except for the rear end portion thereof in a plan view.

First and second guide bodies 81 and 82 are fixedly supported on the left side surface of the support plate 83. These guide bodies 81 and 82 are each concave in cross section as viewed from the X-axis direction, with the opening facing the left side (feed body 51 side), and guide the workpiece H in a state where the workpiece H is moved inward from the opening.

The second guide body 82 is fixedly supported on the left side surface of the support plate 83 on the upstream side in the feeding direction from the needle drop position T, and the first guide body 81 is fixedly supported near the rear end portion of the left side surface of the support plate 83 on the upstream side in the feeding direction from the second guide body 82.

As described above, the left side surface of the support plate 83 is disposed close to the feed path of the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H required for feeding the cloth, and the first guide body 81 and the second guide body 82 are disposed in front and rear of the left side surface of the support plate 83.

Therefore, the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H is guided in a state where the end edge portion H1 is inserted from the left opening portion side to the deepest portion or the vicinity of the deepest portion on the right side of the first and second guide bodies 81 and 82, and thus the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H can be guided along a desired appropriate feed trajectory. Further, the edge portion H1 of the material to be sewn H can be guided without being displaced in the vertical direction.

As shown in fig. 1a, a first sewn material J is sewn in advance to the surface (lower side in sewing) of the material to be sewn H, and raised portions J1 are formed at both ends of the end edge portion H1, the end portions of the first sewn material J being raised upward.

The raised portion J1 at the upstream end of the edge portion H1 in the feeding direction may be caught when passing under the rear end of the support plate 83 during sewing.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 15, an inclined surface 831 is formed at the rear end portion of the support plate 83, and the left side surface of the inclined surface 831 is gradually deformed downward and inclined in a direction that rises as it goes rearward. Accordingly, the raised portion J1 at the upstream end of the edge portion H1 in the feeding direction is flatly laid along the inclined surface 831, and is smoothly guided to the lower side of the rear end of the support plate 83, thereby effectively reducing the occurrence of hooking.

The guide member 80 is not limited to the configuration having two guide bodies 81 and 82, and may have a configuration having more guide bodies along the desired feed path of the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H when the cloth is fed.

As shown in fig. 16, one guide body 81A having a sufficient length along a desired curve of the feed path of the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H at the time of cloth feed may be provided in the guide member 80A of the support plate 83. With this configuration, the number of components can be reduced while the material to be sewn H can be guided efficiently.

[ air nozzles around the guide member ]

As described above, the sewing machine 10 can sew the first sewn article J on the lower side of the object H and the second sewn article K on the upper side of the object H with the end portions protruding rightward. In this sewing, if the end portion of the second sewn product K enters the inside of the guide body of the guide member 80 (particularly, the second guide body 82 closest to the needle fall position T) together with the right end edge portion H1 of the object H to be sewn, the end portion of the second sewn product K cannot be projected rightward at the needle fall position T, and the end portion of the second sewn product K and the first sewn product J cannot be sewn satisfactorily.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 12, when the material to be sewn H is guided by the guide member 80, the first to third air nozzles 84, 85, 86, which are appropriately guided so as not to cause the end portion of the first sewn material J and the end portion of the second sewn material K to enter the inside of the second guide body 82, are disposed around the guide member 80. These first to third air nozzles 84, 85, and 86 are arranged in this order from the upstream side (rear side) in the feeding direction.

The first to third air nozzles 84, 85, and 86 are connected to a fan or a compressed air source, not shown, and the first to third air nozzles 84, 85, and 86 simultaneously start and end the blowing of air under the control of the controller 90.

The first to third air nozzles 84, 85, and 86 may be configured to be capable of independently performing execution and stop of air blowing.

As shown in fig. 12, the first air nozzle 84 blows out the end edge portion of the second sewn product K extending outward (right side) from the curved end edge portion H1 of the sewn product H toward the feeder body 51 side (left side) of the second feeding mechanism 50 on the upstream side (rear side) in the feeding direction of the second guide body 82.

The first air nozzle 84 is disposed substantially horizontally and substantially leftward on the right side of the supporting plate 83, and blows out the left workpiece H and the second workpiece K of the supporting plate 83 through a through hole 832 formed in the supporting plate 83.

That is, as shown in fig. 17 (a) which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line U-U of fig. 12, if the air is blown out horizontally in the left direction, the protruding end edge portion of the second sewn product K on the sewn product H is in a state of being rolled up in the left direction, and it is possible to avoid a situation where the end edge portion of the second sewn product K is rolled up inside the recess of the second guide 82 located on the downstream side in the feeding direction.

The second air nozzle 85 blows out the edge portion of the second sewn product K blown out toward the feeder body 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50 by the first air nozzle 84 toward the opposite side (right side) from the feeder body 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50 on the upstream side in the feeding direction from the needle drop position T and on the downstream side (front side) in the feeding direction from the first air nozzle 84.

That is, as shown in fig. 17 (B) which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V of fig. 12, the second air nozzle 85 blows air from diagonally upper left to diagonally lower right to diagonally upper rear of the second sewn product K which has reached the second guide body 82, and pushes back the edge portion of the second sewn product K which has been rolled up to the upper left by the air from the first air nozzle 84 to a state in which the edge portion protrudes rightward.

Thus, the edge of the second sewn product K is in a state of being raised above the second guide member 82, and only the edge H1 of the sewn product H can be inserted into the second guide member 82.

The third air nozzle 86 blows out the end edge portion of the second stitch K blown out by the second air nozzle 85 to the side opposite (right side) to the feeder body 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50 toward the needle plate 13 on the upstream side in the feeding direction from the needle drop position T and on the downstream side in the feeding direction from the second air nozzle 85.

That is, as shown in fig. 17 (C) which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line W-W of fig. 12, the third air nozzle 86 blows air from diagonally upper left rear toward diagonally lower right front with respect to the second sewn product K passing through the second guide body 82 on the upstream side in the feeding direction of the cloth presser foot 15, and presses downward the edge portion of the second sewn product K pushed back rightward by the air from the second air nozzle 85.

The third air nozzle 86 is directed toward the second sewn product K in a direction in which the descending gradient of the tip end portion is larger than that of the second air nozzle 85. If air is blown out from the third air nozzle 86, the edge portion of the second sewn product K protruding rightward is pressed downward and brought into close contact with the first sewn product J.

This enables the first sewn product J and the second sewn product K to be fed to the lower side of the cloth presser foot 15 in a state where the edge portions thereof are closely attached.

Further, the first sewn product J and the second sewn product K are fed to the lower side of the cloth presser foot 15 through the slit 833 formed in the support plate 83.

[ cloth stretching mechanism ]

When the guide member 80 is used to feed the material to be sewn H to the cloth at the needle drop position T, the second sewn material K can be appropriately operated by the first to third air nozzles 84 to 86, but the first sewn material J also needs to be maintained in a state of protruding in a direction separating rightward from the edge portion H1 of the material to be sewn H.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 12, the fourth air nozzle 87 is disposed below the needle plate 13, and air is ejected from the opening of the needle plate 13 toward the opposite side of the feeder body 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50, whereby the first sewn product J is set in a state of protruding rightward.

The fourth air nozzle 87 is connected to a fan or a compressed air source, not shown, and starts and ends the blowing of air simultaneously with the first to third air nozzles 84, 85, and 86 under the control of the controller 90.

That is, as shown in fig. 17 (D) which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S-S of fig. 12, the fourth air nozzle 87 blows air from the diagonally lower front left toward the diagonally upper rear right with respect to the first sewn product J on the upstream side in the feeding direction with respect to the cloth presser foot 15 and on the downstream side in the feeding direction with respect to the third air nozzle 86, and the right end edge portion of the first sewn product J is caused to protrude rightward.

However, the air blown out by the fourth air nozzle 87 alone may not be fully extended to the end of the first sewn product J.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 5, a sliding contact 71 is provided on the needle plate 13 on the opposite side (right side) to the feed body 51 of the second feed mechanism 50 and on the upstream side (rear side) in the feed direction with respect to the needle fall position T, and this sliding contact 71 applies a tension to the opposite side to the feed body 51 of the second feed mechanism 50 to the end edge portion of the first stitch J protruding outward from the end edge portion H1 of the stitch H.

Fig. 18 is an oblique view of the periphery of the cloth stretching mechanism 70.

As shown in fig. 5 and 18, the cloth stretching mechanism 70 includes: a sliding contact body 71 which is in sliding contact with the upper surface of the first stitch J; a cloth stretching motor 72 as a driving source that rotates the slide contact 71; a motor bracket 73 that supports the cloth stretching motor 72; and the fourth air nozzle 87 (see fig. 12).

The cloth stretching mechanism 70 is disposed in a direction in which the sliding contact body 71 is in sliding contact with the upper surface of the first sewn product J at a position right from the needle drop position T and on the upstream side (rear side) in the feeding direction, and the first sewn product J is pulled in a direction of a combination of the cloth feeding direction (front) and a direction (right) in which the first sewn product J is projected from the object H by the sliding contact when the sliding contact body 71 is rotated.

The slide contact body 71 is a cylindrical rotating body fixedly attached to the output shaft of the cloth stretching motor 72, and the cloth stretching motor 72 is supported by the motor bracket 73 so that the rotation center lines of the slide contact body 71 and the cloth stretching motor 72 are parallel to the X-Y plane and are oriented in a direction orthogonal to a right oblique front direction, which is a direction of combining the cloth feeding direction and a direction of stretching the first sewn product J from the sewn product H, i.e., in a left oblique front direction.

The output shaft of the cloth stretching motor 72 is directed obliquely leftward and frontward, and the slide contact body 71 is in slide contact with the first joint J at its lower portion. Further, the cloth stretching motor 72 is rotationally driven counterclockwise as viewed from the direction in which the cloth stretching motor 72 extends its output shaft, and thereby the first sewn article J can be stretched diagonally to the right and forward.

Fig. 19 (a) is a front view as seen from the direction of the rotation center line of the sliding contact 71, and fig. 19 (B) is a side view.

The sliding contact body 71 has a plurality of, for example, three sliding contact portions 74 that are in sliding contact with the first joint J on the cylindrical outer peripheral surface.

As shown in fig. 19 (a), the sliding contact portions 74 are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the sliding contact body 71 so as not to overlap each other and to be spaced apart from each other when viewed from the center axis direction in the circumferential direction. As shown in fig. 19 (B), the sliding contact portions 74 are arranged obliquely with respect to the centerline direction and the circumferential direction so as to describe a spiral, and the sliding contact portions 74 are arranged at the same position in the rotational centerline direction.

Each sliding contact portion 74 is formed of a material that elastically deforms and contacts the first sewn product J, for example, a brush, a sponge, a rubber material rich in elastic deformability, or the like. The sliding contact portions 74 are particularly suitable for sponges and brushes whose tip portions are easily deformed.

Further, since the sliding contact portions 74 are provided in the oblique direction, they can be pulled by sliding contact with the first joint J in the rotation center line direction over a wide width, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

For example, as shown in fig. 20 (a) and 20 (B), the sliding contact portions 74 may be arranged in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the sliding contact body 71, and the sliding contact portions 74 may be arranged at positions shifted so as not to be completely aligned in the rotation center line direction.

In this case, the slide contact 71 can be brought into wide sliding contact with the first joint J in the direction of the rotation center line, and the first joint J can be extended.

Alternatively, the sliding contact portions may be arranged all along the central axis direction at uniform intervals in the circumferential direction.

When the slide contact body 71 is rotated by the cloth stretching motor 72, the slide contact portions 74 sequentially slide on the first joint J, and the first joint J can be pulled diagonally to the right by the sliding friction at that time. In sewing, since the first sewn article J is conveyed forward together with the workpiece H, the first sewn article J is pulled rightward relative to the workpiece H, and a state in which the first sewn article J is extended outward from the edge portion H1 of the workpiece H can be favorably maintained.

The cloth stretching mechanism 70 may be configured to be selectively brought into contact with or separated from the first joint J according to the cloth thickness and rigidity of the first joint J, and to be capable of adjusting or releasing the urging force.

Further, the rotation speed of the cloth stretching motor 72 is not constant, and the first sewn product J can be more stably stretched by controlling the rotation speed to be increased or decreased at the start or end of sewing.

[ control System of Sewing machine ]

As shown in fig. 21, the control device 90 of the sewing machine 10 includes: a CPU 91 that performs various controls; and a memory 92 in which a control program for controlling the operation of the sewing machine 10 is written.

Further, to the control device 90, via interfaces not shown: a display panel 94 for displaying various settings related to sewing and the current state of the sewing machine; a setting switch 95 attached to the display panel 94 as a setting input unit for selecting a screen for performing various settings and inputting commands and numerical values; and a start switch 98 which inputs the start of sewing.

The start switch 98 is a unit for inputting a drive command for the sewing operation to the control device 90 by an input operation. That is, if the start switch 98 is input, the control device 90 controls the operation of starting sewing.

The operator inputs settings such as the basic feed speed of the first feed mechanism 30 (the basic rotational speed of the first feed motor 33), the basic feed speed of the second feed mechanism 50 (the basic rotational speed of the second feed motor 53) from the setting switch 95.

The sewing machine motor 14, the first feed motor 33, the second feed motor 53, the lift motor 60, and the cloth stretching motor 72, which are objects to be controlled, are connected to the control device 90 via the drive circuits 14a, 33a, 53a, 60a, and 72a, respectively.

Further, the control device 90 is connected with solenoid valves 841, 851, 861, 871 via drive circuits 841a, 851a, 861a, 871a, and the solenoid valves 841, 851, 861, 871 switch the supply and stop of the compressed air to the first to fourth air nozzles 84, 85, 86, 87 for operating the first or second sewn products J, K of the sewn product H.

Further, the distance sensor 47 of the height detection unit 40 is connected to the control device 90.

The edge detection unit 17 is connected to the control device 90 via the image processing device 173.

The drive circuits 14a, 33a, 53a, 60a, 72a, 841a, 851a, 861a, 871a, the distance sensor 47, and the image processing device 173 are connected to the control device 90 via an interface not shown.

The image processing device 173 extracts the projected light range L from the captured image data of the workpiece H, the first sewn object J, and the second sewn object K in a state where the projected light is projected from below, which is captured by the edge detection unit 17 constituted by the camera, based on the difference in luminance value from the surroundings (see fig. 11).

Then, the image processing device 173 extracts, from the extracted image of the light projection range L, a line along the edge where the difference in luminance value occurs as the edge portion H1 of the workpiece H by the edge detection processing.

Further, the image processing device 173 detects that the sewing material H has passed through the end of the light projection range L. If the sewing object H passes through the light projection range, the shielding object disappears, and the brightness of the whole light projection range L is increased. Therefore, the end of the sewing material H can be detected based on the total value of the brightness values of the entire light projection range L.

[ drive control of the second feed mechanism by the control device ]

The drive control of the second feeding mechanism 50 for conveying the workpiece H, the first sewn product J, and the second sewn product K by the control device 90 will be described.

Here, the feed control in the case of sewing the first sewn product J and the second sewn product K along the end edge portion H1 of the material to be sewn H while maintaining a constant distance d (see fig. 1 (B)) from the end edge portion H1 to the outside is exemplified.

At the time of sewing, the edge detection unit 17 takes images of the workpiece H, the first sewn object J, and the second sewn object K on the upstream side in the feeding direction from the needle drop position T, and the taken images are processed by the image processing device 173 to extract a line as an edge portion H1 of the workpiece H in the light projection range L of the light projection unit 172.

Fig. 22 (a) and 22 (B) are explanatory diagrams showing a relationship between a line of an end edge portion H1 of a workpiece H in a light projection range L and a reference line L1 separated to the left by a distance d from a needle fall position T.

The target distance d from the edge portion H1 of the material to be sewn H to the needle drop position T can be arbitrarily set by the setting switch 95.

The control device 90 determines a reference line L1 indicating a target position P1 in the Y-axis direction of the edge portion H1 of the workpiece H within the light projection range L based on the set value of the target distance d.

Then, the position of the line of the edge H1 acquired from the image processing device 173 is compared with the reference line L1, and the degree of deviation in the left and right directions is calculated. Then, based on the calculated left and right offset amounts, operation control for correcting the position of the workpiece H is executed.

In the case where the line of the end edge portion H1 in the light projection range L is inclined with respect to the X-axis direction, the line parallel to the X-axis direction may be obtained by averaging the positions in the Y-axis direction over the entire length range, or the line parallel to the X-axis direction may be obtained at the position in the Y-axis direction of the midpoint in the X-axis direction of the line of the end edge portion H1.

As shown in fig. 5, the feeder 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50 is disposed on the upstream side and the left side in the feeding direction with respect to the needle drop position T. In the above arrangement, the feeder 51 imparts a turning motion to the workpiece H about the feeder 51.

When the end edge portion H1 is curved in a shape convex to the right side as in the case of the object to be sewn H and the line of the end edge portion H1 of the object to be sewn H is deviated from the reference line L1, the turning operation of the feeder body 51 is given to the object to be sewn H, and the curved end edge portion H1 is conveyed along the reference line L1. When the line of the edge portion H1 of the material to be sewn H coincides with the reference line L1, the feeder 51 does not perform the turning operation.

When the workpiece H is flat, as shown in fig. 22 (a), if the line of the edge portion H1 of the workpiece H is located on the right side of the reference line L1, the control device 90 performs the correction control so that the second feed motor 53 of the second feed mechanism 50 performs the "left feed rotation", that is, the second feed motor is driven in the direction in which the edge portion H1 of the workpiece H moves leftward at the needle drop position T by the rotation of the feeder body 51.

Similarly, as shown in fig. 22 (B), when the line of the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H is positioned on the left side of the reference line L1, the control device 90 performs the correction control so that the second feed motor 53 of the second feed mechanism 50 performs the "right feed rotation", that is, the drive in the direction in which the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H moves to the right at the needle drop position T by the rotation of the feeder body 51.

The direction in which the second feed motor 53 is driven in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction in the above-described "left feed rotation", and the direction in which the second feed motor 53 is driven in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction in the above-described "right feed rotation" are determined based on the rotation direction switching control (see fig. 27) of the feeder to be described later.

The feed control of the workpiece will be described based on the flowchart of fig. 23.

If the start switch 98 is operated, the CPU 91 of the control device 90 starts the driving of the sewing machine motor 14 to perform sewing (step S1).

In addition, together with the start of the driving of the sewing machine motor 14, the first feed motor 33 is started to be driven in the predetermined rotational direction at the determined basic rotational speed (step S3), and the driving control of the second feed motor 53 is started (step S5).

Then, the cloth stretching motor 72 is started to drive the cloth stretching motor to stretch the cloth to the right front side of the first sewn article J.

Further, the solenoid valves 841, 851, 861, 871 of the first to fourth air nozzles 84, 85, 86, 87 are opened to start the manipulation of the first sewn product J and the second sewn product K by the blowing of air.

Then, the CPU 91 starts the light projection to the workpiece H by the light projection section 172 and the image pickup by the edge detection section 17, and extracts the line of the edge section H1 of the workpiece H by the edge detection process by the image processing device 173 (step S7).

Thus, if the position of the line of the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H is acquired, the CPU 91 determines whether or not the position of the line is the reference line L1 (step S9).

When the position of the line at the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H coincides with the reference line L1 (YES in step S9), the second feed motor 53 is kept stopped (step S11), and the process proceeds to step S19.

On the other hand, when the position of the line of the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H does not coincide with the reference line L1 (step S9: NO), it is determined whether or not the position of the line of the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H is shifted rightward from the reference line L1 (step S13).

As a result, when the position of the line of the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H is shifted rightward from the reference line L1 (YES in step S13), the control is performed to cause the second feed motor 53 to perform the "left feed rotation" (step S15), and the process proceeds to step S19.

When the position of the line of the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H is not shifted rightward from the reference line L1 (step S13: NO), the position of the line of the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H is regarded as being shifted leftward from the reference line L1, and control is performed to cause the second feed motor 53 to perform "right feed rotation" (step S17), and the process proceeds to step S19.

In step S19, the CPU 91 detects the end of the workpiece H by the image processing device 173, and if the end of the workpiece H is not detected (step S19: NO), returns the process to step S7, and performs the image pickup by the edge detecting unit 17 and the thread extraction of the edge portion H1 of the workpiece H.

When the end of the workpiece H is detected in step S19 (YES in step S19), after waiting for the feed arrival time from the imaging position of the edge detecting unit 17 to the needle drop position T (step S21), the drive of the sewing machine motor 14, the first feed motor 33, the second feed motor 53, and the cloth stretching motor 72 is stopped, the blowing out of the air by the first to fourth air nozzles 84, 85, 86, and 87 is stopped, the light projection by the light projecting unit 172 is stopped (step S23), and the feed control of the workpiece is ended.

[ height control (1) of feeding body by control device ]

The height control of the feeder body 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50 by the control device 90 will be explained.

The height control of the donor 51 includes two kinds of height controls (1) and (2) of the donor, which can be selected in advance by the setting switch 95. The height control (1) and (2) of the feeding bodies are executed in parallel with the feeding control when the feeding control of the sewing material is executed.

Since the workpiece H has a three-dimensional shape with irregularities in the front and back directions, the workpiece H may float with respect to the needle plate 13 during feeding, and the thickness may vary depending on each part, and for the above-described reasons, if the height of the feeder body 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50 is fixed to be constant during feeding during sewing, the contact pressure between the feeder body 51 and the workpiece H may vary. Further, if the contact pressure of the feeding body 51 with the workpiece changes, the correction force for the feeding direction of the workpiece H changes, or the friction increases, which may hinder the proper feeding.

The height control (1) and (2) of the feeding body are controls for performing appropriate feeding by eliminating the above-described reasons.

First, the height control (1) of the feeder will be explained.

Fig. 24 (a) and 24 (B) are explanatory views of the operation of the height control (1) of the feeder, and fig. 25 (a) is a diagram showing the correspondence relationship between the detected height of the upper surface of the workpiece H by the distance sensor 47 of the height detecting unit 40 and the height command of the lifting motor 60 following the detected height when the height control (1) of the feeder is performed.

In the height control (1) of the feeding body, the control device 90 detects the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H by the distance sensor 47 at predetermined sampling intervals from the height of the tip end portion of the detecting member 41 abutting on the upper surface of the workpiece H, and controls the lifting motor 60 so that the height of the feeding body 51 follows the detected height of the upper surface of the workpiece H, as shown in fig. 25 a.

For example, if the height of the workpiece H is increased from the state of fig. 24 (a), the feeder 51 is also moved upward so as to match the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H as shown in fig. 24 (B).

As described above, by controlling the height of the feeding body 51 so as to follow the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H obtained by the distance sensor 47, even when the shape and thickness of the workpiece H change, the change in the contact pressure of the feeding body 51 can be reduced, the correction force in the feeding direction of the workpiece H can be maintained constant, the increase in friction can be suppressed, and the workpiece can be stably and appropriately fed.

[ height control (2) of feeding body by control device ]

Next, the height control (2) of the feeding body will be described based on fig. 25B. Fig. 25B is a diagram showing a correspondence relationship between the detected height of the upper surface of the workpiece H by the distance sensor 47 of the height detecting unit 40 and the height command of the lifting motor 60 following the detected height when the height control (2) of the feeder is performed.

In the height control (2) of the feeding body, the control device 90 detects the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H by the distance sensor 47 at predetermined sampling intervals, but controls the lifting motor 60 so that the feeding body 51 is periodically lifted and lowered to separate and land on the upper surface of the workpiece H following the detected height of the upper surface of the workpiece H as shown in fig. 25 (B).

In the height control (2), the height of the feeder body 51 is controlled by using, as the target height of the feeder body 51, a height obtained by adding a value of a function whose value periodically increases and decreases with respect to the detected height (for example, a value obtained by increasing a numerical value so that a minimum value becomes 0 with respect to a value of a sine curve of a trigonometric function). The addition value is not limited to the trigonometric function, and any value may be used as long as the value periodically increases and decreases with 0 as the minimum value.

Thus, even when the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H changes, the feed member 51 can periodically move away from and land on the upper surface of the workpiece H following the change, and apply a correction force in the feed direction of the workpiece H.

As described above, by controlling the height of the feeding body 51 so as to periodically separate and land following the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H by the distance sensor 47, even when the shape and thickness of the workpiece H change, the change in the contact pressure of the feeding body 51 can be reduced, the correction force in the feeding direction of the workpiece H can be maintained constant, the increase in friction can be suppressed, and the workpiece can be stably and appropriately fed.

Further, since the correction force is applied in the feed direction of the workpiece H by the periodic separation and landing of the feeding body 51, the restriction of the movement of the edge portion H1 of the workpiece H by the feeding body 51 can be reduced as compared with the case where the correction force is not continuously landed, and the workpiece can be fed more stably and appropriately in the curved direction.

[ control of switching of the rotational direction of the feed body by the control device ]

Next, the control of switching the rotational direction of the feeder will be described with reference to fig. 26 and 27. Fig. 26 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the height of the workpiece H varies, fig. 27 (a) is an explanatory view showing the contact range of the feeder 51 during the upward movement, and fig. 27 (B) is an explanatory view showing the contact range of the feeder 51 during the downward movement.

In the feed control of the workpiece H described above, the correction of the "left feed rotation" and the "right feed rotation" is performed in accordance with the direction in which the lateral deviation of the line of the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H with respect to the reference line L1 occurs, but the rotational direction switching control of the feed body is control for changing the setting of the rotational direction of the second feed motor 53 in these "left feed rotation" and "right feed rotation". Therefore, it is assumed that the control of switching the rotational direction of the feeding body is executed in parallel during the execution of the control of feeding the workpiece.

Since the material to be sewn H has a three-dimensional shape with irregularities in the front and back directions, the material may float up with respect to the needle plate 13 during feeding as described above, and may have different thicknesses depending on the respective portions.

As shown in fig. 26, if there is a thickness variation or the like in each portion of the workpiece H, the feeder 51 comes into contact with a rising slope (slope) on the upper surface of the workpiece H (the feeder 51 illustrated on the right side of the drawing sheet in fig. 26) and a falling slope (slope) (the feeder 51 illustrated on the left side of the drawing sheet in fig. 26).

When passing through these slopes, the entire circumference of the feeding body 51 may not abut on the upper surface of the workpiece H, but may be deviated in the contact area S between the feeding body 51 and the workpiece H.

For example, as shown in fig. 27 (a), when the upper surface of the workpiece H has a rising gradient that increases toward the rear, the contact area S with the workpiece H in the bottom surface of the feed body 51 is shifted to the rear side from the rotation center thereof.

As shown in fig. 27 (B), when the upper surface of the workpiece H has a descending gradient that decreases toward the rear, the contact area S between the bottom surface of the feeding body 51 and the workpiece H is located more forward than the rotation center thereof.

As a result, as indicated by white arrows in fig. 27 (a) and 27 (B), even when the feed body 51 rotates in the same direction in the ascending slope and the descending slope, the moving directions given to the workpiece H are completely opposite.

Therefore, in the control of switching the rotating direction of the feeding body, the detection of the height detecting section 40 controls the second feeding motor 53 so as to switch the rotating direction of the feeding body 51 between a case where the detection indicates the rise of the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H and a case where the detection indicates the fall of the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H.

Specifically, if the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H is detected by the distance sensor 47, the latest detected height is compared with the immediately previous detected height, and if the height is continuously increased for a predetermined number of times, it is determined as the rising gradient, and the second feed motor 53 is driven and controlled so that the feeder body 51 is rotated clockwise in a plan view in the "left feed rotation" (rotation for correcting the workpiece H to the left) and the feeder body 51 is rotated counterclockwise in a plan view in the "right feed rotation" (rotation for correcting the workpiece H to the right) in the feed control of the workpiece.

Further, when the height of the workpiece H is lowered and continues for a predetermined number of times of detection, it is determined that the lowering gradient is the lowering gradient, and the second feed motor 53 is driven and controlled so that the feeder body 51 is rotated counterclockwise in a plan view in the "left feed rotation" in the feed control of the workpiece, and the feeder body 51 is rotated clockwise in a plan view in the "right feed rotation" (rotation for correcting the right direction of the workpiece H).

In the case where neither the rising gradient nor the falling gradient is satisfied, the driving is performed in the rotational direction determined as the basic operation of the feeder body 51.

In this rotational direction switching control, the rotational direction of the feeder body 51 is determined by detecting whether the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H is a rising gradient or a falling gradient, and therefore, even when the workpiece H has a three-dimensional shape with irregularities in the front and back directions and has different thicknesses depending on the parts, an appropriate feeding operation by the feeder body 51 can be performed.

[ technical effects of embodiments of the invention ]

The sewing machine 10 includes a light projecting section 172 for projecting irradiation light to the workpiece H, and the edge detecting section 17 detects the position of the edge H1 of the workpiece H based on the transmitted light transmitted through the workpiece H by the irradiation of the irradiation light.

Therefore, even when the object to be sewn H is sewn with the sewn objects J, K, etc. in advance and the edge portion H1 serving as the reference of the needle drop position is shielded, the position of the edge portion H1 can be detected with high accuracy, and sewing can be performed with high sewing quality.

Further, since the edge detection unit 17 of the sewing machine 10 is a camera that captures an image of the workpiece H, captured image data can be obtained, and the edge H1 can be detected with higher accuracy in addition to image processing.

Further, since the light projector 172 of the sewing machine 10 irradiates the irradiation light upward from the needle plate 13 side, the position of the edge portion H1 can be detected with high accuracy, and the user of the sewing machine can easily recognize the position of the edge portion H1.

Further, since the edge detecting portion 17 of the sewing machine 10 detects the position of the edge portion H1 of the workpiece H from above, the edge detecting portion 17 does not need to be provided in a narrow region below the needle plate 13, and the edge detecting portion 17 can be provided with a high degree of freedom.

This makes it easy to attach the edge detection unit 17 to the conventional sewing machine from behind.

Further, since the spherical portion of the feeder 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50 of the sewing machine 10 is made of silicone resin, it is possible to perform a good feeding operation along the curve of the end edge portion H1 without excessively applying resistance to the material H due to appropriate flexibility.

The sewing machine 10 further includes a guide member 80, and the guide member 80 includes guide bodies 81 and 82, and the guide bodies 81 and 82 guide a curved end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H along the curved shape to form an opening having a concave cross section that opens toward the feeder body 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50.

Therefore, even when the conveyance of the workpiece H along the curved line is disturbed due to the influence of disturbance or the like, the guide member 80 guides the workpiece H and maintains the feeding direction, so that high sewing quality can be maintained.

Further, since the guide member 80 includes the first and second guide bodies 81 and 82 arranged along a curve, a member along a curve shape is not necessary, and the member can be easily manufactured.

The sewing machine 10 further includes a first air nozzle 84, and the first air nozzle 84 blows out an end edge portion of the second sewn product K extending outward from a curved end edge portion H1 of the sewn product H toward the feeder 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50 on the upstream side in the feeding direction with respect to the needle drop position T.

Therefore, the second sewn material K can be easily prevented from being sandwiched between the second guide body 82 and the sewn material H, and the reliability of sewing can be improved.

The sewing machine 10 further includes a second air nozzle 85, and the second air nozzle 85 blows out an edge portion of the second sewn product K blown out toward the feeder 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50 by the first air nozzle 84 toward an opposite side to the feeder 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50 on an upstream side in the feeding direction from the needle drop position T.

Therefore, the second sewn material K can be prevented from being caught by the second guide body 82 together with the material to be sewn H and can be extended to the needle fall position side, and sewing can be performed satisfactorily while maintaining high reliability of sewing.

The sewing machine 10 further includes a third air nozzle 86, and the third air nozzle 86 blows out the end edge portion of the second stitch K blown out by the second air nozzle 85 toward the needle plate 13 side on the upstream side in the feeding direction from the needle drop position T toward the opposite side of the feeder 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50.

Therefore, the second sewn product K protruding toward the needle drop position side can be brought into close contact with the first sewn product J side, and excellent sewing of these sewn products J and K can be performed while maintaining high sewing reliability.

The sewing machine 10 further includes a cloth stretching mechanism 70, and the cloth stretching mechanism 70 applies a tension to an end edge portion of the first sewn product J protruding outward from the curved end edge portion H1 of the sewn product H, on a side opposite to the feeder 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50 with respect to the needle drop position T, to the end edge portion of the second feeding mechanism 50.

Therefore, the first sewn material J can be conveyed in a state of being pulled out to the outside from the end edge portion H1 of the sewn material H, and excellent sewing can be performed on these first sewn materials J while maintaining high sewing reliability.

Further, since the cloth stretching mechanism 70 of the sewing machine 10 applies tension to the edge portion of the first sewn product J by the rotation of the sliding contact 71, the first sewn product J can be set in the suspended state without interfering with the conveyance of the object H.

The slide contact body 71 of the cloth stretching mechanism 70 applies tension to the end edge portion of the first sewn product J by sliding contact of the plurality of slide contact portions 74 provided on the outer periphery, and the plurality of slide contact portions 74 are arranged on the outer periphery of the slide contact body 71 so as to be separated from each other in the circumferential direction.

Therefore, since the plurality of sliding contact portions 74 intermittently slide-contact the first sewn product J, a good feed operation along the curved end edge portion H1 of the sewn product H can be performed without giving excessive resistance to the first sewn product J.

Further, since the plurality of sliding contact portions 74 are formed of a brush or a sponge, the tip portions that make sliding contact elastically deform appropriately, and the feeding operation of the material to be sewn H along the curved edge portion H1 is not disturbed, and tension can be applied appropriately to the edge portion of the first sewn material J.

Further, since the fourth air nozzle is provided to blow out the end edge portion of the first stitch J from below the needle plate 13 to the opposite side of the feeder 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50, the first stitch J can be set in the suspended state more favorably in cooperation with the sliding contact 71.

The sewing machine 10 further includes a height detecting unit 40 for detecting the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H, the second feeding mechanism 50 includes a lifting motor 60 as a driving source for lifting and lowering the feeder 51, and the control device 90 controls the lifting motor 60 so that the height of the feeder 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50 follows the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H detected by the height detecting unit 40.

Therefore, even when the shape and thickness of the workpiece H change, the change in the contact pressure of the feeder body 51 can be reduced, the correction force in the feeding direction of the workpiece H can be maintained constant, the increase in friction can be suppressed, and the workpiece can be fed stably and satisfactorily.

The controller 90 of the sewing machine 10 controls the lifting motor 60 to move the feeder 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50 up and down to periodically separate from and land on the upper surface of the workpiece H in accordance with the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H detected by the height detector 40.

Therefore, as compared with the case where the sewing material is continuously and constantly landed, the restriction of the movement of the edge portion H1 of the sewing material H by the feeding body 51 can be reduced, and the sewing material can be fed more stably and appropriately in the curved direction.

The sewing machine 10 further includes a height detecting section 40 for detecting the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H, and the control device 90 performs switching control for switching the rotation direction of the feeding body 51 with respect to the second feeding motor 53 of the second feeding mechanism 50 when the detection of the height detecting section 40 indicates that the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H is increased and when the detection indicates that the height of the upper surface of the workpiece H is decreased.

Therefore, even if the contact area S of the feeding body 51 is deviated in the rising gradient and the falling gradient formed by the difference in thickness depending on each part because the workpiece H has a three-dimensional shape with irregularities in the front and back directions, the fluctuation in the direction of conveying the workpiece H can be suppressed, and the appropriate feeding operation for the workpiece H can be performed.

Further, the control device 90 performs switching control of the rotational direction of the feeding body 51 of the second feeding mechanism 50 in parallel with the feeding control of the workpiece H so as to feed the fabric to the edge portion H1 of the workpiece H while maintaining the constant distance d from the needle drop position T based on the position of the edge portion H1 of the workpiece H detected by the edge detecting portion 17, and therefore, the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece can be maintained properly, and the sewing quality can be further improved.

Further, in the switching control of switching the rotating direction of the feeding body 51, when the upper surface height of the workpiece H detected by the height detecting section 40 continuously rises or falls by the predetermined number of times of detection, the control device 90 determines that the upper surface height of the workpiece H is the rising gradient or the falling gradient and switches the rotating direction of the feeding body 51, and therefore, the influence of the uneven shape of the workpiece can be suppressed, and the switching control can be performed more stably and more favorably.

[ others ]

Further, although the guide member 80 is integrally formed with the cloth presser 15, the cloth presser 15 is preferably detachable from the cloth presser bar 16, and the cloth presser without the guide member 80 can be replaced.

For example, if the sewing material H can be sufficiently conveyed along the curved edge portion thereof by the feed control of the sewing material as described above, the sewing can be performed by the cloth presser foot without the guide member 80.

In the above embodiment, each of the first and second guide bodies 81 and 82 of the guide member 80 is a concave opening portion that is opened on the side of the workpiece H, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration may be adopted in which 2 guide bodies, i.e., the 1 st guide body 81a and the 2 nd guide body 82a, form an opening having a concave cross section.

That is, as shown in fig. 28A to C, the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H is guided in a state where the workpiece H is sandwiched from the vertical direction by the 1 st guide body 81a contacting the workpiece H from above and the 2 nd guide body 82a contacting the workpiece H from below, whereby the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H can be guided without being displaced in the vertical direction.

As shown in fig. 28A, the 2 nd guide body 82a is rotatably coupled to the support body 83 about a support shaft 83 ax.

The support body 83 has a fifth air nozzle 88 and an air cylinder 89. If the plunger of the air cylinder 89 protrudes and comes into contact with the 2 nd guide body 82a, the 2 nd guide body 82a rotates counterclockwise about the support shaft 83ax, and the 2 nd guide body 82a moves from below to a position of action for guiding the workpiece H as shown in fig. 28B.

In addition, if air is discharged from the fifth air nozzle 88 in a state where the plunger of the air cylinder 89 is retracted, the 2 nd guide body 82a rotates clockwise about the support shaft 83ax, and the 2 nd guide body 82a moves to a retracted position where it does not contact the workpiece H as shown in fig. 28C.

The fifth air nozzle 88 and the air cylinder 89 are connected to a control device 90 via solenoid valves (not shown) that switch between supply and stop of compressed air, respectively.

Then, if the end of the workpiece H is detected by the image processing device 173, the control device 90 controls the plunger of the air cylinder 89 to retreat and the fifth air nozzle 88 to discharge air, so that the 2 nd guide body 82a at the acting position at the start of sewing can be moved to the retreat position.

Since the first sewn material J is sewn to both end portions of the edge portion H1 of the object to be sewn H, if the 2 nd guide body 82a is present below the object to be sewn H even at the terminal end of the object to be sewn H, the sewn portion of the object to be sewn H and the first sewn material J and the 2 nd guide body 82a are caught, but the problem can be prevented by a structure in which the 2 nd guide body 82a can be moved to the retreat position.

In the above embodiment, the case where the sewing machine 10 sews the first and second sewed materials J, K is exemplified, but in the case where the first or second sewed materials J, K are sewed along the end edge portion H1 of the sewed material H, all sewing operations for conveying the sewed material along other curves can be performed.

In the above embodiment, the position of the end edge portion H1 of the workpiece H is detected by the end edge detecting portion 17, and the driving control of the second feed motor 53 is performed in accordance with the detected position of the end edge portion H1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the workpiece H may be fed along the guide member 80 by driving the second feed motor 53 so as to always feed the workpiece toward the guide member 80 side.

Further, regarding the above-described control of switching the rotational direction of the feeder, when the above-described control of conveying the workpiece to the guide member 80 side at all times is performed by driving of the second feed motor 53, the control of switching the rotational direction of the feeder is also effective.

In the above embodiment, the case where the edge detection unit 17 is a camera is exemplified, but a line sensor provided in the Y axis direction so as to face the material to be sewn H and the first and second sewn materials J and K may be used.

Further, the light projecting section 172 is disposed on the lower side and the edge detecting section 17 is disposed on the upper side with the material to be sewn H and the first and second sewn materials J and K interposed therebetween, but the light projecting section 172 may be disposed on the upper side and the edge detecting section 17 may be disposed on the lower side.

Claims (20)

1. A sewing machine having:

a first feeding mechanism which feeds the sewed object through a conveying wheel arranged in a state that a rotating shaft is inclined relative to the horizontal direction at the position adjacent to the needle falling position;

a second feeding mechanism which is arranged at the upstream side of the feeding direction relative to the first feeding mechanism and enables a spherical feeding body which rotates to contact from the upper side to feed the sewed object; and

a control device that controls a drive source of the first feeding mechanism and a drive source of the second feeding mechanism,

the sewing machine is characterized in that,

a guide member having an opening portion with a concave cross section that opens to the feeder side of the second feeding mechanism, and guiding an end edge portion of the curved shape of the object to be sewn along the curved shape while holding the object to be sewn through the opening portion so as not to be displaced in the vertical direction,

the sewing machine sews a first sewed object sewed on the lower surface side of the sewed object and a second sewed object sewed on the upper surface side,

the sewing machine includes a first air nozzle that blows out an end edge portion of the second sewn product, which extends outward from a curved end edge portion of the sewn product, toward the feeder side of the second feeding mechanism on an upstream side in a feeding direction from a needle drop position.

2. The sewing machine of claim 1,

the guide member has a curved shape along an edge portion of the material to be sewn in a plan view.

3. The sewing machine of claim 1,

the opening of the guide member is formed by a plurality of guide bodies arranged along the curve shape of the end edge of the sewed fabric.

4. The sewing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the second air nozzle is provided to blow out an end edge portion of the second sewn product blown out toward the feeder side of the second feeding mechanism by the first air nozzle toward an opposite side to the feeder of the second feeding mechanism on an upstream side in a feeding direction from a needle drop position.

5. The sewing machine of claim 4,

and a third air nozzle that blows out an end edge portion of the second sewn product that is blown out by the second air nozzle to a side opposite to the feeder of the second feeding mechanism toward the needle plate side on an upstream side in a feeding direction from a needle drop position.

6. The sewing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the sewing machine is provided with a cloth stretching mechanism, the cloth stretching mechanism and the feeding body of the second feeding mechanism are respectively positioned at two sides of a needle drop position, and the cloth stretching mechanism provides tension to the opposite side of the feeding body of the second feeding mechanism for the end edge part of the first sewing object extending outwards from the curve-shaped end edge part of the sewing object.

7. The sewing machine of claim 6,

the cloth stretching mechanism applies the tension to the end edge portion of the first sewn article by rotation of a sliding contact body.

8. The sewing machine of claim 7,

the sliding contact body of the cloth stretching mechanism applies the tension to the end edge portion of the first sewn product by sliding contact of a plurality of sliding contact portions provided on the outer periphery,

the plurality of sliding contact portions are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the sliding contact body.

9. The sewing machine of claim 8,

the plurality of sliding contact portions are constituted by brushes or sponges.

10. The sewing machine of claim 6,

the fourth air nozzle is disposed below the needle plate, and blows out the end edge of the first sewn product from the opening of the needle plate to the opposite side of the second feeding mechanism from the feeder.

11. A sewing machine having:

a first feeding mechanism which feeds the sewed object through a conveying wheel arranged in a state that a rotating shaft inclines obliquely relative to the horizontal direction at the adjacent position of the needle falling position;

a second feeding mechanism which is arranged at the upstream side of the feeding direction relative to the first feeding mechanism and enables a spherical feeding body which rotates to contact from the upper side to feed the sewed object; and

a control device that controls a drive source of the first feeding mechanism and a drive source of the second feeding mechanism,

the sewing machine is characterized in that the sewing machine is provided with a sewing machine,

having a first guide member and a second guide member,

the first guide member is in contact with the workpiece from above the workpiece, the second guide member is arranged upstream of the first guide member in a feeding direction and is in contact with the workpiece from below the workpiece, and the first guide member and the second guide member guide a curved end edge portion of the workpiece along the curved shape while sandwiching the workpiece so as not to be displaced in an up-down direction therebetween,

the sewing machine sews a first sewed object sewed on the lower surface side of the sewed object and a second sewed object sewed on the upper surface side,

the sewing machine includes a first air nozzle that blows out an end edge portion of the second sewn product, which extends outward from a curved end edge portion of the sewn product, toward the feeder side of the second feeding mechanism on an upstream side in a feeding direction from a needle drop position.

12. The sewing machine of claim 11,

the second guide member is movable to an operating position where the second guide member is in contact with the workpiece and a retracted position where the second guide member is not in contact with the workpiece.

13. Sewing machine as in claim 12,

the second guide member moves to the action position when sewing starts, and moves to the retreat position before sewing of the terminal end of the sewing object is finished.

14. Sewing machine as in any of the claims 11 to 13,

the second air nozzle blows out an end edge portion of the second sewn product, which is blown out toward the feeder side of the second feeding mechanism by the first air nozzle, toward a side opposite to the feeder of the second feeding mechanism on an upstream side in a feeding direction from a needle drop position.

15. Sewing machine as in claim 14,

and a third air nozzle that blows out an end edge portion of the second sewn product that is blown out by the second air nozzle to a side opposite to the feeder of the second feeding mechanism toward the needle plate side on an upstream side in a feeding direction from a needle drop position.

16. The sewing machine of any of claims 11-13,

the sewing machine is provided with a cloth stretching mechanism, the cloth stretching mechanism and the feeding body of the second feeding mechanism are respectively positioned at two sides of a needle drop position, and the cloth stretching mechanism provides tension to the opposite side of the feeding body of the second feeding mechanism for the end edge part of the first sewing object extending outwards from the curve-shaped end edge part of the sewing object.

17. The sewing machine of claim 16,

the cloth stretching mechanism applies the tension to the end edge portion of the first sewn article by rotation of a sliding contact body.

18. The sewing machine of claim 17,

the sliding contact body of the cloth stretching mechanism applies the tension to the end edge portion of the first sewn product by sliding contact of a plurality of sliding contact portions provided on the outer periphery,

the plurality of sliding contact portions are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the sliding contact body.

19. The sewing machine of claim 18,

the plurality of sliding contact portions are constituted by brushes or sponges.

20. The sewing machine of claim 16,

the fourth air nozzle is disposed below the needle plate, and blows out the end edge of the first sewn product from the opening of the needle plate to the opposite side of the second feeding mechanism from the feeder.

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