Embroidering using ink jet printing apparatus

• US 6,189,989 B1
• Filed: 09/11/1997
• Issued: 02/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sugama, Sadayuki, Miyake, Hiroyuki, Inoue, Tetsuro, Hirabayashi, Hiromitsu, Matsubara, Miyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, Jr., John E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gordon, Raquel Yvette
• Application Number:
  US08/927,262
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 814/9, 815/12, 815/2, 118/107, 118/101, 281/63, 281/64, 281/65, 281/69, 346/140.1, 682/05.R, 101/72, 427/170, 427/288, 347/116, 347/101, 347/85, 347/43, 347/44, 347/55
• US Class Current: 347/4
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/407 for marking on special material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4078 Printing on textile
• CPC Class Codes: D05C 11/24 incorporating devices for dyeing or impregnating the threads
• CPC Class Codes: D06B 11/0023 by spraying or pouring
• CPC Class Codes: D06P 5/30 Ink jet printing

Abstract

An ink jet printing apparatus has a station for dyeing a thread for embroidering by discharging ink onto the thread from an ink jet head. According to one aspect of the invention, a printing controller controls the amount of ink discharged per unit time onto the thread according to the speed of relative movement of the thread and the ink jet head. Another aspect of the invention accounts for the length of non-usable thread per unit time between an ink jet printing unit and the tip of an embroidery needle in an embroidery machine.

Claims

1. An ink jet printing apparatus for printing an image using printing means to discharge ink onto a thread as said thread and said printing means move at a speed relative to each other, wherein said printing means includes plural ink-discharging nozzles arranged along a direction of relative movement between said thread and said printing means, and said thread being used to embroider a pattern, said apparatus comprising:

detecting means for detecting the speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means;

discharge control means for controlling an amount of ink discharged from said printing means and deposited on said thread per unit time in accordance with the detected speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means; and

printing control means for controlling said printing means to discharge ink onto said thread in accordance with said pattern being embroidered using said thread and a condition determined by the diameter or the quality of said thread, wherein said printing control means controls a number of said nozzles used to discharge ink in accordance with the a speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means.

2. An ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said printing means includes electrothermal converters for generating heat energy to eject droplets of ink toward said thread.

3. An embroidering apparatus comprising:

printing means for discharging ink to print on a thread;

scanning means for moving said thread and said printing relative to each other;

control means for controlling the discharge of ink from said printing means onto said thread in accordance with pattern information relating to a pattern to be embroidered using said thread;

embroidering means for moving said thread relative to an embroidering medium to embroider in said embroidering medium a pattern corresponding to the pattern information as said thread is printed; and

means for varying a number of ink droplets deposited at a particular location along said thread by said printing means in accordance with a diameter of said thread.

4. An embroidering apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising means for correcting tension in said thread based on the pattern information and properties of said embroidering medium.

5. An embroidering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a diameter of an ink droplet deposited on said thread by said printing means is smaller than a diameter of said thread so that any one portion of said thread can be printed by depositing plural ink droplets on said portion.

6. An embroidering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said thread discharges ink using printing means including electrothermal converters for generating heat energy to eject droplets of ink toward said printing medium.

7. An embroidering apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising means for displaying an embroidery pattern in color and color designating means for changing a color in the embroidery pattern, wherein the pattern information is generated from the changed color.

8. An embroidering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said printing means has plural nozzles for discharging different color inks, said nozzles being arranged along a direction in which said thread is conveyed relative to said printing means.

9. An embroidering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said printing means has plural ink-discharging nozzles arranged at an angle to a direction in which said thread is conveyed relative to said printing means.

10. An ink jet printing method for printing an image using printing means to discharge ink onto a thread as said thread and said printing means move at a speed relative to each other, wherein said printing means includes plural ink-discharging nozzles arranged along a direction of relative movement between said thread and said printing means, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting the speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means; and

controlling an amount of ink discharged from said printing means and deposited on said thread per unit time in accordance with the detected speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means, wherein said controlling step is performed by changing a number of nozzles used to discharge ink in accordance with the speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means.

11. An ink jet printing method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of fixing the ink applied on said thread.

12. An ink jet printing method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of washing said thread after fixing the ink thereon.

13. An ink jet printing method according to claim 10, wherein said printing means includes electrothermal converters for generating heat energy to eject droplets of ink toward said thread.

14. An embroidering method comprising the steps of:

providing printing means for discharging ink to print on a thread as said thread moves at a speed relative to said printing means;

controlling the discharge of ink from said printing means onto said thread in accordance with pattern information relative to a pattern to be embroidered using said thread and a condition determined by the diameter or the quality of said thread;

detecting the speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means;

controlling an amount of ink discharged from said printing means and deposited on said thread per unit time in accordance with the detected speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means; and

embroidering said thread onto an embroidering medium to form a pattern corresponding to the pattern information as said thread is printed.

15. An embroidering method according to claim 14, wherein said printing means includes electrothermal converters for generating heat energy to eject droplets of ink toward said thread.

16. An ink jet printing and embroidering apparatus comprising:

transferring means for transferring a thread to be embroidered on a base medium;

ink jet printing means for discharging ink onto said thread in accordance with pattern information as said thread is transferred relative to said printing means;

sensing means for sensing an amount of said thread that has been transferred relative to said ink jet printing means;

embroidery means for embroidering said thread onto the base medium to form a pattern corresponding to the pattern information; and

detecting means for detecting an amount of thread non-usable for embroidering the pattern based on a distance said thread travels from said ink jet printing means to said embroidery means,

wherein said ink let printing means includes plural ink discharging nozzles and electrothermal converters for generating heat energy to elect droplets of ink toward said thread.

17. An ink jet printing and embroidering apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said thread has an initial point printed in accordance with the pattern information so that said initial point is located at an end of said non-usable amount of thread and said embroidering means includes means for embroidering said non-usable amount of thread in a temporary pattern having a beginning point and an ending point so that said beginning point, said ending point and said initial point substantially coincide.

18. An ink jet printing and embroidering apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the pattern embroided according to the pattern information is superimposed over the temporary pattern.

19. An embroided product comprising a base medium having a pattern embroided thereon with an elongated thread having different colors printed along the length of said thread as it is embroidered, wherein said thread is printed in accordance with said pattern to be embroidered and embroidery characteristics determined by a condition of said base medium and said thread.

20. A method for dyeing a thread by an ink jet printing method and embroidering cloth using said dyed thread, comprising the steps of:

making dyeing data for dyeing said thread in accordance with embroidery pattern information corresponding to a pattern to be embroidered and embroidery characteristics determined by a condition of said cloth and said thread;

dyeing the thread by said ink jet method in accordance with said dyeing data; and

guiding the dyed thread and embroidering the dyed thread in accordance with the embroidery pattern information.

21. A method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of determining the information of the amount of transferring the thread with a transfer amount detection means which comprises a detection portion for detecting an amount of rotation of a rotary body in contact with the thread and being rotatably supported and a calculation portion for calculating the amount of transferring the thread in accordance with the amount of rotation detected by said detection portion.

22. A method according to claim 21, further comprising the step of:

when starting embroidering, setting an origin to be a criterion for detecting an amount of transferring the thread on an ink jet dyeing portion, and provisionally embroidering on a cloth in accordance with a provisional embroidery pattern for provisionally embroidering the thread from a tip of a needle to be used for embroidery to said origin, wherein provisional embroidery pattern information is made in accordance with said embroidery pattern information so that a position on the cloth where embroidery is started and said origin are at a same position.

23. A method according to claim 22, further comprising the steps of:

presuming a characteristic with respect to the embroidery of the cloth and the thread in accordance with the amount of transferring the thread when provisionally embroidering; and

changing a condition of the thread and dyeing data in accordance with said characteristic with respect to the embroidery of said cloth.

24. A method according to claim 21, wherein during said making step the dyeing data is made in accordance with the embroidery pattern information and information of the amount of transferring the thread.

25. A method according to claim 24, further comprising the step of detecting the amount of transferring the thread before making the dyeing data.

26. A method according to claim 20, wherein a diameter of an ink droplet is smaller than that of the thread, thereby enabling dyeing a same area of the thread with a plurality of ink droplets.

27. A dyeing and embroidery apparatus for dyeing a thread by an ink jet method and embroidering cloth using said dyed thread, comprising:

a transferring portion for transferring a thread;

an ink jet dyeing portion for dyeing the thread before embroidering by said ink jet method;

means for making dyeing data in accordance with embroidery pattern information showing a pattern to be embroidered and embroidery characteristics determined by a condition of said cloth and said thread;

an embroidery portion for embroidering said cloth in accordance with said embroidery pattern information;

means for guiding the thread to said embroidery portion after processing by process means; and

controlling means for dyeing said thread by said ink jet dyeing portion in accordance with said dyeing data, after processing the dyed thread by the process means, and embroidering the processed thread by said embroidery portion.

28. An apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising:

means for changing a number of ink droplets to be discharged to a predetermined region of the thread in accordance with a thickness of the thread.

29. An apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising:

a display portion for displaying a pattern for embroidery;

a memory for storing a pattern to be embroidered; and

color designation means for changing color information stored in said memory,

wherein said dyeing data is made in accordance with the color information changed by said color designation means.

30. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said ink jet dyeing portion has a number of nozzles corresponding to a plurality of colors along a direction of transferring a thread.

31. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said ink jet dyeing portion has a plurality of nozzles with different amounts of discharged ink along a direction of transferring a thread.

32. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said ink jet dyeing portion has a plurality of discharging openings, and said plurality of discharging openings are arranged tilting to a direction of transferring a thread.

33. An apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising:

means for changing a ratio of ink droplets to be discharged from said ink jet dyeing portion in accordance with a dyeing pattern where a density is variable in small areas or a dyeing pattern showing a ratio of mingling a plurality of colors in the thread.

34. An apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising:

means for setting a number of ink droplets to be discharged to a length of the thread to be dyed or a predetermined amount of the thread in accordance with at least one of a condition among a condition of the thread to be used for embroidering, a thickness of the cloth and a thickness of the thread used for embroidering.

35. An apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising:

means for transferring the thread without dyeing a tip thereof and provisionally embroidering a part of the thread not embroidered to a position outside a region of the embroidery pattern.

36. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said ink jet dyeing portion dyes the thread using an ink jet head including electrothermal converters for generating heat energy to discharge ink.

38. An apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising:

means for obtaining information of an amount of transferring the thread,

wherein said making means makes the dyeing data in accordance with the embroidery pattern information and the information of the amount of transferring the thread.

39. An apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising:

transfer amount detection means for detecting an amount of transferring the thread by said transferring portion and determining the amount of transferring the thread from a detection result of said transfer amount detection means.

37. A dyeing and embroidering apparatus for dyeing a thread by an ink jet method and embroidering, comprising:

means for transferring the thread to be embroidered to a cloth;

an ink jet dyeing portion for dyeing the thread by the ink jet method on demand to discharge an ink droplet having a diameter smaller than a thickness of the thread or less than half of a diameter of the thread;

means for making dyeing data in accordance with embroidery pattern information showing a pattern to be embroidered and a condition determined by the diameter or the quality of said thread; and

an embroidery portion for embroidering the thread to the cloth;

wherein said ink jet dyeing portion dyes the thread in accordance with said dyeing data, and said embroidery portion embroiders the dyed thread which is transferred from said ink jet dyeing portion to the cloth in accordance with said embroidery pattern.

40. An apparatus according to claim 37, wherein the dyeing data is made in accordance with the embroidery pattern information and information of an amount of transferring of the thread.

41. An apparatus according to claim 40, further comprising means for detecting the amount of transferring the thread.