Sewing machine

• US 5,660,129 A
• Filed: 02/05/1996
• Issued: 08/26/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Murata, Kunihiko, Kawaguchi, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): NERBUN, PETER P
• Application Number:
  US08/596,620
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 112/470.04, 112/220, 112/221, 112/277, 112/181, 112/470.01
• US Class Current: 112/470.04
• CPC Class Codes: D05B 19/12 characterised by control of operation of machine
• CPC Class Codes: D05B 69/12 using rotary electric motors

Abstract

A sewing machine including a needle bar to which a sewing needle is secured, a needle-bar drive motor which reciprocates the needle bar, a hook, a hook drive motor which rotates the hook, a speed detector which detects a rotation speed of the needle-bar drive motor, an information obtaining device which obtains information indicating that the rotation speed of the needle-bar drive motor will change, and a control device which controls, based on the detected rotation speed of the needle-bar drive motor and the obtained information, the hook drive motor so that the hook is rotated in synchronism with the reciprocation of the needle bar.

Claims

1. A sewing machine comprising:

a needle bar to which a sewing needle is secured;

a needle-bar drive motor which reciprocates said needle bar;

a hook;

a hook drive motor which rotates said hook;

a speed detector which detects a rotation speed of said needle-bar drive motor;

an information obtaining device which obtains information indicating that the rotation speed of said needle-bar drive motor will change; and

a control device which controls, based on the detected rotation speed of said needle-bar drive motor and the obtained information, said hook drive motor at least when the detected rotation speed of said needle drive motor is greater than a reference value so that said hook is rotated in synchronism with the reciprocation of said needle bar.

2. A sewing machine according to claim 1, wherein said information obtaining device comprises a load-change detector which detects an amount relating to a change of a load applied to said needle-bar drive motor.

3. A sewing machine according to claim 2, wherein said load-change detector comprises a torque detector which detects an output torque produced by said needle-bar drive motor.

4. A sewing machine according to claim 3, wherein said torque detector comprises a current detector which detects an electric current flowing through said needle-bar drive motor, and means for determining said output torque based on the detected electric current.

5. A sewing machine according to claim 3, further comprising an upper shaft which is connected to an output shaft of said needle-bar drive motor and is rotatable for reciprocating said needle bar, and wherein said torque detector comprises a torsion detector which detects an amount of torsion of said upper shaft.

6. A sewing machine according to claim 2, wherein said load-change detector comprises a current detector which detects an electric current flowing through said needle-bar drive motor.

7. A sewing machine according to claim 1, wherein said control device comprises means for controlling said needle-bar drive motor so that the needle-bar drive motor rotates at a target rotation speed, and wherein said information obtaining device comprises a device which obtains information indicative of an amount relating to a change of said target rotation speed.

8. A sewing machine according to claim 7, further comprising an input device which is operable for inputting said target rotation speed.

9. A sewing machine according to claim 1, further comprising a phase detector which detects a rotation phase of said needle-bar drive motor, and wherein said control device comprises means for controlling, based on the detected rotation phase of said needle-bar drive motor, said hook drive motor so that the hook drive motor rotates at a target rotation speed in synchronism with the rotation of said needle-bar drive motor, and means for modifying based on said obtained information, said target rotation speed so that said hook drive motor rotates at the modified target rotation speed in synchronism with the rotation of said needle-bar drive motor whose speed has changed.

10. A sewing machine according to claim 1, further comprising:

a needle-bar connecting device which connects said needle bar to said needle-bar drive motor, said needle-bar connecting device comprising an upper shaft which is connected to an output shaft of said needle-bar drive motor and is rotatable for reciprocating said needle bar; and

a hook connecting device which connects said hook to said hook drive motor, said hook connecting device comprising a lower shaft which is connected to an output shaft of said hook drive motor and is rotatable for rotating said hook.

11. A sewing machine according to claim 1, wherein said control device comprises means for controlling, when said detected rotation speed of said needle-bar drive motor is less than the reference value, said hook drive motor based on the detected rotation speed of the needle-bar drive motor, without using said obtained information.

12. A sewing machine according to claim 1, wherein said control device comprises means for controlling, when an amount of change of said rotation speed of said needle-bar drive motor indicated by said obtained information is less than a reference value, said hook drive motor based on said detected rotation speed of said needle-bar drive motor, without using said obtained information.

13. A sewing machine according to claim 1, wherein said control device comprises means for controlling, based on said detected rotation speed of said needle-bar drive motor, said hook drive motor so that the hook drive motor rotates at a target rotation speed in synchronism with the rotation of said needle-bar drive motor, and means for modifying, based on said obtained information indicative of an amount of change of said rotation speed of said needle-bar drive motor, said target rotation speed, according to a predetermined relationship between amounts of modification of said target rotation speed and amounts of change of said rotation speed of said needle-bar drive motor, so that said hook drive motor rotates at the modified target rotation speed in synchronism with the rotation of said needle-bar drive motor whose speed has changed.

14. A sewing machine according to claim 13, wherein said control means comprises correcting means for correcting said predetermined relationship with respect to at least an amount of modification of said target rotation speed which corresponds to said amount of change of said rotation speed of said needle-bar drive motor indicated by said obtained information, based on an actual amount of change of said rotation speed of said needle-bar drive motor detected by said speed detector and said amount of change of the rotation speed of the needle-bar drive motor indicated by said obtained information.

15. A sewing machine according to claim 14, wherein said correcting means comprises means for incrementing or decrementing said amount of modification of said target rotation speed by a predetermined amount.

16. A sewing machine according to claim 14, wherein said correcting means comprises means for correcting said amount of modification of said target rotation speed, to a correct value corresponding to a relationship between said actual amount of change of said rotation speed of said needle-bar drive motor detected by said speed detector and said amount of change of the rotation speed of the needle-bar drive motor indicated by said obtained information.