HK1063065B - A sewing machine needle - Google Patents

Description

Sewing machine needle

Technical Field

The invention relates to a sewing machine needle which can not cause the skip stitch and the fabric yarn fracture.

Background

Sewing machines used for sewing are roughly classified into industrial use and domestic use.

From the viewpoint of pursuing productivity, industrial sewing machines are generally used at a relatively high rotation speed, which may be as high as 8000 rpm. In an automated industrial sewing machine, seams are formed in multiple directions, however loop knots (loops), which are important for seam formation, tend to become unstable under the influence of a sewing thread having a certain twist angle.

A fabric feeding mechanism of an automatic sewing machine such as a jacquard sewing machine or a circular sewing machine employs an X-Y table to realize multidirectional sewing. When the tip of the rotating hook passes through the needle slot of the sewing machine needle, a small vibration of the X-Y table causes a large vibration of the needle from its needle slot toward its needle tip. As a result, the tip of the rotating hook cannot be knotted, and thus a skip stitch is easily generated.

In order to suppress such a skip stitch due to the vibration of the needle, the size of the lower eye of the rotating hook may be reduced with respect to the thickness of the eye portion at the needle tip of the sewing machine, so that the gap therebetween is reduced to reduce the vibration of the needle. This means that the thickness of the eye portion at the needle tip of the sewing machine becomes a critical factor of the sewing machine needle.

In contrast, unlike industrial sewing machines, domestic sewing machines have so far experienced little such problem, because domestic sewing machines are generally used at relatively low rotational speeds. However, more and more home sewing machines are recently provided with an additional embroidering function. Such problems of sewing machine needles are increasing in severity, since their mechanism is similar to that of automatic sewing machines of industrial sewing machines.

A wide variety of materials for sewing products have been widely developed. The recent trend is to move more towards materials with good stretch properties, which have been used in sewing products called heavy clothing products such as jeans, the way of use of which has not been presented so far.

Very delicate jersey materials have also been used in car seats and create another significant problem of fabric yarn breakage in addition to sewing problems such as skip stitches and needle breakage. Therefore, in recent years, attention has not been paid to a single sewing problem as before, but it has been demanded to provide a high-quality sewing machine needle capable of effectively dealing with a combination of a skip stitch and a fabric yarn breakage, in particular.

In order to solve the needle skipping problem and the problem of the diversity of materials related to the speed increase and the versatility of the sewing machine, the conventional art has developed, for example, a sewing machine needle as shown in fig. 13A having a needle groove 53 positioned toward the needle tail in the vicinity of an eye 51 formed at the tip end of a needle bar 50, the needle groove 53 being formed on a surface opposite to a surface on which a long groove 52 is formed, and a sewing machine needle as shown in fig. 13B, the needle groove 53 of which is further deepened by projecting the back side of the needle groove in the form of a looper 54.

In an attempt to further address the speed increase and versatility of sewing machines and the problem of material diversity, effective performance and quality are needed to inhibit skip-stitch and fabric yarn breakage. However, merely deepening the needle groove 53 by forming the needle groove 53 as shown in fig. 13A or by the presence of the hook 54 as shown in fig. 13B does not provide a satisfactory measure to solve the combined problem of the skip stitch and the fabric yarn breakage.

In the case of using the sewing machine needle as shown in fig. 13A, the penetration resistance is small because of the absence of the looper, so that the fabric yarn breakage rarely occurs, whereas the needle groove 53 is not formed so deep that it is impossible to completely eliminate the generation of the skip stitch.

In the case of the sewing machine needle shown in fig. 13B, since the deeper needle groove 53 is formed by the presence of the hook 54, the skip of the needle is effectively suppressed, but since the hook 54 protrudes to some extent, the penetration resistance becomes large, and thus the fabric yarn breakage is easily generated. Further, when the projecting height of the looper 54 is increased to obtain the deeper needle groove 53, the conventional needle plate and rotary hook cannot be used, which may require frequent replacement with a dedicated part suitable for this type of sewing machine needle, which raises problems concerning maintenance and operability.

In order to solve the combined problem of the skip stitch and the yarn breakage of the fabric, another type of sewing machine needle has been proposed which includes a needle groove and a looper and forms a curved depressed portion at an eye portion of the sewing machine needle so as to reduce resistance generated when the needle penetrates into the fabric (see, for example, japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2000-325685). However, it is difficult to completely solve the combined problem of the skip stitch and the fabric yarn breakage by such a sewing machine needle.

It is known that the deepening of the needle groove is a measure to solve the combined problem of the skipping and the breakage of the fabric yarn caused by the increased speed and versatility of the sewing machine and the diversity of materials. However, in the sewing machine needle not provided with the looper as shown in fig. 13A, if the needle groove 53 is deepened, the thickness of a portion of the needle bar where the needle groove 53 is formed becomes thinner, so that the strength thereof is lowered, which may cause the needle to be frequently broken or cause frequent skip stitches due to insufficient strength thereof.

Even if the needle groove 53 is deepened by forming the hook 54 as shown in fig. 13B, the needle may not penetrate the fabric 55 straight because it receives a large resistance at the hook 54 when the needle passes through the fabric 55, so that the needle is bent during penetration of the fabric. When the needle is excessively bent, the needle directly collides with the needle plate or the needle guard plate, so that the needle is broken.

As mentioned above, more comprehensive performance and quality is required for current sewing machines that operate at higher speeds and have multiple capabilities and can handle a wide variety of materials.

The need for a sewing machine needle suitable for high speed sewing machines is the ability to form the loop needed for seam formation with the desired size and less variation, and with sufficient strength to withstand high speed movement.

The sewing machine needle suitable for the multidirectional sewing machine is required to have well-balanced strength in all 360 degrees directions and to have a deep needle groove capable of preventing a skip stitch even when any inclined loop knot is generated, because the loop knot is inclined when the amount of the sewing thread for knotting is too large due to a certain twist direction of the sewing thread, with the result that a skip stitch is easily generated.

Heretofore, plain woven fabrics, pile fabrics, warp knitting fabrics, carpets, leathers, etc. have been employed as materials for automobile seats. These materials rarely suffer from fabric yarn breakage, even when a thicker sewing machine needle is inserted therein. Due to the remarkable progress of the above materials, plain knitted fabrics have been frequently used in recent years, so that a problem of fabric yarn breakage frequently occurs in sewing using such materials. Although thinner sewing needles of No.2 to No. 5 have been used as a solution to this situation, there are still secondary problems such as needle skipping and needle breakage due to insufficient strength of the sewing needle.

Similar problems also exist in the field of jeans sewing or shoe sewing, and the combined problem of skip stitches and fabric yarn breakage has become a major problem of tradition in knitted fabric sewing and corset or underwear sewing.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to solving the above problems. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a high quality sewing machine needle which does not suffer from the combined problems of skip stitch and fabric yarn breakage and which is independent of the high speed and multifunction sewing machine and the various materials used.

In order to achieve the above object, there is provided a sewing machine needle according to the present invention. The sewing machine needle includes: a needle tail, a needle bar connected to the needle tail, a needle point formed at a distal end of the needle bar, a needle eye formed near the needle point, and a long groove extending from the needle eye along the needle bar, wherein the needle bar is provided with a needle groove on a surface thereof diametrically opposite to the long groove, which is formed to be recessed at a trailing side of the needle eye; the needle bar is provided with a bent leg at a portion thereof where the needle groove is formed, such that one side of the portion protrudes outward in a direction opposite to the needle groove with respect to a central axis of the needle; the end of the eye adjacent the needle groove projects outwardly from the shank contour by a predetermined height. In terms of penetration resistance, the total size of the projecting height of the looper and the projecting height of the eye end is preferably set within 30% of the height of the shank in the depth direction of the long groove.

This structure allows the looper to have a low height and the eye end and the looper to protrude symmetrically in diametrically opposite directions with respect to the central axis of the needle, so that the resistance to penetration of the fabric is significantly reduced as compared with a conventional sewing machine needle, and the possibility of occurrence of breakage of the fabric yarn can be reduced. Further, it is possible to prevent a skip stitch in sewing because a deeper needle groove is formed by a combined effect of the hook and the protruding end portion of the eye.

The opposite side wall of the eye of the needle preferably includes a top portion having the same height as the end of the eye of the needle. This configuration can further reduce damage to the needle threads as the needles penetrate the fabric.

The eye portion of the needle shaft near the needle tip is preferably configured to have a straight form extending parallel to the central axis of the needle. This structure can reduce the gap between the needle and the lower needle hole of the rotating hook during sewing, thereby suppressing the vibration of the needle, so that the possibility of the occurrence of needle skipping can be further reduced.

The needle bar is preferably formed to have a cross-sectional shape having a height in the depth direction of the long groove equal to or larger than a width in the width direction of the long groove. This structure can further enhance the strength of the needle bar in the depth direction of the elongated groove, thereby further reducing the magnitude of the vibration of the needle.

The shank is preferably provided with recesses at least on opposite sides thereof. This configuration further reduces the contact resistance of the needles with the fabric, thereby reducing the likelihood of fabric yarn breakage and reducing needle heating.

Drawings

The above and other objects, aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A and 1B show a first embodiment of a sewing machine needle according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is an enlarged plan view showing the overall shape of the sewing machine needle, and FIG. 1B is a longitudinal sectional view of the needle along its central axis;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged rear view of the needle tip portion of the needle;

FIGS. 3A to 3E are enlarged sectional views showing portions of the sewing machine needle according to the first embodiment, taken along lines A-A to E-E in FIG. 1B, respectively;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the shape of the eye portion;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the action of the sewing machine needle according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 6A is a schematic view showing a state where a conventional sewing machine needle is penetrated into a fabric, and FIG. 6B is a schematic view showing a state where the sewing machine needle is penetrated into the fabric according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a schematic explanatory view of a needle tip portion of the sewing machine needle according to the first embodiment;

FIGS. 8A and 8B each show the position of a sewing needle as the needle penetrates a hole in a needle plate, where FIG. 8A is a view of the position obtained with a conventional sewing needle and FIG. 8B is a view of the position obtained with a sewing needle according to the present invention;

FIGS. 9A and 9B show a second embodiment of a sewing machine needle according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 9A is an enlarged plan view showing the overall shape of the sewing machine needle, and FIG. 9B is a longitudinal sectional view of the needle along its central axis;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged rear view of the tip portion of the needle;

FIGS. 11A to 11D are enlarged sectional views showing portions of the sewing machine needle according to the second embodiment, taken along lines A-A to D-D in FIG. 9B, respectively;

fig. 12A and 12B show a state of a gap between a lower needle hole of the rotating hook and a needle tip portion of the needle, in which fig. 12A is a sectional view relating to a conventional sewing machine needle, and fig. 12B is a sectional view relating to a sewing machine needle according to a second embodiment; and

fig. 13A and 13B show an example of the shape of a conventional sewing machine needle, in which fig. 13A is a schematic enlarged sectional view of a needle point portion of the sewing machine needle provided with only a needle groove, and fig. 13B is a schematic enlarged sectional view of a needle point portion of the sewing machine needle provided with the needle groove and a looper.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1A through 3E, a first embodiment of a sewing machine needle according to the present invention is shown.

In the drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes a needle tail, and reference numeral 2 denotes a needle tail₁Is shown passing through the first cone part 3₁A second shank, referenced 2, connected to the needle tail 1₂Is shown passing through the second cone part 3₂With the second needle bar 2₁A first, contiguous, smaller-diameter shank, indicated by 4, is formed on the first shank 2₂The needle grooves on the tip side of (1), reference numerals 5, 6 and 7 denote an eye of the needle, a tip of the needle and a long groove, respectively.

The needle groove 4 is located near the needle eye 5 at a position toward the needle tail 1, and is formed on a surface opposite to a surface on which the long groove 7 is formed. In order to raise the first needle bar 2 formed with the needle groove 4₂The strength of that part, which projects outwards on its side opposite to the needle groove 4, forms a bent foot 8. As shown in FIG. 3B, the end 9 of the needle eye 5 adjacent to the needle groove 4 is extended from the first needle bar 2₂Is outwardly projected by a predetermined height d to form a protrusion. Reference numeral 10 denotes opposite side walls of the needle eye 5.

In order to reduce the contact resistance when the needle penetrates the fabric, a cone part 3 is included₁And 3₂Second needle bar 2₁And a first needle bar 2₂On the opposite outer side, is provided with a recessed portion 11, as shown in fig. 3D and 3E, respectively. The recessed portion 11 may be formed to extend into the needle tip 6 and the needle shaft along the eye portion 5.

In the first embodiment, in order to increase the strength of the shank in the depth direction of the elongated slot 7, as shown in fig. 3D and 3E, the first shank 2₂And a second needle bar 2₁Are formed to have such a sectional profile that the height L in the depth direction of the long groove 7₁And a width L in the width direction₂Equal, or height L₁Greater than width L₂。

Although in the embodiment shown only the end 9 of the eye 5 extends from the first needle shaft 2₂Is outwardly projected by a height d, whereas the tops 10 of the two side walls 10 of the eye 5 are₁Or may extend upwardly into engagement with the end 9 of the eye 5And thus flush with the end 9 of the eye 5, as shown in figure 4. Thus, the top 10 of the side wall 10 of the eye 5, which is flush with the eye end 9₁The damage to the needle thread can be reduced when the needle thread passes through the eye end portion 9, thereby suppressing the occurrence of the breakage of the needle thread.

The sewing machine needle according to the first embodiment can overcome the combination of the fabric yarn breakage and the skip stitch by making the eye end 9 protrude to increase the depth of the needle groove 4 as much as possible while limiting the outward protruding height of the looper 8 to be low as much as possible.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown key components of the sewing needle of the present invention as compared to conventional sewing needles. Assuming that the conventional sewing machine needle is provided with only the hook 54, the hook 54 needs to have a height H so as to form the needle groove 53 having a depth D as shown by a dotted line in fig. 5, it is possible for the sewing machine needle of the present invention to have the eye portion 9 protruded by the height D so that the bottom surface of the needle groove 4 is shallower by the same amount as the protruded height D of the eye portion 9, thus forming the needle groove 4 having the same depth D. Therefore, as shown in fig. 5, the projecting height H of the hook 54 can be reduced by the height difference between the needle groove bottoms, that is, the projection height H of the hook 8 can be reduced to H-d in the present invention.

Therefore, by forming such a sufficiently deep needle groove 4, the tip of the rotating hook can be reliably knotted during sewing, so that the generation of a skip stitch can be prevented. Meanwhile, since the height of the looper 8 is lower than that of a conventional sewing machine needle, resistance becomes small when the needle penetrates into the fabric, so that the fabric yarn can be prevented from being broken. Further, since the penetration resistance is reduced during the penetration of the fabric, the needle is hardly bent, and thus the needle does not collide with the needle plate or the needle guard, which prevents the breakage of the needle.

The sum (d + h) of the projection height d of the eye end 9 and the projection height h of the looper 8 should be set at the first needle bar 2₂Height L in depth direction of long groove 7₁(see FIG. 3D) within 30%.

In a first embodiment, e.g.As shown in fig. 3D and 3E, since the needle bar 2 is first₂And a second needle bar 2₁The depressed portions 11 are formed on both side walls, so that gaps are formed between the needles and the fabric 55 due to the presence of the depressed portions 11 when the needles penetrate the fabric 55, as shown in fig. 6B, and therefore, the contact area is decreased, the contact resistance is decreased, so that both the penetration resistance and the heat generation of the needles during the penetration of the fabric are decreased. In contrast, in the conventional sewing machine needle having no depressed portion, the entire peripheral surface of the needle bar 50 is in contact with the fabric 55 as shown in fig. 6A, with the result that both the penetration resistance and the heat generation of the needle during the penetration of the fabric are increased.

In the first embodiment, as shown in fig. 7, unlike the conventional sewing machine needle indicated by the broken line, a taper is formed from the vicinity of the top of the protruding end 9 of the eye 5 toward the needle tip 6, and thus the taper angle θ of the needle tip portion becomes small, and therefore, the needle tip 6 can be made sharper as compared with the conventional sewing machine needle.

Furthermore, in the situation shown in fig. 4, the top 10 of the opposite side wall 10 of the eye 5 is₁Flush with the top of the protruding end 9 of the needle eye 5, so that the needle thread can be protected, and the damage to the needle thread can be reduced.

Referring to fig. 8A and 8B, there are shown the positions of the sewing needle when the needle is penetrated into the hole of the needle plate, wherein fig. 8A is a position view obtained by using the conventional sewing needle as shown in fig. 13B, and fig. 8B is a position view obtained by using the sewing needle of the present invention.

In the conventional sewing machine needle, as shown in fig. 8A, a large-sized stitch 54 protrudes from the needle bar 50 only in one direction, and thus the needle hardly penetrates into the hole 15 of the needle plate depending on the size of the stitch 54. In contrast, in the sewing machine needle of the present invention, as shown in fig. 8B, the eye end 9 is formed from the shank 2 on the side diametrically opposite to the looper 8₂And the projecting height of the stitch 8 is reduced by the projecting end 9 of the eyelet 5, with the result that the projecting portion of the stitch 8 can be received in the hole 15 of the needle board. Therefore, any existing needle plate can be used as it is without replacing the needle with a special partThe operation of the panel.

Referring again to FIGS. 9A to 11D, there is shown a second embodiment of the sewing machine needle in accordance with the present invention. It should be noted that the same or equivalent portions as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description of these portions will not be repeated.

The sewing machine needle according to the second embodiment represents a sewing machine needle having a shape suitable for an automatic sewing machine or the like, which is different from the sewing machine needle of the first embodiment only in that the needle bar 2 adopts a single-stage structure in which the eye portion 12 at the needle tip (see fig. 9B) is configured to have an elongated straight form (e.g., a length of a straight portion of about 2 mm) extending parallel to the central axis o of the needle, the needle tip is in an elliptical conical shape (see fig. 11A), and no recessed portion is formed on the opposite side wall surface of the needle bar 2 (see fig. 11D).

When the eye portion 12 is configured to have an elongated straight form as in the second embodiment, as shown in fig. 12B, it is possible to reduce the gap between the needle and the lower needle portion 13 or the lower needle hole of the rotating hook during sewing, thereby suppressing the vibration of the needle to a low degree, so that the skip of the needle is further reduced. In the case where the straight portion is short, the gap 14 between the needle and the lower needle portion 13 of the rotating hook becomes large as shown in fig. 12A, so that the vibration of the needle is large. The shape, action and effect of the other portions are similar to those in the first embodiment, and therefore, will not be described in detail here.

Although the sewing machine needle according to the first and second embodiments is representatively shown to be provided with only one long groove as the thread groove, the present invention may of course be applied to a sewing machine needle provided with a known short groove.

As described above, according to the sewing machine needle of the present invention, the needle bar is provided with the needle groove on the surface thereof diametrically opposite to the long groove, which is formed to be depressed at the trailing side of the eye of the needle; the needle bar is provided with a bent leg at a portion thereof where the needle groove is formed, such that one side of the portion protrudes outward in a direction opposite to the needle groove with respect to a central axis of the needle; the end of the eye adjacent the needle groove projects outwardly from the shank contour by a predetermined height. This configuration allows the protruding height of the hook to be reduced, reducing the penetration resistance of the fabric, and thus reducing the breakage of the fabric yarn. Also, this structure can make the needle groove deeper by a combination of the protruding end of the needle hole and the hook form of the shank portion formed with the needle groove, thereby preventing the skip of the needle. Therefore, it is possible to effectively cope with the combined problem of the skip stitch and the fabric yarn breakage caused by the use of the high-speed and multi-function sewing machine and the diversification of the fabric materials.

By using smaller loopers and projecting ends of eyelets which project symmetrically in diametrically opposite directions relative to the central axis of the needle, the radial projection distance of the various parts of the sewing machine can be limited to about half of that of a conventional sewing machine needle, even when the same groove depth is to be obtained. Therefore, the penetration resistance during the penetration of the fabric can be reduced, thereby preventing the needle from being bent, and a special sewing machine component is not needed.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the top of the side wall of the eye of the needle is flush with the top of the protruding end of the eye of the needle. This configuration can reduce damage to the needle thread at the end of the eye of the needle.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the eye of the needle portion at the tip of the needle is configured to have a straight form extending parallel to the central axis of the needle. This structure can further reduce the clearance between the needle and the lower needle hole of the rotating hook, thereby further suppressing the vibration of the needle, so that the skip of the needle can be more effectively prevented.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the needle bar is formed to have a sectional shape having a height in the depth direction of the long groove equal to or larger than a width in the width direction of the long groove. This structure can enhance the strength of the shank in the depth direction of the elongated slot.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the shank is provided with recesses at least on its opposite sides. This structure can reduce contact resistance with the fabric, thereby reducing breakage of the fabric yarn and heat generation of the needles.

While exemplary and presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail above, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to encompass such variations as not being limited by the prior art.

Claims (13)

1. A sewing machine needle comprises a needle tail (1) and a needle bar (2; 2) connected with the needle tail (1)₁，2₂) Formed on the needle bar (2; 2₁，2₂) A needle tip (6) at the tip, an eye (5) formed near the needle tip (6), and a needle extending along the needle shaft (2; 2₁，2₂) An elongated slot (7) extending from said eye (5), characterized in that:

the needle bar (2; 2)₁，2₂) On the surface thereof diametrically opposite to the long groove (7), a needle groove (4) is provided, which is formed in the needle eye (5)The tail side is concave;

the needle bar (2; 2)₂) A bent leg (8) is provided at a portion thereof where the needle groove (4) is formed such that one side of the portion protrudes outward in a direction opposite to the needle groove (4) with respect to a central axis (O) of the needle; and

the end (9) of the needle eye (5) adjoins the needle groove (4) and is guided away from the needle bar (2; 2)₂) Is outwardly projected in profile by a predetermined height (d), the shank (2; 2₂) Is located at a side of the needle tail (1) and is away from the needle groove (4).

2. Sewing machine needle as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the overall dimensions of the projecting height (h) of said looper (8) and of said projecting height (d) of said end (9) of said eye (5) are set at said shank (2; 2)₂) A height (L) in the depth direction of the long groove (7)₁) Within 30%.

3. Sewing machine needle as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the opposite side wall (10) of said eye (5) comprises a top (10) having the same height (d) as the end (9) of said eye (5)₁)。

4. The sewing machine needle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the eye portion (12) of the shank (2) in the vicinity of the needle tip (6) is configured to have a straight form extending parallel to the central axis (O) of the needle.

5. The sewing machine needle according to claim 3, characterized in that the eye portion (12) of the shank (2) in the vicinity of the needle tip (6) is configured to have a straight form extending parallel to the central axis (O) of the needle.

6. According to claim 1 or2, characterized in that said shank (2; 2)₁，2₂) Is formed to have a height (L) in the depth direction of the long groove (7)₁) Is equal to or larger than the width (L) of the long groove (7) in the width direction₂) Cross-sectional shape of (a).

7. Sewing machine needle as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said shank (2; 2)₁，2₂) Is formed to have a height (L) in the depth direction of the long groove (7)₁) Is equal to or larger than the width (L) of the long groove (7) in the width direction₂) Cross-sectional shape of (a).

8. Sewing machine needle as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that said shank (2; 2)₁，2₂) Is formed to have a height (L) in the depth direction of the long groove (7)₁) Is equal to or larger than the width (L) of the long groove (7) in the width direction₂) Cross-sectional shape of (a).

9. Sewing machine needle as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that said shank (2; 2)₁，2₂) Is formed to have a height (L) in the depth direction of the long groove (7)₁) Is equal to or larger than the width (L) of the long groove (7) in the width direction₂) Cross-sectional shape of (a).

10. Sewing machine needle as in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said shank (2)₁，2₂) Recessed portions (11) are provided at least on opposite sides thereof.

11. Sewing machine needle as in claim 3, characterized in that said shank (21, 22) is provided with a recessed portion (11) at least on opposite sides thereof.

12. The sewing machine needle of claim 4, wherein the needle is a needleIn that the needle bar (2)₁，2₂) Recessed portions (11) are provided at least on opposite sides thereof.

13. Sewing machine needle as in claim 6, characterized in that said shank (2)₁，2₂) Recessed portions (11) are provided at least on opposite sides thereof.