JPH06218159A - sewing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To efficiently combine multiple embroidery patterns. [Configuration] The size of the entire embroidery pattern is calculated (S10),
The size of the entire size is subtracted from the sewable setting area to calculate the remaining sewable range (remaining area) (S20). Next, compare the dimensions of this remaining area and the sewing area of each embroidery pattern,
Which is larger is determined (S30). Then, based on the determination result, the embroidery pattern that cannot be sewn in the remaining area is erased from the display device (S40). Before the next detection subroutine is executed, and more frequently, this S
The erase subroutine of 10 to S40 is executed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sewing machine for sewing a combined embroidery pattern in a preset sewing range.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as such a sewing machine, there is an embroidery sewing machine described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-22956. In this embroidery sewing machine, when characters and symbols are combined and sewn, the operator selects patterns one by one. After the pattern is selected, the control device of the embroidery sewing machine adds the selected pattern to the patterns already combined and determines whether the new combination of patterns fits within the sewable setting area. Determine. And
If the new pattern combination is too large to fit in the setting area, the fact that the selected pattern cannot be combined is output to a display device such as a display panel and the combination is not suitable for the operator (over Area).

[0003]

However, if the result that the area is over is displayed on the display device after selecting the pattern as described above, the operator must select the pattern for which the area is over. Know that the pattern is over the area. Therefore, the operator may select a pattern that may cause an area over, which results in useless work. Therefore, there is a problem that the work is not smooth and the work efficiency is poor.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sewing machine which can smoothly and efficiently perform a series of pattern selecting operations.

[0005]

To achieve this object, a sewing machine according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a selection area calculating means for calculating a selected pattern area for sewing a plurality of combined patterns. A calculating means for calculating the remaining area excluding the selected pattern area from the setting area, a judging means for judging whether or not each pattern can be sewn in the remaining area, and which pattern remains before the pattern is selected. The area is provided with informing means for informing whether or not sewing is possible.

The sewing machine according to claim 2 of the present invention is
Display means for displaying the display of the pattern in a erasable manner is provided in addition to the constituent elements of the first aspect, and informing means for erasing the non-sewable pattern from the display means in the remaining area is provided.

[0007]

In the sewing machine having the above-mentioned structure according to the first aspect of the present invention, the selected area calculating means detects the size of the combined pattern. The calculation means detects how much sewing is possible after the already combined pattern. The judging means makes it possible to judge the pattern which can be combined next. The notification means prevents in advance the selection of patterns that cannot be combined.

In the sewing machine according to the second aspect of the present invention, the display means displays a pattern. The notifying means erases the unsewable pattern in the remaining area from the display means and makes the unsewable pattern in the remaining area unselectable in advance.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a sewing machine 5 with an embroidery function embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The cloth feeding direction is the arrow F direction, and the direction opposite to the cloth feeding direction is the arrow B direction. Further, the right of the cloth feeding direction is the arrow R direction, and the left of the cloth feeding direction is the arrow F direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, a sewing machine 5 with an embroidery function is provided.
An embroidery frame 12 that fixes the work cloth above the sewing machine bed 10 and an embroidery frame drive device 14 that moves the embroidery frame 12 back and forth and left and right are arranged in the machine.

From the right end of the sewing machine bed 10, the pillar 1
6 is erected, and an arm 18 extending substantially parallel to the sewing machine bed 10 projects from the upper end of the pedestal portion 16. The sewing needle 2 is attached to the head 20 at the tip of the arm 18.
2. The presser foot 24 is arranged. Also, the arm portion 18
A start / stop switch 26 for moving the sewing needle 22 up and down is provided on the front surface of the tip of the sewing machine.

On the front surface of the upper portion of the arm 18, there are provided an operation changeover switch 30 for switching between an embroidery sewing mode and a normal sewing mode, and a display device 32 for displaying an embroidery pattern. The display device 32 is composed of a liquid crystal screen, and a known touch panel 33 (see FIG. 3) on which a liquid crystal display is visible is arranged on the surface thereof.

Next, the electrical structure shown in FIG. 3 will be described.

The CPU 38 for controlling the entire sewing machine is capable of controlling the display of the display device 32 and the touch panel 33.
Is configured to be able to detect the output from. This CPU3
A ROM 40 and a RAM 42, which are internal storage devices, are connected to 8. The CPU 38 is configured to write data in the RAM 42 from the ROM card 44 of the external storage device. Further, the CPU 38 is configured to be able to control the motor 46 that moves the embroidery frame drive device 14 and the sewing needle 22 up and down. Further, the start / stop switch 26 and the operation changeover switch 30 are connected to the CPU 38.

Next, the data and program structure will be described.

The RAM 42 is provided with a storage area for temporarily storing data from the ROM card 44 and data during program execution.

The ROM card 44 is provided with a storage area for storing embroidery data for sewing the embroidery pattern and display data for displaying the embroidery pattern on the display device 32. The RAM card 44 is provided with a storage area for storing an area (referred to as an area) necessary for sewing each embroidery pattern as a part of the sewing data and the display data. Each area is represented by how and how many unit blocks of which shapes are set in advance are arranged. Note that each block also includes a margin portion.

The ROM 40 is provided with a storage area for storing the shape of the unit block and the shape of the work cloth fixed by the embroidery frame 12. The ROM 40 has a storage area that stores a known setting area subroutine for calculating a range (referred to as a setting area) in which an embroidery pattern can be sewn based on the set sewing start position and the shape of the work cloth. Yes, the calculation result is represented by the arrangement and the number of unit blocks. Thus, the sewing needle 22
The contact between the presser foot 24 and the embroidery frame 12 is prevented. The ROM 40 is provided with a storage area for storing a known sewing subroutine for embroidering embroidery patterns in one row in the L to R direction in the selected order. R
The OM 40 has a storage area in which a known display subroutine for displaying each embroidery pattern on the lower stage of the display device 32 is surrounded by a frame 43 (see FIG. 4) that is directly proportional to the size of each area of each embroidery pattern. It is provided.

Further, the ROM 40 is provided with a storage area for storing a known size selection subroutine for selecting whether the size of each embroidery pattern is large or small. A size setting item 41 (see FIG. 4) for selecting a size by this size selection subroutine is displayed at the lower right end of the display device 32, and each embroidery pattern can be selected to be large or small. There is. Further, the display of the selected one of the size setting items 41 is inverted to black so that which size is selected can be recognized. Two types of unit block shapes, large and small, are stored in the ROM 40 for this size selection.

As shown in FIG. 4, only the embroidery pattern displayed on the display device 32 is stored in the ROM 40 by the touch panel 33 and the size setting item 41. There is provided a storage area for storing a known detection subroutine for detecting whether or not it has been selected by. This detection subroutine is configured to be executed at a preset timing.
Further, by this detection subroutine, the detected embroidery pattern is sequentially displayed on the upper stage of the display device 32 from the left.

Further, the ROM 40 is provided with a storage area for storing an erasing subroutine for erasing the non-sewable embroidery pattern from the display device 32 as shown in the flowchart of FIG. The erasing subroutine is configured to be executed more frequently than the detection subroutine and before and after the detection subroutine is executed.

Next, in the sewing machine 5 with the embroidery function having the above-described structure, the erasure is executed after the embroidery pattern 60 and the embroidery pattern 62 are selected following the embroidery pattern 58 and before the next pattern selection is performed. The execution of the subroutine will be described below.

When the ROM card 44 is mounted on the sewing machine 5 with an embroidery function by an operator, as shown in FIG.
And a size selection item 41 are displayed on the right side of it. The width of each area of the embroidery patterns 58 to 68 in the FB direction (hereinafter simply referred to as width) is equal to one unit block. The length of each area of the embroidery patterns 58 to 64 in the LR direction (hereinafter simply referred to as length) is one unit block, but the lengths of the embroidery patterns 66 and 68 are two unit blocks. As shown in FIG. 6, the length of the setting area 48 is
It is L ₄ (= 4 × L ₁ ) for four larger unit blocks, and its width is limited to a range of L ₀ for one larger unit block.

First, the size of the sewing range (selected pattern area) for sewing three embroidery patterns 58 to 62 which are continuous in a line in the L-R direction is obtained as a size that is an integral multiple of the size of the unit block. That is, the length of the selected pattern area is L ₂ (=
3 × L ₁ ) and its width is detected to be L ₀ (S10).

Then, the length of the setting area L ₄ (= 4 × L
The length L ₂ of the selected pattern area is subtracted from ₁ ) and the calculation result L ₃ is stored in the RAM 42. The length L ₃ (= L ₁ ) of the sewable range (remaining area) is detected on the right side of the three embroidery patterns 58 to 62. Further, since the sewing machine 5 with the embroidery function performs sewing in the LR direction, it is detected that the width of the remaining area is the same as the width L _{0 of the} set area. Therefore, it is stored that the sewable area corresponding to one large unit block is left on the work cloth (S20).

Then, the length L ₁ of each area of each embroidery pattern 58 is subtracted from the length L ₃ of the remaining area, and the fact that the calculation result is 0 is stored in the RAM 42. In addition, the width L ₀ of each area of the embroidery pattern 58 from the width L ₀ of the remaining area
Is subtracted and the result of the operation is 0
Remember. In this way, the sizes of the areas of the embroidery pattern 58 and the remaining areas are compared, and the calculation results in the LR direction and the FB direction are 0. Since the embroidery pattern 58 has the same shape, that is, the embroidery pattern 58 fits in the remaining area, it is determined that the embroidery pattern 58 can be sewn in the remaining area. Similarly, the three embroidery patterns 60 to 64 are also determined to fit within the remaining area.

Similarly, when the lengths of the embroidery pattern 66 and the remaining area are subtracted from each other, the result of the calculation is negative. Therefore, since each area of the embroidery pattern 66 is larger than the remaining area, that is, each area protrudes from the remaining area in the LR direction, it is determined that the embroidery pattern 66 cannot be sewn. Similarly, it is determined that the embroidery pattern 68 also protrudes from the remaining area (S30).

Based on the result of this judgment, it is determined that the
One embroidery pattern 66 and 68 is erased from the display device 32 (S40). As a result, only the four embroidery patterns 58 to 64 that can be sewn are displayed on the lower stage of the display device 32, and only the four embroidery patterns 58 to 64 can be selected.

Although the embroidery pattern of the larger size has been described in this embodiment, when the smaller embroidery patterns 66 and 68 can be sewn in the remaining area corresponding to one unit block of the larger size. When the size of the embroidery pattern is switched to the smaller one, the embroidery patterns 66 and 68 are displayed.

The present invention is not limited to this embodiment,
Various modifications are possible.

In this embodiment, the embroidery patterns 66 and 68 that cannot be sewn are erased from the display device 32 to make the embroidery patterns 66 and 68 unselectable. Just move it
It may be possible to display whether or not they can be sewn. In the present embodiment, it has been described that the non-sewable embroidery patterns 66 and 68 are simply erased from the display device 32, but if the smaller size embroidery patterns 66 and 68 can be sewn in the remaining area. The display device 32 may display a support for enabling sewing. In that case, since the pattern selection can be performed accurately, the working efficiency is improved.

In this embodiment, the sewing machine for embroidering one row in the LR direction has been described, but one sewing machine in the FB direction has been described.
Even in the case of a sewing machine capable of embroidering rows or a sewing machine capable of embroidering multiple rows, the calculation of the remaining area in S20 may be appropriately performed in the sewing direction. Although the embroidery patterns 66 and 68 that cannot be sewn are erased from the display device 32 in the present embodiment, it may be displayed that the embroidery patterns 66 and 68 cannot be selected.

Further, if the erasing subroutine is executed as soon as the ROM card 44 is mounted, it is immediately judged whether or not the set sewing start position is proper. More efficient selection work.

[0034]

As is apparent from the above description, in the sewing machine according to the first aspect of the present invention, which embroidery pattern can be sewn is informed before the embroidery pattern is selected. Since it is prevented that a person selects an embroidery pattern that cannot be sewn in the remaining area, the unnecessary work of selecting an embroidery pattern that cannot be sewn is saved, and the efficiency of work is improved. I have.

Further, in the sewing machine according to the second aspect, the display of the unsewable embroidery pattern is erased in the remaining area,
Since it is notified which embroidery pattern can be sewn and the operator can select the embroidery pattern that can be sewn in the remaining area, unnecessary work is saved and work efficiency is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a subroutine of a main part in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the outer appearance of a sewing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the sewing machine.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a pattern selection screen on the sewing machine.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an unsewable embroidery pattern is erased on the screen.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a set area and a remaining area.

[Explanation of symbols]

 33 touch panel 38 CPU 32 display device 48 setting area 50 remaining area

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A sewing machine that sequentially selects a plurality of embroidery patterns, and then sews the selected plurality of patterns in a preset area to sew the combined plurality of patterns. Selection area calculation means for calculating a selected pattern area, calculation means for calculating a remaining area excluding the selected pattern area from the setting area, and determining whether or not each pattern can be sewn in the remaining area A sewing machine comprising: a determination unit and an informing unit that informs which pattern can be sewn in the remaining area before the pattern is selected. 2. The display means for displaying the display of the pattern in a erasable manner is provided, and the notifying means erases a pattern that cannot be sewn in the remaining area from the display means. Sewing machine.