Sewing data creation device and program and sewing machine

Abstract

To improve usability in creation and edition of sewing data of patterns constituted by a plurality of needle location points such as embroidery and stitches.SOLUTION: A sewing data creation device 30 includes: a display control part 32 for allowing an edition screen including a drawing region for displaying a plurality of needle location points (pattern element) constituting sewing data to be displayed on a touch panel display 12; a needle location point identifying part 33 for, in the case where the needle location point is selected by a user, identifying the selected needle location point as an object needle location point; a touch detection part 35 for, in a state where the object needle location point is identified, detecting a fact that an indicator has come into contact with the edition screen other than the position of the object needle location point; a needle location point movement point 36 for moving the position of the object needle location point in the drawing region, being interlocked with the movement of the indicator coming into contact with the edition screen; and a needle location point determination part 37 for, in the case where the contact of the indicator is no longer detected, confirming the position of the object needle location point.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sewing data creating device, a program, and a sewing machine. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a sewing machine that has a function for generating and editing sewing data for sewing a pattern according to a user's instructions. Specifically, Patent Document 1 discloses a sewing machine that displays a pattern including multiple needle drop points and eight-directional cursor buttons for adjusting the pattern on a touch panel, and allows a user to specify the needle drop points and adjust their positions by operating the cursor buttons. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-93126 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the sewing machine described in Patent Document 1, the cursor buttons displayed on the sewing data editing screen are displayed with a certain size so that the user can operate them with their fingers. This causes a problem that the area for displaying the pattern image being edited becomes narrow.

[0005] To solve the above problem, it is also conceivable to omit the eight-way cursor button and have the user directly touch the needle drop point with his / her finger on the pattern image displayed on the touch panel to move it to the desired location. However, since the needle drop point to be edited is displayed on the touch panel as a very small dot, there is a problem that when the user tries to move the needle drop point by pressing it with his / her finger, the needle drop point is hidden by the finger, making it impossible to make fine adjustments. To solve this problem, it is also conceivable to enlarge the area around the needle drop point to be moved, but in this case, it becomes difficult to grasp the overall picture of the pattern, and it becomes difficult to determine how far the needle drop point should be moved.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a sewing data creation device, program, and sewing machine that can improve usability in creating and editing sewing data for patterns that are composed of multiple needle points, such as embroidery and stitches. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a sewing data creation device that is used in a sewing machine and creates sewing data having pattern elements, and includes a display control unit that displays an editing screen including a drawing area for displaying the pattern elements on a touch panel display, a pattern element identification unit that identifies the selected pattern element as a target pattern element when the pattern element is selected by a user, a touch detection unit that detects that an indicator has contacted the editing screen other than the position of the target pattern element when the target pattern element is identified, a pattern element moving unit that moves the position of the target pattern element in the drawing area in conjunction with the movement of the indicator contacting the editing screen, and a pattern element confirmation unit that confirms the position of the target pattern element when the contact of the indicator is no longer detected.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a sewing machine including the sewing data creation device.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as the sewing data creation device. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the usability in creating and editing sewing data for embroidery or the like. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of an external view of a sewing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an electrical configuration of a sewing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 1 is a functional configuration diagram showing a sewing data creating function (sewing data creating device) among various functions provided in a sewing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an editing screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining a series of processes performed by a touch detection unit, a needle drop point moving unit, and a needle drop point determination unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of a sewing data creating method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of a sewing data creating method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of a sewing data creating method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an editing screen according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, a sewing data creation device, a program, and a sewing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an external view of a sewing machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The vertical direction, front-rear direction, and left-right direction shown in Fig. 1, which are mutually orthogonal, respectively define the vertical direction, front-rear direction, and left-right direction in the main body of the sewing machine 1. The vertical direction is also called the needle drop direction. The front-rear direction is also called the cloth feed direction, and the left-right direction is also called the amplitude direction.

[0014] The sewing machine 1 includes, for example, a pillar 3, an arm 4, and a bed 5. The pillar 3 constitutes the right end of the sewing machine 1 and extends in the vertical direction. The arm 4 extends to the left from the upper end of the pillar 3. The bed 5 extends to the left from the lower end of the pillar 3.

[0015] A needle plate 6 having, for example, a needle hole is provided on the upper surface of the bed portion 5. A feed mechanism 18 (see FIG. 2) having a feed dog and a feed motor 16 (see FIG. 2) that drives the feed mechanism 18 are provided below the needle plate 6, i.e., inside the bed portion 5.

[0016] A needle bar 8 is provided at the lower left of the arm portion 4. A sewing needle 10 is removably attached to the lower end of the needle bar 8. A sewing machine motor 14 (see FIG. 2) for driving the needle bar 8 to reciprocate up and down, and an oscillation motor 15 (see FIG. 2) for moving the needle bar 8 left and right (oscillating direction) are provided inside the arm portion 4. A touch panel display 12 is provided on the front surface of the arm portion 4. The touch panel display 12 functions, for example, as an input means for the user to give operating instructions to the sewing machine 1 and as a display means for providing information to the user. In other words, the touch panel display 12 functions as a user interface.

[0017] Next, the electrical configuration of the sewing machine 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the sewing machine 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the sewing machine 1 includes, for example, a processing circuit 20. The processing circuit 20 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit: processor) 21, a main memory 22, a secondary storage 23, and the like. The main memory device 22 is composed of writable memory such as a cache memory or a RAM (Random Access Memory), and is used as a working area for reading out execution programs of the CPU 21, writing processing data by the execution programs, and the like.

[0018] The secondary storage device 23 is a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. Examples of the secondary storage device 23 include a magnetic disk such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory such as a solid state drive (SSD), and the like. The secondary storage device 23 stores a control program for implementing each of a plurality of sewing modes, such as normal sewing, applique sewing, embroidery sewing, free motion sewing, etc. The secondary storage device 23 also stores data referenced for implementing the various sewing modes, such as a plurality of sewing data for sewing patterns, etc. The secondary storage device 23 also stores a sewing data creation program for creating new sewing data and editing sewing data.

[0019] Furthermore, the processing circuit 20 is connected to each drive unit constituting the sewing machine 1, the touch panel display 12, etc., via the external interface 13. For example, the external interface 13 is connected to the touch panel display 12, a sewing machine motor 14 which moves the needle bar 8 back and forth in the up and down direction, an amplitude motor 15 which moves the needle bar 8 in the left and right direction (amplitude direction), and a feed motor 16 which drives a feed mechanism 18 which feeds the sewing material, such as cloth, forward.

[0020] 3 is a functional configuration diagram showing a sewing data creation function (sewing data creation device) among various functions of the sewing machine 1 according to this embodiment. In addition to the sewing data creation function described later, the sewing machine 1 is also provided with a sewing machine control function for controlling various motors such as the sewing machine motor described above to realize various sewing patterns. As methods for realizing various sewing patterns can be appropriately adopted using known techniques, detailed explanations will be omitted here.

[0021] A series of processes for realizing the functions of each of the units, which will be described later, provided in the sewing data creation device 30 is stored in the secondary storage device 23 in the form of a program, for example, and the CPU 21 reads this program into the main storage device 22 and executes information processing and arithmetic processing to realize various functions. The program may be installed in the secondary storage device 23 in advance, may be provided in a state in which it is stored in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, or may be distributed via wired or wireless communication means. Specific examples of non-transitory computer-readable recording media are as described above.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, the sewing data creation device 30 includes a memory unit 31, a display control unit 32, a needle drop point identification unit (pattern element identification unit) 33, a mode setting unit 34, a touch detection unit 35, a needle drop point moving unit (pattern element moving unit) 36, a needle drop point determination unit (pattern element determination unit) 37, etc.

[0023] The memory unit 31 stores a plurality of sewing data and various data required for creating and changing the sewing data. The sewing data includes, for example, a plurality of pattern elements. The pattern elements refer to, for example, needle points, objects (patterns) formed by connecting a plurality of needle points in a sewing order, and the like. In this embodiment, the concept of a pattern includes embroidery, stitches, zigzag stitching, character stitching, and the like. In other words, the pattern includes not only embroidery stitching but also patterns that can be sewn with normal stitching.

[0024] The sewing data has a plurality of needle drop point records. The needle drop point records are information that associates the position (coordinates) of each needle drop point with the sewing order. The memory unit 31 is also used as a memory area for temporarily storing the needle drop point records when creating and editing the sewing data.

[0025] The display control unit 32 controls the display of the touch panel display 12. For example, the display control unit 32 causes an editing screen 50 to be displayed on the touch panel display 12. The display control unit 32 also controls the display of the touch panel display 12 in accordance with an input operation performed on the touch panel display 12 by a user, etc.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an editing screen 50. As shown in FIG. 4, the editing screen 50 has a drawing area 51 for displaying needle drop points (pattern elements). A plurality of needle drop points constituting the sewing data are drawn in the drawing area 51. In the drawing area 51 shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of needle drop points are drawn in an orthogonal coordinate system in which the vertical axis represents the feed direction (front-to-back direction) and the horizontal axis represents the amplitude direction (left-to-right direction). The horizontal axis represents the absolute position in the sewing machine 1, and the vertical axis represents a relative parameter equivalent to the feed amount by the feed dog of the sewing machine 1. Furthermore, information regarding the sewing order of each needle point is displayed in the drawing area 51. In the drawing area 51 shown in Fig. 4, numbers displayed near the needle points indicate the sewing order.

[0027] The editing screen 50 has a selection area 52 for selecting each needle point displayed in the drawing area 51. The selection area 52 displays a list of the sewing orders of each needle point displayed in the drawing area 51. For example, taking the editing screen 50 shown in FIG. 4 as an example, the selection area 52 displays sewing orders 1 to 8, which are associated with the needle points displayed in the drawing area 51. FIG. 4 shows a case where the seventh needle point is selected.

[0028] The editing screen 50 has a preview area 53 for displaying a part or all of the sewing data. Here, the preview area 53 is set to a smaller scale than the drawing area 51. For example, the drawing area 51 needs to be enlarged to a degree that allows the user to recognize the position (coordinates) of each needle point that constitutes the sewing data. In this case, if the pattern is simple, it is possible to grasp the overall image of the pattern from the drawing in the drawing area 51. However, if the pattern is complex or large, it is difficult to grasp the overall image of the pattern from the display in the drawing area 51. Even in such a case, by providing the editing screen 50 with the preview area 53 that displays a reduced image of the entire pattern, the user can get an overview of the entire pattern, making it easier to imagine the entire pattern and to easily edit the pattern.

[0029] When the user adjusts each needle point on the editing screen 50, the positions of the corresponding needle points in the preview area 53 are reflected in accordance with the adjustments, allowing the user to make fine adjustments to the needle points in the drawing area while grasping the overall image of the entire pattern. Furthermore, the editing screen 50 may have a function for displaying animation in the preview area. For example, the preview area is provided with a play / stop button 57 for operating to play and stop the animation. By pressing the play button, the sewing state based on the sewing data being edited can be displayed in the preview area as an animation. Also, the stop button is a button for stopping the animation.

[0030] The edit screen 50 is also provided with a switch button 54 for switching between modes. For example, the sewing data creation device 30 has a plurality of modes including an input mode and a movement mode. The input mode is a mode for adding a new needle drop point. The movement mode is a mode for moving the position of a needle drop point registered in the sewing data. The switch button 54 is a button for the user to instruct switching between these modes. For example, by pressing the switch button 54, it is possible to switch from the movement mode to the input mode.

[0031] The editing screen 50 also has function buttons 55 for efficient editing. The function buttons 55 include a delete button, an insert button, a copy button, a paste button, an undo button, and a redo button. The delete button is used to delete a needle point selected by the user. For example, when the delete button is pressed while a needle point is selected, the selected needle point is deleted. In addition, when a needle point is deleted, the sewing order of the subsequent needle points is moved up.

[0032] The copy button and paste button are buttons for adding a needle point having the same position information (coordinate values) as the selected needle point. The undo button is a button for canceling the last editing operation and returning to the original state, and by pressing it repeatedly, it is possible to return to the previous state successively.The redo button is a button for returning to the original state an editing operation that was canceled by pressing the undo button.

[0033] In addition, a sewing execution button 56 is provided on the edit screen 50. When the editing of the sewing data is completed, by pressing the sewing execution button 56, the sewing data is converted into a data format that can be interpreted by the sewing machine 1 and stored in the memory unit 31.

[0034] Returning to Fig. 3, when any one of the needle drop points is selected by the user on the above-mentioned editing screen 50, the needle drop point identifying unit 33 identifies the selected needle drop point as a target needle drop point (target pattern element). For example, when any one of the needle drop points is selected by the user in the selection area 52, the needle drop point identifying unit 33 identifies the selected needle drop point as the target needle drop point. Note that this is not the only example, and when any one of the needle drop points is touched in the drawing area 51, it is also possible to identify the touched needle drop point as the target needle drop point. When the target needle point is identified by the needle point identifying unit 33, the display control unit 32 may display the target needle point in the drawing area 51 in a manner different from that of the other needle points. This allows the user to easily understand which needle point is being edited. Examples of different manners include changing the color, blinking, or changing the size.

[0035] The mode setting unit 34 switches between the input mode and the movement mode. For example, the mode setting unit 34 sets the movement mode when the user selects any one of the needle drop points in the selection area 52. The mode setting unit 34 also sets the input mode when the user presses the switching button 54.

[0036] The touch detection unit 35 detects that a pointer has come into contact with a part of the editing screen 50 other than the position of the target needle point when the target needle point has been specified. Examples of the pointer include a user's finger and a touch pen. Here, the touch detection unit 35 may detect the contact of the pointer when the pointer comes into contact with a part other than the position of the target needle point within an operation area near the target needle point that is set with the target needle point as the base point. This makes it possible to permit a movement operation of the target needle point only when a touch operation is performed near the target needle point. The needle drop point moving unit 36 ​​moves the position of the target needle drop point in the drawing area 51 in conjunction with the movement of a pointer that is in contact with the editing screen 50 (for example, the drawing area 51). A needle drop point determination unit 37 determines the position of the target needle drop point when the contact of the pointer is no longer detected.

[0037] Next, a series of processes performed by the touch detection unit 35, the needle drop point moving unit 36, and the needle drop point determination unit 37 will be described with reference to FIG. For example, as shown in Figure 5, assume that, among needle drop points Ta, Tb, and Tc, needle drop point Tc is identified as the target needle drop point, and the user touches (contacts) coordinate P0 with his / her finger, moves the finger along trajectory S to coordinate P3, and then releases the finger.

[0038] In this case, the touch detection unit 35 detects the touch of the finger at the coordinate P0. The touch detection unit 35 detects the coordinate of the touch position until the touch of the finger can no longer be detected. The touch detection unit 35 detects the coordinate based on a signal from a touch sensor or the like included in the touch panel display 12, for example.

[0039] The needle drop point moving unit 36 ​​calculates a vector from the coordinate P0 at a predetermined time interval based on the positional relationship between the coordinate of the finger repeatedly detected by the touch detection unit 35 and the coordinate P0 of the initial touch position. For example, the needle drop point moving unit 36 ​​detects vectors (e.g., V1, V2, V3, etc.) defined by the distance and direction from the coordinate P0, using the coordinate P0 at which the initial finger contact is detected by the touch detection unit 35 as a base point, at predetermined time intervals. The needle drop point moving unit 36 ​​then adds the detected vector (V1, V2, V3, etc.) to the coordinate T0 of the target needle drop point Tc, thereby moving the corresponding needle drop point Tc as needed in conjunction with the movement of the user's finger. Then, when the user's finger is released at the coordinate P3, the needle point determination unit 37 determines the coordinate T3 of the corresponding needle point at the time when the finger was released. As a result, the target needle point Tc moves from the coordinate T0 to the coordinate T3 via the coordinates T1 and T2 along a trajectory similar to the movement of the user's finger, and the position is determined at the coordinate T3.

[0040] Next, the sewing data creating method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 6 to 8 are flow charts showing an example of the processing procedure of the sewing data creating method according to this embodiment. The series of processing described below is stored in the secondary storage device 23 in the form of a program (for example, a sewing data generating program), for example, and the CPU 21 reads this program into the main storage device 22 and executes information processing and calculation processing, thereby executing the following processing. The sewing data creation process according to this embodiment is, for example, handled as one of the various functions of the sewing machine 1. For example, when the user selects a menu such as "stitch creation function" from the various menus displayed on the touch panel display 12, the sewing data creation device 30 executes the following process.

[0041] First, the edit screen 50 is displayed on the touch panel display 12 (SA1). This edit screen 50 is set to the input mode by default. At this point, no needle drop points have been set, so nothing is displayed in the drawing area 51, the selection area 52, and the preview area 53.

[0042] Next, it is determined whether any needle drop point has been selected in the selection area 52 (SA2). At this point, as described above, no needle drop point has been registered in the selection area 52. Therefore, it is determined as NO, and it is determined whether a touch has been detected in the drawing area 51 (SA3). As a result, if a touch has not been detected in the drawing area 51 (SA3: NO), the process returns to step SA2 and the above-mentioned process is repeated.

[0043] On the other hand, if a touch is detected in the drawing area 51 (SA3: YES), a needle point record that associates the coordinates where the touch was detected with the sewing order is generated and stored in the memory unit 31 (SA4). Next, based on the stored needle point record, the needle point is drawn in the drawing area 51 (SA5), the sewing order (list) of the needle point is added to the selection area 52 (SA6), the needle point is drawn in the preview area (SA7), and the process returns to step SA2.

[0044] As a result, for example, in the input mode, when the user touches desired positions one after another in the drawing area 51, needle points are drawn in sequence at the touched positions in the drawing area 51, and the sewing sequence corresponding to each needle point is displayed in the selection area 52. Also, each needle point is displayed one after another in the preview area 53. Also, a needle point record for each needle point is generated and stored in the memory unit 31.

[0045] In this manner, when at least one needle drop point is displayed in the drawing area 51, if the user selects a sewing sequence displayed in the selection area 52, the result of step SA2 is determined to be "YES" and the process proceeds to step SA8 in FIG. In step SA8, a movement mode is set (SA8), and then the needle point corresponding to the selected sewing sequence is identified as a target needle point (SA9), and the target needle point is highlighted in the drawing area 51 by being displayed in a different manner (e.g., a different color) from the other needle points (SA10).

[0046] Next, the coordinates T0 of the target needle drop point are obtained from the needle drop point record stored in the memory unit 31 and temporarily stored (SA11). Next, it is determined whether or not a touch is detected on the editing screen 50 (SA12). As a result, if a touch is not detected (SA12: NO), the process waits until a touch is detected. If a touch is detected (SA12: YES), the coordinate P0 of the first touch is stored (SA13), and a process of moving the target needle point linked to the movement of the touch is performed (SA14). In this moving process, the coordinate T0 of the target needle point temporarily stored in step SA11 is used. Note that the moving process has been described above with reference to FIG. 5, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0047] Next, it is determined whether the touch is continuing (SA15). If the touch is continuing (SA15: YES), the process returns to SA14 and continues the movement process. On the other hand, if the user releases his / her finger and the touch is no longer detected (SA15: NO), the coordinate T0 in the needle point record of the target needle point stored in the memory unit 31 is updated to the current coordinate Tn, thereby updating the needle point record (SA16). Next, the target needle point is released from the specification, and the highlighting in the drawing area 51 is returned to the original state, and the display in the preview area is updated based on the updated needle point record (SA17).

[0048] Next, in the selection area 52, it is determined whether or not any needle drop point has been selected again (SA18 in FIG. 8). As a result, if a needle drop point has been selected (SA18: YES), the process returns to step SA9 in FIG. 7 and the subsequent processes are repeated. On the other hand, if a needle drop point has not been selected (SA18: NO), it is determined whether or not the switch button 54 has been pressed (SA19). As a result, if the switch button 54 has been pressed (SA19: YES), the input mode is set (SA20), and the process returns to step SA2 in FIG. 6 and the subsequent processes are repeated. Also, if the switch button 54 has not been pressed (SA19: NO), it is determined whether or not the sewing execution button 56 has been pressed (SA21). As a result, if the sewing execution button 56 has not been pressed (SA21: NO), the process returns to step SA9 in FIG. 8 and the subsequent processes are repeated. On the other hand, if the sewing execution button 56 is pressed (SA21: YES), sewing data consisting of a plurality of needle drop point records stored in the memory unit 31 is generated, the generated sewing data is converted into a format that can be interpreted by the sewing machine 1, and stored in the memory unit 31 (SA22), and this process is terminated.

[0049] By executing the above-mentioned sewing data creation process, for example, in the input mode, the user can touch the drawing area 51 to set a needle point at the touched position. Then, by touching the drawing area 51 one after another according to the image of the pattern that the user wants to create, a plurality of needle points are drawn in the drawing area 51, and the sewing order corresponding to each needle point is displayed in the selection area 52. Note that since the detailed positioning of each needle point can be done in the movement mode, it is sufficient to touch the approximate position.

[0050] Furthermore, if the user wishes to adjust the position of any of the needle points, the user selects the sewing number corresponding to the desired needle point in the selection area 52. This causes the target needle point selected by the user to be highlighted in the drawing area 51. The user touches any position in the drawing area 51, in other words, touches a position in the drawing area 51 that does not overlap with the target needle point, moves the finger in this state, moves the target needle point to the desired position, and then releases the finger. This makes it possible to easily adjust the coordinates of the target needle point. After the movement, the coordinates of the target needle point are read, and the coordinates of the needle point record of that needle point are updated. Then, when the user has created a desired pattern by inputting needle points in the input mode, moving needle points in the movement mode, etc., he / she presses the sewing execution button 56. This causes sewing data to be created based on the records of each needle point that have been created, and the data is stored in the memory unit 31.

[0051] In the above description, the case where the user creates sewing data from scratch on the edit screen 50 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to read out sewing data of a desired pattern that is pre-stored in the memory unit 31, and edit the needle drop points of the read out sewing data on the edit screen 50, thereby creating new sewing data or updating pre-stored sewing data.

[0052] As described above, the sewing data creation device 30, the program, and the sewing machine 1 according to this embodiment include a display control unit 32 that draws a plurality of needle drop points of the sewing data on a coordinate system and causes the touch panel display 12 to display an editing screen 50 including a drawing area for displaying information relating to the sewing order of each needle drop point, a needle drop point identification unit 33 that identifies a selected needle drop point as a target needle drop point when a user selects one of the needle drop points, a touch detection unit 35 that detects a finger touching the drawing area 51 when the target needle drop point has been identified, a needle drop point moving unit 36 ​​that moves the target needle drop point in response to the movement of the finger, and a needle drop point determination unit 37 that determines the current target needle drop point when the finger contact is no longer detected.

[0053] This allows the user to move the target needle point to a desired position by touching and moving an arbitrary position in the drawing area with a finger. This eliminates the need to display eight-way cursor buttons on the editing screen as in the past, and allows the drawing area 51 in which the user performs editing to be set widely. This allows the entire editing screen to be used effectively. Furthermore, the user can move the target needle point to a desired position by touching an arbitrary position in the drawing area and moving his / her finger while maintaining the touch. This also eliminates the inconvenience of the target needle point being hidden by the finger and not being visible. As a result, it is possible to improve the usability in creating and editing sewing data.

[0054] Furthermore, the edit screen 50 is provided with a preview area 53 that depicts sewing data in which needle points are joined together in the sewing order. This allows the user to easily grasp the overall image of the pattern by checking the preview displayed in the preview area 53.

[0055] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. Various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the gist of the invention, and such modifications or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the method procedures described in the above embodiments are also just examples, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the processing order may be rearranged, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0056] For example, in the above embodiment, the sewing data creation device (sewing data creation function) 30 is mounted on the sewing machine 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the sewing data creation device 30 may be provided to the user in the form of an application program. For example, the application program may be installed in an information processing device (e.g., a notebook PC, a desktop PC, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, etc.) owned by the user, thereby enabling the user to create and edit sewing data. The application program may be provided in a downloadable manner via a network, for example, or may be provided in a state recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Furthermore, the sewing data created in the information processing device may be transmitted to the sewing machine 1 via a network, or may be stored in a server or the like on the network accessible to the sewing machine 1. If the sewing data is stored on the server, the sewing machine 1 may access the server at a predetermined timing and download the sewing data from the server for use.

[0057] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which each needle drop point (pattern element) constituting the sewing data is edited on the editing screen 50, but the editable unit is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 9, a configuration may be adopted in which selection is possible on an object basis formed by connecting a plurality of needle drop points in a sewing order, and a target object (target pattern element) is moved to a desired position in the drawing area 51 using a similar method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1: Sewing machine 12: Touch panel display 13: External interface 20: Processing circuit 21: CPU 22: Main memory 23:Secondary storage device 30: Sewing data creation device 31: Storage section 32: Display control section 33: Needle drop point identification unit (pattern element identification unit) 34: Mode setting section 35: Touch detection unit 36: Needle drop point moving section (pattern element moving section) 37: Needle drop point determination section (pattern element determination section) 50:Editing screen 51:Drawing area 52: Selection area 53: Preview area 54: Switch button 55: Function button 56: Sewing execution button

Claims

1. A sewing data creation device for use in a sewing machine, which creates sewing data having pattern elements, comprising: a display control unit that displays an editing screen including a drawing area for displaying the pattern elements on a touch panel display; a pattern element identification unit that, when the pattern element is selected by a user, identifies the selected pattern element as a target pattern element; a touch detection unit that detects, in a state in which the target pattern element is specified, that a pointer has come into contact with a part of the editing screen other than a position of the target pattern element; a pattern element moving unit that moves a position of the target pattern element in the drawing area in conjunction with a movement of the indicator that is in contact with the editing screen; a pattern element determination unit that determines the position of the target pattern element when the contact of the indicator is no longer detected; A sewing data creation device comprising:

2. The sewing data includes a plurality of the pattern elements, The sewing data creating device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit causes the drawing area to display information about the plurality of pattern elements and a sewing order for each of the pattern elements.

3. the editing screen includes a selection area for selecting each of the pattern elements displayed in the drawing area, the pattern element identification unit, when any one of the pattern elements is selected by a user in the selection area, identifies the selected pattern element as a target pattern element; The sewing data generating device according to claim 2 , wherein the display control unit displays the target pattern element in the drawing area in a manner different from other pattern elements.

4. 4. The sewing data creating device according to claim 3, wherein the sewing order of each of the pattern elements is displayed as a list in the selection area.

5. 4. The sewing data creation device according to claim 3, further comprising a mode setting unit which has an input mode for adding a new pattern element and a movement mode for moving the position of an existing pattern element, and which sets the movement mode when any one of the pattern elements is selected in the selection area.

6. The sewing data creating device according to claim 1 , wherein the editing screen includes a preview area for displaying a part or all of the sewing data, and the preview area is on a smaller scale than the drawing area.

7. 2. The sewing data creating device according to claim 1, wherein the pattern element is a needle drop point or an object formed by connecting a plurality of needle drop points in a sewing sequence.

8. A sewing machine comprising the sewing data creation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A program for causing a computer to function as the sewing data creating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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