Sewing needle

Abstract

To provide a sewing needle of which type is easily identified by visual observation.SOLUTION: A sewing needle comprises a columnar handle part 11 to be attached to a sewing machine and a needle stem part 20 disposed distal to the handle part 11. On the peripheral surface of the handle part 11, a groove part 12 extending along the whole circumference is provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a sewing machine needle that is attached to a sewing machine and used.

Background Art

[0002] The sewing machine needle is inserted from below into the needle holder of the sewing machine and attached with a screw or the like for use (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, since such a sewing machine needle is thin and small, it may be difficult to visually confirm the type of the needle. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it easy to visually confirm the type of a sewing machine needle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] To solve the above-described problems, the present invention is a sewing machine needle including a columnar handle portion attached to a sewing machine and a needle shaft portion provided on the tip side of the handle portion, wherein a groove portion continuous over the entire circumference is formed on the circumferential surface of the handle portion.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] The present invention is as described above, and a groove portion is formed on the circumferential surface of the handle portion. According to such a configuration, by associating the groove portion with the type of the sewing machine needle (information such as needle size and product name), it is possible to easily visually confirm the type of the sewing machine needle. Moreover, since the groove portion is continuously formed over the entire circumference, the type of the sewing machine needle can be easily confirmed regardless of the orientation of the needle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] These are (a) a front view, (b) a side view, (c) a rear view, and (d) a cross-sectional view of a sewing machine needle. [Figure 2] This is a magnified view of the area near the groove, with (a) being a front view and (b) being a cross-sectional view. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the state of a sewing machine needle attached to the needle holder of a sewing machine. [Figure 4] The diagram shows sewing machine needles with different numbers of grooves: (a) a front view of a sewing machine needle with one groove, (b) a front view of a sewing machine needle with two grooves, (c) a front view of a sewing machine needle with three grooves, and (d) a front view of a sewing machine needle with four grooves. [Figure 5] This is an example of a correspondence table between the number of grooves and the grit number. [Figure 6] This is a front view of a sewing needle, showing the groove and surface groove intersecting. [Figure 7] This is a front view of a sewing machine needle with paint in the groove. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates how a sewing machine needle, which has a groove formed at the screw-fastening position, is attached to the needle-holding part of a sewing machine. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the figures. The sewing machine needle 10 according to this embodiment is used by being attached to the needle holder 31 of a sewing machine as shown in Figure 3. This needle holder 31 is designed to reciprocate up and down when the sewing machine is in operation, and sewing is performed by the sewing machine needle 10, which reciprocates integrally with the needle holder 31.

[0009] In the example shown in Figure 3, multiple sewing machine needles 10 can be attached in parallel to the needle holder 31. The needle holder 31 has multiple mounting holes into which the sewing machine needles 10 can be inserted from below. The needle holder 31 is also equipped with a needle holder screw 32 that can move in and out of the mounting holes. When the needle holder screw 32 is tightened, the needle holder screw 32 moves into the mounting hole, pressing down on and fixing the sewing machine needle 10 inserted into the mounting hole. In this way, the sewing machine needle 10 according to this embodiment is attached to the sewing machine by screw fastening.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the sewing machine needle 10 comprises a handle portion 11 that is attached to the sewing machine, a needle body 20 provided on the tip side of the handle portion 11, and a tapered portion 13 that connects the handle portion 11 and the needle body 20. As shown in Figure 3, the handle portion 11 is the part that is held by the needle-holding portion 31 of the sewing machine. This handle portion 11 is formed in a cylindrical shape so that its thickness is constant.

[0011] The tapered portion 13 is a frustoconical portion located between the handle portion 11 and the needle shaft 20. This tapered portion 13 is formed so that its diameter gradually decreases towards the tip.

[0012] The needle shaft 20 is the part that can penetrate the fabric being sewn. The tip of the needle shaft 20 is pointed, forming the needle tip portion 28. A thread hole 21 for threading is formed through the tip of the needle shaft 20. On the front side of the needle shaft 20, as shown in Figure 1(a), the position of the thread hole 21 is as follows: A surface groove 22 is formed to guide the thread in a specific direction.

[0013] Furthermore, on the back side of the needle body 20, as shown in Figure 1(c), a notch 23 is formed on the side of the handle 11 that is closer to the thread hole 21. The notch 23 is formed as a recess on the outer surface of the needle body 20, as shown in Figure 1(b). Furthermore, on the handle side of the notched portion 23, a back groove 24 is formed to guide the thread on the back side.

[0014] By the way, on the peripheral surface of the handle portion 11 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a groove portion 12 that is continuous over the entire circumference is formed. This groove portion 12 is formed by carving the surface of the handle portion 11. The groove portion 12 according to the present embodiment is formed with the same width so that the width does not change over the entire circumference.

[0015] In the present embodiment, this groove portion 12 is associated with the type of the sewing needle 10 (information such as needle size and product name, etc.), and the type of the sewing needle 10 can be confirmed by referring to this groove portion 12. For example, by providing this groove portion 12, the product name of the sewing needle 10 can be specified.

[0016] It should be noted that it is also possible to distinguish the type of the sewing needle 10 by painting or the like, but simply painting or the like may cause the paint to peel off or the visibility to be poor. However, if the groove portion 12 is formed as in the present embodiment, there is no risk of the paint peeling off, and also, since the contour of the needle changes, the visibility can be increased.

[0017] Moreover, since the groove portion 12 is continuously formed over the entire circumference, the type of the sewing needle 10 can be confirmed regardless of the orientation of the sewing needle 10 (regardless of whether the front side or the back side of the sewing needle 10 is being viewed).

[0018] In addition, by providing this groove portion 12, the heat dissipation effect of the sewing needle 10 can also be enhanced. When performing high-speed sewing work with a sewing machine, the sewing needle 10 may become very hot (about 200°C) due to frictional heat. Even in this case, the heat dissipation effect can be increased by forming the groove portion 12 to increase the surface area. By increasing the heat dissipation effect, for example, the possibility of burns when replacing the needle can be reduced.

[0019] Furthermore, the presence of this groove 12 prevents machine oil from flowing towards the needle tip even if machine oil leaks from the sewing machine. For example, even if oil leaking from the sewing machine flows down the needle stopper 31 to the sewing machine needle 10, this oil can be temporarily stopped by the groove 12, resulting in a structure that makes it difficult for oil to adhere to the object being sewn.

[0020] The sewing machine needle 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2 has three grooves 12, and these three grooves 12 are formed to be the same shape and width. However, the shape, width, and number of grooves 12 can be freely set, and this is not an exception.

[0021] For example, as shown in Figure 4, multiple sewing machine needles 10 with different numbers of grooves 12 may be used. Furthermore, by associating the number of grooves 12 with the type of sewing machine needle 10, the type of sewing machine needle 10 can be identified by the number of grooves 12. In other words, the type of sewing machine needle 10 may be represented by the number of grooves 12. As an example, the number of grooves 12 may be increased as the needle size increases.

[0022] Alternatively, multiple grooves 12 may be used to represent a binary number, thereby indicating the type of needle. That is, each of the multiple grooves 12 may be associated with a digit in the binary number, and the presence or absence of a groove 12 may indicate whether each digit is "0" or "1". Specifically, among the multiple grooves 12 arranged in parallel, the nth groove (where n is a natural number) may represent the "2 to the power of (n-1)" digit, and if the nth groove is engraved, the "2 to the power of (n-1)" digit is "1", and if the nth groove is not engraved, the "2 to the power of (n-1)" digit is "0". By using the grooves 12 in this way to represent a binary number, more information can be displayed than the number of grooves 12.

[0023] For example, as shown in Figure 4(d), if a maximum of four grooves 12 can be used, 16 different displays (15 displays if no grooves 12 are used) can be made (2 to the power of 4). Figure 5 is an example of a correspondence table between grooves 12 and needle sizes when needle sizes are displayed using the grooves 12. In this example, a maximum of four grooves 12 can be used, and the four grooves 12 are designated as the first groove 12a, second groove 12b, third groove 12c, and fourth groove 12d, in order from the tip side (see Figure 4(d)). In this case, the first groove 12a represents the ones digit of the binary number, the second groove 12b represents the twos digit of the binary number, the third groove 12c represents the fours digit of the binary number, and the fourth groove 12d represents the eights digit of the binary number. This means that, for example, if only the first groove 12a is engraved, it represents the binary number "0001" = the decimal number "1". Also, if all grooves 12 are engraved, it represents the binary number "1111" = the decimal number "15". This means that, excluding the case with no grooves 12, the numbers from 1 to 15 can be displayed. In the example in Figure 5, the needle size increases as the number displayed by the groove 12 increases.

[0024] Furthermore, although not shown in the diagram, multiple sewing needles 10 with different groove shapes 12 may be used. For example, the groove shape 12 may be made not only straight but also wavy or zigzag, or the angle of the groove 12 with respect to the longitudinal direction of the sewing needle 10 may be changed to provide variations in the shape of the groove 12. By associating the shape of the groove 12 with the type of sewing needle 10, the type of sewing needle 10 may be identified by the shape of the groove 12. In other words, the type of sewing needle 10 may be represented by the shape of the groove 12.

[0025] Furthermore, although not shown in the diagram, multiple sewing machine needles 10 with different groove widths 12 may be used. The width of the groove 12 may be associated with the type of sewing machine needle 10, making it possible to identify the type of sewing machine needle 10 by the width of the groove 12. In other words, the width of the groove 12 may represent the type of sewing machine needle 10.

[0026] Furthermore, as described above, when the type of sewing machine needle 10 can be identified by the shape, width, and number of grooves 12, the type of sewing machine needle 10 may be identified by any one of the shape, width, or number of grooves, or by a combination of two or more of the shape, width, and number of grooves.

[0027] Figure 6 shows a modified example of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, the front groove 22 may be extended to a position where it intersects with the groove portion 12. In this case, it is desirable that the back groove 24 does not intersect with the groove portion 12, as in Figure 1(c). That is, the front groove 22 may intersect with the groove portion 12, while the back groove 24 may not intersect with the groove portion 12. With this configuration, the side where the grooves intersect is the front side, making it easy to identify the front and back when attaching the sewing machine needle 10 to the needle holder 31. In other words, with conventional sewing machine needles 10, it is difficult to distinguish the front and back of the sewing machine needle 10, and errors in attachment sometimes occurred, especially with fine-gauge sewing machine needles 10. In this respect, by making the front groove 22 and the groove portion 12 intersect, the worker can easily identify the front and back of the sewing machine needle 10, and attachment errors can be prevented.

[0028] Figure 7 shows another modified example of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 7, paint may be placed in the grooves 12. By placing paint in the grooves 12 in this way, the grooves 12 can be made more noticeable. In addition, by allowing the paint to penetrate the grooves 12, the paint is less likely to peel off.

[0029] Figure 8 shows another modified example of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, the groove 12 may be formed at the position where the needle fastening portion 31 is screwed in. That is, the groove 12 may be formed in a position where the tip of the needle fastening screw 32 fits inside the groove 12 when the sewing machine needle 10 is attached to the sewing machine. In this way, the groove 12 can be used to prevent the sewing machine needle 10 from falling out. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0030] 10 sewing machine needles 11 Handle 12 grooves 12a First groove 12b 2nd groove 12c Third groove 12d 4th groove 13 Tapered section 20 needle cadres 21 thread hole 22 Surface groove 23. Gouge 24 Back groove 28 Needle tip 31. Pin fastening section 32 Pin retaining screws

Claims

1. A sewing machine needle comprising a cylindrical handle portion with a constant thickness and a circular cross-section that can be attached to a sewing machine, and a needle body portion provided at the tip end of the handle portion, A surface groove is formed in the needle shaft to guide the thread into the thread hole. A continuous groove is formed on the circumferential surface of the handle portion, Sewing machine needle.

2. The type of needle can be identified by at least one of the shape, width, or number of the grooves. A sewing machine needle according to claim 1.

3. By using multiple grooves to represent the needle in binary, the type of needle can be identified. A sewing needle according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The surface groove is formed up to a position where it intersects with the groove portion. A sewing machine needle according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. Paint was placed in the groove. A sewing machine needle according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The aforementioned sewing machine needle is attached to the sewing machine by screw fastening, The groove portion is formed at the screw fastening position. A sewing machine needle according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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