Sewing Machine Needle Clamp Lever Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing sewing machine needle clamping devices require complex operations involving screws and screwdrivers to attach and fix needles, making the process cumbersome and prone to errors.
Innovation Solution
A sewing machine needle clamping device with a swingable clamp lever, needle clamp spring, cam follower, and lock mechanism that allows for a one-touch operation to securely attach and detach sewing machine needles, eliminating the need for screws and reducing the risk of needle slippage or misalignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a screw and screwdriver mechanism is used to attach the needle to the needle clamp, then the needle can be firmly fixed, but the operation becomes complicated and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the screw and screwdriver components from the needle attachment mechanism, replacing them with a lever-based clamping system. This eliminates the need for threading and tightening operations, directly resolving the contradiction by maintaining reliable fixation through mechanical clamping while dramatically simplifying the attachment process to a simple lever movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention substitutes the screw-thread mechanical system with a lever-and-spring mechanical system. The clamp lever, when moved, directly engages with the needle shank through a clamping surface, while the spring provides continuous pressing force. This replacement maintains secure fixation reliability while reducing the operational complexity from multiple screwing steps to a single lever movement.
2Reliability
If a screw mechanism is used to clamp the needle, then the needle is securely held, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the screw, threaded hole, and screwdriver interface components from the clamping mechanism, replacing them with a simple lever that pivots on a pin. The clamping action is achieved through the lever's movement bringing the clamping surface into contact with the needle shank, while the spring provides the holding force. This reduction in components directly lowers device complexity while maintaining clamping reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-loaded clamp lever system is designed to automatically maintain clamping force on the needle. When the lever is moved to the closed position, the spring engages and continuously applies pressing force to hold the needle securely without requiring additional adjustment or maintenance. This self-servicing mechanism reduces complexity by eliminating the need for threaded fasteners that require tightening and adjustment.
3Ease of operation
If the clamp lever is made swingable with spring pressure, then one-touch operation is achieved, but the mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the clamping action and the holding force into a single integrated mechanism. The clamp lever serves dual functions: its movement provides the clamping action, while the attached spring simultaneously provides the continuous pressing force needed to hold the needle. This merging of functions into one component reduces the number of separate parts needed, thereby reducing overall device complexity while enabling simple one-touch operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp lever is designed as a dynamic, swingable component rather than a fixed or manually adjusted mechanism. The lever pivots on a pin to allow smooth opening and closing movements, and the spring provides dynamic, continuous pressure that adapts to the needle's position. This dynamic design enables easy one-touch operation while the simplicity of the pivot-and-spring mechanism keeps the overall device complexity low.
4Ease of manufacture
If the needle clamp uses a simple structure, then the device is easier to manufacture, but the needle may slip during high-friction sewing operations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by providing a specifically designed clamping surface on the clamp lever that directly contacts the needle shank. This clamping surface is positioned and shaped to optimize friction and gripping force exactly where needed, rather than relying on a simple overall structure. The spring-loaded mechanism concentrates the holding force on this localized contact area, ensuring adequate anti-slip performance during high-friction sewing operations while keeping the overall structure simple and easy to manufacture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device simplifies the needle attachment process, ensures secure clamping, prevents accidental needle release, and reduces wear on needle shanks, while preventing needle slippage during use, especially in fabrics with high friction.
Implementation Method 1
a needle clamp spring which repels elastically the clamp lever to an outer direction of a straight line which links a central point of the needle shank of the sewing machine needle and a central point of the clamp lever shaft
Implementation Method 2
a cam is provided in the needle clamp, a cam follower which engages to the cam is provided in the clamp arm, and the elongate hole has three surfaces that the cam follower climbs over the cam and moves as a movement path of the clamp lever shaft
Data Source
AI summary
A sewing machine needle is attached, fixed or exchanged to a needle clamp firmly and easily. The needle clamp 5 for clamping the sewing machine needle 3 has an accommodating recessed part 7 which accommodates a needle shank 15 of the sewing machine needle, a clamp lever 19 which has a clamp arm 21 which engages to the needle shank, is freely opened and closed end is fixed to a clamp lever shaft 17 which is fitted loosely to an elongate hole 13b is bored at the needle clamp for the accommodating recessed part a needle clamp spring 23 which repels elastically the clamp lever to an outer direction of a straight line which links a central point N of the needle shank and a central point of the clamp lever shaft, and the cam 71 is provided in the needle clamp 5, and the cam follower 70 which engages to the cam 71 is provided in the clamp arm 21, and the elongate hole has three surfaces that the cam follower climbs over the cam and moves as the movement path of the clamp lever shaft which becomes a rotation center P of the clamp lever.