Sewing Machine Embroidery Frame Cloth Size Control

Solution Overview

Problem

Sewing machines struggle to determine the appropriate size of a work cloth for an embroidery frame, leading to issues where the cloth may be too large, causing interference, or too small, resulting in unreliable holding during embroidery sewing.

Innovation Solution

A sewing machine with a carriage, storage, and display components that allow users to select and display the appropriate work cloth sizes corresponding to different embroidery frames, using a control device to read and display these sizes, ensuring accurate measurement and cutting of the work cloth.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the work cloth is cut to a larger size, then the embroidery frame can hold the work cloth reliably, but the outer edges of the work cloth extend beyond the embroidery frame and interfere with the embroidery sewing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereliable holding of work clothVSAvoidinterference with embroidery sewing

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The control device calculates and displays the appropriate work cloth size before the user cuts the cloth. This preliminary information provision allows the user to cut the cloth to the correct size in advance, preventing both excessive extension beyond the frame and insufficient coverage for reliable holding.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the work cloth is cut to a smaller size, then the outer edges do not extend beyond the embroidery frame, but the embroidery frame is unable to hold the work cloth reliably

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinterference with embroidery sewingVSAvoidreliable holding of work cloth

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The control device calculates and displays the appropriate work cloth size before the user cuts the cloth. This preliminary information provision allows the user to cut the cloth to the correct size in advance, preventing both excessive extension beyond the frame and insufficient coverage for reliable holding.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If the sewing machine displays only embroidery frame size information, then the device complexity is low, but the user cannot know the appropriate work cloth size for the embroidery frame

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplay information structureVSAvoidwork cloth size information

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The display information is segmented into distinct components: embroidery frame size information and corresponding work cloth size information. The control device separately manages these data elements and presents them in a structured manner, allowing the user to clearly understand both the frame size and the appropriate cloth size without confusion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The control device calculates and displays the appropriate work cloth size before the user cuts the cloth. This preliminary information provision allows the user to cut the cloth to the correct size in advance, preventing both excessive extension beyond the frame and insufficient coverage for reliable holding.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9399831B2Sewing machine and non-transitory computer- readable medium storing sewing machine control program

Publication Date: 2016.07.26 BROTHER KOGYO KK

AI summary

A sewing machine includes a carriage, a storage portion, a display portion, and a control device. A plurality of types of an embroidery frame is configured to be removably mounted on the carriage. The embroidery frame is capable of holding a work cloth. The carriage is capable of moving the embroidery frame parallel to two intersecting axes. The storage portion is configured to store a plurality of sizes of the work cloth that respectively correspond to the plurality of types of the embroidery frame. The display portion is configured to display information relating to at least sewing. The control device is configured to read, from the storage portion, the sizes of the work cloth that respectively correspond to the types of the embroidery frame. The control device is also configured to cause the display portion to display the sizes of the work cloth that have been read.