Sewing Machine Stitch Status Checking via CRC Over Wireless Links

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sewing machine monitoring systems face challenges with real-time wireless connectivity, data load, and communication reliability, leading to inefficient monitoring and potential incomplete stitching due to thread changes or breaks, especially when users are away from the machine.

Innovation Solution

A stitchwork status checking system that uses a sewing machine and a separate apparatus connected via a wireless network, employing CRC code conversion to reduce data size and ensure reliable communication, using different protocols for status and stitchwork data transmission to maintain real-time monitoring.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If video data is transmitted via wireless communication to monitor stitching progress, then real-time monitoring capability is improved, but data load on the system increases remarkably

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereal-time monitoring capabilityVSAvoiddata load
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential monitoring information (stitching progress status, thread break detection, completion state) from the full video data stream. Instead of transmitting complete video frames, the system transmits only the critical status parameters needed for monitoring, dramatically reducing data load while maintaining real-time monitoring capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different data transmission quality levels to different types of information. Critical real-time status data (thread break, completion) is transmitted with high reliability and low latency, while detailed visual information is either not transmitted or transmitted at lower quality, optimizing the balance between monitoring capability and data load.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of operation

If wireless communication is used for remote monitoring, then user mobility is improved, but communication reliability deteriorates when connection is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser mobilityVSAvoidcommunication reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary error detection and recovery mechanisms. The system continuously monitors communication status and prepares recovery procedures in advance. When communication is lost, the system can detect the disconnection, preserve local state information, and automatically re-establish connection without requiring manual intervention, thus maintaining reliability despite wireless communication challenges.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs continuous feedback mechanisms where the monitoring apparatus sends status requests and receives acknowledgments from the sewing machine. This bidirectional feedback allows the system to detect communication failures, verify data receipt, and trigger automatic reconnection procedures, ensuring reliable operation even with wireless connectivity challenges.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Measurement precision

If video transmission is performed continuously, then monitoring accuracy is improved, but wireless communication line occupancy increases, affecting other communications

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemonitoring accuracyVSAvoidcommunication line occupancy
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements periodic status checking instead of continuous video transmission. The monitoring apparatus periodically requests stitching status information at appropriate intervals, and the sewing machine responds with current progress data. This periodic exchange maintains adequate monitoring accuracy while dramatically reducing communication line occupancy compared to continuous video streaming.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transmits only the partial information necessary for effective monitoring (progress percentage, current stitch position, thread status) rather than complete video data. This partial information transmission provides sufficient monitoring capability for most practical purposes while minimizing communication bandwidth consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP2835464B1Stitchwork status checking system, stitchwork status checking apparatus, stitchwork status checking method and stitchwork status checking program
Publication Date: 2016.07.13 JANOME CORP
  • EP2835464B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2835464B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP2835464B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A sewing machine includes a temporal memory that stores stitchwork data currently stitched, and a first CRC data converter unit that converts the stitchwork data into unique codes. A stitchwork status checking apparatus includes a temporal memory that stores stitchwork data, a second CRC data converter unit that converts the stitchwork data stored in the local temporal memory into unique codes, and a CRC data converter unit that compares the codes converted by the first CRC data converter unit with the codes converted by the second CRC data converter unit. The stitchwork data stored in the temporal memory of the stitchwork status checking apparatus is the stitchwork data currently stitched by the sewing machine and transferred via a wireless network.