Abstract: A cutting mechanism for cutting off a leading sequin from a continuous sequin strip in response to sewing operation is constructed to cut off the sequin at substantially the same time as a sewing needle pierces a sewing workpiece. For example, the cutting mechanism includes a movable cutter blade, and an abutting member that, in response to sewing operation, abuts against the movable cutter blade to move the movable cutter blade in a predetermined direction so that the sequin is cut off by the movable cutter blade. The abutting member is provided in a presser foot that presses down the sewing workpiece in interlocked relation to the sewing needle during the sewing operation.

Abstract: A guide is mounted to a rotary member which is freely rotatable about the axis of a needle bar, and guides a sewing material to a needle drop position of the sewing needle. A cutter device is mounted to a side of the rotary member opposed to the guide in such a manner that the cutter device is rotatable together with the rotary member for cutting the sewing material, having been paid out from the guide, at a predetermined cutting position. A retention mechanism is incorporated in the cutter device for retaining an end portion of the sewing material, at a position closer to the guide than the predetermined cutting position and in interlocked relation to cutting, by the cutter device, of the sewing material. Thus, upon restart of sewing of the sewing material, the retention mechanism retains an end portion of the sewing material.

Abstract: The present invention has a support member which rotatably supports a reel by supporting the outer periphery of the reel at least two positions and a posture restriction member (a pair of wall members or press roller) which restricts a posture of the reel supported by the support member. As another example, the reel is rotatably held in the hold member, and the hold member is supported by the support member and its posture is restricted by the posture restriction member. As still another example, the reel is arranged between a pair of wall members and the reel is pivotally supported by inserting the support member which has a support shaft which is suitable to be inserted detachably in an insertion hole provided in at least a pair of wall members.

Abstract: Individual motors in a sewing machine of the invention are provided, for each of a plurality of machine heads, for individually driving respective mechanical components, such as a needle bar driving mechanism, thread take-up lever and presser foot mechanism. A plurality of rotary hooks are driven by a common motor. Even in a case where embroidering workpieces set on the individual machine heads differ in material between the heads and upper threads used for the machine heads differ in characteristic between the heads, the sewing machine can make, in a concurrent, parallel fashion, embroidery products of different texture suited for the respective materials, characteristics, etc., by setting independent stitch formation per machine head.

Abstract: An inner rotary hook has a needle drop hole, and side wall portions formed over the drop hole and defining a space for passage therethrough of a sewing needle. The side wall portions are located adjacent to opposite sides of the needle passing through the space and extend from a region in front of the needle to a region behind the needle. The side wall portions can abut against an upper thread, passed through a hole of the needle, near a bottom dead point of the needle. If any of two portions of the thread located forward and rearward of the needle has strayed laterally, it can abut against one of the wall portions. Consequently, it is possible to prevent the front-side upper thread portion from circling around behind the needle, but also prevent the rear-side upper thread portion from straying laterally to form a laterally-protruding loop.

Abstract: A guide member is moved in interlocked relation to a rotary member rotating about the axis of a needle bar, so that a string-shaped material paid out from a bobbin is guided to a needle drop position of a sewing needle. The bobbin having the string-shaped material wound thereon is supported by a support member that is rotatable generally about the axis of the needle bar and disposed over a machine table in such a manner as to not hamper movement of an embroidery frame. The bobbin can be positioned at a distance from a machine head; thus, bobbins of increased sizes can be used. The support member is controlled in orientation, by means of a drive source, in accordance with rotation of the rotary member. The bobbin itself revolves around the machine head, which allows the string-shaped material to be constantly appropriately guided to the needle drop position.

Abstract: Sewing machine includes a plurality of machine heads, and at least one sequin feeder apparatus provided for each of the machine heads. The sequin feeder apparatus of a desired number of machine heads of the plurality of machine heads are grouped into a group, and a sequin feed pitch is variably set independently for each of the grouped sequin feeder apparatus in that group. Such an arrangement allows sequins of different sizes (different feed pitches) to be set on all of the sequin feeder apparatus in the group. If the plurality of machine heads are controlled on a group-by-group basis in order to sew a sequin-contained embroidery pattern, it is possible to increase the variety of sizes of sequins that can be used in the embroidery pattern.

Abstract: Sewing workpiece is set on a holding frame in such a manner that a predetermined sewing reference line of the sewing workpiece forms an inclination of a given angle ? relative to a plane perpendicular to a rotation axis of the holding frame. Desired sewing pattern data are corrected in accordance with a predetermined correction function with the given angle ? as a variable. Sewing is performed onto the sewing workpiece by the holding frame being relatively rotated and linearly moved in accordance with the corrected sewing pattern data. Thus, a desired pattern corresponding to the sewing pattern data can be sewn onto the workpiece in generally parallel relation to the predetermined sewing reference line.

Abstract: Connection member integrally includes: a supporting section having a shape adapted to support a predetermined portion of a thread spool of a predetermined shape: a cylindrical portion for fixing a spool pin to the connection member by allowing one end portion of the pin to be inserted therein or thereon; and a fitting portion fittingly engageable with a mounting portion of a thread stand plate. Thus, the connection member and the spool pin are attached together to the thread stand plate with the connection member attached to the mounting portion of the thread stand plate via the fitting portion and the spool pin fitted at the one end portion to the cylindrical portion. The supporting section has a shape adapted to support predetermined portions of thread spools of at least two types having different configurations.

Abstract: Rotary hook drive device for a sewing machine includes: a rotary hook rotatably provided on a rotary hook support; a cylindrical grooved cam provided on a drive shaft drivable to rotate in one direction; a cam follower engaged in a cam groove of the cylindrical grooved cam and capable of making reciprocative movement about a support shaft in response to rotation of the cylindrical grooved cam; and a transmission mechanism that transmits the reciprocative movement of the cam follower to the rotary hook to cause the rotary hook to make reciprocative pivoting movement. Such arrangements can prevent deviation in driving timing of the rotary hook and simplify the construction of the rotary hook drive device.

Abstract: Bobbin case containing a lower thread bobbin mounted in a rotary hook of a sewing machine is exchanged for a new bobbin case by the bobbin case being transferred between the rotary hook and a bobbin stock section provided apart from the rotary hook. Transfer mechanism reciprocatively transfers a bobbin grasping device, grasping a bobbin case at a distal end portion of a chuck section, between the rotary hook and the bobbin stock section. In a predetermined position of a transfer stroke of the bobbin grasping device, an orientation change mechanism changes the orientation of the chuck section, being transferred toward the rotary hook, so that the chuck section faces toward the rotary hook, and changes the orientation of the chuck section of the bobbin grasping device, being transferred toward the bobbin stock section, so that the chuck section faces toward the bobbin stock section.

Abstract: In a head group comprising two or more machine heads (3, 4) provided in proximity to each other so that each of the machine heads can perform embroidery sewing on an embroidering area of an embroidery frame on which a cylindrically-shaped embroidering workpiece is set, at least one of the machine heads is a multi-needle machine head (3). There are also provided a color change mechanism (20) for selectively positioning a desired needle at a predetermined operating position in the multi-needle machine head, a rotary hook bed (5) provided for each of the head group for shared use between the machine heads. There is provided a horizontal movement mechanism (30) for disposing the individual machine heads and the color change mechanism for horizontal movement relative to the rotary hook beds and horizontally moving the individual machine heads and the color change mechanism together to place any one of the machine heads in each of the head groups in positional correspondence to the rotary hook bed.

Abstract: A balancer is fixedly attached to a rotary input shaft of a crank mechanism that converts rotary drive of a needle bar drive source to up-and-down motion of a needle bar. The balancer is caused to rotate at substantially an opposite phase with respect to up-and-down motion of the needle bar with the rotary drive of the needle bar drive source. When the balancer is driven at substantially the opposite phase with respect to the up-and-down motion of the needle bar, inertia force in an up-and-down direction of the needle bar, generated due to the up-and-down motion of the needle bar is negated, whereby it is possible to reduce vibration generated in the up-and-down direction. Sewing heads paired with each other by being arbitrarily combined are controlled so as to be rotationally driven to cause rotational directions of the needle bar drive sources to become opposite directions to each other.

Abstract: In an embroidery sewing machine, an embroidery frame support device for supporting a front end portion of an embroidery frame installed in a cantilevered manner includes: a base member that is a base for attaching the embroidery frame support device to the embroidery sewing machine, and a Y slide rail (support member) having a movable end that can move relatively with the base member. The embroidery frame support device supports a front end portion of the embroidery frame from a lower surface thereof through an X slide rail attached to a tip portion of the Y slide rail. The embroidery frame support device can be attached to the embroidery sewing machine by screwing a base member to a cylinder bed. The screwing of the base member to the cylinder bed can be carried out from the upper side of a sewing machine table.

Abstract: Trace process (i.e. process for moving an embroidery frame from a desired start position on the basis of outline data of an embroidery pattern) is performed. It is detected, during the movement, whether the moving embroidery frame has reached a predetermined movement limit position. When detected, a protrusion amount, from the embroidery frame, of a remaining outline portion is calculated on the basis of a current position of the outline data and the remaining portion. On the basis of the calculated protrusion amount, the start position is reset by being positionally displaced so as to avoid occurrence of the protrusion. In this way, setting a start position such that the embroidery pattern does not protrude beyond a movable range of the embroidery frame can be performed in a short time.

Abstract: Looper section provided under a needle plate includes: a plurality of loopers arranged in an array along a curved movement path; and a movement mechanism for moving the plurality of loopers along the curved movement path to selectively position one of the plurality of loopers in a predetermined needle drop position. Chain-stitch sewing is performed by cooperation between the one looper selectively positioned in the needle drop position and a hooked needle. The looper section projects at its one end portion including the predetermined needle drop position, and a cylindrical sewing workpiece can be taken to and from the needle drop position via the one projecting end portion. The curved movement path is, for example, a U-shaped path.

Abstract: Chain-stitch sewing machine includes: a looper provided under a needle plate and having a thread lead-in port and thread lead-out port, the looper being rotationally driven in synchronism with a sewing operation; a plurality of thread feed ports connecting to different thread supply sources; and a connecting member having a thread passage, the connecting member selectively connecting any one of the plurality of thread feed ports to the thread insertion port of the looper via the thread passage. Threading mechanism passes the sewing thread, fed via the thread feed port connected by the connecting member to the thread insertion port of the looper, into the thread insertion port and causes the sewing thread to be taken out via the inserted thread lead-out port of the looper.

Abstract: Support section for contacting and movably supporting a string-shaped material is provided between a material holder and a guide member, and it supports the material, paid out from the holder, in a slackened condition while it applies a tensile force, corresponding to a state of the contact, to a portion of the material to be directed to the guide member. The consumed amount and the paid-out amount of the material can be controlled to agree with each other, which can prevent any excessive tensile force from being applied to the portion to be supplied to a sewing position and which can reduce the tensile force acting on the material and yet keep the tensile force generally constant. As a result, the string-shaped material can be sewn accurately in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Abstract: First calculation section calculates, on the basis of sewing data, a sewing-progressing direction angle for rotating a rotary cylinder to orient an embroidering material, guided by a guide lever of a zigzag sewing head, in a sewing-progressing direction. Second calculation section adds or subtracts a zigzag-swinging angle to or from the sewing-progressing direction angle to thereby calculate a target rotational angle of the rotary cylinder. Swinging mechanism may be provided for swinging the guide lever relative to the rotary cylinder, and a swinging amount corresponding to the swinging angle of the rotary cylinder may be added to a width of zigzag-swinging by the swinging mechanism. Alternatively, every swinging movement necessary for zigzagging the embroidering material may be set by the swinging angle without the guide lever being caused to swing relative to the rotary cylinder.