SEWING NEEDLE HOLDING DEVICE

This sewing needle holding device (10) is provided with: a holder (24) which holds the base end side of a sewing needle (14) provided with, from the leading end side toward the base end side in the extension direction, a small diameter portion (16), an outer diameter varying portion (20a), and a large diameter portion (18); and a presser member (26) which is mounted to the holder (24). The holder (24) causes at least the small diameter portion (16) and the outer diameter varying portion (20a) of the sewing needle (14) to protrude from a holder leading-end surface (34). The presser member (26) has a counter portion (46) that faces the holder leading-end surface (34). The counter portion (46) has formed therein an insertion hole (50) through which the small diameter portion (16) can be inserted. At least a part of the insertion hole (50) is provided with a pressure-receiving surface (52) that comes into abutment with the outer diameter varying portion (20a).

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Description
TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a sewing needle holding device for holding a sewing needle.

BACKGROUND ART

For example, in order to enhance design of an object to be sewn, such as an outer covering material that is used as an interior material of a vehicle, stitches may be formed on the object to be sewn by sewing. A sewing needle holding device for holding sewing needles is attached to a sewing device that performs the sewing. By the way, during sewing, due to frictions etc. between the object to be sewn and the sewing needle, the sewing needle may undergo a force in such a direction as to pull the sewing needle out of the sewing needle holding device. To solve this problem, the needle clamping mechanism disclosed in JP 2007-131975 A, for example, can be adopted as the sewing needle holding device, so as to prevent the sewing needle from coming off during sewing.

Specifically, the proximal end of a sewing needle is formed into a head having a diameter that is larger than the other part, for example by fitting a collar on it or by press-forming it. Further, an insertion hole having a smaller diameter than the head is formed in the holder used to hold the sewing needle. Part of the sewing needle extending from the head to the distal end is then inserted into the insertion hole and fixed to the holder. In this case, because the insertion hole thus has a smaller diameter than the head, the head comes in contact with the wall around the insertion hole of the holder, and as a consequence the sewing needle is prevented from coming off the holder even if a force acts in a direction to pull the sewing needle out of the holder.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

This needle clamping mechanism requires forming the head at the proximal end of the sewing needle. That is, it is difficult to use mass-produced, commercially-available, common sewing needles without adding some processing thereto. This will make complex the process of holding the sewing needles with the sewing needle holding device, and will lead to increased cost.

A main object of the present invention is to provide a sewing needle holding device that can prevent sewing needles from coming off therefrom, in a simple way and at low cost.

An aspect of the present invention is directed to a sewing needle holding device that holds a sewing needle having a small-diameter portion disposed on a distal side in a direction in which the sewing needle extends, a large-diameter portion disposed on a proximal side and having a larger diameter than the small-diameter portion, and a varying-outer-diameter portion disposed between the small-diameter portion and the large-diameter portion. The sewing needle holding device includes a holder configured to hold the proximal side of the sewing needle, and a presser member attached to the holder. The holder allows at least the varying-outer-diameter portion and the small-diameter portion of the sewing needle to protrude from a holder distal end surface of the holder, and the presser member has an opposing portion that opposes the holder distal end surface, the opposing portion being provided with an insertion hole allowing the small-diameter portion to be inserted therethrough, and at least part of the insertion hole forms a pressure receiving surface that comes in contact with the varying-outer-diameter portion.

A mass-produced, commercially-available, common sewing needle has a small-diameter portion, a varying-outer-diameter portion, and a large-diameter portion that are formed in this order from its distal end to proximal end. The holder holds the proximal portion of such a sewing needle. Further, the presser member attached to the holder has an insertion hole through which the small-diameter portion of the sewing needle can be inserted, and at least part of the insertion hole has the pressure receiving surface that comes in contact with the varying-outer-diameter portion of the sewing needle.

Accordingly, even if, during sewing, a force acts on the sewing needle in a direction to pull it out of the holder and presser member, the pressure receiving surface of the presser member can receive this force through the varying-outer-diameter portion of the sewing needle. This prevents the sewing needle from coming off the holder and presser member.

That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the sewing needle from coming off, in a simple way and at low cost, since the sewing needle holding device can utilize the varying-outer-diameter portion of a common sewing needle, i.e., since it can use a common sewing needle without the need to add some processing thereto, such as forming a head at the proximal end of the sewing needle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating important parts of a sewing device to which a sewing needle holding device of an embodiment of the invention has been attached;

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the sewing needle holding device of FIG. 1, which is taken along the direction in which the sewing needles extend;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams used to explain a process in which the proximal sides of the sewing needles are held in a holder of the sewing needle holding device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram used to explain how a presser member and a pressurizing mechanism are attached to the holder of FIG. 3B; and

FIG. 5 is a cross section of a sewing needle holding device according to a modification of the invention, which is taken along the direction in which the sewing needles extend.

 DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The sewing needle holding device according to the present invention will be described in detail in connection with preferred embodiments while referring to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, constituent elements having the same or similar functions and effects will be labeled using the same reference numerals, and these constituent elements will not be explained repeatedly.

As shown in FIG. 1, a sewing needle holding device 10 of an embodiment is attached to a sewing device 12 when used. FIG. 1 does not show the constituent elements of the sewing device 12 except a needle bar 30 and a table 32 that will be described later. Although not shown in the drawing, automotive interior parts may be produced, for example by using a soft covering material to cover the surface of a base material that is made of, e.g., a hard synthetic resin such as polypropylene, and then forming a textured pattern or stitched pattern on the surface of the covering material in order to enhance its aesthetic design. Preferred examples of the sewing device 12 to which the sewing needle holding device 10 is attached include a device that is used to form a stitched pattern by making chain stitches or the like on an object to be sewn (not shown) which can be such a covering material prepared as a separate item, or a covering material integrated with the base material. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this, and the sewing needle holding device 10 can be applied in the same way to various kinds of sewing devices that perform sewing using sewing needles 14.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, the sewing needle holding device 10 can hold common sewing needles 14 that are mass-produced and available on the market. The sewing needle 14 of this kind has a small-diameter portion 16 disposed on its distal side in the direction in which it extends, a large-diameter portion 18 disposed on its proximal side and having a larger diameter than the small-diameter portion 16, and a tapered portion 20 disposed between the small-diameter portion 16 and the large-diameter portion 18, and forming a varying-outer-diameter portion 20a whose diameter increases from the small-diameter portion 16 toward the large-diameter portion 18. The sewing needle 14 further has an eye 22 which is formed in the small-diameter portion 16 and through which the thread is passed.

This embodiment will explain an example in which the sewing needle holding device 10 holds two sewing needles 14 arranged in parallel at a given interval, but the sewing needle holding device 10 is not particularly limited to this example. The number of the sewing needles 14 held by the sewing needle holding device 10 may be one, or three or more.

The sewing needle holding device 10 includes a holder 24, a presser member 26, and a pressuring mechanism 28. As shown in FIG. 1, the holder 24 is removably attached to the needle bar 30 of the sewing device 12. When the sewing device 12 is driven, the holder 24 goes up and down together with the needle bar 30 between the needle bar 30 and the opposing table 32. The mechanism for attaching the holder 24 and the needle bar 30 together can be configured in a known manner, and so it will not be described in detail and not shown in the drawings. The holder 24 holds the proximal parts of the sewing needles 14 in such a manner that the sewing needles 14 extend along the direction in which the needle bar 30 goes up and down.

In the following description, based on the direction in which the sewing needles 14 extend when held by the sewing needle holding device 10 (extending direction, the arrow X direction), the side of the sewing needle holding device 10 that is located on the distal side of the sewing needles 14 will also be referred to as the distal side (arrow X1 side), and the side thereof that is located on the proximal side of the sewing needles 14 will be referred to as the proximal side (arrow X2 side). Further, the direction in which the two sewing needles 14 are arranged side by side when held by the sewing needle holding device 10 (the arrow Y direction) will be referred to as the orthogonal direction that is orthogonal to the extending direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the holder 24 has fitting holes 36 that have a bottom and extend from a holder distal end surface 34 disposed on the distal side, toward the proximal side by a given length, and screw holes 38 that extend along a direction intersecting the fitting holes 36 so as to allow the respective fitting holes 36 to communicate with the outer sides of the holder 24.

The proximal part of each sewing needle 14, e.g. the large-diameter portion 18, is inserted into the fitting hole 36 halfway. In this condition, it is preferred that a proximal end surface 40 of the sewing needle 14 inserted in the fitting hole 36 comes in contact with an inner bottom surface 42 of the fitting hole 36. With the large-diameter portion 18 fitted in the fitting hole 36 in this way, a setscrew 44 is screwed into the screw hole 38 to hold the large-diameter portion 18 of the sewing needle 14 between the setscrew 44 and the inner wall surface of the fitting hole 36. The proximal end of the sewing needle 14 is thus held in the holder 24 in such a manner that a part of the distal side of the large-diameter portion 18 of the sewing needle 14, the tapered portion 20, and the small-diameter portion 16 protrude from the holder distal end surface 34.

The holder 24 is configured to hold the sewing needles 14 in such a manner that at least the tapered portions 20 and the small-diameter portions 16 (the parts extending from the tapered portions 20 to the distal side) of the sewing needles 14 protrude from the holder distal end surface 34. The large-diameter portions 18 of the sewing needles 14 may be cylindrical, or may each have a cut (not shown) so that the sewing needle 14 comes in contact with the setscrew 44 on a flat surface.

The presser member 26 is attached to the holder 24 through the pressurizing mechanism 28. Specifically, the presser member 26 has an opposing portion 46 that opposes the holder distal end surface 34, and a set of side portions 48 that extend respectively along the opposite sides of the holder 24 that are spaced apart from each other in the orthogonal direction (or the arrow Y direction), from both ends of the opposing portion 46 in the orthogonal direction. For example, the holder 24 and the presser member 26 may be configured such that they can be joined together by fitting the holder 24 between the side portions 48, with the set of side portions 48 being sized so that the distance between surfaces 48a thereof, which face each other in the orthogonal direction, is slightly smaller than the length between the opposite ends of the holder 24 in the orthogonal direction.

The opposing portion 46 is provided with insertion holes 50 through which the respective small-diameter portions 16 can be inserted along the extending direction, and at least part of each insertion hole 50 forms a tapered, pressure receiving surface 52 that comes in contact with the tapered portion 20. That is, at least part of the insertion hole 50 has a diameter that increases from the distal side (the arrow X1 side) toward the proximal side (the arrow X2 side). The smallest diameter of the insertion hole 50 is smaller than the outer diameter of the large-diameter portion 18 of the sewing needle 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the pressure receiving surface 52 may be shaped so that the whole insertion hole 50 is tapered.

Each side portion 48 is provided with a through hole 54 that passes through the side portion 48 along the extending direction. The through hole 54 has a short-diameter portion 54a and a long-diameter portion 54b having a larger diameter than the short-diameter portion 54a. The short-diameter portion 54a is formed in a distal part of the side portion 48. The long-diameter portion 54b is formed in a proximal part of the side portion 48. However, the through hole 54 may be configured to extend with a uniform diameter in the extending direction, without having the short-diameter portion 54a and the long-diameter portion 54b.

The pressurizing mechanism 28 applies, to the holder 24 and the presser member 26, a pressurizing force in a direction to place the holder distal end surface 34 and the opposing portion 46 close to each other (this force will hereinafter be referred to simply as a pressurizing force). Specifically, the pressurizing mechanism 28 includes male screw members 56 and female screw members 58. Each male screw member 56 has a male screw shank 60 that is inserted into the short-diameter portion 54a of the through hole 54 from the distal end of the side portion 48, and a male screw head 62 that is formed integrally with the male screw shank 60. The female screw member 58 has a hollow female screw shank 64 that is inserted into the long-diameter portion 54b of the through hole 54 from the proximal end of the side portion 48 and that has a female thread formed therein to be engaged with the male screw shank 60, and a female screw head 66 that is formed integrally with the female screw shank 64.

The male screw shank 60 is screwed into the female screw shank 64 within the through hole 54. As the male screw head 62 and the female screw head 66 come closer to each other in this way, the male screw head 62 comes in contact with the distal end surface of the opposing portion 46, and the female screw head 66 comes in contact with a holder proximal end surface 68 disposed on the proximal side of the holder 24. In this way, a pressurizing force can be applied to the holder 24 and the presser member 26 between the male screw head 62 and the female screw head 66, by thus bringing the male screw head 62 and the female screw head 66 close to each other.

Now, an example of a process of holding the sewing needles 14 with the sewing needle holding device 10 will be described. The process of holding the sewing needles 14 with the sewing needle holding device 10 may be conducted either with or without the holder 24 being mounted to the needle bar 30 of the sewing device 12 (see FIG. 1).

First, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the proximal parts of the sewing needles 14 are inserted respectively into the fitting holes 36 of the holder 24, and then the setscrews 44 are screwed respectively into the screw holes 38, so as to fix the proximal parts of the sewing needles 14 in the holder 24. At this time, adjustment is made such that the eyes 22 of the sewing needles 14 are oriented in given directions with respect to the sewing device 12 (see FIG. 1), and the proximal end surface 40 of each sewing needle 14 is placed in contact with the inner bottom surface 42 of the fitting hole 36. Further, the whole body of each setscrew 44 is inserted into the screw hole 38.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the opposing portion 46 of the presser member 26 and the holder distal end surface 34 are brought close to each other. At this time, the holder 24 is fitted between the side portions 48 of the presser member 26, while inserting the sewing needles 14, which protrude from the holder distal end surface 34, into the respective insertion holes 50 in the opposing portion 46 from their tips. In this way, the pressure receiving surfaces 52 of the insertion holes 50 are brought in contact respectively with the tapered portions 20 of the sewing needles 14.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the male screw shank 60 of each male screw member 56 is inserted into the short-diameter portion 54a of the through hole 54 from the distal end of the side portion 48, and the female screw shank 64 of each female screw member 58 is inserted into the long-diameter portion 54b of the through hole 54 from the proximal end of the side portion 48. Further, each male screw shank 60 is screwed into the female screw shank 64, while adjusting the distance between the male screw head 62 and the female screw head 66 so that an appropriate pressurizing force can be applied to the holder 24 and the presser member 26.

In this way, the sewing needles 14 are held by the sewing needle holding device 10, with the parts of the respective sewing needles 14 extending from the tapered portions 20 to the proximal side being held between the inner bottom surfaces 42 of the respective fitting holes 36 of the holder 24 and the respective pressure receiving surfaces 52 of the presser member 26. Then, the sewing device 12 (see FIG. 1), to which the sewing needle holding device 10 has been mounted, drives the needle bar 30 to perform sewing, for example to form double stitches on the object to be sewn (not shown), by using the two sewing needles 14. In this work, a force is likely to act in a direction to pull the sewing needles 14 out of the holder 24, due to the frictions etc. occurring between the object to be sewn and the sewing needles 14, especially when the object to be sewn has high rigidity, like a covering material integrated with the base material as explained earlier.

Even in such a case, this force acting on the sewing needles 14 can be received at the pressure receiving surfaces 52 of the presser member 26 through the tapered portions 20, which prevents the sewing needles 14 from coming off the holder 24 and the presser member 26.

In this way, the sewing needle holding device 10 of the embodiment can prevent the sewing needles 14 from coming off, in a simple way and at low cost, since the sewing needle holding device 10 can utilize the varying-outer-diameter portions 20a of common sewing needles 14, i.e., since it can use the common sewing needles 14 without the need to add some processing thereto, such as forming a larger-diameter head at the proximal end of the sewing needle 14.

In the sewing needle holding device 10 of the embodiment described above, the varying-outer-diameter portion 20a is formed as the tapered portion 20 whose diameter increases from the small-diameter portion 16 toward the large-diameter portion 18. However, the shape of the varying-outer-diameter portion 20a is not limited to such a tapered shape, as long as, for example, it has a part that becomes larger from the distal side toward the proximal side in the extending direction. Further, the shape of the pressure receiving surface 52 is not limited to such a tapered shape, as long as it is shaped so that it can come in contact with the varying-outer-diameter portion 20a to receive the above-described force acting on the sewing needle 14.

The sewing needle holding device 10 according to the embodiment above further includes the pressurizing mechanism 28 that applies, to the holder 24 and the presser member 26, a pressurizing force in a direction to place the holder distal end surface 34 and the opposing portion 46 close to each other. In this case, the part of the sewing needle 14 extending from the tapered portion 20 to the proximal side can be held between the holder 24 and the pressure receiving surface 52, so that the sewing needle holding device 10 can hold the sewing needle 14 more reliably. This effectively prevents the sewing needle 14 from coming off the holder 24 and the presser member 26.

In the sewing needle holding device 10 according to the embodiment above, the presser member 26 has the side portion 48 extending along a side of the holder 24, and the side portion 48 has the through hole 54 passing through the side portion 48 along the direction in which the sewing needle 14 extends. The pressurizing mechanism 28 includes the male screw member 56 and the female screw member 58. The male screw member 56 has the male screw shank 60 that is inserted into the through hole 54 from the distal end of the side portion 48, and the male screw head 62 that is formed integrally with the male screw shank 60. The female screw member 58 has the hollow female screw shank 64 that is inserted into the through hole 54 from the proximal end of the side portion 48 and that has a female thread formed therein to be engaged with the male screw shank 60, and the female screw head 66 that is formed integrally with the female screw shank 64. Inside the through hole 54, the male screw shank 60 is screwed into the female screw shank 64 so as to apply the pressurizing force to the holder 24 and the presser member 26 between the male screw head 62 and the female screw head 66 that are placed closer to each other.

In this case, the pressurizing force can be applied to the holder 24 and the presser member 26 using the simple structure including the male screw member 56 and the female screw member 58 that are inserted into the through hole 54 of the side portion 48. Further, the distance between the opposing portion 46 and the holder distal end surface 34 can be adjusted by adjusting the amount by which the male screw member 56 is screwed into the female screw member 58. This makes it possible to apply an appropriate pressurizing force to the holder 24 and the presser member 26 according to the size of the sewing needle 14 being used (e.g., the length of the large-diameter portion 18 along the extending direction), improving the versatility of the sewing needle holding device 10.

In the sewing needle holding device 10 according to the embodiment above, the side portion 48 is formed of a set of side portions that oppose each other, with the holder 24 interposed therebetween, in the orthogonal direction that is orthogonal to the direction in which the sewing needle 14 extends. In this case, the male screw member 56 and the female screw member 58 can be inserted in the through hole 54 of the side portion 48 provided on either side in the direction orthogonal to the sewing needle 14, so that the pressurizing force can be applied further effectively to the holder 24 and the presser member 26.

The presser member 26 of the above-described embodiment has the side portions 48, but its structure is not particularly limited to this example. For example, a sewing needle holding device 70 according to a modification shown in FIG. 5 may include a presser member 72 that does not have the side portions 48 (see FIG. 2), in place of the presser member 26 (see FIG. 2). In this case, the sewing needle holding device 70 may include, in place of the holder 24 (see FIG. 2), a holder 74 that has a longer length along the orthogonal direction (the arrow Y direction) than the holder 24. Since the holder 74 is sized longer in the orthogonal direction, communication holes 75 may be formed on the outer sides of the screw holes 38 in the orthogonal direction so that the screw holes 38 can be accessed from the outside of the holder 74.

Specifically, the presser member 72 is formed only of the opposing portion 46 that opposes the holder distal end surface 34, and the opposing portion 46 has, on both sides thereof in the orthogonal direction, through holes 76 that pass therethrough along the extending direction. Further, the holder 74 has threaded holes 78 on both sides thereof in the orthogonal direction, in positions that coaxially align respectively with the through holes 76 in the opposing portion 46 when the opposing portion 46 is placed to face the holder distal end surface 34. When attaching the presser member 72 to the holder 74, bolts 80 serving as the pressuring mechanism 28 are screwed respectively into the through holes 76 and threaded holes 78 that are coaxially aligned with each other.

Accordingly, when holding the sewing needles 14 with the sewing needle holding device 70, as with the holder 24 (see FIG. 2) of the sewing needle holding device 10, the proximal sides of the sewing needles 14 are held by the holder 74 first. Next, the opposing portion 46 is brought closer to the holder distal end surface 34, while inserting the sewing needles 14, protruding from the holder 74, respectively into the insertion holes 50 of the opposing portion 46, so as to place the tapered portions 20 of the sewing needles 14 in contact respectively with the pressure receiving surfaces 52 of the insertion holes 50.

Next, by placing the opposing portion 46 to face the holder distal end surface 34 in the above-described manner, the bolts 80 are screwed respectively into the threaded holes 78 and through holes 76 that are aligned coaxially. The sewing needles 14 are thus held in the sewing needle holding device 70, with the part of each sewing needle 14 extending from the tapered portion 20 to the proximal side being held between the inner bottom surface 42 of the fitting hole 36 of the holder 74 and the pressure receiving surface 52 of the presser member 72. This sewing needle holding device 70 can simplify its constituent components, including the presser member 72.

In the sewing needle holding device 10, 70 of the embodiments above, the holder 24, 74 is provided with the fitting hole 36 which has a bottom and into which the proximal side of the sewing needle 14 is inserted, and the screw hole 38 extending along a direction intersecting the fitting hole 36 so as to allow the fitting hole 36 to communicate with the outer side of the holder 24, 74, and the proximal side of the sewing needle 14 is held between the setscrew 44 screwed into the screw hole 38 and the inner wall surface of the fitting hole 36. In this case, the sewing needle 14 is reliably prevented from turning inside the fitting hole 36, since the sewing needle 14 is held between the setscrew 44 and the inner wall surface of the fitting hole 36.

In the sewing needle holding device 10, 70 according to the embodiments above, the proximal end surface 40 of each sewing needle 14 comes in contact with the inner bottom surface 42 of the fitting hole 36 when the sewing needle 14 is held in the holder 24, 74. This certainly prevents the sewing needle 14 held in the holder 24, 74 from moving to the proximal side in the extending direction, enabling the sewing needle 14 to be held more reliably. Further, when the pressurizing mechanism 28 applies the pressurizing force to the holder 24, 74 and the presser member 26, 72, the part of the sewing needle 14 extending from the tapered portion 20 to the proximal side is held reliably between the inner bottom surface 42 of the fitting hole 36 and the pressure receiving surface 52, whereby the sewing needle 14 can be further effectively prevented from coming off the holder 24, 74 and the presser member 26, 72.

The present invention is not particularly limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the essence and gist of the invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

  • 10, 70: sewing needle holding device
  • 14: sewing needle
  • 16: small-diameter portion
  • 18: large-diameter portion
  • 20: tapered portion
  • 20a: varying-outer-diameter portion
  • 24, 74: holder
  • 26, 72: presser member
  • 28: pressurizing mechanism
  • 34: holder distal end surface
  • 36: fitting hole
  • 38: screw hole
  • 40: proximal end surface
  • 42: inner bottom surface
  • 44: setscrew
  • 46: opposing portion
  • 48: side portion
  • 50: insertion hole
  • 52: pressure receiving surface
  • 54, 76: through hole
  • 56: male screw member
  • 58: female screw member
  • 60: male screw shank
  • 62: male screw head
  • 64: female screw shank
  • 66: female screw head
  • 80: bolt

Claims

1. A sewing needle holding device that holds a sewing needle having a small-diameter portion disposed on a distal side in a direction in which the sewing needle extends, a large-diameter portion disposed on a proximal side and having a larger diameter than the small-diameter portion, and a varying-outer-diameter portion disposed between the small-diameter portion and the large-diameter portion,

the sewing needle holding device comprising a holder configured to hold the proximal side of the sewing needle, and a presser member attached to the holder, wherein
the holder allows at least the varying-outer-diameter portion and the small-diameter portion of the sewing needle to protrude from a holder distal end surface of the holder, and
the presser member has an opposing portion that opposes the holder distal end surface, the opposing portion being provided with an insertion hole allowing the small-diameter portion to be inserted therethrough, and at least part of the insertion hole forms a pressure receiving surface that comes in contact with the varying-outer-diameter portion.

2. The sewing needle holding device according to claim 1, wherein the varying-outer-diameter portion is formed as a tapered portion whose diameter increases from the small-diameter portion toward the large-diameter portion.

3. The sewing needle holding device according to claim 1, further comprising a pressurizing mechanism configured to apply a pressurizing force to the holder and the presser member in a direction to place the holder distal end surface and the opposing portion close to each other.

4. The sewing needle holding device according to claim 3, wherein

the presser member has a side portion extending along a side of the holder,
the side portion is provided with a through hole passing through the side portion along the direction in which the sewing needle extends,
the pressurizing mechanism includes a male screw member and a female screw member,
the male screw member includes a male screw shank that is inserted into the through hole from a distal side of the side portion, and a male screw head that is formed integrally with the male screw shank,
the female screw member includes a hollow female screw shank that is inserted into the through hole from a proximal side of the side portion and that has a female thread formed therein to be engaged with the male screw shank, and a female screw head that is formed integrally with the female screw shank, and
inside the through hole, the male screw shank is screwed into the female screw shank so as to apply the pressurizing force to the holder and the presser member between the male screw head and the female screw head that are placed close to each other.

5. The sewing needle holding device according to claim 4, wherein the side portion is formed of a set of side portions that oppose each other, with the holder interposed therebetween, in a direction that is orthogonal to the direction in which the sewing needle extends.

6. The sewing needle holding device according to claim 1, wherein

the holder is provided with a fitting hole which has a bottom and into which the proximal side of the sewing needle is inserted, and a screw hole extending along a direction intersecting the fitting hole so as to allow the fitting hole to communicate with an outer side of the holder, and
the proximal side of the sewing needle is held between a setscrew screwed into the screw hole and an inner wall surface of the fitting hole.

7. The sewing needle holding device according to claim 6, wherein the sewing needle has a proximal end surface that comes in contact with an inner bottom surface of the fitting hole when the sewing needle is held in the holder.

Patent History
Publication number: 20220074096
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 6, 2019
Publication Date: Mar 10, 2022
Inventors: Tohru Takamura (Haga-gun, Tochigi-ken), Yosuke Ikadai (Haga-gun, Tochigi-ken), Mitsutaka Igaue (Haga-gun, Tochigi-ken), Noboru Hirano (Haga-gun, Tochigi-ken), Hajime Miyamoto (Haga-gun, Tochigi-ken)
Application Number: 17/417,779
Classifications
International Classification: D05B 55/02 (20060101); D05B 29/06 (20060101);