JP7593264B2 - Embroidery machine, dyeing and embroidery machine, and dyeing and embroidery system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an embroidery device, a dyeing and embroidery device, and a dyeing and embroidery system.

In recent years, a technology has become known that dyes (colors) threads before the embroidery machine in an in-line device.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a control technology for an embroidery device, embroidery data is compiled to embroider using a continuous upper thread that changes color so that the change in color of the upper thread is not exposed on the embroidery surface, and the change in color of the upper thread is not visible from above. In this technology, the needle position is detected in the embroidery device, the actual consumption speed of the upper thread is calculated from the progress of the embroidery, and the embroidery is adjusted according to the fluctuation in the consumption speed of the upper thread that occurs in the embroidery device.

In Patent Document 1, it is possible to match the estimated position of the color change of the thread based on the dyeing data with the actual position of the color change of the thread in the embroidery device. However, if the thread stretches or shrinks while it is being dyed while being sent from the dyeing section to the embroidery section, during the subsequent color fixing, or during transport after dyeing, or if the balance of pull between the upper thread and the lower thread in the stitching of the embroidered fabric changes, the position of the color change of the thread set in the dyeing data may not match the actual position of the color change of the thread when it reaches the needle of the embroidery device.

Therefore, even if the embroidery data is set so that the color change is not visible as in Patent Document 1, if the upper thread expands or contracts during or after dyeing, or if the tension balance between the upper and lower threads fluctuates and causes an error in the amount of upper thread feed, the position of the color change of the upper thread will end up shifting when it reaches the needle. If embroidery is continued in this state, it is possible that the color change of the upper thread will be exposed on the top surface of the embroidery area on the fabric, or even that the color boundary position in the embroidery area will change, causing the image of the embroidery pattern to collapse.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide an embroidery device that prevents misalignment of the color of the thread caused by the stretching of the thread before it reaches the needle and the tension balance between the upper and lower threads in the stitch.

In order to solve the above problems, in one aspect of the present invention,
A conveying roller that conveys the yarn while applying pressure to the yarn to be fed to the needle;
a detection means provided near the needle for detecting the color of the thread being embroidered;
and a roller control unit that adjusts the pressure or the conveying speed of the conveying roller based on the number of stitches that the needle has sewn on the cloth and the color of the thread detected by the detection means.
An embroidery device is provided.

According to one aspect, in an embroidery device, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of misalignment of the color of the thread due to the stretching of the thread before it reaches the needle and the tension balance between the upper and lower threads in the stitch.

1 is a schematic diagram of an embroidery device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the embroidery device of FIG. 1 . 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of stitches on the upper and lower sides of a fabric using an upper thread and a lower thread; Schematic cross-sectional views of various states of stitches made by upper and lower threads on a piece of fabric. FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the adjustment of the nip roller of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a control portion of the embroidery device according to a first control example. 13 is a flowchart of a first control example. 13 is an example of a correlation table for correcting the yarn consumption amount and the yarn tension used in the first control example. FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a control portion of the embroidery device according to a second control example. 13 is a flowchart of a second control example. 13 is an example of a correlation table for correcting the yarn consumption amount and the conveying speed used in the second control example. FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of a control portion of the embroidery device according to a third control example. 13 is a flowchart of a third control example. 13 is an example of a correlation table between the yarn conveying speed and the yarn tension for correction used in the third control example. Example of test pattern to be detected to create a correlation table (part 1). Example of test pattern to be detected to create a correlation table (part 2). FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a dyeing and embroidery device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of a dyeing and embroidery system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a schematic side view of a dyeing and embroidery system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of a dyeing and embroidery system according to a fourth embodiment.

Below, a description will be given of an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same components are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations may be omitted.

First Embodiment
First, an embroidery device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the embroidery device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of the embroidery device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The embroidery device 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a needle 11, a lower thread rotating body 12, a stage 13, an upper thread spool 14, a detection means 17, a nip roller 18, and an embroidery head 10.

The needle 11 has an upper thread N passing through a needle hole at the tip of the needle, and can be moved up and down relative to the fabric C.

The lower thread rotating body 12 has a lower thread bobbin 121, which is a lower thread supplying means around which the lower thread B is wound, and a hook 122. The lower thread bobbin 121 and the hook 122 rotate in conjunction with the movement of the needle 11. Although not shown, the lower thread rotating body 12 is also provided with a cylindrical inner hook that houses the lower thread bobbin 121, a bottomed cylindrical outer hook, a cylindrical case integrated with the hook 122, and the like. Note that FIG. 1 shows an example of the lower thread bobbin 121 being of a vertical rotation type (vertical full rotation hook type, vertical half rotation hook type) in which the rotation direction is vertical, but the lower thread bobbin 121 may also be of a horizontal rotation type (horizontal hook type) in which the rotation direction is horizontal.

The stage 13 is a platform that holds the cloth C and has a hole 130 through which the needle 11 passes. The stage 13 can move in the X and Y directions to feed the cloth.

Hereinafter, the width direction of the embroidery device 1 will be referred to as X, the depth direction of the embroidery device 1 as Y, and the height direction (up and down direction) as Z.

The upper thread spool 14 is an upper thread supplying means around which the upper thread N is wound and supplies the upper thread N to the needle 11. In this embodiment, the upper thread N supplied from the upper thread spool 14 is given a color that changes in the feed direction in advance.

The detection means 17 is a sensor that simultaneously detects (1) the up and down movement of the needle 11 and (2) the color of the thread, and is provided in the vicinity of the needle 11, for example, in the embroidery head 10. The detection means 17 detects the number of stitches, which corresponds to how many times the needle 11 has risen and fallen, i.e., how many stitches it has advanced, and simultaneously detects the color of the thread at the position of the needle hole of the needle 11. For example, the detection means 17 simultaneously detects the number of stitches and the color of the thread N at the position of the needle hole of the needle 11 at the timing when the needle 11 pierces the fabric C.

The nip roller 18 is a conveying roller (pressurized conveying roller) that conveys the upper thread N supplied from the upper thread spool 14 and sent to the needle 11 while applying pressure. In addition to the nip roller 18, other rollers such as roller 101 may be provided in the embroidery device 1 as a means for conveying the upper thread N.

The embroidery head 10 is provided with a needle up/down drive unit 193 that drives the needle 11 up and down, and a calculation mechanism 16 (see FIG. 2). By controlling the movement of the needle 11 through which the upper thread N passes (needle movement) and the movement of the stage 13, the embroidery is performed on the fabric C using the upper thread N and the lower thread B, which is fed in accordance with the feeding of the upper thread N.

In addition, in the present invention, "thread" including upper thread and lower thread means glass fiber thread, wool thread, cotton thread, synthetic thread, metal thread, wool, cotton, polymer, or metal blend thread, yarn, filament, or linear member (continuous substrate) to which liquid can be applied, including braided cord, flat cord, etc.

2, the embroidery device 1 has, as drive control related parts, an embroidery data creation unit 15, a calculation mechanism 16, a driver 191, a drive motor 192, a needle up/down drive unit 193, a lower thread rotation drive unit 194, an X-axis drive unit 195, and a Y-axis drive unit 196. Of these, at least the detection means 17, the driver 191, the drive motor 192, and the needle up/down drive unit 193 are built into the embroidery head 10 above the needle 11 or attached to the embroidery head 10. Also, as shown by the dotted lines, the embroidery data creation unit 15 and the calculation mechanism 16 may also be built into the embroidery head 10.

The embroidery data creation unit 15 acquires the embroidery image (embroidery file) that is the source of the embroidery data, creates embroidery data based on the embroidery image, and outputs it to the calculation mechanism 16 and the drive driver 191.

The embroidery image here refers to image data (image information, embroidery design data) that serves as the original for the embroidery pattern on the fabric. The embroidery data creation unit 15 of this embodiment breaks down the embroidery image into colors (RGB values), and creates embroidery data that sets the sewing order to realize the embroidery pattern on the fabric, taking into account the color positions of the threads that have been dyed in advance so that the colors change, and forms stitches on the fabric.

Also, embroidery data is "data (paired data) that combines data on the coordinates to which the needle moves and the items to be performed at those coordinates (what to do at that position)." Specifically, the items to be performed at those coordinates are,
(1) To insert the needle into the fabric, intertwine it with the bobbin thread, then return the needle to the front of the fabric and move it to the next position to insert the needle.
(2) Ending or interrupting embroidery (including switching to another needle or cutting the thread to move to a separate location where embroidery is not continuous);
(3) moving to the initialization position (alignment position);
Also, embroidery data files are generally in formats such as ".dst" and ".pes".

The calculation mechanism 16 calculates the estimated consumption of upper thread based on the embroidery data, and outputs a control signal to the roller pressure unit 183 or the rotary motor 187 to adjust the pressure or transport speed of the nip roller 18 as necessary, referring to the progress status (number of stitches advanced) detected by the detection means 17 and the timing of color detection.

When executing the first and third control examples described below, the roller pressure unit 183 adjusts the tension of the yarn sandwiched in the nip by adjusting the pressure of the nip roller 18. Alternatively, when executing the second and third control examples described below, the roller pressure unit 183 adjusts the conveying speed of the yarn N by the nip roller 18 by adjusting the rotation speed of the rotation motor 187.

The drive driver 191 controls the drive motor 192 based on the embroidery data.

The needle up/down drive unit 193, also known as a thread take-up lever, converts the rotational motion of the upper shaft connected to the drive motor 192 into up/down motion, thereby driving the up/down movement of the needle 11 through which the upper thread N is threaded.

The lower thread rotation drive unit 194 rotates the lower thread rotor 12 in conjunction with the up and down movement of the needle 11 by the rotational movement of the lower shaft, which is connected to the upper shaft via a belt, cam, and crank.

The X-axis drive unit 195 and the Y-axis drive unit 196 are stage movement drive units (cloth feed units), and drive the movement of the stage 13 on which the cloth C is placed in the X and Y directions by the rotational movement of the lower shaft in conjunction with the up and down movement of the needle 11 and the rotation of the lower thread rotor 12. At this time, the method of feeding the cloth C may be to move the entire stage 13, or to move the feed dog provided in the hole 13O formed in the stage 13.

The needle up/down drive unit 193, the lower thread rotation drive unit 194, the X-axis drive unit 195, and the Y-axis drive unit 196 form a drive mechanism that is driven in conjunction with one drive motor 192. Therefore, the rotation of the drive motor 192 generates up/down movement of the needle 11, rotational movement of the lower thread rotor 12, and XY movement of the fabric C on the stage 13. For example, one up/down movement of the needle 11 is linked to one or an integer number of rotational movements of the lower thread rotor 12.

(Upper and lower thread tension)
Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a stitch on the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the upper thread and the lower thread on the fabric. In Fig. 3, (a) is a top view, and (b) is a bottom view. Fig. 4 is a diagram explaining the balance of the upper thread and the lower thread in a stitch on the fabric. In Fig. 4, (a) shows a case where the tension balance of the upper thread and the lower thread is appropriate, (b) shows a case where the tension of the upper thread is large, and (c) shows a case where the tension of the upper thread is small.

In the embroidery device 1, when the needle 11 descends and penetrates the fabric C, the upper thread N is also drawn into the back side of the fabric C together with the needle 11. When the needle 11 then ascends and is removed from the fabric C and returns to the front side of the fabric C, the frictional force between the fabric C causes the upper thread N to form a loop on the back side of the fabric C and remain. At this time, the hook 122 gets caught on the looped upper thread N due to the rotation of the lower thread rotating body 12, and the lower thread B passes through the loop of the upper thread N. Furthermore, when the needle 11 ascends above the fabric C, the position where the upper thread N and the lower thread B intersect is pulled up to the fabric C, forming a stitch on the fabric C.

An example of a stitch formed in this way is shown in Figure 3. Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a stitch embroidered with a pattern stitch (satin stitch) that fills the surface from top to bottom. Note that in Figure 3(b) on the back, the hooked part of the upper thread N and the lower thread B is shown loosely surrounded by a dotted line to clearly explain the relationship of the threads, but in reality, the upper thread N and the lower thread B are in contact with each other and pull each other at the hooked part.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the area indicated by the dashed line in Figure 3. If the tension balance between the upper thread and the lower thread is appropriate in the cross section of the stitch in Figure 3, the cross section will be as shown in Figure 4(a).

In the stitches formed in this way, when the tension of the upper thread N is high, the upper thread N pulls the lower thread B as shown in FIG. 4(b), so the amount of the upper thread N wrapping around to the back side of the fabric C is reduced compared to the case of the proper balance in FIG. 4(a). In other words, the length BL of the lower thread on the back side is longer and the length NL of the upper thread is shorter. Therefore, if the tension of the upper thread remains high for a long period of time, the amount of upper thread consumed (used) will be less than predicted, and the consumption speed of the upper thread N will be slower.

On the other hand, when the tension of the upper thread is low, the upper thread N is pulled by the lower thread B as shown in FIG. 4(c), so the upper thread N wraps around the back side of the fabric C more than in the case of the proper balance of FIG. 4(a). In other words, the length of the lower thread BL on the back side is shorter and the length of the upper thread NL is longer. Therefore, if the tension of the upper thread remains low for a long time, the amount of upper thread N consumed will be greater than predicted, and the consumption speed of the upper thread N will be faster.

In this way, the consumption speed of the upper thread N depends on the amount of wrap around to the back of the fabric C. In a situation where the wrap around amount differs from the prediction, as in Figures 4(b) and 4(c), as embroidery continues, there will be a large difference between the predicted amount of upper thread consumption and the cumulative amount of thread consumed. Because thread consumption is set according to the color of the upper thread, or because the upper thread is dyed in the predicted position of thread consumption, if the colored thread is not placed in the correct position, the position of the color after embroidery will be shifted, the change in color of the upper thread will be exposed on the top surface, and the image of the embroidery pattern on the fabric will be distorted.

Therefore, in this invention, the amount of upper thread consumed up to the color change position is detected, and the amount of thread consumed is adjusted by adjusting the tension of the upper thread or the conveying speed of the upper thread so as to reduce the difference with the predicted amount of thread consumed up to the color change position.

The method for detecting the difference in the consumption of upper thread N is to compare the actual consumption of upper thread based on the actually detected detection information with the estimated consumption of thread predicted from the embroidery data, while referring to information on how far the embroidery has progressed (coordinate position information calculated by the detection means 17).

(Detection Means)
Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the detection means of the present invention. Note that the embroidery head 10 and the lower thread rotating body 12 are omitted in Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, (a) shows an example of an integrated type detection means 17, and (b) shows an example of a separate type detection means 17A.

The detection means 17 shown in FIG. 5(a) is, for example, a color laser sensor. A color laser sensor is a type of photoelectric sensor that emits light from a light-projecting section and detects the light reflected by a detected object with a light-receiving section. A color laser sensor can detect the amount of received light of red, blue, and green, making it possible to distinguish the color of an object (the color of the needle and thread).

As shown in FIG. 5(a), the detection means 17 sets the needle drop position where the needle N pierces the fabric C as the target irradiation range, and detects the time and color at the moment when the needle 11 pierces the fabric C. This allows the detection means 17 to count the number of needle drops to detect the number of stitches, and simultaneously detect the color of the thread used to form a stitch on the fabric.

Alternatively, the detection means 17 consisting of one color laser sensor can be used only to detect color, and the number of stitches corresponding to the current position can be retrieved from the driver 191, which operates based on the embroidery data. The color laser sensor 171 can detect the color at the timing when the needle 11 penetrates the fabric C, and the downstream calculation mechanism 16 can associate the number of stitches with the color of the thread.

In the separate detection means 17A shown in FIG. 5(b), the means for counting the number of stitches and the means for detecting the color of the thread are realized by separate detection means. The means for detecting the color of the thread (first detection means) is an optical sensor 171 such as a color laser sensor, similar to the detection means 17 described above, and is a sensor that can detect at least the color of the thread.

In this configuration, a stitch sensor 172 is provided as a means for counting the number of stitches (second detection means). The stitch sensor 172 is a sensor that detects the up and down movement of the needle 11, and is provided, for example, on the needle bar that holds the needle 11, and detects the number of stitches, which corresponds to how many times the needle 11 has risen and fallen, i.e., how many stitches it has advanced.

In the detection means 17A, the color laser sensor 171 detects the color at the timing when the needle 11 pierces the fabric C detected by the stitch sensor 172, so that the number of stitches and the color of the thread at the position of the needle hole can be detected simultaneously.

As a result, regardless of which detection method is used, the color of the thread in the needle 11 used for embroidery, especially the change in thread color, can be grasped in real time without any time error during embroidery operation.

(Nip roller)
6A and 6B are schematic diagrams of the nip roller adjustment of the present invention, in which (a) is a schematic diagram of the nip roller 18 used in the first control example, and (b) is a schematic diagram of the nip roller 18A used in the second and third control examples.

In the example shown in FIG. 6(a), the nip roller 18 is an opposing roller consisting of a pressure roller 181 and a roller 182. The pressure roller 181 is pressurized by the roller pressure unit 183, and the yarn N is pressed and sandwiched between the roller 182, forming a nip in the sandwiched area. In this configuration, the pressure P of the pressure roller 181 by the roller pressure unit 183 is adjusted based on the stitch number and the position of the yarn color detected by the detection means 17, thereby adjusting the pressure of the nip roller 18, i.e., the tension of the yarn N sandwiched in the nip.

In addition, while the roller 182 shown in FIG. 6(a) is an example of a driven roller to which no rotational driving force is applied, the roller 182 may be a driving roller to which a rotational driving force is applied. However, in the adjustment of the first control example, even if the roller 182 is a driving roller, the conveying speed is not adjusted according to the detection result of the detection means 17.

By combining the tension-adjustable nip roller 18 with the detection means 17 that simultaneously detects the number of stitches and the position of the thread color, the amount of feed from the nip roller 18 to the needle 11 can be adjusted in real time according to the amount of thread consumed, so that the correction of the color shift of the thread N can be controlled before a large shift occurs.

In the example shown in FIG. 6(b), the nip roller 18A is an opposing roller composed of an opposing pressure roller 184 and a drive roller 185. The pressure roller 184 is pressurized by a roller pressure unit 186 to pinch the yarn N between the pressure roller 184 and the drive roller 185, forming a nip in the pinch area. Furthermore, in this configuration example, a rotary motor 187 that transmits a rotational driving force is connected to the drive roller 185.

In this configuration, the nip roller 18A adjusts the thread transport speed (supply speed, velocity) by adjusting the rotation speed of the drive roller 185 driven by the rotary motor 187 based on the stitch count and thread color position detected by the detection means 17. In the second control example, the roller pressure unit 186 shown in FIG. 6(b) keeps the pressure P fixed at a constant value during embroidery operation and does not adjust according to the detection results of the detection means 17.

By combining the nip roller 18A, which can adjust the conveying speed, with the detection means 17, which simultaneously detects the number of stitches and the position of the color of the thread, the amount of thread fed from the nip roller 18 to the needle 11 can be adjusted in real time according to the amount of thread consumed, so that the color shift of the thread N can be corrected and controlled before a large shift occurs.

In the third control example, depending on the situation, the adjustment of the pressure P of the pressure roller 181 by the roller pressure unit 183 and the adjustment of the rotation speed of the drive roller 185 by the rotation motor 187 are combined for control.

In the present invention, there are three types of control methods for adjusting the nip rollers to adjust the color position of the yarn. The functional configuration of each control is explained below with reference to Figures 7 to 14.

(First control example)
7 is a functional block diagram of the control portion of the embroidery device according to the first control example. The embroidery data creation unit 15 and the calculation mechanism 16 are both control devices, and are realized by information processing devices such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

The calculation mechanism 16 of this control example is executable to include a stitch-by-stitch thread color prediction unit 601, an estimated thread consumption calculation unit 602, an embroidery progress status assessment unit 603, an actual thread consumption calculation unit 604, a thread consumption progress status calculation unit 605, a tension setting unit 606, and a correlation memory unit 607.

The stitch-by-stitch thread color prediction unit 601 acquires embroidery data from the embroidery data creation unit 15, and accumulates the movement distance in the coordinate data from the coordinate data of the needle 11 moving relative to the fabric C and the number of stitches (number of up and down movements) of the needle, which are included in the embroidery data, to predict the color of the thread used for embroidery that will be located at the tip of the needle 11 at the needle drop timing of that stitch. In other words, it predicts the thread color for each stitch (for each number of up and down movements of the needle). Then, in response to a call from the embroidery progress grasping unit 603, it outputs the predicted thread color corresponding to the number of stitches.

The estimated thread consumption calculation unit (thread consumption prediction unit) 602 predicts the cumulative estimated upper thread consumption (consumption length) at the current stitch data point based on the coordinate data per stitch of the needle 11 included in the embroidery data and the stitch data (data on how many stitches have been advanced) obtained from the embroidery progress grasping unit 603. In other words, it calculates the estimated thread consumption associated with the stitch data. The estimated consumption of upper thread N is high, for example, when embroidery continues with long stitches between stitches and a long movement distance of the cloth C on the stage 13, and low when embroidery continues with short stitches and a short movement distance of the cloth C on the stage 13.

The embroidery progress status grasping unit 603 obtains in real time stitch data (number of stitches) output from the detection means 17, which indicates how many stitches have been completed, i.e., which stitch is currently being sewn. Furthermore, the embroidery progress status grasping unit 603 obtains in real time the color of the thread located at the tip of the needle 11 in that stitch, output from the detection means 17. This allows it to calculate the current embroidery position data (position in the embroidery data), which indicates how far the embroidery has progressed in the embroidery data.

In other words, the embroidery progress status grasping unit 603 calculates the current embroidery position in the embroidery data by comparing the target thread color for that stitch, calculated from the embroidery data, with the actual thread color detected by the detection means 17.

In addition, the actual thread consumption calculation unit (thread consumption calculation unit) 604 calculates the actual consumption of the upper thread N based on the current embroidery position in the embroidery data calculated by the embroidery progress status determination unit 603 and the detection timing of the actual thread color.

Even if the detection means 17 detects the color for each stitch, what can actually be detected as a change in thread color is the position where the thread color changes, such as the border between thread colors or the area where a marker is placed (also called the position of thread color change or color change position).

Therefore, if there is no stretching of the upper thread when it is transported from the upper thread spool 14 to the needle 11, and the upper and lower threads are set to have balanced tension as shown in Figure 4(a) at the start of embroidery, the timing of detection of the actual color will be simultaneous with the timing of detection of the expected color change, so that "length of thread consumed until actual color change = length of thread consumed until expected color change".

However, even if the upper and lower threads are set to have a balanced tension as shown in FIG. 4(a) at the start of embroidery, if the upper thread stretches when it is transported from the upper thread spool 14 to the needle 11, the distance to the color change position of the pre-set upper thread will be longer. Or, if the upper thread threaded through the needle is pulled strongly during the embroidery operation due to a large amount of movement to the needle insertion position or many interruptions, and the tension of the upper thread is high when the upper thread is pulled against the lower thread, the amount of upper thread wrap around the stitches is reduced as shown in FIG. 4(b), reducing the amount of upper thread consumed, and the distance to the color change position of the upper thread will be longer. Therefore, in such cases, the timing of detection until the actual color change is delayed compared to the timing of detection until the expected color change, and the "length of thread consumed until the actual color change > length of thread consumed until the expected color change" will be satisfied.

On the other hand, if the upper thread shrinks when it is transported from the upper thread spool 14 to the needle 11, the distance to the color change position of the pre-set upper thread will be shorter. Or, if the movement of the needle to the insertion position is small, the upper thread threaded through the needle is weakly pulled during the embroidery operation, and the tension of the upper thread is low when the upper thread is pulled against the bobbin thread, the amount of upper thread wrapping around the stitch increases as shown in Figure 4(c), increasing the amount of upper thread consumed, and shortening the distance to the color change position of the upper thread. Therefore, in such cases, the timing of detection until the actual color change is faster than the timing of detection until the expected color change, and the "length of thread consumed until the actual color change < length of thread consumed until the expected color change" will be satisfied.

The thread consumption progress calculation unit 605 compares the actual length of thread consumed until the color change with the expected length of thread consumed until the color change to determine whether the current embroidery is ahead or behind the target thread consumption.

The tension setting unit (tension adjustment unit) 606 then refers to the correlation data stored in the correlation memory unit 607 to set a pressure force corrected according to the difference (deviation) in the consumption amount, and outputs a control signal to the roller pressure unit 183 to adjust the pressure of the nip roller 18, i.e., the amount of tension applied to the yarn N by the nip roller 18.

For example, if "length of thread consumed until actual color change > length of thread consumed until expected color change", i.e., if the actual upper thread is delayed, the area of thread until the color change is extended, or the upper thread is pulled strongly at the stitch due to the embroidery operation, resulting in less upper thread consumption. Therefore, by reducing the pressure applied by the nip roller 18 and weakening the thread tension, the upper thread supply speed is increased, the amount of upper thread wrap (feed amount) at the stitch is increased, and thread consumption is increased.

On the other hand, if "the length of thread consumed until the actual color change is less than the length of thread consumed until the expected color change", i.e., if the upper thread has advanced, the upper thread has shrunk, or the upper thread is not pulled tight enough at the stitches due to the embroidery operation, resulting in a large amount of upper thread consumed. Therefore, by increasing the pressure applied by the nip roller 18 and increasing the tension, the upper thread supply speed is slowed down, the amount of upper thread wrapping around the stitches (feed amount) is reduced, and thread consumption is reduced.

In this way, by detecting and adjusting the tension, it is possible to control the correction of color misalignment in real time with as little time delay as possible after detection and adjustment. Here, the trigger for tension adjustment in this control example is color change detection, so for example, the length of thread consumed until the actual color change is longer than predicted, and tension adjustment is performed immediately after the stitch in which the color change is detected later than predicted.

On the other hand, if the length of thread consumed until the actual color change is shorter than predicted and the color change is detected earlier than predicted, the tension will be adjusted immediately after the stitch where the predicted expected length of thread consumed reaches the color change.

The problem of the upper thread stretching during transport from the upper thread spool 14 to the needle 11 is more likely to occur the longer the distance between the upper thread spool 14 and the needle 11. Therefore, this control is more likely to be effective against misalignment caused by the upper thread stretching in an apparatus including a dyeing unit as shown in Figures 18 to 21 than in the configuration of the first embodiment shown in Figure 1.

In the calculation mechanism 16 shown in FIG. 7, the parts other than the embroidery progress status monitoring unit 603 become the roller control unit 6, which is a function that can be provided on the upper control device side in the third embodiment described later.

Here, the control of upper thread consumption and upper thread tension in the first control example will be explained using Figures 8 and 9. Figure 8 is a flowchart of the first control example. Figure 9 shows an example of a correlation table for correcting thread consumption and thread tension used in the first control example.

In the flow of FIG. 8, first, in step S101, the initial tension is set.

In step S102, the embroidery data is read into the computing mechanism 16 of the embroidery device 1. If the device has a dyeing unit as shown in Figures 18 to 21 (described later), the dyeing unit reads the dyeing data at this time.

In step S103, the expected amount of thread to be consumed (anticipated consumption amount) until the first color change is calculated. More specifically, in the embroidery device 1, the amount of thread consumed per stitch changes depending on the distance moved from the previous embroidery position to the current embroidery position. Therefore, the expected amount of thread consumption, which is the expected cumulative amount of thread consumption, is the accumulation of the changing stitches.

As an example, if the thread consumption for each stitch is stitch 1: 0 mm, stitch 2: 3 mm, stitch 3: 2 mm, stitch 4: 1 mm, and stitch 5: 4 mm, the expected cumulative thread consumption will be up to stitch 1: 0 mm, up to stitch 2: 3 mm, up to stitch 3: 5 mm, up to stitch 4: 6 mm, and up to stitch 5: 10 mm.

In this example, if the planned thread color values are 0-4 mm as red and 5-10 mm as blue, the first color change in the embroidery data is at the 5 mm position, so it is predicted that the first color change will occur in stitch 3.

In step S104, the embroidery operation begins. At this time, if one of the nip rollers 18 is the drive roller 182, the thread is fed to the embroidery position at the default feed speed.

In step S105, when the detection means 17 (17A) detects that the color of the thread at the embroidery position has changed, in step S106, the actual amount of thread consumed up to the color change is calculated.

Then, in step S107, the predicted yarn consumption (estimated consumption) calculated in S102 is compared with the actual yarn consumption detected and calculated in S105 and S106 to determine whether they match, and the difference is detected.

For example, in the above example, if red is detected in stitch 3 and a color change to blue is detected after stitch 4, the actual consumption of the upper thread is slower than expected. Conversely, if a color change to blue is detected before stitch 2, the actual consumption of the upper thread is faster than expected.

If in step S107 the predicted thread consumption does not match the actual thread consumption (predicted thread consumption ≠ actual thread consumption), in step S108 the nip pressure, which is the tension value, is adjusted according to the difference (deviation, difference) between the predicted thread consumption and the actual thread consumption, thereby adjusting the tension of the upper thread.

Here, in S108, when setting the tension value, the correlation table shown in FIG. 9 is referenced. As shown in FIG. 9, if the actual length of thread consumed until the color change is longer than predicted, the current embroidery is lagging behind the target thread consumption, so a correction value is set that weakens the thread tension from the current value.

On the other hand, if the actual length of thread consumed until the color change is shorter than predicted, the current embroidery is progressing toward the target thread consumption (estimated amount of thread consumed), so a correction value is set that strengthens the thread tension from the current value.

In this case, it is preferable to set the amount of tension correction for each type of thread. For example, for a thick thread (thread type 2), the tension change is made larger, and for a thin thread (thread type 1), the tension change is made smaller.

In FIG. 9, a correlation table is shown as an example of a correlation to be stored in the correlation storage unit 607, but other correlations such as a correlation equation may be used. In addition to the correlation tables shown in FIG. 9 that correspond to different yarn types, different correlation tables may be prepared according to temperature and humidity.

In this way, the thread tension value is adjusted in S108, and the tension of the upper thread is adjusted by controlling the nip pressure of the nip roller 18 with the roller pressure unit 183 based on the adjusted tension value.

On the other hand, if the predicted thread consumption and the actual thread consumption match in S107, the embroidery operation continues with the initial tension, and the process proceeds to step S109.

In step S109, the embroidery data is checked to see if the next color change is planned for the upper thread. If the answer is YES in S109, in step S110, the predicted amount of thread to be consumed until the next color change is calculated.

Then, the embroidery operation continues, and the process returns to step S105. If the detection means 17 (17A) again detects that the color of the thread at the embroidery position has changed, steps S105 to S110 are repeated until there is no further color change.

In step S109, if the embroidery data indicates that the upper thread is not scheduled to have the next color change (NO), embroidery continues until the embroidery data ends, and embroidery ends when the embroidery data ends.

(Second control example)
FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of the control portion of the embroidery device according to the second control example.

The calculation mechanism 16A of this control example is executable to include a stitch-by-stitch thread color prediction unit 601, an estimated thread consumption calculation unit 602, an embroidery progress status assessment unit 603, an actual thread consumption calculation unit 604, a thread consumption progress status calculation unit 605, a rotation speed setting unit 608, and a correlation memory unit 609. Below, only the differences from the first control example will be explained.

In this control example, the rotation speed of the drive roller 185 is adjusted to adjust the nip roller 18A. Therefore, the rotation speed setting unit (speed adjustment unit) 608 refers to the correlation data stored in the correlation memory unit 609 and sets the rotation speed to be corrected according to the difference (deviation) from the predicted amount of yarn consumption. Then, in order to drive the drive roller 185 to rotate at the set rotation speed, a control signal is output to the rotation motor 187, thereby adjusting the conveying speed of the yarn N.

The control of the upper thread consumption and the upper thread supply speed in the second control example will be described using Figures 11 and 12. Figure 11 is a flowchart of the second control example. Figure 12 is an example of a correlation table for correcting the thread consumption and the conveying speed used in the third control example.

Regarding the flow in FIG. 11, only the differences from FIG. 8 will be explained. In this control example, if the predicted yarn consumption does not match the actual yarn consumption in step S207, the rotation speed of the drive roller 185 is controlled by the rotary motor 187 in step S208 according to the difference (deviation) between the predicted yarn consumption (assumed consumption) and the actual yarn consumption, and the yarn conveying speed by the nip roller 18A is adjusted.

Here, when adjusting the thread transport speed in S208, the correlation table shown in FIG. 12 is referenced. As shown in FIG. 12, if the actual length of thread consumed until the color change is longer than predicted, the current embroidery is lagging behind the target thread consumption, so a correction value is set to correct the thread speed to make it faster than the current speed. If the actual length of thread consumed until the color change is long, the color area of the thread is extended, or as shown in FIG. 4(b), the upper thread is pulled strongly in the stitch due to the embroidery operation and the amount of wraparound is small, so by speeding up the transport speed, the thread tension is weakened as a result, and the amount of wraparound (feed amount) of the upper thread is increased as shown in FIG. 4(c), increasing thread consumption.

On the other hand, if the actual length of thread consumed until the color change is shorter than predicted, the current embroidery is progressing relative to the target thread consumption, so a correction value is set to slow down the thread transport speed relative to the current speed as a correction. If the actual length of thread consumed until the color change is short, the color area of the thread has shrunk, or the upper thread is pulled weakly at the stitch due to the embroidery operation and wraps around a lot, as in Figure 4(c), so by slowing down the transport speed, the thread tension is strengthened as a result, and the amount of wrap (feed) of the upper thread is reduced as in Figure 4(b), reducing thread consumption.

In FIG. 12, a correlation table is shown as an example of a correlation to be stored in the correlation storage unit 607, but other correlations such as a correlation equation may be used. In addition, different correlation tables according to the yarn type may be prepared according to temperature and humidity.

(Third control example)
13 is a functional block diagram of the control part of the embroidery device according to the third control example. In the first control example, the nip pressure of the nip roller 18 is controlled, and in the second control example, the speed of conveying the thread is controlled by the rotation speed of the nip roller 18A. In the third control example, both types of control may be combined.

The calculation mechanism 16B of this control example is executable to include a stitch-by-stitch thread color prediction unit 601, an estimated thread consumption calculation unit 602, an embroidery progress status assessment unit 603, an actual thread consumption calculation unit 604, a thread consumption progress status calculation unit 605, a rotation speed setting unit 608, a correlation memory unit 610, and a tension setting unit 606B.

In this embodiment, the correlation storage unit 610 has a correlation table of the conveying speed and thread tension used for correction, in addition to the correlation table shown in FIG. 9 or FIG. 12 above.

Here, the control of the upper thread consumption amount, the upper thread tension, and the supply speed in the third control example will be described with reference to Figures 14 and 15. Figure 14 is a flowchart of the second control example. Figure 15 is an example of a correlation table between the correction thread transport speed and thread tension used in the third control example.

Regarding the flow in FIG. 14, only the differences from FIG. 8 and FIG. 11 will be explained. In this control example, if the predicted amount of yarn consumption does not match the actual amount of yarn consumption in step S307, the process proceeds to step S308, where it is determined whether the difference (deviation) between the predicted amount of yarn consumption and the actual amount of yarn consumption is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

If the deviation is equal to or greater than the threshold in step S308, the process proceeds to step S309, where the thread tension value is adjusted, and the roller pressure unit 183 controls the nip pressure of the nip roller 18 with the adjusted tension value to adjust the tension of the upper thread.

If the deviation is less than the threshold in step S308, the process proceeds to step S309, and in step S310, the rotation speed of the drive roller 185 is controlled by the rotary motor 187 according to the difference (deviation) between the predicted yarn consumption (estimated consumption) and the actual yarn consumption, thereby adjusting the yarn conveying speed by the nip roller 18A.

If the rotation speed of the drive roller 185 is changed significantly to make a large change in tension, the mechanical and electrical response to the change in tension may be delayed, so if the deviation in the amount of yarn consumption is large, it is more preferable to adjust the tension directly. On the other hand, if the rotation speed of the drive roller 185 is changed slightly, it is easier to make fine adjustments to the tension of the upper thread than if the tension was adjusted directly, so if the deviation in the amount of yarn consumption is small, it is more preferable to adjust the rotation speed and fine-tune the conveying speed of the upper thread.

As shown in FIG. 15, if you want to increase the thread transport speed for correction, you can do so by reducing the pressure (pressure of the nip roller 18) and setting the thread tension to low. In other words, if the actual length of thread consumed until the color change is longer than predicted and the thread is stretched, or if the upper thread is pulled too tightly at the stitch due to the embroidery operation and the amount of wraparound is small, the thread transport speed is increased or the tension is weakened as a correction.

On the other hand, if you want to slow down the thread transport speed for correction purposes, you can do so by increasing the pressure and setting a strong thread tension. For example, if the length of thread consumed until the actual color change is shorter than predicted and the thread has shrunk, or if the upper thread is pulled weakly in the stitch due to the embroidery operation and there is a lot of wraparound, you can slow down the thread transport speed or increase the tension as a correction.

The correlation memory unit 610 stores at least two types of correlation tables, such as the correlation table in FIG. 9 and the correlation table in FIG. 15, or the correlation table in FIG. 12 and the correlation table in FIG. 15, including a correlation table between the yarn conveying speed and the yarn tension as shown in FIG. 15.

Therefore, it is possible to selectively adjust the yarn transport speed and the yarn tension by switching between them as appropriate. For example, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 14, it is possible to selectively control the yarn transport speed when the deviation in yarn consumption is small, and adjust the yarn tension when the deviation is large.

In FIG. 15, a correlation table is shown as an example of a correlation to be stored in the correlation storage unit 610, but other correlations such as a correlation equation may be used. In addition, different correlation tables according to the yarn type may be prepared according to temperature and humidity.

(Test Pattern)
In order to set the correlation tables and correlation equations of Figures 9, 12, and 15, it is necessary to grasp the correlations in advance. Therefore, it is preferable to detect the correlations in advance using test patterns. Figures 16 and 17 are diagrams showing examples of test patterns detected to create the correlation tables.

Figure 16 shows an example of a test pattern created with a satin stitch that fills the surface. The test pattern shown in Figure 16 is created by sewing a satin stitch while filling a square shape, with the diagonal line from the top left to the bottom right as the embroidery progression direction, and the stitch direction specified as the downward right direction as indicated by the arrow, and passing the thread between adjacent sides and between the diagonal vertices. Figure 16(a) shows a test pattern on a cloth with a predicted color change, Figure 16(b) shows an example of a test pattern on a cloth with a slow color change, and Figure 16(c) shows an example of a test pattern on a cloth with a fast color change.

When the color change appears late as in Figure 16(b), it is believed that the length of thread consumed up to the thread change is longer than predicted, causing the upper thread to stretch before reaching needle N, or that the upper thread is pulled too tightly at the stitch due to the embroidery operation, resulting in little wraparound. Therefore, when the test pattern appears as in Figure 16(b), a test pattern is created by embroidering again with the thread tension gradually weakened from the current state, and the tension correction value (amount of change) required to bring the color change to the correct position as in Figure 16(a) is detected and stored.

When the color change appears quickly as in Figure 16(c), it is believed that the length of thread consumed up to the color change is shorter than predicted, causing the thread to shrink before it reaches needle N, or that the embroidery operation is causing the upper thread to be pulled weakly at the stitch, resulting in a large amount of wraparound. Therefore, when a test pattern appears as in Figure 16(c), multiple test patterns are created by gradually increasing the thread tension from the current state and embroidering again, and the tension correction value required to bring the color change to the correct position as in Figure 16(a) is detected and stored.

Figure 17 shows an example of a test pattern created by straight stitching a square wave. The test pattern shown in Figure 17 will be described below for the case where embroidery progresses from left to right. For example, straight stitching is used for understitching, etc., and the amount and speed of consumption is less and slower than satin stitching. In this test pattern, markers are provided on the thread.

Figure 17(a) shows a test pattern on the cloth where the marker position is as predicted, Figure 17(b) shows an example of a test pattern on the cloth where the marker position is slow, and Figure 17(c) shows an example of a test pattern on the cloth where the marker position is fast.

If the marker appears late as in Figure 17(b), it is likely that the upper thread is stretched, or that the embroidery operation is causing the upper thread to be pulled too tightly at the stitches, resulting in little wraparound. If the test pattern appears as in Figure 17(b), multiple test patterns are created again by gradually weakening the thread tension from the current state, and the tension correction value required for the marker to be in the correct position as in Figure 17(a) is detected and stored.

If the marker appears quickly as in Figure 17(c), it is likely that the upper thread is shrinking, or that the upper thread is not pulled tight enough at the stitch due to the embroidery operation, resulting in a large amount of wraparound. If the test pattern appears as in Figure 17(c), multiple test patterns are created again by gradually increasing the thread tension from the current state, and the tension correction value required to bring the marker to the correct position as in Figure 17(a) is detected and stored.

In the above explanation of the test pattern, tension correction was described, but when investigating the correlation of correction with the conveying speed, it is also preferable to create multiple test patterns by changing the conveying speed, and detect and store the correction value for the conveying speed in advance.

Note that, although the correction values shown in Figures 9, 12, and 15 are correlated to change linearly, the consumption per stitch changes depending on the embroidery stitching method. Therefore, correlation data for tension adjustment to the difference in thread consumption, and correlation data for feed speed adjustment to the difference in thread consumption, may be set for each stitching method.

For example, when creating a pattern on an actual embroidery area on fabric using satin stitching or fold stitching, in which adjacent stitches overlap before and after the stitches to fill in the area as in the test pattern in Figure 16, it is possible that slight misalignment during embroidery in the same area with the same color may not be noticeable to the naked eye. For this reason, for example, the tension and transport speed of the nip rollers are adjusted so that the amount of correction changes gradually so that the stitches following the correction gradually return to the appropriate position after the stitch before the misalignment was discovered.

On the other hand, when creating a pattern on an actual embroidery area on a piece of fabric using straight stitches that are completely exposed and do not overlap, as in the test pattern in Figure 17, positional deviations are noticeable and the position must be corrected immediately. For this reason, the tension and transport speed of the nip rollers are adjusted so that the amount of correction changes suddenly, so that the stitch immediately returns to the correct position after the correction, relative to the stitch before the deviation was discovered.

Second Embodiment
18 is a schematic diagram of a dyeing and embroidering device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this dyeing and embroidering device 2, a dyeing unit 22 is provided in front of an embroidery unit 21 having an embroidery function, which imparts a color that changes in the transport direction to an upper thread that is wound off from an upper thread spool.

The dyeing and embroidery device 2 according to this embodiment has an embroidery unit 21, a dyeing unit 22, and a control unit 23, and is an in-line integrated device.

The embroidery unit 21 uses a needle 211 to embroider on the fabric C. As shown in FIG. 18, the embroidery unit 21 has the needle 211, a stage 213 which is an embroidery feed section, and a detection means 217, and the needle 211 and the detection means 217 are mounted on the embroidery head 201. Note that although FIG. 18 is a schematic illustration, the embroidery unit 21 of this embodiment has the same configuration and functions as the embroidery device 1 of the first embodiment, except for the embroidery data creation section 15 and the calculation mechanism 16.

In this embodiment, the upper thread spool 221 is provided in the dyeing unit 22, which is upstream in the transport direction, rather than in the embroidery unit 21.

The dyeing unit 22 has an upper thread spool 221, a dyeing section 222, and a nip roller 228. The upper thread spool 221 is an upper thread supplying means around which the upper thread N is wound and supplies the upper thread N to the needle 211 via the dyeing section 222 and the nip roller 228. In this embodiment, the thread N unwound from the upper thread spool 221 is white or a single color.

The dyeing unit 222 uses a liquid ejection method to dye the yarn N unwound from the upper thread spool 221 with a color that changes in the transport direction. The dyeing unit 222 is configured to be able to dye the yarn using ink of four colors: black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). Note that in the present invention, it is sufficient to dye the continuous upper thread with multiple colors that change in the transport direction, so the number of colors that can be dyed by the dyeing unit 222 can be any number as long as it is compatible with at least two or more multiple colors.

The nip roller 228 is a transport roller that transports the yarn N dyed by the dyeing section 222 while applying pressure to it, and sends it to the needle 211 of the embroidery unit 210. The nip roller 228 has the same configuration and function as the nip roller 18 (18A) shown in FIG. 6 above. When implementing the first and third control examples, the nip roller 228 is capable of adjusting the pressure, and when implementing the second and third control examples, the transport speed is capable of adjusting.

The detection means 217 in the embroidery unit 21 is provided near the needle 211 and detects the number of stitches (knitting operation information) that indicate how many times the needle N has sewn into the fabric, and the color of the thread N being embroidered.

The control unit 230 sends a control signal to the nip roller 228 to instruct it to adjust the nip pressure or speed of the nip roller 228 according to the timing of detection of the number of stitches and the color of the thread detected by the detection means 217 of the embroidery unit 21.

In the configuration of this embodiment, after the thread leaves the upper thread spool 221, it is dyed in the dyeing section 222 and then sent to the embroidery unit 21. Therefore, the transport distance of the thread from the upper thread spool 221 to the needle 211 is longer than in the first embodiment, and the thread is more likely to stretch or shrink while the thread N is being dyed or transported after dyeing while being sent from the dyeing section 222 to the embroidery head 201.

Therefore, by adjusting the nip roller 228 in real time according to the detection results as described above, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of misalignment of the thread color in the embroidery unit 210 due to the expansion and contraction of the thread that occurs before the thread N reaches the needle 211.

Although not shown in FIG. 18, in the integrated dyeing and embroidery device of this embodiment, the fixing unit 33 and post-processing unit 34 shown in FIG. 19 may be provided downstream of the dyeing unit 222 in the yarn transport direction and upstream of the nip roller 228.

Third Embodiment
Fig. 19 is a schematic side view of a dyeing and embroidery system 100 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In this system, a dyeing device 3 that imparts a color that changes in the transport direction to an upper thread unwound from an upper thread spool is provided in front of an embroidery device 1C, and unlike Fig. 18, the dyeing device and the embroidery device are not integrated.

Here, the dyeing device 3 mainly comprises an upper thread spool 31 around which the upper thread N is wound, a dyeing section 32, a fixing section 33, and a post-processing section 34.

In the dyeing device 3, the upper thread N pulled out from the upper thread spool 31 is guided by rollers 351 and 352, passes through the dyeing section 32 and the nip roller 18, and is continuously wound up to the needle 11 of the embroidery head 10.

The dyeing section 32 includes a number of heads 321 (321K-321Y) that eject and apply liquid of the required color to the upper thread N that is pulled out from the upper thread spool 31 and transported, and a number of individual maintenance units 322 (322K-322Y) that perform maintenance on each head 321.

The multiple heads 321K to 321Y are ejection heads that eject different colors. For example, 321K is a head that ejects black (K) droplets (ink), 321C is a head that ejects cyan (C) droplets, 321M is a head that ejects magenta (M) droplets, and 321Y is a head that ejects yellow (Y) droplets. Note that the order of the colors is merely an example, and they may be arranged in an order different from that described here. Also, in this example, an example is shown in which heads 321K to 321Y of four colors are provided, but in the present invention, it is sufficient to dye a continuous upper thread with multiple colors that change in the conveying direction, so the number of heads may be any number as long as there are heads corresponding to at least two or more multiple colors.

The maintenance units 322K-322Y are provided below the heads 321K-321Y of each color, and as maintenance and recovery operations, they cap the heads when not in use, receive empty droplets from the head 321, perform suction and circulation operations for the nozzles while the empty droplet receiver is close to the head, and perform nozzle wiping operations.

The dyeing unit 32 in the dyeing device 3 shown in FIG. 19 and the dyeing unit 222 shown in FIG. 18 show examples of configurations using a liquid ejection method in which the upper thread N is dyed by ejecting ink from the head 321, but the dyeing unit 32 (222) may also be a dyeing unit using a coating method in which ink is applied by pinching the upper thread N with rollers or the like.

The fixing unit 33 performs a fixing process (drying process) on the upper thread N of the ink ejected from the dyeing unit 32. The fixing unit 33 is equipped with a heating means, such as an infrared irradiation means or a hot air blowing means, and heats and dries the upper thread N.

The post-processing section 34 includes, for example, a cleaning means for cleaning the upper thread N, a lubricant application means for applying a lubricant to the surface of the upper thread N, etc.

In addition, the dyeing device 3 of the present invention only needs to be provided with a dyeing section 32 that applies a colored liquid to the upper thread N, and the fixing section 33 and post-processing section 34 do not necessarily have to be provided.

The nip roller 18C according to this embodiment is a conveying roller (pressurized conveying roller) that conveys the yarn N dyed by the dyeing device 3 while applying pressure to it, and sends it to the needles 11 of the embroidery head 10. The nip roller 18C has the same configuration and function as the nip roller 18 (18A) shown in FIG. 6 above. When implementing the first and third control examples, the nip roller 18C is capable of adjusting the pressure, and when implementing the second and third control examples, the nip roller 18C is capable of adjusting the conveying speed.

The detection means 17 in the embroidery device 1C is provided near the needle 11 and detects the number of stitches (knitting operation information) that indicate how many times the needle N has sewn into the fabric, and the color of the thread N being embroidered.

The calculation mechanism 16 installed in the embroidery head 10 adjusts the nip pressure or speed of the nip roller 18C (transport roller) according to the number of stitches and the timing of detection of the thread color detected by the detection means 17.

In the configuration of this embodiment, after the thread leaves the upper thread spool 31, it is dyed in the dyeing section 32, and then fixed and post-processed before being sent to the embroidery unit. Therefore, the transport distance of the thread from the upper thread spool 31 to the needle 11 is longer than in the first and second embodiments, and the thread is more likely to stretch or shrink while the thread N is being dyed and while being transported after dyeing while being sent from the dyeing section 32 to the embroidery head 10.

Therefore, by adjusting the pressure or conveying speed of the nip roller 18C in real time according to the detection results as described above, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of misalignment of the color of the thread in the embroidery device 1D due to the expansion and contraction of the thread that occurs before the thread N reaches the needle 11.

Fourth Embodiment
20 is a schematic side view of a dyeing and embroidery system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a host control device 4, which is a host device, is connected to a dyeing and embroidery system 100D. The host control device 4 is an information processing device such as a computer. The host control device 4 is electrically connected to the embroidery device 1D and the dyeing device 3D via wired or wireless communication so as to be able to exchange information with them.

In the system according to this embodiment, the nip roller 38 is provided on the dyeing device 3D side, not on the embroidery device 1D. In the present invention, the nip rollers 18C and 38 may be mounted on either the dyeing device or the embroidery device, as shown in Figures 19 and 20.

Figure 21 is a schematic block diagram of a dyeing and embroidery system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The upper control device 4 has an embroidery data and dyeing data creation unit 41 and a calculation unit 42 that can execute the operations.

The upper control device 4 includes an embroidery data/dyeing data creation unit 41 and a calculation unit 42. The embroidery data/dyeing data creation unit 41 acquires an embroidery image that is the source of the embroidery data, creates embroidery data based on the embroidery image, and dyeing data corresponding to the embroidery image and the embroidery data, and outputs the data to the calculation unit 42.

In more detail, in this embodiment, the embroidery data/dyeing data creation unit 41 breaks down the embroidery image into colors (RGB values), determines the thread colors to be used and the continuation length of each color on the thread so that the embroidery pattern can be sewn in a smooth order based on the size of the embroidery pattern on the fabric, and creates embroidery data so that stitches are formed on the fabric using threads of the determined colors. Furthermore, the embroidery data/dyeing data creation unit 41 creates dyeing data that includes the blending amounts of each KCMY color used to achieve the thread color included in the embroidery data, and information on the continuation length of each color in the KCMY ejection head.

The calculation unit 42 of the upper control device 4 can communicate with the calculation mechanism 36 of the staining device 3D, outputting staining data to the calculation mechanism 36, which in turn controls the staining unit 32, fixing unit 33, and post-processing unit 34 based on the staining data.

The calculation unit 42 can also communicate with the calculation mechanism 16D of the embroidery device 1D, outputting embroidery data to the calculation mechanism 16D, which then controls the drive driver 191 based on the embroidery data.

Furthermore, the calculation unit 42 also has the functions of the roller control unit 6 (6A, 6B) in the calculation mechanism 16 shown in Figures 7, 10, and 13 above, except for the embroidery progress status grasping unit 603.

Therefore, the calculation unit 42 calculates the difference (deviation) in the amount of thread consumed (or the thread consumption speed) based on the information on the current embroidery position grasped by the calculation mechanism on the embroidery device 1D side using the detection information from the detection means 17, and sets the pressure on the nip roller 38 (pressure of the nip roller 38) or the conveying speed based on this difference.

Then, the calculation unit 42 outputs a control signal instructing the set pressure or rotation speed to the calculation mechanism 36 of the dyeing device 3D, and the calculation mechanism 36 instructs the roller pressure unit 383 or the rotation motor 387 at the set pressure or rotation speed. This makes it possible to adjust the thread tension by the pressure of the nip roller, or the thread conveyance speed by the rotation speed, in real time.

This type of control can prevent the occurrence of misalignment of the thread color in the embroidery device 1D due to the expansion and contraction of the thread that occurs on the dyeing device 3D side before the thread N reaches the needle 11.

Although the preferred embodiment and control configuration of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and examples. Furthermore, the present invention can be modified or changed in various ways in light of the scope of the appended claims.

Reference Signs List 1, 1C, 1D Embroidery device 2 Dyeing and embroidery device 3, 3D Dyeing device 4 Host control device 6, 6A, 6B Roller control unit 100, 100D Dyeing and embroidery system 10 Embroidery head 11 Needle 12 Lower thread rotating body 121 Lower thread bobbin 122 Hook 13 Stage 14 Upper thread winder 15 Embroidery data creation unit 16, 16A, 16B, 16D Calculation mechanism 17 Detection means (color laser sensor)
17A: Detection means 171: Color laser sensor 172: Stitch sensor 18, 18A, 18C: Nip roller (conveying roller)
181 Pressure roller 182 Roller 183 Roller pressure section 184 Pressure roller 185 Drive roller 186 Roller pressure section 187 Rotation motor 210 Embroidery unit 220 Dyeing unit 221 Upper thread winder 222 Dyeing section 228 Nip roller (conveyor roller)
31: Upper thread winder 32: Dyeing section 33: Fixing section 38: Nip roller (conveying roller)
602 Yarn Estimated Consumption Calculation Unit (Yarn Consumption Prediction Unit)
604 Yarn actual consumption calculation unit (yarn consumption calculation unit)
606, 606B Tension setting section (tension adjustment section)
608 Rotation speed setting unit (speed adjustment unit)
609, 610 Correlation memory section B Lower thread C Cloth N Upper thread

JP 2008-289522 A

Claims (14)

A conveying roller that conveys the yarn while applying pressure to the yarn to be fed to the needle;
a detection means provided near the needle for detecting the color of the thread being embroidered;
a roller control unit that adjusts the pressure or the conveying speed of the conveying roller based on the number of stitches that the needle has sewn on the fabric and the color of the thread detected by the detection means. the detection means is a color laser sensor,
The embroidery device according to claim 1 , wherein the stitch count and the color of the thread at the position of the needle eye of the needle are detected simultaneously at a needle drop timing when the needle pierces the fabric. The detection means includes an optical sensor for detecting a color and a stitch sensor for detecting the number of stitches,
The embroidery device according to claim 1 , wherein the optical sensor detects the color of the thread at the needle drop timing when the needle penetrates the fabric detected by the stitch sensor, thereby simultaneously detecting the number of stitches and the color of the thread at the position of the needle eye. The embroidery device according to claim 1 , wherein the transport roller is a nip roller that pinches and transports the thread. The roller control unit includes:
a thread consumption prediction unit for predicting an estimated consumption of thread in an embroidery operation based on embroidery data that is based on a previously input embroidery image and the number of stitches;
a thread consumption calculation unit that calculates an actual consumption amount of thread in an embroidery operation, the actual consumption amount being obtained from the detected number of stitches and the detection timing of the color of the thread;
a correlation storage unit that stores in advance a correlation between a difference between the predicted assumed consumption amount of the yarn and the detected and calculated actual consumption amount of the yarn, and a correction amount for the tension of the yarn;
5. The embroidery device according to claim 4, further comprising a tension adjusting unit that adjusts the pressure of the nip rollers based on a difference between the estimated consumption amount of the thread and the actual consumption amount of the thread to adjust the tension of the thread sandwiched between the nip rollers. The tension adjustment unit is
If the actual yarn consumption until the color change is greater than the estimated yarn consumption until the color change, the tension of the yarn sandwiched between the nip rollers is reduced;
The embroidery device according to claim 5 , wherein when the actual amount of thread consumed until the color change is less than the estimated amount of thread consumed until the color change, the tension of the thread nipped by the nip rollers is increased. The roller control unit includes:
a thread consumption prediction unit for predicting an estimated consumption of thread in an embroidery operation based on embroidery data that is based on a previously input embroidery image and the number of stitches;
a thread consumption calculation unit that calculates an actual consumption amount of thread in an embroidery operation, the actual consumption amount being obtained from the detected number of stitches and the detection timing of the color of the thread;
a correlation storage unit that stores in advance a correlation between a difference between the predicted assumed yarn consumption amount and the detected and calculated actual yarn consumption amount, and a correction amount for the yarn conveying speed;
The embroidery device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a speed adjustment unit that adjusts a conveying speed of the conveying roller based on a difference between the estimated amount of thread consumption and the actual amount of thread consumption. The speed adjustment unit is
If the actual yarn consumption amount until the color change is greater than the estimated yarn consumption amount until the color change, the conveying speed of the conveying roller is increased;
The embroidery device according to claim 7 , wherein the transport speed of the transport roller is slowed down when the actual amount of thread consumed until the color change is smaller than the estimated amount of thread consumed until the color change. 9. The embroidery device according to claim 5, wherein the correlation storage unit stores in advance a correlation between each of a plurality of thread types and a correction amount for each of the plurality of thread types. A test pattern is created on the fabric using a continuous thread of changing color.
10. The embroidery device according to claim 5, wherein the detection means detects the number of stitches and the position of the thread color in the test pattern, and sets a correlation table or a correlation calculation formula between the thread consumption speed and a correction amount for the thread tension, and stores the correlation table or the correlation calculation formula in the correlation memory unit. A dyeing device for dyeing the yarn with changing colors;
A dyeing and embroidery system comprising: the embroidery device according to claim 1 , which is provided downstream of the dyeing device. a dyeing unit having a dyeing section for dyeing the yarn with a changing color;
A conveying roller that conveys, while applying pressure, the yarn that has been dyed by the dyeing unit and is to be fed to the needle;
an embroidery unit having a detection means provided near the needle for detecting a color of the thread being embroidered, the embroidery unit embroidering on a cloth using the thread fed from the transport roller;
a roller control unit that adjusts the pressure or conveying speed of the conveying roller based on the number of stitches that the needle has sewn on the fabric and the color of the thread detected by the detection means. A dyeing device for dyeing the yarn;
an embroidery device that embroiders on a cloth using the thread dyed by the dyeing device,
The dyeing apparatus includes:
The dyeing department dyes the yarn in changing colors;
A conveying roller that conveys the yarn dyed by the dyeing unit while applying pressure thereto,
the embroidery device includes a detection means provided near the needle for detecting the number of stitches made by the needle on the cloth and the color of the thread being embroidered;
A dyeing and embroidery system, in which a roller control unit that adjusts the pressure or conveying speed of the conveying roller based on the number of stitches that the needle has sewn on the fabric and the color of the thread detected by the detection means is installed in the dyeing device, the embroidery device, or a higher-level control device connected to the dyeing and embroidery system. The dyeing apparatus includes:
A fixing unit that performs a heat drying process on the yarn dyed by the dyeing unit,
The dyeing and embroidery system according to claim 13 , wherein the transport roller is located downstream of the fixing unit in the thread transport direction.

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