Abstract:
The lateral displacement or oscillation of a sewing machine needle bar is controlled by a permanently installed servomotor-driven cam operated in coordination with a second similarly installed servomotor-driven cam controlling the displacement of the fabric feed dog. Manipulation of the faces on the two cams, in a synchronized manner, allows numerous stitch patterns to be achieved according to the amplitude and direction of displacement of the needle bar and feed dog pursuant to the positioning of the faces on the two cams by their respective servomotors.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention has as its object a sewing machine, comprising elements for lateral control and positioning of the needle holder bar and for the adjustment of the amplitude and the direction of the movement of the material to be sewn. 
     A sewing machine is known such as in Swiss Pat. No. 277,952 in which the lateral movements of the needle holder bar and the advance of the feed are controlled by two cams, fastened in a removable way on a drive shaft, in continuous movement, that can be replaced by other interchangeable cams. 
     By the present invention, an improved arrangement is presented wherein separate, multi-faced cams each controlled by an individual servomotor are located in the machine upper and lower frames and are regulated by suitable control means such as one or more microprocessors to respectively manipulate the lateral needle bar movement and feed dog movement. Additionally, the upper frame cam serves to immobilize the needle bar. In this manner, the two permanently installed cams may be operated in a plurality of coordinated modes to achieve numerous stitching patterns without the necessity of exchanging cam elements as in many prior known machines. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To automate, simplify and increase the sewing capabilities, the machine according to the invention is characterized in that, on the one hand, it comprises a first servomotor that drives at least two cam portions, or faces, the first face making it possible, by contact with a first feeler, to assure the lateral positioning of the needle holder bar, and the second face working with the first face against which a third feeler rests to assure the disengaging of the needle bar, while a second servomotor drives at least a cam face that determines, by contact with a fourth feeler, the amplitude of the forward movement or the backward movement of the material to be sewn. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The accompanying drawings diagrammatically and by way of example show an embodiment of the machine according to the invention. 
     FIG. 1 is a partial view, showing the upper arm of the machine in front elevation with cutaways. 
     FIG. 2 is a partial view of it, showing the head of the machine in section along II--II of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is a view in larger scale, partially in axial section, of the needle bar, shown in FIG. 2. 
     FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing the needle bar in the disengaged position. 
     FIG. 5 is a view in perspective of the control cam, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     FIG. 6 is a diagram of the functions of the cam, shown in FIG. 5. 
     FIG. 7 shows a variant of the disengaging element of the needle bar. 
     FIG. 8 is a partial top view with cutaway of the lower frame of the machine. 
     FIG. 9 is a view in cross section along IX--IX of FIG. 8. 
     FIG. 10 is a view in cross section along X--X of FIG. 8. 
     FIG. 11 is a view in cross section along XI--XI of FIG. 8. 
     FIG. 12 is a view in cross section along XII--XII of FIG. 8. 
     FIG. 13 is an exploded view, seen from right to left, of FIG. 12. 
     FIG. 14 is a view in section of it along XIV--XIV of FIG. 8. 
     FIG. 15 is a view in section along XV--XV of FIG. 14. 
     FIG. 16 is a diagram of the functions of the control cam, shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the sewing machine comprises an upper arm or frame U with a tubular needle bar 1, mounted to slide in a swivelling cradle 2, the longitudinal reciprocating movement of needle bar 1 being assured by a journal 3, connected to a connecting rod 4 and driven by an eccentric plate 5 mounted on main drive shaft 12 of the machine. 
     As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a first cam 29 comprises two laterally presented faces B and C for controlling zig-zag sewing. To do this, cam 29 is subjected to an alternating oscillating movement of determined amplitude by a first servomotor 28 as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. In straight sewing, the lateral positioning of a needle N attached to needle bar 1 is also controlled by the angular position of cam 29, determined by servomotor 28. This automatic control makes it possible to obtain infinite variations of the width of the stitch, or of the lateral positioning of the needle bar. 
     As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the control of the crosswise movement of needle bar 1 is assured by face C of cam 29, against which a feeler 37 solid with the upper end of cradle 2 rests. Cam face B is engaged by another feeler 39 mounted on a lever arm 38 in turn mounted to pivot on oscillation shaft 6 of cradle 2. Feelers 37 and 39 are kept in contact with cam faces B, C by a counterspring 40. 
     As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a control element 26 for disengaging needle bar 1 is mounted to pivot on a transverse shaft 24 inside the tubular needle bar 1. A rod 18 inside the bar 1 exhibits a ramp 22, which, when it is inserted, against the action of a return spring 25, between the inner wall of needle bar 1 and the head 23 of the pivotal control element 26, causes it to pivot on shaft 24. Because of this, plug 17 of control element 26 pushes lug 9 outside of an opening 11 in the bar 1, against the action of spring 10. Consequently, journal 3 slides on needle bar 1, which remains in high position under the action of a spring, with a needle bar locking ring 13 being held by a stop S. 
     As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, cam 29 comprises a third face or ramp A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , against which a feeler 30 of a lever 31 rests. The feeler is hinged on a shaft as at 21 in FIG. 2. 
     When servomotor 28 drives cam 29, shown in FIG. 2, in a clockwise direction, feeler 30 resting on the ramp at A 1  will go on to A 3  and pivoting lever 31 will urge the attached support element 32 into position for disengaging needle bar 1. This action occurs as the element 32 abuts the opposite free end of disengaging rod 18 being driven during the lifting of needle bar 1. 
     The stop S for holding locking ring 13 can be advantageously replaced by support element 32, provided that the upper end of rod 18 (FIG. 7) exhibits a clearance 20, making it possible for support element 32 to hold needle bar 1 in engaged position, when feeler 30 rests against position A 2  of the third cam face. 
     The lateral position of needle bar 1 remains determined by the displacement of the feeler 37 by the cam faces B and C, as feeler 30 engages the third cam face portions A 2  or A 3 . With the above description in mind, it will be seen that FIG. 6 depicts the lateral displacement of various points along the cam faces B and C relative to the radial displacement of points along the faces A 1 , A 2  and A 3  during each revolution of cam 29 as reflected by the line D-E. 
     With additional faces, cam 29 could further assure other functions such as the adjustment of the tension of the thread, for example (not shown). 
     Quite obviously, the production of varied zig-zag stitching patterns requires a direct coordination between not only the lateral displacement of the needle bar but also the feed rate of the fabric being operated upon. With this in mind, it should be fully appreciated that the control of the movement of the machine feed dog 47 with respect to the needle bar operation, is quite important. In this regard, the present invention includes the provision of a second cam regulated by a second servomotor within the machine lower frame L together with appropriate displaceable means for regulating the movement of the associated feed dog. 
     As shown in FIGS. 8 to 12 another or second cam 83 within the lower frame or bed L is positioned angularly by another or second servomotor 70 to control the amplitude of the forward movement and backward movement of feed dog 47 integral with a feed dog support 46. This action is controlled by a feeler 63, solid with a lever 64 and in contact with face 62 of cam 83, this control being transmitted by lever 64, hinged to the frame. The resultant displacement is determined by links 65 and 66 and the angular position of a link 61, it being understood that links 66 and 61 are solid with the same shaft 67, hinged in the frame. The angular position of link 61 determines the direction and the amplitude of the movement of feed dog support 46 by way of links 57, 52, this latter being connected by a shaft 54 to an angular link 55, 56. The common shaft 53 of links 57, 52 is driven by an eccentric 50 and a connecting rod 51. 
     As shown in FIG. 9, a lever 94 connected to the frame is equipped with a feeler 95 in contact with a cam 83 with a face 97, parallel to a face 62 and assures the contact of feeler 63 against face 62, under the action of a return spring 96 connecting lever 64 to lever 94, thus forming a parallelogram, constituting a device for taking up the play with an approximately constant torque. 
     As shown in FIGS. 8, 14 and 15, a second face 93 of cam 83 controls by a lever 85 the angular position of a part 87, hinged in a bearing 92 of the frame and angularly orients a plane or surface 88, solid with part 87, in relation to the standard sewing direction of feed dog 47, so as to produce a lateral movement of feed dog support 46, against the action of a return spring. This is due to the oscillation produced by eccentric 89 upon the fork 69 swivelling on a shaft 68. The fork 69 will be seen to include balls 86 placed between feed dog support 46 and plane 88. 
     Depending on the orientation of plane 88, the lateral movement of feed dog support 46 is performed perpendicularly to the standard sewing direction in one direction or the other (left or right, see FIG. 8). 
     Alternately, plane 88 could oscillate with part 87 in bearing 92 of the frame by an eccentric, the amplitude and the direction of lateral movement of feed dog support 46 being determined by the position of balls 86 along plane 88. 
     As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, feed dog support 46 rests on a ball-and-socket support connecting rod 45, to allow both lengthwise and crosswise movement or simultaneous lengthwise and crosswise movement of feed dog support 46. 
     As shown in FIGS. 8 and 12, an eccentric cam 41 solid with lower shaft 42 of the machine drives a lever 43 hinged on a shaft 44, solid with the lower frame, to assure the lifting of the feed dog support 46 by ball-and-socket support connecting rod 45. By moving lever 43 to the left of FIG. 8, on shaft 44 by manual pusher or selector 49, lever 43 comes to rest on a cylindrical element 48. An interruption of the feeding of the fabric by feed dog 47 results because there is no longer a lifting of the feed dog, this feed dog remaining below the sewing plane, as a result of the retraction of the ball-and-socket support connecting rod 45 (see FIG. 13). 
     The movement of lever 43 for putting feed dog 47 in or out of operation could be assured by an additional face of cam 83. 
     Several functions which can be assured by faces 62 and 93 of cam 83 have been diagrammatically represented, from left to right in FIG. 16, that can be made by the combination of the two directions of feed of the fabric, in relation to one another. 
     F 1  corresponds to the adjustment of the amplitude of the length of the stitch during the feed in reverse from 0 to the maximum M 1 , face 93 of cam 83 keeping plane 88 parallel to the standard sewing direction. 
     F 2  corresponds to the forward movement adjustment of the length of stitch O at the maximum M 2 , face 93 of cam 83 keeping plane 88 parallel to the standard sewing direction. 
     F 3  corresponds to a movement on the bias of forward movement sewing with variable stitch length combined with a lateral movement to the left with intervention of lever 85, driven by face 93 or cam 83. 
     F 4  corresponds to a forward-reverse fine adjustment zone, the slope of face 62 of cam 83 being reduced to make possible a more precise adjustment of small stitch lengths, for the same oscillation angle of cam 83 as in F 1  and F 2 . This mode would apply for example, for the sewing of bourdon stitches, button holes, etc., with face 93 of cam 83 keeping plane 88 parallel to the standard sewing direction. 
     F 5  corresponds to a combination of forward-reverse and left-right feed, determined by face 62 of cam 83, working with lever 85, by contact with face 93 of cam 83, thus making possible the following combinations: 
     a: reverse feed+lateral feed to the right 
     b: no feed 
     c: forward feed+lateral feed to the left 
     d: forward feed only 
     e: foward feed+lateral feed to the right 
     f: lateral feed to the right only 
     g: reverse feed only 
     h: reverse feed+lateral feed to the left 
     i: lateral feed to the left only 
     Consequently, depending on the angular position of cam 83, it is possible to make tack, linear, and multidirectional stitching. 
     F 6  corresponds to the adjustment of the amplitude of the lateral feed of a maximum M 3  to the right to a maximum M 4  to the left while passing by a position corresponding to a zero feed. 
     The synchronization of the various control elements is assured between main drive shaft 12 and a lower shaft 42 by belt 90 and under the control of a servodisk 91, mounted on one of these shafts. The servomotors can be managed by one or more microprocessors.