Patent Publication Number: US-2006011120-A1

Title: Embroidering and dyeing system

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Japanese Patent Application No.2004-131633, filed on Apr. 27, 2004, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention generally relates to an embroidering and dyeing system. More particularly, this invention pertains to an embroidering and dyeing system for applying embroidery on a work piece before or after the work piece is dyed.  
     BACKGROUND  
      In the sewing industry, it has been obviously known that decorative performance may be further improved in cases where printing is applied on a fabric and then embroidery is additionally applied on a part of the printing. Japanese Patent No. 3066937 discloses a method for producing such a decorative work. According to the method disclosed, by using a printing machine and the like, required printing is first applied on fabric. Then, the fabric with the printing applied is set on an embroidery frame so that embroidery is formed by means of a known embroidering machine.  
      According to the aforementioned method, however, it may be difficult to apply an embroidery pattern so as to precisely position with a printing pattern that has been already formed. Therefore, a misalignment may occur between the printing pattern and the embroidery pattern, thereby generating a large problem, i.e. appearance as a product or quality may deteriorate.  
      The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and provides such a system.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      According to an aspect of the present invention, an embroidering and dyeing system includes a dyeing apparatus for forming a dyeing pattern on a fabric, and an embroidering machine for forming an embroidery pattern on the fabric before or after the dyeing pattern is formed on the fabric. The embroidery pattern and the dyeing pattern are formed on the basis of a common reference point formed on the fabric. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The foregoing and additional features and characteristics of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing a structure of an embroidering and dyeing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of a frame device for holding a fabric in tension mode;  
       FIG. 3  is a view for explaining how to form an embroidery pattern; and  
       FIG. 4  is a view for explaining how to form a dyeing pattern. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      An embodiment of the present invention is explained with reference to the attached drawings.  
      As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an embroidering and dyeing system EBS includes a control unit  10 , an embroidering machine  20  under the control of the control unit  10 , and a dyeing apparatus  30  also under the control of the control unit  10 . According to the embroidering and dyeing system EBS, an embroidery pattern is applied by means of the embroidering machine  20  on a fabric W, which is pulled and held at a frame apparatus  40 , before or after a dyeing pattern is applied by means of the dyeing apparatus  30  on the fabric W. An embroidery pattern and a dyeing pattern are controlled by one or more pieces of software stored in the control unit  10  and displayed on a display  50 .  
      In cases where dyeing is performed after embroidery is applied on the fabric W, a positional relationship of a dyeing pattern to an embroidery pattern is precisely controlled as follows.  
      As shown in  FIG. 3 , in the embroidering machine  20 , a rectangular R is sewn so that the rectangular R covers an embroidery pattern E, and a dyeing pattern P, which is formed by the dyeing apparatus  30 , before the embroidery pattern E is formed on the fabric W pulled and held at the frame apparatus  40 . The rectangular R is acquired by stitches as a needle penetrating into four corner points of RA, RB, RC, and RD, respectively. Several times of needling are applied on each corner point of the rectangular R so that each corner constitutes a circle that is optically recognizable. Accordingly, coordinates of the four corner points RA, RB, RC, and RD respectively correspond to (XA 1 , YA 1 ), (XB 2 , YB 2 ), (XC 3 , YC 3 ), and (XD 4 , YD 4 ). The embroidery pattern E is formed based on any one of the above coordinates. In this case, since the relative positional relationship between the embroidery pattern E and the dyeing pattern P has been already determined by one or more pieces of sewing software, each coordinate is also uniquely determined relative to the dyeing pattern P.  
      Next, the frame apparatus  40  pulling and holding the fabric W on which the embroidery pattern E has been formed is removed from the embroidering machine  20  and set on the dyeing apparatus  30 . The control unit  10  recognizes, by means of a sensor (not shown), the four corner points RA, RB, RC and RD of the rectangular R formed on the fabric W as (XA 1 , YA 1 ), (XA 2 , YA 2 ), (XA 3 , YA 3 ), and (XA 4 , YA 4 ) respectively while the frame apparatus  40  is driven. The coordinates (XA 1 , YA 1 ), (XA 2 , YA 2 ), (XA 3 , YA 3 ), and (XA 4 , YA 4 ) precisely correspond to the coordinates (XA 1 , YA 1 ), (XB 2 , YB 2 ), (XC 3 , YC 3 ), and (XD 4 , YD 4 ), which have been uniquely determined relative to the dyeing pattern P as mentioned above. Therefore, if the dyeing pattern P is formed based on the coordinates (XA 1 , YA 1 ), (XA 2 , YA 2 ), (XA 3 , YA 3 ), and (XA 4 , YA 4 ), the dyeing pattern P may be precisely formed without deteriorating the relative positional relationship of the dyeing pattern P with the embroidery pattern E. The rectangular R is afterwards removed from the fabric W by removing stitches.  
      In cases where the dyeing pattern P is first formed on the fabric W and then the frame apparatus  40  is removed from the dyeing apparatus  30  to be set on the embroidering machine  20 , the four corner points RA, RB, RC, and RD of the rectangular R are colored with a special ink, i.e. the ink is injected, (ink is vanished after a predetermined time has elapsed) in the dyeing apparatus  30 . The coordinates of the respective four corner points RA, RB, RC, and RD are read into the sensor after the frame apparatus  40  with the dyeing pattern P formed and the four corner points RA, RB, RC and RD colored is set on the embroidering machine  20 .  
      Since the common reference point to the embroidery pattern E and the dyeing pattern P is applied to the fabric W, the relative positional relationship between the embroidery pattern E and the dyeing pattern P may be determined with a degree of certitude even if frame apparatuses  40  different from each other are respectively used for embroidering and dyeing, or the fabric W is moved between the identical frame apparatuses  40 .  
      According to the aforementioned embodiment, the relative positional relationship between the dyeing pattern P and the embroidery pattern E is corrected. Thus, misalignment therebetween may be prevented, which is caused by shrinkage of the fabric W, misalignment of setting the frame apparatuses  40 , and the like.  
      Instead of the fabric, a leaser is available.  
      The principles, preferred embodiment and mode of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. However, the invention which is intended to be protected is not to be construed as limited to the particular embodiments disclosed. Further, the embodiments described herein are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Variations and changes may be made by others, and equivalents employed, without departing from the sprit of the present invention. Accordingly, it is expressly intended that all such variations, changes and equivalents which fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the claims, be embraced thereby.