Numerically controlled sewing machine

A numerically controlled sewing machine for forming a seam, the shape of which is similar to that of a basic standard seam to be formed in a basic standard piece, in a workpiece having a contour similar to that of said basic standard piece comprising:

• a. means for holding said workpiece in a predetermined position at a loading station spaced from a sewing station in which sewing instrumentalities are disposed;
• b. x, y driving means connected with said holding means for feeding said workpiece along an x axis from said loading station to said sewing station, and then intermittently transferring said workpiece along said x axis and a y axis perpendicular thereto relatively to said sewing instrumentalities in order to form a seam therein;
• c. means for recording the first information including at least the x pulse number (N1) necessary to feed said basic standard piece held by said holding means along said x axis from said loading station to said sewing station, and information necessary to form said basic standard seam in said basic standard piece at said sewing station, which includes second information representative of the direction and length of stitch in said basic standard seam and third information representative of the number of stitches to be successively formed in the same direction to said direction of stitch;
• d. means for reading said information in said recording means;
• e. means for decoding the information read by said reading means;
• f. first accumulating means for storing said x pulse number (N1) and the x, y pulse numbers decoded by said decoding means, said x, y pulse numbers being predetermined in said second information in order to transfer said basic standard piece along said x, y axes;
• g. stitch accumulating means for storing said number of stitches decoded by said decoding means;
• h. first generating means for generating x, y pulse signals in relationship with the position of a needle of said sewing instrumentalities, and for applying said x, y pulse signals to said first accumulating means so that the pulse numbers of said pulse signals are subtracted from the pulse numbers being stored in said first acccumulating means;
• i. zero detecting means for interrupting said first generating means from generating said x, y pulse signals when the pulse numbers being stored in said first accumulating means are respectively decreased to zero, and generating a pulse zero signal;
• j. storage means for storing the x, y pulse numbers respectively equal to said x, y pulse numbers stored in said first accumulating means;
• k. gate means being opened in response to said pulse zero signal for transmitting said x, y pulse numbers stored in said storage means to said first accumulating means, and for transmitting said pulse zero signal from said interrupting means to said stitch accumulating means so that one is subtracted from the number of stitches being stored in said stitch accumulating means.
• l. command means for applying a reading command signal to said reading means so that said reading means sequentially reads said information in said recording means when the number of stitches being stored in said stitch accumulating means is decreased to zero;
• m. second generating means for generating the x, y driving signals in timed relationship with said x, y pulse signals, and applying said x, y driving signals to said x, y driving means.
• n. selecting means capable of manually selecting a standard size closest to an actual size of said workpiece from among said basic standard size and a variety of standard sizes which are respectively predetermined so as to be different from said basic standard size.
• o. detecting means for detecting the first difference between said actual size and said basic standard size in the direction parallel to said x axis during feeding said workpiece from said loading station to said sewing station;
• p. compensating means for compensating the x pulse number necessary to feed said workpiece along said x axis by summing up a half value of the pulse number (N2) corresponding to said first difference, a half value of the pulse number (N5) corresponding to the second difference between the standard size selected by said selecting means and said basic standard size and said pulse number (N1);
• and,
• q. change means for changing the number of stitches to be formed in said workpiece in said direction parallel to said x axis by summing up said number of stitches in said third information and the number of stitches corresponding to said second difference.

A numerically controlled sewing machine with a loading station and a sewing station for forming an actual seam, the shape of which is similar to that of a standard seam to be formed in a standard piece, in a workpiece having an actual size close to the standard size of said standard piece and a contour similar to that of said standard piece comprising:

• a. holding means for holding said workpiece in a predetermined position at said loading station spaced from said sewing station in which sewing instrumentalities are disposed;
• b. driving means connected with said holding means for feeding said workpiece in the feeding direction from said loading station to said sewing station, and then intermittently transferring said workpiece relatively to said sewing instrumentalities in order to form said actual seam therein;
• c. storage means for storing the feeding information including at least a pulse number (N1) corresponding to a predetermined feeding length (L2) necessary to feed said standard piece from said loading station to said sewing station, and the sewing information necessary to form said standard seam in said standard piece with said sewing instrumentalities;
• d. detecting means for detecting the difference between said actual size and said standard size in said feeding direction during feeding said workpiece from said loading station to said sewing station;
• e. compensating means for compensating the pulse number corresponding to the actual feeding length necessary to feed said workpiece from said loading station to said sewing station by summing up half the pulse number (N2) corresponding to said difference and said pulse number (N1);
• and
• f. means for applying to said driving means driving-signals the number of which is equal to the pulse number compensated by said compensating means, whereby said actual seam will be formed in said workpiece according to said sewing information so that the margins to seam (Za, Zb) along the opposite edges of said workpiece may be maintained equal in said feeding direction.

A numerically controlled sewing machine with a sewing station and a loading station spaced from the sewing station for positioning a workpiece fed from the loading station under sewing instrumentalities disposed in the sewing station and then forming in the workpiece an actual seam the shape of which is similar to that of a standard seam to be formed in a prearranged standard piece, said workpiece having an actual size close to the standard size of said standard piece and a contour similar to that of said standard piece, said sewing machine comprising:

• a. a workpiece holder for holding said workpiece in a predetermined position that the reference edge remotest from said sewing instrumentalities of said workpiece is located at the first fixed position in said loading station;
• b. driving means connected with said holder for feeding said workpiece from said loading station to sewing station;
• c. a sensor disposed at the second fixed position between both stations for sensing the passage of the edge opposite to said reference edge of said workpiece and generating a sensing signal;
• d. program means made on the basis of the standard size and the contour of said standard piece for controlling the movement of said holder;
• e. said program means recording a predetermined feeding length (L2) necessary to feed said standard piece from said loading station to said sewing station, a predetermined length (L1) from the edge opposite to the reference edge of said standard piece held by said holder in said loading station to said second fixed position and the sewing information necessary to form said standard seam in said standard piece with said sewing instrumentalities;
• f. means responsive to said sensing signal for calculating the difference between said predetermined length (L1) and the feeding length (L) of said workpiece from said loading station to said second fixed position;
• g. means for compensating the actual feeding length of said workpiece from said loading station to said sewing station by summing up said predetermined feeding length (L2) and a half value of said difference (L1-L);
• and
• h. means for actuating said driving means so that said workpiece may be fed from said loading station by the compensated actual feeding length, whereby said actual seam will be formed in said workpiece according to said sewing information so that the margins to seam (Za and Zb) along said reference edge and said opposite edge thereto of said workpiece may be maintained equal in said feeding direction.