Sewing machine having a wireless controller
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorNoriyuki Yoshida
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a sewing machine having a remote battery powered foot pedal control, that communicates with the sewing machine proper via a wireless signal, a monitoring system that periodically monitors the status of the battery and provides that information from the foot pedal control, along with speed instructions, to the sewing machine proper. A display on the sewing machine informs the operator when battery change time is approaching and when replacement is urgently needed. If the battery is not replaced when replacement is urgent, the sewing machine ceases operations.
Claims15
A sewing machine comprising:
- a machine body having receiving means for receiving operational information and control means for controlling said machine body according to operational information received by said receiving means;
- a wireless controller provided independently of said machine body and having transmitting means for transmitting operational information to said machine body;
- a power source for supplying an electric power to said wireless controller;
- detecting means for detecting an output condition of said power source;
- determining means for determining whether said power source has been consumed based on the output condition of said power source detected by said detecting means;
- and
- informing means for informing an operator that said power source has been consumed when said determining means determines that said power source has been consumed.
A sewing machine including a machine body, an operation commanding device formed independently of said machine body, and a control device incorporated into said machine body, said operation commanding device comprising:
- operating means being manually operated for generating a signal for operating said machine body;
- operational information creating means for creating operational information according to the signal generated by said operating means;
- transmitting means for transmitting by wireless the operational information created by said operational information creating means;
- a power source for supplying an electric power to said operating means, said operational information creating means, and said transmitting means;
- detecting means for detecting an output condition of said power source;
- calculating means for calculating an output reduction characteristic of said power source based on the output condition detected by said detecting means;
- determining means for determining whether said power source has been consumed based on said output reduction characteristic calculated by said calculating means;
- and
- power source consumption information creating means for creating power source consumption information when said determining means determines that said power source has been consumed and for supplying the power source consumption information to said transmitting means, wherein said transmitting means transmits by wireless the power source consumption information;
- and
- said control device comprising:
- receiving means for receiving said operational information transmitted by said transmitting means of said operation commanding device;
- operation control means for controlling an operation of said machine body based on the operational information received by said receiving means;
- and
- informing means for informing an operator that said power source of said operation commanding device has been consumed when the power source consumption information is received by said receiving means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.