Embroidering using ink jet printing apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsHiromitsu Hirabayashi, Hiroyuki Miyake, Sadayuki Sugama, Tetsuro Inoue, Miyuki Matsubara
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ink jet printing apparatus has a station for dyeing a thread for embroidering by discharging ink onto the thread from an ink jet head. According to one aspect of the invention, a printing controller controls the amount of ink discharged per unit time onto the thread according to the speed of relative movement of the thread and the ink jet head. Another aspect of the invention accounts for the length of non-usable thread per unit time between an ink jet printing unit and the tip of an embroidery needle in an embroidery machine.
Claims41
An ink jet printing apparatus for printing an image using printing means to discharge ink onto a thread as said thread and said printing means move at a speed relative to each other, wherein said printing means includes plural ink-discharging nozzles arranged along a direction of relative movement between said thread and said printing means, and said thread being used to embroider a pattern, said apparatus comprising:
- detecting means for detecting the speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means;
- discharge control means for controlling an amount of ink discharged from said printing means and deposited on said thread per unit time in accordance with the detected speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means;
- and
- printing control means for controlling said printing means to discharge ink onto said thread in accordance with said pattern being embroidered using said thread and a condition determined by the diameter or the quality of said thread, wherein said printing control means controls a number of said nozzles used to discharge ink in accordance with the a speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means.
An embroidering apparatus comprising:
- printing means for discharging ink to print on a thread;
- scanning means for moving said thread and said printing relative to each other;
- control means for controlling the discharge of ink from said printing means onto said thread in accordance with pattern information relating to a pattern to be embroidered using said thread;
- embroidering means for moving said thread relative to an embroidering medium to embroider in said embroidering medium a pattern corresponding to the pattern information as said thread is printed;
- and
- means for varying a number of ink droplets deposited at a particular location along said thread by said printing means in accordance with a diameter of said thread.
An ink jet printing method for printing an image using printing means to discharge ink onto a thread as said thread and said printing means move at a speed relative to each other, wherein said printing means includes plural ink-discharging nozzles arranged along a direction of relative movement between said thread and said printing means, said method comprising the steps of:
- detecting the speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means;
- and
- controlling an amount of ink discharged from said printing means and deposited on said thread per unit time in accordance with the detected speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means, wherein said controlling step is performed by changing a number of nozzles used to discharge ink in accordance with the speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means.
An embroidering method comprising the steps of:
- providing printing means for discharging ink to print on a thread as said thread moves at a speed relative to said printing means;
- controlling the discharge of ink from said printing means onto said thread in accordance with pattern information relative to a pattern to be embroidered using said thread and a condition determined by the diameter or the quality of said thread;
- detecting the speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means;
- controlling an amount of ink discharged from said printing means and deposited on said thread per unit time in accordance with the detected speed of relative movement between said thread and said printing means;
- and
- embroidering said thread onto an embroidering medium to form a pattern corresponding to the pattern information as said thread is printed.
An ink jet printing and embroidering apparatus comprising:
- transferring means for transferring a thread to be embroidered on a base medium;
- ink jet printing means for discharging ink onto said thread in accordance with pattern information as said thread is transferred relative to said printing means;
- sensing means for sensing an amount of said thread that has been transferred relative to said ink jet printing means;
- embroidery means for embroidering said thread onto the base medium to form a pattern corresponding to the pattern information;
- and
- detecting means for detecting an amount of thread non-usable for embroidering the pattern based on a distance said thread travels from said ink jet printing means to said embroidery means,
- wherein said ink let printing means includes plural ink discharging nozzles and electrothermal converters for generating heat energy to elect droplets of ink toward said thread.
An embroided product comprising a base medium having a pattern embroided thereon with an elongated thread having different colors printed along the length of said thread as it is embroidered, wherein said thread is printed in accordance with said pattern to be embroidered and embroidery characteristics determined by a condition of said base medium and said thread.
A method for dyeing a thread by an ink jet printing method and embroidering cloth using said dyed thread, comprising the steps of:
- making dyeing data for dyeing said thread in accordance with embroidery pattern information corresponding to a pattern to be embroidered and embroidery characteristics determined by a condition of said cloth and said thread;
- dyeing the thread by said ink jet method in accordance with said dyeing data;
- and
- guiding the dyed thread and embroidering the dyed thread in accordance with the embroidery pattern information.
A dyeing and embroidery apparatus for dyeing a thread by an ink jet method and embroidering cloth using said dyed thread, comprising:
- a transferring portion for transferring a thread;
- an ink jet dyeing portion for dyeing the thread before embroidering by said ink jet method;
- means for making dyeing data in accordance with embroidery pattern information showing a pattern to be embroidered and embroidery characteristics determined by a condition of said cloth and said thread;
- an embroidery portion for embroidering said cloth in accordance with said embroidery pattern information;
- means for guiding the thread to said embroidery portion after processing by process means;
- and
- controlling means for dyeing said thread by said ink jet dyeing portion in accordance with said dyeing data, after processing the dyed thread by the process means, and embroidering the processed thread by said embroidery portion.
A dyeing and embroidering apparatus for dyeing a thread by an ink jet method and embroidering, comprising:
- means for transferring the thread to be embroidered to a cloth;
- an ink jet dyeing portion for dyeing the thread by the ink jet method on demand to discharge an ink droplet having a diameter smaller than a thickness of the thread or less than half of a diameter of the thread;
- means for making dyeing data in accordance with embroidery pattern information showing a pattern to be embroidered and a condition determined by the diameter or the quality of said thread;
- and
- an embroidery portion for embroidering the thread to the cloth;
- wherein said ink jet dyeing portion dyes the thread in accordance with said dyeing data, and said embroidery portion embroiders the dyed thread which is transferred from said ink jet dyeing portion to the cloth in accordance with said embroidery pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.