Sewing machine and computer-readable medium storing control program executable on sewing machine

#The present disclosure relates to a sewing machine. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a sewing machine equipped with a camera and a computer-readable medium storing control program executable on the sewing machine.

#Conventionally, a sewing machine has been proposed which is equipped with a camera to pick up an image of a needle drop point and the vicinity of the needle drop point. In a sewing machine described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. H8-24464 and H8-71287, an image of the vicinity of the needle drop point is picked up and the picked-up image is displayed on a display device which is provided in the sewing machine to enable a user to confirm a needle drop point and a sewn state. An imaging range of such a camera disposed on the sewing machine is limited. Therefore, such a camera can pick up an image of only the needle drop point and the vicinity of the needle drop point.

#The user may desire to obtain not only an image of a needle drop point and the vicinity of the needle drop point but also an image of a wider range. In such a case, a wide-angle lens or a fish-eye lens may be used. Alternatively, a plurality of cameras may be disposed and images that are picked up by the respective cameras may be combined. In a case where the wide-angle lens or the fish-eye lens is used, an image of a wider range may be obtained. However, the obtained image may have a lower in resolution than an image that is picked up by a camera with a standard lens. In a case where the images that are picked up by the plurality of cameras are combined, distortion may occur at an peripheral portion of the image, resulting in a slight mismatch at a boundary between the images to be combined. An extra cost may occur in a case where the plurality of cameras are disposed.

#Exemplary embodiments will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sewing machine that can sew an embroidery pattern;

#FIG. 2 is a left side view of essential parts of a needle bar, a sewing needle, a presser bar, and a presser foot of the sewing machine, and their vicinities;

#The following will describe embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of a sewing machine 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The side of the page that faces toward a user of the sewing machine 1 in FIG. 1 is referred to as the front side, and the side that faces away from the user is referred to as the rear side. The side at which the pillar 12 is positioned is referred to as the right side and the opposite side thereof is referred to as the left side.

#As shown in FIG. 1, the sewing machine 1 includes a sewing machine bed 11, a pillar 12, an arm 13, and a head 14. The sewing machine bed 11 extends in the right-and-left direction. The pillar 12 is erected at the right end portion of the sewing machine bed 11. The arm 13 extends leftward from the upper end portion of the pillar 12. The head 14 is provided at the left end portion of the arm 13. The sewing machine bed 11 is equipped with a needle plate (not shown), a feed dog (not shown), a cloth feed mechanism (not shown), a feed adjustment pulse motor 78 (see FIG. 6), and a shuttle mechanism (not shown). The needle plate is disposed on the upper surface of the sewing machine bed 11. The feed dog is provided under the needle plate and feeds by a predetermined feed distance a work cloth that is to be sewn. A cloth feed mechanism drives the feed dog. The feed adjustment pulse motor 78 adjusts a feed distance.

#An embroidery unit 30 may be attached to the left of the sewing machine bed 11. An embroidery frame 34, in which a work cloth 100 may be set, can be attached to and detached from the embroidery unit 30. An area inside the embroidery frame 34 provides an embroidery area in which stitches of an embroidery pattern can be sewn. A carriage cover 35 that extends in the front-and-rear direction is provided at the upper portion of the embroidery unit 30. A Y-axis movement mechanism (not shown) is disposed under the carriage cover 35. The Y-axis movement mechanism is used to move in a Y-direction (front-and-rear direction) a carriage (not shown) that the embroidery frame 34 can be attached to and detached from. The Y-axis movement mechanism drives the carriage so that the embroidery frame 34 may be moved in the Y direction. The right end portion (not shown) of the carriage protrudes rightward from the right side surface of the carriage cover 35. A guide 341 (see FIG. 5) that is provided at the left side of the embroidery frame 34 can be attached to and detached from the right end portion of the carriage. The carriage, the Y-axis movement mechanism, and the carriage cover 35 are driven by an X-axis movement mechanism (not shown) so as to be moved in an X-axis direction (right-and-left direction). The X-axis movement mechanism is provided in a body of the embroidery unit 30. Thus, the embroidery frame 34 is driven so as to be moved in the X-direction. The X-axis movement mechanism and the Y-axis movement mechanism are driven by an X-axis motor 83 (see FIG. 6) and a Y-axis motor 84 (see FIG. 6), respectively. In a case where a CPU 61 (see FIG. 6) of the sewing machine 1 outputs a command to drive the Y-axis motor and the X-axis motor, the embroidery frame 34 is moved in the X direction and in the Y direction, and a needle bar 6 (see FIG. 2) and the shuttle mechanism (not shown) are also driven. Thus, a pattern such as an embroidery pattern may be sewn on the work cloth 100 that is set in the embroidery frame 34. In a case where a utility stitch pattern is sewn instead of an embroidery pattern, the embroidery unit 30 may be detached from the sewing machine bed 11. The utility stitch pattern is sewn while the feed dog moves the work cloth.