U.S. patent application number 16/030304 was filed with the patent office on 2019-02-28 for sewing apparatus.
The applicant listed for this patent is Zeng Hsing Industrial Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Han-Hsi Chang, Wen-Fan Chang, Szu-Jung Chen, Yu-Sheng Hou, Kai-Yao Hu, Yi-Hsin Lin, Chi-Liang Liu, Ping-Jui Shen, Chao-Chuan Wei.
Application Number | 20190062972 16/030304 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 65321539 |
Filed Date | 2019-02-28 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190062972 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hou; Yu-Sheng ; et
al. |
February 28, 2019 |
SEWING APPARATUS
Abstract
A sewing apparatus includes a sewing machine, an electronic
paper and a processor. The processor is disposed in the sewing
machine, is electrically connected to the electronic paper and the
sewing machine, and stores one set of program codes. The processor
controls the sewing machine to perform a sewing procedure upon
executing the set of program codes when the sewing machine is in an
activated state, and controls the electronic paper to display
default content related to an operation manual of the sewing
machine when the sewing machine is in an inactivated state.
Inventors: |
Hou; Yu-Sheng; (Taichung
City, TW) ; Chang; Han-Hsi; (Taichung City, TW)
; Shen; Ping-Jui; (Taichung City, TW) ; Hu;
Kai-Yao; (Taichung City, TW) ; Chen; Szu-Jung;
(Taichung City, TW) ; Liu; Chi-Liang; (Taichung
City, TW) ; Wei; Chao-Chuan; (Taichung City, TW)
; Lin; Yi-Hsin; (Taichung City, TW) ; Chang;
Wen-Fan; (Taichung City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Zeng Hsing Industrial Co., Ltd. |
Taichung City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
65321539 |
Appl. No.: |
16/030304 |
Filed: |
July 9, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D05D 2205/18 20130101;
D05D 2205/085 20130101; D05B 19/105 20130101 |
International
Class: |
D05B 19/10 20060101
D05B019/10 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 31, 2017 |
TW |
106129842 |
Claims
1. A sewing apparatus comprising: a sewing machine to be activated
to enable performing of a sewing procedure thereby when said sewing
apparatus is in an activated state; a display device including a
frame mounted on said sewing machine, and an electronic paper
disposed in said frame; and a processor module disposed in said
sewing machine, electrically connected to said electronic paper and
said sewing machine, storing at least one set of program codes, and
programmed to control said sewing machine to perform the sewing
procedure upon executing the set of program codes when said sewing
apparatus is in the activated state, and control said electronic
paper to display default content related to an operation manual of
said sewing machine when said sewing apparatus is not in the
activated state.
2. The sewing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
processor module is a microcontroller.
3. The sewing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said
processor module is further programmed to control said electronic
paper to display a sewing pattern to be made by said sewing machine
upon performing the sewing procedure when said sewing apparatus is
in the activated state.
4. The sewing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said
processor module is further programmed to record operation data
related to said sewing machine during execution of the sewing
procedure.
5. The sewing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said
processor module is further programmed to control said electronic
paper to display operation data related to said sewing machine
performing the sewing procedure.
6. The sewing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
processor module includes: a first microcontroller storing the set
of program codes, electrically connected to said sewing machine,
and programmed to control said sewing machine to perform the sewing
procedure upon executing the set of program codes when said sewing
apparatus is in the activated state; and a second microcontroller
electrically connected to said first microcontroller and said
electronic paper, storing the default content, and programmed to
control said electronic paper to display the default content when
said sewing apparatus is not in the activated state.
7. The sewing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first
microcontroller is further programmed to determine whether said
sewing apparatus is in the activated state and to notify said
second microcontroller of result of the determination, and said
second microcontroller is further programmed to control said
electronic paper to display a sewing pattern to be made by said
sewing machine upon performing the sewing procedure when said
sewing apparatus is in the activated state.
8. The sewing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first
microcontroller is programmed to record operation data related to
said sewing machine during execution of the sewing procedure, and
said second microcontroller is configured to obtain the operation
data from said first microcontroller and to store the operation
data therein.
9. The sewing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said second
microcontroller is further programmed to control said electronic
paper to display the operation data.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to Taiwanese Patent
Application No. 106129842 filed on Aug. 31, 2017.
FIELD
[0002] The disclosure relates to a sewing apparatus including a
sewing machine and a display device.
BACKGROUND
[0003] A conventional sewing machine is capable of performing a
plurality of sewing procedures for making flat stitching, zigzag
stitching, overlock stitching, embroidery, etc., as controlled by a
microcontroller which stores a plurality of sets of program codes
to be executed thereby. However, an inexperienced user needs to
refer to a physical user manual in order to select a proper sewing
procedure and to find out how to prepare the sewing machine to make
a desired sewing work. Further, information regarding the sewing
apparatus, e.g., a total number of stitches made since last
maintenance, is not revealed to the user.
SUMMARY
[0004] Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a
sewing apparatus for alleviating the above drawbacks of the
conventional sewing apparatus.
[0005] According to one aspect of the disclosure, a sewing
apparatus includes a sewing machine, a display device and a
processor module. The sewing machine is to be activated to enable
performing of a sewing procedure thereby when the sewing apparatus
in an activated state. The display device includes a frame mounted
on the sewing machine, and an electronic paper disposed in the
frame. The processor module is disposed in the sewing machine, is
electrically connected to the electronic paper and the sewing
machine, and stores at least one set of program codes. The
processor is programmed to control the sewing machine to perform
the sewing procedure upon executing the set of program codes when
the sewing machine is in the activated state, and to control the
electronic paper to display default content related to an operation
manual of the sewing machine when the sewing machine is not in the
activated state.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become
apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiments
with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
[0007] FIG. 1 is schematic view of a sewing apparatus according to
one embodiment of this disclosure;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a display device of the sewing
apparatus that displays default content according to one embodiment
of this disclosure;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the display device that
displays a sewing pattern to be made by a sewing machine;
[0010] FIG. 4 is another schematic view of the display device that
displays operation data related to the sewing machine; and
[0011] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a sewing apparatus according
to another embodiment of this disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Before the disclosure is described in greater detail, it
should be noted that where considered appropriate, reference
numerals or terminal portions of reference numerals have been
repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous
elements, which may optionally have similar characteristics.
[0013] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a sewing apparatus 2 according
to one embodiment of this disclosure includes a sewing machine 21,
a display device 3 and a processor module. The sewing apparatus 2
is operable to switch between an activated state where the sewing
machine 21 is activated and enabled to perform a sewing procedure
as controlled by the processor module, and an inactivated state
where the sewing machine 21 is disabled from performing any sewing
procedure. For example, the activated state means that the sewing
apparatus 2 is powered up and the sewing machine 21 is ready to
perform a sewing procedure, and the inactivated state means that
the sewing apparatus 2 is powered down or that the sewing apparatus
2 is powered up but the sewing apparatus 21 is not controlled by
the processor module (i.e., not ready to perform a sewing
procedure).
[0014] The display device 3 includes a frame 31 mounted on the
sewing machine 21, and an electronic paper 32 disposed in the frame
31.
[0015] The processor module is disposed in the sewing machine 21
(namely, inside a housing of the sewing machine 21), is
electrically connected to the electronic paper 32 and the sewing
machine 21, and stores at least one set of program codes. In this
embodiment, the processor module is a microcontroller 22. The
microcontroller 22 is programmed to control the sewing machine 21
to perform the sewing procedure upon executing the set of program
codes when the sewing machine 21 is in the activated state. In one
embodiment, a plurality of sets of program codes are stored in the
microcontroller 22, and each of the sets of program codes
corresponds to a particular sewing procedure. For example, the
sewing procedure is one of an embroider procedure for embroidering
a pattern, a first stitching procedure for plain stitching, a
second stitching procedure for zigzag lock stitching, etc.
[0016] The microcontroller 22 is further programmed to control the
electronic paper 32 to display images related to the sewing machine
21. In one embodiment, the sewing apparatus 2 further includes a
battery (not shown) that is electrically connected to the
microcontroller 22 and the electronic paper 32 and that provides
electricity to the microcontroller 22 and the electronic paper 32
when the sewing apparatus 2 is powered down (e.g., in the
inactivated state). When the sewing apparatus 2 is in the
inactivated state, the microcontroller 22 controls the electronic
paper 32 to display an image of default content. In one embodiment,
the default content is stored in the microcontroller 22, and is
related to an operation manual of the sewing machine 21. For
example, the default content is a quick start guide regarding how
to prepare the sewing machine 21 and a bobbin thread (see FIG. 2).
Due to the nature of the electronic paper 32 that needs no
electricity to hold an image displayed thereon, a relatively low
amount of electricity is required for the sewing apparatus 2.
[0017] Further referring to FIG. 3, the microcontroller 22 controls
the electronic paper 32 to display an image representing a sewing
pattern to be made by the sewing machine 21 upon executing the
sewing procedure when the sewing apparatus 2 is in the activated
state. The microcontroller 22 is further programmed to record
operation data related to the sewing machine 21 that is performing
the sewing procedure to make the sewing pattern, and to control the
electronic paper 32 to display an image of the operation data
during execution of the sewing procedure. For example, as shown in
FIG. 4, the operation data includes a completion percentage of the
sewing procedure (e.g., the embroider procedure), a total number of
stitches performed by the sewing machine 21 during execution of the
current sewing procedure, a total number of stitches made since
last maintenance of the sewing apparatus 2, and so forth. In this
embodiment, the image displayed by the electronic paper 32 further
includes current date and time and a quick response (QR) code that
contains data related to a website of a manufacturer of the sewing
apparatus 2, and the disclosure is not limited in this respect.
[0018] In some embodiments, the microcontroller 22 is further
programmed to measure a time of use of the sewing apparatus 2
and/or consumables thereof, and to control the electronic paper 32
to display a reminder image to remind a user of the sewing
apparatus 2 that the sewing apparatus 2 should be maintained after
the time of use is greater than a predetermined time length. For
example, once the time of use is greater than a predetermined time
length, the microcontroller 22 controls the electronic paper 32 to
alternately display the reminder image and the default content when
the sewing apparatus 2 is in the inactivated state. By this way,
the user of the sewing apparatus 2 can be notified of the timing
for maintenance of the sewing apparatus 2 and/or replacement of
consumable components of the sewing apparatus 2 to thereby lengthen
lifespan of the sewing apparatus 2.
[0019] Now referring to FIG. 5, a sewing apparatus 2' according to
another embodiment of this disclosure is similar to the sewing
apparatus 2 of FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the processor module
includes a first microcontroller 22' and a second microcontroller
33. The first microcontroller 22' stores the sets of program codes,
is electrically connected to the sewing machine 21, and is
programmed to control the sewing machine 21 to perform, upon
executing one of the sets of program codes, the particular sewing
procedure corresponding to the executed one of the sets of program
codes when the sewing apparatus 2' is in the activated state. The
second microcontroller 33 is electrically connected to the first
microcontroller 22' and the electronic paper 32, stores the default
content, and is programmed to control the electronic paper 32 to
display an image related to the sewing machine 21, e.g., the image
of the default content when the sewing apparatus 2' is not in the
activated state (i.e., in the inactivated state).
[0020] The first microcontroller 22' is further programmed to
determine whether the sewing apparatus 2' is in the activated
state, and to notify the second microcontroller 33 of the result of
the determination. The second microcontroller 33 is further
programmed to control the electronic paper 32 to display the image
of the sewing pattern to be made by the sewing machine 21 upon
executing the set of program codes when the sewing apparatus 2' is
in the activated state.
[0021] The first microcontroller 22' is further programmed to
record the operation data related to the sewing machine 21 during
execution of the sewing procedure. The second microcontroller 33 is
further programmed to obtain the operation data from the first
microcontroller 22', to store the operation data therein, and to
control the electronic paper 32 to display the image representing
the operation data.
[0022] To sum up, by virtue of the electronic paper 32 that
displays the operation manual when the sewing apparatus 2, 2' is in
the inactivated state, an inexperience user can operate the sewing
apparatus 2, 2' without referring to a physical user manual.
Further, the electronic paper 32 displays the operation data
related to the sewing machine 21 and the sewing pattern to be made
by the sewing machine 21 when the sewing apparatus 2, 2' is in the
activated state. Additionally, no electricity is required to hold
an image displayed by the electronic paper 32, and thus the sewing
apparatus 2, 2' has relatively low power consumption.
[0023] In the description above, for the purposes of explanation,
numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a
thorough understanding of the embodiment(s). It will be apparent,
however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other
embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific
details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout
this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," an
embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth
means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may
be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further
appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes
grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description
thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding
in the understanding of various inventive aspects.
[0024] While the disclosure has been described in connection with
what are considered the exemplary embodiments, it is understood
that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments
but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the
spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass
all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *