Sewing Machine

Abstract

Illuminating device includes a plurality of LEDs positioned at intervals so as to form a linear LED array generally corresponding to an array line along which needle bars are provided, and a lens for gathering emitted light from the LEDs to thereby generate a linear light beam corresponding to the array line. The illuminating device provided in each machine head is controlled, independently of the illuminating devices of the other machine heads, in response to an operating state of the machine head. Thus, it is possible to not only generate, at low cost, a linear light beam suited to illumination of areas around the points of a plurality of needles arranged in a linear array, but also appropriately control the needle point illumination for the plurality of machine heads.

1 . A sewing machine provided with a multi-needle machine head having a plurality of needle bars disposed in a straight or curved linear array, 
 said sewing machine including an illuminating device for illuminating an area around a point of a sewing needle fixed to a lower end of each of the needle bars,    said illuminating device comprising: a plurality of unitary light sources disposed at intervals so as to form a linear array of said light sources generally corresponding to a needle bar array line along which the needle bars are disposed; and a lens provided for covering said plurality of unitary light sources to gather light emitted from individual ones of said unitary light sources, to thereby generate a linear light beam corresponding to the needle bar array line.    
   
   
       2 . A sewing machine as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said lens of said illuminating device is a single elongated cylindrical lens of a predetermined length, and said plurality of unitary light sources are disposed at intervals along a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical lens.  
   
   
       3 . A sewing machine as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said lens of said illuminating device comprises a single elongated cylindrical lens of a predetermined length, and a plurality of illuminating device units disposed in an array along the needle bar array line, each of said illuminating device units including at least one said unitary light source provided in correspondence with said illuminating device.  
   
   
       4 . A sewing machine as claimed in any one of claims  1  wherein each of said unitary light sources is a chip LED.  
   
   
       5 . A sewing machine as claimed in  claim 1  wherein a number of said unitary light sources is smaller than a number of said needle bars in said machine head.  
   
   
       6 . A sewing machine as claimed in  claim 1  which is provided with a plurality of the machine heads each including said illuminating device.  
   
   
       7 . A sewing machine as claimed in  claim 6  which further comprises control means for controlling said illuminating device of each of the machine heads in response to an operating state of the machine head.  
   
   
       8 . A sewing machine provided with a plurality of machine heads, said sewing machine comprising: 
 an illuminating device provided for each of the machine heads for illuminating an area around a point of a sewing needle of the machine head; and    control means for controlling said illuminating device of each of said machine heads in response to an operating state of the machine head.    
   
   
       9 . A sewing machine as claimed in  claim 8  wherein, when only one or some of said plurality of machine heads are to be caused to operate with other of said machine heads in a non-operating state, said control means performs control for illuminating the illuminating devices of only the machine heads that are to be caused to operate.  
   
   
       10 . A sewing machine as claimed in  claim 8  wherein, when said sewing machine has stopped operating due to occurrence of a thread breakage, said control means performs control for illuminating only said illuminating device of the machine head where the thread breakage has occurred.  
   
   
       11 . A sewing machine as claimed in  claim 8  wherein said control means performs control for illuminating said illuminating devices in any of different illuminating styles corresponding to a plurality of kinds of informing functions.