Embroidery stitcher and sewing machine

Abstract

An embroidery stitcher including an embroidery frame that holds a workpiece cloth and that is provided with a sewable area for sewing the held workpiece cloth; a transparent display device that has a display area that provides visibility behind thereof and that is capable of displaying embroidery pattern information of at least an embroidery pattern to be sewn; and an attachment mechanism that allows detachable attachment of the display device at a position that renders the display area and the sewable area to at least partially overlap.

1 . An embroidery stitcher comprising:
 an embroidery frame that holds a workpiece cloth and that is provided with a sewable area for sewing the held workpiece cloth;   a display device that has a transparent display area that provides visibility behind thereof and that is capable of displaying embroidery pattern information of at least an embroidery pattern to be sewn; and   an attachment mechanism that allows detachable attachment of the display device at a position that renders the display area and the sewable area to at least partially overlap.   
     
     
         2 . The embroidery stitcher according to  claim 1 , wherein the display device further includes:
 a frame type detector that detects a type of the embroidery frame attached to the attachment mechanism;   a controller that controls the display device based on the type of embroidery frame detected by the frame type detector to display the embroidery pattern to be sewn on the display area overlapping with the sewable area.   
     
     
         3 . The embroidery stitcher according to  claim 1 , wherein the display device further includes:
 an embroidery pattern storage that stores information pertaining to the embroidery pattern to be sewn as embroidery pattern data;   an embroidery pattern selector that selects a desired embroidery pattern from the embroidery pattern data stored in the embroidery pattern storage;   an embroidery pattern editor that executes editing of the embroidery pattern including at least a relocation of the embroidery pattern selected by the embroidery pattern selector; and   operation input element that inputs edit operations for editing the embroidery pattern by the embroidery pattern editor.   
     
     
         4 . The embroidery stitcher according to  claim 1 , wherein the display device further includes a communication element that communicates with external elements. 
     
     
         5 . The embroidery stitcher according to  claim 1 , wherein the embroidery frame includes:
 a communication element that communicates with external elements;   an operation input element that inputs edit operations for editing at least a location of embroidery pattern to be sewn displayed on the display area; and   a controller that displays the embroidery pattern to be sewn on the display area based on display data of the embroidery pattern to be sewn inputted from external elements by way of the communication element and that outputs information pertaining to the embroidery pattern to be sewn displayed on the display area to the external elements after the embroidery pattern to be sewn has been edited by the edit operations inputted by the operation input element.   
     
     
         6 . The embroidery stitcher according to  claim 1 , wherein the embroidery frame includes a detector that detects whether or not the display device has been attached. 
     
     
         7 . The embroidery stitcher according to  claim 1 , wherein the attachment mechanism includes:
 an engagement portion that is provided at the display device; and   an engagement subject that is provided at the embroidery frame and that is engagable with the engagement portion.   
     
     
         8 . The embroidery stitcher according to  claim 7 , further comprising an embroidery frame transfer device that transfers the embroidery frame in two predetermined directions; the engagement subject being detachably attached to the embroidery frame transfer device. 
     
     
         9 . The embroidery stitcher according to  claim 7 , wherein the embroidery frame includes a lower frame and an upper frame that clamp the workpiece cloth from lower and upper sides, and
 wherein the engagement subject is provided at the upper frame.   
     
     
         10 . The embroidery stitcher according to  claim 7 , wherein either of the engagement portion and the engagement subject has a groove and the remaining other has a rib such that the display device and the embroidery frame are coupled by a fitting engagement of the groove and the rib. 
     
     
         11 . A sewing machine comprising:
 an embroidery stitcher including:   an embroidery frame that holds a workpiece cloth and that is provided with a sewable area for sewing the held workpiece cloth;   a display device that has a transparent display area that provides visibility behind thereof and that is capable of displaying embroidery pattern information of at least an embroidery pattern to be sewn; and   an attachment mechanism that allows detachable attachment of the display device at a position that renders the display area and the sewable area to at least partially overlap.